Affiliate disclosure: VPN Vetted is reader-supported. Some links below are affiliate links (marked “sponsored”): if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We rank and recommend by published price, refund terms and documented features, never by commission. Proton Pass is a password manager, not a VPN. Proton Unlimited can bundle Pass with Proton VPN and other Proton apps — that does not make the Pass-only plans a VPN product. Where we mention NordPass, note that NordPass belongs to Nord Security (same group as NordVPN and Surfshark).
Proton Pass, NordPass and 1Password prices and offer terms checked October 23, 2026, between ~09:16 and ~09:18 BRT, on official US pages, in USD, before sales tax where applicable.
Verdict in 30 seconds
Buy Proton Pass (or stay on Free) if you want a Swiss, end-to-end encrypted password manager with a genuinely useful free tier — unlimited logins on unlimited devices, passkeys and 10 hide-my-email aliases — and you may later pay $35.88 a year for Pass Plus (unlimited aliases, built-in 2FA authenticator, Emergency Access, Dark Web Monitoring) or $59.88 a year for Pass Family (up to 6 users).
Skip a Pass-only paid plan if you already need Proton Mail + VPN + Drive in one bill — then compare Proton Unlimited at $119.88 a year. Skip Proton Pass as your primary pick if organizer-led family recovery and Travel Mode matter more than aliases — 1Password Families is $4.49/mo promo for the first year ($5.99 regular) with a 14-day trial. If you want the cheapest multi-year personal intro we captured today, NordPass Premium is $37.53 for the first 27 months ($1.39/mo average on that card).
Our opinion: start on Proton Free, upgrade to Plus when you outgrow 10 aliases or need built-in 2FA / Emergency Access, and only buy Unlimited when you will use the rest of the Proton suite. Do not buy Pass thinking it is a VPN — see our Proton VPN review for that product.
What Proton Pass is (and is not a VPN)
Proton Pass stores and autofills logins, notes, credit cards and passkeys with zero-knowledge, end-to-end encryption under Proton AG in Switzerland (Proton Terms of Service). It is one product in the Proton account family alongside Mail, Calendar, Drive and VPN.
Pass Free / Pass Plus / Pass Family do not include a paid VPN. The pricing compare table lists “Encrypted email, calendar, cloud storage, and VPN included” as Free features on Free, Plus and Family, and Premium features only on Proton Unlimited. If you need a VPN, buy Unlimited or a separate Proton VPN plan — do not assume Pass Plus tunnels your traffic.
Proton Pass pricing: Free, Plus, Family, Unlimited
| Plan | Published price (US/USD) | Users | Standout limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proton Free | $0.00/mo | 1 | Unlimited logins/devices; 10 aliases; 2 vaults; share vault with 2 others; 1 GB |
| Pass Plus | $2.99/mo → $35.88 every 12 months (list $4.99/mo shown struck) | 1 | Unlimited aliases; built-in 2FA; Emergency Access; Dark Web Monitoring; 50 vaults; 10 GB |
| Pass Family | $4.99/mo → $59.88 every 12 months (list $6.99/mo shown struck) | up to 6 | Everything in Plus per seat + family admin panel; 50 GB |
| Proton Unlimited | $9.99/mo → $119.88 every 12 months (list $12.99/mo shown struck) | 1 | Pass + Mail + Calendar + VPN + Drive; 500 GB |
Source: proton.me/pass/pricing, checked October 23, 2026 ~09:16 BRT. The page also states a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Monthly vs annual
The Pass pricing page we read defaulted to annual averages with a clear “Billed at $X every 12 months” line for paid plans. A 1-month toggle appears on the Pass product page; we cite the annual billed totals above because that is what the dedicated pricing page printed for Plus, Family and Unlimited today. Confirm the cycle at checkout before you pay.
Money-back / cancel
Proton’s Terms of Service say you may cancel within 30 days of the initial purchase and request a full refund via the support form (both cancel and refund request inside 30 days; once per user; cash/bank-transfer payments not refundable; applies to direct Proton website/app purchases, not third-party stores). To stop auto-renew, cancel/downgrade from the Account dashboard before the renewal date (or contact Customer Support if you cannot access the dashboard). The Pass pricing page also shows a 30-day money-back guarantee banner.
Key features
Free tier limits
Free includes unlimited logins, notes and credit cards; unlimited devices; browser, mobile and desktop apps; password generator; passkeys; easy import; weak/reused password alerts; 10 hide-my-email aliases; 2 vaults; vault sharing with 2 other people; 1 GB storage. That is enough for many solo users — our opinion: try Free before paying.
Hide-my-email aliases
Plus, Family and Unlimited unlock unlimited aliases, custom domains for aliases, additional mailboxes and the ability to initiate email from an alias. Free caps aliases at 10. Aliases are the clearest reason many readers upgrade.
Built-in 2FA
Paid Pass plans include an integrated 2FA authenticator that stores and can autofill one-time codes. Free does not list integrated 2FA on the compare table.
Vault sharing and Emergency Access
Paid plans raise vault counts (50) and sharing limits (10 others) and add secure link sharing for individual items. Emergency Access is listed on Plus and above — grant a trusted person a path to your vault if something happens to you. Free can share a vault with only two others and has no Emergency Access on the compare table.
Passkeys and import
Passkeys are supported on all devices on Free and paid. Proton documents easy import from browsers and other managers — useful if you are switching.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Strong free plan (unlimited logins/devices) with real aliases, not a one-device trap.
- Clear Plus / Family / Unlimited ladder with yearly billed totals on the official page.
- Hide-my-email, built-in 2FA, Emergency Access and Dark Web Monitoring on paid Pass.
