We put these VPNs to the test to find out which is the best!
Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
"We ran several side-by-side tests between Private Internet Access and ExpressVPN and each time ExpressVPN came out on top. There are many things that we like about PIA, but ExpressVPN was able to match them all and then some.
We noticed the biggest difference when it came to speed, no matter what servers we connected with, Express was consistently faster than PIA. "
While PIA offers fast connection speeds on nearby servers, I found that speeds on this VPN are much slower if you have a long-distance connection. In contrast, ExpressVPN maintains consistently fast speeds, even on long-distance connections. My connection speeds only dropped an average of 15% while testing various ExpressVPN servers.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Download speed reduction | 11% (UK) | 35% (UK) |
| Upload speed reduction | 16% (FRA) | 39% (FRA) |
| Ping time to google.com | 24ms | 35ms |
| Average time to connect (sec.) | 11ms | 10ms |
| Unblock successful for |
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| Visit Site | Visit Site |
Although PIA has a bigger network of 35,000+ servers, it only covers 91 countries. However, ExpressVPN’s network of 3,000+ servers includes options in 105 countries, offering better worldwide coverage.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Server Locations | 3,300 | 35000 |
| Server Countries | 105 | 90 |
| IP Addresses | 1,500+ | 3,236+ |
| Dynamic Server Switching | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
Both apps offer excellent customer support options, but ExpressVPN’s support was superior in my tests. The VPNs provide 24/7 live chat, email support, and a highly detailed knowledge base. However, ExpressVPN stands out because its live chat always responds in a few minutes, while PIA’s live chat can sometimes take much longer.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Email Response Time | 0.3 | 24 |
| 24/7 Support | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| Knowledge Base | ||
| Video Tutorials | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
With its intuitive, user friendly interface and lightning fast speeds, ExpressVPN offers a service that’s hard to beat. They go above and beyond the usual security features by using double VPN (meaning your internet traffic goes through two servers instead of one) and by controlling all their own servers, with no third parties involved.
Plus, ExpressVPN takes your privacy really seriously. It’s based outside the 14-Eye network, and doesn’t keep any logs on user activity.
PIA is really easy to install and use, has apps for all major operating systems, and provides tight security. Where it comes up a little short is when it comes to customer service, and providing access to geo-restricted content.
Additionally, those whose main concern is privacy won’t like the fact that its based in the US, which doesn’t have a good reputation when it comes to internet privacy.
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