Private Internet Access vs. ExpressVPN

Comparing VPNs when you’re not a VPN expert can sometimes feel like comparing a Lamborghini to a Ferrari when you’re not a car person. To an average observer, both cars look great and drive great. But from an expert’s perspective, there are loads of differences that can make one car superior to the other.

Now, we’re not car experts nor professional racers, but we are VPN experts given that we’ve tested dozens of VPNs and authored countless research studies on VPN adoption and usage. And over the years, the subtle differences between VPNs have slowly become apparent to us.

Today we’re going to compare two VPNs that we consider great options: ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access. Who do we think has an edge? Keep reading to find out.

ExpressVPN vs. Private Internet Access: Similarities and Differences

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, let’s do a brief breakdown of the absolute basics of each service and see where they stand.

We’re no strangers to tough decisions—we once ranked every Harry Potter film and agreed on every choice. Still, we already know this is a tough decision. The two are close when it comes to their server networks. They don’t disclose how many servers they have exactly, but we know they’re in the thousands. And when it comes to server locations, both have servers in around 100 countries (91 for PIA and 105 for ExpressVPN). In addition, Private Internet Access’s most affordable plan comes in a few dollars under ExpressVPN’s, but you might rely on certain higher plan offerings, which we’ll cover in a bit.

Another key difference that we want to point out right away is the headquarters location for each of these companies. And as much as we’d like to say that the headquarters location factored because of whether it’s a good vacation destination, it matters for a very different reason. Because Private Internet Access is based in the United States, it’s part of multiple international surveillance alliances, so they may be asked to hand over customer data to the federal government. Luckily, they get around that by logging only what they need for account information, like email, minimal payment information, and our state or territory. ExpressVPN, based in the British Virgin Islands, is not subjected to the same alliances. (And for what it’s worth, Aliza prefers a Denver vacation but Gabe loves a good beach week.)

Two of a Kind

Both VPNs consistently rank in our top ten picks, so you can imagine that there’s a lot they have in common. Here are all the offerings that both companies offer, so theoretically, you could do a Parent Trap switcharoo and nobody would notice the difference.

• Logging policy: Both ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access have super strict logging policies, which we love. Neither service logs when we used their service, for how long, our IP addresses, browsing history or traffic on any websites. Of course, privacy is a major motivator to use a VPN in the first place, so we love this about both companies.
• Kill switch: If the idea of a kill switch sounds way too sexy for something as dry as a VPN, we get it. This Bond-esque tool is a key part of what makes many VPNs fool-proof. Basically, if our network connection was ever lost, the kill switch automatically killed whatever software or websites we were using, so our privacy was protected. Of course, the really good VPNs don’t even need their kill switches that often because they’ve got reliable connections, but we love having a back-up, just in case. Our moms were clearly the “better safe than sorry” types.

• Netflix & streaming: You already know about us and streaming. Just this week, we finally felt brave enough to watch HBO’s Lovecraft Country (with the volume on so low it was basically on mute), and if much as a buffering screen might have slowed down the horror, it definitely would have wrecked the mood. But luckily, both Private Internet Access and ExpressVPN were able to get around the VPN blockers that many streaming services try to use, with totally normal speeds to boot.

• Torrenting: When streaming services don’t cut it, we torrent while connected to our VPN in order to keep our entertainment for our eyes only. Torrenting is also a great way to be that girl watching an entire movie on her laptop during the morning subway commute. And it was easy with both services, thank goodness.
• Split tunneling: Split tunneling means that we could be on a VPN and a local network simultaneously, a great way to lower bandwidth. Here’s how it works: part of our traffic went through the ExpressVPN tunnel, while some traffic will connect directly with the Internet. It’s awesome if, like us, you’re often doing work on one half of a screen that needs a VPN’s level of privacy, while watching a loop of ASMR YouTube videos that aren’t quite as sensitive on the other half.
• Dynamic IP addresses: Every time we connected to one of these VPNs, we got a new IP address, which the service assigned randomly, making us that much harder to track online. This is a simple service that the best VPNs can easily provide, so we’re glad to see that both ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access made it a priority.
• No multi-hop: Unfortunately, some similarities between the services are more disappointing than some of the highlights. Neither ExpressVPN nor Private Internet Access provides a VPN multi-hop, or double hop option, which encrypts data multiple times through multiple servers. PIA offers a proxy multihop (find out the differences between a proxy and VPN here), but it’s not a VPN multihop in a traditional sense. If you’re interested in VPNs that do have a multi-hop option, check out our NordVPN review.
• App: Both services get great reviews for their iOS and Android apps, with an average of over four out of five stars for ratings. There’s just something relaxing about knowing we can easily navigate our security from our phones. What can we say, we’re millennials.

