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PIA-vs-Surfshark-in-USA

Winner: Surfshark

Securing your digital whereabouts has become much more important than protecting your physical footprints.

You might be wondering, why I have to disclose this bitter truth. Because learning about an appropriate VPN service has become the need of the hour for both new and pro-privacy seekers.

Therefore, I would suggest you go through my comprehensive review of PIA VPN vs Surfshark in order to determine which VPN is better for you. I have also prepared a detailed VPN comparison chart that provides insights into 60+ providers.

Surfshark is the winner!

Completing my analysis and detailed comparison of Surfshark with PIA, I concluded that Surfshark is the winner on the basis of the following:

A Quick Comparison of PIA and Surfshark

Surfshark despite being a new entrant in the privacy industry has surpassed PIA on some important factors. For a quick summary of the comparison between PIA and Surfshark , see the table below:

Factors PIA Surfshark
Ease of Use Yes Yes
Price $2.03/mo $2.49/mo - Save up to 77% with exclusive 2-year plan + 30-day money-back guarantee
Features Good Excellent
Help & Support Good Excellent
Value for Money Yes Yes
Privacy Yes Yes
Torrenting Support Yes Yes
Money Back Guarantee 30 days 30 days
Social Media Presence Strong Strong
Logging Policy Vague Retain no logs
USP Physical servers only Unlimited multi-logins
Trustpilot score 4.1 4.3

Detailed Comparison

Result: Surfshark is a standout performer in terms of jurisdiction, Netflix unblocking, and extra features

PIA VPN Surfshark
Jurisdiction: US Jurisdiction: British Virgin Island
Offers 256-bit military grade encryption Delivers 256-bit military grade encryption
3,300+ servers in 48+ countries 3200 servers in 100 countries
Users can avail multi-login feature Unlimited multi-login
7 days money back guarantee 30 days money back guarantee
Netflix unblocking: No Netflix Unblocking: Yes

Private Internet Access is a US based VPN service. Conversely, Surfshark is a British Virgin Island based product. Both providers are extremely competitive and provide users with excellent features in the privacy and security niche.

Jurisdiction is very important when you are deciding on a VPN for yourself. For example, you wouldn’t want to purchase PIA, because it is operating from US and your online privacy and data will always remain at risk. Even though PIA is a competitive VPN provider on many levels with a top-tier VPN provider like ExpressVPN, due to its jurisdiction, it is not a favorite. Check out how it performs against it in PIA and ExpressVPN comparison .

1. Pricing Plans

Result: Surfshark is 40.24% cheaper than PIA VPN

PIA VPN Surfshark
1-month plan: 11.95/mo 1-month plan: $12.95/mo
None 6-month plan: $6.49
1-year plan: $3.33/mo None
3-year plan: $2.03 2-year plan: $2.49/mo - Save up to 77% with exclusive 2-year plan + 30-day money-back guarantee

Surfshark is one of the cheapest VPN services in the industry with its $2.49/mo - Save up to 77% with exclusive 2-year plan + 30-day money-back guarantee price tag. On the other hand, PIA is one of the higher priced VPNs with its 3-year plan costing $2.03/mo.

Surprisingly, both private network providers do not offer three-year pricing plans to their users.

View our detailed VPN comparison chart to check out other budget-friendly VPNs .

2. Refund Policy

Result: Both Surfshark & PIA have similar refund period (30 days)

PIA VPN Surfshark
30-days money-back guarantee 30-day money-back guarantee

Surfshark offers a clear advantage in terms of money-back guarantee also let you cancel Surfshark subscription anytime you want within the 30 days free trial tenure. The newest privacy brand allows the users to claim Surfshark free trial for 7 Days through its Android & iOS App.

You may search its terms of service section for better understanding. Surprisingly, you will be astonished to know that PIA only offers 30 days money-back guarantee. This is the reason Surfshark becomes an exciting choice for newbies as they can avail 7 Days Trial.

