NordVPN vs Personal Web Entry (PIA): Which VPN Is Higher? – Uplaza

NordVPN is constantly ranked as among the finest VPNs, however it’s positively not essentially the most budget-friendly selection, which leads many individuals to discover cheaper options equivalent to Personal Web Entry VPN. On this evaluate, I examine NordVPN vs. PIA VPN head-to-head that will help you resolve if NordVPN’s higher speeds and further options are definitely worth the elevated value or for those who’ll be glad with PIA’s less expensive VPN.

• PIA VPN is finest for budget-conscious customers who’re in search of an inexpensive VPN and don’t thoughts inconsistent speeds and fewer options.
• NordVPN is finest for customers who need a quicker VPN and extra superior options and are keen to pay extra for that additional functionality.

PIA VPN vs. NordVPN: Comparability desk

	PIA VPN	NordVPN
# of servers	Not disclosed	6,355
# of nations	91	111
# of units	Limitless	As much as 10 units
No-logs coverage	Sure	Sure
Beginning worth for one-year plan	$3.33 per thirty days	$4.59 per thirty days
Beginning worth for month-to-month plan	$11.95 per thirty days	$12.99 per thirty days
Free trial	7 days	Not accessible

PIA VPN vs. NordVPN pricing

Personal Web Entry VPN pricing

PIA presents three easy subscriptions for its standalone VPN product. It’s necessary 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 worth. The pricing for these plans is as follows:

• 3 years + 4 months: $1.98 per thirty days.
• 1 yr: $3.33 per thirty days.
• 1 month: $11.95 per thirty days.

PIA VPN additionally presents two paid add-ons, antivirus safety for Home windows PC and a devoted IP handle. Many different VPNs embody these options with greater tier plans, so it’s necessary to crunch the numbers so that you simply’re getting the perfect deal. Right here’s how a lot these add-ons from PIA will value you:

• Antivirus for Home windows PC
  • 3 years: $1.00 per thirty days.
  • 1 yr: $2.00 per thirty days.
  • 1 month: $4.50 per thirty days.
• Devoted IP handle
  • 3 years: $2.50 per thirty days.
  • 1 yr: $4.25 per thirty days.
  • 1 month: $5.00 per thirty days.

A free trial is out there for PIA VPN, however solely via the App Retailer or Google Play Retailer. After you obtain the app and join a subscription, you will have seven days to try it out without spending a dime earlier than you’ll be charged. The free trial is just not accessible via the PIA retailer or for desktop apps. Nevertheless, after I signed up for the trial on my iOS gadget, I used to be capable of obtain the Mac app on my laptop computer and log in with my credentials that approach. PIA additionally presents a 30-day money-back assure, so you possibly can ask for a refund for those who change your thoughts in the course of the first month.

For extra info, learn our full PIA VPN evaluate.

NordVPN pricing

NordVPN presents three totally different subscription lengths: two years, one yr and month-to-month. NordVPN additionally presents three totally different tiers of plans, with the costlier ones providing extra options. The Primary 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 little thing in Plus and 1 TB of encrypted storage. NordVPN does increase costs after the introductory interval ends, although typically it presents reductions (particularly for those who threaten to cancel your subscription altogether). The costs for these plans are as follows:

• 2-year plan
  • Primary: $3.09 per thirty days + 3 additional months.
  • Plus: $3.99 per thirty days + 3 additional months.
  • Final: $5.99 per thirty days + 3 additional months.
• 1-year plan
  • Primary: $4.59 per thirty days + 3 additional months.
  • Plus: $5.59 per thirty days + 3 additional months.
  • Final: $7.59 per thirty days + 3 additional months.
• Month-to-month
  • Primary: $12.99.
  • Plus: $13.99.
  • Final: $15.99.

A free trial is just not accessible for NordVPN. Nevertheless, it does supply a 30-day money-back assure, so for those who resolve you don’t need to maintain utilizing it in the course of the first month, you will 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 to be able to take a look at it.

For extra info, learn our full NordVPN evaluate or take a look at our comparisons for NordVPN vs. Surfshark and NordVPN vs. Categorical VPN.

