Private Internet Access is a favorite third-party VPN for many users, but its biggest drawback was that the user interface was too utilitarian. That changed recently with an overhaul of PIA’s. Feb 28, 2019 - Private Internet Access offers a robust VPN service at an unbeatable price, and with an excellent new app interface. In terms of value, it cannot.
Comparison Between: |
PureVPN & PIA |
Best Alternatives: |
ExpressVPN.com |
NordVPN.com |
PureVPN and Private Internet Access are both large VPN providers – but is either one a good choice?
This in-depth PureVPN vs PIA comparison will reveal a clear winner between the two, while also suggesting some alternative VPNs that performed much better in my testing.
PureVPN Overview
VPN | PureVPN |
Based in | Hong Kong |
Logs | Connection logs |
Price | $2.95/mo. |
Support | Chat & Email |
Refund | 30 days |
Website | PureVPN.com |
PureVPN is run by a company named Gaditek, which is based in Karachi, Pakistan, although the VPN is officially under Hong Kong jurisdiction.
While PureVPN looks good on the surface, testing and analysis for the PureVPN review uncovered a number of problems. These problems included data leaks, slow speeds, broken features, and connection problems. Here is a brief overview of the pros and cons:
– Cons
- Persistent connection problems
- DNS leaks
- Inconsistent speeds (slow)
- Clunky apps
- Logs user data and provides to FBI (despite the “no logs” policy)
- Bad reputation and track record
ALERT: PureVPN was found to be cooperating with the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) – logging user data and handing it over to authorities. They later confirmed this to be true after various outlets picked up the story – see my article VPNs Are Lying About Logs.
Private Internet Access Overview
VPN | PIA |
Based in | USA |
Logs | No logs |
Price | $3.49/mo. |
Support | |
Refund | 7 days |
Website | PrivateInternetAccess.com |
Private Internet Access is run by a company named London Trust Media, which is based in the United States – despite the name.
Private Internet Access performed better in testing for the Private Internet Access review. PIA offers a very basic application without many features. However, there are still some noteworthy drawbacks.
One major drawback with Private Internet Access is that it is based in the United States. This is generally considered to be a bad privacy jurisdiction because it is part of the Five Eyes alliance.
+ Pros
- Good speeds
- Secure apps (no leaks)
- Good privacy and security features (ad blocking)
- Tested and proven no logs VPN provider
- Great prices
– Cons
- Based in the US (Five Eyes)
- Does not work with Netflix or other streaming services
Performance: PureVPN vs PIA
My testing found PureVPN to be pretty unreliable, which is thoroughly documented in my review of PureVPN. Here are some of the problems I discovered:
- Could not connect to many of their VPN servers
- Dropped connections
- Unreliable speeds (sometimes OK, but usually very slow)
- IP address leaks and DNS leaks
These problems with reliability also match up with feedback I have gotten from other PureVPN users.
Private Internet Access in general does much better in the performance category.
Speeds were decent, although not great, and reliability was also good. Granted, PIA has room for improvement when it comes to performance, but it is still a decent choice for this category.
Performance: Private Internet Access
Server Network: PureVPN vs PIA
PureVPN works hard to emphasize their large server network, but it suffers from various connection problems, which I observed when testing for the review. I suspect this may be due to their overloaded servers – but there’s no way to know for sure, because they don’t provide a server status page with real-time bandwidth.
Furthermore, there is very little information about the quality of the servers – another concerning factor. Often times VPNs will use cheap virtual servers instead of dedicated premium servers. Virtual servers are usually logged by the server host, so this creates privacy concerns.
Private Internet Access has a smaller server network with fewer locations than PureVPN. The majority of PIA’s servers are located in the United States. While they don’t have as many servers as PureVPN, I found their server network to be far more reliable and fast.
Unfortunately with PIA, it’s also difficult to find any details on the quality of the servers they use.
Server Network: Private Internet Access
Price: PureVPN vs PIA
PureVPN offers three pricing tiers:
PureVPN refund policy – PureVPN provides a 7 day money-back guarantee, but they will deny your refund if you use more than 3 GB of data or 100 sessions.
