Are you looking for ways to access internet privately? Well, you are in luck as Private Internet Access is a good VPN service that provides a secure connection to access the internet privately. By encrypting your web traffic and masking your IP address, it’s an excellent VPN with all the features you are looking for.
In this detailed review of private access VPN, we will discuss the features and importantly pricing structure for good understanding. So let’s dig deeper and know if PIA is the best way to access the internet privately.
Quick Summary: Private Internet Access Review
Ranked no #3 in out of 55 VPNs
Private Internet Access is a safe choice and great value for money. With its strong torrenting abilities and good subscription packages, it is preferred by a wide range of people. On top of all that you get unlimited VPN device connections.
With Court proven no-log policy, this VPN particularly excels when it comes to privacy and value for money. The application does not respond as quick as the other top competitors but it is overall a good option in terms of pricing.
Private Internet Access: Pros & Cons
Pros | Cons |
Completely verified no log policy | Smart DNS feature is not functional in many cases |
Tons of servers to choose from | Might be confusing for new users |
Inexpensive option there a great value for money | Unverified Windows Installer |
Fast connection due to port forwarding | Netflix works but takes so much time in buffering |
Good security with customizable settings | Inability to route some applications around |
Advanced and customizable encryption option | |
Torrenting is allowed on every server | |
Good for all the streaming platforms |
Who should get Private Internet Access?
Access PIA if :
- If you want a no log VPN , then choose PIA as it will not store any personal user connection data.
- If you want a fast and secure connection than go for PIA. AS during the years it has increased the speed and barely speed loss is determined.
- If you like torrenting, then PIA works best for torrenting. With features like port forwarding and SOCKS5, it can efficiently optimize your P2P traffic.
- If you are looking for a VPN option on a tight budget then for sure, PIA is a reliable and inexpensive option to give a try.
Avoid PIA if:
- If you are looking for fast connection with distant servers, then Pia is not the safest option. If you are gaming and streaming while connecting with remote servers, then the performance will be poor.
- If you use streaming applications on non-VPN devices, PIA does not seem the right fit for you. As most of the time Smart DNS feature does not work so PIA will be unable to change the server location.
- If you are a total beginner in VPN, then PIA is not the right option for you to give a try. With lots of options, PIA is a complex option for you.
Private Internet Access Key Details
To give you a quick overview, here’s the detailed Private Internet Access review that shows the key data of PIA.
Data Cap | Unlimited |
Speed | 95 Mbps |
Servers | 17,087+ |
Data Leaks | No |
Logging Policy | No Logs |
Jurisdiction | US (five Eyes Member) |
IP addresses | 17,087 |
Countries | 84 |
Torrenting | Unlimited |
Support | 24/7 Live chat |
Lowest Price | $2.19/mo over 26 months |
Simultaneous Connections | Unlimited |
Works in China | Yes |
US Netflix | Yes |
Is Private Internet Access Safe?
Private Internet Access is a home-grown company based in Denver. But it is important to mention here that VPN company’s location plays an important part in determining privacy. Specifically, a VPN based in the United States has to check the privacy policy more thoroughly. The international surveillance alliance called Five Eyes is also part of Nine Eyes and 14 Eyes. The international alliance only requires companies to present their data when required by courts.
As the country poses serious restrictions to data collection and laws, that’s why VPN services are preferred more in privacy-friendly countries like Panama. And moreover, the company is more focused on fast browsing and streaming across USA only.
Private Internet Access: Features
There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, and that goes the same with VPNs. Although all of them encrypt data and mask IP addresses not all of them are the same. Let’s find out if Private Internet Access is upto the snuff .
Features | Works with Private Internet Access |
Log data | No |
Kill switch | Yes |
Split Tunneling | Yes |
Netflix | Yes |
Torrent | Yes |
DNS feature | Yes, but does not work good |
Private Internet Access encryption
As encryption completely changes your text into code that cannot be decoded easily. Private Internet Access is among the few VPNs that let you choose between various encryption methods. Heres a detailed guide about the encryption methods of PIA.
Default Recommended protection | All Speed no safety | Maximum Protection | Risky Bussiness | |
Data Encryption | AES-128 | None | AES-256 | AES-128 |
Data Authentication | SHA1 | None | SHA256 | None |
Handshake | RSA-2048 | ECC-256k1 | RSA-4096 | RSA-2048 |
PIA is one of the fastest VPN in the market
All the VPNs slow down the speed of the internet, but some offer better speed than others. PIA works efficiently and at a high speed when connected to a nearby server. But it cannot match the rivals when it comes to fast speed while connecting to long-distance servers. But as PIA uses WireGuard protocol , it is much faster than the rest.
Download Speed Test
Device | Without VPN | With VPN |
Mac | 37.05 Mbps | 12.93 Mbps |
Windows | 72.48 Mbps | 61.67 Mbps |
As evident through the data, PIA has potentially decreased the speed for both Mac and Windows. But the effect is greater for Mac in comparison with Windows.
