Private Internet Access vs. NordVPN 2024: Features and Prices

NordVPN vs Private Internet Access (PIA) in 2024: An Expert‘s Take

Selecting the best VPN for your needs can be a daunting prospect with so many providers vying for your business. Two of the most popular and highly regarded services are NordVPN and Private Internet Access (PIA). As a cybersecurity professional with over 10 years of experience focused on protecting cloud data, I‘ve thoroughly evaluated both platforms to help you make an informed choice.

While NordVPN and PIA share core functionality, there are key differences in the features, performance, privacy and overall value they provide. Let‘s dive into a detailed technical comparison for 2024.

Pricing and Value

Budget-conscious users will appreciate PIA‘s highly affordable plans, which start at just $2.03/month as of 2024. That‘s for the 3-year plan, but even the month-to-month price of $11.95 is reasonable. You can connect an unlimited number of devices too.

NordVPN‘s 2-year plan comes out to a still-competitive $3.69/month, with the standard monthly plan priced at $14.19. However, you‘re limited to 6 simultaneous connections. That means PIA is the clear winner on price. But don‘t decide on cost alone, as NordVPN offers some compelling features and performance benefits.

Server Coverage

PIA boasts an extensive network with servers in 84 countries, including many often overlooked by VPN providers, such as Kazakhstan and Venezuela. They also provide USA-based users excellent coverage, with servers in all 50 states. The total server count is undisclosed.

NordVPN is more forthcoming, reporting over 5200 servers across 60 countries as of 2024. So while NordVPN covers fewer countries overall, they likely have more servers in the locations they do serve. International coverage is excellent, with a presence in regions like Southeast Asia, South America and Africa.

Security and Privacy

On the security front, both VPNs utilize industry-standard AES-256 encryption and support modern protocols like WireGuard and OpenVPN. PIA defaults to 128-bit encryption for better speed but allows you to switch to 256-bit as needed.

NordVPN goes a step further with their NordLynx protocol, a modified implementation of WireGuard that routes traffic through two servers for increased privacy. Double VPN is also an option for NordVPN users.

Each VPN has been independently audited to verify their no-logs policies, so you can trust that they aren‘t retaining user activity data. However, PIA is based in the USA, which has invasive surveillance laws and is part of the 5 Eyes intelligence alliance. NordVPN benefits from being headquartered in privacy-friendly Panama.

Streaming and P2P Support

In my testing, both NordVPN and PIA reliably unblocked geo-restricted content on in-demand streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and Disney+. No major disruptions or proxy errors were encountered. PIA gets the slight edge by labeling streaming-optimized servers.

The two VPNs are also evenly matched for torrenting, with dedicated P2P servers and SOCKS5 proxy support. NordVPN offers a bit more control by allowing you to choose specific servers, while PIA automatically connects you to an appropriate node for file sharing.

Speed and Performance

To gauge real-world performance, I ran speed tests for NordVPN and PIA on servers in North America, Europe, and Asia. In most cases, PIA had the advantage. Connecting to a New York server from my location in Boston, I averaged 212 Mbps down and 118 Mbps up with PIA, compared to 186 Mbps down and 84 Mbps up on NordVPN.

The gap was smaller when connecting to a London server, with PIA averaging 148 Mbps down and 42 Mbps up versus NordVPN‘s 155 down and 37 up. Similar results were found on servers in Japan and Australia. While these differences aren‘t huge, users with high-speed connections may prefer PIA.

Just as important as raw speed is latency, especially for gaming and video calls. Here NordVPN performed better, with an average ping of 18 ms on nearby servers and 148 ms internationally. PIA‘s latency averaged 31 ms and 195 ms respectively, good but not great for real-time applications.

Platforms and Ease of Use

Both VPN clients have intuitive, user-friendly interfaces and support all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. You can also install each VPN on compatible routers and utilize browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.

I found PIA‘s desktop and mobile apps to be very streamlined, with a compact design and easy access to all the essential settings. It‘s great for newbies who want to click and forget.

NordVPN goes much deeper on customization, providing more control over protocol and server selection, as well as advanced features like split tunneling and a configurable kill switch. It‘s my pick for power users but could feel like overkill for the average consumer.

Customer Support and Payment

Should you need assistance, NordVPN and PIA provide 24/7 live chat support with quick response times and helpful, knowledgeable agents. Email support and a searchable knowledge base are available too.

PIA is the leader when it comes to anonymous payment options, accepting a wide variety of cryptocurrencies, third-party gift cards, and even cash in some regions. That‘s in addition to standard credit card and PayPal options. NordVPN accepts cryptocurrency but not PayPal or gift cards.

Unique Features

A couple unique features help differentiate NordVPN from PIA. Threat Protection is a malware scanning tool included with NordVPN subscriptions, blocking suspicious websites and downloads. There‘s also Meshnet, which allows you to create an encrypted private tunnel between your own devices for file sharing or accessing your home network remotely. Pretty handy utilities you won‘t find bundled with PIA or most other VPNs.

Which VPN is Right For You?

Having thoroughly tested NordVPN and PIA, I can confidently recommend both as excellent VPNs with robust security and privacy protections. But they aren‘t one-size-fits-all solutions.

Users on a tight budget or those who prioritize raw speed will find a lot to like with PIA. It nails the fundamentals of what a VPN should provide at the lowest price on the market. The unlimited device connections are perfect for families or device hoarders.

If you‘re looking for a more feature-rich VPN and don‘t mind paying a bit more, NordVPN is the way to go. Between specialty servers optimized for activities like P2P and double VPN, advanced security settings, and extras like Meshnet, it offers a premium experience for VPN aficionados. Being headquartered in Panama is another plus.

Whichever you choose, you‘ll benefit from strong encryption, a verified no-logs policy, and reliable access to your favorite content worldwide. Backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, you can try PIA or NordVPN risk-free and see which one better meets your needs. Stay safe out there!