Head to head
Private Internet Access vs Proton VPN
Cheapest long-term, unlimited devices, open source; it's American. Against: swiss, open source, audited every year, and the only serious free tier.
Best plan
$2.03/mo · 3 years + 3 months·
$3.49/mo · 2 years
Up front
$79.00·
$83.76
Renews at
$26.33/yr·
$83.88/yr
Monthly
$11.95
$9.99·
Devices
Unlimited·
10
Countries
104
140·
No-logs audit
Deloitte 2024
Securitum 2026·
Open source
yes
yes
Pay without a name
crypto
cash·
Based in
United States (5 Eyes)
Switzerland (no alliance)·
Netflix
iPlayer
Torrenting
·
Blocked networks
·
Speed
Refund
30 days
30 days
Free tier
no
yes·
A dot marks the better number on that row. Numbers carry their dates on each provider’s page.
Which one, for which job
- Best VPN for streaming
Private Internet Access
- Best VPN for privacy
Proton VPN
- Best VPN for travel
Proton VPN
- Best VPN for torrenting
Private Internet Access
- Best cheap VPN
Private Internet Access (close)
- Best monthly VPN
Proton VPN
- Best VPN for multiple devices
Private Internet Access · Proton VPN filtered out
- Best VPN for China and blocked networks
Proton VPN
- Best VPN for gaming
Private Internet Access (close)
- Best free VPN
Proton VPN · Private Internet Access filtered out
- Best VPN for the UK
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access
- +Lowest cost over three years
- +Unlimited devices
- +Open-source apps; no-logs tested in court
- –US company, 5 Eyes
- –Weak where VPNs are blocked
Visit Private Internet AccessNot an affiliate link. Opens the provider's site.
Proton VPN
- +Open-source apps, audited every year, reports public
- +Switzerland, outside every intelligence alliance
- +A real free tier with no data cap
- –Streaming is hit and miss outside Netflix and iPlayer
- –P2P only on some servers
Visit Proton VPNNot an affiliate link. Opens the provider's site.