Proton VPN vs VyprVPN

The web is packed with competing VPNs. It’s hard for beginners to understand what they need to look out for, and which services are better than others. To make things even more difficult, VPNs often exaggerate their features to attract new subscribers.

At Comparitech, we review and compare VPNs using a precise VPN testing methodology. This allows us to see which VPNs are better across various categories. It also allows us to recommend VPNs for specific use cases.

In this VS guide, we battled Proton VPN and VyprVPN across 11 categories to find out which is better. By the end of this VS article, you will know which VPN has better apps, better security features, a stronger privacy policy, faster speeds, and which is better for accessing region-locked or censored internet services and streaming platforms.

Proton VPN vs VyprVPN pricing

When it comes to costs, these competing services are closely matched.  A single month with Proton VPN costs $9.99. This is a price point that compares favorably with most competing VPNs that also have a single-month plan. This makes Proton VPN a superb option if you are going on vacation or need a VPN for a short time.

The same rolling monthly plan with VyprVPN costs $10. As with Proton VPN, this makes it a good option if you are traveling for work – or require a VPN for a short time – for any other reason.

With VyprVPN, those wanting to subscribe longer have just one alternative. As of 2024 it has done away with its other plans. It now only has an annual plan at a cost of $60 billed every 12 months.

So, how does Proton VPN compare? A single year with Proton costs $71.88. This works out at $5.99 per month. This makes it slightly more expensive than VyprVPN. However, Proton VPN also offers a two-year plan.

The two-year Proton plan brings it directly in line with VyprVPN, reducing the cost to $4.99. Of course, you have to commit for two whole years; so you must be sure that you want the VPN for that long.

VyprVPN and Proton VPN might seem a touch pricey compared to competing VPNs like NordVPN ($2.99) or Surfshark ($2.49). However, it’s worth noting that, unlike NordVPN and Surfshark, their prices are fixed rather than being introductory offers. Mainstream VPNs typically lure you in with great one-year, two-year or even three-year reductions, only to jack the price up once the introductory period is over. If you plan to settle on a provider for years, then you could ultimately save money by going with VyprVPN or Proton VPN.

Money-back guarantees

Both these market-leading VPNs have a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can pay for whichever subscription period interests you, and still get your money back if you want.

Interestingly, Proton VPN also provides a free service. This free plan provides access to three server locations (Netherlands, Japan, and the US). The free version of Proton VPN is slower than a premium account. This is because it only has a few servers that thousands of users around the globe take advantage of without paying a dime.

The free version of Proton VPN does not work to watch Netflix US or other popular streaming platforms. So, if you want a fast VPN for streaming, you will need to pay for a subscription.

Despite having its limitations, we commend Proton VPN for having a free plan. This allows anybody to gain online privacy and security in countries with overreaching surveillance; or where social media sites and news outlets have been blocked by the government during elections, for example.

Best deal for Proton VPN: Save 50% with a 2-year subscription.

Best deal for VyprVPN: Save 50% with a 1-year subscription.

Proton VPN vs VyprVPN features

Apps

We always consider a VPN’s apps and which platforms it is compatible with. Both VyprVPN and Proton VPN have apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.

Proton VPN goes a step further by providing a full GUI client for Linux. In addition, it has an app for Firestick and Fire TV that you can find on the Amazon app store.

VyprVPN does not offer its app on the Amazon app store, but it does provide a guide that explains how to sideload the Android (.apk) version. The same is true with Linux. Although VyprVPN doesn’t have a dedicated GUI Linux client like Proton VPN, it does have a guide to set it up manually using the OpenVPN protocol.

VyprVPN has installation guides for using the VPN on a number of VPN-compatible routers. These include DD-WRT, Tomato, Synology, OpenWRT, and AsusWRT firmware. Proton VPN is similarly compatible with a wide selection of routers, which makes it possible to protect all the devices in your home at once.

If you have any devices that won’t let you install a VPN directly, you can set up a VPN-protected virtual wi-fi hotspot on Windows or Mac. This allows you to share your VPN connection to a console, smart TV, or any other device in your home. This is a fast way to share your VPN connection with other devices if you don’t have a VPN-compatible router.

