Hotspot Shield / Proton VPN compared
Same criteria, same rules. You see where they diverge.
No winner on this page. vpn-matrix.com assigns no points and makes no recommendations.
Differences (102)
Criteria where the values diverge.
| Hotspot Shield | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name | Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim | Proton AGconfirmed |
| Trademark holder, if different | Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim | Proton AG (Proton ecosystem)provider claim |
| Year founded | 2008confirmed | 2017provider claim |
| Headquarters (country) | USprovider claim | CHconfirmed |
| Other relevant jurisdictions | United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed | Schweiz (Proton AG, Genf); als Vertreter in der EU benennt die Datenschutzerklärung die Proton Europe sarl, rue de Grünewald 94, L-1912 Luxemburg.provider claim |
| Intelligence alliance of the home country | Five Eyesconfirmed | noneprovider claim |
| Parent group / holding | Point Wildconfirmed | Proton Foundation, Genf, Hauptaktionärin der Proton AG seit Juni 2024confirmed |
| Ownership structure | private equityprovider claim | non-profitconfirmed |
| Sister VPN brands in the group | Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim | none (Proton Mail/Drive/Pass ecosystem; not separate VPN sister brands)provider claim |
| Group owns VPN review and comparison sites | Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim | none disclosedprovider claim |
| Typical commission rate | ? | 30 Prozent auf die meisten neuen Monatsabos (Mail, VPN, Drive, Pass, Lumo), 100 Prozent auf neue Drive-Monatsabos, 40 Prozent auf neue Drive-Jahres- und Zweijahresabos, 30 Prozent auf Verlängerungen.provider claim |
| Documented misleading advertising claims | 'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim | ? |
| Acquisition history / former name | AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim | No VPN-brand acquisition history described on fetched Proton VPN home/features/wiki pages (Proton AG product)provider claim |
| Core statement of the logging policy | Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed | Laut Datenschutzerklärung protokolliert Proton VPN weder den Datenverkehr noch den Inhalt von Kommunikation und speichert keine VPN-Sitzungsdaten.provider claim |
| Connection logs | per sessionconfirmed | aggregated onlyconfirmed |
| Storage of the real IP address | transient onlyconfirmed | not storedconfirmed |
| Precision of stored timestamps | to the secondprovider claim | noneconfirmed |
| Recording of transferred data volume | per accountconfirmed | not recordedprovider claim |
| Enforcement of the device limit | Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim | Laut Auditbericht wird die aktive Sitzung in einem flüchtigen Speicher auf dem Server gehalten; ein getrennter Abrechnungsdienst in der Schweiz setzt Sitzungsgrenzen etwa für Gratiskonten durch, ohne nutzeridentifizierende Daten zu protokollieren.confirmed |
| Minimum account data required | Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim | Für den Gratistarif eine externe, nicht von Proton stammende E-Mail-Adresse als Benutzername und ein Passwort; Zahlungsdaten sind dafür nicht nötig.provider claim |
| Telemetry in the apps | cannot be disabledprovider claim | on by defaultconfirmed |
| Trackers and SDKs in the Android app | Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim | None named for VPN apps in Proton privacy policy; website uses self-developed local analytics; third parties may process image deliveryprovider claim |
| Trackers in the iOS app | Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim | None named for VPN apps in Proton privacy policy; website uses self-developed local analytics; third parties may process image deliveryprovider claim |
| Trackers and cookies on the website | Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim | Laut Datenschutzerklärung nutzt Proton eine lokal installierte, selbst entwickelte Analysesoftware und speichert dafür keine IP-Adressen.provider claim |
| Data shared with third parties | Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim | Laut Datenschutzerklärung Auftragsverarbeiter für Support und Zahlungsabwicklung, genannt werden unter anderem Zendesk, Stripe, PayPal, Chargebee und Atlassian.provider claim |
| Retention periods stated in the policy | Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim | Nutzungsstatistiken werden nach Anbieterangabe nach 30 Tagen gelöscht. Für IP-Protokolle nennt die Datenschutzerklärung keine feste Frist, sondern eine vorübergehende Speicherung zur Missbrauchsabwehr und eine dauerhafte Speicherung bei Verstößen gegen die Nutzungsbedingungen.provider claim |
