Private Internet Access vs Windscribe VPN 2024

Keira Waddell

Former Senior Writer

Windscribe and Private Internet Access (PIA) are both advanced, customizable VPNs that offer a wealth of security features. Both are great options for data-intensive online activities like streaming and torrenting. However, they each raise some privacy concerns — with Windscribe’s past security breaches and both VPNs being headquartered in not-so-privacy-friendly countries.

The team and I thoroughly tested each VPN’s speeds, streaming capabilities, torrenting support, security and privacy features, customer support, and lots more. Windscribe also offers a popular free version, but I tested its premium plan to ensure this was a fair comparison.

Overall, Private Internet Access is more intuitive, offers live chat, and has a vast global server network. Plus, it comes with a trustworthy 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can even try PIA for free.

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Streaming — PIA Wins by a Very Narrow Margin

Both Windscribe and PIA are great for streaming from anywhere. We tested each VPN and were able to access Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITVX, Hulu, Max, Disney+, and ESPN+ in HD without issues.

Both VPNs offer fast speeds, so my team and I didn’t have any difficulty streaming. There was no buffering reported across our tests from either of the VPNs.

I had no buffering or lag when streaming Doctor Who with Windscribe

PIA offers 12 streaming-optimized servers in the UK, the US (east and west), Canada, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Italy, and Sweden. These servers are optimized for high speeds and are maintained by PIA’s team to ensure they work with streaming platforms.

PIA's west streaming server didn't give any lag or buffering even though our tester was in a faraway state

Both VPNs also offer smart DNS to let you stream on devices that aren’t compatible with VPNs, but Windscribe charges extra. This is a little disappointing since most VPNs include this with your plan.

Winner

Both VPNs are great for streaming, but we found PIA’s streaming-optimized servers to be particularly reliable for fast and uninterrupted streaming. Smart DNS is also included with any subscription, unlike Windscribe.

Server Network — PIA Has One of the Largest Server Networks of Any VPN

PIA takes this round hands down, offering a large network of 29,650 servers in 91 countries. This makes Windscribe’s network of 134 servers in 69 countries look pretty meager.

PIA and Windscribe offer P2P support — PIA’s entire network is optimized for P2P traffic, while the majority of Windscribe’s network allows torrenting. Windscribe doesn’t support torrenting on a few servers, which are clearly marked on its server list.

Both VPNs make use of RAM-only servers, which are great for privacy since user data is deleted with each reboot.

All of Windscribe's servers are physically located in the location you connect to. Physical servers can often be more reliable. However, many VPNs use virtual servers as they make it easier to cover more remote locations or restrictive countries. Around 50% of PIA’s network is virtual and is just as reliable as Windscribe’s physically located network.

Winner

PIA wins this round due to its vast server network, which covers a lot more countries.

Speed — PIA Is Slightly Faster Over Nearby and Long Distances

Our dedicated speed tester based in the UK tested each VPN with a base speed of 236.51 over a range of servers with the fastest protocol. We found that the WireGuard protocol was the fastest server for both VPNs. I was impressed with Windscribe’s speeds, but PIA was a little faster, especially on local servers.

PIA's France servers dropped speeds by 12%, which isn't a noticeable difference at all

On local servers in the UK, PIA dropped speeds by no more than 17%. On the same servers, Windscribe reduced speeds by up to 29%, which is a bit high for drops on nearby connections. The drop was even more pronounced with European servers outside of the UK, like in Germany.

My speeds dropped by 31% when connected to Windscribe's German servers

We had similar results on long-distance servers for both VPNs. PIA dropped speeds by 39% on average across servers in the US, Asia, and Australia, and Windscribe dropped speeds by 40%.

That said, Windscribe’s upload speeds were faster in a couple of cases, especially when testing Japanese servers. Upload speeds are important for a few specific activities, like video calls and file sharing.

Winner

Both VPNs delivered fast speeds, allowing uninterrupted streaming, browsing, and torrenting. However, PIA consistently delivered faster speeds when connected to local servers.

Gaming — Both VPNs Deliver Low Ping for Smooth Streaming

Your ping rate is the most important factor when gaming with a VPN. Ideally, the ping rate should be under 100 ms. Anything over this can result in too much lagging.

