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Cybersecurity · head to head

Private Internet Access vs Vault

P

Private Internet Access

Cybersecurity

Long-standing VPN service with a large server network and flexible multi-year plans

From
$11.99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vault logo

Vault

Cloud

Manage Secrets and Protect Sensitive Data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Vault has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Private Internet Access monthly plan is priced noticeably higher than the discounted multi-year commitments, penalizing short-term users.; Vault vault 1.15.0 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1, not an OSI open source licence, with IBM Corporation as licensor
  • They diverge on capability: Private Internet Access covers Split tunneling, Vault covers Secrets management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Private Internet Access and Vault actually diverge.

Attributes where Private Internet Access and Vault differ
AttributePrivate Internet AccessVault
Starting price$11.99/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Free tierNoYes
Platformswindows, mac, linux, ios, androidLinux, Windows, Mac, Cloud
CategoryCybersecurityCloud
FoundedUnknown2015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Private Internet Access

  • Split tunneling
  • Kill switch
  • Ad and tracker blocking
  • Dedicated IP add-on
  • Bundled antivirus add-on

Only in Vault

  • Secrets management
  • Encryption
  • Authentication
  • Authorization
  • Audit logging
  • API access
  • High availability
  • Replication

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Private Internet Access

  • Encrypting traffic on public Wi-Fi with a kill switchnot Vault
  • Blocking ads and trackers network-wide via MACEnot Vault
  • Maintaining a consistent connection identity with a dedicated IP add-onnot Vault
  • Committing to a long-term plan for a lower effective monthly ratenot Vault

Vault

  • Centrally storing and rotating secrets, API keys and database credentialsnot Private Internet Access
  • Issuing short-lived dynamic credentials to applications instead of static passwordsnot Private Internet Access
  • Encryption as a service and PKI certificate issuancenot Private Internet Access

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Private Internet Access

  • Monthly plan is priced noticeably higher than the discounted multi-year commitments, penalizing short-term users.
  • Dedicated IP and antivirus are paid add-ons rather than included features.
  • Headquartered in a jurisdiction whose privacy reputation some competitors market against, despite audited no-logs claims.
  • App interface is less streamlined than some higher-priced premium VPN competitors.

Vault

  • Vault 1.15.0 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1, not an OSI open source licence, with IBM Corporation as licensor
  • The Additional Use Grant forbids offering Vault to third parties on a hosted or embedded basis in a paid product that competes with IBM's paid versions of Vault
  • Each version only converts to MPL 2.0 four years after that version is published, and the Change Date is tracked per version
  • Replication, HSM support, namespaces, performance standby nodes, FIPS builds, control group authorisation, multi-factor authentication, secrets sync and lease count quotas all require a Vault Enterprise licence
  • A Vault Enterprise licence must be applied to the cluster before any Enterprise feature can be used

Pricing, plan by plan

Private Internet Access

$11.99/month
  • Monthly$11.99/month
    • Billed month to month
    • Full server network access
    • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 1-Year$3.1/month
    • Billed annually at $37.19
    • Full server network access
  • 2-Year$2.19/month
    • Lowest advertised rate, billed every 2 years
    • Full server network access

Vault

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Secrets management
    • Encryption as a service
    • Identity management
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Advanced features
    • Premium support
    • Dedicated updates

Which should you pick?

Choose Private Internet Access if

  • You need split tunneling.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
  • You also want kill switch.
Private Internet Access review

Choose Vault if

  • You need secrets management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud.
  • You also want encryption.
Vault review

Questions people ask

Is Private Internet Access or Vault better?
Neither clearly leads. Private Internet Access starts at $11.99/month and Vault at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Private Internet Access or Vault?
Vault has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $11.99/month for Private Internet Access and Free for Vault.
Does Private Internet Access or Vault run on more platforms?
Private Internet Access runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android. Vault runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud.
Can I use Vault for free?
Yes. Vault has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Private Internet Access starts at $11.99/month.
What is Private Internet Access best used for?
Private Internet Access is most often used for encrypting traffic on public wi-fi with a kill switch, blocking ads and trackers network-wide via mace, maintaining a consistent connection identity with a dedicated ip add-on, committing to a long-term plan for a lower effective monthly rate. Of those, encrypting traffic on public wi-fi with a kill switch and blocking ads and trackers network-wide via mace are not what Vault is typically brought in for.
What can Private Internet Access do that Vault cannot?
Private Internet Access covers Split tunneling, Kill switch, Ad and tracker blocking, Dedicated IP add-on. Vault covers Secrets management, Encryption, Authentication, Authorization.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Vault: Is HashiCorp Vault free to use?

Yes, Vault is available as a free, open-source project. The community version includes secrets management, certificate generation and rotation, encryption services, and credential management. Vault Enterprise is a commercial offering with additional features.

Source
Vault: What are the differences between open-source Vault and Vault Enterprise?

Open-source Vault is free and self-hosted. Vault Enterprise includes additional features and commercial support. HashiCorp also offers Vault Dedicated on the HashiCorp Cloud Platform as a fully managed cloud option.

Source
Vault: Can I try HashiCorp Cloud Platform Vault without payment?

Yes, HashiCorp offers a free trial option for HCP Vault Dedicated. New users also receive a $500 credit to use across HashiCorp Cloud Platform services.

Source
Vault: What does Vault manage and protect?

Vault provides identity-based secrets management for users, machines, services, and AI agents. It automates authentication and authorization for access to secrets, passwords, certificates, encryption keys, and other sensitive data across your infrastructure.

Source
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