Proton Technologies, best known for the secure email service ProtonMail launched ProtonVPN for Android today.

The company launched ProtonVPN to the public last year but had to shut down registration soon after the launch as servers were hitting capacity limits due to a rush of sign-ups for the service.

ProtonVPN promised free and paid tiers, a focus on privacy and security, and no bandwidth limits on all plans. Free users are limited to one device, three countries they can connect to, and have a speed setting of low.

Paid customers get access to additional servers, secure core that routes traffic through multiple servers, and access to Tor servers.

ProtonVPN for Android

The ProtonVPN application for Android, its full name is ProtonVPN – Unlimited Free VPN made by ProtonMail, is available on Google Play.

You need a ProtonMail account, free or paid, to sign in to the Android application. There is no direct sign-up option in the app but a link that redirects you to the Proton Technologies website where you can sign-up for an account.

The free version is limited, but it seems that you enter a trial phase which unlocks paid features as well.

You find the list of supported countries you can connect to on start. A tap on a country lists the available servers, each with the server load and IP address. There is also an option to connect to the fastest server in that country.

You need to allow the app to establish VPN connections on your device the first time you connect to a server this way.

It takes a couple of seconds tops to connect to a server. ProtonVPN for Android switches to a graph view which highlights upload and download speed and volume, the servers’ IP address, load and session time.

The app comes with a map view which shows the servers you are connected to on a world map, and a profile creation option which acts as favorites. Settings are basic, but let you start the VPN with the device.

ProtonVPN for Android uses the IKEv2 protocol.

The ProtonVPN Android app also features support for the more advanced IKEv2 protocol which provides the highest speeds and stability even in difficult mobile network conditions (e.g. switching between LTE and WiFi, poor reception, or switching between cell towers). This ensures the best level of protection no matter where you go with your device.

The free version of ProtonVPN offers sufficient bandwidth for browsing the web. While you should not expect it to be super fast, it is completely free. Another difference to most free VPN offerings on Android is that the free version does not display an advertisement to users, that user data is not tracked nor sold. Proton Technologies subsidizes the free version of ProtonVPN with paid subscription revenue.

Closing Words

ProtonVPN is available as a free and paid subscription. The free version is probably the most interesting option as it offers unlimited bandwidth without tracking or ads. While the speed of the connection is limited, it should be sufficient for light tasks on the Internet.