Canadian VPN with open-source apps, a free tier and crypto payment
Privacy 6.8
Safety 8.1
VPNs Since 2017 Reviewed 22 Oct 2026
Proton VPN review
Swiss VPN with a free tier; paid plans payable in Bitcoin or cash
- Open source
- Accepts cash
- Company named
- 5+ years operating
- Email required
No ID mentioned KYC 1 Documentation reviewed
Privacy
6.4/ 10
Fair
Safety
7.3/ 10
Strong
Based on terms and documentation. No test transactions published yet. See the arithmetic
Proton VPN review in short
Proton VPN is a VPN operating since 2017. Its terms put it at KYC level 1 of 4: no ID mentioned. NoKYC Score grades it 6.4/10 for privacy (fair) and 7.3/10 for safety (strong). In its favour: accepts cash, open source and company named. To watch: it requires an email address. No incidents are on record.
- Category
- VPNs
- KYC level
- 1 of 4: No ID mentioned
- Grades
- Privacy 6.4/10, Safety 7.3/10
- Sign-up
- Email required
- Jurisdiction
- Switzerland
- Incidents on record
- 0
- Last reviewed
- 22 Oct 2026
Cite this review
NoKYC Score, "Proton VPN review", reviewed 22 Oct 2026, https://nokycscore.com/service/protonvpn
Also available as plain text.
What Proton VPN is
Proton VPN is the VPN service of Proton AG, a Swiss company that also runs Proton Mail. It offers a free tier and paid plans with open-source apps. The payment help page lists cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Bitcoin, cash and bank transfer; Bitcoin is not shown when first creating an account, so users create a free Proton account and then upgrade from the account settings, and cash is accepted by post in US dollars, euros or Swiss francs. An account is required, which makes sign-up less anonymous than providers that issue numbered accounts.
What Proton VPN offers, and what to watch
4 of 14 privacy and safety features, 1 warning in its terms.
"Not stated" means its own pages do not say.
Identity
- ID never required Not stated
- No account needed No
- No email needed No
- No phone number Not stated
Payment
- Accepts Monero Not stated
- Accepts Lightning Not stated
- Accepts cash Yes Cash by post or in person: no bank and no blockchain record.
Access
- Tor onion address Not stated
- Works without JavaScript Not stated
Trust
- Open source Yes The code that matters is public and can be inspected.
- No-logs policy Not stated
- Independent audit Not stated
- Company named Yes The operating company and its jurisdiction are published.
- 5+ years operating Yes Has operated continuously for five years or more.
Warnings
- May ask for ID Not in terms
- Email required Yes An email address is required to use the service.
- Phone number required Not in terms
- Closed source Not in terms
- Nobody accountable Not in terms
Does Proton VPN require KYC?
- 0 Never
- 1 Not mentioned
- 2 Rare
- 3 On risk flag
- 4 Mandatory
KYC level 1: No ID mentioned. No identity requirement appears anywhere in the terms or documentation.
No identity documents are requested; a Proton account is required and Bitcoin or posted cash can be used to pay.
How the grades add up
Both grades start at 50 points and move by fixed, published amounts. Nothing is adjusted by hand. The total is divided by ten.
Privacy
6.4- Starting points 50
- KYC level 1: No ID mentioned +12
- Accepts cash +4
- Open source +2
- Requires email -4
- Total, clamped to 0–100 64
Safety
7.3- Starting points 50
- Open source +8
- 5+ years operating +10
- Legal entity disclosed +5
- Total, clamped to 0–100 73
Test ledger
Real transactions run by our editors. A badge without a ledger is an assertion; this is the proof.
No test transactions published yet
The grades above rest on Proton VPN’s terms and documentation. Tests will appear here with the date, route, amount band and result as they are run.
Incidents on record
No incidents are on record for Proton VPN. If you have a documented case, report it.
User reviews
Reviews never change a grade. Reviews with a transaction reference are marked.
No reviews yet.
Write a review
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Proton VPN: common questions
Does Proton VPN require KYC?
Proton VPN is rated KYC level 1 of 4 on this site: no ID mentioned. No identity documents are requested; a Proton account is required and Bitcoin or posted cash can be used to pay.
Is Proton VPN safe to use?
Proton VPN has a Safety grade of 7.3 out of 10 and a Privacy grade of 6.4 out of 10. No incidents are on record. Evidence level: documentation reviewed.
Is Proton VPN legit?
Proton VPN is a working VPN that has operated since 2017. It publishes the company that runs it, in Switzerland. Being real is not the same as being safe: its Safety grade here is 7.3 out of 10, built from custody, liquidity, track record and incidents.
Is Proton VPN a scam?
NoKYC Score does not label services as scams; it records documented incidents with their sources and outcomes. No incidents are on record for Proton VPN.
Do I need an account or email to use Proton VPN?
Email required.
Does Proton VPN have a Tor onion address?
No official onion address was found on Proton VPN's own pages.
Which cryptocurrencies does Proton VPN support?
Proton VPN supports BTC, and fiat payments in USD, EUR, CHF.
Can I use Proton VPN over Tor?
Proton VPN does not publish an official onion address.
Listing history
- Listing added. Facts and KYC level set from the service's own terms and documentation.