Private Internet Access vs Surfshark

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.

Unlimited devices and Deloitte-verified no-logs, from a company that merged into the same group as NordVPN in 2022.

Verdict: Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 3 against 2 for Surfshark. 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
Surfshark: 2

Private Internet Access and Surfshark, 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 Surfshark compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	Private Internet Access	Surfshark
Independent audits	3, latest 2025 (favoured on this row)	2, latest 2025
Real-world tests	2	0
Incidents on record	0	0
Market exits	1	0
Owner	Kape Technologies	Nord Security
Jurisdiction	United States	Netherlands
Eyes alliance	Five Eyes	Nine Eyes
Price	From $2.03/mo on the 3yr plan	From $2.49/mo on the 2yr plan
Money-back	30 days	30 days
Crypto accepted	bitcoin	bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, dogecoin
Anonymous signup	No	No
Free tier	None	None
Servers	Vendor states RAM-only servers across 91 countries, including all 50 US states	Vendor states more than 4,500 servers across 100 countries, all upgraded to 10Gbps ports
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

Surfshark

2025Audit by Deloitte: independent assurance that the service does not monitor or log user activity, announced June 2025
2023Audit by Deloitte: first Deloitte no-logs assurance engagement on the server configurations

Frequently asked questions

Is Private Internet Access or Surfshark better for privacy?

Private Internet Access carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 3 against 2 for Surfshark. 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 Surfshark with bitcoin?

Private Internet Access takes bitcoin (processor: BitPay). Surfshark takes bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash and dogecoin (processor: CoinGate). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, Private Internet Access or Surfshark?

Private Internet Access: From $2.03/mo on the 3yr plan. Surfshark: From $2.49/mo on the 2yr plan. Money-back: Private Internet Access 30 days, Surfshark 30 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are Private Internet Access and Surfshark based?

Private Internet Access: United States (five eyes member). Surfshark: Netherlands (nine 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: Private Internet Access and Surfshark, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

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