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SPrivate Internet Access vs Proton VPN
Pricing, features, platforms and who each one suits — side by side.
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Choose Private Internet Access if…
- you want the lower entry price ($2.03/mo vs $3.49/mo)
- you're in its core audience: privacy-conscious individuals, travelers
P
Choose Proton VPN if…
- you want a free plan to start with
- you're in its core audience: privacy-conscious individuals, travelers and streamers
Side by side
Feature Private Internet Access Proton VPN
Pricing modelPaidFreemium
Starting price$2.03/mo$3.49/mo
Free plan
Free trial
API
Open source
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, ChromeWindows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome
Company—Proton AG
Full feature lists
P Private Internet Access
- Servers in 113 countries, including all 50 US states
- Unlimited simultaneous device connections
- WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols
- Choice of 128-bit or 256-bit AES encryption
- Split tunneling by app and domain
- Kill switch
- Multi-hop connections
- MACE ad, tracker and malware blocking
P Proton VPN
- 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries
- NetShield DNS-level ad, tracker and malware blocker
- Secure Core multi-hop routing
- VPN Accelerator for up to 400% faster speeds
- Kill switch and always-on VPN
- WireGuard and OpenVPN with AES-256 or ChaCha20
- P2P/BitTorrent support on paid plans
- Up to 10 simultaneous devices
What you'd pay
The cheapest plan that fits, per month, billed yearly where the plan offers it.
Private Internet Access
1 Month$11.95/mo
1 Year$3.99/mo
3 Years + 4 Months$2.03/mo
Proton VPN
Proton FreeFree
VPN Plus$3.49/mo on 2-year plan ($9.99 monthly)
Proton Unlimited$7.99/mo on 2-year plan ($12.99 monthly)
Strengths and limitations
Private Internet Access
- Unlimited devices on one subscription
- Open-source apps
- No-logs policy audited by Deloitte
- 30-day money-back guarantee for new users
- No free plan
- Dedicated IP and antivirus cost extra
- Antivirus is for Windows only
- Money-back guarantee covers new subscribers only, and app store purchases follow store refund terms
Proton VPN
- Free plan with no ads and no data limits
- Open-source apps and publicly available no-logs audit
- Swiss jurisdiction
- Paid plans cover 10 devices
- Free plan covers 1 device and servers in 10 randomly selected countries
- Free plan excludes streaming, P2P and the ad blocker
- Lowest price requires a 2-year commitment
More comparisons
Other options to consider
SS
Paid
E
EE
Paid
M
MM
From $5.61/mo
C
C
Paid
P
PP
From $1.69/mo
V
VV
Paid
Facts from each vendor's public pages. Editorial policy