Both operate from the United States — a 5-eyes jurisdiction. PIA is owned by Kape Technologies; IPVanish is owned by Ziff Davis, a digital media company. The jurisdictional exposure is the same starting point. The split is what each service is built around.

What you get that IPVanish doesn't offer

Client code published across all platforms for independent review — IPVanish's clients are not open-source. MACE DNS-layer blocking. Independently audited no-logs policy; IPVanish has no published third-party audit. Highly configurable: encryption cipher, protocol, port, MTU all user-accessible. BVI registration at the service entity level vs IPVanish's US entity.

What you give up

IPVanish allows unlimited simultaneous connections — PIA's limit is generous but bounded. SOCKS5 proxy built in at IPVanish. IPVanish's long-term value position is more accommodating. Direct Fire TV and Firestick app with a dedicated interface.

What you get that PIA doesn't offer

Unlimited simultaneous connections. SOCKS5 proxy built in — useful for torrent clients and applications that support proxy configuration. More accommodating long-term value position. Refined Fire TV and Firestick interface.

What you give up

Both operate from the US under the same 5-eyes exposure. IPVanish has no published independent audit — PIA's audited no-logs policy and published codebase both exist. IPVanish's clients are closed-source. Ziff Davis owns IPVanish as part of a digital media portfolio; privacy infrastructure is not the parent company's core business. MACE blocking and configurable protocol options are not available.