Private Internet Access VPN review: A low-price, high-value VPN for all

Price When Reviewed

$11.95 per thirty days

Best Prices Today: Private Internet Access

Private Internet Access VPN in short:

• P2P allowed: Yes
• Simultaneous gadget connections: Unlimited
• Business location: U.S.
• Number of servers: 10,000+
• Number of nation places: 84
• Cost: $11.95 per thirty days, or $79 + 3 free months for a three-year subscription

Private Internet Access (PIA) has seemingly been round because the creation of third-party VPNs. Since that point, it’s been a favourite VPN service for a lot of customers because of its glorious pricing and good privateness ensures. Recently the service has made some really promising enhancements by lifting the gadget connection restrict and present process a third-party audit. So, with these new updates how does it stack up in opposition to the opposite titans of the VPN market? Let’s dive in and take a look.

Further studying: See our roundup of the best VPNs to study competing merchandise.

Private Internet Access VPN options and companies

Sam Singleton

Upon first opening PIA you’ll discover that it has maintained the identical user-interface design because the firm overhauled its Windows app in 2019. You’re introduced with a easy panel within the lower-right nook of your display. By default this panel is locked to that location and also you’re unable to maneuver it. This design determination truthfully felt a bit constrained and awkward. Thankfully, you’re capable of change this within the settings menu, however it isn’t apparent at first look. 

Otherwise the Windows app is fairly simple. There’s an enormous on/off button on the prime, and beneath that’s the VPN server location—clicking it takes you to a special display the place you’re capable of view and select a special nation or server location. For international locations with a number of location choices you’re capable of click on a drop-down menu to show all the out there server places inside that nation. And boy are there loads to select from. PIA affords an 84 nation server unfold, and whereas not formally confirmed, it’s believed to have greater than 10,000 servers. 

Sam Singleton

Next to every nation location is its latency displayed in milliseconds and there’s a coronary heart icon which lets you designate a server as one among your favorites. It additionally denotes which servers are digital servers with an icon that states “This is a geo-located region” subsequent to the title. A digital server is just not situated inside the nation itself, however somewhat assigns an IP deal with of the nation location as an alternative. The transparency right here ought to be recommended as not many different VPN suppliers label which of their servers are digital or bodily.

Overall the server-list format is sweet and easy to observe. PIA permits you to kind its server record both by latency or location title, as effectively. This makes it a lot simpler for people who find themselves solely interested by velocity to seek out the optimum connection, or likewise by title to seek out their desired location.

Once linked, the app shows your precise IP deal with and the VPN deal with you’re utilizing. This fundamental info is all you possibly can see within the compact view, however in case you click on the downward-facing arrow on the backside you possibly can see a ton of additional particulars as effectively. This consists of quick-connect choices with places similar to France, Germany, the U.S., and the UK. There are additionally tiles for bandwidth utilization, a efficiency graph, information encryption and handshake settings getting used, and fundamental settings management. If you favor to see any of this info on the compact view as an alternative you’re capable of click on the bookmark icon on any tile to show it. You can add or take away any of those choices as you see match.

Sam Singleton

Private Internet Access additionally comes with a plethora of nice options similar to split-tunneling, multi-hop, and a kill change. Split-tunneling permits you to decide and select which apps you want to run by means of a VPN, permitting you to optimize bandwidth for low-risk actions similar to streaming or gaming. In reality, PIA has one of the vital dynamic split-tunneling options we’ve ever seen. Power customers can go to city tweaking issues similar to which apps, IP addresses, and DNS requests are allowed to bypass the VPN. It even permits you to designate an app-based kill change, which can block site visitors solely on particular apps ought to the VPN connection break. 

Additionally, taking after different VPN suppliers similar to NordVPN and Surfshark, PIA has added a helpful safety additional within the type of an ad- and tracker-blocker that it calls MACE. This is one thing we’re seeing extra frequently as a method to entice customers with an entire on-line safety suite somewhat than only a VPN service. You may even opt-in to an antivirus software from PIA for an extra payment if you sign-up in case you so select. The comfort of this all-in-one method is interesting, however typically talking, a standalone antivirus software program, like our favorite antivirus suites, will give you extra complete protection and total safety.