Anybody looking for a browser extension will need to stick with Proton VPN. However, bear in mind that the plugin simply remotely controls the full VPN application. So, you could just as easily click on your system tray and control the VPN there!

That said, we won’t actually complain because we much prefer a full VPN connection over a browser-based proxy, which is what most other VPN browser extensions provide.

Simultaneous connections

For a VPN to offer reasonable value for money, it should let you connect to its servers using multiple devices. The good news is that both Proton VPN and VyprVPN allow 10 simultaneous connections.

This is a generous allowance that makes either VPN suitable for power users who own many devices – or families who want to be able to connect to the VPN at home, at work, or while using public wi-fi.

Privacy and security features

In this section, we looked under the hood to find out whether the VPN has all the privacy and security features you’d expect. These features are important because they protect you against eavesdroppers, hackers, data retention regulations, surveillance capitalism, and government snoops.

Proton VPN’s apps come with a wide selection of industry-leading security features. This includes DNS leak protection (including protection for IPv6), AES encryption, ad-blocking, malware filtering, and obfuscation (Stealth mode). It also has an auto-reconnect feature and a kill switch.

Proton VPN subscribers also get split tunneling and port forwarding features, which come in handy if you torrent or like to host game servers, for example. Proton VPN allows you to pick between OpenVPN UDP and OpenVPN TCP. It supports Tor over VPN and implements full disk encryption on its servers for added security. Overall, this is a highly comprehensive selection of features.

VyprVPN comes with DNS leak protection, a stealth protocol called Chameleon, a system-wide kill switch, and split tunneling. It provides automatic wi-fi protection that connects the VPN if you join an unknown wi-fi network. This helps to protect you against evil twin hotspots.

Unfortunately, you do not get malware filtering or ad blocking with VyprVPN. Proton VPN also has a multi-hop feature that you do not get with VyprVPN. This lets you chain multiple VPN servers together and multiply your encryption. If you want either of these features or port forwarding, then you will need to stick with Proton VPN.

Both of these popular VPNs now support WireGuard in their apps. This is a super-fast protocol that makes either service better for data-intensive tasks like streaming, gaming, and torrenting.

Streaming and unblocking

Most internet users are interested in the accessibility benefits a VPN can provide. To this end, we check market-leading services to see whether they work to watch platforms like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, and iPlayer. So, how do these VPNs compare?

Netflix

The good news is that both these services have decent Netflix compatibility. They both have US servers that work to watch Netflix US, which means you can watch your account on vacation, or at work – if your employer has blocked it. You can also change your Netflix region on both so that you can access your favorite shows while on vacation.

Proton VPN can provide access to Netflix US, UK, India, Italy, Australia, Germany, Canada, Japan, and France. VyprVPN, by contrast, only officially works to watch Netflix US, UK, Canada, and Germany according to its support team.

Other streaming services

When it comes to other streaming platforms, both these VPNs perform well. However, VyprVPN is the most impressive.

VyprVPN can access all the streaming services we tested: Disney Plus, Sky Go, Prime Video, ABC, CBS, NBC, ITV, Channel 4, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer. The only caveat is that access to iPlayer can be a little patchy at times.

Proton VPN‌ works to access Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITV Hub, and Prime Video. However, we could not watch ABC, CBS, NBC, or Sky Go.

Finally, neither of these VPNs work to watch DAZN. So, if you have a subscription to this streaming platform, you may prefer to shop elsewhere.

China

If you visit China, you will find that the country has extremely high levels of online censorship. As a result, you will need to use a VPN to access many Western services. This includes popular news sites, Google services, Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, Spotify, Reddit, and more.

A VPN is the ideal solution to these blocks. However, it is important to remember that Chinese ISPs work hand-in-hand with the government to block as many VPNs as possible. They do this to stop citizens from bypassing its Great Firewall. As a result, only a handful of VPNs still work in China.

You must choose a VPN carefully. VyprVPN comes with a robust obfuscation feature called Chameleon. This obfuscation prevents Chinese ISPs from detecting your VPN connection – which means that you can use VyprVPN to access Western services while in China.

