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PIA vs Hotspot Shield is a comparison between two US-based VPNs whose parent companies also own websites that review VPNs. Private Internet Access belongs to Kape Technologies, which owns review sites alongside ExpressVPN and CyberGhost. Hotspot Shield belongs to Point Wild, whose own press release lists Comparitech among its brands.
From there the two diverge sharply on evidence. PIA has faced at least three US federal subpoenas with no connection logs to hand over, followed by three Deloitte audits, and its apps are open source. Hotspot Shield has no audit of its no-logs policy, a closed protocol, and no transparency report since 2019.
PIA vs Hotspot Shield: The Short Answer
Choose PIA over Hotspot Shield for privacy, devices and price. It rates 4.5 in our rankings, allows unlimited devices, includes port forwarding and costs around $2.03 a month on its two-year plan. Our PIA review covers the court cases.
Choose Hotspot Shield only for speed on nearby servers or a free tier. It rates 3.4 in our Hotspot Shield review, and its Catapult Hydra protocol is genuinely quick.
Both sit in the United States, inside the Five Eyes. What separates them is how each answers that.
Owners That Also Rank VPNs
Kape Technologies owns PIA, ExpressVPN and CyberGhost, and also owns VPN review sites. Point Wild owns Hotspot Shield, Betternet and UltraVPN, and its December 2024 press release lists Comparitech among its brands.
Neither fact is an allegation; both come from the companies’ own disclosures. They matter because a reader comparing VPNs may be reading a review published by a competitor’s owner. Our ownership guide maps every parent in this position, and we have no such relationship.
Privacy: Tested Against Untested
Courts have tested PIA’s no-logs claim. US federal authorities have subpoenaed it at least three times, including an FBI request in a 2016 Virginia case, and each time it had no connection logs to provide. Three Deloitte audits followed, and its apps are open source.
Nobody has tested Hotspot Shield’s claim either way. Outside parties have examined its Catapult Hydra protocol, but nobody has audited its no-logs policy. Its protocol is closed, its servers write to disk, and it has published no transparency report since 2019. Our audit tracker and our no-logs guide explain why each point matters.
⚠️ Same jurisdiction, different answers. Both operate from the United States. PIA’s answer is a subpoena record and open code; Hotspot Shield offers no equivalent. Our guide to legal demands on VPNs covers how such cases work.
| 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 |
Price and Refunds
PIA costs around $2.03 a month on its two-year plan, about $49 upfront. Sources disagree on its renewal, so check the checkout page.
Hotspot Shield costs about $71.88 for its first year, then $95.99 a year, according to our tables, with published monthly prices from $5.99 to $7.99 depending on the promotion. Our renewal price table compares both.
Refunds favour Hotspot Shield: 45 days against PIA’s 30. Our refund guide explains how to claim either.
| Provider | First term | Every year after |
|---|---|---|
| Norton VPN | $39.99 (12 months) | $79.99 |
| Private Internet Access | ~$49 (24 months) | Sources disagree |
| CyberGhost | $56.94 (26 months) | $56.94 |
| PureVPN | $58.20 (27 months) | $47.95 |
| Mullvad | ~$65 (12 months) | ~$65 |
| Surfshark | ~$67 (27 months) | ~$79 |
| Proton VPN | ~$71.76 (24 months) | $83.88 |
| Hotspot Shield | ~$71.88 (12 months) | $95.99 |
| NordVPN | $94.23 (27 months) | $139.08 |
| ExpressVPN | ~$98 (28 months) | $99.95 |
| Astrill | $300 (24 months) | $300 every 2 years |
PIA vs Hotspot Shield on Features
Devices: PIA sets no limit on any plan. Hotspot Shield’s limit is disputed, with sources giving five and ten. Our multi-device guide compares the providers.
Port forwarding: PIA includes it; Hotspot Shield does not offer it. Our port forwarding guide explains why that matters for seeding.
Free tier: Hotspot Shield has a usable one, though its free Android app has a documented history of tracking code. PIA has no free plan. Our free VPN guide lists the free tiers worth trusting.
Speed: Hotspot Shield’s Catapult Hydra is fast on nearby and US East servers, which is its genuine strength. Our PIA review also rates PIA’s speed highly, at 4.5.
Which One
PIA for almost everyone: a court-tested no-logs record, open-source apps, unlimited devices, port forwarding and a lower price.
Hotspot Shield only if raw speed on nearby servers or a free tier matters more than verification. Proton VPN vs Hotspot Shield compares it with an audited free tier, and Proton VPN vs PIA sets PIA against an audited rival.
How We Research
PIA’s subpoenas, audits, devices and pricing come from our PIA review and tables, and Hotspot Shield’s ownership, audit gap, protocol, transparency reporting and pricing from our Hotspot Shield review and tables. Prices are as recorded in our tables in September 2026, so confirm them at checkout. We do not run our own tests. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
PIA vs Hotspot Shield FAQ
In PIA vs Hotspot Shield, PIA wins on privacy evidence, devices, port forwarding and price, and rates 4.5 against 3.4 in our reviews. Hotspot Shield’s strengths are speed on nearby servers, a free tier and a 45-day refund window.
Yes. PIA operates from Denver and Hotspot Shield from the United States, both inside the Five Eyes. PIA’s no-logs claim has survived US federal subpoenas; nobody has ever audited Hotspot Shield’s policy.
PIA belongs to Kape Technologies, which also owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost and VPN review sites. Hotspot Shield belongs to Point Wild, which also owns Comparitech.
PIA, at around $2.03 a month on its two-year plan. Hotspot Shield costs about $71.88 for its first year, then $95.99 a year.
Yes, and it is usable, though its free Android app has a documented history of tracking code. PIA has no free plan.
The Verdict
PIA is the better VPN in PIA vs Hotspot Shield. Both are American and both have owners with review sites, but only PIA has a subpoena record, audits and open code to set against that.
Hotspot Shield’s speed and 45-day refund are real advantages. They do not, however, answer the privacy questions a VPN has to answer.