Proton sues Apple to fight back against the company's 'predatory practices'

(Image credit: Proton)

Swiss privacy advocates Proton have joined an existing class-action lawsuit against Apple. The company is challenging the US tech giant's App Store policies, which it describes as "anti-competitive."

Proton operates one of the best VPNs, Proton VPN, and is a champion of online freedom, privacy, and security. Confronting Apple is not a decision Proton has taken lightly, but it believes the "action is necessary."

Apple's practices are said to harm developers and consumers. Proton is a plaintiff in the case and is representing and suing on behalf of a class of similarly situated developers – all impacted by Apple's conduct.

Legal papers say "Apple has eliminated competition and extracted supracompetitive profits from app developers through a web of exclusionary conduct" – this means higher profits than what would be present in a competitive market.

Judge's gavel on a table with scales — (Image credit: Alexander Sikov / Getty Images)

Why has Proton launched legal action?

In its blog post, Proton describes Apple as "one of the most powerful corporations in the history of capitalism." But it states the company's App Store policies are considered "anti-competitive and illegal" in numerous countries.

Proton says all developers are required to pay an annual fee of $99 to be on the App Store. It says iOS apps are forced to use Apple's payment system and a 30% cut is taken by Apple from payments made through iOS apps.

"Apple’s monopoly control of software distribution on iOS devices presents a myriad of problems for consumers, businesses, and society as a whole," Proton said.

It went on to say that "privacy-first companies that monetize through subscriptions are disproportionately hit by this fee, putting a major barrier toward the adoption of privacy-first business models."

Apple App Store icon displayed on screen — (Image credit: NurPhoto / Getty Images)

Free services – including those that pose a risk to your privacy by monetizing your data – aren't affected as they don't process payments through the App Store.

Proton argues that this gives Apple "a dangerous level of control over app distribution" and allows it to "decide which apps can and cannot be distributed in different markets."

Apple has historically been involved with removing a number of VPN apps from the App Store. In 2024 this was done at the request of Russian authorities, and in 2025 VPN apps were removed from the App Store in India.

Not the only lawsuit

On April 22, Apple was fined €500m by the European Commission for breaches of European competition law. On April 30, Apple was found to have defied a court order concerning its anti-competitive conduct. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers referred the company to the US attorney for Northern District of California, with potential criminal prosecution being explored.

After this ruling, Proton CEO Andy Yen said that no "Apple tax" would lead to a 30% reduction in price for Proton users.

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%.May 1, 2025

The UK, Brazil, the Netherlands, and South Korea have all taken action against Apple's anti-competitive behavior.

In May, the Korean Publishers Association filed a parallel class-action lawsuit against Apple – something which sparked Proton's own urgency. Proton said its outcome, and any settlement, could "be binding on all other developers."

Proton's goals

Proton wants to end Apple's anti-competitive behavior and enact beneficial policy changes.

It said: "We are seeking to permanently end anti-competitive behavior on the App Store, and we are joining this lawsuit to ensure that any future settlement enforces real changes to Apple’s practices and policies to benefit all consumers, developers, and competition, and not just cosmetic changes."

"Proton will donate any money we receive from the lawsuit to organizations fighting for democracy and human rights so that some portion of Apple’s profits made from countries with authoritarian regimes are redirected to freedom."

Climber walking across a snowy mountain, in clear blue skies. A white outline of a square box is displayed with the Proton Foundation logo in white text

(Image credit: Proton)

Proton said its primary shareholder and overseer, the non-profit Proton Foundation, will coordinate these donations.

The company expects a lengthy, and "difficult" fight but its mission of creating a free, open, and privacy-focused internet, gives it no choice.

Tom's Guide has approached Apple for comment but has not received a reply at the time of writing. We will update this article should we receive a response.

Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

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George is a Staff Writer at Tom's Guide, covering VPN, privacy, and cybersecurity news. He is especially interested in digital rights and censorship, and its interplay with politics. Outside of work, George is passionate about music, Star Wars, and Karate.

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