Private Internet Access vs Astrill VPN 2024

Agnieszka Stec

Cybersecurity Researcher

Private Internet Access (PIA) and Astrill VPN are both premium VPN services with some similarities. That said, the difference in features offered by these VPNs can have a major impact on your online activities. For instance, while PIA works with more streaming platforms, Astrill VPN has more advanced security features that allow it to overcome tough firewalls.

To help you choose which VPN best suits your needs, I tested and compared each VPN in terms of their features and capabilities. I checked for speeds, streaming, security, user-friendliness, price, and more to give you a clear understanding of what these VPNs offer.

Although both VPNs performed well in tests, reflecting their high quality, PIA pulls ahead in this comparison. It excels due to its intuitiveness, faster speeds, and privacy policy that’s verified by independent audits.

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Our Score: 9.9

As much as I liked using PIA during my tests, ExpressVPN’s premium features knock it out of the water. It offers some of the best speeds I’ve seen from a VPN, it works well with almost all streaming platforms, and offers robust security and privacy features, all for a low price.

Our Score: 9.9

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Streaming — PIA Reliably Works With More Streaming Platforms

PIA and Astrill VPN are both very good choices for streaming. I didn’t experience any problems while watching Netflix UK and Disney+ from my hotel room in London with either VPN.

However, PIA works with more platforms globally according to our international team of testers. For instance, it works with BBC iPlayer in the UK while Astrill VPN does not.

When it comes to streaming speed I didn’t have any complaints with either. The difference between each on local servers was negligible, and pretty much unnoticeable on my fast connection. With both services, I could stream Amazon Prime Video in the UK with no buffering.

It took me less than a minute to connect to PIA and start streaming Reacher from the UK

PIA has streaming-optimized servers available for several regions for fast and reliable streaming. These are regularly tested and updated to ensure they always work with popular platforms. For example, my US colleague found the US East and West streaming connections are reliable for watching Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Max, and much more US content.

My movie loaded in HD quality in less than a second, too

Winner

Both VPNs have good speeds for hassle-free streaming, but PIA wins this category as it works with more platforms and has streaming-optimized servers.

Server Network — PIA Has a Bigger Server Coverage

PIA has servers in more countries than Astrill VPN. It covers various regions, with a significant presence in Asia, as well as North America, South America, Europe, and Africa. This global distribution means better speeds as you won’t have to connect to a server in another country if there isn’t one in your location.

Astrill VPN has good server coverage in Europe and North America and even better in Asia. However, it often lacks servers (including virtual servers) in many African and South American countries.

Winner

PIA wins with a bigger number of servers in more countries, however, Astrill VPN’s coverage is also good, especially in Asia.

Speed — Astrill Wins With Faster Speeds on Distant Servers

I tested VPNs’ speed on various global servers, including the US, the UK, and Japan, using WireGuard protocol for both. I conducted tests from the UK where my average download speed was 108 Mbps and upload speed 14 Mbps.

My speeds with PIA on a UK server only dropped by 6%

Both services proved to be very fast on nearby connections, but Astrill VPN was faster overall, especially on the long-distance servers. On the UK servers that I use the most, the difference is minimal, but when connected to the LA server, PIA slowed down much more.

With Astrill, I only got a 15% speed drop on a faraway US server

Winner

On nearby servers both PIA and Astrill VPN provided consistently fast speeds. However, Astrill edges out with better speeds on the US servers.

Gaming — Both VPNs Are Good For Gaming On Nearby Servers

It’s a tie in this category — I had smooth gameplay on nearby connections with both VPNs. For optimal gaming performance, a ping rate below 100ms is necessary. PIA and Astrill VPN both had low ping rates on my domestic UK servers.

However, servers located further away resulted in higher latency. This is expected due to the increased physical distance the data needs to travel.

When playing Fall Guys on each VPN’s servers in my region, the gameplay was fluid. Yet, when I switched to servers in other countries, I noticed some lag. However, it’s worth noting that this issue is common among most services when connected to long-distance servers.

Since the ping rate was low, I could game without interruptions

Winner - draw

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PIA and Astrill VPN are good for gaming on nearby servers, however, both have higher latency on long-distance servers.

Torrenting — PIA’s Malware Blocker Protects You

During my tests, both VPNs have proven to be fast and secure choices for torrenting. They both allow P2P on all their servers and have 256-bit encryption to protect your data.

Torrenting speed with both services was really good during my tests. Each time I could download a 1GB copyright-free file in around a minute. Another perk is that both services support port forwarding which can benefit your speeds. Although setting it up is fairly easy, it still requires a bit more advanced technical knowledge. Luckily you’ll find detailed how-to guides on the VPNs’ websites.

On top of this, PIA’s MACE can be enabled with one click to prevent ads, trackers, and malware from ruining your torrenting experience. Astrill VPN blocks trackers and ads, but not malware.

Winner

Although they are both really good for torrenting, the point has to go over to PIA thanks to its MACE blocker feature.

Security — Both VPNs Provide Excellent Security

PIA and Astrill VPN offer top security features, essential for your online safety. A kill switch ensures your safety even when the VPN connection is lost. DNS/IP leak protection and military-grade encryption keep your activities anonymous and enhance your cybersecurity by protecting you from phishing attempts and other threats.

I like that PIA’s apps are open source, as this means anyone can check them for vulnerabilities. That gives it an advantage over Astrill VPN’s closed-source software and makes it generally safer.

I also recommend enabling its MACE ad blocker to stop annoying and potentially malicious ads and scripts from loading or making tracking requests.

