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Both of these providers claim to keep no logs. Both have paid an accounting firm to check. Only one of them has been asked by federal investigators to hand something over.
That is the difference this comparison turns on, and it is not the one the marketing pages lead with.
The Short Answer
NordVPN wins on speed, streaming and jurisdiction. It scores 4.8 on our scale against 4.5, keeps six published audits, and operates from Panama.
Private Internet Access wins on price, devices and one unusual credential. Unlimited connections, roughly two dollars a month on the long plan, and a no-logs policy tested twice in United States courts rather than only on paper.
Pick NordVPN if streaming and speed matter. Pick PIA if the court record persuades you more than the audit count, and if you can live with an American parent.
Scheduled Proof Against Unscheduled
Here is the distinction most comparisons blur.
An audit happens when the company arranges it. The provider chooses the firm, the scope and the date, then publishes what comes back. NordVPN has done this six times, through PwC and Deloitte, and the reports say what they say.
A subpoena arrives without an appointment. PIA received one in a 2016 criminal case in Virginia and another in June 2018. On both occasions it produced nothing useful, because there was nothing to produce.
⚠️ Neither method is worthless, and neither is complete. An audit examines the systems in detail on a chosen day. A court demand tests one narrow question at a moment nobody controlled. PIA has the second and NordVPN does not.
Both run RAM-only servers on hardware they own. NordVPN moved to that model after a 2018 breach at a third-party data centre, which is why the infrastructure question comes up in its history at all.
Jurisdiction, and the Parent Nobody Mentions
This section changes how the comparison reads, so it belongs before the price.
NordVPN operates from Panama, outside every intelligence-sharing arrangement, with no mandatory retention behind it.
PIA is American, based in Denver. The United States sits inside Five Eyes, and no audit changes which government can serve a demand.
⚠️ PIA belongs to Kape Technologies, which also owns ExpressVPN and CyberGhost. Three of the providers we review share one owner, so a reader moving away from NordVPN in search of independence often lands inside the same group without noticing.
That is ownership, not evidence of anything. We mention it because our own tables list three separate jurisdictions for those brands, and a shared parent is the sort of fact a comparison should surface rather than bury — the full ownership map is a separate page.
Price, and the Number We Could Not Confirm
The headline gap is real. The renewal gap is where it gets interesting.
PIA costs roughly two dollars a month on the two-year plan, which undercuts almost everything in our catalogue.
NordVPN costs more up front and more on renewal. Our own figure is $139.08 a year, which works out at $11.59 a month, and the table below shows where that sits against the rest.
⚠️ PIA’s renewal price is the part we could not settle. One reputable source gives $57 a year, about $4.75 a month. Another gives $11.59 a month for the same product. We could not reconcile them, so we are telling you that instead of picking whichever number suits the argument.
Check the figure on the checkout page before you buy. Renewal pricing across the category is where most of the real money hides, and what a VPN actually costs over four years is a different question from the monthly headline.
| Provider | First term | Every year after |
|---|---|---|
| Norton VPN | $39.99 (12 months) | $79.99 |
| Private Internet Access | ~$49 (24 months) | Sources disagree |
| PureVPN | ~$52 (24 months) | $47.95 |
| Surfshark | ~$54 (27 months) | ~$79 |
| CyberGhost | $56.94 (26 months) | $56.94 |
| Mullvad | ~$65 (12 months) | ~$65 |
| Proton VPN | ~$71.76 (24 months) | $83.88 |
| Hotspot Shield | ~$71.88 (12 months) | $95.99 |
| NordVPN | ~$94 (27 months) | $139.08 |
| ExpressVPN | ~$98 (28 months) | $99.95 |
Speed and Streaming
Here NordVPN has the clearer record.
Independent testing puts NordVPN at the top of the field. CNET measured a 2.9% speed loss, which is the lowest figure in our comparison table, and NordLynx is the reason.
PIA is efficient for its price, and reviewers describe its streaming performance as the inconsistent part of an otherwise strong package.
⚠️ Streaming access changes month to month for everyone. Platforms flag server addresses and providers rotate them, which is why our streaming guide treats this as a moving target and why our speed page puts the percentages in context.
Devices and Interface
The practical differences, which decide more purchases than audits do.
PIA allows unlimited simultaneous connections. NordVPN allows ten, which covers most households but not a large one.
PIA ships open-source clients, so its code can be inspected by anyone rather than described in a blog post.
⚠️ PIA’s interface is the trade-off. Shadowsocks, MultiHop and MACE toggles reward a power user and intimidate everyone else. NordVPN connects in two clicks from a map.
Who Should Pick Which
Choose NordVPN if you stream, if you want the shortest setup, or if Panama matters to you. It is the stronger all-round product and our highest-rated provider.
Choose PIA if you want the lowest price, unlimited devices, or open-source clients. Its court record is genuine, and it is the cheapest credible option we cover.
⚠️ Neither choice is wrong on privacy grounds. Both hold audits, both run RAM-only infrastructure, and what a VPN hides and what it does not applies equally to both.
PIA against ExpressVPN is the stranger pairing. Those two share a parent company, score identically on our scale, and still differ by about two to one on price.
How We Research
This comparison draws on CyberInsider, vpnMentor and VPNpro for the 2016 and June 2018 subpoena cases and the audit histories of both providers, on Gizmodo and StreamFix for PIA’s pricing structure and the two irreconcilable renewal figures, on Daily Vanguard for the server counts, the Denver base and the Kape ownership of PIA and ExpressVPN, on Gizmodo for the Kape ownership of CyberGhost, and on CNET’s published speed measurement for the figure in our comparison table. We do not run our own speed tests, and where sources disagree we say so rather than choosing. Our full approach lives on the About Us page, and our NordVPN and Surfshark comparison covers the other pairing readers ask about most.
NordVPN vs PIA FAQ
NordVPN, on our scale: 4.8 against 4.5. It is faster, more consistent with streaming platforms, and based in Panama rather than the United States. PIA wins on price, on unlimited simultaneous connections, and on having had its no-logs policy tested in court twice.
Twice, in United States criminal cases in 2016 and June 2018. Federal investigators subpoenaed user data and PIA produced nothing usable, because it holds no such records. That is a different kind of evidence from an audit, and neither provider has both.
Substantially, on the initial term: roughly two dollars a month on the two-year plan. The renewal figure is where published sources disagree, giving $57 a year in one place and $11.59 a month in another. Check the checkout page before subscribing.
Kape Technologies, which also owns ExpressVPN and CyberGhost. Three of the providers we review therefore share one parent company, which is worth knowing when comparing what look like independent alternatives.
Less consistently than NordVPN, according to published testing. Streaming access changes constantly for every provider as platforms flag server addresses, so treat any ranking as a snapshot rather than a permanent property of either service.
The Verdict
NordVPN is the better product, and it is not close on speed or streaming. Six audits, Panama, and the lowest measured speed loss in our table.
PIA is the better bargain, and it holds one credential NordVPN does not. Two federal subpoenas produced nothing, which is proof of a kind no scheduled audit can supply.
The deciding question is what convinces you. A report you can read, or a demand nobody saw coming.
⚠️ And check the renewal price on the checkout page, because ours is the honest answer: the published figures for PIA do not agree with each other.