Upload Speed Test
Device | Without VPN | With VPN |
Mac | 25.9 Mbps | 18.12Mbps |
Windows | 41.37 Mbps | 39.13 Mbps |
Again, in the scenario of upload speed Windows performed better than MaC. tHe download speed decreased by 30% for Mac while for Windows, it’s only 5%. So, it is clear that PIA is great for Windows rather than Mac and iOs.
Ping Speed Test
Device | Without VPN | With VPN |
Mac | 14ms | 14ms |
Windows | 12ms | 16ms |
PIA connected while gaming should not notice any difference on your gameplay on Mac, whereas for windows its increased latency by about a third on Windows. From these tests, we can easily conclude that PIA is a decent VPN in terms of Mac but works great for Windows.
PIA is a proven no-data log service
Private Internet Access is a completely proven no-logs VPN service. It keeps no connection, last data or server data, all it tracks is the basic information. You can browse with all confidence knowing that your data will not be saved, stored on linked back to you.
Here’s the detailed summary of the information of PIA logs:
Data type | Logged by Private Internet Access |
Browsing data | No |
Device information | No |
DNS queries | No |
Timestamps | No |
ISP | No |
Individual bandwidth usage | No |
Number of simultaneous connections | No |
VPN Server IP | No |
VPN server Location | No |
Account Information | Yes |
Date of Last Connection | No |
Data breaches do happen and if you are using VPN, then also there is a greater risk of your personal information being compromised. To further enhance security, Private VPN has put the right protocols in place to restrict the access of personal data. In addition, all the personal information is in encrypted form and stored in the United States.
What VPN protocol does PIA supports?
VPN technology comes in a range of protocols used to create encrypted connections. Open Vpn and WireGuard are the top technologies preferred by most of VPN service providers. Although WireGuard is still new but it is widely embraced by people.
Private Internet Access Supports OpenVPN and WireGuard on all the operating system. In addition, the iOs app supports the IKEv2 protocol, which is also a good option.
Private VPN is exceptional for streaming Netflix & other US services
Although Netflix poses serious restrictions and won’t allow many VPN services to work in US. For the optimized and fast services specifically for Netflix you can connect to Pia and enjoy streaming with ease.
Streaming Services | Works with PIA |
Netflix US | Yes |
Amazon Prime Video | Yes |
BBC iPlayer | Yes |
Disney + | No |
HBO Max | Yes |
Hulu | Yes |
ITVX | Yes |
YouTube | Yes |
Hotsor India | No |
All 4 | Yes |
For reliable streaming of all the above-mentioned platforms, you can connect to one of the streaming optimized servers like Australia, Sweden for better services.
Efficient Streaming of UK Content
On UK servers, you can easily steam BBC iPlayer and the streaming services can be shown to you in minutes. You can securely browse all the UK-based channels and enjoy the steams while siiting on your couch.
PIA unblocks Hulu, Prime Video & HBO box
PIA VPN is one of the secure options for Hotstar, HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. With high speed, you won’t experience any lag while streaming HD content. When the change and efficient advancement it can soon match the level of the strong competitor VPN services. With the Smart DNS feature, PIA can help you access 11 Netflix libraries.
PIA is best VPN for torrenting
PIA is an excellent choice for torrenting due to its no log policy and unlimited bandwidths. Unlike all the premium VPNs, it also comes with a port forwarding option. This option can potentially increase the number of torrenting peers you can connect with.
Private internet Access allows P2P a file-sharing activity on all its servers. This is one of the greatest benefits as many competitors exclude servers for no reason. PIA is compatible with various torrent clients that includes uTorrent, Deluge, and much more. Pia’s built-in ad blocker, MACE can efficiently block any trackers or malware you come across in the process.
PIA has excellent port Forwarding tool
PIA port forwarding feature redirects the connection to easily pass the NAT firewalls. Also , it enables the user to increase the torrenting peers. PIA setting will enable you forward to ports 80, 443, 110, 53, 8080, and 9201.
PIA VPN switch is efficient and reliable
All PIA applications come with a built-in kill switch to protect your web traffic in case your connection suddenly drops. This is important when you are torrenting multiple files . Without the reliable kill switch your IP address is visible to your ISP.
PIA is a great value VPN with 30 days refund policy
A great value for money! Yes, you have heard it right. If you are low on budget then you can definitely go for this option. You can save a great deal of money on a two-year plan, it just cost $2.19 per month.
Price Plan | Cost |
Monthly | $ 11.99/mo |
6-month | $ 7.50/mo |
26 -month | $2.19/mo |
It’s one of the cheapest VPN services one can opt for. When you consider the full suite of services, then it’s a complete package one could desire to pay. Also, with the decision to get an unlimited device connection, this is the best choice among all the VPNs.
PIA offers 30 days risk-free Refund policy
Although the free version is not available but can get s seven-day trial if you create an account on App Store or Google Play. If you will do it with the website, you will be eligible for 30 days risk-free money-back guarantee. To cancel your subscription in the first 30 days, you can open ticket ith PIA support team and your money will be refunded to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Private Internet Access has a free version?
Is Private VPN better than NordVPN ?
NordVPN is more efficient in unblocking streaming sites but on the other hand Private Internet Access works best for torrenting. NordVPN has a simpler interface but PIA is quite inexpensive to use. So the choice is all yours!