PureVPN and Private Internet Access (PIA) are two top-tier VPN providers. The two providers offer unrivaled P2P sharing support and a range of excellent security features.
Whether you need help deciding between PureVPN and Private Internet Access or want to find out more about them, we have compared the two regarding security, streaming performance, torrenting support, pricing, ease of use, customer support, and more.
Read on to learn which Virtual Private Network comes out on top in our PureVPN vs PIA comparison.
All of the best VPN providers should develop advanced security features, including secure encryption and support for powerful protocols. A VPN works by re-routing your internet traffic and passing it through an encrypted tunnel of servers so that it is protected from prying eyes.
Without a Virtual Private Network, your identity and real IP address are exposed to cybercriminals and even your ISP (Internet Service Provider), who may access and steal sensitive information.
Many users install VPNs to access the geo-restricted content on streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and more. A VPN will replace your real IP address with that of a remote VPN server, tricking the streaming provider into believing that you are located in the same country as the content you are trying to access.
In this PureVPN, PIA comparison, we have analyzed the two VPN providers against our strict reviewing standards which include security features, streaming performance, and much more.
PureVPN has a decent server network, well-designed apps with a range of first-rate features, and cost-effective subscription plans. However, there is room for improvement in its encryption standards, and the kill switch is not as reliable as we would like it to be.
Private Internet Access VPN is a cost-effective, feature-laden product that offers a range of configurable options. The Private Internet Access VPN service is great for torrenting fans thanks to its eye-watering network of over 22,000 servers, first-rate security features, and configurable settings. It comes with excellent desktop and mobile apps as well as support for 10 simultaneous connections.
For many users, pricing is the most important aspect when choosing the best VPN service. So, we have compared PureVPN vs PIA in terms of their subscription options and money-back guarantees.
PureVPN:
PureVPN offers a range of subscription options. Its one-month plan comes in at $11, slightly less than PIA, but still relatively expensive. If you want a more affordable option, you’ll need to opt for a longer-term subscription.
Although it isn’t not clearly advertised on its website, PureVPN offers a 5-year subscription plan, which comes in at an extremely affordable price of just $1.32 per month. This is one of the lowest prices offered by any VPN service on the market.
No matter what PureVPN plan you choose, you will be protected by a 31-day refund policy. This means that you can fully test the service before deciding whether you are happy with the features on offer. If you are not satisfied, request a refund, no questions asked. There is also a 7-day free trial that allows you to test the full product for just $0.99.
Private Internet Access:
PIA comes with a monthly, yearly, and 3-year plan. If you sign up for the monthly rolling contract with PIA, you will be paying a premium price of $11.95. As with any VPN provider, the freedom of a short-term contract comes with a higher price.
If you opt for a yearly plan, the monthly price will drop to $3.33 a month. However, the most cost-effective option comes with the 3-year plan, which at just $2.19, is one of the most cost-effective VPN options on the market.
The 3-year option comes with a subscription for Boxcryptor, a service that encrypts cloud files for OneDrive, Google Drive, and DropBox. The 3-year plan makes PIA an extremely cheap VPN provider, as long as you are happy to commit for a longer-term.
Disappointingly, there is no free trial available, but there is a 30-day refund policy for all new subscribers. The provider supports various payment options, including credit cards, gift cards, cryptocurrencies, and bank transfers.
When comparing PureVPN and PIA, we considered it necessary to analyze each provider’s VPN server networks. The server network’s size and the spread of server locations offered by a service typically reflect its potential for overcoming geo-restrictions.
Moreover, good VPN services that offer a high number of servers are less likely to become congested by too many users on a single server at once.
PIA offers an extensive network of over 22,000 servers worldwide, making it one of the biggest VPNs in terms of server coverage. However, despite having so many servers, PIA does come with slightly fewer geographical locations when compared to PureVPN. PIA’s network is spread across 77 different countries, while PureVPN covers more countries, with the number standing at 140.
Private Internet Access VPN offers servers in many countries, including the UK, Ukraine, the US, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
PureVPN offers an impressive server network, with more than 6500 servers in 180 locations spread across 140 countries. The provider delivers servers across Africa and even restricted regions such as Russia, which is not often seen with other VPNs.
Both Private Internet Access and PureVPN utilize both physical and virtual servers, which explains their large networks. Although many users are wary of proxy servers, they are useful in restricted countries such as Russia.
It is difficult to determine the best service in terms of the server network. If a large server network is your main priority, then PIA is an excellent choice. However, if you want global server coverage, PureVPN is the best option.
Both PureVPN and PIA come with a range of excellent privacy features, including leak protection, support for advanced protocols, open-sourced apps, and integrated kill switches.
The PureVPN apps include a range of great security and privacy features, including support for secure protocols and AES-256 bit encryption. There is IPv6 and DNS leak protection, multi-port option, and port forwarding options.
