Proton VPN Pricing 2026: Free vs VPN Plus vs Unlimited

Proton VPN Plus costs $9.99 a month on monthly billing, $4.49 a month on the 1-year plan or $3.49 a month on the 2-year plan, each paid up front for the whole term, per Proton's pricing page on October 19, 2026. Both discounted terms renew at $83.88 every 12 months. Proton Unlimited costs $12.99 monthly or $7.99 a month on two years, and Proton Free costs nothing.

The renewal line is what this page is about. Proton prints it on every plan card, so there is no guesswork, and it shows that the deep discount covers only the first term. After that, the 1-year and 2-year buyer pay the same yearly rate, so the term you pick changes your first bill far more than your long-run cost.

Toolradar data: Toolradar, the software directory we run, tracks 36 VPN tools as of October 19, 2026, and the 10 it ranks highest have a median cheapest paid plan of $3.20 a month (Toolradar's VPN ranking). Proton's 2-year VPN Plus rate sits just above that median, and its renewal rate sits well above it. The product's own record is on Proton VPN's Toolradar page.

All prices in US dollars, read on Proton's pricing page with each billing term selected, October 19, 2026. Every paid plan carries a 30-day money-back guarantee.

What does Proton VPN Free include?

Proton Free is a real plan, not a trial: no card, no data cap and no end date, but one device and a random choice of 10 countries. Proton's pricing FAQ says the plan has no data limits and no artificial speed limits, while its plan table lists medium VPN speed. Streaming, P2P and the malware and ad blocker are left off the Free column.

That profile fits one phone on hotel or café Wi-Fi, where the goal is to encrypt the connection rather than to pick a country. It does not fit a household, a laptop plus a phone at the same time, or anyone who needs a specific exit location for work. For a wider look at no-cost options, our best free VPNs list compares Proton Free against the other free plans, and our VPN free trial guide covers the brands that offer a trial instead.

VPN Plus: what each billing term costs

VPN Plus is the plan most buyers want: 10 devices at once, more than 20,000 servers in over 140 countries, streaming, P2P and the ad and malware blocker. Proton's plan cards also list the highest VPN speed tier and priority support with live chat. The plan includes the free tiers of Proton Mail, Drive and Pass, so their paid features are not part of it.

The price swings with the billing term. The monthly option has no discount and no renewal surprise, which suits a buyer who values the exit door over the savings. The 1-year term cuts the first year to $53.88, a 55% discount by Proton's own label, and the 2-year term bills a single payment for 24 months, which Proton marks as 65% off.

Each discounted term then rolls into the same annual renewal, about $6.99 a month. The 2-year plan does not renew for another two years at the sale rate; it renews for one year at the higher rate. That is the detail a buyer misses when comparing only the headline monthly figures, and it is why a year-three budget should use the renewal rate, not the sale rate.

Our Proton VPN review covers audits, apps and where the service falls short. This page stays on the bill.

What you pay over two and three years

We added up every payment needed to keep each option running, using only the first-term and renewal prices Proton prints. A term that renews mid-period bills a full year at renewal, so the totals count that whole year.

On VPN Plus, the 2-year term saves $54 over the 1-year route across three years, and $192 against paying monthly. That gap opens during the first two years and never closes, because from month 25 both terms pay the same yearly renewal.

Month-to-month only makes sense for a short stint, such as a trip or a two-month contract abroad. Past a few months, the monthly price outruns the 1-year term's entire first bill, so any buyer who expects to stay half a year or more should take a discounted term.

Is Proton Unlimited worth it over VPN Plus?

Unlimited is a bundle: the same VPN as Plus, plus the paid tiers of Proton Mail, Pass and Drive. Proton's plan table shows what the extra buys. Drive storage rises from up to 5 GB to 500 GB, Mail goes from 1 address to 15 with 3 custom domains, and Pass adds integrated 2FA, dark web monitoring, unlimited hide-my-email aliases and 50 vaults instead of 2.

On the 2-year term, Unlimited costs $108 more than VPN Plus for the first 24 months. After renewal, the yearly gap shrinks to $36. Read the gap that way: once both renew, Unlimited costs $3 a month more than Plus for encrypted email, a password manager and storage.

That is a good deal for anyone who would otherwise pay for a separate password manager or private email service. It is wasted money for someone who will use only the VPN. If the password manager is the deciding piece, our Proton Pass pricing breakdown covers that product on its own, and the Proton Mail review covers the inbox side.

