Private Internet Access Review

Many people won’t have heard of Private Internet Access (or ‘PIA’) before, even though it’s been around for a while.

That’s because it’s one of the lesser-known VPNs around; indeed it doesn’t have the big budget for marketing unlike, say, NordVPN or ExpressVPN. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. After all, you’re only paying for such advertising through higher VPN subscription prices.

And yet more and more people are discovering it through word-of-mouth or on places like Reddit, where it’s highly recommended.

For this Private Internet Access VPN review, I’m going to take the regular approach and look at the price, benefits, drawbacks and lots more. Let’s start with the most important, very briefly: the price. That is one of its biggest strengths – prices start at just $2.19/month, which makes it one of the most affordable VPN options available.

However, affordability alone is not enough to make it the best VPN in the market.

Overview: Private Internet Access VPN

Here’s a few more details on these points, at a glance:

Now let’s delve right into the PIA review.

Does IPA VPN keep logs?

Firstly, I’ll start with the most important point: Private Internet Access doesn’t keep logs.

Their no-logs policy has in fact been verified in court, almost by accident. Recently, both the FBI and the Russian government requested information about a handful of PIA users, but they replied saying they couldn’t provide any data, as no logs are kept. Great!

To further enshrine absolute user privacy, both PIA’s server configurations and its privacy policies have been independently audited by Big Four auditing firm Deloitte (the audit was completed recently, in June 2022). The good thing about this audit is that it confirms that IPA does not store logs or retain any record of user activities.

Both of these events, when combined, give me confidence that their no-logs policy is 100% genuine.

What *do* they log, you ask? Well, they came back to me when I asked them this, and confirmed that they only log email addresses, payment details, state and zip codes for tax purposes, and anonymized data that’s utilized to improve the service.

Consider also that PIA’s network architecture has also been designed to prevent data retention, as its servers are set to use RAM-only, which restart themselves regularly and do not use traditional hard disks that log user data. More on this later.

Lastly, PIA guarantees never to rent or sell any customer’s information.

Overall, PIA’s commitment to a no-logs policy and its independent verification of it’s server configurations and privacy policies make it a trustworthy choice if you are looking for maximum online privacy and security.

IPA VPN: Company History

Like a lot of VPNs now, Private Internet Access is owned by a company called Kape Technologies.

They used to be known as Crossrider and had previously worked on mobile ads and browser extension development. In 2018, there was a bit of controversy when ‘hackers’ used Kape’s software to bundle malware into some of its programs. It’s unclear if this is actually what happened, but Kape have since changed their focus to VPNs. It’s worth adding that when I tested the app using SpyBot S&D and other programs, I found it to be completely free of malware, and always have.

Kape also own other VPNs like CyberGhost and ExpressVPN, both of which are highly rated here on VPN Hound.

So while the ownership of Private Internet Access may raise some concerns, it has remained a safe, secure & trusted VPN for over a decade now. Plus Kape actively supports non-profits dedicated to internet freedom like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Creative Commons. This could just be a PR ruse, but it’s still a good thing.

However there’s a potential big downside to all of this…

Where are they based?

Private Internet Access is based in the United States, which is not known for its privacy-friendly laws. The US is part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance(s), which are pacts between governments that promise to share information on individuals suspected of wrong-doing.

Given that Private Internet Access has a strong no-logs policy that has been audited (and proven) many times, and it has never stored or shared any identifiable information about its users, I’m not sure how much information they can “hand over”. But it’s worth pointing out and making you aware.

Frequent readers to VPN Hound will know that the US isn’t actually that bad a location for a VPN. In fact, we recently decided that it was our 5th best VPN location to route through.

Is Private Internet Access A Good VPN?

In the vast digital realm we now call the internet, where dangers appear to lurk around every corner, Private Internet Access has a few extra features that set it apart from other VPNs.

For one, with its blazing fast speeds and more than 29,650 servers, this VPN lets you stream and browse the internet with ease and confidence. Plus, it allows up to 10 devices per license, which means you can protect all your devices at once.

But the real strength of Private Internet Access lies in its ability to unblock 25+ top streaming platforms, including US Netflix and Disney+. During my tests,which I’ll cover in the next section in detail, I was able to access Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and many more. And while I had some trouble with HBO Max and ESPN+, a little troubleshooting on Reddit allowed me to access them too without any real difficultty.

