Hotspot Shield / Private Internet Access compared
Same criteria, same rules. You see where they diverge.
No winner on this page. vpn-matrix.com assigns no points and makes no recommendations.
Differences (97)
Criteria where the values diverge.
| Hotspot Shield | Private Internet Access | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name | Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim | PIA Private Internet Access, Inc.confirmed |
| Trademark holder, if different | Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim | Kape Technologiesprovider claim |
| Year founded | 2008confirmed | 2010confirmed |
| Other relevant jurisdictions | United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed | Betriebsgesellschaft in Colorado, USA. Die Nutzungsbedingungen unterliegen dem Recht des Staates Colorado, ausschliesslicher Gerichtsstand sind die Gerichte in Denver. Die Konzernmutter Kape Technologies gibt London, Vereinigtes Koenigreich, als Hauptsitz an.provider claim |
| Parent group / holding | Point Wildconfirmed | Kape Technologiesprovider claim |
| Beneficial owners publicly known | partly knownprovider claim | fully knownconfirmed |
| Ownership structure | private equityprovider claim | ? |
| Leadership team publicly named | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Sister VPN brands in the group | Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim | ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPNconfirmed |
| Group owns VPN review and comparison sites | Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim | Die Konzernmutter Kape Technologies fuehrt neben den VPN-Marken die Marke Webselenese, beschrieben als Portfolio von Vergleichsseiten mit datengestuetzten Inhalten zu Privatsphaere und Sicherheit. Einzelne Seitennamen nennt Kape auf der Markenseite nicht.provider claim |
| Typical commission rate | ? | Bis zu 33 Prozent Provision auf Neuabschluesse. Die Abwicklung laeuft ueber die Plattform affiliates.kape.com.provider claim |
| Documented misleading advertising claims | 'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim | Die Funktionsuebersicht wirbt am 03.08.2026 mit unbreakable VPN encryption. Eine unknackbare Verschluesselung ist kein pruefbarer Fachbegriff. Die Verschluesselungsseite desselben Anbieters nennt als eingesetzte Verfahren AES-128-GCM als Voreinstellung, AES-256 als waehlbare Alternative und ChaCha20 bei WireGuard.provider claim |
| Acquisition history / former name | AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim | Kape Technologies fuehrt Private Internet Access als eigene Marke. Am 13.01.2023 lag ein verbessertes Uebernahmeangebot der Unikmind-Gruppe fuer Kape ueber 2,85 Pfund je Aktie vor, verbunden mit dem Ziel, Kape als privates Unternehmen weiterzufuehren.confirmed |
| Core statement of the logging policy | Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed | Die Datenschutzerklaerung sagt: We DO NOT collect or store browsing history, connected content, user IPs, connection time stamps, bandwidth logs, DNS queries, or anything like that. We collect and retain zero user logs.provider claim |
| Connection logs | per sessionconfirmed | noneconfirmed |
| Storage of the real IP address | transient onlyconfirmed | not storedconfirmed |
| Storage of the assigned VPN IP | not storedprovider claim | unclearprovider claim |
| Precision of stored timestamps | to the secondprovider claim | noneconfirmed |
| Recording of transferred data volume | per accountconfirmed | aggregate onlyconfirmed |
| Enforcement of the device limit | Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim | Der Anbieter erlaubt unbegrenzt viele gleichzeitige Verbindungen je Abonnement. Die Nutzungsbedingungen behalten sich vor, bei Missbrauch dieser Regelung den Kunden zu kontaktieren und die Nutzung im Wiederholungsfall einzuschraenken.provider claim |
| Minimum account data required | Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim | E-Mail-Adresse und Zahlung. Die Datenschutzerklaerung sagt: We need two things to sign you up for a subscription: 1) an email address, and 2) payment. Fuer Kunden mit Wohnsitz in den USA koennen zusaetzlich Bundesstaat und Postleitzahl erhoben werden.provider claim |
| Telemetry in the apps | cannot be disabledprovider claim | opt inprovider claim |
| Trackers and SDKs in the Android app | Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim | Not enumerated by name in privacy policy; third-party payment processors and mailing partners referencedprovider claim |
