PIA vs Mullvad

PIA and Mullvad are easier to separate by picturing the routine around the VPN. One side favors household convenience and streaming; the other gives you a different payment option.

The paid plan does not make you ration devices

PIA's paid plans do not make you count simultaneous devices. Mullvad uses a connection cap rather than an unlimited-device model. If the VPN is supposed to disappear into the background across a pile of devices, this is an everyday advantage rather than an exotic feature.

Mainstream streaming is also better supported

PIA currently supports access to major streaming platforms. Reliable major-platform streaming is not confirmed for Mullvad. If streaming is a normal use case, that difference belongs in the decision before more specialized privacy tools.

Cash is a real payment route

Mullvad supports cash payment. PIA does not currently support cash payment. It is niche, but if you deliberately want that option, an unlimited-device plan cannot substitute for it.

Open clients are a shared strength

Mullvad's client apps are open source across the supported platform set. PIA's client apps are open source across the supported platform set. Both sides already give you open client code, so that feature stays a tie here.