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Does Proton VPN have a free trial? No. Proton dropped its old 7-day trial, and in its place sit two things that work better: a permanent free plan with no data limit, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans. Proton’s terms say a cancellation within 30 days of the initial purchase brings a full refund.
That last point matters, because several reviews still describe Proton’s refund as prorated. Proton’s own terms say otherwise for the first 30 days. This page sets out both options and the conditions.
Proton VPN Free Trial: The Short Answer
No time-limited trial. Proton discontinued its 7-day trial, reviews including Cloudwards and TheBestVPN report.
A free plan instead, with no end date. It has no data limit, uses servers in 10 countries chosen automatically, and allows one device, Proton’s plans page and reviews say.
A full refund within 30 days on paid plans. Both the cancellation and the refund request must fall within 30 days, and cash or bank transfer payments are not refundable, Proton’s terms state. Our Proton VPN review covers the service.
Free Plan or Paid Plan With a Refund
| Free plan | Paid plan, 30-day guarantee | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, no card | Paid upfront, refundable |
| Length | No limit | Refund within 30 days |
| Countries | 10, chosen automatically | Full network |
| Devices | One | Up to 10 |
| Streaming | Not guaranteed | Supported |
| P2P, Secure Core | No | Yes |
Proton’s free plan, the closest thing to a Proton VPN free trial, picks your country. Free users connect to the fastest free server, drawn from the Netherlands, Japan, Romania, Poland, Norway, Switzerland, Singapore, Mexico, Canada and the US, Proton’s plans page says. You cannot choose.
Streaming is a paid feature. Proton doesn’t block Netflix on free servers but only guarantees streaming on paid plans, its free-server page says. Our Proton VPN on Firestick guide shows how that plays out on TV.
Is the Refund Full or Prorated?
Proton’s terms say full, within 30 days. They state you may cancel within 30 days of the initial purchase and receive a full refund. Refunds can be requested once per user.
Some reviews say prorated. Gizmodo’s review and Security.org describe refunds covering only unused days. Gizmodo’s own free-trial guide reports that Proton support confirmed a full refund. Proton’s terms mention account credit for the unused portion when you downgrade in other situations, which may explain the confusion.
What to do if the Proton VPN free trial route isn’t enough: cancel and request the refund through Proton’s support form within 30 days, and ask for a full refund explicitly. Pay by card or PayPal if you might want your money back.
How to Get Your Money Back
| Step | What to do | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Downgrade or cancel the subscription in your account | Within 30 days |
| 2 | Send a refund request through Proton’s support form | Also within 30 days |
| 3 | Ask explicitly for a full refund | Per Proton’s terms |
| 4 | App Store or Google Play purchase? | Request through the store |
Store purchases follow store rules. Apple App Store refunds go through Apple, Tom’s Guide notes. Our VPN refund guide covers other providers.
How Proton Compares
Of Proton, NordVPN and Surfshark, only Proton has a genuinely free plan. NordVPN and Surfshark, which share a parent in Nord Security, offer 7-day website trials instead, as our NordVPN trial guide and our Surfshark trial guide explain.
For free VPNs generally, our free VPN guide explains why Proton’s free plan stands out, and our free VPN trial guide compares every option.
Trust is part of the test. Proton’s no-logs policy was audited for a fifth year in June 2026, one review notes; our audit tracker and our no-logs guide explain why that matters.
How We Research
The refund terms come from Proton’s Terms of Service; the free plan’s countries from Proton’s plans page; the streaming position from Proton’s free-server page; device and feature limits from reviews by Hackersghost and IP-Trackers; the end of the old trial from Cloudwards and TheBestVPN; the refund conflict from Gizmodo and Security.org. We read all sources on 27 September 2026. Proton is a provider we link to. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Proton VPN Free Trial FAQ
No. It dropped its 7-day trial. It offers a permanent free plan and a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans instead.
Unlimited data, servers in 10 countries chosen automatically, and one device. Streaming, P2P and Secure Core require a paid plan.
Proton’s terms say a cancellation within 30 days of the initial purchase brings a full refund. Some reviews describe prorated refunds; ask for a full refund explicitly.
Cash and bank transfers, according to Proton’s terms. App store purchases are refunded through the store.
No. Proton’s terms allow refunds once per user.
The Verdict
There is no Proton VPN free trial, and you don’t need one. The free plan lets you test the apps indefinitely, and the paid plans come with a full refund within 30 days under Proton’s terms.
Use the free plan for everyday privacy; buy a paid plan by card or PayPal if you want streaming, and request any refund inside 30 days.