Private Internet Access Reviews
Pros
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Unlimited devices
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DNS leak protection
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Suitable for all users
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Completely customizable
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Attractive pricing
Cons
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Slow servers
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Lack of a free version
Part of the London Trust Media group, Private Internet Access (PIA) has long been a benchmark VPN solution.The service has undergone diverse changes to keep up with competitors since its launch in 2010, ensuring its high quality hasn’t changed.
The Private Internet Access VPN allows users to browse the internet anonymously using several encryption and privacy tools to guarantee total security on unlimited devices. Suitable for users of any ability, PIA offers an abundance of servers in over 90 countries and even reserves special servers for streaming. Plus, the service’s platform has a unique and simplified design, making its extensive customization as easy as pie.
The VPN service rewards committed clients who opt for longer plans while also letting newcomers get a risk-free taster of the product with its 7-day free trial (on the mobile app) and 30-day money-back guarantee.
Only $2.19 per month for Private Internet Access
Enjoy a 82% discount on your VPN subscription with PIA by opting for the 2-year plan, which offers a bonus two months of access to all features.
Get PIA for $2.19/mo
Features
Features
Bandwidth
Unlimited
# connected devices
Unlimited
Kill switch
Private Internet Access is an intuitive service that is suitable for both beginners and experienced VPN users. Someone looking for a simple ‘connect and go’ experience will find just that, as the software automatically suggests the best server for a smoother and faster experience. Moreover, user interaction can be kept to a minimum thanks to the compact app only displaying the connect button, country, and IP addresses.
However, PIA also suits users who like to customize their experience in fine detail. The VPN network list displays the expected ping for each location, and it’s possible to alter numerous connection settings. Private Internet Access also allows port-forwarding and offers plenty of additional tools, such as an ad blocker, a classic and advanced kill switch, and an email breach monitor.
App
Protocols
Customization options
A clean and user-friendly interface goes a long way toward making a service popular, as most customers want simple apps that require no in-depth knowledge to set up. However, privacy enthusiasts want complete control to play with the settings of the program they’ve just purchased. PIA offers just that: it’s both simple and yet provides a wide variety of customizable features for almost all operating systems and devices.
Settings
Rules
Network
Split tunnel
The settings page is a true playground for experienced users. Connection protocols, encryption levels, and automation rules are only some of the options available for tweaking. Other highlights are the ability to use split tunneling, port forwarding, and to set personal proxy preferences (Shadowsocks or SOCKS5). Less critical but still indicative of PIA’s exhaustive customization options is that it’s possible to personalize its interface, such as choosing between light and dark themes, the dashboard’s appearance, different tray icons, and more.
Streaming
For those who enjoy watching international TV and movies, PIA unblocks many geo-restricted streaming services like Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, and the UK’s ITV. Over the past few years, its Netflix libraries have increased to include the U.S., Italy, UK, Japan, Denmark, Germany, and Sweden.
Helping to tackle the typical difficulties that users face while streaming with a VPN, PIA offers dedicated streaming-optimized servers. Unfortunately, these are only available for the U.S., UK, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Australia.
VPN network
VPN network
Countries
US, UK, CA, AU, JP, ZA, DE, RO, AE…
# countries
90+
# servers
16,000+
# IPs
PIA stands out when it comes to the number of servers available. From the more classic options (like the U.S., Canada, and Australia) to less common choices (such as Israel and the United Arab Emirates), Private Internet Access offers thousands of servers in over 90 countries. Even though there’s always room for improvement, users should be thrilled with these numbers since they cover most of the world.
The software also provides a predicted latency for each location, which is an excellent way to determine which server is the best, even if it’s not the closest to the user’s actual location. While testing, we would have expected that closer locations would provide better results, but this wasn’t the case: one of the furthest servers achieved the best speeds and lowest ping.
Speed Test
DNS Leaks
These latency shifts can be due to different external factors, such as server flow at the time or the general internet infrastructure of each country. Despite all this, the speeds are a letdown. Even considering the latency, the nearer locations should be faster than those an ocean away, not to mention that some of the farthest countries struggled to come up with any results at all.
Despite all this, the good news is that PIA is reliable regarding DNS and other traffic leaks. There were no problems of this nature across all our tests, meaning that user privacy is 100% guaranteed.
Privacy protection
Privacy protection
SSL
OpenVPN
PPTP
L2TP
SSTP
IPSec
Show all
A company named Private Internet Access must live up to its name, and the truth is that it doesn’t disappoint. PIA is a safe VPN to use that allows users edit a great range of connection settings, including privacy-related ones. Data encryption includes AES 128-bit and AES 256-bit protocols with SHA256 authentication, for instance.
