PIA vs Windscribe: two Five Eyes VPNs compared

The two tiebreakers that decide most VPN matchups are gone here. Jurisdiction: Private Internet Access is a US company under Colorado law and Windscribe is Canadian — both Five Eyes members, so neither can play the offshore card. Devices: both allow unlimited simultaneous connections. What’s left is money, evidence, and the free tier — and those three don’t all point the same way.

On money, the gap is wide. PIA’s 39-month intro works out to $2.03 a month (about $79 up front), then renews at $79 every three years — about $2.19 a month, the cheapest long-run price among the eight providers in our full VPN rankings. Windscribe charges $69 every single year — about $5.75 a month, over two and a half times PIA’s long-run rate.

Every spec where they differ

PIA vs Windscribe, as of 23 Jul 2026

	Private Internet Access	Windscribe
Monthly plan	$11.95	$9.00
Best deal	$2.03/mo — about $79 for 39 months	$5.75/mo — $69 for 12 months
Long-run cost	$79 every 3 years (about $2.19/mo)	$69 every year ($5.75/mo)
Free plan	No	Yes — 10 GB/month with email
Refund window	30 days	7 business days, conditions apply
Simultaneous devices	Unlimited	Unlimited
Server countries	50 per its list (homepage says 90)	69+ per its list (a FAQ says 85+)
Open-source apps	Yes	Desktop apps, per its docs
Latest audit	Deloitte Audit Romania, 2025 — no-logs, downloadable	Packetlabs, Jun 2024 — pen test

One row deserves a flag: neither provider’s own pages agree with themselves on network size. PIA’s live server list covers 50 countries while its homepage claims 90; Windscribe’s server list shows 69+ countries while a FAQ says over 85. The tables above use each provider’s live server list — the number you can actually count.

Since both are Five Eyes, what carries the privacy case?

Evidence, not geography. PIA brings the stronger file: three ISAE 3000 no-logs audits by Deloitte Audit Romania (2022, 2024, 2025), published as downloadable PDFs, open-source apps, RAM-only servers, and its statement that subpoenas have produced no user data. Windscribe’s Packetlabs engagement (June 2024) audited and penetration-tested its rebuilt server stack — genuine scrutiny of the infrastructure, but not an attestation that its no-logs policy matches practice. How no-log VPN audits work explains why that distinction matters more than the flag on the office.

Windscribe’s answer is architectural: RAM-disk servers and a stated policy of keeping only a 30-day bandwidth total per account. Credible design — but between two providers courts can reach equally, the one with the repeated, published, formal audit holds the better hand. That evidence gap is why PIA ranks higher in our most private VPN ranking.

Where Windscribe wins

The entry price is zero. Windscribe’s free plan — 10 GB a month with a confirmed email, unlimited devices, no card — is a real product, not a teaser, and it’s the obvious way to test whether Windscribe’s network suits your connection before paying. PIA has no free tier; its 30-day money-back guarantee is the fallback, and it’s a much stronger guarantee than Windscribe’s conditional 7-business-day window.

Windscribe also wins the rolling monthly plan ($9 vs $11.95) and offers build-a-plan pricing by location. And its flat renewal means no price surprise in year two — though at these numbers, PIA’s “surprise” is that $79 covers three more years.

Choose Private Internet Access if:

• You want the lowest long-run price on the market — about $2.19 a month sustained
• Formal, downloadable no-logs audits matter to you
• You want a real 30-day refund window

Choose Windscribe if:

• You want to start free and maybe never pay
• You prefer month-to-month billing
• Fixed, never-changing pricing is worth the premium

Frequently asked questions

Is PIA cheaper than Windscribe?

Over any long term, yes, by a wide margin: $2.03 a month for the first 39 months, then $79 every three years — about $2.19 a month — against Windscribe's $69 every year. Windscribe is cheaper only month to month: $9 against $11.95.

Does PIA have a free plan?

No. PIA is paid-only with a 30-day money-back guarantee for new subscribers. Windscribe's free plan offers 10 GB a month with a confirmed email address on unlimited devices.

Which has the bigger network?

By each provider's own live server list, Windscribe covers more countries: 69+ against PIA's 50. Both companies' marketing pages claim higher figures (90 and 85+ respectively) than their live lists show, so treat published totals with care.

Are PIA and Windscribe safe despite Five Eyes jurisdiction?

Jurisdiction is a risk factor, not a verdict. PIA backs its no-logs policy with three Deloitte audits and says subpoenas have produced no user data; Windscribe runs RAM-disk servers and stores only a 30-day bandwidth total. Buyers who rule out Five Eyes entirely should look at Mullvad or Proton VPN instead.

Which is better for a household full of devices?

It's a tie on the limit — both allow unlimited simultaneous connections. PIA's long-run price makes it the cheaper way to cover everything; Windscribe's free plan covers unlimited devices without paying at all, inside its 10 GB monthly cap.