If you found these VPNs to be trustworthy. But you’re still undecided on which one to go with. Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll compare Private Internet Access vs ExpressVPN in depth so you can decide which is best for you.
Table of Contents
What Are the Difference Between ExpressVPN VS Private Internet Access VPN (PIA)?
| ExpressVPN | PIA VPN | |
| Privacy | No logs | No logs |
| Encryption | AES-256-CBC, 4096-bit RSA key, and SHA-2 | AES-128 by default, suggest using AES-256 |
| Servers | 3,000 | 29,000 |
| Locations | 94 | 32 |
| Jurisdiction | The British Virgin Islands | The United States of America |
| Owners | Express VPN International Limited | Kape Technologies PLC |
| Free Proxy | No | One SOCKS 5 |
| Dedicated DNS | Yes | Yes |
| Torrenting/P2P Allowed | Yes | Yes |
| Platform support | Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, etc. | Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS. |
| Customer support | 24/7 live chat, blog, and email ticket | 24/7 live chat, blog, and email ticket |
| Price | 1 month: $12.956 Months: $59.9512 Months: $99.95 | 1 month: $9.9512 Months: $39.9624 months: $64.56 |
Why Compare Private Internet Access vs ExpressVPN?
Both VPNs are undoubtedly popular. Thousands of people use it all over the world. We will discuss their features, encryption norms, supported locations, the jurisdiction in which they operate, the price, and several other factors to see which offers better value for money. We have created a variety of helpful tables with important information to help you decide which VPN is best for you.
The following is a list of the topics we will discuss:
- Introduction
- Company Jurisdiction
- Features
- Price
- Platform Support
- Customer Support
- Pros and Cons
Introduction Of ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access
Before comparing the services of Private Internet Access and ExpressVPN let’s figure out the services of both the software. It is good to choose the best among the two but knowing about each is best first.
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access (PIA) was launched in 2010 and has become popular. PIA used to be one of the world’s most popular VPN providers. Private Internet Access is the cheapest VPN on the list, providing really exceptional service for such a low price. Private Internet Access is a corporation based in the United States that offers 29,000 servers spread across 77 locations. Private Internet Access is Best VPN for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and Apple iOS, as well as a Chrome, Firefox, and Opera extension.
Also Read – Best VPN for iPhone
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN was released exactly a year before Private Internet Access VPN. ExpressVPN has a lot of fantastic features, and they retain very few logs. By default, they have the most secure encryption and triple the number of places to connect to. ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands and has 3,000 servers spread across 94 countries. ExpressVPN is available for Windows, macOS, Apple iOS, Android, and Linux, as well as a Chrome and Firefox extension.
Difference Between Private Internet Access vs ExpressVPN Company Jurisdiction
When it comes to choosing a VPN provider, jurisdiction is quite important. You must know about the policies of the company before investing money in it. Compare the PIA Vs ExpressVPN to find the best one.
Private Internet Access
PIA isn’t great, especially in terms of the jurisdiction in which it operates, which is the United States of America. For a variety of reasons, the United States is not a privacy-friendly jurisdiction in which to run a VPN. Because the United States is at the center of the Five Eyes spying program, The government has the authority to impose a gag order. Many US IT businesses are being ordered to spy on their customers and send over their data to various government organizations. If you respect your online privacy and wish to protect your personal information, you should avoid this provider. Although Private Internet Access has stated sufficiently that user data will be kept private at all costs.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is situated in the British Virgin Islands, it may be trusted. The British Virgin Islands is a fantastic foreign jurisdiction that is not a participant of any surveillance organizations and is politically and legally self-governing.
As a result, the BVI is one of the greatest jurisdictions for a VPN.
Compare Features Of Private Internet Access Vs ExpressVPN
When you desire to buy the Best VPN software then the comparison of features is a must. Because at the end you are comparing the best VPN Private Internet Access and ExpressVPN to choose the best software.
Security and Privacy
We use a virtual private network (VPN) to secure our network and keep our online activities private. A VPN encrypts your web traffic, shielding it from unwanted access and offering you more privacy.
Encryption
AES-256 bit encryption is used by ExpressVPN, and its advanced encryption technology generates fresh encryption keys for each session. Express VPN uses protocols like OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, and IKEv2, including its new Lightway protocol. Express VPN is not open-source software, which is a little bit disappointing.
PIA, on the other hand, has a limited number of encryption protocols. Although PIA’s default encryption is AES-128, which is good enough for securing VPN traffic, experts recommend that customers use AES-256 on the app. Although OpenVPN is PIA VPN’s default option, you can choose whether you want to use UDP or TCP. PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, and WireGuard are other protocols supported by PIA. you can adjust encryption protocols as per your need. PIA is open-source software.
