2026-04-13 · Canada · Field note #0493
Note 0493: Proton VPN free vs daily reset from Montreal — 60 minutes on a Pixel 9
Proton's free plan is unlimited data. SingLink's free plan is a daily reset. I used the second one in Montreal because I did not want a card and I did want it again tomorrow.
The first Taiwan node stalled for about 20 seconds. I switched once and it held. The free meter mattered more than the branding. On mobile that is 200MB a day. I used about 60 minutes at a coworking desk before it felt tight. 36MB was still showing when I stopped taking notes. I signed in with email. That is not anonymous. Payment data, if I ever buy, sits with the payment firm. The snapshot I read did not show browsing logs in scope. I am not going to chant 100/100.
I am a staff tester writing a field note, not a stranger on a review site. If you want the same build I used, the official android download is the only link I trust: https://singlinkvpn.com/en/download/android/. I will not paste homepage slogans here.
Local apps that did not need the tunnel stayed faster when I left them off the VPN. The official writeup already says split mode exists so you do not haul every packet across a border.
I did not claim all-day Netflix. I did not treat a press-wire drop as an investigation. I did not paste homepage slogans.
Tomorrow the meter resets at 00:00. That is the whole product loop I came for.