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FastestVPN vs PrivateVPN compares two budget providers that look alike on paper. Both include port forwarding, both allow ten devices, and both cost a few dollars a month or less. The differences are in how you pay, what backs their privacy claims, and how well they stream.
FastestVPN sells a lifetime plan, reported at $23 to $40, and has an audit from 2023. PrivateVPN charges around $2 a month on a three-year plan, has never been audited, and streams notably well.
FastestVPN vs PrivateVPN: The Short Answer
Choose FastestVPN over PrivateVPN for an audit and a base outside the alliances. It rates 3.7 in our FastestVPN review and operates from the Cayman Islands.
Choose PrivateVPN for streaming and torrenting extras. It rates 3.2 in our PrivateVPN review, adds SOCKS5 to its port forwarding, and gives one plan a free dedicated IP.
Both are cheap, so the price will rarely decide it. The payment model might.
Privacy: An Audit Against a Support Answer
Altius IT audited FastestVPN once, in 2023, and it operates from the Cayman Islands, outside the Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes. The audit is three years old and unrepeated, and the company’s ownership is thinly documented.
PrivateVPN has never had an audit. Its support reportedly told a reviewer there was nothing to audit because it keeps no logs, and confirmed its servers are disk-based. It operates from Sweden, inside the Fourteen Eyes, and sources disagree on whether it is independent or owned by Miss Group. Our audit tracker and our no-logs guide explain what each gap means.
| Provider | No-logs audits | Auditor | Jurisdiction |
|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | 6 | PwC, Deloitte | Panama |
| Surfshark | 2 | Deloitte | Netherlands (9 Eyes) |
| ExpressVPN | 3 | KPMG (28 security reports in total) | British Virgin Islands, Kape-owned |
| CyberGhost | 3 | Deloitte | Romania, Kape-owned |
| PureVPN | 4 | KPMG | BVI, operated from Pakistan |
| IPVanish | 2 | Leviathan, Schellman | United States (Five Eyes), Ziff Davis-owned |
| Windscribe | 1 | Packetlabs, production infrastructure | Canada (Five Eyes); Greek case dismissed, no data to give |
| Proton VPN | 5 | Securitum | Switzerland, moving infrastructure to EU |
| Private Internet Access | 3 | Deloitte | United States (Five Eyes), Kape-owned |
| Mullvad | 10+ | Cure53, Assured AB | Sweden (14 Eyes) |
| TunnelBear | Annual since 2017 | Cure53 | Canada (Five Eyes), US parent |
| Norton VPN | 2 | VerSprite | United States (Five Eyes) |
| Hotspot Shield | 0 | protocol audited, policy not | United States (Five Eyes) |
| AirVPN | 0 | none — the client is open source instead | Italy (14 Eyes) |
| IVPN | 8, annual since inception | Cure53 | Gibraltar (status disputed) |
| Hide.me | 1 modern, in 2024 | Securitum, though one source names Altius IT | Malaysia (outside the alliances) |
| PrivadoVPN | 0 | none in six years of operation | Iceland (moved from Switzerland, 2026) |
| TorGuard | 0 | none; settled a lawsuit without disclosing records | United States (Five Eyes) |
| FastestVPN | 1, in 2023 | Altius IT | Cayman Islands (outside the alliances) |
| StrongVPN | 0 | none in over two decades | United States (Five Eyes), Ziff Davis-owned |
| VyprVPN | 1, in 2018 | Leviathan Security, before the 2023 sale | United States (Five Eyes), Certida-owned since 2023 |
| PrivateVPN | 0 | none; support says there is nothing to audit | Sweden (14 Eyes), ownership disputed |
| ZoogVPN | 0 | none; support describes one as planned | Greece (outside the alliances), run from Ukraine |
| Malwarebytes Privacy VPN | 1, in 2026 | X41 D-Sec, white-box over two months | United States (Five Eyes), runs AzireVPN infrastructure |
| Astrill | 0 | — | Disputed: Seychelles or Liechtenstein |
FastestVPN vs PrivateVPN on Price
FastestVPN’s lifetime plan has been reported at $23, $35 and $40 within about a year. It lasts as long as the company does, as our lifetime VPN guide explains, so treat it as money spent.
PrivateVPN costs around $2 a month on its three-year plan and gives 30 days to claim a refund. Check its renewal at checkout before committing, as our renewal price table explains.
FastestVPN vs PrivateVPN on Features
Port forwarding: both include it, and PrivateVPN adds SOCKS5 support. Our port forwarding guide lists the few others.
Dedicated IP: free on one PrivateVPN plan. Our dedicated IP guide explains who needs one and why it works against anonymity.
Streaming: reviewers report Netflix, iPlayer, Disney+ and Prime Video working reliably on PrivateVPN, and FastestVPN working across major platforms. Our Netflix guide covers the details.
Network: FastestVPN runs about 800 servers in 49 countries; PrivateVPN about 200 servers in 63 countries, concentrated in the UK and US.
Devices: both allow ten, and FastestVPN is reported to allow fifteen on its higher lifetime tier. Our multi-device guide compares the limits.
Apps and Everyday Use
Neither app will win design awards. Reviewers describe PrivateVPN’s interface as dated and note that its live chat is not staffed around the clock. FastestVPN’s apps are simple, though split tunnelling is missing on macOS.
Both suit a single household. Ten devices covers most families, and both allow torrenting with port forwarding, as our torrenting guide explains. For restrictive networks, PrivateVPN adds a Stealth mode.
What Each One Lacks
FastestVPN lacks a recent audit, a clear owner and split tunnelling on macOS. Its lifetime value also depends on the company surviving.
PrivateVPN lacks any audit, RAM-only servers and round-the-clock support. Its speed reports also vary widely, and our review found more source conflicts for it than for any other provider we cover. PrivateVPN vs Hide.me covers the same choice from another angle.
Which One
FastestVPN if you want some independent verification, an offshore base and a single payment.
PrivateVPN for streaming, SOCKS5 and a free dedicated IP, with a refund window to test it. TorGuard vs FastestVPN and TorGuard vs PrivateVPN set each against a third budget option.
How We Research
FastestVPN’s audit, lifetime price range, network and features come from our FastestVPN review and tables, and PrivateVPN’s support answers, price, refunds, features and ownership dispute from our PrivateVPN review and tables. We do not run our own tests. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
FastestVPN vs PrivateVPN FAQ
In FastestVPN vs PrivateVPN, FastestVPN rates higher, 3.7 against 3.2, thanks to its audit and Cayman base. PrivateVPN is stronger for streaming and adds SOCKS5 and a free dedicated IP on one plan.
Yes. Both include it, and PrivateVPN adds SOCKS5 support.
FastestVPN once, by Altius IT in 2023. PrivateVPN never has; its support reportedly said there was nothing to audit.
Both are cheap. FastestVPN’s lifetime plan has been reported at $23 to $40, paid once. PrivateVPN costs around $2 a month on its three-year plan.
PrivateVPN has the stronger streaming reports, with Netflix, iPlayer, Disney+ and Prime Video working reliably according to reviewers.
The Verdict
FastestVPN vs PrivateVPN comes down to verification against extras. FastestVPN offers an audit, an offshore base and a one-off price. PrivateVPN offers stronger streaming, SOCKS5, a free dedicated IP and a clear refund window.
For privacy, FastestVPN has the better case. For streaming and torrenting, PrivateVPN does more, as long as you accept an unaudited claim.