| No-logs audit details | Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed | Securitum, zwei Prüfer vor Ort im Proton-Büro Zürich vom 18. bis 20.08.2025, sechs Personentage, Berichtsversion 1.0 vom 19.09.2025. Der Bericht bezeichnet die Prüfung als begleitete Sichtung zufällig ausgewählter Produktivserver, nicht als unbeaufsichtigte forensische Untersuchung.confirmed |
| Audit report published | summary onlyconfirmed | full reportconfirmed |
| App and client audits | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim | Der Anbieter verlinkt einen öffentlichen Sicherheitsbericht zu Proton VPN neben Berichten zu Mail, Calendar, Drive und Pass. Privacy Guides nennt Ruben Santamarta als Prüfer der Proton-VPN-Apps und Browser-Erweiterungen.provider claim |
| Infrastructure and server audits | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim | Securitum inspizierte 2025 die Produktiv-VPN-Infrastruktur vor Ort. Ausdrücklich ausgenommen waren die CI/CD-Pipeline, ein formales Quellcode-Review, Binäranalysen der Client- und Serversoftware sowie Nebensysteme wie Buchhaltung und Kontoverwaltung.confirmed |
| Audit frequency | irregularprovider claim | annualconfirmed |
| Tested in court or by authorities | none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim | Nach eigenem Transparenzbericht erhielt Proton VPN seit dem Start 2017 insgesamt 458 rechtsverbindliche Anordnungen Schweizer Behörden und konnte in keinem Fall Daten liefern; Stand der Seite ist der 14.07.2026.provider claim |
| Transparency report | occasionalprovider claim | regularprovider claim |
| Security incidents and data leaks | 2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed | ? |
| Bug bounty programme | none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim | Meldungen per E-Mail an security@proton.me. Prämien bis 100.000 US-Dollar, kritische Fälle 25.000 bis 50.000, hohe 2.500 bis 25.000, mittlere 1.000 bis 2.500 US-Dollar. Der Geltungsbereich umfasst Web-, Desktop- und Mobil-Apps sowie Server.provider claim |
| Handling of reported vulnerabilities | none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim | ? |
| Open source clients | noneprovider claim | allconfirmed |
| Available on F-Droid | noprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| Listings by independent bodies | Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim | Privacy Guides führt Proton VPN in seiner VPN-Übersicht (Abruf 03.08.2026) und nennt dort als Kriterien unter anderem WireGuard-Unterstützung, anonyme Zahlungswege und veröffentlichte Audits.confirmed |
| WireGuard | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Proprietary protocol | Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed | Stealth, eine Eigenentwicklung auf WireGuard-Basis, die den Tunnel als obfuskierten TLS-Verkehr über TCP führt.provider claim |
| Legacy protocols still offered | Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim | none highlighted on features (WireGuard-focused modern stack)provider claim |
| Default data cipher | AES-256confirmed | AES-256 bei OpenVPN und IKEv2, ChaCha20 bei WireGuardprovider claim |
| Weakest accepted cipher | AES-256provider claim | ? |
| Key exchange and authentication | Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim | Diffie-Hellman-Schlüsselaustausch für die Sitzungsschlüssel; WireGuard nutzt laut Auditbericht zertifikatsbasierte Authentifizierung.provider claim |
| Perfect forward secrecy | ? | yesprovider claim |
| Post-quantum key exchange | not availableprovider claim | ? |
| DNS leak protection | ? | yesprovider claim |
| IPv6 handling | unclearprovider claim | ? |
| WebRTC protection or guidance | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Obfuscation methods | Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim | Stealth führt den WireGuard-Tunnel obfuskiert als TLS über TCP. Ergänzend leitet Alternative Routing die App-Verbindung über Drittnetze wie AWS, wenn die Proton-Server blockiert sind.provider claim |
| Usability behind the Great Firewall | per user reportsconfirmed | unclearprovider claim |
| Kill switch | not availableprovider claim | system-wideprovider claim |
| Permanent lockdown | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Split tunneling | not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim | Windows und Android nach Anwendung und IP-Adresse, Linux-GUI und Android TV nach Anwendung, macOS nach Anwendung und dort als experimentell gekennzeichnet (ohne WebKit-Apps einschliesslich Safari), Browser-Erweiterung nach Domain. Ausschluss- und Einschlussmodus je nach Plattform.provider claim |
| Multihop | not availableprovider claim | freely combinableprovider claim |
| Tor integration (Onion over VPN) | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Port forwarding | not availableprovider claim | limitedprovider claim |
