Question 1

Will a VPN slow my internet down?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but not too much. Encrypting and decrypting your data requires processing
power, which, in theory, can slow down your internet connection. In practice,
even low-end modern smartphones can handle VPN encryption with no noticeable
slowdown.

A bigger issue is how far your data travels. Connecting to a VPN server adds
another “leg” to its journey, which inevitably slows it down. This is
particularly true if the VPN server you connect to is located on the other side
of the world from you.

If you connect to a VPN server fairly nearby, (for example, anywhere in Europe
if you are based in Europe), it is unlikely you will notice any slowdown. In
addition to this, our unique VPN Accelerator technology can increase speeds by
over 400% under certain conditions and is particularly effective at mitigating
speed loss when connecting to geographically distant servers.

Learn more about VPN Accelerator [/blog/vpn-accelerator/]

Another factor to consider is the “server load” of the VPN server you are using.
That is, how many people are using it at the same time as you and thus making
demands on its resources.

This is the only reason that our free servers, which can get a little busy
during peak times, do not always allow the speeds that are available when using
our Basic and Plus servers, which tend to be less busy.

Question 2

Is a VPN secure?

Accepted Answer

Proton VPN uses the OpenVPN and WireGuard [/features/wireguard] protocols for
its mobile apps (plus IKEv2 in our iOS app), which experts agree are the most
secure VPN protocols yet devised. We also implement these at their strongest
encryption settings.

Our open-source apps feature kill switches to protect you against VPN dropouts,
and built-in DNS and IPv6 leak protection ensure there is no possibility your
privacy can be compromised.

Our servers are all “hardened” with multiple security layers and failsafes, in
addition to using robust physical security measures. Where security is of
paramount importance, you might like to consider using our special Secure Core
[/support/secure-core-vpn/] service for additional protection.

Question 3

Is using a VPN on my mobile device safe?

Accepted Answer

Using a VPN on your mobile device is completely safe as long as you use a
trustworthy VPN app [/features/trustworthy]. Unfortunately, there are lots of
untrustworthy apps on the App Store and Play Store that will keep logs of your
activity and sell your data.

Proton VPN keeps no logs that can compromise your privacy, is based in
Switzerland, home of some of the strongest data privacy laws in the world, uses
only the strongest VPN protocols and encryption suites possible, and makes the
source code of all our apps freely available for anyone to audit.

We have commissioned professional third-party audits [/blog/open-source/] of all
our apps, the results of which are publicly available.

Question 4

What is DNS leak protection?

Accepted Answer

When using a VPN, DNS queries are supposed to go through the VPN tunnel so that
only the VPN service can see and resolve them. A DNS leak occurs when a DNS
request is somehow routed outside the VPN tunnel so that it can be seen by (and
usually also resolved by) your ISP.

There are a number of reasons this can happen, and while Windows is typically
the worst offender, it can happen on any platform. DNS leak protection solves
the problem by using firewall rules to ensure no traffic can leave your device
outside the VPN tunnel.

Question 5

What is a no-logs VPN?

Accepted Answer

Proton VPN keeps no logs of your activities that could at a future point
compromise your privacy.

Other than payment details, which are never tied to your online activities,
Proton VPN keeps no logs whatsoever. And under Swiss law, we cannot be compelled
to start logging.

Get started using VPN on your mobile devices

Why use a VPN on your mobile device?

Privacy

Defeat censorship

Prevent tracking

Get a secure VPN for Android or iOS

How to get Proton VPN for Android or iOS

Create an account

Download Proton VPN and log in

Connect to a server

Why use Proton VPN?

Bypass censorship and access blocked content

Privacy-first VPN protection

Free no-logs VPN

High-speed connections with VPN Accelerator

NetShield Ad-blocker

How Proton VPN ensures privacy and transparency

No logs

Based in Switzerland

Secure VPN protocols

Smart Protocol

Secure Core

DNS leak protection

Audited and open source

Alternative routing

Frequently asked questions