| Trackers in the iOS app | Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim | Not enumerated by name in privacy policy; third-party payment processors and mailing partners referencedprovider claim |
| Trackers and cookies on the website | Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim | Die Datenschutzerklaerung nennt anonymisierte Google-Analytics-Daten. Der Support-Chat laeuft ueber Deskpro, das laut derselben Erklaerung eine zufaellig erzeugte visitor_id im Cookie, den verwendeten Browser, das Land und das Besuchsdatum in einer eigenen Datenbank speichert.provider claim |
| Data shared with third parties | Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim | Deskpro als Dienstleister fuer den Kundenservice, die Zahlungspartner Stripe, Amazon Payments, BitPay und PayPal sowie, bei Anmeldung zum Newsletter, die den Verteiler betreuenden Dritten.provider claim |
| Retention periods stated in the policy | Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim | Unbestimmt. Die Datenschutzerklaerung nennt keine Frist, sondern speichert Daten so lange, wie es fuer den Dienst, gesetzliche Pflichten, Streitbeilegung und die Durchsetzung von Vereinbarungen noetig ist.provider claim |
| EU representative named under GDPR | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| No-logs audit details | Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed | Deloitte Audit S.R.L., Bukarest, Limited Assurance nach ISAE 3000 (Revised), Stichtag 31.01.2024, unterzeichnet am 17.04.2024 von Ana Corina Dimitriu. Ergebnis: nothing has come to our attention, dass Konfiguration der IT-Systeme und zugehoeriger IT-Betrieb nicht der Beschreibung in Anhang II entsprechen. Der Bericht haelt fest, dass die Aussage nur fuer den Stichtag gilt.confirmed |
| Audit report published | summary onlyconfirmed | full reportconfirmed |
| App and client audits | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim | Wikipedia: Deloitte no-logs audit (announced 2022) for privacy claims; open-source clients on GitHubconfirmed |
| Infrastructure and server audits | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim | Im Rahmen des Berichts vom 17.04.2024 pruefte Deloitte relevante IT-Systeme einschliesslich VPN- und Verteilservern, die Richtlinien fuer Nutzerzugriff, Change-, Konfigurations- und Incident-Management sowie stichprobenweise die Prozesse fuer Betrieb, Ausrollen und Konfiguration der Systeme. Die Zahl der einbezogenen Standorte nennt der Bericht nicht.confirmed |
| Tested in court or by authorities | none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim | Im Hacking-Verfahren gegen Ross M. Colby vor dem US-Bundesbezirksgericht in San Jose, Prozessbeginn 29.05.2018, sagte John Allan Arsenault aus, Justiziar der damaligen Muttergesellschaft London Trust Media. Er erklaerte, PIA fuehre keine Protokolle der Internetaktivitaet seiner Kunden und speichere keine Namen und Anschriften, weshalb sich Vorladungen nicht sinnvoll beantworten liessen. Der Anbieter verweist zusaetzlich auf Vorladungen aus den Jahren 2016 und 2017.confirmed |
| Transparency report | occasionalprovider claim | regularprovider claim |
| Warrant canary | noneprovider claim | ? |
| Security incidents and data leaks | 2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed | ? |
| Bug bounty programme | none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim | Not advertised as a public bug-bounty program on fetched About/home/privacy pagesprovider claim |
| Handling of reported vulnerabilities | none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim | Vulnerability Disclosure Program in Zusammenarbeit mit YesWeHack, Meldung ueber ein Formular auf der Anbieterseite. Reaktionsfristen, Geltungsbereich und Praemien nennt die Programmseite nicht.provider claim |
| Open source clients | noneprovider claim | allconfirmed |
| Listings by independent bodies | Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim | Covered by TechRadar, Tom's Guide, PCMag; Wikipedia summarizes generally positive reviews and Deloitte no-logs audit (2022)confirmed |
| WireGuard | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Proprietary protocol | Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed | noneprovider claim |
| Legacy protocols still offered | Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim | none highlighted beyond WireGuard/OpenVPNprovider claim |