| Ad and tracker filtering in DNS | fixed listprovider claim | configurableprovider claim |
| Custom DNS servers allowed | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Auto connect rules | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Traffic analysis defence | Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim | Secure Core multi-hop routing in privacy-friendly countriesprovider claim |
| IPv6 inside the tunnel | noprovider claim | ? |
| Number of servers | 1,800 Serverprovider claim | 20,522 Serverprovider claim |
| Number of countries | 80 Laenderprovider claim | 148 Laenderprovider claim |
| Number of cities | 35 Staedteprovider claim | ? |
| Virtual locations | not labelledprovider claim | no virtual locationsprovider claim |
| Hardware ownership | rentedprovider claim | owned hardwareconfirmed |
| Own AS (autonomous system) | noprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| 10 Gbps ports | noprovider claim | some serversprovider claim |
| P2P and file sharing | entire networkprovider claim | dedicated locationsprovider claim |
| Public status page | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Known upstream hosting providers | Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim | Secure Core / self-operated hardened servers emphasizedprovider claim |
| Linux app with GUI | not availableprovider claim | native appconfirmed |
| Linux command line | not availableprovider claim | native appconfirmed |
| Apple TV app | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Browser extension | not availableprovider claim | own extensionprovider claim |
| Type of browser extension | no extensionprovider claim | standalone browser proxyprovider claim |
| Router support | Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim | OpenVPN-Konfigurationen für AsusWRT, AsusWRT-Merlin, DD-WRT, FreshTomato, GL.iNet Flint, OpenWRT und pfSense; WireGuard für AsusWRT, MikroTik, OpenWRT, OPNsense und pfSense; ausserdem Vilfo-Router.provider claim |
| Command line documented | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Simultaneous devices | 10provider claim | 10 gleichzeitige Verbindungen in den Bezahltarifen, 1 im Gratistarif; ein Router zählt als eine Verbindung.provider claim |
| Cash by mail | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Bitcoin | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| PayPal | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| SEPA payment | noprovider claim | ? |
| Monthly price | €11.99provider claim | €9.99provider claim |
| Effective price on the longest term | €7.99provider claim | €2.99provider claim |
| Price change at renewal | moderate increaseprovider claim | very large increaseprovider claim |
| Free tier and its limits | Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed | Dauerhaft kostenlos, ohne Datenlimit, 1 gleichzeitige Verbindung. Server in 10 Ländern, die zufällig zugewiesen werden (Niederlande, Japan, Rumänien, Polen, Norwegen, Schweiz, Singapur, Mexiko, Kanada, USA). NetShield, Secure Core, Tor-Server, P2P, Portweiterleitung und die Streaming-Freigabe sind den Bezahltarifen vorbehalten.provider claim |
| Money-back window | 45 Tageprovider claim | 30 Tageprovider claim |
| P2P policy in the terms of service | entire networkprovider claim | dedicated locationsprovider claim |
| Netflix regions reported | Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim | Nach Anbieterangabe die lokalen Netflix-Kataloge der USA, Grossbritanniens, Indiens, Italiens, Australiens, Deutschlands, Kanadas, Japans, der Schweiz und Frankreichs.provider claim |
| Other streaming services | Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim | Der Anbieter listet über 100 Dienste, darunter Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu und Crunchyroll.provider claim |
| Bandwidth cap | cappedprovider claim | no limitprovider claim |
| Data cap | Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim | Kein Datenlimit, auch nicht im Gratistarif.provider claim |
| Speed measurement references | Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim | ? |
| Official support in restrictive countries | Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim | Für China dokumentiert der Anbieter Stealth-Protokoll und Alternative Routing sowie den Rat, die App vor der Einreise einzurichten, schreibt aber, kein VPN-Dienst könne dort volle Zuverlässigkeit garantieren.provider claim |
| Documentation assessment | workableprovider claim | thorough and currentprovider claim |
| Tracker load of the website | Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim | Privacy policy governs site cookies/trackers; Proton emphasizes privacy-first analytics postureprovider claim |