Aside from its streaming capabilities, Private Internet Access has a fairly strict no-logs policy to ensure your online activity remains private.

And if you ever encounter any issues, their 24/7 live chat support is always ready to assist you. I’m a bit disappointed by their customer service compared some others like NordVPN, but we’ll come to that later (and it’s not a really big issue).

IPA VPN Pricing

The price of PIA is what sets it apart from others. The price is probably the most important consideration you have when choosing a VPN, if you’re like me.

And strangely, even though they’re owned by the same company, there are several reasons why you might choose Private Internet Access over, say, Surfshark or ExpressVPN:

1. Affordability: PIA is one of the more affordable VPN options on the market, with lower prices than both Surfshark and ExpressVPN.
2. Open-source: PIA’s software is open-source, meaning that anyone can view and modify its source code. This makes it more transparent and trustworthy for users who want to ensure their privacy.
3. Strong no-logs policy: PIA has a strong no-logs policy that has been ‘verified’ in the court room. It doesn’t store any personally identifiable information and has been known to refuse governmental requests for user data.
4. Long history: PIA has been around for over a decade, making it a established player in the VPN market. It’s here for the long-haul.
5. Torrenting capabilities: PIA is a good option for users who wish to torrent, as it has unlimited bandwidth and allows P2P traffic on all of its servers.

Side-by-side pricing

How much do other VPN competitors charge? Quite a lot in comparison, and what makes PIA so good is that it doesn’t charge a crazy high amount for month-to-month renewals:

A lot of people will be paying for a 1-month subscription and just not bothering to cancel it; if that’s you, then PIA in particular makes a lot of sense. 🙂

If you’re a power-user and have used VPNs for a while, then you’re probably going to continue to use them. If that’s you, then their 3-year plans are the best value and this is where the $2.19 a month claim comes from:

• Private Internet Access (PIA)
  • Monthly cost: $9.95
  • 3-year cost: $79.00 ($2.19/month)
• NordVPN
  • Monthly cost: $11.95
  • 3-year cost: $125.64 ($3.49/month)
• ExpressVPN
  • Monthly cost: $12.95
  • 3-year cost: $194.25 ($5.40/month)
• Surfshark
  • Monthly cost: $12.95
  • 3-year cost: $59.76 ($1.66/month)
• Ivacy
  • Monthly cost: $9.95
  • 3-year cost: $90.00 ($2.50/month)

As you can see, only Ivacy VPN is cheaper over 3 years.

Note: Though I’m in the UK, the pricing for most folk will be in USD ($), so that is what I am going to continue to use here. In my opinion, it’s great that PIA allow you to use your local currency too, as this will save on currency conversion costs by your bank.

Is there a free trial?

No, there is sadly no free trial for PIA VPN.

If you’re looking for a free trial then consider CyberGhost or Nord instead.

Streaming

I was able to unblock Netflix regions in the following countries (in no particular order)

• United Kingdom
• United States
• Japan
• Austria
• Germany
• Sweden
• Finland
• Spain
• France
• New Zealand
• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• Italy
• Denmark
• Holland
• Mexico
• India, and all of the countries I could test!

Just an FYI, though PIA provide specialist streaming servers, in my testing I found that they tend to be out-performed by the regular servers. Not fully sure why that is, but thought it was worth mentioning. Perhaps it is because the streaming-dedicated servers are overloaded with others trying to stream.

So, give the other non-specialized servers a go and see if they work out better.

A word on Netflix

Traditionally, there has been limited Netflix access in the past, though it seems that PIA have improved this a lot. These problems are because Netflix uses very advanced VPN detection technology to prevent people from accessing content from outside their actual country.

During my tests, I tried accessing different Netflix libraries while connected to various PIA servers located around the world. Some servers worked well, while others were blocked by Netflix, so it was quite hit and miss even in 2023.

For example, I was able to access the US Netflix library while connected to the Virginia server, but I couldn’t access the UK library while connected to the London server as it showed a fatal error or would time out.

If you’re intent on getting a VPN so that you can watch your favourite Netflix shows, then this might not be your number 1 choice. I’d personally go with ExpressVPN if this is your specific requirement.

But thankfully, other streaming services seem to be okay with PIA, as I’m about to cover.

What about Disney Plus?

