Proton VPN Secure Core – what is it and why should you use it?

Proton is a huge name in the world of security and privacy, and Proton VPN's Secure Core feature is ideal for those looking for an extra layer of VPN protection.

Widely regarded as one of the best VPN services on the market, Proton VPN comes from the same Swiss-based team responsible for the respected Proton Mail.

It’s often thought of as a truly secure VPN and this is evident with Secure Core. The feature routes your internet traffic through two encrypted VPN servers, offering additional protection and acting as a lifeline for those in countries where VPN use and the internet is restricted.

So here we’ll be explaining what Proton VPN Secure Core is, how it works, who should use it, and whether it’s a deal breaker for those looking to sign up to a new VPN.

Proton VPN | 2 years | $3.59 per month
If privacy is your #1 concern, look no further than Proton VPN. The Switzerland-based provider is one of the most secure VPNs, advocates for internet freedoms, and has passed numerous no-logs audits. Its Secure Core feature allows for an additional layer of protection and is vital for those living in countries where the internet is restricted. Outside of privacy, there are over 11,000 servers worldwide and its super fast and great for streaming. The 2-year plan works out at $3.59 per month ($86.16 up front). It's not the cheapest, but there's a 30-day money-back guarantee and Proton VPN Free is one of the best free VPNs.

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What is Proton VPN Secure Core? 

In simple terms, Secure Core routes your connection through an extra-secure server in either Iceland, Switzerland or Sweden before connecting you to your chosen server location.

So, for example, if you’re in the UK and want to use Secure Core to connect to a server in Turkey, your traffic might travel like this:

UK > Sweden > Turkey

To activate Secure Core, all you need to do is click the padlock icon on the Windows VPN, Mac VPN and Linux VPN applications and select "Secure Core On." A dropdown menu will then appear and you can select your desired country. You can allow Proton VPN to automatically select a Secure Core route or you can select it yourself.

On the iOS VPN and Android VPN apps, slide the Secure Core switch to On – you’ll then be shown all the available routes to Secure Core-supported locations. As with the desktop app, you can have your connection allocated automatically or choose it yourself.

There are 63 locations available with Secure Core. For more popular server locations, such as the US and UK, your traffic can be routed through any of the three Secure Core locations. For other countries, only one or two routes may be available.

What are the pros and cons of Secure Core?

The reasons for using Secure Core are twofold. Firstly, your traffic is getting doubly encrypted, starting with your device to the Secure Core server, and then again from the Secure Core server to your destination server.

This means your traffic is never unencrypted on the journey between the Secure Core server and the destination, and there’s no direct contact between your device and the end server – desirable if you’re worried about the server in your chosen destination being compromised, but still need to connect.

This also defends against network monitoring that can link activity to users. For more on this, check out Proton VPN’s own article on the subject.

The second benefit is that the Secure Core servers are – surprise, surprise – very secure. Based in countries with favorable data laws, every Secure Core server is owned by Proton VPN itself, and also housed in a physically secure location – the Sweden and Switzerland servers are in underground data centers, and the Iceland servers are on a former military base.

While server banks are, in reality, unlikely to be physically compromised, this certainly sounds good and demonstrates Proton’s commitment to user privacy.

However, when using Secure Core servers you may well notice a drop in connection speeds. This is due to the fact that your traffic will simply be travelling further, and is encrypted and decrypted twice rather than once.

Secure Core servers also tend to get a little congested at times, and this will again impact connection speeds.

Finally, Secure Core is only available for a selection of locations, and while there are more routes available than with NordVPN’s Double VPN and Surfshark’s MultiHop, you may still find the location you need isn’t available.

How much does Secure Core cost?

Secure Cure is available on all Proton VPN paid plans. Although Proton VPN Free is one of the best free VPNs available, Secure Core is not included in its list of features.

With plans starting at $3.59 per month ($86.16 up front), Proton VPN isn't the cheapest VPN. But if privacy is your number one concern, then Proton VPN is a rock-solid choice.

Who should use Secure Core?

For day-to-day usage, Secure Core will probably be overkill, and probably not worth the trade-off between connection speed and security.

However, those connecting to potentially compromised locations like Russia, China, Turkey, or Iraq should definitely consider using Secure Core, even if just for the extra peace of mind it offers. Those in sensitive professions like journalism may also appreciate the added security.

Do any other VPNs offer a similar feature?

As mentioned above, NordVPN and Surfshark both offer a multi-server connection feature, but in truth, Proton VPN is the only provider we’re aware of that has taken the extra physical precautions in terms of server location. Whether you consider that worthwhile is up to you.

Also, compared to NordVPN and Surfshark, Secure Core does offer a greater range of destination locations despite the conduit servers only being located in three countries. So, in short, Proton VPN doesn’t really have any rivals when it comes to this feature.

Private Internet Access (PIA) and IPVanish both offer similar features, however ExpressVPN does not.

Is Proton VPN Secure Core a deal breaker?

Whether Secure Core should influence your buying decision is very much down to how you intend to use Proton VPN. For the highly privacy conscious, it does add another layer of security that’s not available anywhere else, but for the vast majority, the privacy regular Proton VPN servers (or any other quality VPN) provides will likely be plenty.

If you live in a country where internet and media censorship is high, then we'd strongly recommend using Proton VPN Secure Core.