Private Internet Access vs. NordVPN

NordVPN and Private Internet Access sit among our top three VPNs, and it’s easy to see why. Both have an impressive server network, enforce strict no-log policies, and encrypt data using AES 256-bit, which is considered the gold standard in encryption. But which VPN should you choose?

We had to dig deep and get hands-on with NordVPN and Private Internet Access to find out which VPN is better. After three months of testing, we declared NordVPN the winner due to its consistent speeds and larger server network. We also like that NordVPN’s headquarters are out of reach from Five Eyes members. Don’t worry, we’ll explain what that means later. For now, let’s take a look at some similarities and differences between NordVPN and Private Internet Access.

Private Internet Access and NordVPN: Similarities and Differences

We’re about to get down and dirty with both of these VPNs, so here’s a chart that we put together for you for a quick snapshot of what we’ll be looking at today.

Similarities

First, let’s take a look at what the two VPNs have in common.

• Torrenting: Sending large files is much easier if you use torrents and transfer them on P2P servers. NordVPN and Private Internet Access accommodate that by providing access to specific servers optimized for P2P sharing.
• Kill switches: Regardless of what VPN we were on, we were protected by kill switches. A kill switch is always a good thing to have in our back pockets because it essentially kicks in on the off chance that our VPN connection fails. This would be especially bad if we were on a public WiFi network.1 In that case, the kill switch would close out of all our activities so that our personal business is never exposed, not even for a split second.
• Split tunneling: NordVPN and PIA VPN let us route some of our apps via the VPN and the rest through our normal connection. Why is this helpful? Maybe you need to keep your existing IP address to log into work apps, but you want to stream something from the U.K. Netflix catalog while you’re pretending to pay attention in a meeting. Split tunneling makes this possible.
• Multi-hop encryption: What’s safer than connecting to one VPN server? Connecting to two. NordVPN and Private Internet Access can double down and run your connection through two different servers in multiple locations. But be warned, it can significantly decrease your network speeds, so use this feature only for activities that need absolute privacy. Remember, even a normal VPN connection provides enough privacy to keep you anonymous online.
• Customer service: Both services offered 24/7 live chats that were speedy in answering our questions about the companies’ logging policies. They both also had a thorough database of past user questions that we could easily search to find information and solutions.

Differences

And now, onto the more interesting part. Below, we’ve laid out the key differences among these two formidable VPN foes.

• Number of servers and countries operated In: Private Internet Access has over 10,000 servers across 91 countries, while NordVPN has 6,800 servers spanning 111 countries. While Private Internet Access has an edge here, NordVPN’s expansive global presence is nothing to sneeze at. It offers the most server locations of all the VPNs we’ve tested.

• Number of devices connected: While NordVPN allowed us to connect 10 of our devices at the same time, Private Internet Access doesn’t have a limit. It might not seem like a big deal, but if you want to protect everyone in your family, you might need a lot of simultaneous connections to the VPN. That said, for most people, 10 devices is more than enough.

• Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes Membership: These are surveillance alliances that countries can participate in. If a country is involved, it’s possible that the government can force the VPN company to surrender user data, and that’s a big no-no for us. NordVPN is based in Panama, so we’re in the clear there, but Private Internet Access is based in the U.S., meaning that they fall under these agreements.
• Speed: While VPNs impact speed, we never want that impact to be too significant, so we test each service out to see exactly what the tradeoffs are. You can see the full results of our speed tests in our NordVPN review and our Private Internet Access review.

NordVPN was more consistent across the board. While there was only a difference of one percent in the download speeds, we didn’t notice. But we could tell our upload speeds were impacted with PIA when we attempted to upload a video to our YouTube channel.

• Information logged: While both companies boast a no-logging policy, NordVPN does log some information, for example, our names, usernames, email addresses, and payment information. While that’s pretty standard across VPN companies, NordVPN also kept track of our device model, browser type, days connected to the VPN, and what country we’re in. Private Internet Access did not keep track of any information pertaining to our browsing activity, but they did collect personal information such as our name, mailing address, ages and email addresses. Additionally, the company’s privacy policy states that they also tracked our IP address, files accessed, browser type, referring URL and access time when using the site. We’ll chalk that up as another win for Private Internet Access, but since both services log some data beyond just name and payment information, it’s not a huge victory.

When it comes to the bottom line, Private Internet Access is the more affordable option. And, just in case we wanted to take Private Internet Access for a test drive, they offered us a two-month free trial, giving it a sure competitive edge over NordVPN. We’ve got additional details on payment methods on our Private Internet Access cost page.

NordVPN did offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, we would need to incur a charge on our cards and then request a refund to get our money back. We’d prefer to try the service without giving them payment information, but were assured that if we wanted a refund, there would be no questions asked.

Additionally, NordVPN offered a 15 percent student discount when opting for their three-year plan. All we’d have to do is prove our student status through Student Beans, Youth Discount, or Descuento Estudiante, and we’d unlock even more cost-savings. While unfortunately, our glory days are behind us, we love helping out those broke college students in whatever small way we can.

The Bottom Line

After going through all the details, it was certainly a tough call, however, we believe that ultimately, NordVPN has the edge over Private Internet Access. Both companies offer secure access to the Internet, where our browsing activity would be encrypted and protected; however, there are a couple of considerations that made NordVPN a more attractive option, like their exclusion from Five Eyes, Nine Eyes and 14 Eyes surveillance jurisdiction. Plus NordVPN had more consistent speeds, particularly when it came to uploading files.

Private Internet Access had a leg up due to their randomized IP addresses, wider global reach, and the ability to connect more devices simultaneously. If you’re more cost-minded, they’re also the cheaper option, but not by much. We recommend spending the extra couple of dollars for NordVPN.

If neither of these VPNs speaks to you, have no fear. We’ve got a ton of other resources to help you get closer to making your decision, and would recommend you start by checking out the overall best VPNs. If you’re looking for something a bit more specific, we also put together our recommendations for the best VPNs for the Fire TV Stick and the best VPNs for Windows. Finding a VPN is a big task, so be patient, and we’re confident that you’ll find the perfect fit for what you’re looking for.