Detailed side-by-side comparison based on our March 2026 testing. Which VPN comes out on top?
| Feature | Private Internet Access | Mullvad |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 8.8/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Price (Best Plan) | $2.03/mo | $5.00/mo |
| Servers | 35,000+ | 800+ |
| Countries | 91 | 43 |
| Simultaneous Devices | Unlimited | 5 |
| Download Speed | 770 Mbps | 840 Mbps |
| Upload Speed | 360 Mbps | 440 Mbps |
| Latency | 21 ms | 13 ms |
| Protocols | WireGuard, OpenVPN | WireGuard, OpenVPN |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM | AES-256-GCM / ChaCha20 |
| Kill Switch | Yes | Yes |
| Split Tunneling | Yes | No |
| No-Logs Policy | Verified | Verified |
| Streaming Support | Yes | No |
| Torrenting | Yes | Yes |
| Jurisdiction | United States | Sweden |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
In our March 2026 speed tests, Private Internet Access achieved download speeds of 770 Mbps compared to Mullvad's 840 Mbps. This gives Mullvad a slight speed edge, although both VPNs are fast enough for 4K streaming and gaming.
Upload speeds tell a similar story: Private Internet Access at 360 Mbps versus Mullvad at 440 Mbps. For latency-sensitive tasks like gaming, Private Internet Access's 21 ms average ping is comparable to Mullvad's 13 ms.
Both Private Internet Access and Mullvad offer AES-256-GCM encryption and maintain no-logs policies. Private Internet Access is based in United States while Mullvad operates from Sweden. Both passed our DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leak tests without issues.
While both are excellent VPNs, Private Internet Access edges ahead with a 8.8/10 rating compared to Mullvad's 8.5/10. Private Internet Access offers and better value at $2.03/mo.
That said, Mullvad is still a strong choice, especially if you value most anonymous. You cannot go wrong with either option.