2025 was a “watershed year” for digital privacy, according to Proton VPN CEO David Peterson.
The global landscape has been defined by an increase in age verification laws and the expansion of digital surveillance; The trends, according to Peterson, have revealed “alarming erosions of privacy even in established democracies.”
So what does this milestone mark for Proton, a company that believes a better world starts with privacy and digital freedom?
Free VPN Previews
The VPN market is known for free apps that collect user data, but Proton has managed to carve out a niche for itself by offering a genuinely secure free product with unlimited data. In 2025, the company tried to improve this even further double 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 mitigating slow speeds often caused by server congestion.
However, one key limitation remains: unlike the paid 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 a basic version of the company’s paid service, it is a capable tool for those on restrictive regimes. In 2025, Proton reported significant spikes in usage from Afghanistan to Venezuela during Internet restrictions.
“We have made significant progress in expanding access to privacy tools for everyone,” Peterson said.
Application 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 AppleTV app is a solid step forward to counteract the growing Invasive tracking found in smart TV ecosystems..
The most requested update of the year was the return of a dedicated Linux command line interface (CLI). Released in early access at the end of OctoberThe new CLI is a ground-up rewrite designed for speed and scriptability.
It is currently a foundational version: the CLI is limited to the WireGuard protocol and lacks some important features such as a kill switch or NetShield. If you’re an advanced Linux user, NordVPN may be worth considering, as you recently did.
If you’re an advanced Linux user, it may be worth considering NordVPN, which recently open source your Linux GUI. However, Proton maintains the advantage here: unlike many rivals, Proton’s entire suite of applications has been open source and independently audited for years, a fact that remains a big draw for the privacy-enforced Linux community.
Improved infrastructure
Arguably the most important development of the year for Proton was not a visible feature, but a structural one. In October, the company announced that it had begun work on a new internal VPN architecture.
The company said it is “rapidly overcoming” the limitations of protocols available on the market and said the new architecture will help improve speeds, reliability and create stronger anti-censorship capabilities.
It also lays the foundation for post-quantum encryption (PQE), which should future-proof the company and help protect against “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks. These attacks involve the theft of encrypted data with the intention of decrypting it once quantum computers are capable and accessible.
By implementing PQE, Proton joins others in the industry. Follow people like ExpressVPNwhich integrated post-quantum protection into its Lightway protocol, and NordVPN.
What is planned for 2026
In 2026, Proton will build on this foundation by rolling out its new architecture across its network. Peterson said the company is “very excited” about the future of its Linux CLI, which will evolve to meet community demand for precise, programmable control.
So far, Proton’s efforts appear to be working. In our latest round of reviews, we placed Proton VPN at our #3 spot in our the best vpn guideonly behind 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 work to advance its Proton VPN for Businesses product, adding greater administrative controls and superior threat detections. Following the Louvre robbery earlier this year, Proton offered cultural institutions two-year access to their professional password management product, Proton Pass, for free.
The road ahead
It’s clear that Proton is focused on creating tools for a more hostile Internet: whether it’s the move to PQE or designing new anti-censorship features. All of these advances are a response to a changing world.
According to Peterson, the coming year represents a pivotal moment for digital privacy. There is an “urgent and growing threat from both authoritarian regimes and regulatory overreach in open societies, reinforcing why VPNs are more essential than ever,” he said.
As we approach the year 2026, the success of Proton’s new architecture will be an important litmus test. If the company can deliver on its promise of faster, more resilient and “quantum-proof” connections, it could represent an important counterweight to the ongoing erosion of online privacy.