| Default data cipher | AES-256confirmed | OpenVPN standardmaessig AES-128-GCM, in den Einstellungen auf AES-256 umstellbar. WireGuard nutzt ChaCha20.provider claim |
| Weakest accepted cipher | AES-256provider claim | AES-128 bei OpenVPN. Die Desktop-App stellt unter Data Encryption die Wahl zwischen AES-128 und AES-256, die Verschluesselungsseite nennt AES-128-GCM als Voreinstellung.provider claim |
| Key exchange and authentication | Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim | OpenVPN mit RSA-4096, WireGuard mit Curve25519.provider claim |
| Perfect forward secrecy | ? | yesprovider claim |
| DNS leak protection | ? | yesprovider claim |
| IPv6 handling | unclearprovider claim | disabledprovider claim |
| WebRTC protection or guidance | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Obfuscation methods | Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim | Shadowsocks im Multi-Hop-Bereich der Desktop-App, vom Anbieter beschrieben als verschluesselter Proxy, der den Verkehr wie gewoehnlichen Internetverkehr aussehen laesst. Die Funktionsseite beschreibt dies als zusaetzliche SSL-Schicht.provider claim |
| Usability behind the Great Firewall | per user reportsconfirmed | ? |
| Kill switch | not availableprovider claim | system-wideprovider claim |
| Permanent lockdown | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Split tunneling | not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim | Steuerung, welche Anwendungen und IP-Adressen das VPN umgehen oder ausschliesslich nutzen. Unter Windows und Linux gilt die Aufteilung laut Anbieter auch fuer DNS-Verkehr.provider claim |
| Port forwarding | not availableprovider claim | limitedprovider claim |
| SOCKS5 proxy | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Smart DNS | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Custom DNS servers allowed | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Local network access toggle | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Auto connect rules | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Traffic analysis defence | Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim | Standard VPN encryption; no specialized cover-traffic feature marketedprovider claim |
| Number of servers | 1,800 Serverprovider claim | ? |
| Number of countries | 80 Laenderprovider claim | 91 Laenderdisputed |
| Number of cities | 35 Staedteprovider claim | ? |
| Virtual locations | not labelledprovider claim | labelledprovider claim |
| RAM-only servers (diskless) | noprovider claim | entire networkconfirmed |
| Hardware ownership | rentedprovider claim | mixedprovider claim |
| 10 Gbps ports | noprovider claim | some serversprovider claim |
| Known upstream hosting providers | Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim | Not individually named on fetched home/features pages; markets NextGen servers in dozens of countriesprovider claim |
| Linux app with GUI | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Linux command line | not availableprovider claim | manual config onlyprovider claim |
| Apple TV app | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Browser extension | not availableprovider claim | own extensionprovider claim |
| Type of browser extension | no extensionprovider claim | standalone browser proxyprovider claim |
| Router support | Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim | Der Anbieter nennt ASUSWRT, Asuswrt-Merlin und DD-WRT als kompatible Router-Firmware und verweist fuer Anleitungen auf das Support-Portal. Zusaetzlich besteht eine Partnerschaft mit FlashRouters, die Router mit vorinstalliertem PIA liefern.provider claim |
| Command line documented | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Simultaneous devices | 10provider claim | Unbegrenzt viele gleichzeitige Verbindungen je Abonnement.provider claim |
| Bitcoin | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Retail gift cards | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| PayPal | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Monthly price | €11.99provider claim | €11.69provider claim |
| Effective price on the longest term | €7.99provider claim | €1.79provider claim |
| Free tier and its limits | Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed | none (warns against free VPNs selling data)provider claim |
| Money-back window | 45 Tageprovider claim | 30 Tageprovider claim |
