There are lots of VPNs out there. Absolute tons, especially now that nearly half of Americans are using one. Most of them are shit. Sketchy, untested, messy things that I wouldn’t touch with a 20-foot electrified pole. Having used and tested VPNs for 10 years, I’m very picky on which ones I’ll recommend. Few pass the test.But why not be picky, I ask? It isn’t like candy or TV streaming apps, where you’re better off with an assortment. You only need one VPN, so you may as well get the best one that’s trustworthy and works like a champ. The better ones don’t tend to cost anymore than the crap ones, in my decade of experience.Not only is Proton VPN the only free VPN I’d use—lots of popular free VPNs are packed with malware and spyware—but it’s so good that I’ve paid for the premium version.Proton VPN Plus connected to an Austrian server – Credit: Matt Jancermy quick verdict: worth your moneyProton checks all the right boxes when it comes to shopping for a VPN. It keeps no logs of how customers use its VPN, and it regularly opens itself up to independent, third-party audits that verify that there are no backdoors or data stealing going on. Only reputable VPNs do both these things, and I believe they’re mandatory for any VPN worth using.On top of that Proton VPN is easy to use, with a clean and simple user interface, and its speed and reliability were quite good. I’ve used many more VPNs than those that I recommend in my guide to the Best VPNs. Proton gets a place of honor and a hearty recommendation because it’s earned it.(opens in a new window)ProtonProton VPN(opens in a new window)Available at ProtonBuy Now(opens in a new window)how i testedTesting Proton VPN was a matter of just doing what I normally do. I worked, streamed 4K video, and uploaded and downloaded files big enough to kill off the dinosaurs twice. The entire time, I kept an eye out for dropped connections and slowed speeds. Every VPN will slow down your connection, but the better ones (such as I experienced with Proton VPN) do it to such a minimal extent that it makes no functional difference.I switched among VPN servers regularly, too, to make sure that I wasn’t just experiencing one or two, but rather a whole bunch in different cities and countries. And then I’d head to a DNS leak checker to see if the VPN was leaking any of my personal details to websites that trackers could pick up (Proton VPN passed).I also ran speed tests that measured my upload and download speed, both when connected to a variety of Proton VPN servers and when I was disconnected from VPN. I used the same Apple MacBook Pro M4 Pro on my Verizon FIOS fiber optic internet connection over a TP-Link BE3600 WiFi 7 router. These are all fairly high-performance and fast for a single-person household, and so it wasn’t any of the equipment that would’ve held back Proton VPN during the speed tests.what to look for in a vpnProton VPN, founded in 2017, is based in Switzerland, which isn’t a member of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes international surveillance alliances. These alliances let countries share citizens’ online data. Even if they’re not in one country, as long as it’s a signatory member another country in the alliance can ask for their internet data logs. It’s a good sign that Proton is based in a country that’s outside all three of these alliances.Proton Doesn’t Track You, and They Prove ItTime and again Proton opens up its VPN for independent, third-party analysts to go snooping all through Proton VPN’s code to ensure that there are no backdoors or insecurities, either purposefully or accidentally built into it that would allow cyber crooks, governments, websites, spyware, malware, cross-website trackers, or even Proton itself to snoop on what you do when connected to a Proton VPN server.Preferences menu on Proton VPN Plus – Credit: Matt JancerProton isn’t the only VPN that does so. Competitors, such as NordVPN, Surfshark VPN, and Mullvad VPN, do this as well. I wouldn’t use a VPN that doesn’t. This happens several times a year, and each time they release the results on their blog for all to see that they’re being truthful when they say they have a no-logs policy.Even if a government or law enforcement tried to force Proton into giving up its customers’ usage data, they couldn’t because they don’t collect it. The idea behind a no-logs policy is that a company can’t be compelled to hand over something that doesn’t exist.Why You’d Pay and Not Just Use the Free VersionThe free version of Proton VPN is great. When damn near every free VPN out there is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Proton VPN is the real deal. You may wonder why there’s an option to pay. Only a sucker pays for something they could get for free, no? But the paid version of Proton VPN offers much more, enough that I’d say that if you can swing $10 a month (or $4 per month if you sign up for an annual plan), you should sign up for Proton VPN Plus.Free users have access to 2,615 servers at the time of writing this. That sounds impressive, but listen to this: Upgrading to Proton VPN Plus opens up 17,793 