Compare AirVPN and Proton VPN on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.
Both listed as alternatives to: ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access
Italy· VPN Services
Needs review
Strong European option when you need remote port forwarding, Dynamic DNS, and open-source clients. Skip for enterprise fleet VPN or ISO/SOC-led vendor risk — consider WireGuard mesh (e.g. Tailscale/NetBird) or audited privacy VPNs such as Mullvad.
Switzerland· VPN Services
Needs review
Shortlist Proton VPN when you want a Swiss Proton AG VPN with open-source clients, publicly linked Securitum no-logs infrastructure audits, Secure Core/Stealth, a real free tier, and optional Business SSO/SCIM inside the Proton suite. Skip when you need anonymous numbered accounts without email (prefer Mullvad) or first-class remote port forwarding/DDNS (prefer AirVPN).
Highlighted rows differ between the two products.
| Feature | AirVPN | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Italy | Switzerland |
| Category | VPN Services | VPN Services |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | No | No |
| Headquarters | Italy | Switzerland |
| Legal entity | AirVPN di Paolo Brini (also Air di Paolo Brini), Perugia | Proton AG (Route de la Galaise 32, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva); EU rep Proton Europe sàrl (Luxembourg) |
| Governing law | Italian courts / EU private international law framing (per ToS) | Switzerland (vendor privacy/legal framework) |
| US parent / control | No known US parent | No known US parent |
| CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Low | Medium |
| Hosting / residency | Multi-region servers (EU and outside EU). Confirm exit-node policy if you need EU-only traffic. | VPN/account infrastructure: Proton-owned/controlled servers; account data stated in CH/DE/NO; Secure Core owned in CH/IS/SE; global VPN exits with full-disk encryption. Support/payments processors include US-group Zendesk, Stripe, Chargebee, PayPal (and HubSpot for sales forms) per privacy policy—not the VPN tunnel path. |
| Summary | Italian OpenVPN/WireGuard VPN with remote port forwarding, Dynamic DNS, and open-source Eddie clients—strong for technical privacy use, not enterprise fleet VPN. | Swiss Proton AG VPN with open-source clients, Securitum-audited no-logs infrastructure, Secure Core/Stealth, free unlimited-data tier, and Business SSO/SCIM packaging. |
| Tags |
| At a glance | AirVPN | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|
| HQ / entity | Perugia, Italy — AirVPN di Paolo Brini (sole proprietorship) | Proton AG, Plan-les-Ouates (Geneva), Switzerland |
| Protocols | OpenVPN, WireGuard; OpenVPN over SSH/SSL/Tor | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth |
| Clients | Eddie GPLv3 (desktop + Android); configs without GUI | Not listed |
| Inbound ports | Up to 5 reserved remote ports + optional *.airdns.org DDNS | Not listed |
| Sessions | Five simultaneous connections per account | Not listed |
| Commercial model | Prepaid access (see vendor site for current plans) | Not listed |
| Independent audit | No public no-logs audit found | Not listed |
| B2B packaging | Self-serve ToS; no productized enterprise pack found | Not listed |
| Governance | Not listed | Primary shareholder: non-profit Proton Foundation (vendor claim) |
| Network (vendor) | Not listed | 20,000+ servers, 140+ countries (re-check live) |
| Free tier | Not listed | 1 device, unlimited data, limited countries, no ads |
| Paid consumer devices | Not listed | Up to 10 simultaneous (typical Plus packaging) |
| Open source | Not listed | Official clients yes; not a self-host server product |
| Business | Not listed | SSO, SCIM, dedicated IPs/gateways, DPA published |
| Key capabilities | AirVPN | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|
| EU-operated | Yes | Not listed |
| Open-source client (GPLv3) | Yes | Not listed |
| Remote port forwarding | Yes | Not listed |
| WireGuard + OpenVPN | Yes | Not listed |
| Prepaid access | Yes | Not listed |
| Swiss-operated (Proton AG) | Not listed | Yes |
| Open-source clients | Not listed | Yes |
| Securitum no-logs audits | Not listed | Yes |
| Secure Core double-hop | Not listed | Yes |
| Free unlimited-data tier | Not listed | Yes |
| Business SSO / SCIM | Not listed | Yes |
Remote port forwarding and airdns.org DDNS
Reserve up to five inbound remote ports (TCP/UDP) while a plan is active, optionally map to different local ports, and attach optional *.airdns.org names that follow the VPN exit IP—useful for P2P, seedboxes, and self-hosted services.
