IVPN vs Proton VPN

Comparing: two VPNs
Decided by: Independent no-logs audits
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26

IVPNTakes bitcoin

Eight straight years of Cure53 security audits, cash or Monero accepted, and a company that publicly refuses to commission another no-logs audit.

Proton VPNTakes bitcoin

Five straight annual no-logs audits published in full, plus the only free tier here that a privacy-minded reader can honestly be pointed at.

Verdict: Proton VPN

Proton VPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 5 against 3 for IVPN. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides.

Criterion: Independent no-logs audits
IVPN: 3
Proton VPN: 5

IVPN and Proton VPN, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

IVPN and Proton VPN compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	IVPN	Proton VPN
Independent audits	3, latest 2026	5, latest 2026 (favoured on this row)
Real-world tests	0	0
Incidents on record	0	0
Market exits	0	0
Owner	IVPN Limited	Proton AG
Jurisdiction	Gibraltar	Switzerland
Eyes alliance	Outside	Outside
Price	From $60/yr on Standard	Free tier, or paid VPN Plus
Money-back	30 days	30 days
Crypto accepted	bitcoin, monero	bitcoin
Anonymous signup	Yes	No
Free tier	None	Unlimited bandwidth, one device, servers in 10 countries, no ads
Servers	Vendor runs a deliberately small network, in the low tens of countries, rather than competing on server counts	Vendor states thousands of servers, with paid plans reaching over 140 countries and the free tier limited to ten
Last reviewed	2026-08-26	2026-08-26

No-logs evidence, side by side

Dated audits and real-world tests from each review. An empty column is a finding: the claim has not been independently checked.

IVPN

2026Audit by Cure53: eighth annual security audit, covering the cryptography and privacy model of the Unlinked Access system
2023Audit by Cure53: penetration test and configuration review of the new VPN gateway infrastructure, report published in full
2019Audit by Cure53: the no-logs audit of the VPN gateway and authentication servers, which IVPN says was its first and only audit of that format

Proton VPN

2026Audit by Securitum: fifth consecutive annual no-logs audit of the production server infrastructure, report published in full
2025Audit by Securitum: annual on-site no-logs audit of the server infrastructure
2024Audit by Securitum: annual on-site no-logs audit of the server infrastructure
2023Audit by Securitum: annual on-site no-logs audit of the server infrastructure
2022Audit by Securitum: first annual no-logs audit, conducted on site

Frequently asked questions

Is IVPN or Proton VPN better for privacy?

Proton VPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 5 against 3 for IVPN. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay IVPN or Proton VPN with bitcoin?

IVPN takes bitcoin and monero (processor: In-house). Proton VPN takes bitcoin (processor: In-house). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, IVPN or Proton VPN?

IVPN: From $60/yr on Standard. Proton VPN: Free tier, or paid VPN Plus. Money-back: IVPN 30 days, Proton VPN 30 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are IVPN and Proton VPN based?

IVPN: Gibraltar (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). Proton VPN: Switzerland (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). A jurisdiction matters less than a court record showing what the provider could hand over; the reviews carry those where they exist.

The full reviews: IVPN and Proton VPN, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

More comparisons

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