PureVPN comes with a reliable integrated kill switch, arguably the most important privacy feature that will protect your data and real IP address if the VPN connection drops. There is a built-in ad blocker to protect you from malicious advertisements online, as well as complete IPv6, WebRTC, and DNS leak protection.
PIA is an excellent choice if you are concerned about your privacy and security online. The VPN operates on first-rate OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols, two of the newest and most secure. Users can also choose between AES-128 bit encryption or AES-256 bit encryption in the settings. There is also the option to configure data authentication and handshake methods with RSA-2048 and RSA-4096.
To prevent DNS data leaks on all of your devices, PIA uses its own zero-knowledge DNS servers. PIA also offers an integrated kill switch that will cut off your internet connection until the VPN connection is re-established. Even PIA’s mobile apps include the kill switch, which is rare for a VPN.
All of the PIA apps are open-source, which means developers have heavily scrutinized them for potential leaks or weaknesses. This ensures you can trust the security and privacy of the PIA product.
There are extra privacy features on the PIA Chrome extension, including ad, tracker, and third-party cookie blocking technology; however, the extension will only protect your browser traffic. There is a bypass list, too, enabling you to choose which apps or websites run through the VPN connection and those that bypass it.
We would always recommend choosing a VPN provider that offers a strict no-logging policy. Without a no-logs policy, you cannot be sure that the VPN will not monitor, store, or share your private internet activity with third parties for profit. Both PIA and PureVPN claim that they do not store user logs.
PIA states that it does not store customer data logs of any kind; however, its privacy policy has not yet been independently audited, which is disappointing. The VPN states that it will never monitor, store, or share user browsing activities, IP addresses, or other private information.
The only data that PIA stores are your account details, including your name, email address, and billing information. However, this is normal among most VPN providers.
Unlike PIA, PureVPN has completed two independent security audits of its no-logging policy. Neither audit found evidence suggesting that the provider collected information that could link a user to a particular online activity.
The second audit was completed by KPMG, one of the biggest auditing firms in the industry. PureVPN has now introduced an “always-on” security audit policy, which means that KPMG can investigate the company at any time without notice.
Another important thing to consider when analyzing a VPN provider is its jurisdiction. This will determine whether or not the company is required by law to store private user internet information and present it upon request by the government. So, we have compared PureVPN and PIA in terms of their jurisdictions.
PureVPN is located in Hong Kong, an autonomous region that is not part of either the Five, Nine, or Fourteen Eyes alliances. These surveillance alliances are data-sharing agreements between different countries worldwide that present an issue for user privacy.
Worryingly, PIA is based in the United States. The US lacks strong data protection regulations and is part of the Five Eyes Surveillance Alliance. However, PIA can protect its users’ privacy by not logging internet activity data on its servers. Even if it is requested by the government to share server data, nothing will be stored.
Many users choose to download a VPN to access geo-restricted sites and streaming content on services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Hulu, Disney+, and more. VPN services change your real IP address to one in another city or country. This means you can use a VPN to access content that would typically be unavailable in your region.
PureVPN can unblock Netflix and enables access to a range of libraries across the globe. It is also successful at accessing Disney+, a service that many VPN providers struggle to unblock.
However, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video fans will be disappointed as the provider struggled to access either service during our testing. If you are content with Disney+ and Netflix, PureVPN is not a bad choice, but it is not the best streaming VPN overall.
PIA was successful at accessing a limited number of streaming services during testing. It unblocked US Netflix content; however, it could not access libraries in Canada or Japan, which is disappointing. The VPN provider had no issue accessing YouTube or BBC iPlayer, and Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video worked on selected servers.
Although PIA provides access to some streaming services, we cannot recommend it as a reliable streaming VPN. If you are a streaming fan looking for a VPN to access a host of geo-restricted content on a range of streaming services, we would be inclined to recommend an alternative VPN provider such as NordVPN or Surfshark for more reliable streaming performance since both providers employ dedicated servers for streaming.
Many VPNs have meager data limits, bandwidth restrictions, and slow download speeds, making them unsuitable for streaming fans. However, both PureVPN and PIA come with unlimited bandwidth as well as fast connection speeds. This means that you can stream as much as you like, in high-definition, without worrying about lagging, buffering, or how much data you are consuming.
When it comes to torrenting, PureVPN is not a bad choice. There is a range of useful features for online users, including fast connection speeds and NAT firewall protection. However, many of the PureVPN servers located in popular regions, such as the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia, do not support P2P (Peer-to-Peer) activity. This means that you may have to select a long-distance server location to protect your torrenting activity.
Although PIA may not be the best option for streaming, it is an excellent choice for torrenting fans. The VPN offers unlimited bandwidth, and every server is optimized for P2P sharing activities, which is rare in the VPN industry. Even port forwarding may be useful if you need to access the internet from behind a NAT firewall for optimal torrenting speeds.
