Last Updated on October 18, 2021 by VPNPioneer
Let’s battle out PIA vs NordVPN!
Both NordVPN and PIA are large, well known names in the VPN world. I have worked with both VPN clients and reviewed them honestly.
Here is a comparison between NordVPN and PIA that highlights the main findings:
PIA Overview
A simple and minimal personal VPN service based in the United States, PIA self-certifies as the most trusted name in anonymous VPN services.
We pegged it against NordVPN to see how it held up.
PIA Key Features
- Based in the United States
- 3335 servers in 53 locations across 33 countries
- P2P support
- 10 devices
- Encrypted Wi-Fi
- No logs policy
- SOCKS5 Proxy Included
- Passed all Privacy Tests
- 7-day money back guarantee
- $3.49 per month (with 2-year plan)
PIA Streaming
Unfortunately, PIA notoriously doesn’t work with Netflix, meaning NordVPN wins purely by default!
PIA doesn’t Work with Netflix!
NordVPN Overview
NordVPN is a Panama based provider and known for being the first official Liverpool F.C cybersecurity partner. Clearly one of the most famous for cheap pricing, it also has the largest number of servers located around the world.
After doing our own research, this is what we found.
NordVPN Key Features
- Based in Panama
- 5,380 remote servers in 61 countries
- P2P sharing
- Double Encryption
- Connection to the Tor anonymity network
- No logs policy
- 6 devices
- Passed all Privacy Tests
- 30-day money back guarantee
- $2.99 per month (with 3-year plan)
NordVPN Streaming
NordVPN worked with Netflix in our test.
Take a look here to see proof!
NordVPN Works with Netflix!
PIA Cost
PIA’s cheapest version costs $3.49 a month (with a 2-year plan) and offers a 7-day money back guarantee, which is both more expensive than NordVPN and offers a shorter refund window. I think the winner here is obvious…
PIA is more expensive than NordVPN!
NordVPN Cost
The cheapest version of NordVPN costs only $2.99 when opting for the 3-year plan, which is one of the cheapest on the market.
NordVPN is cheaper!
PIA Ease of Use
PIA isn’t the easiest VPN to use compared to its competitors, however there is good support on hand 24/7 should you run into any trouble. NordVPN also has similar usability, so we’re calling this round a tie!
PIA is easy to use!
NordVPN Ease of Use
We found NordVPN’s usability easy enough, it is the most intuitive VPN out there! What we also liked is the great knowledge base with videos and good descriptions how to use the VPN.
NordVPN is also easy to use.
PIA Speedtest
The overall performance for PIA is good, although variable across servers. However, it has the edge over NordVPN.
| Location | PureVPN Upload (Mbps) | PureVPN Download (Mbps) |
| Frankfurt | 21.5 | 25.7 |
| New York | 20.0 | 23.5 |
| Los Angeles | 18.9 | 20.1 |
| Tokyo | 12.2 | 13.3 |
Also other server in other countries had a great speed.
PIA offers top speed! On all server
NordVPN Speedtest
A relatively fast provider, although not the fastest out there, NordVPN holds up well against most other providers.
| Location | NordVPN Upload (Mbps) | NordVPN Download (Mbps) |
| Frankfurt | 19.5 | 22.4 |
| New York | 18.0 | 21.3 |
| Los Angeles | 17.9 | 20.2 |
| Tokyo | 4.2 | 8.3 |
Also other servers where not as fast. But NordVPN has a lot of server that you can switch between.
NordVPN has not bad speed but is not as fast as ExpressVPN
PIA Server & Location
Based in the United States, PIA doesn’t benefit from the Five Eyes exemption, so has a poorer privacy jurisdiction. However, it doesn’t log any data, which could negate the issue.
That said, is has a more limited network than NordVPN and doesn’t offer any server variety such as Tor-over-VPN servers.
PIA offers more countries/locations but less server
NordVPN Server & Location
With 5151 servers in 60+ countries, NordVPN has one of the largest pools to swim in. It is also outside of the 5, 9 and 14 Eyes surveillance alliance, meaning you have added security around privacy.
NordVPN offers more server but less locations/countries
PIA Security & Privacy
AES-256 encryption, using OpenVPN with TCP/UDP, L2TP, PPTP and IKEv2 protocols.
However, they lack the IPSec and SSTP protocols provided by their competitors.
PIA offers high standard when it comes to security and privacy
NordVPN Security & Privacy
- AES-256 bit encryption to protect their connections, using OpenVPN with TCP/UDP, IKEv2/IPsec, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP and SSTP protocols.
- Advanced online anonymity features, such as double-hop and Tor-over-VPN servers and an ad-blocking feature called CyberSec.
NordVPN is great for advanced users
Conclusion
NordVPN won in all categories but speed, although there wasn’t much in it. Their jurisdiction, copious features, Netflix capability and better refund policy meant they were the obvious winner.