While the pricing is certainly cheap, the main thing to consider when looking at price is value. In other words, how high is the quality of the VPN in relation to the price?
With PureVPN, the quality seems to be low and the price is also low. No surprises here.
Private Internet Access also has three pricing tiers, with the two-year deal being the best option.
While PIA is slightly more expensive than PureVPN, it does provide more value (in my opinion).
Note: If you’re looking for VPN deals, you can also check out the VPN coupons page. One of the best deals right now is with the NordVPN coupon, which drops prices down to only $3.49 per month with the three-year plan. NordVPN is currently one of the top-ranked VPNs here on Restore Privacy.
Another good option, although somewhat more expensive is ExpressVPN. You can also 49% and get three months free with the ExpressVPN discount coupon when you sign up for the yearly plan.
Price: PureVPN is cheaper, but Private Internet Access provides more value.
Features: PureVPN vs PIA
PureVPN makes a lot of big claims regarding their features, especially their privacy and security features. But testing revealed many of their “features” don’t even work. Below is an example. Look at the “features” that are enabled in the PureVPN client on the right, and then look at the results on the left.
Here are some of the testing results for PureVPN’s privacy and security features:
- My real IPv4 address was leaking out of the VPN connection (not hidden)
- My real IPv6 address was leaking out of the VPN connection (not hidden)
- My DNS requests were leaking out of the VPN connection (DNS not protected)
- My connection was neither secure nor private
PureVPN’s other features also did not seem to work properly, namely the kill switch and the split tunneling features.
Private Internet Access is very basic with minimal features, but the features seem to work quite well. Their main features/settings are an an ad-blocker called PIA MACE, a kill switch, and IPv6 leak protection.
Below you can see both the kill switch and PIA MACE features:
In comparison to PureVPN, PIA comes out on top in the features category.
Features: Private Internet Access
Privacy and Security: PureVPN vs PIA
PureVPN has a number of privacy and security problems. These are the issues that were identified through testing in the review:
- Constant IPv6 leaks
- IPv4 leaks
- DNS leaks
- Connection issues with many servers
The results speak for themselves.
Private Internet Access did better in terms of privacy and security.
Here I’m testing the PIA Windows client for leaks (no leaks were found):
However, the major drawback with PIA in terms of privacy is the jurisdiction. Being based in the United States poses risks to customer data and privacy.
Privacy and Security: PIA again comes out on top, but it’s still based in the US (drawback).
Does PIA or PureVPN work with Netflix?
Unfortunately, neither PureVPN nor PIA is a good choice for Netflix.
PureVPN has constant connection issues and slow speeds. Even if you found a PureVPN server that would unblock Netflix, the performance issues would still be problematic for streaming.
Private Internet Access has better performance, but when the last time I tested it with Netflix I found it to be getting blocked.
Therefore neither of these options are recommended if you need a good VPN that unblocks Netflix. There are better options available.
Conclusion: PIA wins (but there are better alternatives)
Private Internet Access is the winner in this PureVPN vs Private Internet Access comparison.
To learn more about Private Internet Access, you can check out my review of PIA.
You can also get more information on the Private Internet Access website >>
If you’re open to alternatives, there are certainly some better options on the market that performed better in testing. The top recommendation currently for VPNs right now is ExpressVPN.
For a full description and comparison of the top VPN recommendations, see my report on the best VPN services.
Other comparisons: For an in-depth comparison of the two most popular VPNs on the market today, see the ExpressVPN vs NordVPN comparison report.
Stay safe!
Comparison Between: |
NordVPN & PIA |
Overall Winner: |
NordVPN.com |
(75% discount coupon) |
NordVPN and Private Internet Access (PIA) are both huge names in the VPN industry – and choosing between these providers can be challenging.
