ProtonVPN (Infrastructure) vs Netmaker
A detailed comparison to help you choose between ProtonVPN (Infrastructure) and Netmaker.
Quick Verdict
3.9/5
ProtonVPN (Infrastructure)
0 reviews
3.6/5
Netmaker
0 reviews
ProtonVPN (Infrastructure) is rated higher (3.9 vs 3.6). 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries (vendor); 20,681 servers at 191 locations in 148 nations per Wikipedia citing Proton Netmaker is an open source platform for creating and managing WireGuard virtual networks. Self-hosted on your infrastructure. More feature-rich than raw WireGuard with a dashboard and ACL management.
ProtonVPN (Infrastructure) VPN with encrypted infrastructure and no-log policy | Netmaker Self-hosted WireGuard network management | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.9 (0 reviews)✓ | 3.6 (0 reviews) |
| Pricing model | freemium (Proton Free plan exists with unlimited data) | freemium |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best for | Privacy-conscious users and small teams wanting an audited no-logs VPN with Swiss jurisdiction, open-source clients, and a free tier that does not expire into uselessness. | DevOps teams that want self-hosted WireGuard mesh networking with a dashboard, ACLs, and site-to-site links under their own control |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ||
| Tags | ||
| Tags | open sourceteam features | free tieropen sourceself hostableapi access |
| Visit ProtonVPN (Infrastructure) → | Visit Netmaker → | |
ProtonVPN (Infrastructure)
Pros
- + Published third-party no-logs audits (Securitum) and open-source client apps — verifiable privacy claims, not slogans
- + Genuinely usable free tier with unlimited data and no credit card requirement
- + Swiss jurisdiction under Proton AG, moving to a non-profit foundation structure since 2024
- + WireGuard/OpenVPN/IKEv2 plus Stealth protocol for networks that block VPN traffic
- + Secure Core routing counters compromised-datacenter risk; NetShield blocks ads, trackers, and malware
- + Paid plans cover 10 devices across 140+ countries with priority support and a 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- - $9.99/month rolling price is at the top of the mainstream VPN market; real value requires a 1-2 year prepayment
- - Free tier is one device with random country assignment from ten — no location control
- - Most of the 20,000+ server fleet is rented from third-party network operators rather than Proton-owned hardware
- - No published uptime SLA — the 30-day money-back guarantee is the only contractual commitment
- - Primarily a privacy/access product: no site-to-site networking, static IPs, or deep zero-trust policy on standard plans
Netmaker
Pros
- + Free community tier is unlimited — self-hosted, Apache 2.0, unlimited networks and devices
- + Per-active-connection billing with hourly proration instead of idle seat licenses
- + Peer-to-peer WireGuard mesh keeps traffic off a central bottleneck; relay and egress gateways cover hard NAT cases
- + Deployment choice: fully self-hosted, Netmaker Cloud, or fully managed by their team
- + Dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 networks, private DNS, OAuth, ACLs; SCIM/SIEM/traffic logs on Business
Cons
- - Very small vendor (single-digit headcount, ~$2.8M raised) behind a critical-path product
- - Pricing page mixes current per-connection rates with legacy platform/network fees and a $99/month plan — billing basis is ambiguous
- - Community tier is community-supported only; SLAs are Enterprise-only
- - Self-hosting the server adds operational overhead (upgrades, database, TLS, monitoring)
- - Native mobile meshing not supported — phones connect via gateway and the standard WireGuard app
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