| Netflix regions reported | Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim | ? |
| Other streaming services | Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim | ? |
| Bandwidth cap | cappedprovider claim | no limitprovider claim |
| Data cap | Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Speed measurement references | Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim | ? |
| Official support in restrictive countries | Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim | ? |
| 24/7 live chat | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Self-service account deletion | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Tracker load of the website | Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim | Marketing site language switcher/cookies; see privacy policyprovider claim |
| URL of the warrant canary | none foundprovider claim | none found on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Length and readability of the legal documents | Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim | Feature pages clear; legal pages standard vendor styleprovider claim |
| Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms | Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed | Die Funktionsseite wirbt am 03.08.2026 unter Unblock Websites mit Bypass blocks with PIA and safely access your favorite content from anywhere in the world. Der Support-Artikel zum Streaming bezeichnet die Nutzung to circumvent geographic restrictions imposed by content providers dagegen als strictly prohibited and constitutes a breach of our Terms of Service.provider claim |
All sourced criteria (153)
| Hotspot Shield | Private Internet Access | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name | Anchorfree, LLC / Pango GmbH (product under Point Wild / formerly Pango Group)provider claim | PIA Private Internet Access, Inc.confirmed |
| Trademark holder, if different | Point Wild (HotSpot Shield brand)provider claim | Kape Technologiesprovider claim |
| Year founded | 2008confirmed | 2010confirmed |
| Headquarters (country) | USprovider claim | USconfirmed |
| Other relevant jurisdictions | United States (Redwood City, California); Pango/Point Wild operatorconfirmed | Betriebsgesellschaft in Colorado, USA. Die Nutzungsbedingungen unterliegen dem Recht des Staates Colorado, ausschliesslicher Gerichtsstand sind die Gerichte in Denver. Die Konzernmutter Kape Technologies gibt London, Vereinigtes Koenigreich, als Hauptsitz an.provider claim |
| Intelligence alliance of the home country | Five Eyesconfirmed | Five Eyesconfirmed |
| Parent group / holding | Point Wildconfirmed | Kape Technologiesprovider claim |
| Beneficial owners publicly known | partly knownprovider claim | fully knownconfirmed |
| Ownership structure | private equityprovider claim | ? |
| Leadership team publicly named | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Verifiable postal address for legal service | yesconfirmed | yesprovider claim |
| Sister VPN brands in the group | Betternet, Ultra VPN / UltraAV, VPN360, Touch VPN (per Point Wild / Pango portfolio disclosures)provider claim | ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPNconfirmed |
| Group owns VPN review and comparison sites | Comparitech (listed among Point Wild brands)provider claim | Die Konzernmutter Kape Technologies fuehrt neben den VPN-Marken die Marke Webselenese, beschrieben als Portfolio von Vergleichsseiten mit datengestuetzten Inhalten zu Privatsphaere und Sicherheit. Einzelne Seitennamen nennt Kape auf der Markenseite nicht.provider claim |
| Runs an affiliate programme | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Typical commission rate | ? | Bis zu 33 Prozent Provision auf Neuabschluesse. Die Abwicklung laeuft ueber die Plattform affiliates.kape.com.provider claim |
| YouTube and influencer sponsoring | occasionalprovider claim | occasionalprovider claim |
| Documented misleading advertising claims | 'Military-grade' encryption wording appears on download/marketing pages; Hydra marketed as '#1 for speed'provider claim | Die Funktionsuebersicht wirbt am 03.08.2026 mit unbreakable VPN encryption. Eine unknackbare Verschluesselung ist kein pruefbarer Fachbegriff. Die Verschluesselungsseite desselben Anbieters nennt als eingesetzte Verfahren AES-128-GCM als Voreinstellung, AES-256 als waehlbare Alternative und ChaCha20 bei WireGuard.provider claim |