To help with this decision, I put both VPN services through extensive testing and analysis for this NordVPN vs Private Internet Access comparison report, which revealed a clear winner. NordVPN came out on top in six categories, PIA was the winner in three categories, and three categories were tied.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this Private Internet Access vs NordVPN comparison:
- Speed – Numerous servers tested in Europe and North America
- Reliability – Testing the VPN apps on different operating systems
- Features – Checking to see if all of the features work correctly
- Connections – How many connections come with a subscription?
- Security – Do any of the apps leak IP addresses or DNS requests?
- Logging Policies – What is the logging policy?
- Jurisdiction – Where is the VPN located and how does this affect data security?
- Torrenting – Which VPN is best for torrenting?
- Netflix & Streaming – Which VPN is best for Netflix and other streaming services?
- Price – Which VPN offers the lowest prices?
- Payments & Refunds – Payment options and refund policies
- Value – Which VPN offers the best value for your money?
Overall Winner: NordVPN
1. Speed test: NordVPN vs Private Internet Access
Both NordVPN and Private Internet Access had good speed test results in their respective reviews.
First we’ll look at NordVPN:
With nearby servers in my general location (Europe), NordVPN performed very well. All speed test results with European servers provided me between 90 Mbps and 105 Mbps download speed.
Here was a NordVPN server in the UK with 95 Mbps download speed:
NordVPN is a great VPN for the UK with consistently fast speeds for this region.
Here is another nearby NordVPN server test in Germany, again with excellent results at nearly 105 Mbps download speeds:
One drawback with NordVPN is that speed tests with servers in the United States and Canada were not as consistently fast. You can see this in my review of NordVPN, where US server speeds could range from about 4 Mbps to 70 Mbps.
Now let’s take a look at speeds with Private Internet Access and compare these to NordVPN:
PIA did not offer speeds as fast as NordVPN with nearby servers in Europe. You can see this in my review of Private Internet Access, and also below.
Here is a speed test with a nearby PIA server Sweden, providing about 74 Mbps:
With Private Internet Access, all of my speed tests in Europe were slower than NordVPN, with a speed range between 65 and 85 Mbps. While these are certainly decent speeds, they were a bit slower than NordVPN.
On a positive note, however, PIA was found to provide better speeds for servers in the US.
Here was a speed test with a PIA server in New York:
All speed tests with PIA servers in the US and Canada were between 55 and 67 Mbps. Again, these speeds are not amazing, but they were consistently good. NordVPN, on the other hand, had variable speeds with servers I tested in the US – sometimes great, sometimes mediocre.
Winner for speed: Tie
2. Reliability: NordVPN vs Private Internet Access
Both NordVPN and Private Internet Access offer pretty good reliability, but the winner in this category is PIA.
As we covered above, NordVPN does have some variability in their server network speeds. Some connections are very fast and stable, but some of the servers I tested in the US could be variable. In other words, the speeds were not as reliable as with PIA.
In contrast to NordVPN, Private Internet Access had very good reliability. Connections were quick to establish and the speeds were pretty consistent, although certainly not the fastest I’ve tested. In the end, Private Internet Access came out on top in the reliability category. (And if you want the best option for both speeds and reliability, check out my review of ExpressVPN.)
Reliability winner: Private Internet Access
3. Features: NordVPN vs PIA
While both NordVPN and Private Internet Access offer various features, there was a clear winner in this category, and that was NordVPN.
First we’ll look at Private Internet Access. PIA offers a good lineup of basic features to include:
- Basic leak protection settings
- Different encryption settings
- An ad blocker called PIA MACE
Overall I would describe Private Internet Access as a good minimal VPN. It doesn’t do anything spectacular, especially in the features category, but it is consistent and reliable.
In contrast to PIA, NordVPN offers numerous privacy and security features for different types of users:
- Double-VPN servers (your traffic is encrypted twice over two different VPN servers)
- Tor-over-VPN servers (your traffic is encrypted via the VPN, then encrypted over the Tor network)
- Leak protection settings and a kill switch for both applications and traffic (via the firewall)
- CyberSec feature to block domains for ads, tracking, and malware
- Obfuscated servers to hide VPN traffic as regular HTTPS encryption (useful if you need a reliable VPN for China or anywhere else that VPNs are blocked)
- Full access to Netflix and other streaming services (when PIA was blocked; discussed more below)
Here’s a look at NordVPN’s fully-featured Windows app and the CyberSec feature:
The clear winner in the features category is NordVPN.
