Windscribe vs. PIA comparison in 2024

Choosing a suitable VPN is crucial for having a top-notch online experience. However, it might be tricky as there are many VPN providers that offer similar features. So, how can you know which one is worth trying?

Windscribe and Private Internet Access are two decent competitors that come with fantastic perks and a variety of capabilities. Therefore, we’ve decided to create this Windscribe vs. Private Internet Access comparison. By diving into more detail, you’ll manage to pick the best VPN provider for your needs!

Windscribe vs. PIA: specifications

PIA excels over Windscribe and is a winner in our comparison. It is a reputable VPN that comes with the largest server network in the VPN industry. The VPN has 29300+ servers that are located in 90+ countries, and it also works with many VPN protocols. More precisely, you can choose from WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2.

On the contrary, Windscribe has drastically fewer servers than PIA. It provides 480+ servers across 90+ countries, along with the standard WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols.

Windscribe vs PIA: pricing

After our brief overview, it’s time to begin our PIA vs. Windscribe comparison. The first aspect that you should consider is pricing. So, suppose you’re looking for an affordable VPN with various plans and payment options. Then, you should definitely go for PIA!

In the long run, PIA is a cheaper VPN than Windscribe. It also comes with a much longer money-back guarantee. Windscribe is only cheaper for a single-month plan and has only a 3-day money-back guarantee. While it has the edge over PIA for its free version, it’s actually quite limited, so it may not be suited for most use cases.

Windscribe pricing

Windscribe comes with an entirely free VPN plan, but it also doesn’t lack a free trial. You can benefit from the 30-day money-back guarantee. Now, let’s explore its plans:

• Monthly plan for $9.00/month
• Annual play for $5.75/month

One of the most unique Windscribe possibilities is that you can build a VPN plan according to your needs. Also, you can pay with a credit or debit card, PayPal, American Express, Paymentwall (local currencies), and cryptocurrencies. These options allow you to make anonymous payments.

PIA pricing

PIA doesn’t have a free version nor a free trial, but it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. More so, it offers more affordable plans. So, let’s have a look: 

• $11.95/month for one month
• $3.33/month for one year
• $2.03/month for three years

When it comes to payments, PIA accepts credit cards, PayPal, and crypto payments. What’s more, you can take advantage of total anonymity due to the possibility of paying with cryptocurrencies. 

Speed comparison

PIA offers a huge server range of more than 29300 servers in 90+ countries. In addition, it comes with WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. As a result of the various VPN protocols and the impressive number of servers, you can enjoy fast and consistent connections even over longer distances. 

On the contrary, Windscribe has only 480+ servers across 69+ countries and works with WireGuard, OpenVPN, and IKEv2. Although it utilizes strong VPN protocols, its smaller server network may cause slower speeds and not-so-reliable connections, especially over longer distances.

Windscribe vs. PIA: which is more secure?

The next round of our Windscribe vs. Private Internet Access comparison concerns your online security. While both VPNs are quite secure, PIA has an advantage. But before you find out why, let’s quickly explore the features they have in common:

• AES-256 encryption
• Kill switch
• DNS/IP leak protection

Privacy

Probably the biggest disadvantage for both VPN providers is their location. More precisely, PIA is located in the USA, while Windscribe works from Canada. Therefore, both VPNs belong to a country that is part of the 5-Eyes Alliance, meaning the government may request your browsing history.

Luckily, both providers utilize RAM-only servers that ensure all of your online history will disappear once you turn off the VPN.

Logging

In order to be more reliable, PIA comes with an audited no-logs policy. It has even been proven in court, so you can be certain that your data is safe. Meanwhile, Windscribe needs to strengthen its no-logs claims with an audit.

Server locations

As you may guess, PIA has an undefeatable advantage over Windscribe when it comes to servers’ location. 

Private Internet Access has an extensive server fleet of 29300+ servers that are spread across 90+ countries. While not all of these servers are physical, the number is still pretty impressive. 

On the other hand, Windscribe provides 480+ servers in 69+ countries, not even close to PIA’s server fleet. Its only advantage over PIA is that all of its servers are physical. 

Both providers also have a common issue – they don’t own all their servers. This increases the risk of third-party interference.

Features comparison

If you want an even better online experience, you need to choose a VPN with a lot of extras. Therefore, in this round of our Private Internet Access vs. Windscribe, the winner is PIA. So, let’s see where PIA surpasses Windscribe.

Smart DNS

Have you ever tried to use a VPN on a particular device, and you simply can’t? Well, this happens as not all devices accept VPN usage. But to avoid this, you need a provider with a SmartDNS feature that allows you to use the VPN on any device you want. 

