Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.
TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust.
Why it matters: For internet users who value their online privacy, getting access to a reliable VPN can sometimes be a challenge, especially in regions with strict censorship laws. But a major player in the VPN space has just made it slightly easier for everyone to browse securely.
Proton VPN, one of the most popular virtual private network services around, has released a new free browser extension after previously reserving it as a paid perk. It works across all Chromium-based browsers, including Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, as well as Mozilla Firefox.
"The Proton VPN browser extension will make it easier than ever before for anyone to enjoy a secure and private internet and to bypass censorship no matter where they are, for free," said David Peterson, General Manager at Proton VPN.
The extension helps circumvent a common tactic used by authoritarian regimes looking to limit internet freedom. Countries such as China, Russia, and Iran have been known to ban VPN apps from official app stores, making it difficult for citizens to download and use these tools.
However, with a browser extension that works across all major browsers, Proton VPN now provides an alternative distribution method, allowing users an easy way to bypass internet censors and banned websites and services.
There is one big limitation on the free tier compared to the paid version, though. Free users can't manually select server locations, instead being automatically connected to the closest available region. This makes the free extension less than ideal for tasks like streaming region-locked content. But then again, a location selection feature would be asking for too much from a free service.
Still, there's a major perk to compensate for this omission: Proton VPN doesn't seem to enforce any data caps on free users, so you can set it to automatically secure your browser traffic on launch without worrying about hitting a limit.
Proton also recently introduced a new discounted 'Duo' option with all the benefits of Proton Unlimited that could appeal to couples or households with two users. It includes full access to all of Proton's goodies like Proton Mail, Drive, Calendar, Pass, and more for $120 per year – a $60 annual savings.
For more details and the download links for the extension, head over to the blog post. Alternatively, you can also check out their desktop app for a more integrated experience.