When testing the ping rates of these VPNs, PIA and Windscribe delivered similarly low ping rates to allow lag-free gaming on local servers. On local UK servers, I recorded a ping rate of 27 ms with PIA and 28 ms with Windscribe. This was barely an increase from my base ping rate of 23 ms, so I didn’t notice any difference when gaming on nearby servers with either one.

With both VPNs, I wasn’t able to game on long-distance servers (more than around 5,000 km away). For example, my ping was over 100 ms when connected to the New York servers. When I was playing Team Fortress 2, I kept missing my opponents' moves because there was too much lag. However, there are very few VPNs I’ve tested that let me game on servers so far away, so I wasn’t too disappointed with these results.

There was no difference in performance when I connected to PIA's nearby servers

Winner - draw

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PIA and Windscribe are ideal for gaming, as they both deliver low enough ping rates to ensure lag-free gaming.

Torrenting — PIA Allows P2P Traffic On Every Server

PIA is a great torrenting VPN, as its entire server network is optimized for P2P traffic. I appreciate this, as it means you don’t have to hunt for a certain server to torrent safely. It also offers extra features like port forwarding that can enhance your torrenting speeds since it connects you to more torrenting peers.

With port forwarding enabled and connected to a nearby server in the Netherlands, I was able to download a 1.25 GB (copyright-free) file in just under 2 minutes with PIA.

Most of Windscribe's server network allows torrenting, with a few exceptions that are clearly marked in the server list. It doesn’t allow torrenting with its Lithuania, Bosnia, India, Russia, and South Africa servers. Like PIA, it also offers port forwarding. My download speeds were similar to PIA with Windscribe, and I downloaded a 1 GB public domain movie in around 2 minutes.

Both apps also offer split tunneling, which lets you bind certain apps to the VPN connection. I customized this feature for both VPNs to ensure my BitTorrent app wouldn’t run without being connected to the VPN. You can check out our best VPNs for torrenting to learn about more features to enhance your torrenting experience.

Myself and the team at vpnMentor don’t condone using a VPN to download copyrighted files. Make sure to check that torrenting is allowed in your location and that the file you’re downloading is in the public domain (free from copyright) to avoid any legal issues.

Winner

While both VPNs are good options for torrenting, PIA takes the lead here because its entire network is optimized for torrenting.

Security — PIA Wins With a Slightly Better Selection of Options

PIA and Windscribe offer top security features that prove their dedication to users’ online safety. They both offer all the features I’d expect from a VPN, including AES 256-bit military-grade encryption, IP/DNS leak protection, a kill switch, and secure protocols.

They each also come with a wealth of advanced options that not all VPNs offer. However, PIA goes above and beyond with its customizable features, such as the ability to lower to 156-bit encryption.

In addition, while they both claim to offer multi-hop, this option is built into PIA’s VPN app. It’s easy to enable this in PIA’s settings and it covers your entire device. This feature adds to your security by routing your traffic through 2 connections (1 VPN server and 1 proxy).

The only way you can do this with Windscribe, though, is by utilizing both the browser extension (proxy) and VPN app at the same time. So, it’s really only effective in your browser and is not different than any other VPN that also offers a proxy browser extension.

Both PIA and Windscribe offer ad blockers, PIA’s MACE, and Windscribe’s R.O.B.E.R.T. They both did a good job at blocking ads in my tests, but I found MACE slightly more effective at blocking banner ads.

For an additional fee, you can purchase a dedicated IP address with PIA and a static IP address with Windscribe. These can be useful for granting consistent access to websites and avoiding recurring CAPTCHA and 2FA checks, which can be really frequent with VPN IPs.

Winner

Both VPNs have several advanced security features that aren’t offered by every VPN, but PIA takes it one step further with its adjustable features, like 128-bit encryption and built-in multi-hop.

Privacy — PIA’s Independent Audits Make It a Privacy-Friendly Option

Both PIA and Windscribe are based in the data-sharing 5-Eyes-Alliance countries. PIA is based in the US, and Windscirbe is based in Canada — these aren’t the most privacy-friendly countries.

Even worse, Windscribe was involved in a security breach a few years back when Ukranian authorities seized its servers, which the company failed to encrypt.

On the other hand, PIA takes steps to demonstrate its commitment to user privacy. As well as undergoing third-party audits performed by Deloitte in 2022 and 2024, PIA’s no-logs policy has been proven in court. It was ordered to hand over user data, but it doesn’t store any to share with authorities.