Unfortunately, the same is not true of Proton VPN. Despite having its new Stealth protocol (which provides obfuscation), Proton VPN does not yet officially support users located in China.

Setup and interface

Getting a subscription with either of these providers is easy and fast. Simply choose your favorite VPN (or navigate to our other guides and reviews to find a more suitable service) and follow our link to get a subscription at the lowest possible cost.

Once you have provided a valid payment method, you will be able to download and install the VPN app onto your devices. Both of these VPNs are lightweight; they do not take up much space on your hard drive. They also have installation wizards that make it easy to install everything you need.

You can download apps for Mac, Windows, and Linux (Proton VPN) directly from the VPN’s website. To install the mobile version you can head over to Google Play or the Apple App store.

Alternatively, if you want to install the FireOS version of Proton VPN, simply search for Proton VPN in the Amazon app store and install the application onto your Firestick or Fire TV as usual.

Ease of use

Despite having plenty of advanced features, we did not find either of these VPNs hard to use. That said, Proton VPN has more settings to learn – so it is definitely going to have a slightly longer learning curve.

Those additional features are useful and make Proton VPN more versatile. For this reason, we think that most netizens will find it worth getting to know the Proton VPN apps.

Both VPNs allow you to search for servers using an alphabetic list of locations. To make things even faster, Proton VPN also lets you connect by picking from locations on a map.

VyprVPN’s desktop app has an extremely ergonomic design. A quick-connect button on the home screen lets you connect to the fastest server available – and you can pick servers by speed, country, or region. However, you will not find servers that are specifically labeled for streaming or torrenting with either of these VPNs. Instead, all servers are multipurpose.

Both of these VPNs easily let you change between VPN protocols, and we found it easy to find additional features like split tunneling in the settings menu for either of these services.

Finally, Proton VPN does its best to explain difficult features by providing useful information bubbles that show you what each setting is for:

With this in mind, we consider both these services to be equally user-friendly.

Servers and performance

Where a VPN operates servers determines where you can get an IP address. Our favorite VPNs have large global server networks with servers in every continent. This allows you to bypass local censorship or access region-locked services. So how do these VPNs fare?

Proton VPN servers

Proton VPN has more than 2,720 servers in 71+ countries around the globe. These include 957 servers in 14 cities across the US, a wide choice of server locations in America to access state-level services including online casinos and restricted sports competitions such as NFL blackout games.

VyprVPN servers

VyprVPN is believed to have around 700 servers in total. These servers are located in just over 70 countries around the world. In the US, specifically, the VPN has servers across eight different cities. This gives you plenty of choices.

What is different about VyprVPN is that it has servers in more unusual places compared to most other providers. This includes locations like the Marshall Islands, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

It even has IP addresses in Moscow, Russia, which is pretty rare due to the country’s ongoing circumstances – and its Yarovaya laws, which force all companies to keep detailed connection and usage logs from their servers. So how does VyprVPN maintain these unusual servers?

The answer is that it uses clever DNS routing to provide virtual server locations using servers that are actually based in a different country. This allows it to provide those IPs without needing to comply with local regulations in that country.

Unfortunately, however, VyprVPN does not explain exactly which servers are virtual – or where those servers actually route your data physically. This could create some privacy considerations because VyprVPN might be forced to comply with regulations or warrants in the country where the server is actually based. Additionally, if you think you’re connected to a nearby server that is physically located elsewhere, then your speeds might suffer.

Take a look below to find out where exactly these VPNs have IP addresses available:

Connection speeds

We regularly test the world’s leading VPN providers to see how fast they are. We do this by checking servers in the UK, the US, and Hong Kong. This allows us to get global averages for each provider.

During our latest tests, Proton VPN had average global downloads of 320 Mbps. This is very fast. In fact, Proton VPN was the second-fastest VPN of all the providers we tested. This makes Proton VPN suitable for gaming, HD streaming, torrenting, videoconferencing, and other data-intensive tasks.

VyprVPN, on the other hand, has average download speeds of 215 Mbps. This is also fast and places VyprVPN among the top ten fastest VPNs. Like Proton VPN, it’s a great choice for torrenting, making video calls, playing online games, and watching HD videos.

