NordVPN is constantly ranked as among the finest VPNs, however it’s positively not probably the most budget-friendly selection, which leads many individuals to discover cheaper alternate options resembling Non-public Web Entry VPN. On this overview, I examine NordVPN vs. PIA VPN head-to-head that will help you resolve if NordVPN’s higher speeds and further options are well worth the elevated price or in the event you’ll be happy with PIA’s less expensive VPN.
- PIA VPN is finest for budget-conscious customers who’re on the lookout for an inexpensive VPN and don’t thoughts inconsistent speeds and fewer options.
- NordVPN is finest for customers who desire a quicker VPN and extra superior options and are keen to pay extra for that additional functionality.
PIA VPN vs. NordVPN: Comparability desk
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PIA VPN vs. NordVPN pricing
Non-public Web Entry VPN pricing
PIA affords three easy subscriptions for its standalone VPN product. It’s essential to notice that PIA doesn’t hike costs after the introductory interval, and as a substitute it is possible for you to to resume your subscription on the identical value. The pricing for these plans is as follows:
- 3 years + 4 months: $1.98 monthly.
- 1 12 months: $3.33 monthly.
- 1 month: $11.95 monthly.
PIA VPN additionally affords two paid add-ons, antivirus safety for Home windows PC and a devoted IP deal with. Many different VPNs embrace these options with greater tier plans, so it’s essential to crunch the numbers so that you just’re getting one of the best deal. Right here’s how a lot these add-ons from PIA will price you:
- Antivirus for Home windows PC
- 3 years: $1.00 monthly.
- 1 12 months: $2.00 monthly.
- 1 month: $4.50 monthly.
- Devoted IP deal with
- 3 years: $2.50 monthly.
- 1 12 months: $4.25 monthly.
- 1 month: $5.00 monthly.
A free trial is offered for PIA VPN, however solely by the App Retailer or Google Play Retailer. After you obtain the app and join a subscription, you have got seven days to check it out free of charge earlier than you’ll be charged. The free trial just isn’t accessible by the PIA retailer or for desktop apps. Nonetheless, after I signed up for the trial on my iOS gadget, I used to be in a position to obtain the Mac app on my laptop computer and log in with my credentials that means. PIA additionally affords a 30-day money-back assure, so you may ask for a refund in the event you change your thoughts throughout the first month.
For extra data, learn our full PIA VPN overview.
NordVPN pricing
NordVPN affords three totally different subscription lengths: two years, one 12 months and month-to-month. NordVPN additionally affords three totally different tiers of plans, with the costlier ones providing further options. The Fundamental plan offers a VPN for as much as 10 units. The Plus plan provides malware safety, a password supervisor, a tracker and advert blocker, and an information breach scanner. The Final plan contains every thing in Plus and 1 TB of encrypted storage. NordVPN does elevate costs after the introductory interval ends, although typically it affords reductions (particularly in the event you threaten to cancel your subscription altogether). The costs for these plans are as follows:
- 2-year plan
- Fundamental: $3.09 monthly + 3 additional months.
- Plus: $3.99 monthly + 3 additional months.
- Final: $5.99 monthly + 3 additional months.
- 1-year plan
- Fundamental: $4.59 monthly + 3 additional months.
- Plus: $5.59 monthly + 3 additional months.
- Final: $7.59 monthly + 3 additional months.
- Month-to-month
- Fundamental: $12.99.
- Plus: $13.99.
- Final: $15.99.
A free trial just isn’t accessible for NordVPN. Nonetheless, it does provide a 30-day money-back assure, so in the event you resolve you don’t need to maintain utilizing it throughout the first month, you may get a refund. I had beforehand signed up for a two-year NordVPN plan for my private use, and consequently didn’t want a free trial as a way to check it.
For extra data, learn our full NordVPN overview or take a look at our comparisons for NordVPN vs. Surfshark and NordVPN vs. Specific VPN.
PIA VPN vs. NordVPN: Characteristic comparability
Pace and efficiency
One in every of PIA VPN’s main drawbacks is its average-to-slow speeds. As quickly as I logged into the desktop app (Determine A) and linked to the closest server in Atlanta, I observed the lag instantly. A fast pace check confirmed this: I bought obtain speeds of 295.66 mbps and add speeds of 75.23 mbps with PIA VPN operating within the background. That is a lot slower than NordVPN in addition to one other fashionable price range VPN choose, Surfshark. For reference, I bought obtain speeds of 503.19 mbps and add speeds of 330.90 mbps when testing out Surfshark final month.
NordVPN (Determine B) is costlier than PIA, however I discovered its speeds to be a lot quicker throughout my two-year subscription. The truth is, pace was a significant purpose why I selected NordVPN within the first place. There would typically be just a little little bit of a lag, particularly when connecting to a server distant, however it was noticeably quicker than PIA VPN on common.
Consider, nonetheless, that connection pace can fluctuate rather a lot relying on a mess of things, from what number of different persons are connecting to the identical server to what media you’re attempting to stream to your geographic location. As an illustration, fellow TechRepublic author Luis Millares skilled fairly good speeds and minimal lag when testing out PIA VPN for his in-depth overview. That’s why I like to recommend testing out PIA VPN vs. NordVPN for your self to see which one is quicker at your property or enterprise.
Streaming
Streaming content material was simple with each PIA VPN and NordVPN. I used to be ready to connect with a server within the UK to stream Studio Ghibli movies on Netflix after which switched to a server in Canada to stream “The Workplace.” Despite the fact that I linked to PIA’s “streaming optimized” servers (Determine C), there was a noticeable lag in comparison with NordVPN.
