Private Internet Access Review

Founded in 2010, Private Internet Access (PIA) is a VPN service that allows users to bypass geo-restrictions and browse the internet more safely. PIA is one of more popular VPNs, with 15 million subscribers worldwide. It’s simple to use – just purchase a plan, download the app, and turn on the PIA VPN. But before deciding to get this VPN, you might wonder if PIA is a good VPN. Well, we will try to answer that in this Private Internet Access review.

Private Internet Access Pros and Cons

PROS

• Vast server network
• Decent speeds
• Strict no-logs policy
• Reliable kill switch
• Affordable subscription plans
• Good for torrenting
• Unlimited simultaneous connections
• 30-day money-back guarantee

CONS

• Based in the USA

Private Internet Access Plans and Pricing

This Private Internet Access review wouldn’t be complete if we don’t discuss pricing. PIA offers affordable subscription plans. It has 1-month ($11.99/month), 6-month ($7.50/month), and 2-year ($2.03/month) plans. The 2-year plan gives the best savings (comes with 4 months free). This makes PIA one of the most budget-friendly VPNs available on the market.

With PIA, you get unlimited simultaneous connections with just 1 subscription, which is better than the industry average of 5 to 7 connections.

PIA accepts credit/debit cards, PayPal, and even cryptocurrencies. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Servers and Server Locations

Private Internet Access has a vast server network, with 35,000+ servers in 91 countries. The servers are located in North America, Europe, South America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Oceania. Also, PIA recently announced that it has servers in all 50 US states.

Selecting a server is pretty straightforward. After opening the PIA app, just select “VPN servers” and connect to any of them.

Headquarters

The headquarters of Private Internet Access is located in Denver, Colorado, USA. The US is among the founding members of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. This is an alliance between governments wherein they agree to share information about people they are suspicious of.

However, you don’t need to worry. PIA has a strict no-logs policy that has been proven many times. Many VPNs, including Private Internet Access, receive court orders, subpoenas, and warrants requesting information on its users. But Private Internet Access has never handed any information to any of these requests because PIA has nothing to hand over in the first place.

Another great thing about the privacy claims of PIA is that it has been independently audited by Deloitte, a credible management and consulting company which specializes in security audits. During its audit of PIA’s VPN services, Deloitte concluded that PIA manages its systems well and there is no reason to doubt PIA’s no-logging policy.

Privacy

Private Internet Access has a “no-logs” policy. This means that whatever you do while you are connected to their VPN will not be recorded. PIA does not record your IP address and browsing history. Also, they don’t measure how much data you have used.

If the government requests information, Private Internet Access has nothing to give because of its “no logs policy”. That is certainly reassuring. There are just a few confirmed VPN services with a “no-logs policy”, and PIA is one of them. While using PIA’s VPN services, you can be sure that your IP address and your activity won’t be stored, monitored, or linked back to you.

PIA emphasizes that it doesn’t log browsing data of any kind. This means that the company has no idea what your IP address is, when you are using the VPN, for how long, and what sites you are visiting.

None of the personal nor non-personal data that PIA collects relate to users’ IP addresses, browsing data, or web traffic.

Private Internet Access Streaming Support

PIA is a good VPN for streaming because it works with 30+ streaming services (whether well-known or smaller platforms). PIA has streaming support on dedicated servers in the US, UK, Japan, Italy, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden). That said, ExpressVPN has much better streaming support, because it supports streaming on all its servers located in 90+ countries and works with 65+ steaming apps.

As of this writing, PIA can unblock 7 Netflix libraries, including US, UK, Japan, Denmark, and France. Residents of the US and UK who tested PIA with Netflix found no problem accessing their home libraries while travelling abroad. That said, ExpressVPN can access 20+ Netflix libraries, so it is considered as the best VPN for Netflix.

In addition to Netflix, PIA also works with other popular streaming platforms like Hulu, Amazon Prime, BBCiPlayer, and Disney+. PIA can also access smaller streaming services, such as Ruutu, FranceTV, tv4play and YLE. PIA provides a list of all the streaming platforms with a support article, reducing the time needed to verify if the VPN can access a particular site.

PIA also has a smart DNS, enabling you to access streaming sites even on devices that do not support VPN apps natively, such as gaming consoles and smart TVs.

Overall, Private Internet Access provides a very good streaming experience. It is consistent in working with Netflix, compatible with 30+ streaming platforms, and has smart DNS.

Private Internet Access Gaming Support

PIA provides good gaming support. By simply changing your IP address, the VPN will protect you from Distributed Denial of Service or DDoS attacks, which may leave you with no internet access. Besides, all the provider’s servers have anti-DDoS protection. So, if someone tries to DDoS you while you are connected to PIA, they won’t be able to do it.

Private Internet Access can be also set up on your router. Afterwards, you can use it for gaming on devices that do not natively support VPN apps, like Xbox or PlayStation consoles. Step-by-step tutorials are available, making the whole setup process pretty straightforward.

Private Internet Access Desktop Apps

When it comes to desktops, you can install Private Internet Access on Windows, Macs, and Linux machines. Also, browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox, and Opera. On its website, you can find the links for PIA apps for these platforms.

PIA does not limit you to only one device. In fact, you can connect up to 10 different devices at the same time. Also, they need not be on the same platform. You can mix and match depending on the system operating on your computer, laptop, or mobile device.

After you have installed the PIA desktop app and after you have logged in, a big Connect button automatically connects you to the nearest server. You can choose a VPN server of your choice from the list of countries and cities, most of them showing ping times for you to get an idea of expected latency.

Private Internet Access is a very configurable VPN. For example, you can choose OpenVPN over WireGuard. You can also choose the encryption level (AES-128 or AES-256).