Security

The encryption and security features provided by each VPN are vital for protecting your data against online tracking, surveillance capitalism, hacking, and tracking at the hands of your ISP or government agencies. The security of the VPN tunnel ensures that whatever you do online cannot be tracked by local network administrators.

Below, you can see how each service compares:

Proton VPN

Proton VPN provides a choice of two different protocols. First, you can connect using the popular OpenVPN protocol (both UDP and TCP are available). This secure protocol is implemented by Proton VPN using strong AES-256 encryption, Perfect Forward Secrecy, and a robust RSA-4096 handshake. Alternatively, you can connect using the WireGuard protocol, which is both secure and super-fast.

We checked Proton VPN for IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks and found there to be none. The VPN’s kill switch is available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. This makes the VPN highly secure across all platforms. You can use it to safely bypass government censorship or download torrents without fear of being snooped on or exposing your IP address to malicious peers.

Proton also recently introduced its Stealth VPN protocol. This is an open-source obfuscation protocol based on WireGuard and TLS. It is designed to conceal your VPN use from your ISP and local networks by making it appear to be regular HTTP/S traffic.

VyprVPN

When compared to Proton VPN, VyprVPN users get more protocol options. VyprVPN offers OpenVPN, L2TP, PPTP, IKEv2, WireGuard, and its proprietary protocol, Chameleon.

This is a wide variety of protocols. However, we would tend to recommend sticking to OpenVPN, IKEv2, or WireGuard for security purposes. The good news is that VyprVPN implements its OpenVPN tunnel using secure AES-256 encryption, Perfect Forward Secrecy, and a secure RSA-2048 handshake.

A kill switch is available with VyprVPN, but only in its desktop applications. Proton VPN by contrast offers in-app kill switches on macOS, Windows, Linux, and iOS. That said, most recent versions of Android let you set up a kill switch natively so you can still implement a killswitch on Android if you need one.

Perhaps the only real downside with VyprVPN, is that its stealth protocol is proprietary and we aren’t 100% sure about how it is implemented. Thus, anybody with an elevated threat model may prefer to stick to Proton VPN’s more transparent obfuscation protocol.

Privacy

Jurisdiction

We always consider where a VPN is based, as this will affect what laws apply to it. The good news is that both of these VPNs are based in Switzerland, which lacks mandatory data retention directives that apply to communications companies, including VPNs.

In addition, Switzerland is a country that protects consumer rights to privacy and has effective laws that ensure data subjects are informed if their data is acquired using a government warrant. Overall, this makes Switzerland a comparatively safe place for a VPN to be based.

Proton VPN privacy policy

As expected due to its base in Switzerland, Proton VPN has a zero-logs policy that never retains any records of what you do while connected. This includes never tracking your source (home) IP address, or the IP addresses of the servers you connect to.

The privacy policy admits to storing some minimal connection logs (the date and time of your last connection). Proton claims to do this for security purposes, however, there is no doubt that it will also permit some basic analysis.

The good news is that tracking the time and date of your last connection cannot ever be used to find out what you did while connected. There is no chance of a time-correlation attack.

Proton VPN also accepts Bitcoin payments. This means that you can sign up anonymously with a burner email if you want to. Finally, the VPN also publishes a transparency report on its website – which will inform you any time that it receives a warrant to supply data.

The good news is that the VPN will have nothing of value to hand over even when it is served a warrant thanks to its no-logs policy.

VyprVPN privacy policy

VyprVPN also has a solid no-logs policy. This includes no usage logs, no tracking of your source IP address – or the IP addresses you connect to, and no connection logs of any kind.

The good news is that you don’t have to take the VPN at its word. The service has endured a full third-party audit of its infrastructure that validated its no-logging claims.

The only real drawback is that you cannot subscribe to this service using an anonymous payment method like Bitcoin. So, if you were hoping to sign up with a fake name and a burner email, you may want to shop elsewhere.

