VPN Comparison

ProtonVPN vs Amnezia VPN: Which Works Best Against Blocks?

By the VPN Analyst team · Updated October 11, 2026 · 8 min read

Short answer: pick Proton VPN for everyday privacy, streaming and travel. Pick Amnezia VPN if you live somewhere with heavy internet blocks (like Russia or Iran), or if you want to run your own VPN server for free.

Below we put ProtonVPN vs Amnezia VPN head to head in 7 rounds, so you can match the right tool to where you live and what you do online.

Two very different VPNs

This isn’t a normal “big VPN vs big VPN” match. They were built for different jobs.

• Proton VPN is a large, Swiss, privacy-first VPN from the team behind Proton Mail. It aims to be the one VPN for everything: privacy, streaming, torrenting and travel.
• Amnezia VPN is an open-source project focused on one thing: staying connected where VPNs are blocked. It offers three services in one app: Amnezia Premium (paid), Amnezia Free (limited, for censored countries) and Amnezia Self-hosted (run it on your own server).

How we compared ProtonVPN vs Amnezia VPN

We scored both in 7 rounds: censorship bypass, privacy and trust, price, free versions, speed, streaming and torrenting, and apps. Facts come from the official Proton VPN pricing page, the Amnezia Premium page and AmneziaWG docs, checked in October 2026.

ProtonVPN vs Amnezia VPN at a glance

Feature	Proton VPN	Amnezia Premium
Company / base	Proton AG, Switzerland	Euphoriatech Ltd, Cyprus
Locations	20,000+ servers, 140+ countries	20 locations
Devices	10	7
Best price	$3.49/mo (2 years)	$3.30/mo (2 years, $80)
Shortest plan	$9.99 / 1 month	$30 / 6 months
Free option	Proton VPN Free	Amnezia Free + free Self-hosted app
Refund	30 days	14 days
Anti-block protocols	Stealth	AmneziaWG 3.1, XRay VLESS Reality
Server type	10 Gbps network	RAM-only, up to 200 Mbps
Open source	Yes, all apps	Yes, client apps
Security audits	Yes, repeated no-logs audits	7ASecurity (2022, 2024, 2025)
Crypto payment	Bitcoin (via credits)	USDT, BTC, ETH and more

1. Beating censorship and VPN blocks

This is the main reason people search for Amnezia. In many countries, firewalls use DPI (deep packet inspection). They don’t need to know where your traffic goes. They just look at its “shape” and spot that it’s a VPN.

• AmneziaWG is a modified WireGuard. It keeps WireGuard’s speed but changes how the traffic looks each time you connect, so it can pass as normal UDP traffic such as QUIC or DNS.
• XRay VLESS Reality makes your connection look like a normal HTTPS visit to a popular website.
• Proton Stealth wraps WireGuard inside TLS so it looks like regular web traffic. It works well in many restricted networks and is built into every Proton app.

Amnezia’s big extra edge: with Self-hosted you get your own server with your own IP. Censors can’t block “all Amnezia servers” because your server isn’t on any public list.

Winner: Amnezia VPN for heavily censored countries. Proton is still a solid choice in places with lighter blocking, like school or office Wi-Fi.

2. Privacy and trust

Both do a lot right. Both have open-source apps and outside security audits. Amnezia Premium runs RAM-only servers (nothing written to disk) and lets you pay with crypto using just an email.

Proton has a longer and larger public track record: Swiss jurisdiction, repeated no-logs audits, yearly transparency reports, and a non-profit foundation as its main owner. Amnezia is younger and smaller, and its company is registered in Cyprus (EU).

Winner: Proton VPN, by track record. With Amnezia Self-hosted, you remove the provider from the picture, but your hosting company can then see your server.

