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Head to head · 2026

NordVPN vs Proton VPN

NordVPN and Proton VPN both balance privacy and usability, but optimise different ways. NordVPN prioritises streaming reliability and breadth of features. Proton VPN prioritises privacy posture, open-source clients, and Swiss jurisdiction. Both are reasonable picks for most users.

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Contender A

NordVPN

8.5/10

Best all-round VPN — premium price, premium features.

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Contender B

Proton VPN

8.5/10

Best privacy-first commercial VPN — Swiss jurisdiction, open source, free tier.

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Specs

Side-by-side

FeaturesNordVPNProton VPN
Rating8.5/108.5/10
from$3.69/mo€4.49/mo
JurisdictionPanamaSwitzerland
Five EyesNoNo
14 EyesNoNo
Open sourceNoYes
AuditedYesYes
Court-testedNoNo
Servers6,400+8,500+
Countries111110
Devices1010
Port forwardingNoYes
NetflixYesYes
BBC iPlayerYesYes
Last verified2026-05-042026-05-04

The verdict

Pick NordVPN or Proton VPN?

Pick A

Choose NordVPN if

Choose NordVPN if streaming is your top use case, you want Threat Protection's tracker blocking, or you specifically prefer Panama jurisdiction.

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Pick B

Choose Proton VPN if

Choose Proton VPN if privacy is your top priority, you want open-source clients you can audit yourself, you'd benefit from the Proton Mail/Drive bundle, or you want a real free tier as backup.

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Frequently asked

Frequently asked questions

Which has better privacy?

Proton VPN has the stronger privacy posture — Switzerland jurisdiction, open-source clients, and operational track record from the Proton Mail team. NordVPN's privacy is also strong (Panama, audited no-logs, RAM-only) but you have to trust the audit, not the source code.

Which is faster?

NordVPN, modestly. NordLynx is slightly faster than Proton VPN's WireGuard on most European routes. Both are fast enough for any practical use case.

Does Proton VPN really have a free tier?

Yes — a genuinely free tier with unlimited time, no logs, but limited servers (3 countries) and slower speeds. Useful as a fallback or to test.

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