Mullvad vs Private Internet Access
A side by side comparison of Mullvad or Private Internet Access... Which one wins?
Recommendation
According to my professional opinion, choose Private Internet Access for downloading, torrenting, and streaming, and choose Mullvad for privacy and anonymity.
This comparison between Mullvad and Private Internet Access includes test data that was undertaken between 3 September and 4 November 2020.
How is Mullvad better than Private Internet Access?
Mullvad offers better privacy and anonymity and is more trustworthy than Private Internet Access.
How is Private Internet Access better than Mullvad?
Private Internet Access offers a better downloading and torrenting experience, has more features and better support, and unblocks Netflix in more countries than Mullvad.
Privacy & Anonymity
Which one offers better privacy?
Mullvad offers better privacy than Private Internet Access. Mullvad collects only the last connection timestamp which is purged every five minutes. Private Internet Access, however, claims that they do not collect any logs.
Mullvad lets us use their services without providing any personal information like email, name, address, or country. They accept anonymous payment options like cash, vouchers, and cryptocurrencies, and hence it is possible to use their services while being completely anonymous.
Private Internet Access collects the email address, Zip code, and country when signing up for their service. Also, they accept cryptocurrencies but do not accept cash and vouchers.
Speed & Performance
Which one is faster?
We tested both VPNs to see which one offers a faster downloading and browsing experience. PIA’s WireGuard was the fastest, followed by their own OpenVPN - UDP, Mullvad’s OpenVPN - UDP, and WireGuard protocols, respectively.
Which one is better for downloading torrents?
We downloaded small, medium, and large files 25 times over different protocols to see which VPN is better at torrenting. PIA’s WireGuard was the fastest, being marginally faster than Mullvad’s OpenVPN - UDP. Mullvad’s WireGuard and PIA’s OpenVPN - UDP protocols secured third and fourth spots, respectively.
Functionality & Application
Which is better for geo-unblocking Netflix?
We tested both Mullvad and Private Internet Access to see which one is better for geo-unblocking Netflix. Out of the fifteen countries we tested, Private Internet Access allowed us to watch Netflix in four countries, whereas Mullvad unblocked Netflix only in Australia.
Private Internet Access unblocked Netflix Germany, Japan, Netherlands, and the United States.
Which one has better features?
Private Internet Access has better features than Mullvad. PIA allows up to 10 simultaneous connections and has kill switches and split tunneling on more platforms than Mullvad. Mullvad allows only five simultaneous connections.
Reputation & Support
Which one offers better support?
Private Internet Access offers live chat support but Mullvad offers only email support.
Which one is more trustworthy?
Mullvad is more trustworthy than Private Internet Access. Their business practices, server configurations, logging policy - everything is disclosed in detail on their website, and all of their app and project codes are open-source and available on GitHub.
Private Internet Access is owned by Kape Technologies, a company that used to develop adware and malware by the name Crossrider. Crossrider turned to online privacy and security, and they changed their name to Kape Technologies in the process.
Price & Value
Which offers better value for money?
Private Internet Access is cheaper than Mullvad for long-term subscriptions. Their monthly plan costs $9.95 and the yearly plan costs only $39.95. Mullvad offers only a single plan of $5.50 per month, which translates to $66 per year.
