Proton VPN vs ExpressVPN
Proton VPN is a European alternative to ExpressVPN — same vpn & privacy use case, built under EU data-protection law.
By the EU Alternatives team Last updated
Access global content securely with high-speed VPN servers in 110+ countries. Enjoy enhanced online privacy, ad blocking, and bypass censorship. Based in Switzerland.
- Jurisdiction
- EU / EEA
- GDPR by default
- Yes
- US CLOUD Act exposure
- No
- Open source
- No
- Free tier
- Yes
ExpressVPN by Kape Technologies.
- Jurisdiction
- VG
- GDPR by default
- Requires DPA + TIA
- US CLOUD Act exposure
- Possible
About Proton VPN
Proton VPN is the VPN service from Proton, the Swiss privacy company founded by CERN scientists in 2014. It protects internet connections with AES-256 / ChaCha20 encryption and a strict zero-logs policy verified by independent audits — with a free tier offering unlimited data, making it the only major VPN with a genuinely unrestricted free plan.
The network spans 15,000+ servers in 120+ countries, with 10 Gbps servers and VPN Accelerator technology that improves speeds by up to 400%. Secure Core routes traffic through hardened servers in Iceland, Switzerland, and Sweden before exiting — protecting against network-level surveillance even if an exit server is compromised. NetShield blocks ads and trackers at the DNS level.
Key benefits:
- Free tier — unlimited data, no logs, no speed caps on one device
- 15,000+ servers across 120+ countries with 10 Gbps capacity
- Secure Core — double-hop routing through hardened servers in privacy-friendly countries
- NetShield — DNS-level ad, tracker, and malware blocking
- Stealth protocol to bypass VPN blocks in censored or restricted networks
- Tor over VPN for accessing .onion sites with a single click
- Kill switch and always-on VPN for leak-proof connection protection
- 100% open-source apps with published independent security audits
Proton VPN is operated by Proton AG, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland — outside U.S. and EU jurisdiction, protected by Swiss privacy law and a non-profit foundation structure. Zero-logs policies have been independently audited, and all core servers are managed directly by Proton. Fully GDPR-compliant for EU customers.
Part of the Proton ecosystem used by 100M+ people — including journalists, activists, and businesses requiring genuine, legally-grounded privacy protection.
Why choose Proton VPN over ExpressVPN?
The decisive argument is data jurisdiction. ExpressVPN is headquartered in VG, which means personal data processed through it can be subject to non-EU legal regimes — the US CLOUD Act, FISA 702, or similar laws depending on the provider. After the 2020 Schrems II ruling, EU organisations must carry out a transfer impact assessment for every such data flow.
Proton VPN removes that overhead. As a Switzerland-based provider, it operates natively under GDPR, and data stays inside the EU/EEA by default. For regulated sectors — health, public administration, finance — that's not a nice-to-have but a requirement. For everyone else, it's concentration-risk insurance: you avoid depending on a single non-EU jurisdiction that can change the rules without warning.