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  1. Home
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ExpressVPN vs Private Internet Access

Which VPN Is Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Security
      IP And DNS LeaksKill Switch RobustnessMan-In-The-Middle Attacks
    Privacy
      Privacy PolicyCompany PracticesRegistration
    Performance
      Download SpeedUpload SpeedLatency
    Features
      DownloadsPlatform SupportProtocolsSimultaneous DevicesDestinationsSplit TunnelingHeadless Setup
    Comments

Products

ExpressVPN
Private Internet Access

Tested using Methodology v0.11

Updated Jul 09, 2026 05:59 PM

SEE PRICE
ExpressVPN

Tested using Methodology v0.11

Updated Jul 02, 2026 03:59 PM

SEE PRICE
Private Internet Access
ExpressVPN Picture

Track

Private Internet Access Picture

Track

Email Required
Yes
Torrent (P2P)
Yes
Data Limit
N/A
Email Required
Yes
Torrent (P2P)
Yes
Data Limit
N/A

Our Verdict

ExpressVPN

Private Internet Access

ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access are owned by the same parent company, Kape Technologies. Between the two, ExpressVPN is the better service because it has a fully functional kill switch that keeps your data protected in case your system restarts, while PIA's kill switch doesn't work properly, leaking unencrypted data when your system restarts. Otherwise, the two VPNs have similar feature sets and share the same controversial corporate history.

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Variants

  • ExpressVPN (W/ Dedicated IP)
  • Private Internet Access (VPN)

Review

See ExpressVPN Review
See Private Internet Access Review
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Check Price

W/ Dedicated IP
ExpressVPN
SEE PRICE
ExpressVPN
VPN
Private Internet Access
SEE PRICE
Private Internet Access

Main Differences for
Torrent

Threshold 

0.10

Torrent 
 

7.2
8.2

Port Forwarding 
 

No
Yes

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

8.0
2.0

Full Comparison

Security

IP And DNS Leaks 
 

9.0
9.0

IPLEAK.net Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access IPLEAK.net Screenshot

Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

No
No

In-Browser IP 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

In-Browser DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System Traffic 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

8.0
2.0

Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

No
Yes

During VPN Software Crash 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During Loss Of Internet 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During System Reboot 
 

No Leak Detected
Leak Detected

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks 
 

8.5
8.5

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot

TLS Interruption Risk 
 

No Evidence
No Evidence

Proper BGP Implementation 
 

No
No
Privacy

Privacy Policy 
 

4.9
5.8

Privacy Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Privacy Picture
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Privacy Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Investigation Notes

No-Log Policy 
 

0
6.0

Privacy Policy Audit 
 

9.5
2.5

Legal & Security Events 
 

10
10

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-29
2025-OCT-15

Company Practices 
 

3.8
4.1

Company Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Company Picture
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Company Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Investigation Notes

Parent & Affiliate Companies 
 

3.6
3.6

Marketing Claims & Practices 
 

2.8
5.6

Communication Transparency 
 

6.2
6.0

Security Audits 
 

8.0
3.0

Privacy By Default 
 

10
10

Terms Of Service 
 

0
0

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-28
2025-OCT-15

Registration 
 

6.1
6.1

Payment Options 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Payment Options
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Payment Options

Email Required 
 

Yes
Yes

Password Required 
 

Yes
Yes

Cryptocurrency 
 

Yes
Yes

Cash 
 

No
No
Performance

Download Speed 
 

7.7
7.0

Without VPN 
 

1,162 Mbps
1,105 Mbps

With VPN 
 

260 Mbps
131 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-901.7 Mbps
-974.6 Mbps

Download Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
ExpressVPN Download Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
Private Internet Access Download Speed Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Upload Speed 
 

7.7
7.3

Upload Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
ExpressVPN Upload Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
Private Internet Access Upload Speed Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Without VPN 
 

955 Mbps
1,010 Mbps

With VPN 
 

281 Mbps
179 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-674.5 Mbps
-831.3 Mbps

Latency 
 

5.5
7.3

Download Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
ExpressVPN Download Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
Private Internet Access Download Latency Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Upload Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
ExpressVPN Upload Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
Private Internet Access Upload Latency Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Download Latency Without VPN 
 

144 ms
134 ms

Download Latency With VPN 
 

341 ms
172 ms

Download Latency Difference 
 

197 ms
38 ms

Upload Latency Without VPN 
 

145 ms
144 ms

Upload Latency With VPN 
 

481 ms
279 ms

Upload Latency Difference 
 

336 ms
135 ms

Combined Latency Consistency 
 

±57 ms
±46 ms
Features

Downloads 
 

7.1
9.6

Torrent Test Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Torrent Test Picture
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Torrent Test Picture

Torrent (P2P) 
 

Yes
Yes

Data Limit 
 

N/A
N/A

Port Forwarding 
 

No
Yes

Platform Support 
 

9.3
9.3

Windows 
 

Yes
Yes

macOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Linux 
 

Yes
Yes

Protocols 
 

Protocol Results Table 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Protocol Results Table
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Protocol Results Table

WireGuard 
 

No
Yes

OpenVPN Over UDP 
 

Yes
Yes

OpenVPN Over TCP 
 

Yes
Yes

IPSec With L2TP 
 

No
No

IPSec With IKEv2 
 

Yes
Yes

Proprietary Protocol(s) 
 

Lightway
None

Simultaneous Devices 
 

8.1
9.9

Tested Simultaneous Connections 
 

8
11

Simultaneous Locations 
 

Yes
Yes

Advertised Max Simultaneous Connections 
 

8
Unlimited

Destinations 
 

9.4
9.1

VPN Destination Selection Example 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN VPN Destination Selection Example
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access VPN Destination Selection Example

Countries 
 

107
91

Countries With Multiple Cities 
 

11
6

Server Choice 
 

Yes
Yes

Split Tunneling 
 

8.5
8.0

VPN Disabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access VPN Disabled For App Screenshot

VPN Enabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access VPN Enabled For App Screenshot

Disabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Enabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Splitting Based On Address 
 

No
No

Ping Local Address - Same Subnet 
 

Yes
Yes

Ping Local Address - Different Subnet 
 

Yes
No

Headless Setup 
 

7.0
7.0

Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot

Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Private Internet Access Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot

Headless WireGuard Connection 
 

No
No

Headless OpenVPN Connection 
 

Yes
Yes

Check Price

W/ Dedicated IP
ExpressVPN
SEE PRICE
ExpressVPN
VPN
Private Internet Access
SEE PRICE
Private Internet Access
Back to Top

ExpressVPN

Private Internet Access

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 month ago

ExpressVPN vs Private Internet Access: Main Discussion

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