Proton VPN: most-reported complaints
Automated analysis of 100 public Trustpilot reviews published 2026-04-07 to 2026-09-25. TrustScore 2.2 from 999 total reviews — see the Trustpilot page. Quick answer: is Proton VPN legit? Issues below reflect what reviewers reported, not findings of wrongdoing.
Reviewers most often report issues with Proton VPN's core service, citing difficulties with customer support and connectivity problems. A significant number of complaints also highlight unhelpful support experiences and concerns regarding subscription billing practices. While reports of faulty products and poor service are falling, mentions of subscription traps are rising among consumers.
How to reach Proton VPN
These are the contact details Proton VPN publishes on its Trustpilot profile, as of our last check on 2026-09-27 — it publishes no phone number there, address Chemin du Pré-Fleuri, 3, Geneva, CH-1228, CH.
Trustpilot lists this business as no longer collecting reviews. New reviews are not currently being gathered for its profile. See the Trustpilot page for the current status.
The company claimed its Trustpilot profile on 2019-07-04, uses Trustpilot’s paid features, uses Trustpilot’s AI-assisted replies, and last replied to a negative review on 2026-09-26. We last checked this profile on 2026-09-27 and found 100 new reviews. These are facts Trustpilot publishes about the profile, as of our last harvest.
Severity: 25% of this company’s 75 graded complaints were classified as severe (money lost, an essential service cut off, or a problem unresolved for months). See the harm index.
Reviewers here waited a median of 0.9 days between the experience and publishing their negative review (75 reviews record both dates).
Measured reply time: across 75 negative reviews that received a public reply, the median wait was 0.7 days — the company profile reports an average of under a day.
Reply quality: of 75 company replies to negative reviews analysed, 48% engaged with the specific problem and 37% were generic templates.
Review velocity: 304 of this company’s 999 Trustpilot reviews (30%) were written in the last 12 months.
What are the most common complaints about Proton VPN?
Poor core service
28 reports · 37% of complaintsfalling“I cancelled during the 30 day money back guarantee satisfaction. Unfortunately the only way to contact customer service is through email.”
The company replied on 2026-08-05: “Hi. That doesn't sound right. Could you share your ticket number with us here? We'd be more than happy to check on your report and see how we can help you further.”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
2 readers marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“I've been paying for my subscription for the past 3 years non stop, and none of that time was I able to use Proton VPN”
The company replied on 2026-05-21: “Hi. Sorry to hear that. Our team is working hard on improving our infrastructure and protocols so that all our users are able to connect. We will continue to make more improvements to enhance service…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“Slows your speed greatly and randomly will change the country you are VPNing to without telling you”
The company replied on 2026-09-04: “Hi. That doesn't sound right. Connection speeds can be influenced by numerous factors such as your native ISP speed, location, server load, network setup, etc. You can try some of the tips at…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
Support unhelpful
23 reports · 31% of complaintssteady“I've been paying for my subscription for the past 3 years non stop, and none of that time was I able to use Proton VPN”
The company replied on 2026-05-21: “Hi. Sorry to hear that. Our team is working hard on improving our infrastructure and protocols so that all our users are able to connect. We will continue to make more improvements to enhance service…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“Terrible speeds for the US based servers”
The company replied on 2026-04-14: “Hi. Sorry to hear that. Would you mind sharing your ticket number with us here? We'd be more than happy to check on your report and see how we can help you further.”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“I repeatedly explained that I had paid for a service I could not use and simply wanted my money back. Instead of providing a clear resolution, I felt like I was being repeatedly delayed and given the runaround.”
The company replied on 2026-09-25: “Hi, we're sorry to hear that. Please reply with your ticket number so we can trace the conversation, check the status of your refund, and reach out to the agent handling your ticket. We apologize for…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
Faulty product
14 reports · 19% of complaintsfalling“The 'free' VPN wouldn't load. Trued re connecting to different random servers and nothing would connect at all”
The company replied on 2026-07-10: “Hi. We're sorry to hear about your experience. What platform are you experiencing the issue on exactly? Are you receiving any error messages? What type of internet connection are you using? Contact…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
2 readers marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“New version broke the software, cannot connect to VPN.”
