When comparing Private Internet Access vs Nord VPN, the Slant community recommends Private Internet Access for most people. In the question“What is the best VPN for online security?” Private Internet Access is ranked 3rd while Nord VPN is ranked 5th. The most important reason people chose Private Internet Access is:
For a single year of service the total cost is $39.95, which comes out to $3.33 per month. Making Private Internet Access one of the cheapest providers of VPN services on the net.
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Pros
Pro Cheap
For a single year of service the total cost is $39.95, which comes out to $3.33 per month. Making Private Internet Access one of the cheapest providers of VPN services on the net.
Pro Disconnects internet if VPN drops
If the VPN goes out, the internet will be disconnected so users will be protected from browsing without protection.
Pro P2P/Torrent service included
All users are able to access P2P networks without having to download a 3rd party client. Private Internet Access uses separate VPN gateways for browsing and P2P access, so both are optimized without interfering with each other.
Pro Multiple layers of security
Including IP cloaking, encryption, firewall, complete anonymous browsing & complete uncensored access to the internet.
Pro Multiple OS compatibility
Private Internet Access is compatible with MacOS X and iOS, without having to use a third party client. It also works on Windows, Android, Linux & more. In total, Private Internet Access is compatible with almost 40 operating systems.
Pro No traffic or protocol restricitions
You can use any and all protocols at your disposal, no traffic is restricted.
Pro Use multiple devices
Private Internet Access allows for up to 5 devices in use simultaneously.
Pro Instant setup
When you sign up, you will instantly get a user id and a password to use in their provided software (Windows and Macintosh) and they have tutorials and FAQs for Android, iPhone, Linux and other devices such as routers.
Pro Excellent service
They are very eager to answer any questions that you may have.
Pro Multiple VPN gateways
You can pick where you will appear to be from: the US (multiple), Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, France, Romania, Canada, or Hong Kong.
Pro Multiple payment options
Payments are accepted through Bitcoin, Ripple, PayPal, Google Play (Mobile), OKPay, CashU, Amazon and any major Gift Card.
Payment plans are by the month, half year and by the year.
Currently $6.95/mo, $35.95/half year, $39.95/year.
Truly anonymous payments can be made by gift cards or Bitcoins.
A $25 Starbucks gift card gives you 100 days.
A $32 Best Buy gift card gives you 129 days.
A $50 Walmart gift card gives you 366 days.
Pro No logs are kept
According to Private Internet Access in 2013:
We absolutely do not maintain any VPN logs of any kind. We utilize shared IP addresses rather than dynamic or static IPs, so it is not possible to match a user to an external IP.
According to Private Internet Access in 2014:
We absolutely do not log any traffic nor session data of any kind, period. We have worked hard to meticulously fork all daemons that we utilize in order to achieve this functionality.
Pro Six simultaneous devices allowed
Users can use the same VPN account on six devices at the same time.
Pro Outside of Five, Nine and Fourteen Eyes countries
Located outside of countries intent on degrading your privacy.
Pro Servers in 40+ countries
Server locations are nicely spread and covers many users. NordVPN constantly adds new servers to their service.
Pro Unlimited speed and bandwidth
Nordvpn does not limit your internet connection speed or bandwidth.
Pro No logs are kept
This aspect of their service is fairy straightforward - no logs are kept.
Pro Double VPN
Pro Includes a kill switch
Pro Manual DNS Server Addresses Available
Most other VPN providers leave you on your own to figure out DNS Servers to use and leak your DNS if you connect to their VPN service via the router. They don't give you DNS service, most often they will simply suggest using Google DNS or some other public DNS service which tracks and logs your DNS resolution defeating the point of using a VPN service. Some VPN providers have proprietary apps/firmware for a limited selection of last generation routers or older. Nord gives you two DNS servers you can manually set in your Router WAN DNS settings to ensure your connection is secure and is not being read by your ISP or a public DNS service. This is great for when you want to use stock firmware or can't use custom firmware like DD-WRT, Tomato, Open-WRT etc.
https://support.nordvpn.com/#/Other/1047409702/What-are-your-DNS-server-addresses.htm
Pro 20% Ebates rebate
Ebates users who have activated on the Nord website before placing an order with Nord, will get 20% credit back off of their order which will make its way back to the user as a check in the mail eventually.
Cons
Con Based in the USA
Private Internet Access is based in the United States of America and can subject to a gag order, so basically the NSA can do whatever they want without PIA telling their customers what the NSA is doing.
Con No free version
While they offer a variety of payment plans and payment methods, a free version of this service is not available to users.
Con Non Transparent "Proprietary Method" to detect violators of Terms of Service (ToS).
When asking a Customer Service Representative, how violators of ToS are detected, the CSR stated "Proprietary Methods." When asked for clarification, was referred to Legal Department.