Private Internet Access vs Proton VPN

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

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

Five straight annual no-logs audits published in full, plus the only free tier here that a privacy-minded reader can honestly be pointed at.

Verdict: Proton VPN

Proton VPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 5 against 3 for Private Internet Access. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides.

Criterion: Independent no-logs audits
Private Internet Access: 3
Proton VPN: 5

Private Internet Access and Proton VPN, 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.

Private Internet Access and Proton VPN compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	Private Internet Access	Proton VPN
Independent audits	3, latest 2025	5, latest 2026 (favoured on this row)
Real-world tests	2	0
Incidents on record	0	0
Market exits	1	0
Owner	Kape Technologies	Proton AG
Jurisdiction	United States	Switzerland
Eyes alliance	Five Eyes	Outside
Price	From $2.03/mo on the 3yr plan	Free tier, or paid VPN Plus
Money-back	30 days	30 days
Crypto accepted	bitcoin	bitcoin
Anonymous signup	No	No
Free tier	None	Unlimited bandwidth, one device, servers in 10 countries, no ads
Servers	Vendor states RAM-only servers across 91 countries, including all 50 US states	Vendor states thousands of servers, with paid plans reaching over 140 countries and the free tier limited to ten
Last reviewed	2026-08-26	2026-08-26

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.

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

Proton VPN

2026Audit by Securitum: fifth consecutive annual no-logs audit of the production server infrastructure, report published in full
2025Audit by Securitum: annual on-site no-logs audit of the server infrastructure
2024Audit by Securitum: annual on-site no-logs audit of the server infrastructure
2023Audit by Securitum: annual on-site no-logs audit of the server infrastructure
2022Audit by Securitum: first annual no-logs audit, conducted on site

Frequently asked questions

Is Private Internet Access or Proton VPN better for privacy?

Proton VPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 5 against 3 for Private Internet Access. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay Private Internet Access or Proton VPN with bitcoin?

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

Which is cheaper, Private Internet Access or Proton VPN?

Private Internet Access: From $2.03/mo on the 3yr plan. Proton VPN: Free tier, or paid VPN Plus. Money-back: Private Internet Access 30 days, Proton VPN 30 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are Private Internet Access and Proton VPN based?

Private Internet Access: United States (five eyes member). Proton VPN: Switzerland (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). 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: Private Internet Access and Proton VPN, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

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