| Acquisition history / former name | AnchorFree → Pango; Aura/Pango era; Dec 2024 Pango Group merged with Total Security and rebranded Point Wildprovider claim | Kape Technologies fuehrt Private Internet Access als eigene Marke. Am 13.01.2023 lag ein verbessertes Uebernahmeangebot der Unikmind-Gruppe fuer Kape ueber 2,85 Pfund je Aktie vor, verbunden mit dem Ziel, Kape als privates Unternehmen weiterzufuehren.confirmed |
| Operating status | activeconfirmed | activeconfirmed |
| Core statement of the logging policy | Does not store VPN browsing activity tied to a user; logs session duration, bandwidth, anonymized domains, device hashes; source IP encrypted then deleted at session endconfirmed | Die Datenschutzerklaerung sagt: We DO NOT collect or store browsing history, connected content, user IPs, connection time stamps, bandwidth logs, DNS queries, or anything like that. We collect and retain zero user logs.provider claim |
| Activity and traffic logs | noneprovider claim | noneconfirmed |
| Connection logs | per sessionconfirmed | noneconfirmed |
| Storage of the real IP address | transient onlyconfirmed | not storedconfirmed |
| Storage of the assigned VPN IP | not storedprovider claim | unclearprovider claim |
| Precision of stored timestamps | to the secondprovider claim | noneconfirmed |
| Recording of transferred data volume | per accountconfirmed | aggregate onlyconfirmed |
| Enforcement of the device limit | Premium links up to 10 devices per accountprovider claim | Der Anbieter erlaubt unbegrenzt viele gleichzeitige Verbindungen je Abonnement. Die Nutzungsbedingungen behalten sich vor, bei Missbrauch dieser Regelung den Kunden zu kontaktieren und die Nutzung im Wiederholungsfall einzuschraenken.provider claim |
| Minimum account data required | Device hashes for free products without account; paid/account flows collect additional account data per general policyprovider claim | E-Mail-Adresse und Zahlung. Die Datenschutzerklaerung sagt: We need two things to sign you up for a subscription: 1) an email address, and 2) payment. Fuer Kunden mit Wohnsitz in den USA koennen zusaetzlich Bundesstaat und Postleitzahl erhoben werden.provider claim |
| Telemetry in the apps | cannot be disabledprovider claim | opt inprovider claim |
| Trackers and SDKs in the Android app | Free versions: Google advertising ID (AAID) to Google for personalized adsprovider claim | Not enumerated by name in privacy policy; third-party payment processors and mailing partners referencedprovider claim |
| Trackers in the iOS app | Free versions: IDFA to Google for personalized adsprovider claim | Not enumerated by name in privacy policy; third-party payment processors and mailing partners referencedprovider claim |
| Trackers and cookies on the website | Cookies for analytics, personalization, and targeted advertising (site cookie banner)provider claim | Die Datenschutzerklaerung nennt anonymisierte Google-Analytics-Daten. Der Support-Chat laeuft ueber Deskpro, das laut derselben Erklaerung eine zufaellig erzeugte visitor_id im Cookie, den verwendeten Browser, das Land und das Besuchsdatum in einer eigenen Datenbank speichert.provider claim |
| Data shared with third parties | Free VPN versions: Google for personalized ads (AAID/IDFA); paid versions do not send to ad partners. Domain names logged anonymized/aggregated.provider claim | Deskpro als Dienstleister fuer den Kundenservice, die Zahlungspartner Stripe, Amazon Payments, BitPay und PayPal sowie, bei Anmeldung zum Newsletter, die den Verteiler betreuenden Dritten.provider claim |
| Retention periods stated in the policy | Source IP collected for VPN session then deleted at session end; domains aggregated ~monthly; device hashes retained for analyticsprovider claim | Unbestimmt. Die Datenschutzerklaerung nennt keine Frist, sondern speichert Daten so lange, wie es fuer den Dienst, gesetzliche Pflichten, Streitbeilegung und die Durchsetzung von Vereinbarungen noetig ist.provider claim |
| EU representative named under GDPR | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Independent no-logs audit | yesconfirmed | yesconfirmed |
| No-logs audit details | Aon technical assessment for Pango Group, report dated 2023-08-25; free and paid tiers; client+server; concluded policy assertions fairly representedconfirmed | Deloitte Audit S.R.L., Bukarest, Limited Assurance nach ISAE 3000 (Revised), Stichtag 31.01.2024, unterzeichnet am 17.04.2024 von Ana Corina Dimitriu. Ergebnis: nothing has come to our attention, dass Konfiguration der IT-Systeme und zugehoeriger IT-Betrieb nicht der Beschreibung in Anhang II entsprechen. Der Bericht haelt fest, dass die Aussage nur fuer den Stichtag gilt.confirmed |