PIA VPN vs. NordVPN: Function comparability

Pace and efficiency

Certainly one of PIA VPN’s main drawbacks is its average-to-slow speeds. As quickly as I logged into the desktop app (Determine A) and related to the closest server in Atlanta, I observed the lag instantly. A fast pace take a look at confirmed this: I obtained obtain speeds of 295.66 mbps and add speeds of 75.23 mbps with PIA VPN working within the background. That is a lot slower than NordVPN in addition to one other standard funds VPN choose, Surfshark. For reference, I obtained 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. Actually, pace was a serious cause why I selected NordVPN within the first place. There would typically be a little bit little bit of a lag, particularly when connecting to a server distant, however it was noticeably quicker than PIA VPN on common.

Take into accout, nevertheless, that connection pace can differ lots relying on a large number 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 evaluate. 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 straightforward 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 Office.” Though I related to PIA’s “streaming optimized” servers (Determine C), there was a noticeable lag in comparison with NordVPN.

When related 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 tremendous. That being mentioned, I’d be involved about utilizing PIA for bigger duties, equivalent to importing very lengthy, high-quality movies to YouTube or streaming advanced video games that require quite a lot of computing energy.

Ease of use

PIA’s numerous interfaces aren’t essentially 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. Nevertheless, the design of the desktop app was a bit extra complicated, particularly in comparison with the easy cell apps.

SEE: Methods to Begin a Profession in Cybersecurity (TechRepublic Premium)

On a Mac, the PIA VPN desktop interface presents two views, condensed and expanded, and the size of both can’t be modified. The condensed view (Determine D) solely reveals the join/disconnect buttons and what server you at present have chosen. The expanded view extends the toolbar vertically till the bar covers your entire 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 important 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 could 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 respect NordVPN’s map that reveals me what server I’m related to, although another customers could discover this characteristic pointless or visually distracting. To entry different settings, merely click on via the icons on the left menu bar. The NordVPN cell apps are equally easy to navigate (Determine E), and so they all observe the same design to the desktop, so it appears like one cohesive system.

Safety and privateness

PIA presents many safety and privateness options that at the moment are thought of customary for VPNs, together with AES 256-bit encryption, a kill change and multi-hop routing. Its apps are additionally totally open supply, which offers extra transparency and allows anybody (together with you) to investigate the supply code. PIA VPN additionally has a no-logs coverage and an especially clear privateness coverage that spells every little thing out, and it’s been independently audited by Deloitte to again up these claims.

The one safety quirk which 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 recognized to distribute malware and adware up 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 presents loads of different safety and privateness measures which might be much 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 occasions, with the newest one being the tip of final yr.

PIA VPN professionals and cons

Personal Web Entry VPN professionals

• Cheaper than NordVPN.
• No worth hikes after the introductory interval.
• Helps limitless simultaneous connections.
• Many safety features.
• Free trial accessible via App Retailer or Google Play Retailer.

Personal Web Entry VPN cons

• Antivirus safety and devoted IP addresses are paid add-ons.
• Might end in vital pace loss.
• Desktop app design could possibly be improved.
• US jurisdiction could fear privacy-focused customers.

NordVPN professionals and cons

NordVPN professionals

• Quicker speeds than PIA VPN on common.
• Panama jurisdiction is best for information privateness.
• Desktop app could be resized and moved round.
• Superior plans embody extra options like malware safety.

NordVPN cons

• Dearer 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 determined by a wide range of components. If you’re in search of the most cost effective standalone VPN and don’t care concerning the inconsistent pace or the U.S. jurisdiction, then you’ll most definitely be glad with PIA VPN. I particularly respect that it doesn’t hike costs after the preliminary subscription, which is one thing that just about each different standard VPN does.

If you’re in search of quick and constant speeds, need higher privateness measures and are keen to pay extra for that, then NordVPN could also be a better option. Take into account that if your enterprise additionally wants extra options like malware safety and a password supervisor, it could truly be cheaper to bundle it altogether with Nord than to purchase every product individually.

If neither PIA VPN nor NordVPN looks as if a fantastic match in your wants and funds, then take a look at our different picks for the highest free VPNs.

Assessment methodology

To match 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.