Private Internet Access vs VyprVPN: Which VPN Should You Pick in 2025?

Private Internet Access (PIA) matched or surpassed VyprVPN in every department and has been popular with many thousands of users since its inception in August 2010¹. It boasts over 40 times as many servers as VyprVPN, faster speeds, and superior security features.

We didn’t cut any corners when comparing PIA vs VyprVPN. We did real-world testing across a broad range of categories to find out which was best for streaming, gaming, torrenting, and general browsing.

The results were conclusive, to say the least. PIA is the better VPN in almost every regard. It’s also a lot more affordable in the long term. Try it for yourself for free with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Getting a refund is easy if it’s not what you were looking for.

Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

Best alternative to Private Internet Access

Our Score: 9.9

ExpressVPN is the best option according to our in-depth analysis. Its proprietary Lightway protocol makes it the fastest service we’ve tested, even over PIA. Plus, it supports obfuscation on every server.

Our Score: 9.9

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Streaming — PIA’s Specialty Streaming Servers Sparkle

These are both excellent VPNs for streaming, and they worked with all of the platforms we tested. The only difference was that VyprVPN only worked with Netflix Originals, which was disappointing. We also noticed a bit more buffering with VyprVPN and slightly longer loading times. But the number of platforms it worked with is still impressive.

PIA also stands out with streaming servers for 11 countries, including the UK, Japan, and 2 for the US. You can find them easily by typing “streaming” into the search bar on the server list. These work reliably with stable connections, so you can watch your favorite content safely and in HD from anywhere.

We also found that VyprVPN didn’t work with some regional services, such as RTE (Ireland), RTL+ (Germany), and Sky (UK). However, both services worked with the notoriously tricky BBC iPlayer, which was impressive.

Winner

Which VPN provides the best streaming performance? With its 11 specialty streaming servers among its vast fleet of 29,650 servers, PIA takes the win. However, VyprVPN isn’t far behind and worked with all but a few niche regional services.

Server Network — PIA Is Miles Ahead With Thousands More Servers

There’s no contest here; PIA has over 42 times as many servers as VyprVPN. This may account for its superior streaming performance with less buffering than VyprVPN. PIA also has specialty servers for streaming in 11 countries, allowing secure access to your favorite platforms.

Plus, PIA gives you a Multi-Hop feature to route your data through a VPN and a SOCKS5 or Shadowsocks proxy server, offering greater privacy and obfuscating your connection. VyprVPN’s missing a similar feature, but it offers obfuscation with its Chameleon protocol.

Winner

Which VPN has the best server network? PIA boasts 29,650 servers in 91 countries, which towers over VyprVPN. It also has specialty streaming servers and Multi-Hop, which VyprVPN can’t match.

Speed — PIA Leaves VyprVPN Lagging Behind

We conducted thorough speed tests in Austin, Texas, using the WireGuard protocol for both VPNs — this is the open-source, industry-leading protocol for speed. It’s fair to point out that our base speeds were 19% faster when testing PIA, but that doesn’t account for the vast discrepancy in the results. PIA was 42% faster on nearby servers and a whopping 77% faster over long distances.

We also put each VPN’s obfuscation features to the speed test. PIA has a Multi-Hop feature, while VyprVPN has its proprietary Chameleon protocol. Both options reduce speed significantly, but PIA’s Multi-Hop was 46% faster than Chameleon in our tests.

Winner

Which VPN has the fastest WireGuard speeds? PIA was considerably faster than VyprVPN in all but one of our tests. Its Multi-Hop obfuscation feature also proved over twice as fast as VyprVPN’s Chameleon protocol.

Gaming — Player PIA Wins Thanks to Low-Latency Servers

Gaming with a VPN is highly recommended since it can prevent DDoS attacks, which are an increasing threat in online multiplayer games.

Ping is the all-important stat for gaming since it measures the response between your commands and the on-screen action. Under 100 ms is considered optimal for gaming since any slower would result in laggy gameplay.

PIA had a far quicker ping than VyprVPN. It was over 5 times faster on nearby servers and a shade faster over distance. I would always recommend connecting to a nearby server to protect your gaming sessions, and PIA proved the slicker of the 2 options. We could play Brawlhalla with incredibly responsive gameplay as if we weren’t using a VPN at all.

Winner

Which VPN is best for gaming, VyprVPN vs PIA? PIA has a considerably quicker ping than VyprVPN. From a base ping of 5 ms, it slowed us down to just 11 ms, which wasn’t even noticeable.

Torrenting — PIA Offers Faster Downloads

Both VPNs are good choices for P2P file sharing. They both support torrenting on all servers, and both have leak protection and kill switches to protect your data when you connect to peers. However, PIA’s larger server network and faster speeds are a huge advantage when downloading large files. It was 38% faster at downloading a 1.5 GB public domain file.

I was also impressed with PIA’s advanced kill switch, which doesn’t allow you to go online at all unless the VPN is connected. This ensures that your torrenting is always protected by the VPN, which is great if you sometimes forget to turn it on before file sharing.

Remember, file sharing is legal in most countries, but downloading copyrighted material is illegal almost everywhere. Use your VPN responsibly. The vpnMentor team and I do not condone copyright infringement or illegal activities.

Winner

Which VPN offers the best torrenting support? With its advanced kill switch and faster speeds, PIA proved to be a winner when it comes to torrenting.

