5 min read
Proton VPN and AdGuard VPN are two well-known services with free plans, and in Russia they share the same problem: their apps were removed from the Russian App Store at Roskomnadzor's request. Proton VPN disappeared in summer 2024, and AdGuard's TrustTunnel client on April 28, 2026. Apps already installed keep working, but without updates. Both have protocols that disguise traffic as HTTPS, so technically they work in Russia, with caveats: even Proton itself rates the odds in restrictive countries as "about 50/50".
Interest in both is steady: "proton vpn" gets about 20,000 impressions a month in Russian search, "adguard vpn" in both spellings about 19,000, and with all the "download" variants both brands add up to about 65,000 (Yandex Wordstat, August–September 2026).
Proton VPN is made by the Swiss company Proton, the same one behind Proton Mail. Its apps are open source, and its no-logs policy has passed independent audits.
AdGuard VPN comes from AdGuard, known for its ad blocker. The company started in Moscow in 2009 and moved its head office to Cyprus in 2017; the legal entity is Adguard Software Limited. In January 2026 AdGuard opened its own TrustTunnel protocol, which disguises traffic as ordinary HTTPS.
| Proton VPN | AdGuard VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No data cap, 1 device, servers in 10 countries chosen automatically | Yes, with limits |
| Traffic camouflage | Stealth protocol, available on the free plan too | Own HTTP/2-based protocol and open-source TrustTunnel |
| In the Russian App Store | Removed in summer 2024 | TrustTunnel removed on 28.04.2026 |
| Jurisdiction | Switzerland | Cyprus |
| Open source | Apps are open | TrustTunnel protocol is open |
The main difference: Proton's free plan has no data cap, while AdGuard has a stronger ad-blocking ecosystem. In Russia, though, something else decides: how stably the camouflage holds and whether you can install and update the app at all.
With the Stealth protocol, more often than not. Stealth disguises VPN traffic as ordinary HTTPS and is available on all plans, including the free one. But Proton itself openly says the chance of it working in countries with tight restrictions is about 50 percent.
The free plan has a practical limit: you can't choose the server country, it's assigned automatically. For tasks where a specific country matters (YouTube without throttling, low-ping gaming, region-locked services), that's inconvenient. How to choose a country, we covered in which country to choose in a VPN.
AdGuard presents its protocol as resistant to traffic analysis, and in 2026 opened TrustTunnel so other developers could use it too. Removing TrustTunnel from the Russian App Store doesn't switch off the protocol itself, but makes installing and updating it on iPhone harder.
An important detail: in March 2026, according to press reports, Roskomnadzor shifted its focus from large ready-made services to flexible tools such as custom clients and proxy apps. At the same time Streisand, V2Box, v2RayTun and Happ were removed from the Russian App Store. What this means for users and what to do if an app disappears is covered in VPN disappeared from the App Store.
Any "mods" and "premium for free" versions of Proton and AdGuard are someone else's rebuilds; why they're dangerous is explained in our article on cracked VPNs.
BessyConnect runs on VLESS with Reality camouflage: the connection imitates an HTTPS session with a real website, and the camouflage is updated on the server side. There are more than a hundred servers, you choose the country yourself, no logs are kept, registration isn't required and there's no device limit. There's a trial period.
Honestly about the limits: BessyConnect isn't in the Russian App Store either, so on iPhone you'll need an Apple ID from another country. And if you want a free VPN with no data cap and don't care about the country, free Proton VPN is a sensible choice. How to compare free and paid services in general, we wrote in free or paid VPN.
Does Proton VPN work in Russia in 2026? Often yes, if you turn on the Stealth protocol, which disguises traffic as HTTPS. Proton itself estimates the chance of it working in countries with tight restrictions at about 50 percent.
Is Proton VPN free? Yes, there's a free plan with no data cap: one device and servers in 10 countries chosen automatically. Stealth is available on it too.
Why isn't Proton VPN in the App Store? Apple removed the app from the Russian App Store in summer 2024 at Roskomnadzor's request. An installed app keeps working but doesn't update.
Is AdGuard VPN a Russian company? AdGuard was founded in Moscow in 2009, but since 2017 its head office has been in Cyprus; the legal entity is Adguard Software Limited.
Which is better: Proton VPN or AdGuard VPN? Proton wins with a free plan without a data cap and Swiss jurisdiction; AdGuard with its ad-blocker ecosystem and own protocol. For Russia something else matters more: how stably the camouflage works and whether you can install and update the app.
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