Features winner: NordVPN
4. Connections: NordVPN vs PIA
Does NordVPN or Private Internet Access give you the most connections with your subscription?
The answer is Private Internet Access. In March 2019, PIA decided to increase prices on all subscription plans while also increasing the number of connections. As explained on the PIA website:
This price increase will allow us the ability to provide you with new features without sacrificing security or privacy. Visible changes include the new look of our Desktop application as well as the increase of our device limit from 5 to 10.
In terms of connection policies, this is very good. IPVanish also offers 10 connections, which is above the industry average of five.
NordVPN offers six connections with every subscription, which they explain on their website:
With a single NordVPN account, you can connect up to 6 devices simultaneously without compromising your online security and privacy of one device for another.
The new winner for this category is Private Internet Access, with the new and increased the connection limit.
Connections winner: Private Internet Access
5. Security: NordVPN vs PIA
Both NordVPN and Private Internet Access offer secure applications that you can trust to encrypt your data. I did not find any IP address leaks or DNS leaks with either of these two providers. With that being said, the winner for this category is NordVPN because it offers a higher level of security.
As we covered above, NordVPN offers some great security features, to include double-VPN servers and Tor-over-VPN servers. Both of these provide you with a higher level of security with your data being double-encrypted. Additionally, NordVPN also offers two different types of kill switches:
- App-level kill switch (closes any app if the VPN connection drops)
- Internet kill switch (blocks all internet traffic if the VPN connection drops)
Private Internet Access also offers a good kill switch and leak protection features, but it does not offer any double-encryption options like NordVPN. Therefore the winner for the security category is NordVPN.
Security winner: NordVPN
6. Logging policies: NordVPN vs PIA
In terms of logging policies, both NordVPN and PIA are good options. NordVPN and Private Internet Access have had their logging policies verified with real-world tests.
Private Internet Access was proven to be a no logs VPN provider on two separate occasions:
- In 2016, PIA was subpoenaed to provide data logs for a criminal case, but they went on record claiming they do not have data logs and could only provide the IP addresses of their servers (but no customer data).
- A similar case happened in June 2018, when PIA’s “no logs” policies were again tested and verified with a criminal case in court.
NordVPN has had its privacy policy tested and verified via a formal third-party audit. I examined the audit and it indeed verifies that NordVPN’s “no logs” claims are true and accurate. This case is further discussed in my review of NordVPN, as well as my discussion of verified no logs VPN services.
Logging policy winner: Tie
7. Jurisdiction: Private Internet Access vs NordVPN
NordVPN has a better jurisdiction than PIA because it is based in Panama. Furthermore, it has a “no logs” policy and seems to do well with customer privacy with a variety of great features.
Private Internet Access is based in the United States. The United States is generally considered to be a bad privacy jurisdiction due to mass surveillance practices, data collection, and cooperation between other surveillance states. That being said, PIA does not carry out any logging – as they claim on their website – therefore the jurisdiction issue may be less concerning.
If you are concerned about the jurisdiction your VPN service falls under, NordVPN would be the better choice in this case (see also the Five Eyes surveillance article for more info).
Jurisdiction winner: NordVPN
8. Torrenting: Private Internet Access vs NordVPN
Both PIA and NordVPN are good options for torrenting.
There is one small factor that makes a difference, however, and that is port forwarding, which is offered by PIA (but not NordVPN).
As Private Internet Access describes on their website, port forwarding may help users to optimize their torrenting speeds. To enable port forwarding within the PIA client, simply activate it from the settings, and then connect to one of the servers that supports port forwarding (not every PIA server works with this feature).
Here is the port forwarding feature on the PIA Mac OS client (also available in the Windows and Android clients):
For additional information about torrenting VPNs, see my discussion on the best VPN for torrenting.
