Private Internet Access Vs. Surfshark

When comparing services against each other, sometimes the little things make the biggest difference.

For example, Netflix has a “Skip Intro” button. Prime Video doesn’t, and it forces you to decide whether to sit through five minutes of credits or struggle to slide the dot on the play bar with your Apple TV remote to right where the episode starts. So, if you decide to cancel a subscription, this little feature plays a part in your decision. Want to browse libraries from other regions on your Apple TV? Check out our roundup of the best VPNs for Apple TVs.

On paper, Private Internet Access (PIA) and Surfshark are excellent VPNs. They have thousands of servers, similar security encryptions and protocols, and there’s no significant difference in price.

But, during our hands-on tests, we found it’s the little things that make Surfshark the better choice for protecting your devices.

Here’s what sets it apart.

Head-to-Head

About Private Internet Access

Since 2010, Private Internet Access has been protecting people’s privacy. It was acquired by Kape Technologies in 2019, the same company behind ExpressVPN. Take a look at our review of ExpressVPN to see what else this company is capable of.

During this acquisition, Private Internet Access became an American company. While you may feel more comfortable supporting a homegrown business, it’s a bit concerning that the U.S. is a member of the Nine and 14 Eyes international alliances, meaning it has the authority to share customer data with other countries.

Fortunately, Private Internet Access clearly states it has a no-log policy. The company even had Deloitte Romania conduct an audit in 2022 to ensure no activity is stored on its servers.1

>> Read About: Private Internet Access Review

About Surfshark

Meanwhile, Surfshark is based in the Netherlands, another member of the 14 Eyes Alliance. It also has a no-log policy, but it stores user IDs and IP addresses for up to 15 minutes after disconnection.

Surfshark has been audited by cybersecurity firm Cure53.2 It confirmed the company followed proper procedure, and that user IDs and IP addresses were deleted within 15 minutes.

>> Check Out: Surfshark VPN Review

Comparing the Costs

If you’re anything like us, the first place you visit on a VPN website is the pricing page.

Paying ahead does cut costs for PIA and Surfshark. A 12-month plan with Private Internet Access works out to be $3.33 per month, whereas with Surfshark Starter, it’s $2.79. While 54 cents doesn’t sound like much, over a year, it’s $6.48, which could get you that second tall Blonde Roast from Starbucks when you have a case of the Mondays.

Private Internet Access

All three PIA plans include unlimited connections, no data limits, and an email-breach monitor. You can even bundle their antivirus software and a dedicated IP if you use a VPN for sensitive services like e-banking or internal work websites (or you can opt for one of our favorite antivirus softwares).

PIA accepts all major credit cards and PayPal. But you can also pay with cryptocurrency to stay more anonymous online.

Surfshark

The more you pay with Surfshark, the more services you get access to. The Starter plan is ideal if you just want a VPN. But Surfshark One and Surfshark One+ provide all the digital security tools you need to stay safe online, which will save you money over buying these tools separately.

You can cruise through the checkout and pay via credit card or PayPal. Surfshark also accepts Sofot, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, and cryptocurrency.

>> Learn More: Is PayPal Safe? What You Need to Know

Verdict on Plans and Pricing: Surfshark offers more value for money, particularly with its premium plans. You can opt to pay month-to-month, but you’ll save more if you pay for 12 or 24 months upfront. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind.

Examining the Features

Verdict on Features: Despite having fewer servers, Surfshark is the winner. It has an extra server in the U.K., which is our preferred overseas option. Plus, there are more countries to connect to, which means additional Netflix catalogs to check out. That’s why it’s one of our favorite VPNs for Netflix. But one of the best features comes from PIA. It sorts servers by latency, which is perfect if you want to access the fastest connection easily or are using a VPN for gaming and don’t want to risk any lag. That’s why it’s on our list of the best VPNs for gaming.

Which One Is Faster?

No one wants a VPN that slashes network speeds to the point their device is unusable. That’s why we conduct speed tests on all of the top VPNs. Thankfully, PIA and Surfshark didn’t significantly reduce speeds, but there were clear differences between them. We tested PIA and Surfshark from our offices in Brooklyn on a MacBook, PC, and Android phone to see the impact on our speeds.

Verdict on Speed: We connected to a U.K. server on each device, and Surfshark was the clear winner. While PIA still produced solid speeds, they weren’t as close to the baseline as Surfshark. However, PIA was much faster to connect to a server. It was up and running within seconds, whereas Surfshark took between 20 and 30 seconds to make a connection.

Are They Leaking?

Every VPN claims your privacy is protected when you use their service. But is it really? We always recommend testing your VPN to see if it’s working. That involves a leak test to see if your details are actually hidden. We normally use DoILeak or dnsleaktest.com.

Private Internet Access

Using the same U.K. server from the speed test, PIA proved they provide private internet access. Our address, DNS, and location remained hidden.

Surfshark

DoILeak detected our original DNS and tracked our location. The IP address was hidden. However, dnsleaktest.com displayed the U.K. server we connected to, even after performing the Extended Test.

Verdict on Privacy: Private Internet Access takes this category. The only extra step we recommend is activating AES-256-bit encryption in the VPN protocol settings. The default is AES-128-bit encryption, which is still secure, but AES-256 is more resistant to attacks.

Accessing Entertainment

While we were connected to servers across the pond, we took a minute to check out some of the movies and TV shows available on their streaming services. In addition to Netflix U.K., which has one of the largest catalogs in the world, you can also access the country’s popular entertainment providers, BBC iPlayer and Channel 4.

