NordVPN vs Private Internet Access PIA

When it all boils down to the best VPN provider, NordVPN and Private Internet Access rise as the creams of the crop. Both of these VPN providers have excellent features but at the end of this article, only one will come off as the ultimate winner.

Today, we will compare NordVPN and Private Internet Access head to head and determine which is better in terms of ease of use, speed, streaming and torrenting, security and privacy, support, and pricing.

I won’t waste your time with unnecessary information and you can guarantee that this is a reliable list as I have personally tried both VPNs by subscribing to their paid plans. This way, I’m able to fully test them both out and provide you with the most comprehensive comparison and save you time from having to do it yourself. 

I will leave a special discounted link in the description below where you can get the cheapest NordVPN and Private Internet Access plan for you when you’re ready to proceed.

Let’s get started.

1. Setup & Feature – PIA

Right now, I’m  logged in the Windows app of both VPNs but you can still download these VPNs to other devices like Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, routers, Kindle Fire, or add their extension to your browser.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the interface of NordVPN and PIA app. In both VPNs, you can instantly connect to the fastest server based on your location using their quick connect feature. However, PIA has a simpler layout than NordVPN which I personally prefer as it adds to the ease of use. 

PIA has servers in 77 countries, which is more than NordVPN’s 59 countries, but when it comes to the number of servers, PIA has more servers than NordVPN. Actually, PIA has the most number of servers out of all VPN providers out there with over 24,000 servers while NordVPN only has more than 5,000 servers.

If you want to test these servers first, you’re not in the good position with both NordVPN and PIA as these two don’t offer a free trial.

When it comes to devices, here is where PIA claims an edge again over NordVPN. While NordVPN allows you to use six devices simultaneously, you can use up to 10 devices at the same time with PIA which makes it more suitable if you have many devices.

NordVPN and PIA have their own unique features and both of them are user-friendly but the point goes to PIA here because it allows you to use more devices simultaneously than NordVPN and it also has more servers where you can choose from.

2. Speed – NordVPN

Now, we’re off to determine which one is faster in the race. I’ll record my original speed first without connecting to any of our top VPNs. The Ookla tool recorded my speed of 20 megabits per second.

For this demo, we’ll connect to three countries using each VPN and find out the percentage reduction of speed. Up first in the U.S. server, NordVPN recorded a speed of 25.85 mbps while  PIA got a speed of 13 mbps. In the United Kingdom, NordVPN beats PIA again with speed of 25.79 mbps versus 14.8 mbps. And lastly in Canada, NordVPN wins again  as it recorded 25.89mbps while PIA recorded a speed of 18 mbps. 

Both VPNs here have an average percentage reduction of lower than 11 percent which is impressive but since NordVPN snatched three straight wins over PIA, the point in this category clearly goes to NordVPN.

3. Streaming & Torrenting – NordVPN

Now, we’re off to determine which one is faster in the race. I’ll record my original speed first without connecting to any of our top VPNs. The Ookla tool recorded my speed of 20 megabits per second.

For this demo, we’ll connect to three countries using each VPN and find out the percentage reduction of speed. Up first in the U.S. server, NordVPN recorded a speed of 25.85 mbps while  PIA got a speed of 13 mbps. In the United Kingdom, NordVPN beats PIA again with speed of 25.79 mbps versus 14.8 mbps. And lastly in Canada, NordVPN wins again  as it recorded 25.89mbps while PIA recorded a speed of 18 mbps. 

Both VPNs here have an average percentage reduction of lower than 11 percent which is impressive but since NordVPN snatched three straight wins over PIA, the point in this category clearly goes to NordVPN.

4. Jurisdiction, Security, & Privacy – NordVPN

NordVPN started in 2012 under the jurisdiction of the British Virgin Islands, which is not a member of the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes alliances. This simply means that they are located in a country that does not have mandatory laws for data retention. PIA, on the other hand, is based in the United States which is a part of the Five Eyes Alliance. This means they can collect, analyze, and share intelligence among other signing countries like the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. 

