Private Internet Access and Proton VPN both lead with a no-logs promise, and both put the price of that promise in very different shapes. PIA's pricing page offers one product in three terms: $11.95 a month if you pay monthly, $3.99 a month billed $47.88 for the first year, or $1.89 a month billed $73.71 every three years with three extra months in the promotion. The page notes all amounts are in USD and that the discount is measured against the $11.95 monthly rate.
TL;DR
PIA sells one plan at three terms: $11.95 month-to-month, $3.99 a month billed yearly, or $1.89 a month on three years, with unlimited devices and servers in 104 countries. Proton VPN sells a free plan plus VPN Plus at $9.99 monthly or $3.49 on two years, with 10 devices and 140+ countries. PIA is the price and device-count winner; Proton wins on a free tier, a wider footprint and a published security roadmap.
Proton VPN splits its page into three products. Proton Free is $0.00 for one device at medium speed with servers in 10 countries. VPN Plus is $9.99 a month billed monthly or $3.49 a month on the two-year term, billed $83.76 for the first 24 months and then $83.88 every 12 months, covering 10 devices at a time with 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries, streaming support and the NetShield blocker. Proton Unlimited at $12.99 or $7.99 a month adds Mail, Pass, Calendar and Drive.
What separates them beyond price is scope. PIA allows unlimited simultaneous connections on one subscription, publishes open-source apps and runs RAM-only servers, and describes its no-logs policy as audited by Deloitte and tested in court. Proton gives away a free tier, caps paid accounts at 10 devices, and states that its apps are open source and independently audited. Neither side publishes third-party review scores on these pages, so the comparison below stays on the vendors' own claims.
| Feature | Private Internet Access | Proton VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest long-term rate | $1.89/month, billed $73.71 every 3 years, with 3 extra months | $3.49/month on VPN Plus, billed $83.76 for the first 24 months |
| Annual option | $3.99/month, billed $47.88 for the first year | 1-year term offered alongside the 2-year tab |
| Month-to-month | $11.95/month, autorenews monthly | $9.99/month for VPN Plus |
| Free plan | None; PIA describes itself as a premium solution | Proton Free at $0.00, 1 device, 10 countries |
| Devices | Unlimited simultaneous connections | 10 devices at a time on paid plans, 1 on free |
| Servers | Servers in 104 countries, RAM-only infrastructure | 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries |
| Audit and policy claims | No-logs policy audited by Deloitte and asserted as court-proven; apps open source | Apps open source and independently audited; no activity logs stated on the pricing page |
| Bundle | VPN only, plus split tunneling, multi-hop and a kill switch | VPN Plus and Unlimited tiers add NetShield, Mail, Pass, Calendar, Drive |
Pick Private Internet Access if
PIA is the better bill for a household or a tinkerer: unlimited connections, one feature set at every term, and $1.89 a month when you can pay for three years in one go. The $47.88 annual option is the sensible middle if three years up front feels long. You accept a VPN-only product with no free tier and a month-to-month rate that is the highest price on this page.
Pick Proton VPN if
Proton is the pick for anyone who wants to start at $0.00, keep a household to ten devices, and hold a subscription that can grow into mail, passwords and storage. The 140+ country footprint beats PIA's 104, and the published renewal figure of $83.88 a year means fewer surprises after the first term. Expect to pay more than PIA at every matched term except month-to-month.
No user reviews, rating-site scores or speed-test results were gathered for this page; the claims above are the vendors' own, taken from privateinternetaccess.com and protonvpn.com pricing pages on 14 October 2026.
PIA at every matched long term: $1.89 a month on three years against Proton's $3.49 on two years, and $3.99 a month on PIA's annual plan. Proton is cheaper only month-to-month, at $9.99 against PIA's $11.95, and only Proton gives anything away for free.
Proton does: Proton Free is $0.00 for one device in 10 countries. PIA's FAQ says it is a premium solution that can be tested risk-free through its 30-day money-back guarantee for new subscribers.
PIA allows unlimited simultaneous connections on one subscription. Proton VPN allows 10 devices at a time on paid plans and one device on the free plan.
PIA: $73.71 for three years plus three extra months on the cheapest term, or $47.88 for the first year. Proton VPN Plus: $83.76 for the first 24 months. Both figures are printed on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Both claim one. PIA's homepage says its policy has been audited by Deloitte and proven in multiple court cases, and its apps and RAM-only servers are open for inspection. Proton's pricing page says its apps are open source and independently audited and that it keeps no activity logs.
Only with Proton. Proton Unlimited at $12.99 a month monthly or $7.99 on the two-year term includes Mail, Pass, Calendar and Drive. PIA sells a VPN and no adjacent services.
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