Mullvad VPN vs Private Internet Access Pricing | Costbench
Compare / Mullvad VPN vs Private Internet Access
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Team size
25 seats

Mullvad VPN vs Private Internet Access

VPN pricing comparison · 2026

Mullvad VPN pricing ranges from $5.5–$5.5/month, while Private Internet Access ranges from $1.59–$11.95/month. Mullvad VPN is typically 19% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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2 products · VPN
Side-by-side · live
Mullvad VPN
Mullvad VPN is a Swedish VPN service that has earned a reputation as one of the most priva
verified 17d ago
$120 $292
View pricing →
P
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access pricing starts at custom pricing.
verified 9w ago
$120 $292
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Mullvad saves $172 vs Private · 25 seats
Cheapest $120
Spread 59%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Standard (Flat Rate)
$1.6K/yr
year 1 license · $6/seat
1 Year
$999/yr
year 1 license · $3/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$120/yr
Vendr · n=5 · limited data
Median annual
$292/yr
Vendr · n=156
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 22 sourced facts
16 hidden-cost · 4 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 6 sourced facts
3 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 2mo ago
Confidence Limited confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • No Long-Term Discount — Flat Rate Only
    $5-$6/user/month
    3 sources
  • No Port Forwarding — Limits Torrenting Use Case
    0%
    3 sources
  • Currency Exchange Variation
    5-15% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Slow Email-Only Support
    0%
    3 sources
  • No Account Recovery
    0%
    1 source
3 documented
  • Dedicated IP Address
    $5 per month
    1 source
  • Antivirus Software
    $4.50 per month
    1 source
  • pCloud Storage
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Mullvad
Private
Auto-renewal
No
Yes
Cancellation
No contract — time-based prepay with no auto-renewal
Users can cancel auto-renewal at any time through their Client Control Panel.
Commitment
1 month (or less — users can add as little as needed)
PIA offers various subscription lengths, including one-month, six-month, and two-year plans, with longer commitments generally resulting in lower average monthly costs.
Price escalation
No price increases reported; price has remained €5/month since 2009 according to community sources
116.89%
Can downgrade
Yes
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
Trustpilot
2.5out of 5 (24)
Best for
Privacy purists who value simplicity, anonymity, and transparent pricing
Watch out
Slow or unresponsive email support
Trustpilot
4.5out of 5 (11,000)
Best for
Short-term users wanting flexibility
Watch out
Slow Speeds
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
VPN

Mullvad VPN

$5.5–$5.5
/month
1 plan
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
VPN

Private Internet Access

$1.59–$11.95
/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Mullvad VPN Private Internet Access
Standard (Flat Rate) $5.50 /month $11.95 /user/month
1 Year $3.33 /user/month
3 Years + 3 Months $1.59 /user/month

Market Intelligence

Mullvad VPN

Median annual cost
$120
Based on
5 deals

Private Internet Access

Median annual cost
$292
Based on
156 deals

What Users Say

Mullvad VPN

Trustpilot
2.5out of 5 (24)
Top complaints
  • Slow or unresponsive email support
  • Servers blocked by streaming services (Netflix, BBC iPlayer, etc.)
  • No port forwarding for torrenting

Private Internet Access

Trustpilot
4.5out of 5 (11,000)
Top complaints
  • Slow Speeds
  • Connection Issues and Disconnections
  • Streaming Limitations

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Mullvad VPN 6 hidden costs

low
No Long-Term Discount — Flat Rate Only $5-$6/user/month
medium
No Port Forwarding — Limits Torrenting Use Case 0%
low
Currency Exchange Variation 5-15% of license costs
medium
Slow Email-Only Support 0%
medium
No Account Recovery 0%
See all Mullvad VPN hidden costs →

Private Internet Access 3 hidden costs

medium
Dedicated IP Address $5 per month
medium
Antivirus Software $4.50 per month
low
pCloud Storage
See all Private Internet Access hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Mullvad VPN Private Internet Access
Auto-renewal No Yes
Cancellation No contract — time-based prepay with no auto-renewal Users can cancel auto-renewal at any time through their Client Control Panel.
Minimum commitment 1 month (or less — users can add as little as needed) PIA offers various subscription lengths, including one-month, six-month, and two-year plans, with longer commitments generally resulting in lower average monthly costs.
Price escalation No price increases reported; price has remained €5/month since 2009 according to community sources 116.89%
Can downgrade Yes

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