Kitsmith / Compare / Proton VPN vs ClearVPN
MacProton VPN vs ClearVPN
Proton VPN vs ClearVPN: verdict, pricing, and specs compared, so you can pick the right one for your Mac.
At a glance
Proton VPN
Free tier available; VPN Plus from $9.99/mo (as low as ~$2.99/mo on a 2-year plan)A privacy-focused VPN from the makers of Proton Mail, with a genuinely usable free tier and a native Mac app.
ClearVPN
$14.99/mo via Setapp membership (7-day free trial); no standalone purchase foundA VPN with preset "shortcuts" for specific tasks — streaming, privacy, bypassing blocks — rather than a bare server list, sold only through Setapp.
Spec comparison
Proton VPN
- Price
- Free tier available; VPN Plus from $9.99/mo (as low as ~$2.99/mo on a 2-year plan)
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- License
- Proprietary
- Placement
- Menu bar
- Channels
- Homebrew · Direct
- Category
- Utilities
ClearVPN
- Price
- $14.99/mo via Setapp membership (7-day free trial); no standalone purchase found
- Pricing model
- Paid
- License
- Proprietary
- Placement
- Menu bar
- Channels
- Setapp
- Category
- Utilities
The verdict
Proton VPN is the one with a real free tier — no data cap, just limited speed and device count — so you can try it without paying anything, and paid VPN Plus starts at $9.99/mo. ClearVPN is Setapp-exclusive with no standalone price found, so the real cost is a Setapp membership at $14.99/mo, but its shortcut-based UI removes the “pick a server” step some people find confusing. If you want a VPN you can actually use for free, start with Proton; if you already pay for Setapp and prefer picking a goal instead of a server, ClearVPN comes at no extra cost.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Proton VPN if…
- Pick Proton VPN if you want a free tier with no data cap, not just a trial
- Pick Proton VPN if you’d rather pay for a VPN specifically than a bundle you might not use fully — VPN Plus starts at $9.99/mo, down to about $2.99/mo on longer plans
- Pick Proton VPN if you want it bundled with Proton Mail, Pass, Calendar, and Drive under Proton Unlimited
- Pick Proton VPN if a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans matters to you
Pick ClearVPN if…
- Pick ClearVPN if you already have (or want) a Setapp membership and would rather not pay for a VPN separately
- Pick ClearVPN if picking a task-based shortcut — streaming, privacy, bypassing blocks — beats choosing a server from a list
- Pick ClearVPN if you want it made by MacPaw, the company behind CleanMyMac
- Pick ClearVPN if a 7-day Setapp trial is enough to test it before committing
Proton VPN vs ClearVPN — questions people ask
Is ClearVPN available outside Setapp?
Not that this listing could verify — it’s bundled into a Setapp membership rather than sold standalone.
Does Proton VPN have a real free tier?
Yes — the free plan has no data cap, though speed and device count are limited compared to VPN Plus.
Which one is cheaper?
It depends what you already pay for — Proton VPN Plus starts at $9.99/mo standalone (with a free tier available), while ClearVPN’s $14.99/mo Setapp cost also includes every other app in Setapp’s catalog.