F-Secure FREEDOME VPN vs Proton VPN

Compare F-Secure FREEDOME VPN and Proton VPN on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.

Both listed as alternatives to: ExpressVPN

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN

Finland· VPN Services

Needs review

Shortlist when you want a simple Finnish consumer VPN from an established security vendor (now branded F-Secure VPN), multi-device apps, and suite packaging. Skip when you need audited no-logs, anonymous accounts, or an infrastructure path free of US-linked VPN partners—consider Mullvad or Proton VPN instead.

Finnish HQ (Nasdaq Helsinki)Consumer multi-device VPNAuto public Wi-Fi protectionKill switch (Win/Mac/Android)WireGuard on new stackISO 27001 (company, claimed)

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Proton VPN

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).

Swiss-operated (Proton AG)Open-source clientsSecuritum no-logs auditsSecure Core double-hopFree unlimited-data tierBusiness SSO / SCIM

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Highlighted rows differ between the two products.

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN vs Proton VPN: Snapshot
Feature	F-Secure FREEDOME VPN	Proton VPN
Country of origin	Finland	Switzerland
Category	VPN Services	VPN Services
Open source	No	Yes
Self-hosted	No	No
Headquarters	Finland	Switzerland
Legal entity	F-Secure Corporation (F-Secure Oyj), Tammasaarenkatu 7, 00180 Helsinki, Finland	Proton AG (Route de la Galaise 32, 1228 Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva); EU rep Proton Europe sàrl (Luxembourg)
Governing law	Not listed	Switzerland (vendor privacy/legal framework)
US parent / control	No known US parent	No known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Medium	Medium
Hosting / residency	Finnish consumer controller (F-Secure Corporation). New VPN feature delivered with third-party Pango (US-based Pango Group / Point Wild family; also related non-US entities). Older OpenVPN/IPSec path described separately. Sensitive customer data stated as stored in Finland/EEA under F-Secure control where applicable; global operations, SCCs, and EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework also described. E-store reseller Cleverbridge GmbH. Full public gateway subprocessor/region matrix not published.	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	Finnish consumer VPN (historically FREEDOME, now F-Secure VPN) for encrypted browsing, IP hiding, and automatic public Wi-Fi protection from F-Secure Corporation in Helsinki.	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	privacy vpn consumer finnish gdpr	privacy vpn open-source no-logs swiss free-tier business

At a glance: F-Secure FREEDOME VPN vs Proton VPN
At a glance	F-Secure FREEDOME VPN	Proton VPN
HQ	Helsinki, Finland	Not listed
Legal entity	F-Secure Corporation (F-Secure Oyj)	Not listed
Product status	FREEDOME rebranded to F-Secure VPN; still sold	Not listed
Deployment	Consumer SaaS apps (not self-hosted)	Not listed
Account model	My F-Secure registration required	Not listed
Server footprint	Virtual locations in 20+ countries (vendor claim)	Not listed
New VPN partner	Pango / Point Wild group (US-linked)	Not listed
Commercial model	Paid multi-device subscription + trial/money-back	Not listed
HQ / entity	Not listed	Proton AG, Plan-les-Ouates (Geneva), Switzerland
Governance	Not listed	Primary shareholder: non-profit Proton Foundation (vendor claim)
Protocols	Not listed	WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth
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: F-Secure FREEDOME VPN vs Proton VPN
Key capabilities	F-Secure FREEDOME VPN	Proton VPN
Finnish HQ (Nasdaq Helsinki)	Yes	Not listed
Consumer multi-device VPN	Yes	Not listed
Auto public Wi-Fi protection	Yes	Not listed
Kill switch (Win/Mac/Android)	Yes	Not listed
WireGuard on new stack	Yes	Not listed
ISO 27001 (company, claimed)	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

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN

One-click personal VPN with unlimited data
Consumer apps connect with a single control and market unlimited bandwidth for browsing, downloads, and general use. Aimed at non-technical households rather than admin-tunable gateway fleets. Requires a My F-Secure account to activate and manage devices.
Automatic public Wi-Fi protection and trusted-network bypass
Detects untrusted/public Wi-Fi and can secure traffic without manual per-hotspot setup. On Android and Windows, trusted networks can bypass the tunnel so home/LAN devices stay reachable. Best for travelers and café users, not for policy-managed corporate SSIDs.
Kill switch on Windows, Mac, and Android
When enabled, the kill switch can block internet access if the VPN drops, reducing clearnet IP/DNS leaks during reconnects. Availability is platform-specific (documented for Windows, Mac, Android—not presented as universal across every OS feature parity).
Virtual locations in 20+ countries
Choose gateways in more than twenty countries, sometimes with multiple cities, to change apparent IP location for privacy and basic geo-access. Server footprint is smaller than mega-VPN networks; treat streaming reliability as verify-yourself, not a guaranteed specialty.
Protocol stacks including WireGuard on the new VPN
Privacy docs describe an older path (OpenVPN, IPSec/IKEv2) and a newer path (Hydra, WireGuard, IPSec). The new path is delivered with third-party provider Pango—confirm which stack your app build uses under Settings before assuming F-Secure-only infrastructure.