exclusive servers in 148 countries that are even faster, and you get to choose which one you connect to. On the free plan, it just connects you to whichever server it decides. On Plus, you can choose to make it look like you’re in London or Nairobi or Tokyo.Preferences menu on Proton VPN Plus – Credit: Matt JancerEvery VPN will slow down your connection a bit, but while it wasn’t as fast as NordVPN, Proton VPN was fast enough that I didn’t notice a difference when uploading and downloading large video files and streaming 4K videos, much less ordinary browsing online.I found internet speeds and reliability were good regardless of which country I connected to, and I tried out a lot of them. VPN servers that drop connection frequently are annoying as hell. It’s enough to get me to give up on an otherwise secure service entirely if it happens too much, because what good is a secure connection if I spend most of my time waiting for it to reconnect, again and again? Proton VPN, though, was rock solid.An Unlimited SuiteProton distinguishes itself by offering a full suite of privacy apps for $13 per month or $120 per year if you sign up for the annual plan. Along with Proton VPN, you get Proton Pass, a password manager that generates highly secure, complicated, unique passwords for every website, app, and account, keeps track of them, and automatically fills out username and password fields so that you don’t have to remember them all.It also includes Proton Mail, which is a more secure email service. You get unlimited messages across 15 email addresses. And there’s also Proton Drive, which gives you 500GB of secure cloud storage in which to store your files, photos, and videos. I’ve tested out all these apps as part of Proton Unlimited, and while there are a few good VPNs out there, none of them are as complete as Proton Unlimited.proton vpn at a glanceProton VPN is a fast, reliable service that’s simple enough for anybody to use without a computer engineering degree. It has the all-important two aspects that I believe are mandatory for any VPN worth using: a no-logs policy and frequent independent, third-party audits that Proton releases to the public several times a year; these show that it has nothing to hide and isn’t just a sketchball service pretending to be an ally, like so many other VPNs.Proton VPN Plus connected to an jamaican server – Credit: Matt Jancerhow does a vpn work?Every internet connection can be uniquely identified by its individual IP address. When you connect to a website, that site knows it’s you because it logs your IP address. What a VPN (virtual private network) does is it acts like a middleman that routes all the activity between your device and all websites, in both directions. That means websites, whether you’re sending them data or receiving it, can only see the VPN server’s IP address, not yours. As long as you’re connected to the VPN, websites and cross-website trackers can’t tell that it’s you who’s accessing them, only that “someone” on a VPN’s server is accessing them. And because VPN servers are shared among thousands of users, the trackers lose you in the crowd.the bottom lineIt’s hard to make a good VPN. Or rather, a worryingly large number of VPN brands have little interest in transparency or laying the foundation for a truly secure service. Speed and stability are great, and Proton VPN has that in spades, and with roughly 20,000 servers in 148 countries there’s no lack of choice for finding a VPN server to connect to near you—or far from you, if you want to make it look like you’re in another country.It’s really Proton VPN’s no-logs policy and regular, independent audits that impressed me, though. A slick, easy-to-use VPN that checks all the good guy boxes? Sign me up. If you can’t swing the cost per month, use the free version of Proton VPN. Hands-down, that’s my number one pick when it comes to free VPNs. When you can spare a few bucks per month, though, consider upgrading to Proton VPN Plus. That’s when it truly shines.(opens in a new window)ProtonProton VPN(opens in a new window)Available at ProtonBuy Now(opens in a new window)And make sure to check out my guide to the Best VPNs, too, if you want to cross shop a few more choices.other vpns worth looking at(opens in a new window)NordVPNNordVPN(opens in a new window)Available at NordVPNBuy Now(opens in a new window)There aren’t many VPNs out there that I actually recommend. Most are sketchy and unproven. Not so with NordVPN. I’ve used and tested it thoroughly. It also has a no-logs policy and regular third-party audits. I give it the edge in speed compared to Proton VPN, but it doesn’t offer such a suite of apps as Proton Unlimited.(opens in a new window)MullvadMullvad VPN(opens in a new window)Available at MullvadBuy Now(opens in a new window)Another VPN I’ve reviewed and has passed the muster with me is Mullvad VPN. Like NordVPN and Proton VPN, it has a strict no-logs policy and releases the results of regular independent audits, making it trustworthy.The post Proton VPN Is One of the Few VPNs Worth Using (That Won’t Track You) appeared first on VICE.