| URL of the warrant canary | none foundprovider claim | Keine eigene Warrant-Canary-Seite. Der Anbieter führt stattdessen einen Transparenzbericht unter https://protonvpn.com/blog/transparency-report.provider claim |
| Length and readability of the legal documents | Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim | Standard vendor legal pages; privacy policy relatively structuredprovider claim |
| Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms | Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed | Strong open-source + audit marketing; streaming claims on features pageprovider claim |
All sourced criteria (153)
| Hotspot Shield | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name | Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim | Proton AGconfirmed |
| Trademark holder, if different | Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim | Proton AG (Proton ecosystem)provider claim |
| Year founded | 2008confirmed | 2017provider claim |
| Headquarters (country) | USprovider claim | CHconfirmed |
| Other relevant jurisdictions | United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed | Schweiz (Proton AG, Genf); als Vertreter in der EU benennt die Datenschutzerklärung die Proton Europe sarl, rue de Grünewald 94, L-1912 Luxemburg.provider claim |
| Intelligence alliance of the home country | Five Eyesconfirmed | noneprovider claim |
| Parent group / holding | Point Wildconfirmed | Proton Foundation, Genf, Hauptaktionärin der Proton AG seit Juni 2024confirmed |
| Beneficial owners publicly known | partly knownprovider claim | partly knownprovider claim |
| Ownership structure | private equityprovider claim | non-profitconfirmed |
| Leadership team publicly named | yesprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| Verifiable postal address for legal service | yesconfirmed | yesconfirmed |
| Sister VPN brands in the group | Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim | none (Proton Mail/Drive/Pass ecosystem; not separate VPN sister brands)provider claim |
| Group owns VPN review and comparison sites | Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim | none disclosedprovider claim |
| Runs an affiliate programme | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Typical commission rate | ? | 30 Prozent auf die meisten neuen Monatsabos (Mail, VPN, Drive, Pass, Lumo), 100 Prozent auf neue Drive-Monatsabos, 40 Prozent auf neue Drive-Jahres- und Zweijahresabos, 30 Prozent auf Verlängerungen.provider claim |
| YouTube and influencer sponsoring | occasionalprovider claim | occasionalprovider claim |
| Documented misleading advertising claims | 'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim | ? |
| Acquisition history / former name | AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim | No VPN-brand acquisition history described on fetched Proton VPN home/features/wiki pages (Proton AG product)provider claim |
| Operating status | activeconfirmed | activeconfirmed |
| Core statement of the logging policy | Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed | Laut Datenschutzerklärung protokolliert Proton VPN weder den Datenverkehr noch den Inhalt von Kommunikation und speichert keine VPN-Sitzungsdaten.provider claim |
| Activity and traffic logs | noneprovider claim | noneconfirmed |
| Connection logs | per sessionconfirmed | aggregated onlyconfirmed |
| Storage of the real IP address | transient onlyconfirmed | not storedconfirmed |
| Storage of the assigned VPN IP | not storedprovider claim | not storedprovider claim |
| Precision of stored timestamps | to the secondprovider claim | noneconfirmed |
| Recording of transferred data volume | per accountconfirmed | not recordedprovider claim |
| Enforcement of the device limit | Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim | Laut Auditbericht wird die aktive Sitzung in einem flüchtigen Speicher auf dem Server gehalten; ein getrennter Abrechnungsdienst in der Schweiz setzt Sitzungsgrenzen etwa für Gratiskonten durch, ohne nutzeridentifizierende Daten zu protokollieren.confirmed |
| Minimum account data required | Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim | Für den Gratistarif eine externe, nicht von Proton stammende E-Mail-Adresse als Benutzername und ein Passwort; Zahlungsdaten sind dafür nicht nötig.provider claim |
| Telemetry in the apps | cannot be disabledprovider claim | on by defaultconfirmed |
| Trackers and SDKs in the Android app | Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim | None named for VPN apps in Proton privacy policy; website uses self-developed local analytics; third parties may process image deliveryprovider claim |
| Trackers in the iOS app | Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim | None named for VPN apps in Proton privacy policy; website uses self-developed local analytics; third parties may process image deliveryprovider claim |
