Private Internet Access vs Proton VPN
Both ladders below were read from the vendors’ own pricing pages, in this market, on the dates shown. Nothing is converted: what you see is what each page showed a reader here.
What each one is
Private Internet Accesssite ↗pricing ↗
Private Internet Access — a long-running consumer VPN with a large server network and open-source clients. Paid plans start at €1.79/mo (3 Years + 3 Months EXTRA); no free plan is published. The ladder we hold runs 3 paid tiers, topping out at €11.69/mo (1 Month). Its published prices moved on 2026-08-27 — the change log holds the rows.
Proton VPNsite ↗pricing ↗
A VPN from the maker of Proton Mail, Swiss-based and open-source, and the rare consumer VPN with a genuinely free tier. Paid plans start at €9.99/mo (VPN Plus); a free plan exists. The ladder we hold runs 2 paid tiers, topping out at €12.99/mo (Proton Unlimited). It bills by country — entry $9.99/mo to a US reader and £7.99/mo to a UK reader, from our same-day reads. Its published prices moved on 2026-08-28 — the change log holds the rows. Publishes a real free plan; its paid ladder only renders in a browser session, which is how we read it.
The two ladders
Private Internet Accesssite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-09-06 · EUR
| Plan | Price | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Month | €11.69/mo | '11.69 € /mo'. 'Autorenews at 11.69€ monthly'. |
| 1 Year | €3.49/mo | '3.49 € /mo'. 'Billed at 41.88€ first year and then autorenews annualy at 41.88€' — the page's own spelling. |
| 3 Years + 3 Months EXTRA | €1.79/mo | '1.79 € /mo' under 'Campus SALE: 85% Off'. 'Autorenews at 70€ every 3 years'. |
Proton VPNsite ↗pricing ↗
read 2026-09-07 · EUR
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Proton Free | Free |
| VPN Plus | €9.99/mo |
| Proton Unlimited | €12.99/mo |
Where they differ
- Cheapest way in: Private Internet Access at €1.79/mo, against Proton VPN at €9.99/mo. That is the entry price in this market on the dates shown, not a judgement about which suits you.
- Free plans: only Proton VPN publishes one — a plan priced at zero, not a trial.
- How far each ladder goes: Private Internet Access tops out at €11.69/mo, Proton VPN at €12.99/mo. A deeper ladder is not a worse deal — it is a bill that keeps climbing if you keep growing.
- Recently moved: Private Internet Access (2026-08-27), Proton VPN (2026-08-28). A change only counts once a second clean read agrees.
- Proton VPN: It bills by country — entry $9.99/mo to a US reader and £7.99/mo to a UK reader, from our same-day reads.
How to choose in this category
- The intro price is not the price — renewal rates run higher and commitment terms stretch past two years in this set.
- Compare the renewal row, not the banner figure.
- A refund window is not a free tier — look for a plan actually priced at zero.