3. Price

Plan	Proton VPN Plus	Amnezia Premium
1 month	$9.99	Not offered
6 months	Not offered	$30 ($5/mo)
1 year	$3.99/mo	$50 ($4.10/mo)
2 years	$83.76 ($3.49/mo)	$80 ($3.30/mo)
Price per device (2 yrs)	about $0.35/mo	about $0.47/mo
Free	Proton VPN Free	Amnezia Free, Self-hosted app

On paper Amnezia is a bit cheaper over 2 years. But Proton covers 3 more devices, has 7x more countries and twice the refund window. Self-hosting Amnezia is “free”, but you still rent a VPS, which usually costs a few dollars a month.

Winner: tie. Amnezia is cheaper in dollars. Proton gives more for the money.

4. Free versions compared

• Proton VPN Free: no data cap, works on all sites, 1 device, servers in a set of free countries, medium speed. No card needed.
• Amnezia Free: made for censored countries. Opens sites like Instagram, Facebook and X, but not YouTube. Speed is capped at 8 Mbps and you can’t pick a location.
• Amnezia Self-hosted: the app is free and supports 8 protocols. You bring your own server.

Winner: Proton VPN Free for normal use. Amnezia Free is a lifeline only where the big sites are blocked.

5. Speed and servers

Amnezia says its Premium servers reach up to 200 Mbps, which is plenty for 4K streaming. Proton runs on 10 Gbps server links, so it’s built for much higher top speeds on fast home internet. Proton also has far more locations, so you can almost always find a server close to you.

Winner: Proton VPN.

6. Streaming and torrenting

• Streaming: Proton officially supports Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more. Amnezia lists UK, US East, Canada, Japan and other locations for local streaming, but with 20 countries the choice is smaller.
• Torrenting: Proton allows P2P on many servers and adds port forwarding. Amnezia allows P2P only on its Switzerland location.

Winner: Proton VPN.

7. Apps and devices

Both cover Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. Amnezia also supports Android TV and routers (Keenetic, OpenWrt), and a router setup protects every device on your Wi-Fi. Proton adds Chromebook, Apple TV, Fire TV and browser extensions, plus extras like Secure Core multi-hop, NetShield ad blocker and Tor over VPN.

One heads up: Amnezia’s self-hosted setup asks for your server IP and SSH login. It’s guided, but still more technical than Proton’s one-click connect.

Winner: Proton VPN for ease and extras. Amnezia for router fans and tinkerers.

Verdict: which one should you choose?

Choose Proton VPN if you…

• live in a country without heavy VPN blocking
• want streaming, torrenting and lots of countries
• want a free plan that opens the full internet
• want a long, proven privacy track record
• don’t want to set up a server

Choose Amnezia VPN if you…

• live in a country where most VPNs get blocked
• want your own private server with a “clean” IP
• want to pay with crypto using just an email
• want to protect a whole home network via a router

Smart combo: many people in restricted countries keep both. Proton for daily privacy and streaming, Amnezia as a backup when the network gets tight.

ProtonVPN vs Amnezia VPN: FAQ

Is Amnezia VPN better than Proton VPN?

Only in heavily censored countries. AmneziaWG and XRay Reality are built to beat DPI blocking, and self-hosting gives you an IP no one has blocked. For everything else (streaming, torrenting, country choice, privacy track record) Proton VPN is better.

Is Amnezia VPN safe?

Yes, by the evidence so far. Its client apps are open source, its apps and servers were audited by 7ASecurity in 2022, 2024 and 2025, and Premium runs on RAM-only servers. It’s a younger and smaller company than Proton.

Is Amnezia VPN free?

The app is free. Amnezia Free costs nothing but is limited to certain sites, with no YouTube and an 8 Mbps cap. Self-hosting is free in the app, but you pay for your own server. Amnezia Premium starts at $3.30/mo.

Does Proton VPN work in Russia?

Proton’s Stealth protocol is made for blocked networks and often works, but blocks change fast. Many users there keep Amnezia as a backup.

Can I use AmneziaWG with Proton VPN?

No. AmneziaWG is Amnezia’s own protocol. Proton uses its own Stealth protocol for the same goal.

Comparing other options? See our Proton VPN vs Avast VPN breakdown.

Prices, locations and features checked on the official Proton VPN and Amnezia sites in October 2026. Deals change often. This page has affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.