It’s worth noting that both PureVPN and PIA come with advanced features like split tunneling. This means that you can separate your connections when torrenting and browsing simultaneously. Choose which activities you want to protect with the VPN and those you want to run through your normal ISP internet connection.
Overall, when comparing PureVPN and Private Internet Access, Private Internet Access is arguably the better torrenting VPN, thanks to its unlimited P2P sharing support.
When choosing between VPNs, it is necessary to consider the connection speed on offer. If a VPN does not offer sufficient speeds, you will be met with buffering and lagging when streaming and gaming. The best VPNs should be fast so, we have compared PureVPN vs PIA in terms of their server speeds.
PIA offered slightly faster connection speeds during speed tests, making it the better option if you need a reliable connection free from buffering. We enjoyed an average download speed of 37Mbps, which is excellent.
Comparatively, PureVPN was slightly slower, and our speed test results showed that it produced an average download speed of 35Mbps. However, this is still rather good and fast enough for data-heavy activities.
Setting up a VPN shouldn’t be difficult. We checked out PIA and PureVPN’s setup procedures on various operating systems to see which was the easiest to install and start using.
Installing the PIA desktop apps is quick and easy. The client download pages on the PIA website offer a changelog displaying all of the changes that have been made to the app over time. If you want to use your own client instead of the standard PIA one, there are OpenVPN configuration files available too.
Once you have installed the user-friendly PIA desktop client and entered your login details, the client interface will reveal a large Connect button that will automatically connect you to the best available server in terms of speed and location. You can also choose a specific server from a list of servers that are categorized by country and city. The client also offers ping times for each server to give you an indication of expected latency.
There is a range of configuration features in the Settings section, including the option to adjust your level of encryption.
Downloading and installing the PureVPN clients is an easy process, especially for VPN novices. Simply click download on the relevant app for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, or Linux operating systems and allow the file to install. Once the client is installed, simply enter your login details.
To connect to your desired server location, launch the PureVPN app, login, and click the Auto-Connect icon at the center of the interface for an instant connection to the best available server in terms of latency and speed. PureVPN also offers the option to switch VPN protocols, change country location, and connect to a dedicated IP address add-on.
Both VPNs come with comprehensive customer support, too, if you require assistance while setting up or installing the clients. Overall, both PureVPN and PIA offer simple setup processes that are suitable for even a beginner user. Better yet, both VPNs provide easy to use apps.
The number of simultaneous connections available is a good indicator of whether a provider offers good value for money. The industry average is just 5 simultaneous connections; however, both PIA and PureVPN come with 10 simultaneous connections.
This means that you could protect all of your devices, including your PC, Android tablet, mobile devices, smart TV, gaming consoles, and still have some connections left over. In theory, you could even share the VPN with your friends and family members too, so they can protect their operating systems.
Considering that PureVPN and Private Internet Access come at relatively low monthly prices, it is impressive that both VPNs come with such a generous simultaneous connections policy.
PIA offers dedicated, easy-to-use VPN apps for iOS and Android mobile devices. Thanks to 10 simultaneous connections, you can protect all of your devices at the same time, which is much more generous than most other providers.
The Android app is clean and simple, offers a large ON/OFF button, and displays your current IP address and chosen location. Clicking on the location will bring up a location list with latency indicators to help you make the best choice.
The PIA iOS app is similar to the Android version. A Management Tile allows you to configure certain networks as safe or unsafe. This allows you to set up the VPN to activate if you connect to an unsafe network and disconnect when you arrive home.
PureVPN comes with secure apps for iOS and Android mobile devices too. The intuitive interface enables access to hundreds of servers around the world.
Customer support is one of the most important aspects of all VPNs. Thankfully, both PureVPN and PIA come with 24/7 live chat customer support, email support, and a range of comprehensive written guides available on their websites.
Unfortunately, neither of the VPNs offers customer support via phone, which may be disappointing for some users. You’ll only be able to speak to the customer support team via live chat or email.
Both PureVPN and PIA are powerful products that offer easy-to-use solutions suitable for almost every internet user. Arguably, PIA is slightly better for streaming, gaming, and torrenting, thanks to its fast connection speeds. However, in almost every aspect, there is little difference between the two services.
For example, both PIA and PureVPN offer features like a kill switch, split tunneling, live chat support, and excellent security features for online privacy.
PureVPN’s offering of a 7-day trial and 31-day refund policy may suit you better if you are a beginner user. We always recommend testing a VPN product before committing to a paid plan to ensure it offers all of your required features.
Overall, both VPNs make an excellent choice and are well worth your consideration, but we recommend PIA based on its reputation for reliability and performance. This popular VPN is trusted by countless users worldwide. It delivers an impressive network of servers, excellent torrenting support, decent streaming performance, fast speeds, and a host of advanced privacy features.
Hi, I'm Cliff. I'm based in Cleveland, Ohio, with my wife and two kids.
I have a keen interest in cybersecurity and have been writing about it for around a decade now. Due to my background in computer science, I am familiar ...
Read more about the author