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Shopping for a VPN? The hardest part isn’t deciding if you need one — it’s figuring out which one is the best for you.
ExpressVPN offers some of the most competitive prices while also offering a premium VPN service, including speedy connections and thousands of servers available to connect.
However, in the blue corner is PIA (Private Internet Access), a personal VPN service that is well known for its amazing value and ideal for households that need a VPN for multiple devices.
Comparing the two popular choices, we’ve looked at price, privacy, features, and more to ensure you’re choosing the best VPN for your needs.
GBN Tech has put together a detailed rundown of what both VPN services offer.
Protect your online activity with speedy service from ExpressVPN
Protect your personal information and encrypt everything you do online for just £1.99 with the latest ExpressVPN deal. That equates to under 7p per day, trouncing NordVPN, its biggest competitor
ExpressVPN adds military-grade encryption across up to 10x devices, including iPhone, Android, Linux, Windows, Mac, Fire TV, and dozens more, to secure your internet traffic from prying eyes, advertisers, and governments. You'll benefit from an extra 4 months free with a two-year plan
Protect an unlimited number of devices with a subscription to PIA VPN
Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN: Get 2 months FREE + 85% off subscriptionsYou can connect and protect an unlimited number of devices with a subscription to PIA VPN — including phones, tablets, gaming consoles, and more. With military-grade encryption, it can protect you across more than 80 countries. It also features a "no-logs policy" meaning it doesn't track or store your browsing data
Speed and performance
Speed can be an important factor when you’re streaming a show or movie or using a lot of bandwidth while playing video games.
ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs around in terms of speed. It uses its Lightway protocol, which provides minimal speed dips across all of its thousands of servers in 105 different countries. That means that it's excellent for smooth, buffer-free HD/UHD and 4K streaming and low-latency gaming.
On the other hand, PIA provides decent, usable speeds, particularly on nearby servers, and is a good option for budget-conscious users who want solid privacy features at a lower price and are not too preoccupied with heavy streaming.
Sites like CNET have called PIA "underwhelming", so ExpressVPN may be the better choice if speed is your top priority.
VPNs create an encryption tunnel where all of the communication between your gadget and the internet is funnelled | SORA | GB NEWS Price
ExpressVPN offers its Basic plan for £1.99 a month (£55.78) — a competitive price when offering its speedy Lightway protocol, RAM-only TrustedServer technology, a strict no-logs policy, and more. There’s also ExpressVPN’s Advanced plan that costs £2.79 a month (£78.18) and its Pro plan for £4.39 a month (£122.98) — offering enhanced security features, higher device limits, and identity protection beyond the Basic plan.
PIA, on the other hand, beats ExpressVPN in terms of value. PIA offers a one-year plan for only £2.71 a month (£32.49), but its real value lies in its three-year plan that costs £1.63 a month (£65) – making it a whopping 84% off its usual price.
Privacy
Both VPNs offer extremely robust privacy implementation, but there are a few noteworthy differences.
ExpressVPN has a slight advantage in privacy due to its jurisdiction in the privacy-friendly British Virgin Islands, which is outside of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance. Private Internet Access (PIA) is headquartered in the United States, a founding member of the Five Eyes, which raises potential concerns about government data requests.
Both providers have sturdy no-logs policies that have been verified through real-world events and independent third-party audits. Their use of RAM-only servers ensures that no user activity data can be stored long-term, as it is wiped with every server reboot.
Each company also offers essential security tools like a kill switch and strong encryption, such as AES-256.
Overall, both VPNs offer excellent privacy protection, but ExpressVPN has a slight edge due to its more favourable jurisdiction outside of major intelligence alliances.
VPNs work by encrypting all of your online traffic before it's sent over the internet. This prevents your ISP, advertisers, hackers, and fraudsters from tracking your online activity, stealing your personal data, or placing restrictions on you | EXPRESSVPN PRESS OFFICE Features and devices
ExpressVPN might be a better option for those who don’t just need a VPN and value other extras. For example, ExpressVPN’s Advanced plan also offers a password manager and features like a dedicated IP bundled into its Pro plan, whereas PIA has a more basic set of features, including an antivirus and dedicated IP on certain plans.
However, when it comes to devices, PIA beats ExpressVPN. It allows for unlimited devices on all of its plans, whereas ExpressVPN’s most expensive option, its Pro tier, only allows for up to 14 devices.
This means that if you want a VPN for the family, friends or others, PIA is the number one choice for those who need one of the best VPN deals out there.
But for those who do need as many countries as possible to connect to, PIA loses out slightly, with just over 90 countries to connect to compared to ExpressVPN’s 105.
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ExpressVPN vs PIA: Final verdict
If you're looking for a VPN for easy streaming, browsing, and use with multiple devices, PIA might be the one for you, with its great value, making it one of the best VPN deals out there.
However, if you value privacy and want a reliable VPN connection with little to no effect on internet speeds, that’s ideal for smooth, buffer-free streaming, then you’ll want to look no further than ExpressVPN.
ExpressVPN even includes a quibble-free 30-day guarantee on all of its subscriptions if you’re not happy.
With 24/7 customer support, you'll be able to talk to someone from any time zone to get a full refund if you're unhappy with the experience on your devices. Yes, ExpressVPN is that confident.
It also works with several devices, such as Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, and Android.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that protects and anonymises everything you do online. | UNSPLASH What is a VPN?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that protects and anonymises everything you do online.
VPNs can conceal your online activities by routing traffic through an encrypted tunnel that connects to secure servers worldwide. The most reliable VPNs employ the same encryption standard as governments in the United Kingdom and the United States, ensuring that even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can't keep tabs on the websites you visit, the duration of your sessions on each site, or your current location.
This protection extends to advertisers, trackers, and hackers, preventing them from monitoring your online behaviour. Furthermore, personal information entered into online forms and sensitive data transmitted to and from your device will be safeguarded from hackers using strong encryption provided by a VPN.