Plus
$2/mo
- 1 dedicated IP address
- 10 devices
- 5 open ports
- 100 GBbandwidth
- 20 Mbpsspeed
PIA forwards a port it assigns, and not on its US servers. GetAStatic is a WireGuard VPN with your own static US IPv4, from $2/mo. You choose the TCP and UDP ports, and they stay open until you close them.
Not affiliated with Private Internet Access. Prices as listed on privateinternetaccess.com, checked 2026-10-06.
Updated
Two tools built for different jobs, compared on inbound connections.
| Feature | PIA port forwarding | GetAStatic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | from $2.03/mo (3-year plan) | From $2/mo |
| Purpose | Privacy VPN on shared servers | A stable US address with inbound ports |
| Your own IP | Shared server IP; dedicated IP is a paid add-on | Yes, in every plan |
| Port behavior | Assigned automatically | Chosen by you, TCP or UDP |
| US inbound availability | Not on US servers | Yes: Kansas City & San Jose, USA |
| Endpoint persistence | Kept alive by the app; normally expires after 2 months | Same IP and port until you close it |
| Typical use | Private browsing; P2P on non-US servers | Servers, SSH, games and logins on a US IP |
PIA's price is its VPN plan, which includes port forwarding ($11.95/mo month to month). Port facts from PIA's help center and its official connection scripts, checked 2026-10-06.
In the PIA desktop app the switch is Settings, then Network, then Request Port Forwarding. When you connect to a location that supports it, PIA's gateway hands your session a port on the server's VPN IP, and the app shows the number in its IP widget. You copy that number into qBittorrent, a game server or whatever needs to accept connections. The IP in front of it is the server's, shared with other PIA users.
Two rules shape what you can do with it. PIA's help center says port forwarding is available only on supported locations and not on US server locations; its own connection scripts say it is disabled server-side in the United States. And the port is assigned automatically, so you cannot ask for 25565, 22 or the port a camera app expects. You reconfigure the app to whatever number PIA gives you.
The port also needs looking after. PIA's Linux scripts re-bind it every 15 minutes and have to stay running, or the port can time out; the app does this for you. PIA's developer notes say a port normally expires after 2 months, after which a new one has to be requested.
Your own static IP over WireGuard. No VPS.
Dedicated IPv4 from $2/mo →PIA does sell a dedicated IP, ~$2.50/mo (third-party reports): one static address no other PIA user shares, offered in about a dozen US locations and several other countries. It fixes the IP. It does not fix inbound. PIA's own connection script marks every US dedicated IP as having no port forwarding, and outside the US the port is still assigned rather than chosen. The help center also says the dedicated IP works in the PIA app, not in manual router configurations, allows one per subscription, and locks its location once you redeem the token.
GetAStatic is built the other way round: the address is the product. Every plan includes a static IPv4 in Kansas City & San Jose, USA that only you use. Ports start closed. You open TCP or UDP ports, or ranges, in the dashboard and choose each number yourself: 5 open ports on Plus, unlimited open ports on Pro. A port stays open until you close it, with nothing to re-bind.
The tunnel is a standard WireGuard config that connects out on UDP 1194 or 443, so it works behind CGNAT and runs on OpenWrt, pfSense, OPNsense, MikroTik or GL.iNet routers, in Docker, or on a Linux server. PIA is built for privacy, with many users behind each server IP; GetAStatic is built for a stable address, not anonymity. Pay by card or crypto, with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
This example moves a P2P client or a game server that today listens on the port PIA assigned.
| Port | Protocol | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 6881 | TCP+UDP | A BitTorrent client's listening port |
| 27015 | TCP+UDP | A Source-engine game server |
| 22 | TCP | SSH into a home server |
Plus opens up to 5 ports; Pro and Ultra have no limit.
Plus for light use, Pro for most people, Ultra for full gigabit.
5× speed · 10× bandwidth · 2 IPs — only $2/mo more
PIA's help center says port forwarding is not available on US server locations, and its connection scripts say it is disabled server-side in the United States. To get a forwarded port on PIA you connect to a server outside the US. GetAStatic IPs are in Kansas City & San Jose, USA, and every plan can open inbound ports. Checked 2026-10-06.
Not in the US. PIA's own connection script reports no port forwarding for US dedicated IPs. Outside the US a dedicated IP can request a port, but PIA still assigns the number. A dedicated IP fixes the address, not which ports reach you.
Yes. You pick the number and TCP or UDP when you open it in the dashboard, as single ports or ranges; a range counts as its size. Use the app's default, such as 25565 for Minecraft Java or 22 for SSH, so nothing has to be reconfigured. Plus opens up to 5; Pro and Ultra have no limit.
Yes. It is a standard WireGuard config, so it runs on OpenWrt, pfSense, OPNsense, MikroTik and GL.iNet routers as well as Windows, macOS, Linux, phones and Docker. See a game server behind CGNAT.
Have more questions? See the full FAQ →