No Logs Policy
The most crucial thing is data. Any VPN no log policy states that Any VPN provider is not permitted to keep logs of user browsing activities or anything else related to the use of a VPN.
In this category, ExpressVPN’s no-logging policy is very strict. According to their privacy policies, they will only keep track of which dates you have used the VPN, data spent during whole sessions, and the server to which you are connected. There are no identifying user logs saved or exchanged. However, ExpressVPN keeps account information such as name, email, and billing information, just like every VPN company does in order to provide better promotion and service.
When it comes to privacy, Private Internet Access has a no-logs policy, which means they only keep a limited amount of information about their customers, such as their name, email address, and billing information.
However, the business was obliged to provide data from its servers to the US government in 2015 and 2017.
Once PIA VPN’s yearly transparency report is released. They detailed how many networks were breached, as well as how many times government agencies had demanded information from the PIA servers.
DNS Leak
Both Private Internet Access and ExpressVPN use their own DNS servers and offer IPv6 leak security to prevent your IPv6 traffic from being exposed.
Servers and Location – Private Internet Access vs ExpressVPN
Private Internet Access has 29,000 servers spread across 77 locations worldwide. The majority of PIA’s servers are located in Europe and the Americas and some are in china.
ExpressVPN, on the other hand, has 3,000 servers distributed over 94 countries. The United States, Costa Rica, Venezuela, and a number of other Latin American countries are among the countries where the company works. Although ExpressVPN has several servers in Asia and Europe, it does not have any in Africa or the Middle East.
Virtual and physical servers are used by both VPN providers.
PIA vs ExpressVPN Comparison Of Speed and Performance
VPN speed is also a major consideration. Both PIA and ExpressVPN guarantee lightning-fast connection speeds to their subscribers. We tested both VPNs at several server locations and with various VPN protocols. WireGuard was used by PIA, and the Lightway protocol was used by ExpressVPN. For testing, we used servers in the United States and the United Kingdom over a 100 Mbps connection. Let’s see how the tests turned out.
Servers in the United States:
ExpressVPN:
| Servers | PING ms | DOWNLOAD MBPS | UPLOAD MBPS |
| Los Angels | 5 | 94.86 | 92.99 |
| Seattle | 10 | 95.80 | 90.49 |
| New York | 7 | 93.44 | 91.66 |
Private Internet Access:
| Servers | PING ms | DOWNLOAD MBPS | UPLOAD MBPS |
| Los Angels | 36 | 69.35 | 67.21 |
| Seattle | 32 | 70.36 | 70.06 |
| New York | 23 | 73.89 | 72.90 |
On paper, it’s clear who wins the race in terms of offering quick speed. ExpressVPN provides lightning-fast speed, whilst PIA is far behind.
As a result, ExpressVPN is the clear winner in this category.
Servers in the United Kingdom:
ExpressVPN:
| Servers | PING ms | DOWNLOAD MBPS | UPLOAD MBPS |
| London | 12 | 85.44 | 84.15 |
Private Internet Access:
| Servers | PING ms | DOWNLOAD MBPS | UPLOAD MBPS |
| London | 39 | 65.50 | 67.30 |
This was the slowest we’d ever gotten from PIA. Although expressVPN’s speed has decreased, it is still far superior to PIA’s VPN speed.
Which is Better Option for Torrenting Private Internet Access Vs ExpressVPN?
ExpressVPN is a better option for torrenting than PIA VPN because it is based in the British Virgin Islands and has a better logging policy.
ExpressVPN because of its jurisdictional benefit, ExpressVPN beats PIA in terms of torrenting support.
Private Internet Access Because it must comply with DMCA restrictions, Private Internet Access prevents the user from downloading copyrighted torrent files. Being based in the Five Eyes spying the United States has a number of drawbacks.
Both platforms, however, provide support for torrent clients and websites.
| Features of Torrenting | ExpressVPN | PIA VPN |
| No logs | YES | FEW |
| Unmetered Bandwidth | YES | YES |
| DNS Leak-Proof | YES | YES |
| Secure Jurisdiction | YES | YES |
| Faster Speeds | YES | YES |
Which Is Best For Streaming Online Private Internet Access Or ExpressVPN?
Both VPNs are capable of unblocking a wide range of streaming services. ExpressVPN, on the other hand, performs far better.
| Streaming services | ExpressVPN | PIA VPN |
| Netflix | ✓, US, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Canada | ✓, US |
| BBC iPlayer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sky Go | ✓ | ✓ |
| Amazon Prime Video | ✓ | Х |
| CBS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Disney Plus | ✓ | Х |
| Hulu | ✓, US, Japan | ✓, US, Japan |
Price Comparison Of Private Internet Access vs ExpressVPN
After comparing the services and features of Private Internet Access vs ExpressVPN let’s figure out which one is reasonable. Compare the prices of ExpressVPN and PIA to find the best one.