So my nex test was using PIA to stream Disney+, and quickly realised it worked fine – I had no trouble accessing it at all.

Specifically, the platform loaded up super fast and I was watching Endless Summer Vacation episodes before I knew it. Each episode took only about 3 seconds to load, which was great (I’m using a superfast connection here too). And the picture quality was perfect, with no buffering or lag on PIA’s US Streaming Optimized server.

Hulu was a bit more complicated, though. I tried different locations like Canada, New York, and Virginia, but they were all blocked. It was such a bummer, man! I even tried different browsers, but still no luck. Finally, I switched to a “streaming server” – also known as a specialized server – and it worked like a charm. I streamed Unprisoned without any interruptions or choppiness. Way to go, PIA!

Now, when it comes to Amazon Prime Video US, you can stream it with PIA’s dedicated streaming server. But watch out! The normal Seattle, New York, and Denver servers won’t work. They’re all blocked. So, if you’re planning on streaming Amazon Prime Video, you’ll need to use PIA’s streaming server to get access.

What about Kodi?

Private Internet Access isn’t just for streaming mainstream content like Disney+, it can also unblock platforms like Kodi, Crunchyroll, and even Peacock.

Firstly, I tried out Kodi, a free app that lets you stream media on all your devices for those who don’t know. It’s a bit iffy legally, but that’s not for here. Just remember to make sure you’re only watching copyright-free content on these channels, there’s the disclaimer 🙂 But I can confirm it works fine.

Next up is Popcorn Time, a popular Kodi add-on that offers peer-to-peer (P2P) streaming. I used it to watch a couple of movies that weren’t out at the cinema and it took a few minutes to load since there weren’t many seeders, but it played back perfectly once it was loaded. Definitely slower than regular Kodi but it works over this VPN.

And the list goes on too.  I was also able to unblock Peacock, Paramount+, Crunchyroll, and several other platforms. It even works seamlessly with Twitch.

That’s pretty impressive, if you ask me. Not many other VPNs offer this level of streaming support – often you’ll find that some work and some do not.

Torrenting

In testing, I could download files on P2P networks superfast while connected to Private Internet Access.

For the first test, I tried a 700MB file, it took less than 10 minutes to complete. WOrth noting that PIA also lets you use port forwarding, which can really improve your speeds as you’ll be able to get access to more seeders.

My upload speed, if you’re interested, averaged aroudn 3Mb/s which is acceptable.

Should I use SOCKS5?

No.

There’s the option to use a SOCKS5 proxy as you’ve no doubt seen, but when using a VPN I don’t recommend it. The way these SOCKS5 proxies work with PIA is as a double-hop, meaning it sends your connection to the proxy before moving it through the VPN tunnel. This obviously slows down your speeds quite a lot, and even if you could connect directly to the proxy, it’s not a good idea because it wouldn’t encrypt your traffic.

Here at VPN Hound we don’t condone any illegal activities of course. Most countries let you share copyright-free files with P2P services, but I recommend reading your country’s laws before you torrent.

Does Private Internet Access Work in China?

Yes. In my testing, I found that anyone can use Private Internet Access in China.

You couldn’t in the past, but a customer support agent confirmed it now works in the country. It was briefly blocked in Hong Kong in 2019, but I was impressed that PIA made sure to get it working there again.

PIA’s knowledge base (KB) recommends changing the protocol to WireGuard to get it to work in China but if this doesn’t work, you really should try setting up a connection through OpenVPN instead .

Speeds – How Fast is PIA?

Pretty fast, but not the fastest, in summary.

To give it some credit, Private Internet Access VPN does have some impressive speed capabilities for this price point. In testing, local servers generally had a minimal impact on my internet speed, but long-distance servers did tend to slow things down a bit.

While conducting my tests on my laptop, I found that using the OpenVPN UDP protocol with 128-bit encryption gave me the best speeds.

How do you find the faster servers?

You don’t need to, really. When you connect to PIA, the Auto-connect feature selects the fastest server for you, almost by magic.

Bizarrely this might not be the fastest server located close to where you are; indeed I found that most of the servers that were in other countries were quicker than UK servers.

So then overall, I was really pleased with PIA’s speed capabilities. I only experienced an average drop of 10% on local servers, which is normal for a VPN and in line with other competitors. For longer-distance locations, I noticed a22%  decrease from my regular connection speeds.