It appears that each time we do an up to date assessment of Private Internet Access it has launched new upgrades and options and this time isn’t any exception. Since early 2023, PIA now permits for limitless simultaneous gadget connections—which is more and more changing into an trade normal. Also, PIA is within the technique of upgrading its servers to NextGen 10Gbps as an alternative of the 1Gbps it’s had previously. This ought to enhance connection speeds considerably for customers sooner or later.

How is Private Internet Access VPN’s efficiency?

In our testing we measured connection speeds throughout PIA’s servers in 5 completely different international locations all world wide after which in contrast them to our baseline web velocity. PIA’s speeds had been alright, however they weren’t sufficient to make our top five fastest VPNs. Across all places examined, the speeds averaged 52 p.c of the bottom obtain velocity and a good 80 p.c of the bottom add velocity. 

Of course, as one would count on, we famous that places nearer to our bodily location had higher velocity averages, whereas server places additional away had been slower. For a prime VPN, these averages are a bit on the gradual aspect. NordVPN, one among PIA’s prime rivals, has common speeds of over 70 p.c of the bottom obtain velocity. That being mentioned, they aren’t horrible and ought to be lots quick sufficient to will let you stream, sport, or browse to your coronary heart’s content material with out noticeable lag—relying by yourself residence web connection, after all.

As for streaming, Private Internet Access labored completely high-quality with all the main streaming companies similar to Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, and Hulu. We didn’t come throughout any servers that had been blocked and geo-restriction entry was by no means a difficulty.

Private Internet Access VPN safety and privateness

[PIA website services screenshot]

Private Internet Access

When you join PIA, it solely asks in your e-mail deal with. It accepts a great vary of fee choices together with bank card, PayPal, Amazon Pay, and cryptocurrencies similar to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin—there’s additionally an possibility to make use of Bitpay as an alternative of direct pockets transfers. 

PIA has been owned and operated by Kape Technologies, a UK-based firm previously often known as Crossrider, since 2019. There have been some questions previously concerning the considerably doubtful practices surrounding Crossrider. Its improvement platform for browser extensions was utilized by impartial builders to ship malicious adware and malware to customers. Realizing this and going through backlash, Crossrider closed the platform in 2016 and rebranded as Kape Technologies. 

Since this reset, and subsequent management reorganization, Kape Technologies has pivoted to change into a significant supplier of digital safety software program. It has gone on a run in recent times of buying possession over a few of the largest VPNs available on the market right this moment together with PIA, ExpressVPN, ZenMate VPN, and CyberGhost VPN, in addition to Mac antivirus agency Intego. 

To its credit score, PIA has made an effort to ease the minds of privacy-focused customers with regular transparency reports. Additionally, in 2022 it underwent an impartial audit by Deloitte to assessment its no-logs coverage. Deloitte confirmed that PIA shops no logs and no particulars that may very well be used to determine customers or their actions. Privacy is without doubt one of the pillars of a great VPN service and this impartial audit and PIA’s continued willingness to try for transparency has completed loads to rectify considerations over its guardian firm’s previous.

PIA makes use of the trade normal AES-256 encryption and within the Windows app helps WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols. There can be built-in safety in opposition to DNS leaks. We confirmed this by utilizing a DNS Leak check software and located that our actual location info was by no means leaked whereas linked to PIA’s servers.

PIA additionally makes use of diskless RAM-only servers, which boot on a read-only picture and use RAM modules as an alternative of laborious disks. By not storing information on laborious disks, RAM-only servers are extra proof against tampering each by hackers and bodily breaches. This can be changing into more and more common amongst VPN suppliers, however it signifies that PIA is staying on the forefront of safety.

Is Private Internet Access VPN price it?

Private Internet Access has been at this sport for a very long time and it exhibits. Its VPN is effectively polished with a pleasant interface, loads of servers to select from, and tons of tweakable options. Its continued publication of transparency stories and up-front nature concerning consumer privateness and safety is commendable as effectively. 

It’s true that the speeds won’t be the quickest, and its guardian firm has had its fair proportion of doubtful points. But that’s all seemingly previously and PIA has completed its finest to point out that it’s faraway from all of that anyhow. While there could also be different companies that do one single factor higher, PIA stands aside as a jack-of-all-trades that does every part effectively. It continues to be a top-tier VPN that’s solely getting higher with age.

Editor’s notice: Because on-line companies are sometimes iterative, gaining new options and efficiency enhancements over time, this assessment is topic to alter as a way to precisely mirror the present state of the service. Any adjustments to textual content or our closing assessment verdict will probably be famous on the prime of this text.