Vivaldi and Proton VPN Partnership

Vivaldi Technologies has announced a new partnership with Proton AG that will integrate the free version of Proton VPN into Vivaldi's web browser. This integration will allow every user a quick and easy way to access a virtual private network (VPN), protecting their online privacy by hiding their real IP address.

A VPN acts like a protective tunnel, allowing users to pass through a public network without anyone being able to snoop on their data. Vivaldi and Proton VPN have positioned the partnership as a “challenge to the dominance of US Big Tech giants.” Vivaldi CEO Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner has long been a critic of the surveillance capitalism model, and David Peterson, general manager of Proton VPN, says that together, they are setting a new standard that challenges the dominance of tech giants, providing a viable European alternative that helps people retake control of their digital lives.

Vivaldi is a Norwegian company, and Proton is based in Switzerland. Vivaldi is already full of privacy features, including an integrated ad blocker and integrations with privacy-friendlier search engines like Brave and StartPage. The new Proton VPN integration fits well with Vivaldi's all-in-one philosophy, staying out of the way if users are not interested.

Proton VPN has long topped the list of best VPNs for its robust security, excellent privacy record, and no-logs policy. The free version of Proton VPN gives full access to all the regular plan's features, with limitations including only being available for a single device and only three server locations: Japan, the Netherlands, and the US.

Vivaldi tells WIRED that the Proton VPN integration may come to the mobile versions of the browser at some point, but for now, it's only available in Vivaldi’s desktop browser. Access is through your Vivaldi account, and users can log in to see an option to use Proton VPN's free VPN as well as a way to upgrade to a paid version.