Proton VPN

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: F-Secure FREEDOME VPN vs Proton VPN
Assurance & compliance	F-Secure FREEDOME VPN	Proton VPN
Independent security / no-logs audit	Not found Vendor privacy notice describes no destination-connection logs plus 90-day operational session logs; no public third-party no-logs audit PDF found for this VPN.	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	Vendor claimed Company financial/sustainability materials state F-Secure received ISO 27001 covering company operations (reported from late 2024). Re-verify certificate scope for the VPN service.	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 No public SOC 2/3 report located for the consumer VPN service during research.	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 Finnish EU controller; privacy notices reference GDPR, SCCs, and DPF. Consumer product—confirm processing roles for any B2B resale.	Vendor claimed Swiss operator claims GDPR alignment; EU representative in Luxembourg; Swiss FADP also applies.
US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Partial EU entity / no known US parent, but new VPN stack uses US-linked third party Pango; global transfers and DPF described. Not a clean EU-only path. Not legal advice.	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 Consumer VPN/store terms dominate public materials; no clear self-serve B2B DPA for VPN-only enterprise procurement found.	Vendor claimed Public DPA published at proton.me/legal/dpa; confirm countersignature/process for your business SKU.
EU AI Act	Not applicable Core product is a consumer VPN; AI features exist elsewhere in the F-Secure suite (e.g. scam tools) but are not the VPN evaluation core.	Not applicable VPN connectivity product; separate Lumo AI offering is out of scope for this VPN entry.

Considerations & known limitations: F-Secure FREEDOME VPN vs Proton VPN
Considerations & known limitations	F-Secure FREEDOME VPN	Proton VPN
Operational logs include source IP for ~90 days	Medium Despite no destination-traffic logs, session metadata (including source public IP and device ID) is retained for abuse handling. Law-enforcement process can still target what exists; historical Finnish FREEDOME log disputes illustrate the residual risk.	Not listed
New VPN path shares infrastructure with US-linked Pango	Medium Privacy notice discloses a third-party provider for the new VPN feature and links Pango. US CLOUD Act / transfer diligence must include that partner—not only F-Secure’s Finnish HQ.	Not listed
No public independent no-logs audit found	Medium Trust rests on first-party privacy wording and brand reputation. Privacy-maximizing buyers often require third-party audits that were not published for this VPN at research time.	Not listed
Consumer product, not enterprise VPN platform	Low My F-Secure account, multi-device household packs, and suite bundling fit consumers. Lack of self-host, limited advanced networking, and thin B2B contracting artifacts limit enterprise remote-access use cases.	Not listed
FREEDOME brand retirement can confuse inventories	Low Legacy app names and store listings still say FREEDOME while the commercial product is F-Secure VPN. Asset inventories and MDM allowlists may need cleanup after the 2024 migration.	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.

Fit

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN

Best fit when

Households wanting a one-click VPN from a known Finnish security brand
Users already on F-Secure Total who need the VPN module under My F-Secure
Travelers who prioritize automatic public Wi-Fi protection over advanced routing
Buyers who accept registered accounts and multi-device consumer subscriptions
Teams okay with partial operational logging documented in the privacy notice

Poor fit when

Evaluations that require a public independent no-logs / infrastructure audit
Anonymous or cash/crypto signup with no email account
Self-hosted or fully operator-controlled VPN gateways
Enterprise remote-access / ZTNA procurement (this is a consumer product)
Strict EU-only data-path requirements that forbid US-linked VPN OEM partners

Consider instead when

When: You need a privacy-hardened specialist VPN with anonymous accounts and strong transparency
Consider: Mullvad
Swedish pure-play VPN; different UX and no antivirus suite bundling.
When: You want a European privacy suite with VPN-first positioning and broader privacy product line
Consider: Proton VPN
Swiss Proton ecosystem; compare free-tier limits and audit publications separately.
When: You need advanced enthusiast networking controls rather than a consumer suite VPN
Consider: AirVPN
More power-user oriented; steeper than F-Secure’s one-click consumer apps.

Proton VPN

Best fit when

Privacy-conscious individuals who want Swiss jurisdiction, open-source apps, and audited no-logs packaging
Users already on Proton Mail/Drive/Pass who want one account for VPN plus suite
People under network censorship who need Stealth (including on Free) and Secure Core on paid plans
SMBs needing managed VPN with SSO/SCIM, dedicated IPs/gateways, and a published DPA
Orgs that require downloadable third-party no-logs infrastructure reports rather than NDA-only claims

Poor fit when

Teams that require anonymous numbered accounts with no email (Mullvad-style)
Workloads whose primary need is multi-port remote forwarding and Dynamic DNS (AirVPN-style)
Policies that forbid any US-group SaaS for billing or support (Zendesk/Stripe/Chargebee/PayPal listed)
Buyers who need a fully self-hosted VPN control plane rather than Proton SaaS

Consider instead when

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.

Open questions for due diligence

F-Secure FREEDOME VPN

Which app builds still use the old OpenVPN/IPSec stack versus the Pango-backed new stack (Hydra/WireGuard/IPSec) on each OS?
Will F-Secure publish a full VPN subprocessor and hosting-region list suitable for procurement files?
Is a formal B2B DPA available for organizations buying VPN seats outside pure consumer checkout?
Is there a current independent audit of the no-destination-log claim and session-log retention controls?
What gateway capacity and streaming/P2P acceptable-use limits apply in practice beyond marketing claims?

Proton VPN

Which current Securitum no-logs PDF applies to the server regions and features you will enable?
For Business, which subprocessors apply to your SKU and will Proton countersign the published DPA without material carve-outs?
Can org policy force EU/CH-only or Secure Core-only exits for all managed devices?
Do ISO 27001 / SOC 2 Type II reports' scope statements explicitly cover Proton VPN infrastructure used by your tenants?
If policy bans US payment processors, which payment methods (e.g. Bitcoin) meet your residual-risk tolerance?