Home / Compare / Surfshark vs Private Internet Access
Head to head · 2026
Surfshark vs Private Internet Access
Surfshark and PIA both compete on the budget end of the major-VPN market. Surfshark is more polished and better at streaming; PIA is more configurable and has a stronger privacy track record. Both are cheap on long plans.
Surfshark
Best value — unlimited devices, low price, NordVPN-owned.
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Private Internet Access
Power-user friendly — open-source apps, port forwarding, but Kape ownership is a flag.
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Specs
Side-by-side
| Features | Surfshark | Private Internet Access |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 8.0/10 | 7.5/10 |
| from | $2.19/mo | $2.03/mo |
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands | United States |
| Five Eyes | No | Yes |
| 14 Eyes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes |
| Audited | Yes | Yes |
| Court-tested | No | Yes |
| Servers | 3,200+ | 30,000+ |
| Countries | 100 | 91 |
| Devices | Unlimited | 10 |
| Port forwarding | No | Yes |
| Netflix | Yes | Yes |
| BBC iPlayer | Yes | Yes |
| Last verified | 2026-05-04 | 2026-05-04 |
The verdict
Pick Surfshark or Private Internet Access?
Pick A
Choose Surfshark if
Choose Surfshark if you want easy streaming, unlimited devices, and a polished consumer experience without thinking about jurisdiction much.
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Pick B
Choose Private Internet Access if
Choose PIA if you want open-source clients, port forwarding for torrenting, court-tested no-logs, and you don't mind a less polished UI.
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Frequently asked
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for torrenting?
PIA — port forwarding makes a real difference for seeders, and the court-tested no-logs gives stronger guarantees. Surfshark blocks torrenting on some servers and routes you to specific P2P-friendly servers.
Which is better for streaming?
Surfshark — more reliable on Netflix, BBC iPlayer, NPO and similar. PIA works for streaming but tends to need server switching more often.
Which has more devices?
Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous devices. PIA caps at 10. Surfshark is the obvious pick for a family of 6 with multiple devices each.
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