Open-source Eddie client with Network Lock
Official GPLv3 client for major desktops and Android with firewall-based Network Lock (blocks traffic outside the tunnel), CLI, multi-provider mode, and hostile-network layering (SSH/SSL/Tor with AirVPN).
OpenVPN, WireGuard, and layered entry
Choose WireGuard or OpenVPN; OpenVPN is available on multiple ports and can run over SSH, SSL, or Tor when middleboxes block or throttle plain VPN handshakes. Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 and internal VPN DNS with optional block lists.
Minimal identity requirements
Signup does not require real identity fields; email is optional for support. Payment processors handle their own data when used.
Transparent capacity and multi-session use
Five simultaneous connections, free server switches, public live server load, and a stated minimum allocated bandwidth per session. Commercial access is prepaid—see the vendor site for current plans.
Audited no-logs on Proton-owned VPN infrastructure
Strict no-logs policy for VPN session activity (no traffic content, destination, or session metadata that identifies a user to a server, per published Securitum infrastructure reviews). Account data lives on Proton-controlled servers in Switzerland, Germany, or Norway; Secure Core machines are Proton-owned in CH/IS/SE. Suits privacy officers who need public audit PDFs, not NDA-only claims.
Secure Core double-hop via CH, IS, or SE
Paid Secure Core routes traffic through hardened Proton-owned entry servers in Switzerland, Iceland, or Sweden before the exit country—extra hop against network-level attacks if an exit were compromised. Adds latency; best for high-threat models, not every streaming session.
Stealth protocol and free-tier censorship tools
Stealth obfuscates the tunnel (TLS-over-TCP style) to reduce DPI/VPN-block detection and is available on Free as well as paid apps. Free plan: one device, unlimited data, no ads, limited country set, kill switch; paid unlocks multi-device, streaming profiles, Secure Core, and full NetShield packaging.
Open-source clients across major platforms
Official apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and browser extensions are open source on GitHub (ProtonVPN org) with third-party app security reviews published over time. Server-side VPN stack is not a public full OSS product—inspect clients and audit reports, not the entire backend.
NetShield DNS filtering and multi-protocol stack
NetShield is Proton's DNS-based blocker for ads, trackers, and malware domains (feature depth varies by plan). Protocols include WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and Stealth; kill switch and leak protections are first-class client features for untrusted Wi-Fi.
Business org controls: SSO, SCIM, dedicated IPs
Proton VPN for Business adds organization admin, private gateways, dedicated servers/IPs, enforced 2FA, SSO, and SCIM provisioning (docs cover Okta/Google examples). Fits SMB remote access and policy control—not a numbered-account anonymity product.