ExpressVPN Price:
- The one-month plan starts at $12.95.
- The 6 months plan starts with $59.95 or $9.99 per month.
- The one-year package costs $99.95, which works out to $8.32 per month.
- A 30-day money-back guarantee is included with each package.
- Credit cards, PayPal, and Bitcoin are just a few of the payment methods used by ExpressVPN.
Private Internet Access Price:
- The one-month plan starts at $9.95.
- The annual package costs $3.33 each month or $39.96 for the year.
- The VPN is $2.69 a month for two years or $64.56 for the complete 24 months.
- All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- PIA supports a variety of payment methods, including PayPal, Bitcoin, and credit cards.
Without a question, PIA is a winner in this category. Provides lower pricing and more multiple connections, whereas ExpressVPN only provides 5 connections to accept. Although a low price is often not a bad thing, keep in mind that low-cost VPN companies aren’t expected to achieve the same level of quality as the most expensive VPN provider.
What Kind Of Devices are PIA And ExpressVPN Compatible for?
For Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux, both VPNs have dedicated apps. Both companies offer Chrome and Firefox browser extensions. ExpressVPN does not support the Opera browser extension, although PIA does.
If you want to use a VPN with your router. Then ExpressVPN is the way to go. ExpressVPN offers a separate router app, however, PIA does not have a dedicated router app. You can easily change your IP address without going to go through router settings.
When it comes to apps, let’s have a look at the user interfaces (UI) of both VPN Apps. The express VPN UI is user-friendly and simple to use, whereas the PIA UI is simple to use because it is well-organized, split tunneling, and the activation of features such as the kill switch. Furthermore, the PIA apps have a more stylish interface.
However, Expressvpn is the winner because it supports multi-platform and dedicated router apps, which provides it an advantage. However, PIA apps are simple to use, well-managed, and well-designed.
A detailed list of Supported platforms – PIA vs ExpressVPN
Applications For Devices:
| ExpressVPN | PIA VPN | |
| Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| macOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Linux | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Routers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chromebook | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kindle Fire | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kodi | ✓ | ✓ |
Extension For Browser:
| ExpressVPN | PIA VPN | |
| Chrome | ✓ | ✓ |
| Firefox | ✓ | ✓ |
| Edge | ✓ | ✓ |
| Safari | Х | Х |
| Opera | Х | ✓ |
Applications for Smart TV Systems:
| ExpressVPN | PIA VPN | |
| Apple TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Samsung Smart TV | ✓ | Х |
| Amazon Fire TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Roku | ✓ | ✓ |
| Chrome Cast | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android TV | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nvidia Shield | ✓ | ✓ |
| LG Smart TV | ✓ | Х |
Applications for Game Consoles:
| ExpressVPN | PIA VPN | |
| Play Station | ✓ | ✓ |
| Xbox One | ✓ | ✓ |
| Nintendo Switch | ✓ | ✓ |
Which one offers the best Customer Support PIA Or ExpressVPN?
A great VPN service must provide excellent customer service. If you get stuck at any moment, excellent customer service will assist you. You should be able to get by with just ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access customer support.
ExpressVPN offers a number of support options. You can contact them in real-time via the website’s 24/7 live chat service, where you can speak with a support agent and obtain a resolution to your problem at the same time.
Alternatively, you can send them an email. Although, in the support and blog section of their official website, ExpressVPN provides tutorials and information in the form of large knowledge bases, setup guides, FAQ sections, and troubleshooting articles.
Private Internet Access customer support is pretty much similar to ExpressVPN customer support, PIA supports live agent chat, email support, support guide, FAQ sections, and tutorials.
It’s a tie in this category; both VPN companies work hard to deliver excellent customer service to their customers. That is to say, it is a good thing.
Pros and Cons – PIA vs ExpressVPN
| ExpressVPN | PIA VPN |
| Pro’s Fast and reliable No log policy Great customer support Support almost all platforms Unblock stream service Con’s ExpensiveLess server | Pro,s Budget-friendly No log policy Good customer support Huge server base Enough speed Con’s Based in the USA Can’t unblock popular stream services like Netflix |
Conclusion – Private Internet Access Vs ExpressVPN
With help of this article I hope By examining these many categories, you will be able to determine which VPN service providers are the most effective.
Because of its superior speed, server dispersion, logging policy, and customer service, ExpressVPN comes out on top in our comparison. PIA may be a better option than the more expensive ExpressVPN because of the significant price difference.
As a result, you must examine each one to determine how well they perform in all categories.