Security — PIA Is Among the Best, With Tons of Advanced Features

Both VPNs offer the highest levels of security, with military-grade encryption, a choice of protocols, public WiFi protection, and private DNS servers. However, PIA has a plethora of security features and settings that overshadow most VPNs, and not just VyprVPN.

PIA boasts RAM-only servers that wipe all data on reboot, Multi-Hop connections, an advanced kill switch, encryption switching, and an ad and malware blocker — all of which VyprVPN lacks. The lack of an ad/tracker/malware blocker is particularly disappointing since it’s now standard with most leading VPN services.

Winner

Which VPN has better security, PIA or VyprVPN? PIA leads the way with tons of adjustable security features to tailor your connections.

Privacy — PIA Takes the Lead With RAM-Only Servers

These services are both based in the US, a founding member of the 5 Eyes data-sharing alliance. That’s a concern because it means they’d have to comply if the authorities demanded user data. However, that’s not a concern for PIA customers because its RAM-only servers mean no data is stored. In theory, if VyprVPN servers were seized or hacked, any data on them could be compromised.

However, both VPNs have a verified no-logs policy, so your data should be safe with either service. Furthermore, PIA releases a quarterly transparency report that documents requests for data and how it responded. For example, it received 14 subpoena requests in Q4 of 2024, and it submitted zero logs². On the plus side for VyprVPN, it owns all its servers, whereas PIA rents some of its facilities.

Winner

Which VPN is in the best jurisdiction for privacy? Both VPNs are based in the US, which isn’t ideal. However, PIA wins this category as it offers RAM-only servers and publishes regular transparency reports.

Works in China — PIA Might Work, but No Guarantees

Most VPNs lack the resources or customer demand to offer reliable service in China. The country uses advanced VPN blocking, which most VPNs can’t bypass. VyprVPN customer service confirmed that it doesn’t work in China.

PIA might work, but it offers no guarantees. On the plus side, it has more customizable settings than most VPNs. So, you’ve got plenty of options to tinker with to find a combination that works. However, if you need a VPN for China, check out our list of services that are known to be reliable.

Winner

Does either VPN allow China access? Neither VPN is guaranteed for use in China, but PIA is more likely to work.

Installation & Ease of Use — It’s Down To Personal Preference

Both VPNs are simple to install. You can download them onto any major OS with just a few clicks and in under 2 minutes. Each of them offers a similar level of compatibility, too, although PIA offers more browser extensions.

Technically, VyprVPN is easier to use since it has far fewer adjustable settings to play with. However, techie fans may be underwhelmed by the lack of features.

On the other hand, PIA may overwhelm VPN beginners with its feature-rich app. But you don’t have to adjust any settings with PIA unless you want to — it works perfectly out of the box.

Both apps are slick and fun to use, so which you prefer may be down to personal opinion.

Winner – draw

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Which VPN offers the easiest installation and interface? Both VPNs are easy to install, so it depends on whether you want a simple plug-and-play solution like VyprVPN or a more technical app like PIA.

Reliability & Support — Draw; Both Offer Several Help Channels

Both services make you talk to a chatbot before connecting to a human agent, but it’s easy to bypass. There’s a button after you ask your first question that takes you straight to customer support. I never had to wait for longer than a minute with either service, and the agents were knowledgeable and friendly.

I’ve also never had to reinstall either service in my years of using them, so I can vouch for the reliability of both services.

Winner – draw

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Which VPN is more reliable? Both VPNs are durable and reliable and ideal for long-term use. If you do run into issues, both VPNs offer great live chat support and several other channels that’ll get you back up and running.

Pricing

	PIA	VyprVPN
Starting Price	$2.03/month	$3/month
Price (On Renewal)	$143.40 per year (subject to change)	$60 per year (subject to change)
Money-Back Guarantee (Days)	30 days	30 days
Number of Devices per License	Unlimited	5
Router Setup (for Unlimited Devices)	Yes, supports various routers	Yes, supports various routers

Both services offer one-month and one-year plans. The initial difference is that PIA’s long-term offer is 3 years (with 3 free months included), while VyprVPN’s longest plan is just 2 years. But the main discrepancy is in price.

PIA’s long-term offer is way better value than VyprVPN, at $2.03/month compared to $3/month for VyprVPN. That’s despite PIA offering so much more in terms of servers and technical capabilities.

That said, if you want to go short-term, VyprVPN is more affordable ($10/month compared to $11.95/month for PIA). But PIA still offers better value, in my opinion. Not least since it supports unlimited device connections compared to VyprVPN’s 5.

Winner

Which VPN is cheaper? PIA is better value long-term, but VyprVPN is a little more budget-friendly if you’d prefer paying monthly.

Our Methodology for Testing PIA vs VyprVPN

We evaluated PIA and VyprVPN based on rigorous criteria, focusing on speed and security. For speed, we measured download and upload speeds across multiple server locations. Security assessments included encryption standards, leak protection, and adherence to no-logs policies.

To ensure transparency, we conducted tests in controlled environments using standardized tools. Our methodology was designed to provide reliable, repeatable results. You can explore our detailed methodology page for a deeper dive into the process. Feel free to use this as the basis for your own tests.

PIA vs VyprVPN — Reddit Opinions

PIA has many long-term users who report positive experiences. Redditors who have commended have typically used the service for 10+ years. Feedback for VyprVPN is more mixed, with some complaining that it’s expensive compared to its competitors. Others report that it can be inconsistent with streaming platforms, which wasn’t the case in our tests.