- Swiss Proton AG jurisdiction and the same E2E encryption story as other Proton apps.
- 30-day money-back path documented in Terms + pricing page.
- Passkeys and import paths are listed on Free, which lowers the switching cost if you are leaving a browser manager.
Cons
- Pass-only paid plans still do not include premium VPN — easy to confuse with Unlimited.
- Family is six Pass seats; if you need organizer recovery / Travel Mode style workflows, compare 1Password Families.
- Autofill quality is something third-party reviews often debate; we did not run our own autofill tests, so we make no autofill grade.
- Unlimited at $119.88/yr is a suite price — overkill if you only wanted a password manager.
- Proton’s refund is once per user and excludes some payment methods (cash/bank transfer) per the Terms — read that before you assume a second chance.
Pass Plus vs Proton Unlimited (quick math)
If you only need a password manager with aliases and 2FA, Pass Plus at $35.88/year is the plan that matches the job on today’s pricing page. Proton Unlimited at $119.88/year costs about 3.3× Plus and adds Mail, Calendar, Drive and a premium VPN. That is a fair bundle if you were going to pay for those products anyway; it is a poor way to “upgrade Pass.” Our opinion: never buy Unlimited solely to unlock Pass features that Plus already lists.
Family at $59.88/year for up to six lands between Plus and Unlimited on price and is the right compare against 1Password Families and NordPass Family when seats matter more than a VPN.
Who should (and shouldn’t) buy Proton Pass
Good fit: privacy-first solo users; people who will use aliases daily; Proton Mail users who want one login; families of up to six who want Proton’s Emergency Access and Dark Web Monitoring.
Poor fit: readers who only need a VPN (Proton VPN review); households comparing family managers head-to-head (best password manager for families); anyone after a data breach who needs a broader incident checklist (what to do after a data breach).
Proton Pass alternatives
NordPass (Nord Security). On the US 2-year view today: Premium $1.39/mo, billed $37.53 for the first 27 months; Family $2.49/mo, billed $67.23 for the first 27 months (6 accounts); personal plans show a 30-day money-back guarantee. Premium cards list Password Health, Data Breach Scanner and file attachments; the NordPass Authenticator row was marked not included on those cards — if built-in 2FA is a must, verify the current card or prefer Pass Plus, which lists an integrated authenticator. Renewal after the intro was not printed on that 2-year view — confirm at checkout. NordPass shares a parent group with NordVPN/Surfshark.
1Password. Individual $2.99/mo promo (regular $3.99); Families $4.49/mo promo (regular $5.99) for new customers on annual billing via 1Password.com for the first year; 14-day free trial; Travel Mode and Secret Key documented on the pricing page. Strong when family admin/recovery workflows matter more than email aliases.
Bitwarden. Open-source option with a Families product; we do not have an affiliate program with Bitwarden — use their site directly if that is your pick (see also our families roundup).
Check Proton Pass price · Check NordPass price · Check 1Password price
How we evaluated
We read Proton Pass pricing and product pages, Proton Terms of Service (refund/cancel language), NordPass pricing (Playwright US capture) and 1Password personal pricing on October 23, 2026, and recorded times in BRT. We did not run our own autofill, audit-lab or penetration tests. Opinions are marked as opinions. This is general information, not security or legal advice.
FAQ
Is Proton Pass worth it in 2026?
Our opinion: yes for Free, and Plus is worth $35.88/yr if you need unlimited aliases, built-in 2FA or Emergency Access. Unlimited is worth it when you will use Mail/VPN/Drive together — not as a Pass-only upsell.
Is Proton Pass free good enough?
For many people, yes: unlimited logins on unlimited devices with 10 aliases, passkeys and weak/reused alerts. Upgrade when you hit the alias cap, need vault sharing beyond two people, want Emergency Access, Dark Web Monitoring or a built-in 2FA authenticator.
How much does Proton Pass Plus cost?
On October 23, 2026 (US/USD): $2.99/mo average, billed $35.88 every 12 months.
Proton Pass vs NordPass vs 1Password — who wins?
Pass: Free tier + aliases + Swiss Proton ecosystem. NordPass: lowest multi-year personal intro we captured today ($37.53 / 27 months). 1Password: family/Travel Mode workflows and a 14-day trial. Pick by job, not by commission.
Does Proton Pass include a VPN?
No on Free/Plus/Family. Yes as part of the suite on Proton Unlimited (and via separate Proton VPN plans). Pass alone is a password manager.
How do I cancel Proton Pass?
Use the Proton Account dashboard to cancel/downgrade before renewal, or contact Proton Customer Support if you cannot access the dashboard. For a first-purchase refund, Proton Terms require cancel and a refund request within 30 days (once per user; direct purchases).
Verdict
Proton Pass is a credible free-to-paid password manager with aliases as the star upgrade. Pay for Plus or Family when those extras matter; buy Unlimited only for the suite. If you arrived here looking for a VPN, leave this page and read the Proton VPN review instead.
Check Proton Pass price · Check NordPass price · Check 1Password price
Sources (official pages, checked on October 23, 2026)
- Proton Pass pricing: https://proton.me/pass/pricing (~09:16 BRT)
- Proton Pass product: https://proton.me/pass (~09:16 BRT)
- Proton Terms of Service (30-day refund / cancel): https://proton.me/legal/terms
- NordPass pricing (Playwright US capture): https://nordpass.com/pricing/ (~09:18 BRT); snapshot raw-20261023/nordpass-pricing-playwright-0918BRT.yml
- 1Password personal pricing: https://1password.com/pricing/password-manager (~09:16 BRT)
- Bitwarden Families (non-affiliate mention): https://bitwarden.com/products/families/