Windscribe has a strict no-logs policy, but it hasn’t undergone any independent audits. This is a little alarming since a government body seized a portion of its servers. However, the authorities weren’t able to recover anything since it doesn’t store session logs or timestamps.

Winner

PIA takes the lead in this round thanks to its court-proven and audited no-logs policy that proves its commitment to protecting user privacy.

Works in China — Both VPNs May Work, But It’s Not Guaranteed

These VPNs record a decent amount of uptime and take steps to try to stay ahead of China’s great firewall. PIA and Windscribe both offer obfuscation in their own ways, which is required for a VPN to work on restrictive networks, like under China’s internet censorship. However, both VPNs will likely take some troubleshooting to get them to work there.

They are certainly worth a try if you need a VPN for China, but I recommend checking out our list of the best VPNs for China for the most reliable option.

The Chinese government prohibits non-government-approved VPNs, but there have been no publicly documented instances of tourists being prosecuted for using them. Nonetheless, my team and I do not support any unlawful activities. We recommend reviewing relevant laws and regulations before choosing to use a VPN in China.

Winner - draw

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Neither VPN is guaranteed to work in China, and they have a similar amount of uptime.

Installation & Ease of Use — PIA’s App Is Slightly More Intuitive

Neither PIA nor Windscribe is particularly user-friendly, especially for VPN newbies. However, this is often the price you pay for feature-rich, customizable VPNs.

PIA's server list clearly states the ping rate on each server, so you can easily pick the fastest one

I found PIA was a little easier to navigate as its features are more clearly marked in the app settings. I had to hunt a little more to find features in Windscribe’s apps. PIA’s settings open up in a larger window, which makes it easier to locate its features, whereas Windscribe’s app doesn’t expand. It’s the same size as its mobile app, regardless of which device you’re using it on.

I'd prefer if Windscribe's apps were a little clearer so it'd be easier to find its advanced features

Winner

PIA has a narrow win in this round as it’s slightly more intuitive than Windscribe. However both VPNs are more suited to advanced VPN users who prefer more customization rather than VPN beginners.

Reliability & Support — PIA’s Live Chat Support Makes It The Clear Winner

PIA is the clear winner in this round as it offers live chat support, whereas Windscribe only offers a chatbot, Garry. Saying that, it’s one of the better chatbots I’ve experienced with a VPN. I tested it a few times and I always got a quick and helpful response.

However, you can’t get better than a live chat agent like PIA’s support, especially if you have a more complicated query, like a troubleshooting issue.

Winner

PIA takes the lead as Windscribe only offers an AI chatbot compared to PIA’s live chat agent.

Tips on Choosing Between Private Internet Access and Windscribe VPN

When deciding between Private Internet Access and Windscribe, several factors should be considered. Here are the criteria we used to determine which is the better option overall:

• Smooth streaming — My team and I tested both VPNs to ensure they provide fast and stable connections to streaming services from anywhere.
• Fast speeds — Your VPN should offer consistent speeds for streaming, browsing, or torrenting to avoid lag or interruptions.
• Server networks — A VPN with a large number of servers increases the chances of finding a nearby server for optimal speeds and reduces the risk of overcrowding.
• Robust security features — A VPN should have security features such as military-grade encryption, a kill switch, and IP/DNS leak protection as a minimum. Additional features like multi-hop servers, obfuscation, and a RAM-based network are also ideal.
• Trustworthy privacy policies — Your VPN should have a strict no-logs policy verified by an independent audit and be based in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction.
• Easy-to-use apps — User-friendly apps for all major platforms make it easy for anyone to protect all their devices quickly.
• Trustworthy money-back guarantee — A money-back guarantee allows you to try out a VPN with no risk. It’s important that the VPN’s refund policy is clear and trustworthy.

Private Internet Access vs. Windscribe VPN — Reddit Opinions

PIA and Windscribe both have loyal customers on Reddit, but concerns are raised about both VPNs. PIA is generally praised for its low price and reliable performance. Windscribe’s free version gets a lot of support on Reddit forums, but its paid version also gets good reviews in general.

Contributors express concerns about both VPNs’ commitments to privacy, relating to PIA’s US jurisdiction and Windscribe’s past security breach. However, deeper dives into these VPNs' privacy policies alleviate these concerns.