If you’ve ever been worried about the price of signing up to a VPN, things could be about to get a lot cheaper. Swiss-based Proton AG – which produces Proton VPN and Proton Mail – has come down firmly on the side of the consumer.
This follows a US court decision in which Apple was ordered to halt its 30% commission on in-app purchases made beyond the App Store. In effect, it stops Apple from blocking access to external payment methods, such as on a publisher’s website. Since most VPN purchases are pretty big (especially if you go for one of the best VPNs), that’s quite a lot of cash that Apple’s been scraping off for itself.
How does this affect Proton VPN?
While the decision was made in response to the ongoing Epic Games case, Proton CEO Andy Yen was quick to come down on the side of VPN users, stating on X:
“In response to the recent court ruling in the US against Apple’s illegal in-app purchase monopoly, @ProtonPrivacy will finally be allowed to let iOS users purchase subscriptions outside of the app store. No Apple tax means we will lower prices for users by up to 30%.”
Proton VPN’s basic monthly price is $9.99 when purchased online. Signing up through the app and buying a plan, therefore, adds 30% commission, which many companies pass on to the user.
This court decision isn’t just about Apple or Epic Games, however. Apple has made it increasingly more difficult for vendors to offer the same prices on iPhone and iPad as they do for Android devices. For example, Patreon creators have been hit by Apple’s App Store fee in recent years. (Patreon is rumoured to be planning to enable external payments following the ruling).
What does this decision affect?
At present, the court decision only affects apps with in-app purchases available on the Apple App Store in the United States. This recent development is actually a response to a 2021 ruling, in which Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in Epic Games’ favor. This time around, the judge ruled that Apple violated the 2021 injunction.
Consequently, this is a US-based verdict, only affecting App Store sales in the 50 states. However, the European Union has an ongoing antitrust dispute with Apple, and has recently hit the tech giant with a $562.7m / €500m fine as a result of the 30% commission.
So far, Proton is the most prominent organization to act on the ruling. As such, signing up to Proton VPN and Proton Mail on an Apple device is going to be 30% cheaper.
If you’re thinking of getting a VPN to enhance your experience in games, read our guide on the best gaming VPN. We also have a Minecraft VPN guide that lays out how a VPN can benefit you in that game specifically.
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