It is easy to find the server list, including country, city, and ping times. You may sort servers either by name or by ping. There is also an effective search function and a Favorites system that improves usability.

The PIA desktop client has a kill switch that disables access to the internet in case your VPN disconnects for any reason.

PIA’s desktop apps look pretty lightweight, but they are packed with features.

Private Internet Access Mobile Apps

PIA has mobile VPN apps both for iPhone and Android. They are packed with great features and also can be configured to one’s specific privacy needs. Both have WireGuard and OpenVPN connection options, an automatic kill switch, and custom ports.

The mobile apps look similar to the desktop versions. When you open the Android VPN app, you will see a simple interface – with white space, an On/Off button, the IP address, and the location you chose. If you swipe up, you will see plenty of other buttons, icons, and status details.

Tapping on the region brings a list of other available regions, providing a guide on expected latency, so you can choose wisely. In the settings screen, there is a lot of information to take in. However, that will not affect its usability, meaning everything you need can be accessed easily and not hidden behind multiple menus.

Meanwhile, the PIA iPhone app is similar in functionality and looks to its Android counterpart. Both have a stylish interface, the Favorite system, and an intuitive location picker that shows server latencies. Also, both have plenty of customization options available.

A Network Management tile enables you to set certain networks to be automatically trusted or untrusted. You can use this when you want to automatically enable your VPN while you are at a coffee shop and decide to disable it when you get home. Additionally, there’s support for Siri shortcuts, so you can enable or disable your VPN with a voice command.

One advantage of the PIA Android app over the iOS app is split tunneling. It will let you choose which apps use the VPN without shielding the entire device. Split tunneling increases the speed and saves on data. But since PIA does not have data limits, this is not a big loss. On a side note, there’s probably no other VPN that offers split tunneling on iPhone because of the limitations in iOS.

Overall, PIA’s mobile apps are excellent. If you’re more of a mobile user, Private Internet Access is definitely a good choice.

Routers

Private Internet Access supports popular router firmware and provides access to helpful configuration guides. You can configure Private Internet Access on your router manually only if it is compatible with the provider’s VPN service. But the good news is that PIA is working with several top router firmware, like AsusWRT and DD-WRT. Some VPNs do not support router setups at all.

Manually setting up a VPN on a router is usually difficult and time-consuming. However, the good news is that step-by-step procedures are available, including screenshots, making the setup process straightforward.

Does PIA Have a Kill Switch?

A kill switch, also known as “network lock feature” or “disconnect protection,” means that any website or software will shut down automatically upon losing connection to the VPN. All PIA apps come with a kill switch that will protect your traffic in case your internet connection suddenly drops.

This is especially important when torrenting files. Without a kill switch, your real IP address will be visible in the event the VPN connection fails.

Torrenting

Torrenting is the method of sharing files with multiple users at once, though it can be used also for single person-to-person (P2P) transfer. Regardless of to whom you are sending your data, Private Internet Access protects it so that it will not be intercepted or traced back to your device. This is done partly by encrypting the data.

Private Internet Access is great for torrenting. It has a strict no-logs policy, fast download speeds, and unlimited bandwidth. Unlike most other VPNs, it has port-forwarding that allows you to increase the number of torrenting peers you can communicate with.

Does PIA Offer Split Tunneling?

PIA VPN can use split-tunneling on Windows, Linux, and Mac (also on Android under Per-App Settings). Split tunneling allows the use of VPN’s encrypted tunnel while allowing some traffic to go through public, unencrypted networks.

How is that useful? Well, for example, you like to listen to local hits while doing research. You can use PIA’s encrypted tunnel on your browser to hide your online activities, while simultaneously, you connect Spotify to the unencrypted tunnel to detect the top hits wherever you are.

Split tunneling can also be useful for:

• Apps, such as online games that block VPN IP addresses
• Online banking websites that block some IP address regions
• Streaming services that don’t allow VPNs

Private Internet Access Protocols

Protocols determine how VPNs can transmit data across networks. You can think of them as different routes to take to get to a destination. There are routes that are faster or safer than others. Private Internet Access applies a combination of different protocols in order to achieve both speed and security.

PPTP

PPTP, or Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, has been used since the 1990s. Instead of doing the encryption itself, the PPTP makes tunnels to encapsulate the data packets. It functions with a second protocol which will perform the actual encryption. PPTP is not super secure on its own.

IPSec/L2TP

Think of IPSec (IP Security) and L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) as Batman and Robin. While L2TP, generates the tunnel; IPSec handles the encryption, checks that the data arrived intact, and ensures that the tunnel is secure. IPSec encrypts either the entire data packet or only the data packet message. Together, they form a highly secure VPN client.

SOCKS5 (Proxy)

SOCKS5 is a proxy that will give you a new IP address before taking you to your location. Although SOCKS requires less bandwidth than the typical VPN, it does not encrypt data and therefore less secure. That’s why PIA uses SOCKS in conjunction with the encryption methods described above.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN is a common VPN protocol. It is great at bypassing firewalls without causing the internet to slow down too much. Most people love OpenVPN because it is open-source. The VPN community is often tinkering with OpenVPN to ensure that surveillance agencies are not tampering with it.

WireGuard

WireGuard is popular because of its speed. Although it ’is not as battle-hardened as OpenVPN, experts believe that it is a secure VPN protocol having lots of potential. Private Internet Access is currently using WireGuard in its base form.

Conclusion

As you can see in this Private Internet Access review, there are many reasons to choose PIA as your VPN. It has a vast server network, follows a strict no-logs policy, and offers strong security features. Although not the fastest VPN around, its speeds are fast enough for streaming, gaming, and torrenting. Best of all, PIA is one of the most affordable VPNs on the market, giving you the most bang for your buck.

If you want to get a Private Internet Access subscription, click here.