ProtonVPN Free Trial: 7-Day Access + 30-Day Guarantee
Get a 7-day free trial of ProtonVPN Plus on mobile, or test premium features risk-free with a 30-day money-back guarantee on all paid plans.
VPNs with Free Trials
How to Try ProtonVPN for Free
ProtonVPN does not offer a traditional free trial on desktop. Mobile users on Android and iOS get a 7-day trial of ProtonVPN Plus. All platforms include a permanent free tier with servers in 5 countries. Paid plans carry a 30-day money-back guarantee, letting you test all premium features risk-free.
Does ProtonVPN Have a Free Trial?
ProtonVPN’s free trial situation depends on your device. Desktop users on Windows, Mac, and Linux cannot access any time-limited trial. Mobile users get a different deal through app store promotions.
Android and iOS users can activate a 7-day free trial of ProtonVPN Plus. This trial accesses all premium features, including 10 simultaneous device connections. You must enter payment details, and charges apply automatically after 7 days.
The free trial requires starting a subscription through Google Play or the Apple App Store. You will not find this option on ProtonVPN’s website directly.
ProtonVPN’s Permanent Free Tier
ProtonVPN stands apart by offering a genuinely free VPN plan with no data caps. Most competitors limit free usage to 500MB or 10GB per month. ProtonVPN Free gives you unlimited bandwidth on servers in 5 countries.
The free tier connects 1 device at a time with medium-speed servers. You lose access to Secure Core, P2P, streaming-optimized servers, and NetShield ad blocker. Free servers sit in the United States, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, and Poland.
This plan works for basic browsing and privacy protection without spending anything. Upgrading accesses servers across 110+ countries and speeds suitable for 4K streaming.
ProtonVPN Money-Back Guarantee Explained
Every paid ProtonVPN plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. This applies to ProtonVPN Plus, Proton Unlimited, and all billing cycles. You get a full refund if you cancel within 30 days of your initial purchase.
The guarantee covers first-time subscribers only. Renewals and subsequent billing periods do not qualify for refunds. ProtonVPN processes refunds to your original payment method within 5-10 business days.
One important restriction applies to cryptocurrency payments. ProtonVPN cannot refund Bitcoin or other crypto transactions due to the nature of blockchain payments. Pay with a credit card or PayPal if you want refund eligibility.
How to Cancel ProtonVPN and Get a Refund
Follow these 5 steps to cancel ProtonVPN and request your money back within the guarantee window.
Step 1: Log into your account at account.protonvpn.com using your credentials.
Step 2: Navigate to “Subscription” under your dashboard settings panel.
Step 3: Click “Downgrade to Free” or “Cancel subscription” at the bottom of the page.
Step 4: Contact ProtonVPN support at protonvpn.com/support with your refund request. Include your username and payment details.
Step 5: Wait 5-10 business days for the refund to appear on your statement.
If you subscribed through Google Play or Apple, cancel directly through those platforms instead. App store refund policies override ProtonVPN’s own guarantee terms in some cases.
What You Get During the Guarantee Period
The 30-day money-back period gives you full access to every ProtonVPN Plus feature. Nothing gets restricted or throttled during this window. You experience the complete premium product.
Your access includes 10 simultaneous device connections across all platforms. You get 6,500+ servers in 110+ countries with speeds reaching 10 Gbps. Secure Core routing, NetShield malware blocking, and P2P support all work from day one.
Streaming accesses for Netflix, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and other platforms come included. This period gives you enough time to test ProtonVPN with your specific use cases thoroughly.
ProtonVPN Trial vs Competitor Trial Policies
| Provider | Free Trial | Money-Back Guarantee | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProtonVPN | 7 days (mobile only) | 30 days | Yes, unlimited data |
| NordVPN | 7 days (mobile only) | 30 days | No |
| CyberGhost | 1 day (desktop), 3 days (mobile) | 45 days | No |
| Surfshark | 7 days (mobile only) | 30 days | No |
| Windscribe | None | 3 days | Yes, 10GB/month |
CyberGhost offers the longest money-back guarantee at 45 days. ProtonVPN wins on free tier value with unlimited data. NordVPN and Surfshark match ProtonVPN’s 30-day refund window exactly.