When linked to PIA servers, I needed to wait some time for every Netflix web page to load, and as soon as I hit the “play” button it took between 15 and 20 seconds for the content material to start out streaming. After that preliminary pause, the video stream was completely high quality. That being mentioned, I’d be involved about utilizing PIA for bigger duties, resembling importing very lengthy, high-quality movies to YouTube or streaming complicated video games that require numerous computing energy.
Ease of use
PIA’s varied interfaces aren’t probably the most intuitive VPN platform I’ve tried, however additionally they weren’t the worst. The iOS app was quite simple in design, and it solely took me a pair seconds to seek out the area selector device within the left sidebar and connect with the UK. Nonetheless, the design of the desktop app was a bit extra complicated, particularly in comparison with the easy cell apps.
SEE: Find out how to Begin a Profession in Cybersecurity (TechRepublic Premium)
On a Mac, the PIA VPN desktop interface affords two views, condensed and expanded, and the size of both can’t be modified. The condensed view (Determine D) solely exhibits the join/disconnect buttons and what server you at present have chosen. The expanded view extends the toolbar vertically till the bar covers the whole top of the display, which is a quite odd design selection. The expanded view offers you entry to extra settings and metrics however hides the join button — it’s a must to collapse the window once more to make the button present up once more.
In distinction, the NordVPN desktop opens in a separate window which you can resize and transfer round to your coronary heart’s content material. I personally desire this, so I can maintain the VPN open in a window within the background whereas I’m working or streaming. I additionally recognize NordVPN’s map that exhibits me what server I’m linked to, although another customers could discover this characteristic pointless or visually distracting. To entry different settings, merely click on by the icons on the left menu bar. The NordVPN cell apps are equally easy to navigate (Determine E), they usually all comply with an analogous design to the desktop, so it seems like one cohesive system.
Safety and privateness
PIA affords many safety and privateness options that at the moment are thought of commonplace for VPNs, together with AES 256-bit encryption, a kill change and multi-hop routing. Its apps are additionally totally open supply, which offers further transparency and allows anybody (together with you) to research the supply code. PIA VPN additionally has a no-logs coverage and a particularly clear privateness coverage that spells every thing out, and it’s been independently audited by Deloitte to again up these claims.
The one safety quirk that may give some customers pause is the truth that PIA has a U.S. jurisdiction, versus a rustic that isn’t a part of an intelligence-sharing alliance. In 2019, it was additionally purchased by Kape Applied sciences, which has been identified to distribute malware and adware prior to now. (PIA has asserted that it operates fully impartial of Kape itself.)
For many on a regular basis customers like myself, this U.S. jurisdiction and Kape possession received’t be a dealbreaker. If this is a matter for you, you then’ll be glad to know that NordVPN is predicated in Panama, which doesn’t take part within the 5 Eyes, 9 Eyes or Fourteen Eyes intelligence-sharing alliances.
NordVPN additionally affords loads of different safety and privateness measures which might be just like PIA VPN. It additionally makes use of AES 256-bit encryption, a kill change and multi-hop routing (which the platform calls “Double VPN,” see Determine F). NordVPN additionally has a stable no-logs coverage, which has been independently verified by Deloitte 4 totally different instances, with the latest one being the tip of final 12 months.
PIA VPN execs and cons
Non-public Web Entry VPN execs
- Cheaper than NordVPN.
- No value hikes after the introductory interval.
- Helps limitless simultaneous connections.
- Many security measures.
- Free trial accessible by App Retailer or Google Play Retailer.
Non-public Web Entry VPN cons
- Antivirus safety and devoted IP addresses are paid add-ons.
- Might end in important pace loss.
- Desktop app design may very well be improved.
- US jurisdiction could fear privacy-focused customers.
NordVPN execs and cons
NordVPN execs
- Quicker speeds than PIA VPN on common.
- Panama jurisdiction is healthier for information privateness.
- Desktop app could be resized and moved round.
- Superior plans embrace further options like malware safety.
NordVPN cons
- Costlier than PIA VPN.
- Worth will increase after the introductory interval.
- Restricted to 10 simultaneous gadget connections.
- No free trial accessible.
Ought to your group use PIA VPN or NordVPN?
Whether or not your group ought to select PIA or NordVPN is dependent upon quite a lot of components. In case you are on the lookout for the most affordable standalone VPN and don’t care concerning the inconsistent pace or the U.S. jurisdiction, then you’ll more than likely be happy with PIA VPN. I particularly recognize that it doesn’t hike costs after the preliminary subscription, which is one thing that just about each different fashionable VPN does.
In case you are on the lookout for quick and constant speeds, need higher privateness measures and are keen to pay extra for that, then NordVPN could also be a better option. Needless to say if your corporation additionally wants further options like malware safety and a password supervisor, it might truly be cheaper to bundle it altogether with Nord than to purchase every product individually.
If neither PIA VPN nor NordVPN looks like a fantastic match to your wants and price range, then take a look at our different picks for the high free VPNs.
Evaluation methodology
To check PIA and NordVPN, I signed up for a free trial of PIA VPN. I had already subscribed to NordVPN beforehand for my private use. I examined each VPNs on pace, streaming and ease of use. I additionally delved into their safety and privateness measures to make sure that they’re each protected and dependable VPN choices.