| Assurance & compliance | AirVPN | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Independent no-logs / security audit | Not found Privacy notice describes no mass-storage activity/IP logs; architecture claims are first-party only. | Verified Multi-year Securitum infrastructure no-logs audits published with downloadable reports (see no-logs audit blog). Client app security reviews also published over time. |
| ISO 27001 | Not found | Vendor claimed Proton announces ISO 27001 (May 2024) and links a certificate from the Trust Center; re-validate scope/certificate for your ISMS. |
| SOC 2 / SOC 3 | Not found | Vendor claimed Trust Center and company blog assert SOC 2 Type II; obtain the report under your vendor process if required. |
| GDPR / EU data protection | Vendor claimed EU (Italian) operator; privacy notice cites GDPR and related EU directives. | Vendor claimed Swiss operator claims GDPR alignment; EU representative in Luxembourg; Swiss FADP also applies. |
| US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Vendor claimed No known US parent from public research — indicative exposure low vs US-owned brands; multi-region exits still matter. | Partial No known US parent (Proton AG / Foundation). VPN designed no-logs on Proton paths. US-group processors for support/payments (Zendesk, Stripe, Chargebee, PayPal; HubSpot sales) raise indicative exposure for account identity data. Not legal advice. |
| Data processing agreement (B2B) | Not found No productized enterprise DPA flow found; consumer ToS/privacy notice only. | Vendor claimed Public DPA published at proton.me/legal/dpa; confirm countersignature/process for your business SKU. |
| EU AI Act | Not applicable VPN connectivity product; not an AI system under typical procurement framing. | Not applicable VPN connectivity product; separate Lumo AI offering is out of scope for this VPN entry. |
| Considerations & known limitations | AirVPN | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Italian resident restriction | High ToS and footer ban residents of Italy. Orgs with Italian-based staff cannot use AirVPN as a universal approved VPN; exclude that population or choose another vendor. | Not listed |
| No public independent no-logs audit | Medium If vendor risk requires ISO/SOC or a no-logs audit letter, treat this as a gap until evidence is obtained offline. | Not listed |
| Multi-region exit nodes | Medium Traffic can exit outside the EU depending on server choice. Strict residency policies need operational controls, not just EU HQ. | Not listed |
| Small operator / sole proprietorship | Medium Long-running activist project with a small operating structure; set continuity and support expectations accordingly. | Not listed |
| US CLOUD Act (indicative) | Low No known US parent from public research. Not a guarantee against other LE cooperation or non-EU exits. | Not listed |
| US SaaS for support and payments | Not listed | Medium Privacy policy lists Zendesk, Stripe, Chargebee, PayPal (and HubSpot for sales) as processors. This is not VPN traffic logging, but billing/support identity can leave the Swiss-only path—map to your transfer assessment. |
| Global exit nodes outside EU/CH | Not listed | Medium Large multi-country network means traffic can exit outside the EU depending on server choice. Strict residency policies need operational controls (allowed countries, Secure Core preferences), not HQ alone. |
| Free tier capacity and country limits | Not listed | Low Free is one device and a limited country pool; shared free capacity can mean slower peaks. Not a full substitute for paid multi-device org rollout. |
| Account identity vs numbered anonymity | Not listed | Low Standard Proton account (email or external address options) is not the same threat model as cash/number-only VPN accounts. Cash/Bitcoin payment options exist for paid plans but account recovery fields may still apply. |
| ISO/SOC scope verification | Not listed | Low ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II are vendor-asserted on Trust Center; procurement should confirm certificate/attestation scope covers the VPN services in use. |
When: You need enterprise fleet / zero-trust mesh connectivity
Consider: Tailscale, NetBird, or self-hosted WireGuard
Different product class: org network access vs consumer privacy VPN with inbound ports.
When: You prioritise audited no-logs / accountless anonymity over inbound ports
Consider: Mullvad
Mullvad is stronger on the public no-logs narrative; weaker on multi-port forwarding / airdns.org-style DDNS.
When: You want a free tier and a broader consumer privacy suite
Consider: Proton VPN
When: You need maximum account anonymity (no email identity)
Consider: Mullvad
Numbered accounts and cash/crypto-friendly privacy posture; less suite/Business packaging.
When: You need remote port forwarding and Dynamic DNS as core features
Consider: AirVPN
Technical inbound reachability; different product emphasis than Proton Free/Plus.
When: You want a large consumer network with different brand/jurisdiction tradeoffs
Consider: NordVPN or catalog peers such as CyberGhost
Re-check ownership, audit publication model, and streaming for your regions.
When: You need enterprise zero-trust mesh rather than a privacy VPN
Consider: Tailscale, NetBird, or self-hosted WireGuard
Different product class from consumer/privacy VPN.