Proton VPN Browser Extensions Now Available to Free Plan Users
Proton, the company behind a suite of privacy-focused services, has made its Proton VPN Chrome and Firefox extensions available to non-paying users on the Proton Free plan.
Prior to today, only users who subscribed to a paid Proton VPN tier were able to use the official web extensions for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Chromium-based browsers.
It’s a decision that’s sure to be welcomed by fans of the service, and it continues to flesh out access to Proton’s free-tier features.
We’re excited to announce that Proton VPN’s browser extensions […] will now be available to everyone with a Proton Free plan. They make it easier for people worldwide to protect their privacy and bypass censorship online
Antonio Cesarano, Proton AG
Why use a VPN browser extension instead of the Proton VPN app, or manually setting up a system-wide configuration?
Specificity, mainly.
A VPN browser extension only routes content from that browser via the VPN, leaving the global IP address (used by all apps, services, the OS) unchanged. Those who only need a VPN access selected online content may prefer this approach.
Is the free version of Proton VPN any good?
Proton VPN Free is not hamstrung in the ways most free VPNs are. There are no speed, time, or data limits, no data collection or logging, browsing history is not sold, and data is encrypted. Proton is serious about privacy. Not lip service or marketing; privacy is their business.
However, a number of useful Proton VPN features are not available to free users.
No custom DNS, no split tunnelling, no double-hop, no access to 10Gbit servers, no profile saving, no secure core, and so on – only the basics.
Proton VPN Free also does not support picking a country/server to connect via, arguably the feature many folks want a VPN for1.
Finally, to answer the sensible question of “…but how is it free?”, the Swiss-based company says it’s “provide[s] Proton VPN Free thanks to people who subscribe to a Proton VPN paid plan”.
Get the Proton VPN Browser Extensions
If you have already have a free Proton account, download the Proton VPN extension for your browser, sign-in with your account, and you’re good to go. If you don’t yet have a free Proton account, sign up for one – the only ‘cost’ is an e-mail address.
The Proton VPN Chrome extension works with all Chromium-based browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, Microsoft Edge, et al; and the Firefox add-on works with most modern Firefox-based web browsers, including LibreWolf, Waterfox, etc.