(Image credit: Proton)

2025 was a “watershed year” for digital privacy, according to Proton VPN's General Manager, David Peterson.

The global landscape has been defined by a surge in age verification laws and expanding digital surveillance – trends Peterson argues have revealed “alarming privacy erosions even in established democracies”.

So, what does this watershed mark for Proton – a company with a belief that a better world starts with privacy and digital freedom?

Free VPN advances

The VPN market is notorious for free apps that harvest user data, but Proton has managed to carve out a niche by offering a genuinely secure, data-unlimited free product. In 2025, the company attempted to improve this further by doubling the number of free server locations to 10.

This expansion is designed to increase accessibility in regions facing sudden internet restrictions or social media blocks, while also mitigating slow speeds often caused by server congestion.

However, a key limitation remains: unlike the paid-for version, you still can’t manually choose which specific server you connect to. Privado VPN, which we consider the best free VPN, has 13 free server locations.

While the free tier is an entry-level version of the company’s paid service, it is a capable tool for those in restrictive regimes. In 2025, Proton reported significant spikes in usage from Afghanistan to Venezuela during internet restrictions.

“We have made significant strides in expanding access to privacy tools for everyone,” Peterson said.

App development

While Proton is often praised for its mobile app, 2025 saw a concerted effort to bring feature parity to platforms like Apple TV and Linux. The introduction of NetShield – Proton’s ad and malware blocker – to its Apple TV app is a solid development to counter the increasingly invasive tracking found in smart TV ecosystems.

The year’s most requested update was the return of a dedicated Linux command-line interface (CLI). Released in early access in late October, the new CLI is a ground-up rewrite designed for speed and scriptability.

It’s currently a foundational release – the CLI is limited to the WireGuard protocol and lacks some important features like a kill switch or NetShield. If you’re a Linux power-user, it may be worth considering NordVPN, as it recently made its.

If you’re a Linux power-user, it may be worth considering NordVPN, which recently open-sourced its Linux GUI. However, Proton maintains the edge here: unlike many rivals, Proton’s entire application suite has been open-source and independently audited for years, a fact that remains a major draw for the privacy-hardened Linux community

Improved infrastructure

Proton’s most important development of the year was arguably not a visible feature, but a structural one. In October, the company announced it had begun working on a new, in-house VPN architecture.

The company said it’s "rapidly outgrowing" the limitations of off-the-shelf protocols and claimed that the new architecture will help improve speeds, reliability and create stronger anti-censorship capabilities.

It also lays the groundwork for Post-Quantum Encryption (PQE), which should future-proof the company and help guard against “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks. These attacks involve the stealing of encrypted data with the intent to crack it once quantum computers become capable and accessible.

In implementing PQE, Proton is joining others in the industry. It follows the likes of ExpressVPN, which integrated post-quantum protection into its Lightway protocol, and NordVPN.

What’s planned for 2026

2026 will see Proton build on this foundation by rolling out its new architecture across its entire network. Peterson noted the company is “highly enthusiastic” about the future of its Linux CLI, which will evolve to meet the community demand for precise, scriptable control.

So far, Proton’s efforts appear to be working. In our latest round of reviews, we moved Proton VPN into our #3 spot in our best VPN guide, sitting behind only NordVPN and Surfshark. As the new architecture begins to take shape, the gap between the top three may become even smaller.

The company will also be working to advance its Proton VPN for Businesses product, adding greater admin controls and superior threat detections. Following the Louvre heist earlier this year, Proton offered cultural institutions two-years access to its professional password manager product, Proton Pass, for free.

The road ahead

It’s clear that Proton is focused on building tools for a more hostile internet: whether that’s the move to PQE, or designing new anti-censorship features. These developments are all a response to a changing world.

According to Peterson, the coming year represents a pivotal moment for digital privacy. There is an “urgent, growing threat from both authoritarian regimes and regulatory overreach in open societies, reinforcing why VPNs are more essential than ever,” he said.

As we move into 2026, the success of Proton’s new architecture will be a significant litmus test. If the company can deliver on its promise of faster, more resilient, and "quantum-proof" connections, it could represent an important counterbalance to the ongoing erosion of online privacy.

Sam is VPN Managing Editor at TechRadar. He has worked in the VPN industry since 2018 and has previously written for CNN, Al Jazeera, WIRED, and Deutsche Welle as a freelance journalist. He focuses on VPNs and digital privacy, cybersecurity and internet freedom.

Before joining TechRadar, Sam carried out research on global digital rights issues at Top10VPN. His research has been cited by the United Nations and UK Parliament, as well as publications such as The Guardian, Washington Post and BBC.

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