By opting for PIA, you will get a built-in SmartDNS feature, allowing you to take advantage of the VPN on any device. 

Unfortunately, Windscribe doesn’t offer such a feature, which leaves you a bit more limited.

Split tunneling

A VPN with a split tunneling feature is crucial for routing traffic through a particular app or server. As a result, the other apps won’t use the VPN connections, so your connections won’t get overcrowded, and you’ll get better performance. 

The best part is that you will get split tunneling with both PIA and Windscribe.

Ad & malware blocker

Last but not least, if you want to stay safe from malware software and similar hacker attacks, you need a VPN with a robust ad and malware blocker. This feature detects unusual activity and immediately blocks the link you’re visiting or the pop-up ads.

But you don’t have to worry with Windscribe and PIA as they both come with an ad & malware blocker.

Obfuscated servers

Geo-restrictions and online censorship are often an issue in today’s fast-paced tech world. Therefore, you need to find a VPN with obfuscated servers so your VPN usage remains hidden. As a result, you’ll bypass all restrictions in no time while also being undetectable to your ISP. Luckily, you’ll benefit from this feature with both VPN providers.

Netflix and streaming comparison

In this section of our PIA vs. Windscribe comparison, we’ll explore the streaming capabilities of both providers. Keep in mind that streaming is one of the most significant VPN usages, so you need a provider that will unblock all top streaming platforms. This is where Windscribe excels over PIA. During our tests, it has unblocked much more streaming platforms. 

PIA unblocks popular streaming platforms like Netflix US, Hulu, and YouTube. Unfortunately, other Netflix libraries, HBO Max, and several other platforms were too tough for this provider to crack. 

On the other hand, Windscribe showed a much better performance. While it couldn’t unblock BBC iPlayer and Disney+, it was successful with Netflix libraries, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, and Hulu.

Device compatibility

As we’re slowly heading toward the end of our Windscribe vs. PIA comparison, we encounter a surprise. In this round, the winner is Windscribe. 

Desktop applications

Both providers have apps for all major platforms, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

Windscribe desktop apps are very similar, providing a consistent experience among different platforms. The UI is easy to navigate and simplistic. 

PIA has taken a similar approach and made Windows and MacOS apps almost identical. They are well-designed and simplistic. 

Mobile applications

Windscribe offers apps for both Android and iOS. Unsurprisingly, Android has more features than iOS. It also features a few interesting benefits that can’t be found in desktop clients – GPS spoofing and MTU customization.

Meanwhile, PIA’s apps are identical both in features and design. However, split tunneling is only available for desktop devices.

Torrenting

At first sight, it may seem like we have a tie. However, PIA has an advantage over Windscribe, so let’s discover why!

Both VPN providers allow torrenting on all of their servers. In addition, they also come with a SOCKS5 proxy that puts an extra layer of security to your connections.

But torrenting requires fast upload and download rates, which you can get only with Private Internet Access.

China

China is known for its Great Firewall and strict online censorship. In other words, you can’t access everything you want as you don’t have such online freedom. To surpass this problem, you need to find a VPN that works in China but will keep your activities hidden. So, it looks like we have a tie.

Windscribe and Private Internet Access have obfuscated servers that will hide the fact that you’re using a VPN. Due to this, your VPN traffic will show up as a regular browsing one, and you’ll effectively bypass online censorship.

Customer support

The final round of our Private Internet Access vs. Windscribe comparison is about customer support, which is crucial for a smooth and issue-free experience. In this section, we have a tie once again.

Both providers lack a crucial feature – 24/7 customer support over live chat. Instead, they offer email support and knowledgebase.

Windscribe vs. PIA – which is better?

After carefully going through all essential VPN aspects, we’ve made a decision. PIA is the overall winner of our PIA vs. Windscribe comparison! This VPN has the largest server fleet on the market, amazing speeds, affordable prices, streaming and torrenting capabilities, and slightly better customer support. 

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You may also like to read:
Windscribe vs NordVPN
Windscribe vs IPVanish
NordVPN vs PIA
Mullvad vs PIA

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FAQ

Is PIA better than Windscribe?

Yes, PIA is better than Windscribe. This VPN has a huge server network, impressive speeds, more features, strong streaming and torrenting capabilities, and more affordable prices. 

Which is faster – PIA or Windscribe?

PIA is faster than Windscribe. The main reason for this is that it has thousands of servers, and it also implements different VPN protocols, such as WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, and PPTP.