| Audit report published | summary onlyconfirmed | full reportconfirmed |
| App and client audits | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim | Wikipedia: Deloitte no-logs audit (announced 2022) for privacy claims; open-source clients on GitHubconfirmed |
| Infrastructure and server audits | none published on fetched pagesprovider claim | Im Rahmen des Berichts vom 17.04.2024 pruefte Deloitte relevante IT-Systeme einschliesslich VPN- und Verteilservern, die Richtlinien fuer Nutzerzugriff, Change-, Konfigurations- und Incident-Management sowie stichprobenweise die Prozesse fuer Betrieb, Ausrollen und Konfiguration der Systeme. Die Zahl der einbezogenen Standorte nennt der Bericht nicht.confirmed |
| Audit frequency | irregularprovider claim | irregularprovider claim |
| Tested in court or by authorities | none documented on fetched official pagesprovider claim | Im Hacking-Verfahren gegen Ross M. Colby vor dem US-Bundesbezirksgericht in San Jose, Prozessbeginn 29.05.2018, sagte John Allan Arsenault aus, Justiziar der damaligen Muttergesellschaft London Trust Media. Er erklaerte, PIA fuehre keine Protokolle der Internetaktivitaet seiner Kunden und speichere keine Namen und Anschriften, weshalb sich Vorladungen nicht sinnvoll beantworten liessen. Der Anbieter verweist zusaetzlich auf Vorladungen aus den Jahren 2016 und 2017.confirmed |
| Transparency report | occasionalprovider claim | regularprovider claim |
| Warrant canary | noneprovider claim | ? |
| Security incidents and data leaks | 2017 CDT complaint to FTC alleging undisclosed data sharing/traffic redirection on Hotspot Shield Free (per Wikipedia)confirmed | ? |
| Bug bounty programme | none published on fetched Hotspot Shield/Pango pagesprovider claim | Not advertised as a public bug-bounty program on fetched About/home/privacy pagesprovider claim |
| Handling of reported vulnerabilities | none disclosed on fetched pagesprovider claim | Vulnerability Disclosure Program in Zusammenarbeit mit YesWeHack, Meldung ueber ein Formular auf der Anbieterseite. Reaktionsfristen, Geltungsbereich und Praemien nennt die Programmseite nicht.provider claim |
| Open source clients | noneprovider claim | allconfirmed |
| Open source server side | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Reproducible builds | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Available on F-Droid | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Listings by independent bodies | Cited Speedtest/Ookla fastest VPN; TechRadar, CNET, ZDNet, PCWorld quotes on marketing pagesprovider claim | Covered by TechRadar, Tom's Guide, PCMag; Wikipedia summarizes generally positive reviews and Deloitte no-logs audit (2022)confirmed |
| WireGuard | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| OpenVPN over UDP | yesconfirmed | yesprovider claim |
| OpenVPN over TCP | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| IKEv2/IPsec | yesconfirmed | yesprovider claim |
| Proprietary protocol | Hydra (developed internally by Pango)confirmed | noneprovider claim |
| Legacy protocols still offered | Proprietary Hydra primary; OpenVPN/WireGuard not advertised as primary on fetched product pagesprovider claim | none highlighted beyond WireGuard/OpenVPNprovider claim |
| Default data cipher | AES-256confirmed | OpenVPN standardmaessig AES-128-GCM, in den Einstellungen auf AES-256 umstellbar. WireGuard nutzt ChaCha20.provider claim |
| Weakest accepted cipher | AES-256provider claim | AES-128 bei OpenVPN. Die Desktop-App stellt unter Data Encryption die Wahl zwischen AES-128 und AES-256, die Verschluesselungsseite nennt AES-128-GCM als Voreinstellung.provider claim |
| Key exchange and authentication | Catapult Hydra proprietary protocolprovider claim | OpenVPN mit RSA-4096, WireGuard mit Curve25519.provider claim |
| Perfect forward secrecy | ? | yesprovider claim |
| Post-quantum key exchange | not availableprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Own DNS resolvers | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| DNS leak protection | ? | yesprovider claim |
| IPv6 handling | unclearprovider claim | disabledprovider claim |