| Trackers and cookies on the website | Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim | Laut Datenschutzerklärung nutzt Proton eine lokal installierte, selbst entwickelte Analysesoftware und speichert dafür keine IP-Adressen.provider claim |
| Data shared with third parties | Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim | Laut Datenschutzerklärung Auftragsverarbeiter für Support und Zahlungsabwicklung, genannt werden unter anderem Zendesk, Stripe, PayPal, Chargebee und Atlassian.provider claim |
| Retention periods stated in the policy | Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim | Nutzungsstatistiken werden nach Anbieterangabe nach 30 Tagen gelöscht. Für IP-Protokolle nennt die Datenschutzerklärung keine feste Frist, sondern eine vorübergehende Speicherung zur Missbrauchsabwehr und eine dauerhafte Speicherung bei Verstößen gegen die Nutzungsbedingungen.provider claim |
| EU representative named under GDPR | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Independent no-logs audit | yesconfirmed | yesconfirmed |
| No-logs audit details | Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed | Securitum, zwei Prüfer vor Ort im Proton-Büro Zürich vom 18. bis 20.08.2025, sechs Personentage, Berichtsversion 1.0 vom 19.09.2025. Der Bericht bezeichnet die Prüfung als begleitete Sichtung zufällig ausgewählter Produktivserver, nicht als unbeaufsichtigte forensische Untersuchung.confirmed |
| Audit report published | summary onlyconfirmed | full reportconfirmed |
| App and client audits | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim | Der Anbieter verlinkt einen öffentlichen Sicherheitsbericht zu Proton VPN neben Berichten zu Mail, Calendar, Drive und Pass. Privacy Guides nennt Ruben Santamarta als Prüfer der Proton-VPN-Apps und Browser-Erweiterungen.provider claim |
| Infrastructure and server audits | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim | Securitum inspizierte 2025 die Produktiv-VPN-Infrastruktur vor Ort. Ausdrücklich ausgenommen waren die CI/CD-Pipeline, ein formales Quellcode-Review, Binäranalysen der Client- und Serversoftware sowie Nebensysteme wie Buchhaltung und Kontoverwaltung.confirmed |
| Audit frequency | irregularprovider claim | annualconfirmed |
| Tested in court or by authorities | none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim | Nach eigenem Transparenzbericht erhielt Proton VPN seit dem Start 2017 insgesamt 458 rechtsverbindliche Anordnungen Schweizer Behörden und konnte in keinem Fall Daten liefern; Stand der Seite ist der 14.07.2026.provider claim |
| Transparency report | occasionalprovider claim | regularprovider claim |
| Warrant canary | noneprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Security incidents and data leaks | 2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed | ? |
| Bug bounty programme | none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim | Meldungen per E-Mail an security@proton.me. Prämien bis 100.000 US-Dollar, kritische Fälle 25.000 bis 50.000, hohe 2.500 bis 25.000, mittlere 1.000 bis 2.500 US-Dollar. Der Geltungsbereich umfasst Web-, Desktop- und Mobil-Apps sowie Server.provider claim |
| Handling of reported vulnerabilities | none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim | ? |
| Open source clients | noneprovider claim | allconfirmed |
| Open source server side | noprovider claim | noconfirmed |
| Reproducible builds | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Available on F-Droid | noprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| Listings by independent bodies | Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim | Privacy Guides führt Proton VPN in seiner VPN-Übersicht (Abruf 03.08.2026) und nennt dort als Kriterien unter anderem WireGuard-Unterstützung, anonyme Zahlungswege und veröffentlichte Audits.confirmed |
| WireGuard | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| OpenVPN over UDP | yesconfirmed | yesprovider claim |
| OpenVPN over TCP | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| IKEv2/IPsec | yesconfirmed | yesprovider claim |
| Proprietary protocol | Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed | Stealth, eine Eigenentwicklung auf WireGuard-Basis, die den Tunnel als obfuskierten TLS-Verkehr über TCP führt.provider claim |
| Legacy protocols still offered | Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim | none highlighted on features (WireGuard-focused modern stack)provider claim |
| Default data cipher | AES-256confirmed | AES-256 bei OpenVPN und IKEv2, ChaCha20 bei WireGuardprovider claim |
| Weakest accepted cipher | AES-256provider claim | ? |