3. Features

Result: Surfshark has better jurisdiction, refund period, and logging policy than PIA

Features PIA Surfshark
Jurisdiction United States of America British Virgin Island
Servers 35500+ servers
78 countries
3200 servers

100 countries

Customer Support Live chat/tutorial Live chat/tutorial
Protocols OpenVPN, PPTP and
IPSEC/L2TP
OpenVPN & IKEv2
Encryption 256-bit encryption 256-bit encryption
Internet Kill Switch Yes Yes
Compatibility Windows, Mac, Android, iOS Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Smart TVs
Torrenting Supported Supported
Logging Policy Vague policy No logs retained
Money Back Guarantee 7 days 30 days
Payment Options Numerous options including Bitcoin Numerous options including Bitcoin

4. Payment Methods

Result: Both providers offer multiple payment options

PIA VPN Surfshark
PayPal PayPal
Bitcoin Bitcoin
Discover Discover
Credit card Credit card

If a VPN service offers multiple payment methods then you can use it with complete freedom.

Both Surfshark and Private Internet Access have provided different payment options to their subscribers. Hence, you are free to pay your subscriptions from anywhere without any hassle.

5. Servers in Countries

Result: PIA has more servers than Surfshark.

PIA VPN Surfshark
35500+ servers
78 countries
3200 servers

100 countries

The servers’ network availability plays a crucial role in the success of any VPN service. PIA in this regard has done all the hard work. They have catered their user’s privacy requirements with 35500+ servers globally.

Surfshark is a newcomer in the online privacy industry. It will take ample time to increase its server network.

Still, keep your fingers crossed to see some drastic improvements in terms of its servers’ presence. At present, you can connect to any server of your choice from 3200 servers worldwide.

6. Performance

Result: Surfshark offers better performance and reliability than PIA

PIA VPN Surfshark
Unappealing app design Well-designed apps
Average connectivity Excellent connectivity

I found Surfshark apps to be highly responsive. It delivers excellent connectivity.

PIA, on the other hand, has a very basic-looking app that lives within the taskbar. However, it does function well enough even if the UI isn’t anything to write home about. You can also check out our PureVPN vs PIA (Private Internet Access) for more details about how this VPN service performs against other premium VPNs.

7. Compatibility

Result: Surfshark offers better performance and reliability than PIA

PIA VPN Surfshark
Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Firestick Compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Firestick

Both PIA and Surfshark have literally won hearts of their subscribers in terms of compatibility with different OS nad devices. But Surfshark on Firestick and Surfshark on Apple tv are more famous amongst the users due to easy installation process and Surfshark’s different streaming features. You are free to download and install these privacy providers on multiple operating systems and devices. Due to its free trial, Surfshark is considered the best free VPN for PC with unlimited bandwidth.

Furthermore, you can install these brands on Smart TVs and routers too. Surfshark also offers unlimited simultaneous connections so you can use it on multiple devices at the same time. IPVanish is another VPN that allows unlimited multi-logins. Check out our latest IPVanish vs. PureVPN comparison to see which one is more compatible with a wide range of devices.

8. Security and Privacy

Result: Surfshark offers wider security features than PIA

PIA VPN Surfshark
MACE WhiteLister
10 multi-logins CleanWeb
SOCKS5 Killswitch

Surfshark provides excellent privacy and security features including WhiteLister (split-tunneling), CleanWeb (malware and ad blocker), Killswitch, Multi-hop, and unlimited multi-logins.

PIA doesn’t offer a lot of extra features, but it does offer an ad blocker (MACE), 10 simultaneous connections, and SOCKS5 protocol.

9. Protocols

Result: Both providers offer a good number of protocols

PIA VPN Surfshark
OpenVPN, PPTP, & L2TP/IPsec OpenVPN & IKEv2

Surfshark only offers OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols to its subscribers because of security reasons. Older VPN protocols are no longer deemed secure enough to be in use and have thus been discontinued by Surfshark. It supports newer protocols including WireGuard as it offers higher speed and security. This was also the case in TorGuard and NordVPN comparison as NordVPN has also stopped supporting older protocols and has moved towards newer ones that are more efficient.