Torrenting winner: Private Internet Access
9. Netflix and streaming: PIA vs NordVPN
In terms of streaming Netflix through your VPN, NordVPN is definitely a better option than Private Internet Access.
![Pia Pia](https://images.idgesg.net/images/article/2019/02/pialogo-100789753-large.jpg)
When I tried to stream Netflix through various Private Internet Access servers, I kept getting the infamous proxy error message. PIA was getting blocked by Netflix:
Although streaming Netflix through a VPN is often hit-or-miss with most VPNs, there are a few VPN services that consistently work with Netflix. This is because some VPNs invest resources into acquiring (and maintaining) IP addresses that work with Netflix.
NordVPN is a great choice if you want to stream Netflix.
Here I’m using NordVPN to stream an episode of House of Cards with a NordVPN server in New York:
Additionally, NordVPN also works well for many different Netflix regions around the world, as well as with other streaming services. NordVPN is the clear winner in the streaming category.
Of course, there are a handful of VPNs that unblock Netflix, but NordVPN is the winner in this category.
Netflix and streaming winner: NordVPN
10. Price: PIA vs NordVPN
Both NordVPN and PIA are cheap VPN services with low prices.
As we noted above, however, Private Internet Access recently increased prices, which they justified by offering 10 connections per subscription and improving their VPN apps. Here are the current prices of PIA:
Before the price increase, PIA was the cheaper option with the lowest monthly subscription cost.
NordVPN, however, now has the same price as PIA. The 70% NordVPN discount reduces the prices as follows:
The one drawback here is that you have to commit to a three-year subscription in order to lock in the cheap rate of $3.49 per month. The same holds true for PIA, which restricts the biggest discount to their two-year plan. (There are also other NordVPN discounts to consider with different prices and subscription lengths.)
Price winner: TIE
11. Payments and refunds: PIA vs NordVPN
With the payments and refunds category, there is a tie. Here’s why:
- PIA offers more payment options, but
- NordVPN offers the best refund window
In terms of payment options, Private Internet Access definitely comes out on top. PIA provides many different anonymous payment options, including a variety of cryptocurrencies as well as gift card payments, which can be purchased anonymously with cash.
Here are the Private Internet Access payment options:
With NordVPN, you do not have the option to pay with PayPal or some of the other cryptocurrencies (aside from Bitcoin).
However, in terms of refunds, NordVPN is the clear winner with the 30 day money-back guarantee. This is explained on the NordVPN website. The 30 day refund window applies to all NordVPN subscription plans, including the one-month plans.
With Private Internet Access, you only get a 7 day refund window with your subscription. For some people, this may not be enough time to really test out the service to see if it meets your needs.
Therefore NordVPN is the clear winner in the refund category, with PIA coming out on top with payment options.
Payments and refunds winner: Tie
12. Value: PIA vs NordVPN
Value is a very subjective determination that is hard to measure. Essentially, the question is: Which VPN service offers the best value for your money?
I would argue that NordVPN is the better value. First, it is cheaper than PIA and it also has more features:
- Advanced privacy and security features (Double-VPN servers and Tor-over-VPN servers)
- Much larger server network than PIA
- Two types of kill switches
- 24/7 live chat support (PIA only offers ticket support)
The support category is definitely noteworthy. PIA does not offer any live chat support and their email support has been pretty slow in previous reviews. With NordVPN, you get 24/7 live chat support directly through their website.
Another big factor that differentiates these two companies is jurisdiction. Being based in the United States (five eyes) is a major drawback for PIA. If US authorities were to force PIA to log or disclose customer data (such as the case with Lavabit), PIA would not be able to disclose this information to their customers due to gag orders. PIA also does not provide a warrant canary, which would alert PIA customers to potential breaches of data and/or government interference in the business.
At the end of the day, both Private Internet Access and NordVPN are good VPN providers, but NordVPN is the clear winner in this PIA vs NordVPN comparison.
Whichever VPN you decide to use, be sure to get the best deals with these discounts: