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  1. Home
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NordVPN 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

NordVPN
Private Internet Access

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated May 13, 2026 05:42 PM

SEE PRICE
NordVPN

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated Jan 22, 2026 05:18 PM

SEE PRICE
Private Internet Access
NordVPN 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

NordVPN

Private Internet Access

NordVPN and Private Internet Access are two of the largest players in the VPN market, and they perform comparably. Both effectively hide your IP address while you use them, but PIA lacks a fully functional kill switch because it leaks unencrypted data from your computer if it restarts. Neither has a good privacy policy nor a history of ethical corporate behavior, making neither particularly trustworthy if you're concerned about your personal information. With that said, NordVPN has servers in more countries.

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Variants

  • NordVPN (Basic)
  • NordVPN (Complete)
  • Private Internet Access (VPN)

Review

See NordVPN Review
See Private Internet Access Review
5 
0 

Check Price

Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
VPN
Private Internet Access
SEE PRICE
Private Internet Access
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 

Main Differences for
Torrent

Threshold 

0.10

Torrent 
 

7.8
7.8
No major differences between these VPNs for torrent. See full list of tests below.

Full Comparison

Security

IP And DNS Leaks 
 

9.0
9.0

IPLEAK.net Screenshot 
 

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

Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN 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 
 

2.0
2.0

Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot 
 

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

Leak Detected 
 

Yes
Yes

During VPN Software Crash 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During Loss Of Internet 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During System Reboot 
 

Leak Detected
Leak Detected

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks 
 

8.5
8.5

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN 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 
 

3.0
5.8

Privacy Picture 
 

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

Investigation Notes 
 

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

No-Log Policy 
 

0
6.0

Privacy Policy Audit 
 

4.5
2.5

Legal & Security Events 
 

8.0
10

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-15
2025-OCT-15

Company Practices 
 

5.0
4.1

Company Picture 
 

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

Investigation Notes 
 

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

Parent & Affiliate Companies 
 

6.4
3.6

Marketing Claims & Practices 
 

8.2
5.6

Communication Transparency 
 

3.2
6.0

Security Audits 
 

5.0
3.0

Privacy By Default 
 

7.0
10

Terms Of Service 
 

1.0
0

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-16
2025-OCT-15

Registration 
 

6.1
6.1

Payment Options 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN 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 
 

7.6
7.0

Without VPN 
 

1,057 Mbps
1,105 Mbps

With VPN 
 

233 Mbps
131 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-823.9 Mbps
-974.6 Mbps

Download Speed Graph  

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

Without VPN 
 

1,016 Mbps
1,010 Mbps

With VPN 
 

274 Mbps
179 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-742.0 Mbps
-831.3 Mbps

Latency 
 

5.5
7.3

Download Latency Graph  

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

Upload Latency Graph  

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

Download Latency Without VPN 
 

149 ms
134 ms

Download Latency With VPN 
 

343 ms
172 ms

Download Latency Difference 
 

194 ms
38 ms

Upload Latency Without VPN 
 

153 ms
144 ms

Upload Latency With VPN 
 

476 ms
279 ms

Upload Latency Difference 
 

323 ms
135 ms

Combined Latency Consistency 
 

±56 ms
±46 ms
Features

Downloads 
 

9.5
9.5

Torrent Test Picture 
 

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

Torrent (P2P) 
 

Yes
Yes

Data Limit 
 

N/A
N/A

Platform Support 
 

9.3
9.3

Windows 
 

Yes
Yes

macOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Linux 
 

Yes
Yes

Protocols 
 

Protocol Results Table 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN 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) 
 

NordLynx
None

Simultaneous Devices 
 

9.1
9.9

Tested Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
11

Simultaneous Locations 
 

Yes
Yes

Advertised Max Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
Unlimited

Destinations 
 

8.6
9.1

VPN Destination Selection Example 
 

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

Countries 
 

118
91

Countries With Multiple Cities 
 

9
6

Server Choice 
 

No
Yes

Split Tunneling 
 

8.0
8.0

VPN Disabled For App Screenshot 
 

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

VPN Enabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN 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 
 

No
No

Headless Setup 
 

7.0
7.0

Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot 
 

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

Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN 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

Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
VPN
Private Internet Access
SEE PRICE
Private Internet Access
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Back to Top

NordVPN

Private Internet Access

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 17 days ago

NordVPN vs Private Internet Access: Main Discussion

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