Private Internet Access also provides two kill switches, with the advanced version able to prevent leaks even when the VPN is turned off. There’s also MACE, a tool that’s essentially an ad blocker, which works by blocking IP domains used for ads, trackers, and malware. Unfortunately, some ads were able to slip through during our tests, so there’s some room for improvement here.
Privacy
Encryption
PIA is transparent about how it handles user data and states that it follows a no-logs policy, meaning that none of your private data, such as IP addresses, browsing history, or even VPN session timestamps, is stored.
OS, device support
Platform support
Web app
Mobile optimized
macOS
Linux
Android
Windows
iOS
Show all
Other devices
Xbox One
PlayStation
Apple TV
Chromebook
DD-WRT
Tomato
Show all
PIA is available for all operating systems except for ChromeOS, such as Windows (8.1 onwards), macOS (from 10.13), and Linux (Ubuntu 18.04, Mint, Fedora, Arch, and Debian onwards). On mobile, it’s available for Android (from 5.1) and iOS (12.1 onwards). The interface design is similar across all platforms, as are the features provided.
The company also provides browser extensions for Google Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and manual OpenVPN configuration files. It’s also accessible on Smart TVs for a high-speed streaming experience. Plus, users can enjoy lag-free gaming and privacy protection for consoles, namely Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
Furthermore, the VPN is available for routers to help protect all connected devices on an office or home network. It suggests clients avoid ISP routers, which allow monitoring of browsing history and aren’t VPN compatible. Instead, the company recommends purchasing a router with a preinstalled VPN, perfect for network-wide protection.
To work towards its promise of affordability, the company has eliminated its device cap, meaning users can enjoy unlimited device connections carefree, which is a huge plus point.
Pricing
PIA VPN costs a mere $2.19 per month with a 2-year subscription ($56.94 in total) and includes two months for free, representing an 82% discount over the $11.99 monthly plan. Between these two options is the 6-month plan at $7.50 per month, which represents a saving of 38% on the monthly plan.
Considering all the features it provides, Private Internet Access’s prices are very competitive. The icing on the cake is that the 6-month and 2-year plans include one year of 500GB of cloud storage with pCloud.
2 Years
$2.03/mo
Billed every 2 years
Thousands of servers
90+ countries
Unlimited devices
Two kill switches
WireGuard
Ad blocker
500GB cloud storage
6 Months
$7.50/mo
Billed every 6 months
Thousands of servers
90+ countries
Unlimited devices
Two kill switches
WireGuard
Ad blocker
500GB cloud storage
1 Month
$11.99/mo
Billed monthly
Thousands of servers
90+ countries
Unlimited devices
Two kill switches
WireGuard
Ad blocker
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Should users require extra security, there are two add-ons that can be purchased: antivirus software for Windows and an exclusive IP address. Moreover, the company also has its own VPN router for the more privacy-conscious out there.
Unfortunately it’s not possible to use PIA for free, but it offers a 7-day free trial for curious cats with Android and iOS devices, helping them learn more about the software before committing to a long-term subscription. Plus, customers can try the software risk free by taking advantage of the 30-day money-back guarantee.
PIA also has a referral program that offers up to 30 free days for both parties involved. Plus, to maximize savings for larger businesses, PIA provides a bulk purchase option, where multiple accounts can be purchased at a discounted rate.
The company offers a long list of payment methods, which includes PayPal, credit cards, Amazon payments, cryptocurrency, gift cards, and more.
Payment options
Visa
Mastercard
American Express
Discover
PayPal
Wire transfer
Check
Cryptocurrency
Show all
Customer service
Customer support
24/7
Live chat
Email
Phone
Community
FAQs
Video tutorials
Remote desktop
Blog
Facebook
Instagram
X
YouTube
Show all
Every company knows that an excellent product must have great customer support, and PIA doesn’t disappoint here either with its 24/7 assistance. Queries are answered promptly by email, and agents addressed our urgent concerns quickly over the live chat. Furthermore, both PIA’s VPN FAQ and blog explain the more basic queries.
Support
Customer Service
Community
PIA offers a support page featuring several guides, a news portal, and a knowledge base with billing, technical support, security best practices, and more. Additionally, a community page lets users make suggestions and request new servers. Along with its comprehensive YouTube channel, the company is active on Facebook, X, Reddit, and LinkedIn.
Bottom line
The service guarantees total privacy and anonymity when browsing by using complex data encryption tools. Still, it disappoints when it comes to connection speeds, which may make the experience bittersweet for many customers.
Private Internet Access is clearly in the highest tier of the VPN market. However, it will need to maintain this pace if it wants to be one of the top industry competitors and up its game concerning server speeds.
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