| WebRTC protection or guidance | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Obfuscation methods | Hydra proprietary protocol marketed for speed/security; censorship circumvention history (Arab Spring) per Wikipediaprovider claim | Shadowsocks im Multi-Hop-Bereich der Desktop-App, vom Anbieter beschrieben als verschluesselter Proxy, der den Verkehr wie gewoehnlichen Internetverkehr aussehen laesst. Die Funktionsseite beschreibt dies als zusaetzliche SSL-Schicht.provider claim |
| Usability behind the Great Firewall | per user reportsconfirmed | ? |
| Kill switch | not availableprovider claim | system-wideprovider claim |
| Permanent lockdown | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Split tunneling | not offered on Hotspot Shield select-plan/feature lists fetchedprovider claim | Steuerung, welche Anwendungen und IP-Adressen das VPN umgehen oder ausschliesslich nutzen. Unter Windows und Linux gilt die Aufteilung laut Anbieter auch fuer DNS-Verkehr.provider claim |
| Multihop | not availableprovider claim | not availableprovider claim |
| Tor integration (Onion over VPN) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Port forwarding | not availableprovider claim | limitedprovider claim |
| SOCKS5 proxy | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| HTTP proxy | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Smart DNS | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Ad and tracker filtering in DNS | fixed listprovider claim | fixed listprovider claim |
| Malware and phishing filter | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Custom DNS servers allowed | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Local network access toggle | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Auto connect rules | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Private device network (mesh) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| GPS location override (Android) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Traffic analysis defence | Proprietary Catapult Hydra protocol; historical circumvention useprovider claim | Standard VPN encryption; no specialized cover-traffic feature marketedprovider claim |
| IPv6 inside the tunnel | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Obfuscation without configuration | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Number of servers | 1,800 Serverprovider claim | ? |
| Number of countries | 80 Laenderprovider claim | 91 Laenderdisputed |
| Number of cities | 35 Staedteprovider claim | ? |
| Virtual locations | not labelledprovider claim | labelledprovider claim |
| RAM-only servers (diskless) | noprovider claim | entire networkconfirmed |
| Hardware ownership | rentedprovider claim | mixedprovider claim |
| Own AS (autonomous system) | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| 10 Gbps ports | noprovider claim | some serversprovider claim |
| P2P and file sharing | entire networkprovider claim | entire networkprovider claim |
| Public server list | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Public status page | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Known upstream hosting providers | Third-party infrastructure providers (unnamed); Pango states it would leave any provider requiring activity loggingprovider claim | Not individually named on fetched home/features pages; markets NextGen servers in dozens of countriesprovider claim |
| Windows app | native appconfirmed | native appprovider claim |
| macOS app | native appconfirmed | native appprovider claim |
| Linux app with GUI | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Linux command line | not availableprovider claim | manual config onlyprovider claim |
| Android app | native appconfirmed | native appprovider claim |
| iOS app | native appconfirmed | native appprovider claim |
| Android TV app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Apple TV app | not availableprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Fire TV app | native appprovider claim | native appprovider claim |
| Browser extension | not availableprovider claim | own extensionprovider claim |
| Type of browser extension | no extensionprovider claim | standalone browser proxyprovider claim |
| Router support | Router mentioned as connectable device under Premium (up to 10 devices)provider claim | Der Anbieter nennt ASUSWRT, Asuswrt-Merlin und DD-WRT als kompatible Router-Firmware und verweist fuer Anleitungen auf das Support-Portal. Zusaetzlich besteht eine Partnerschaft mit FlashRouters, die Router mit vorinstalliertem PIA liefern.provider claim |
