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IVPN vs Private Internet Access

Comparing
two VPNs
Decided by
Independent no-logs audits
Last reviewed
2026-08-26
IVPNTakes bitcoin

Eight straight years of Cure53 security audits, cash or Monero accepted, and a company that publicly refuses to commission another no-logs audit.

Private Internet AccessTakes bitcoin

The only service here whose no-logs claim has been tested in open court twice, sold cheaply from inside the Five Eyes.

No verdict

No verdict: both carry 3 independent audits, so the rows below decide by jurisdiction, price and how you want to pay.

Criterion
Independent no-logs audits
IVPN
3
Private Internet Access
3

IVPN and Private Internet Access, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

IVPN and Private Internet Access compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactIVPNPrivate Internet Access
Independent audits3, latest 20263, latest 2025
Real-world tests02
Incidents on record00
Market exits01
OwnerIVPN LimitedKape Technologies
JurisdictionGibraltarUnited States
Eyes allianceOutsideFive Eyes
PriceFrom $60/yr on StandardFrom $2.03/mo on the 3yr plan
Money-back30 days30 days
Crypto acceptedbitcoin, monerobitcoin
Anonymous signupYesNo
Free tierNoneNone
ServersVendor runs a deliberately small network, in the low tens of countries, rather than competing on server countsVendor states RAM-only servers across 91 countries, including all 50 US states
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-26

No-logs evidence, side by side

Dated audits and real-world tests from each review. An empty column is a finding: the claim has not been independently checked.

IVPN

  • 2026Audit by Cure53: eighth annual security audit, covering the cryptography and privacy model of the Unlinked Access system
  • 2023Audit by Cure53: penetration test and configuration review of the new VPN gateway infrastructure, report published in full
  • 2019Audit by Cure53: the no-logs audit of the VPN gateway and authentication servers, which IVPN says was its first and only audit of that format

Private Internet Access

  • 2025Audit by Deloitte Audit Romania: third no-logs assurance engagement
  • 2024Audit by Deloitte Audit Romania: second no-logs assurance engagement on the server network
  • 2022Audit by Deloitte Audit Romania: no-logs policy and server configuration as of 30 June 2022, under ISAE 3000 (Revised)
  • 2018A federal hacking trial in San Jose examined PIA IP addresses used to reach Embarcadero Media email accounts: PIA testified in open court that it keeps no logs of customer activity and could not tie any IP address to a person
  • 2016An FBI subpoena in a bomb-threat investigation demanded usage logs identifying a Private Internet Access user: PIA reported it held no identifying usage logs and could say only that the traffic came from a server cluster

Frequently asked questions

Is IVPN or Private Internet Access better for privacy?

No verdict: both carry 3 independent audits, so the rows below decide by jurisdiction, price and how you want to pay. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay IVPN or Private Internet Access with bitcoin?

IVPN takes bitcoin and monero (processor: In-house). Private Internet Access takes bitcoin (processor: BitPay). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, IVPN or Private Internet Access?

IVPN: From $60/yr on Standard. Private Internet Access: From $2.03/mo on the 3yr plan. Money-back: IVPN 30 days, Private Internet Access 30 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are IVPN and Private Internet Access based?

IVPN: Gibraltar (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). Private Internet Access: United States (five eyes member). A jurisdiction matters less than a court record showing what the provider could hand over; the reviews carry those where they exist.

The full reviews: IVPN and Private Internet Access, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

More comparisons

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