We even checked whether the servers let us download torrents and access global gaming servers.

Streaming Movies and TV Shows

The U.K. Netflix catalog has plenty of titles that are unavailable on the U.S. service. We got pretty excited when we saw every season of “Archer” was available. Both PIA and Surfshark let us binge our favorite season, “Archer Vice.” We enjoyed every second of the rampage in 4K.

Both VPNs also let us access BBC iPlayer and Channel 4. We watched the first episode of “Year of the Rabbit” starring Matt Berry on Channel 4 and plan to finish the season.

There were no issues watching these shows on a MacBook, PC, or Android. They both made our lists of the best VPNs for Macs, best VPNs for Android, and best VPNs for PC. We also tested the apps on an Apple TV, and both VPNs worked flawlessly.

Downloading Torrents

All Private Internet Access servers allow P2P traffic, which makes downloading large file types fast and efficient.

If you’re using Surfshark for torrenting, you’ll need to choose a P2P server to get the best results. If you’re already connected to your VPN, it will automatically switch to one when it detects the activity, but you can also pick the server yourself if you prefer. That’s why it beat PIA when we looked for the best VPNs for torrenting.

Jumping Into a Game

If you want to use Surfshark or PIA while gaming, you’ll need to set up the VPN on your router. This option isn’t ideal for everyone as it requires going into your router’s settings and reconfiguring DNS servers. But on the plus side, every device connected to your Wi-Fi will be protected.

We tested PIA and Surfshark while playing “Destiny 2” on a PlayStation 5. Learn how we set it up in our guide to setting up a VPN on PlayStation. There was no noticeable difference in gameplay while connected to a U.K. server on either VPN, even when we participated in public events. However, when we tried jumping into matchmaking, it would time out and send us back to the menu. This is likely due to the latency for U.K. servers. We instantly connected to a lobby when we used a U.S. option.

Verdict on Streaming, Gaming, and Torrenting: It’s a draw. Both VPNs accessed multiple streaming services in other countries, letting us download torrents and play games without impacting gameplay, as long as it wasn’t a matchmaking event on a U.K. server. We recommend Surfshark for streaming as the connection is faster, and you’re less likely to experience buffering. If you prefer torrenting, consider PIA, as all 3,500 servers are P2P-friendly. However, Surfshark P2P servers will download files faster.

Device Compatibility

Apps are available for PIA and Surfshark on several devices, including:

• Chrome
• Firefox
• iOS
• macOS
• Android
• Windows
• Linux
• Edge
• Smart TVs
• Apple TV
• Amazon Fire TV

>> Learn About: What Does a VPN App Do and How Does It Work?

The Private Internet Access app is more user-friendly. It’s also less intrusive on the MacBook. It appears in the strip at the top of the screen instead of in the menu bar with your other applications.

The Surfshark app’s home screen has a lot of information, including your recently used locations, static IP information, and multihop settings. Countries are sorted alphabetically, but there is a search bar at the top. We prefer PIA’s approach, which displays countries by their latency. It also has a search bar to connect to a specific location.

Verdict on Compatible Devices: It’s another draw. Both VPNs let you connect to the same devices as well as your router. But the PIA app is more user-friendly and approachable for first-time users. It also won’t take up space on your menu bar either.

Do Customers Like Them?

Both VPN apps have been downloaded millions of times on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. There are thousands of reviews from people who love them and have had few issues.

Private Internet Access

The PIA app has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 on Apple’s App Store from more than 100,000 reviews. Meanwhile, on Google Play, it has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 from over 80,000 reviews.

Surfshark

The reviews for Surfshark are slightly better on both platforms. For Apple, there are over 15,000 reviews and a rating of 4.9 out of 5. Meanwhile, it’s closing in on 100,000 reviews and a rating of 4.4 out of 5 on Google Play.

Verdict on Customer Reviews: Surfshark has higher review scores on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. But PIA’s scores shouldn’t be ignored, as it has significantly more iOS reviews.

Accessing Customer Support

It’s much easier to get help from Surfshark than PIA.

Surfshark has some excellent guides and FAQs if you want to find the answer to a question yourself. But if you want to speak to someone, the chat function is available at the bottom of their Help Center page.

As for PIA, it also has a knowledge base and guides for customers needing assistance. But if you hit the Contact Us button, it takes you to a form to submit to their team. We wanted to talk to someone when we thought about changing our subscription. But we couldn’t find a live chat anywhere until we went to the login screen. It seems like one of the last places to check for a chat function, which made us feel like it was a hidden option.

Verdict on Support Options: Surfshark is more customer-friendly, with easy access to their support team. While Private Internet Access has plenty of articles, it’s not easy to speak to someone from the company.

Verdict: Private Internet Access or Surfshark?

Private Internet Access and Surfshark are excellent VPNs. They both provide fast speeds, let you access overseas streaming catalogs, and allow you to download torrents from P2P servers. You can also use them on multiple devices, including your router.

But like we said at the beginning of this article, the little differences set them apart.

Surfshark’s customer support is easier to contact, its apps are rated higher by customers, and it’s a little bit faster, making it better for gaming, downloading torrents, and watching content in 4K. Surfshark is also better value for the money, as its premium tiers include additional digital security tools.

If you’ve narrowed your VPN options to Private Internet Access and Surfshark, we recommend going with Surfshark — although both are above-average VPNs.