The good thing is both VPNs have been audited to be adhering to the strict no logs policy where they don’t keep records of any of their users’ personal information, credentials, and online activities.

NordVPN has confirmed in 2018 that one of their servers in Finland has been accessed by a hacker. But thanks to the no logs policy, no user has been compromised. Also, PIA had its rocky road moments including a history of IP leak vulnerability in November 2015. The problem got resolved in ten days, where PIA released a new version of all their apps. That’s a long time ago but just to make sure, I highly suggest always downloading their most updated app.

Still, NordVPN and PIA are both on top of the game when it comes to the type of data encryption they use which is a 256-bit encryption, the standard and currently the longest encryption advised by government and banks for website security. Although with PIA, you still have to switch it manually since it uses a 128-bit data encryption by default.

Both VPNs also have the kill switch feature that automatically pauses all Internet activities to protect your identity if the VPN connection drops for some reason.

They also offer a set of protocols including WireGuard which is currently the best VPN protocol for faster speed, security, and privacy. 

NordVPN and PIA also have a split tunneling feature where you can choose which apps in your device will use or bypass the VPN connection. Unfortunately, 

NordVPN has its unique ad blocker called CyberSec. It also offers Double VPN and Dedicated IP as a paid add-on which are two important features that PIA doesn’t have in its bag.

Still, NordVPN gets the point in this category since it has more unique features plus security and privacy innovations that could possibly change the game for VPNs in the coming years.

5. Support – NordVPN

NordVPN and PIA both do not have phone support but they have 24-7 email and live chat support which I have dealt with multiple times. Both VPNs have well-trained agents who never fail to answer and provide references to my questions and I applaud them for that. 

However, PIA has a user-friendly live chat channel as you get connected right away to a person after your first message. They are fast, in fact, the average response time is only two to five minutes to reply.

NordVPN, on the other hand, has a rigorous and systematic live chat channel where you have to interact with a robot first who will only provide you sources before you can have the option to connect to a live agent. But once you get connected to a live agent, the transaction will already be fast with response time only ranging from a minute or two.

When it comes to my experiences with their email team, NordVPN always responds to my email ticket in 14 hours while with PIA, I got a very detailed response with references on it after roughly 24 hours.

So based on the ease of use of the support channels which is significant in urgent inquiries, NordVPN bags the point in this category.

6. Price – PIA

In terms of pricing, NordVPN and PIA have plans that are more subjected to changes because of discounts and promotional offers. Both VPNs offer a one month subscription for $11.95. If you prefer a longer plan, NordVPN offers a 58 percent discount on their one-year plan for $59, where the monthly price has been heavily reduced to only $4.92. But here’s the real deal, PIA also offers a one-year subscription but for a much cheaper price of only $39.95.

Technically, their monthly fee has now been reduced to only $3.33 per month. If you want a three-year plan instead, you will only have to pay $79. Now, this really decreased the monthly price even further to just $2.19 per month.

Both VPNs offer a 30-day money back guarantee and a cryptocurrency method of payment aside from credit cards and Paypal if you want to be more anonymous.

In this category, I declare PIA as the winner as it offers the most discounted prices in the VPN market, making it a great alternative next to NordVPN if you are on a tight budget.

Final Verdict: NordVPN wins

Over the years, NordVPN and PIA have proven themselves to be the royalties of all VPN providers. As a summary, NordVPN got four category wins which include the Speed, Streaming and Torrenting, Jurisdiction, Security and Privacy, and Support and Reliability. On the other hand, PIA has the crown if we’re going to talk about Setup & Features and Price.

It was a close fight but overall, NordVPN has the slight advantage over PIA. It might be a bit pricey but every penny that comes out of your wallet is absolutely worth it with its excellent and top-tier features.

If you’re ready to try NordVPN or Private Internet Access, you can click on the link below to get your chosen plan with massive discounts. For a demo on how to set up and use NordVPN or PIA, you can watch these next tutorials. I’ll see you over on that next article!