Some of These Things Are Not Like The Others

No two VPNs are exactly alike, and our purpose here is to help you figure out which one will serve you best. The easiest way to do that is by looking at their differences.

Speed

When we tested ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access on our Macbook Pro and Windows Vivobook, we found that generally, both services performed pretty well. But, if you look closer at the specific results below, you might notice some key differences.

Do you see it? Look closely. Okay, you’re right—you’re here for us to explain it to you! What is this, remote learning?

We always do our speed tests on both a Macbook and a Windows computer, as no two operating systems are the same, and we know we have readers in both tribes. First up in the chart, is the Macbook comparisons. In almost every category, ExpressVPN has Private Internet Access beat. Not only are the actual ping, download, and upload speeds just faster, but there’s a smaller difference between the speeds without the VPN and with it. That means on a Macbook, you’re less likely to notice a difference in speed with ExpressVPN than with Private Internet Access. And don’t get us wrong, there’s nothing to be ashamed about with those speeds, but there’s a clear winner here. We’re Macbook users ourselves day-to-day, and we can definitely vouch for the fact that ExpressVPN is most compatible.

But then we get down to the Windows speed tests, and oh, how the turn-tables! Here, ExpressVPN wins out only when it comes to the ping speed. But Private Internet Access worked much faster hands down when it came to every other speed category, as well as in the difference between speeds with and without the VPN. So on a Windows computer, Private Internet Access is your best bet for fast speeds and seamless transition from when the VPN is off to when it’s on.

Price

You didn’t think we’d completely neglect one of the most important considerations when looking to purchase a VPN, did you? We know that everyone’s got their own budgets for these things, so it’s important to know what a service like this costs. We like to know ahead of time if we may have to cut down our monthly literary magazine subscriptions in order to find the funds for better security. So here’s how ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access stack up at the cash register:

There’s really no comparison to be made here. All around, Private Internet Access is cheaper than ExpressVPN. Whether you’re looking to just try out a VPN month-to-month, or if you know what you need and want to pay for a longer-term subscription in order to save, Private Internet Access has better deals. Neither company offers free trials, but they do have 30-day money-back guarantees if it turns out it’s not for you. If you want to dive even deeper, check out our Private Internet Access pricing and ExpressVPN pricing pages.

We’d also like to note that you get more value from Private Internet Access overall, especially if you own multiple devices or if you want to protect your whole family from digital threats. All PIA plans include access for an unlimited number of devices. There’s no limit, and you can connect all of them simultaneously. As for ExpressVPN, there’s a five-device limit if you’re on a monthly plan and an eight-device limit for annual and six-month subscriptions.

The bottom line, though, is that you can get a better deal from each company if you sign up for a longer subscription, either six months or one year for ExpressVPN or one year or three years for Private Internet Access. And don’t worry about buyer’s remorse; both companies provide a 30-day money-back option, you can get your money back in case you change your mind. Check out our Private Internet Access pricing and ExpressVPN pricing pages for more information.

The Bottom Line: Which is better, ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access?

Okay, we know what you’re thinking. This is all great, but what’s the bottom line? At the end of the day, if you force our hand to choose one (though please note, neither Aliza nor Gabe do well with an ultimatum!) we’d have to choose ExpressVPN. However, as we’ve shown, they both have their own merits, so as a reminder:

To learn more about PIA, read our Private Internet Access review. ExpressVPN was our top VPN this year, but if you still feel like neither of these services are for you, there’s even more to explore at our top VPNs list. We can literally feel our heart rates slow and anxiety decrease when we feel protected on the Internet with a VPN. So no matter what you choose, make sure to choose protection over unguarded risk.