| Key exchange and authentication | Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim | Diffie-Hellman-Schlüsselaustausch für die Sitzungsschlüssel; WireGuard nutzt laut Auditbericht zertifikatsbasierte Authentifizierung.provider claim |
| Perfect forward secrecy | ? | yesprovider claim |
| Post-quantum key exchange | not availableprovider claim | ? |
| Own DNS resolvers | yesprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| DNS leak protection | ? | yesprovider claim |
| IPv6 handling | unclearprovider claim | ? |
| WebRTC protection or guidance | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Obfuscation methods | Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim | Stealth führt den WireGuard-Tunnel obfuskiert als TLS über TCP. Ergänzend leitet Alternative Routing die App-Verbindung über Drittnetze wie AWS, wenn die Proton-Server blockiert sind.provider claim |
| Usability behind the Great Firewall | per user reportsconfirmed | unclearprovider claim |
| Kill switch | not availableprovider claim | system-wideprovider claim |
| Permanent lockdown | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Split tunneling | not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim | Windows und Android nach Anwendung und IP-Adresse, Linux-GUI und Android TV nach Anwendung, macOS nach Anwendung und dort als experimentell gekennzeichnet (ohne WebKit-Apps einschliesslich Safari), Browser-Erweiterung nach Domain. Ausschluss- und Einschlussmodus je nach Plattform.provider claim |
| Multihop | not availableprovider claim | freely combinableprovider claim |
| Tor integration (Onion over VPN) | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Port forwarding | not availableprovider claim | limitedprovider claim |
| SOCKS5 proxy | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| HTTP proxy | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Smart DNS | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Ad and tracker filtering in DNS | fixed listprovider claim | configurableprovider claim |
| Malware and phishing filter | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Custom DNS servers allowed | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Local network access toggle | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Auto connect rules | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Private device network (mesh) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| GPS location override (Android) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Traffic analysis defence | Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim | Secure Core multi-hop routing in privacy-friendly countriesprovider claim |
| IPv6 inside the tunnel | noprovider claim | ? |
| Obfuscation without configuration | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Number of servers | 1,800 Serverprovider claim | 20,522 Serverprovider claim |
| Number of countries | 80 Laenderprovider claim | 148 Laenderprovider claim |
| Number of cities | 35 Staedteprovider claim | ? |
| Virtual locations | not labelledprovider claim | no virtual locationsprovider claim |
| RAM-only servers (diskless) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Hardware ownership | rentedprovider claim | owned hardwareconfirmed |
| Own AS (autonomous system) | noprovider claim | yesconfirmed |
| 10 Gbps ports | noprovider claim | some serversprovider claim |
| P2P and file sharing | entire networkprovider claim | dedicated locationsprovider claim |
| Public server list | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Public status page | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Known upstream hosting providers | Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim | Secure Core / self-operated hardened servers emphasizedprovider claim |
| Windows app | native appconfirmed | native appprovider claim |
| macOS app | native appconfirmed | native appprovider claim |
| Linux app with GUI | not availableprovider claim | native appconfirmed |
| Linux command line | not availableprovider claim | native appconfirmed |
| Android app | native appconfirmed | native appconfirmed |
| iOS app | native appconfirmed | native appprovider claim |
| Android TV app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Apple TV app | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Fire TV app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Browser extension | not availableprovider claim | own extensionprovider claim |
| Type of browser extension | no extensionprovider claim | standalone browser proxyprovider claim |
| Router support | Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim | OpenVPN-Konfigurationen für AsusWRT, AsusWRT-Merlin, DD-WRT, FreshTomato, GL.iNet Flint, OpenWRT und pfSense; WireGuard für AsusWRT, MikroTik, OpenWRT, OPNsense und pfSense; ausserdem Vilfo-Router.provider claim |