ProtonVPN is the only major provider combining a free tier, mobile trial, and 30-day guarantee. This triple approach gives you the most flexibility to test before committing financially.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ProtonVPN offer a free trial on desktop?
No, there’s no time-limited trial for Windows, Mac, or Linux. Only Android and iOS users can activate a genuine 7-day free trial of ProtonVPN Plus, started through the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. That trial requires entering payment details upfront, and billing begins automatically once the 7 days end.
How do I activate ProtonVPN’s 7-day mobile trial?
Install the ProtonVPN app from Google Play or the Apple App Store and start a Plus subscription there, entering payment details when prompted. The trial accesses full Plus features, including multiple simultaneous device connections up to your plan’s limit. Charges apply automatically once the week ends unless you cancel beforehand.
What’s the real difference between ProtonVPN’s free tier and its trial?
The permanent free tier gives unlimited data on one device, with servers limited to locations like the US, Japan, Netherlands, Romania, and Poland, but drops Secure Core, P2P, streaming-optimized servers, and NetShield. The 7-day mobile trial accesses the full Plus feature set instead, including up to 10 device connections, before billing kicks in.
How does ProtonVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee actually work?
Every paid ProtonVPN plan, including Plus and Proton Unlimited across all billing cycles, carries a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time subscribers only, refunded to your original payment method within 5 to 10 business days. Renewals and later billing periods don’t qualify, so the protection covers strictly your first purchase.
Can I get a refund on ProtonVPN if I paid with cryptocurrency?
No, ProtonVPN cannot process refunds for Bitcoin or other crypto transactions given how blockchain payments work. If refund eligibility matters, pay by credit card or PayPal instead, since both methods qualify for the standard 30-day guarantee on first-time Plus or Proton Unlimited purchases without this restriction.
What happens if I forget to cancel the mobile trial before it ends?
Your Google Play or Apple App Store subscription bills automatically once the 7-day Plus trial expires, since activating it required payment details upfront. If you subscribed through an app store, cancel directly there rather than through ProtonVPN’s own account page, since app store refund policies can override ProtonVPN’s 30-day guarantee terms in some cases.
How many devices can I connect during the trial versus the free tier?
The 7-day mobile trial accesses ProtonVPN Plus’s full device allowance, up to 10 simultaneous connections depending on plan. The permanent free tier limits you to a single device with an auto-assigned server from a small set of countries. Paid Plus and Unlimited subscriptions carry that same up-to-10-device allowance once the trial converts.
Can I test streaming access during ProtonVPN’s guarantee period?
Yes, the 30-day guarantee gives full access to ProtonVPN Plus’s streaming-optimized servers for Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer, with nothing restricted or throttled during that window. The free tier lacks streaming-optimized servers entirely, so reliably testing platforms like these requires the mobile trial or a paid plan first.
How does ProtonVPN’s trial and guarantee setup compare to NordVPN and Surfshark?
NordVPN and Surfshark both pair a 7-day mobile-only trial with a 30-day money-back guarantee, but neither keeps a permanent free tier running. ProtonVPN combines all three, a free tier, mobile trial, and 30-day guarantee, on plans from $2.49/month, versus NordVPN from $3.49/month and Surfshark from $1.99/month on their cheapest terms.
Is ProtonVPN fast enough to justify testing during the trial or guarantee window?
ProtonVPN ranks #12 of 22 in our Speed Lab, aggregated from independent labs, a solid mid-pack showing worth confirming yourself during the 7-day mobile trial or 30-day guarantee period. NordVPN ranks #1 of 22 by comparison, so speed-sensitive users streaming or gaming should weigh that gap before committing long-term.
How do I cancel ProtonVPN and request a refund within the guarantee window?
Log into account.protonvpn.com, open the Subscription tab, and select “Downgrade to Free” or “Cancel subscription.” Then email ProtonVPN support at protonvpn.com/support with your username and payment details to request the refund, which lands within 5 to 10 business days. Mobile subscribers should cancel via Google Play or Apple instead.
Is ProtonVPN’s free tier trustworthy enough to skip the trial entirely?
Yes, ProtonVPN operates under Swiss jurisdiction with a strict no-logs policy independently audited annually, most recently by Securitum, and the free tier runs on that same audited infrastructure. It offers unlimited data on one device across servers in the US, Japan, Netherlands, Romania, and Poland, without ads or the paid tier’s Secure Core and NetShield.