On the other hand, PIA VPN offers some older protocols like L2TP and PPTP in addition to OpenVPN.

10. Torrenting / P2P

Result: Surfshark is safer for torrenting

PIA VPN Surfshark
Unsafe jurisdiction for torrents Safe jurisdiction for torrents

Surfshark supports P2P activities on selected servers. In addition, Surfshark has the advantage of being headquartered in British Virgin Islands that doesn’t have to comply with DMCA like the US.

PIA also supports torrenting on its servers. However, since it is based in the US, it might not be a good idea to use this VPN for torrenting. Nonetheless, many users do use PIA for torrenting and they haven’t experienced any serious troubles with it.

11. Speed Test

Result: Surfshark is 37.17% faster than PIA

PIA VPN Surfshark
19.16 Mbps 27.91 Mbps

Surfshark has surprised its users to a certain degree. Yes, you have read it accurately. It’s one of the fastest VPN service and you can enjoy decent streaming speeds while watching your favorite media stuff.

When I used a 30 Mbps connection, I received 19.16 Mbps for PIA on a US server. Surfshark offers better speeds, as it recorded 27.91 Mbps while connected to a USA server .

12. Logging Policy

Result: Surfshark has a better logging policy

PIA VPN Surfshark
Vague logging policy Keeps no logs

PIA has set itself apart from other VPN services by some long distance. Yes, you read it correctly. Recently, the US based service had to prove its innocence against its no-logging claims.

It becomes clear that you cannot associate online activities with users’ identities in case they use VPNs. However, the privacy policy of PIA is not as clear, as they don’t specify what kind of logs they keep.

On the other hand, Surfshark has an excellent logging policy and keeps no logs of user information.

13. Customer Support

Result: Surfshark has better customer support (live chat)

PIA VPN Surfshark
Tutorials/FAQs/Knowledgebase Tutorials/FAQs/Knowledgebase
Form-based complaint system Email ticketing
None Live chat

Surfshark has added an impressive customer support feature in its armory. Likewise, you can contact its live chat to solve all your queries timely.

PIA also provides an efficient customer assistance to their users. However, it lacks live chat support.

14. Netflix Streaming

Result: Surfshark works better with Netflix

PIA VPN Surfshark
Does not unblock Netflix Unblocks Netflix

As I already said, you will have to rely on Surfshark to unblock Netflix US content . Unfortunately, PIA does not offer such kind of luxury to its users at present.

Previously, PIA was able to unblock US Netflix but it cannot do the same for users anymore. This was also the same in Private Internet Access vs TunnelBear , and Private Internet Access vs IPVanish , where PIA managed to unblock only Netflix US and no other regional library. We had to try several servers before actually finding the one that works with Netflix .

15. Overall Ratings

Result: Surfshark has a better overall rating when it comes to being an all-rounder

Categories PIA Surfshark
Pricing 8.5 9.5
Servers 9.5 8
Features 10 10
Netflix Streaming 0 7
Workable in China 0 8
Apps & Functionality 9 9
Torrenting 7 8
Total Points (70) 44 59.5

I expect you would be now in a better state to make a wise decision about your privacy. I invested time and efforts to provide a realistic comparison between Surfshark vs PIA.

Trustpilot Score: Surfshark VPN vs PIA

Trustpilot is one of the most popular customer review sites that offer unbiased reviews about distinct products and services. Surfshark is far from being perfect product.

However, it has received positive reviews from users mostly.

 

If I compare PIA with Surfshark, I was able to find positive reviews from PIA users as well .

 

Winner: PIA is an obvious victor as it has more than 5800+ reviews on Trustpilot. Besides, numerous users have raised their voices in favor of Private Internet Access.

Final Verdict

Surfshark is the winner in this comparison with PIA .

The provider managed to outperform PIA in many critical areas such as Netflix unblocking, speed, jurisdiction, and logging policy.

Although PIA is a renowned VPN service that is rated among the best, it lacks some of the extra oomph that Surfshark so effortlessly delivers.

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