| Native build for Apple Silicon | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Command line documented | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Simultaneous devices | 10provider claim | 10 gleichzeitige Verbindungen in den Bezahltarifen, 1 im Gratistarif; ein Router zählt als eine Verbindung.provider claim |
| Usable without an account | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Data required at signup | any email addressprovider claim | any email addressprovider claim |
| Account model | email as loginprovider claim | email as loginprovider claim |
| Cash by mail | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Monero | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Bitcoin | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Lightning | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Retail gift cards | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| PayPal | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Credit and debit card | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| SEPA payment | noprovider claim | ? |
| Monthly price | €11.99provider claim | €9.99provider claim |
| Effective price on the longest term | €7.99provider claim | €2.99provider claim |
| Price change at renewal | moderate increaseprovider claim | very large increaseprovider claim |
| Flat pricing without permanent discounts | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Free tier and its limits | Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed | Dauerhaft kostenlos, ohne Datenlimit, 1 gleichzeitige Verbindung. Server in 10 Ländern, die zufällig zugewiesen werden (Niederlande, Japan, Rumänien, Polen, Norwegen, Schweiz, Singapur, Mexiko, Kanada, USA). NetShield, Secure Core, Tor-Server, P2P, Portweiterleitung und die Streaming-Freigabe sind den Bezahltarifen vorbehalten.provider claim |
| Money-back window | 45 Tageprovider claim | 30 Tageprovider claim |
| Cancellation path | cancel in accountconfirmed | cancel in accountprovider claim |
| P2P policy in the terms of service | entire networkprovider claim | dedicated locationsprovider claim |
| Streaming unblocking officially advertised | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Netflix regions reported | Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim | Nach Anbieterangabe die lokalen Netflix-Kataloge der USA, Grossbritanniens, Indiens, Italiens, Australiens, Deutschlands, Kanadas, Japans, der Schweiz und Frankreichs.provider claim |
| Other streaming services | Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim | Der Anbieter listet über 100 Dienste, darunter Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Hulu und Crunchyroll.provider claim |
| Bandwidth cap | cappedprovider claim | no limitprovider claim |
| Data cap | Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim | Kein Datenlimit, auch nicht im Gratistarif.provider claim |
| Speed measurement references | Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim | ? |
| Official support in restrictive countries | Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim | Für China dokumentiert der Anbieter Stealth-Protokoll und Alternative Routing sowie den Rat, die App vor der Einreise einzurichten, schreibt aber, kein VPN-Dienst könne dort volle Zuverlässigkeit garantieren.provider claim |
| 24/7 live chat | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Email or ticket support | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Telephone support | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| German-language support | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Documentation assessment | workableprovider claim | thorough and currentprovider claim |
| Self-hosted chat widget | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Self-service account deletion | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| SSL Labs grade of the website | A+confirmed | A+confirmed |
| Tracker load of the website | Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim | Privacy policy governs site cookies/trackers; Proton emphasizes privacy-first analytics postureprovider claim |
| URL of the warrant canary | none foundprovider claim | Keine eigene Warrant-Canary-Seite. Der Anbieter führt stattdessen einen Transparenzbericht unter https://protonvpn.com/blog/transparency-report.provider claim |
| Length and readability of the legal documents | Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim | Standard vendor legal pages; privacy policy relatively structuredprovider claim |
| Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms | Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed | Strong open-source + audit marketing; streaming claims on features pageprovider claim |