How does Proton compare with ExpressVPN?

Proton renews for less than ExpressVPN's cheapest tier, even though their opening bills are almost identical. ExpressVPN Basic bills $83.72 for its first 28 months, $2.99 a month, then auto-renews at $99.95 a year, per ExpressVPN's pricing page on October 19, 2026. Both plans cover 10 devices at once.

ExpressVPN's opening bill buys four extra months for almost the same money, so it wins for a buyer who will stay about two years and then switch. Proton wins once the renewal kicks in, by $16.07 a year on these numbers. The tiered detail for ExpressVPN sits in our ExpressVPN pricing breakdown, and our cheapest VPN comparison ranks five brands on a three-year bill. The NordVPN side is in our NordVPN pricing guide.

The rules that change your bill

• The money-back window is 30 days. Proton's FAQ says you can cancel at any time, and a refund applies to any subscription when requested within the first 30 days; the full terms sit in Proton's terms of service.
• Plan changes are prorated. Switching from monthly to a 1-year term, or from Plus to Unlimited, applies prorated credit toward the new plan.
• Downgrading from Unlimited has a cost. Your account must fit the smaller plan, which can mean deactivating extra addresses and calendars or cutting storage.
• Payment options go beyond cards. Proton takes Visa, Mastercard, American Express and PayPal, and its account credits can be bought with cash, bank transfer or Bitcoin.

The cash and Bitcoin route matters to a privacy buyer who would rather not link a VPN to a card statement. It needs an account first, so plan for that step before you pay.

Which Proton VPN plan should you buy?

One phone on public Wi-Fi: Proton Free. It costs nothing, needs no card and has no data cap; upgrade only when you need a second device or a specific country.

Most people and households: VPN Plus on the 2-year term. It has the lowest three-year total of any Proton option, and the 30-day refund window covers the risk of a long first bill.

Anyone also paying for a password manager or private email: Unlimited on the 2-year term, since after renewal the bundle costs about $3 a month more than Plus.

Short stints: VPN Plus monthly, cancelled when the trip ends.

Teams that need seats and admin controls should look at Proton VPN for Business, which is sold separately, and at our best VPN for small business guide. Android users weighing a no-cost app can compare options in our best free VPN for Android list.

How we checked these prices

Louis Corneloup, founder of Dupple and Toolradar, prepared this breakdown for buyers choosing a Proton VPN plan. We read every Proton price, renewal line, plan feature and policy on Proton's pricing page on October 19, 2026, with the 1-month, 1-year and 2-year terms each selected and prices shown in US dollars. ExpressVPN's figures come from its own pricing page the same day. The two-year and three-year totals are our arithmetic from those printed prices. The 36-tool count and $3.20 median come from Toolradar's VPN ranking that day. Publishing rules for this site sit on the Cyberpresso about page.

Cite this: Cyberpresso, "Proton VPN Pricing 2026: Free vs VPN Plus vs Unlimited", October 2026.

FAQ

How much does Proton VPN cost in 2026?

VPN Plus costs $9.99 a month on monthly billing, $53.88 for the first year, or $83.76 for the first two years. Proton Unlimited costs $12.99 a month, $119.88 a year, or $191.76 for two years. Proton Free is $0. Prices were read on Proton's pricing page on October 19, 2026.

How much does Proton VPN cost after the first term?

Both discounted VPN Plus terms renew at the same yearly price, about $6.99 a month, billed every 12 months. Unlimited renews at its full yearly price on both its 1-year and 2-year terms. Monthly plans renew at the same monthly price.

Is Proton VPN free?

Yes. Proton Free costs $0, needs no card and has no data limit, but it covers 1 device at a time, runs at medium speed and connects to servers in 10 countries chosen at random.

Does Proton VPN have a money-back guarantee?

Yes. Proton offers a refund on any subscription requested within the first 30 days, and you can cancel at any time.

What is the difference between VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited?

The VPN is the same: 10 devices and servers in over 140 countries on both. Unlimited adds the paid tiers of Proton Mail, Pass and Drive, including 500 GB of storage and 15 email addresses. After renewal it costs $36 a year more than VPN Plus.

Is Proton VPN cheaper than ExpressVPN?

Over three years, yes. Proton VPN Plus on its 2-year term totals $167.64 against $183.67 for ExpressVPN Basic on its 28-month term, by our arithmetic from both pricing pages. ExpressVPN's first bill covers four more months for almost the same amount.

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