| Native build for Apple Silicon | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Command line documented | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Simultaneous devices | 10provider claim | Unbegrenzt viele gleichzeitige Verbindungen je Abonnement.provider claim |
| Usable without an account | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Data required at signup | any email addressprovider claim | any email addressprovider claim |
| Account model | email as loginprovider claim | email as loginprovider claim |
| Cash by mail | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Monero | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Bitcoin | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Lightning | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Retail gift cards | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| PayPal | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Credit and debit card | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| SEPA payment | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Monthly price | €11.99provider claim | €11.69provider claim |
| Effective price on the longest term | €7.99provider claim | €1.79provider claim |
| Price change at renewal | moderate increaseprovider claim | moderate increaseprovider claim |
| Flat pricing without permanent discounts | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Free tier and its limits | Free VPN products (Hotspot Shield free) supported by third-party in-app ads (Unity, ironSource, Digital Turbine, InMobi)confirmed | none (warns against free VPNs selling data)provider claim |
| Money-back window | 45 Tageprovider claim | 30 Tageprovider claim |
| Cancellation path | cancel in accountconfirmed | cancel in accountprovider claim |
| P2P policy in the terms of service | entire networkprovider claim | entire networkprovider claim |
| Streaming unblocking officially advertised | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Netflix regions reported | Marketing claims Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+ worldwide; no audited region list on fetched pagesprovider claim | ? |
| Other streaming services | Netflix, YouTube, Prime, Disney+provider claim | ? |
| Bandwidth cap | cappedprovider claim | no limitprovider claim |
| Data cap | Basic free: 500 MB/day; Premium: unlimitedprovider claim | noneprovider claim |
| Speed measurement references | Claims up to 2.2x faster than competitionprovider claim | ? |
| Official support in restrictive countries | Historically used for censorship circumvention (Arab Spring); Hydra marketed for accessprovider claim | ? |
| 24/7 live chat | noprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Email or ticket support | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Telephone support | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| German-language support | yesprovider claim | yesprovider claim |
| Documentation assessment | workableprovider claim | workableprovider claim |
| Self-hosted chat widget | noprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| Self-service account deletion | yesprovider claim | noprovider claim |
| SSL Labs grade of the website | A+confirmed | A+confirmed |
| Tracker load of the website | Essential + analytics/personalization/targeted advertising cookies disclosed on siteprovider claim | Marketing site language switcher/cookies; see privacy policyprovider claim |
| URL of the warrant canary | none foundprovider claim | none found on fetched pagesprovider claim |
| Length and readability of the legal documents | Long formal ToS with commercial/cancellation sections; not specially simplifiedprovider claim | Feature pages clear; legal pages standard vendor styleprovider claim |
| Marketing claims contradicting the provider's own terms | Markets 'world's fastest VPN' via Speedtest; 2017 CDT/FTC complaint about free-tier data sharing (Wikipedia)confirmed | Die Funktionsseite wirbt am 03.08.2026 unter Unblock Websites mit Bypass blocks with PIA and safely access your favorite content from anywhere in the world. Der Support-Artikel zum Streaming bezeichnet die Nutzung to circumvent geographic restrictions imposed by content providers dagegen als strictly prohibited and constitutes a breach of our Terms of Service.provider claim |