The company replied on 2026-04-22: “Hi. That doesn't sound right. Could you share your ticket number with us here? We'd be more than happy to check on your report and see how we can help you further.”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“The android tv objectively doesn't work. It's missing absolute basic features like always on, auto connect doesn't work”
The company replied on 2026-04-27: “Hi. We're sorry to hear about your experience with Proton VPN. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at https://protonvpn.com/support/contact with more details such as your specific Proton VPN…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
Subscription trap
13 reports · 17% of complaintsrising since 2026-08“Used once and have been billed for three years on an annual subscription.”
The company replied on 2026-04-23: “Hi. We're sorry to see that you're dissatisfied. Keep in mind that all Proton VPN plans are renewed automatically unless the subscription is canceled before the renewal date. If you'd like to prevent…”
Our classifier read this reply as a deflection.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“I repeatedly explained that I had paid for a service I could not use and simply wanted my money back. Instead of providing a clear resolution, I felt like I was being repeatedly delayed and given the runaround.”
The company replied on 2026-09-25: “Hi, we're sorry to hear that. Please reply with your ticket number so we can trace the conversation, check the status of your refund, and reach out to the agent handling your ticket. We apologize for…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
“Took £65 from my account via Paypal despite me cancelling Auto Renew Wont answer my emails”
The company replied on 2026-09-16: “Hi. That doesn't sound right. All Proton VPN plans are renewed automatically unless the subscription is canceled before the renewal date. If your paid plan was truly canceled, it's not possible for…”
Our classifier read this reply as a deflection.
Support unreachable
11 reports · 15% of complaintsrising since 2026-08“The 'free' VPN wouldn't load. Trued re connecting to different random servers and nothing would connect at all”
The company replied on 2026-07-10: “Hi. We're sorry to hear about your experience. What platform are you experiencing the issue on exactly? Are you receiving any error messages? What type of internet connection are you using? Contact…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
2 readers marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“It’s been over two days and they won’t activate it. They don’t even answer my customer service request”
The company replied on 2026-09-26: “Hi Carol. Can you share your ticket number with us here so we can track your case?”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
“Took £65 from my account via Paypal despite me cancelling Auto Renew Wont answer my emails”
The company replied on 2026-09-16: “Hi. That doesn't sound right. All Proton VPN plans are renewed automatically unless the subscription is canceled before the renewal date. If your paid plan was truly canceled, it's not possible for…”
Our classifier read this reply as a deflection.
Refund refused
10 reports · 13% of complaintsrising since 2026-08“I cancelled during the 30 day money back guarantee satisfaction. Unfortunately the only way to contact customer service is through email.”
The company replied on 2026-08-05: “Hi. That doesn't sound right. Could you share your ticket number with us here? We'd be more than happy to check on your report and see how we can help you further.”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
2 readers marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“They charged me for 2 months $80 per month. I don't even know what the service is. They would not refund either one.”
The company replied on 2026-04-27: “Hi. That doesn't sound right at all. Please share your ticket number with us here. We'd be more than happy to check on your report so we can clear up any confusion and see how we may be able to help…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“New version broke the software, cannot connect to VPN.”
The company replied on 2026-04-22: “Hi. That doesn't sound right. Could you share your ticket number with us here? We'd be more than happy to check on your report and see how we can help you further.”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
Method: reviews are classified into a fixed complaint taxonomy by an automated reader; every category shown is backed by at least two verbatim quotes from distinct reviews. Trends are computed from dated review counts only. Negative reviews are deliberately over-sampled for evidence depth; headline percentages use an unbiased recent sample only. Report updated 2026-09-27.