I found it helpful that you can adjust the encryption level of PIA for more security or speed. While 256-bit is the strongest encryption standard, switching to 128-bit can help speed up your connection. Note that you can only do this with the OpenVPN protocol; WireGuard uses the standard 256-bit encryption.

The encryption level toggle is active in PIA’s setting when you’re using OpenVPN protocol

When it comes to security, Astrill VPN also stands strong. It has four protocols — WireGuard (the industry standard), two proprietary protocols (Stealth and OpenWeb) for use on restrictive networks, and OpenVPN.

I also really like its VPN sharing feature, which you can enable on your PC to share VPN connections with other devices that usually don’t work with VPNs, like smart TVs or gaming consoles.

You can add and remove sites from the blocklist based on your needs

Each VPN offers obfuscation, but they work differently. While PIA offers it through its Multi-hop Feature, Astrill VPN’s obfuscation is provided through its StealthVPN protocol.

Winner - draw

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Both VPNs provide the essentials, like robust encryption, ad blocking, and a kill switch. While PIA allows for more customization options, Astrill VPN has a couple of bonuses, including proprietary protocols and a VPN sharing feature.

Privacy — PIA’s Privacy Policy Was Confirmed By Independent Audits

Both VPNs use RAM-only servers, which automatically wipe your data with each reboot.

They also claim to adhere to a strict no-logs policy, but only PIA has undergone a third-party audit (by Deloitte in 2022) that confirmed it doesn’t keep any logs. This doesn’t mean that Astrill does, but the point here has to go to PIA, as its claims have been verified.

Astrill VPN is based in the Seychelles, which is a privacy-friendly jurisdiction. PIA’s headquarters, on the other hand, are in the US, a member of the 5/9/14 Eyes alliance, which can raise some concerns. However, there have been court cases that have proven that when PIA is demanded to hand over user data, there is none to be provided.

Winner

Although PIA is based in the US, which is known for not being privacy-friendly, unlike Astrill VPN, it has undergone independent audits and proved its privacy claims.

Works in China — Astrill VPN Has More China-Related Features

PIA and Astrill both can work in China, but at the time of writing, Astrill VPN is more reliable. Both VPNs use obfuscation technologies to disguise VPN traffic as regular internet traffic, however, due to China’s strong firewall, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for VPNs to keep up with the frequent changes.

PIA states on its website that it can’t guarantee uninterrupted connections. You can find there some hints on how to set it up and what options to try to make it work once in China.

Astrill VPN’s main focus is to provide excellent service for China. It offers a VIP package that includes Chinese servers in Hong Kong and premium Asian servers with the Multi-Hop feature, which ensures better speeds. However, these features come at a cost, and you need to get them on top of the already pricy subscription.

Winner

Astrill VPN has a bunch of premium features that make it work reliably in China. However, they are not included in a standard plan, and you need to buy them separately.

Installation & Ease of Use — PIA’s App Is Easier to Navigate and More Intuitive

Both VPNs are fairly easy to use, but PIA’s apps are more modern and customizable. It also offers unlimited connections, which means you can use it on all your devices. If you’re using a lot of public networks, I recommend setting up Connection Automation, where you can create rules to connect to the VPN on open networks automatically.

PIA leaves you a lot of room for customization

Astrill VPN has a lot of great features, but its interface is tiny and cramped. The settings aren’t divided into subcategories, which can be confusing for beginners. Although I was surprised by the old-school design of this premium VPN, I got used to it pretty quickly and didn’t have problems with finding the features I was looking for.

If you've never used a VPN before, Astrill VPN teaches you the basics

Winner

Although both VPNs are fairly easy to use, PIA wins this round with an intuitive, modern design.

Reliability & Support — Both Providers Offer Great Customer Service

It’s hard to pick a winner because both services have great customer support. You can quickly get in touch with an agent via the 24/7 live chat or browse the extensive knowledge base on their websites. When I tested the live chat I got a response within a few minutes and was able to quickly resolve my issues.

Winner - draw

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I experienced excellent support from both providers, so it’s a draw.

Tips on Choosing Between PIA and Astrill VPN

• Smooth streaming — PIA offers optimized servers that ensure smooth streaming. It also works with more platforms than Astrill VPN. While you can theoretically use a VPN to watch content that’s not licensed in your country, we don’t condone this. Always use a VPN within the bounds of the law.
• Fast speeds — Both VPNs offer consistently fast speeds on local servers, which makes them a good choice for buffer-free streaming. However, Astrill VPN performed noticeably better at long distances, which allowed for smoother browsing.
• Server networks — PIA has servers in 90 countries, while Astrill VPN covers 58 locations. Choose a VPN that has numerous servers near you for the best speed.
• Robust security features — Both VPNs have your back with top security, plus some bonus features and options to help enhance your experience with certain activities.
• Respectable privacy practices — PIA and Astrill VPN have no-logs policies, but PIA is a safer choice as its claims have been backed by an independent audit.
• Easy to use — Both apps are easy to use, but PIA is my choice here as the apps are more intuitive. Astrill VPN offers helpful tips, but its design is outdated.
• Trustworthy money-back guarantee — PIA is the only VPN here that offers a money-back guarantee that effectively lets you test it for free.

PIA vs. Astrill VPN — Reddit Opinions

Reddit reviews I found for Astrill VPN are mostly concerned about its value for China. Like with every service, the reviews are mixed, but most Redditers agree that it’s one of the best options for China out there. This is despite its high price and issues with working on public networks in the country.

When it comes to PIA, Redditors are mainly concerned about its quality, considering its low price. The reviews here are also mixed, but most long-term users are notably happy with the service, appreciating the fact that it has undergone continuous improvement.

I found many mixed reviews on various Reddit threads