Is ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access better?

ExpressVPN scores higher overall, 74.0 against 73.0, a gap of 1 points out of 100. That is close enough that the deciding factor should be which criteria matter to you rather than the total.

Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access?

Private Internet Access, at $2.03/mo against $4.99/mo. Both rates require committing to the provider’s longest term; the monthly rates are considerably higher.

Which one has been audited more recently?

ExpressVPN, most recently in 2023 against Private Internet Access’s 2022.

Does jurisdiction differ between them?

Yes. ExpressVPN operates from British Virgin Islands and Private Internet Access from United States. ExpressVPN is outside the Fourteen Eyes agreement; the other is not.

Head to head · Updated August 13, 2026

ExpressVPN vs Private Internet Access

ExpressVPN takes it by 1 points, 74.0 against 73.0. That margin is worth reading past — Private Internet Access wins 3 of the seven criteria outright.

ExpressVPN

74.0

Polished software and a genuine router firmware, at a price the rest of the market has moved away from.

From: $4.99/mo
Based in: British Virgin Islands
Devices: 8
Audits: 2

Visit ExpressVPN

We earn nothing from ExpressVPN. This link is included because the ranking says it belongs here.

Private Internet Access

73.0

The only provider here whose no-logs claim has been tested by a court rather than only by an auditor — but it is a US company.

From: $2.03/mo
Based in: United States
Devices: Unlimited
Audits: 1

Visit Private Internet Access

We earn nothing from Private Internet Access. This link is included because the ranking says it belongs here.

Criterion by criterion

ExpressVPN wins 4, Private Internet Access wins 3. Each row shows the raw score out of ten and the weighted contribution to the total.

Criterion	Weight	ExpressVPN	Private Internet Access	Winner
Independent audit	20	9/10 (18.0)	7/10 (14.0)	ExpressVPN
Jurisdiction and ownership	15	7/10 (10.5)	3/10 (4.5)	ExpressVPN
Protocol and crypto stack	15	7/10 (10.5)	9/10 (13.5)	Private Internet Access
Leak protection	15	9/10 (13.5)	8/10 (12.0)	ExpressVPN
Transparency	15	5/10 (7.5)	8/10 (12.0)	Private Internet Access
Price and refund terms	10	5/10 (5.0)	9/10 (9.0)	Private Internet Access
Platform coverage	10	9/10 (9.0)	8/10 (8.0)	ExpressVPN
Total	100	74.0	73.0	ExpressVPN

Where each one actually wins

ExpressVPN is ahead on

Independent audit. KPMG assured the no-logs claim and Cure53 audited the Lightway protocol source, both with public summaries.
Jurisdiction and ownership. British Virgin Islands sits outside the Fourteen Eyes agreement, but ownership sits with Kape Technologies, which also owns three competitors.
Leak protection. Network Lock kill switch on desktop, DNS run on the same servers, and a RAM-only fleet under TrustedServer.
Platform coverage. Apps across all major platforms plus purpose-built router firmware, with 8 simultaneous connections.

Private Internet Access is ahead on

Protocol and crypto stack. WireGuard and OpenVPN with user-configurable cipher settings exposed in the client.
Transparency. All clients are open source and a transparency report is published; signup requires an email address.
Price and refund terms. Effective $2.03/month on a three-year term with unlimited devices, though that means a long lock-in.

Choose ExpressVPN if

Readers who want a router-level install with vendor-supported firmware.

Choose Private Internet Access if

Readers who want open-source clients and granular control over encryption settings.

Reasons to pick neither

Skip ExpressVPN if: You are price-sensitive, or you want your provider to be independent of a group that owns several apparent competitors.

Skip Private Internet Access if: Your threat model includes US legal process. No amount of open-source client code changes where the company is incorporated.

Questions

Is ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access better?: ExpressVPN scores higher overall, 74.0 against 73.0, a gap of 1 points out of 100. That is close enough that the deciding factor should be which criteria matter to you rather than the total.
Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access?: Private Internet Access, at $2.03/mo against $4.99/mo. Both rates require committing to the provider’s longest term; the monthly rates are considerably higher.
Which one has been audited more recently?: ExpressVPN, most recently in 2023 against Private Internet Access’s 2022.
Does jurisdiction differ between them?: Yes. ExpressVPN operates from British Virgin Islands and Private Internet Access from United States. ExpressVPN is outside the Fourteen Eyes agreement; the other is not.

Related comparisons

Comparison generated from the same dataset as the ranking. Emphasis criterion definitions are on the rubric page. Criterion labels: Independent audit, Jurisdiction and ownership, Protocol and crypto stack, Leak protection, Transparency, Price and refund terms, Platform coverage.