Configuration

The way that Proton VPN and VyprVPN configure their network is the same. They both provide access to shared IPs. This means that your traffic is mixed with the traffic of many other users each session. This helps to provide an additional layer of privacy by making it harder to track what any single user is doing in real-time.

Both these VPNs proxy DNS requests inside of the VPN tunnel and resolve them using their own servers. This is better for your privacy, as it means that no third parties are ever involved in handling your DNS requests.

Furthermore, both these VPNs implement a NAT firewall on their servers. This blocks unwanted inbound traffic from getting through to your home network, which helps to protect you against malware and hackers. With Proton VPN, you can bypass NAT to enable port forwarding. The VPN explains in its app that port forwarding will reduce your security slightly.

VypyVPN also allows you to disable NAT. You can do so by heading to the Manage Services section of your account. However, note that no port forwarding is available with VyprVPN so you will need to stick with Proton if you want this feature.

Despite this, VyprVPN was keen to point out that disabling NAT can help in specific circumstances. Some webmail clients, like Mozilla Thunderbird, for example, have been known to suffer from interruptions due to a VPN’s NAT firewall.

Finally, anybody looking for a VPN that provides dedicated static IPs will need to shop elsewhere. Neither of these VPNs provide dedicated static IPs at the time of writing.

VyprVPN vs Proton VPN for gaming

Anybody in need of a VPN for gaming requires a service that provides plenty of international server locations and fast speeds. This allows you to access international game servers. To play with people at night, to play with people who speak a specific language, or, potentially, to buy games cheaper in international game stores.

The good news is that both of these VPNs are suitable for gaming. They’re extremely fast and have a solid spread of server locations, with a presence in 70+ countries. However, Proton VPN has more servers overall.

You can install either of these VPNs on Windows, macOS, iOS, or Android to play either desktop or mobile games. Alternatively, you can share your VPN connection with games consoles (Playstation, Xbox etc) – either by setting up your VPN on a VPN-compatible router or by setting up a VPN-protected virtual wi-fi hotspot.

Customer service

Both of these VPNs take customer service seriously, and they provide a wealth of useful resources on their website. This includes a knowledge base with FAQs and guides, and even a blog with useful articles regarding privacy, VPNs, and online security. Proton VPN even has a snazzy news section, which is a good read even if you aren’t a subscriber!

Where VyprVPN stretches out a noticeable lead, is thanks to its superb 24/7 live chat support. I quizzed its agents with a bunch of advanced questions, and the live chat agent was able to provide help each time. At times they did disappear, though, presumably to ask colleagues questions.

Unfortunately, Proton VPN does not have live chat at this time. If you need to ask questions, you will need to start a ticket and wait for a response by email. The good news is that Proton VPN will get back to you with all the information you need, as it has a very effective tech support team on hand.

Below, we provided average response times for each provider:

As you can see, by email both these VPNs performed similarly in terms of the time taken to respond. However, we still give the advantage to VyprVPN thanks to its 24/7 live chat.

The winner: VyprVPN

In this VS guide we took a look at two popular VPNs: VyprVPN and Proton VPN. To find out which service is better, we compared each VPN in 11 categories.

The results were far from decisive. VyprVPN came out ahead in 3 categories (Customer support,  Streaming and unblocking, and China); while Proton VPN won just 2 (Features and Security). The other 6 categories (Gaming, Servers and Performance, Pricing and Discounts, Configuration, Privacy, and Setup and interface) were tied.

Of course, while VyprVPN came out slightly ahead as the most well-rounded VPN for the average user, it is worth noting that Proton VPN has more features. It also had stronger security than VyprVPN and faster speeds. So, if speed, security and access to advanced features are what you need, then you may prefer Proton.

However, if streaming is at the top of your list, then you may prefer to opt for VyprVPN.

Finally, while these VPNs were extremely similar in cost, it is worth noting that VyprVPN has the cheaper price of $5 per month when subscribing for just one year (rather than two years with Proton VPN).

That said, anybody looking for a reliable and secure VPN that is even better than VyprVPN is advised to check out our direct comparison of VyprVPN vs NordVPN, or VyprVPN vs Surfshark. Both those services came out on top against VyprVPN despite being cheaper!