If you compare this to other more premium VPNs, then it’s not bad, but not amazing either. The larger and more expensive VPNs like NordVPN and ExpressVPN will be faster generally. Here’s a comparison:

But then if you compare the prices to these other VPN providers, it’s obvious why PIA is cheaper. It’s important to remember that if you don’t mind slower speeds, then this shouldn’t be a problem – not every user wants super-fast speeds, and I was able to stream without buffering at all with PIA. In other words, don’t pay for more speed than you need!

Speed tests (updated)

Sydney, Australia

I connected to PIA’s Sydney server and ran a speed test. The average download speed was 12.43 Mbps, while the average upload speed was 6.28 Mbps. The ping time was around 280 ms. While the download speed was not super fast, it was still usable for browsing and streaming.

Ottawa, Canada

Next, I connected to PIA’s Ottawa server and ran a speed test. The average download speed was 37.84 Mbps, while the average upload speed was 10.72 Mbps. The ping time was around 85 ms. The download speed was impressive, making it easy to stream high-quality content without buffering.

New Delhi, India

Finally, I connected to PIA’s New Delhi server and ran a speed test. The average download speed was 9.07 Mbps, while the average upload speed was 3.19 Mbps. The ping time was around 320 ms. While the download speed was not as fast as other locations, it was still usable for browsing and streaming.

What about Gaming?

Private Internet Access offers fast enough speeds for online gaming for most use cases, but only on servers that are located fairly close-by. Long-distance locations may not be ideal for gaming as I found out.

In my testing, I played the latest AOE game on the UK server with PIA. The ping was only 13ms, which is great for online gaming. However, it took about one minute  and twenty seconds to connect to the game with PIA, compared to only 10 seconds for my native connection i.e. without the VPN.

Once the game was loaded, I was able to play without any issues. , I recommend using PIA on nearby servers for the best gaming experience.

Unfortunately, long-distance servers like those in India (as I’m in the UK) and Washington didn’t work for gaming, I gave up. So, if you’re into gaming, PIA may not be the best option for you, unless you stick to local servers.

Servers – How Many?!

PIA boasts one of the largest server lists of any VPN, with a whopping 29,650+ servers across 84 countries.

While other VPNs may offer less servers, they may have more server locations – so it’s swings and roundabouts.

Frequent readers will know that less can sometimes be more, and it’s hard to make a distinction between having loads of servers vs having fewer but more powerful ones.

What about RAM-only servers?

RAM-only servers are a great development in the VPN scene and many providers are now using them, including Private Internet Access here.

These servers are designed to help protect your privacy and your security, by ensurng that no data is stored on the server’s hard drive. Instead, all information is stored in the server’s random access memory (RAM), which is wiped clean whenever the server is turned off or rebooted.

And that’s obviously good for privacy – because one of the benefits of RAM-only servers is that they are more secure than traditional servers that use hard drives (HDDs). With RAM-only servers, there is no chance that any data will be left behind, even accidentally, which means that your private information is going to be – generally – better protected.

However, there are also some potential downsides to RAM-only servers. One of the biggest is that they can be more expensive for VPN providers to run, which means that the cost of using a VPN service that offers RAM-only servers may be higher than those that doesn’t offer this feature.

PIA’s network runs on RAM-only servers, which is excellent for added privacy. Obviosuly PIA are a cheaper VPN, so it’s great that they’re using this more expensive tech.

Server Numbers

Moving on, PIA’s server coverage is mightily impressive — with 23 locations in Asia, 5 in Africa, 46 in Europe, 58 in North America, 6 in South America, and 4 in Oceania.

Comparing this to other providers side-by-side, it looks like this:

Having so many servers like this really does have its advantages:

1. For one, it improves speeds by preventing overcrowding and makes it easier to find a server close to you, which will give you teh best speeds.
2. Secondly, having a large number of servers can also help improve security by making it harder for malicious wrong-uns, state actors or general hackers to attack the network. If a particular server is compromised or goes down, there are many other servers available that will still provide access to the network.
3. Lastly, it enables PIA to easily switch around server locations in countries where having physical servers could be risky for privacy and security reasons. For instance, PIA used to have physical servers in Russia and Brazil but had to remove them because of concerns about privacy.

But there are disadvantages with RAM-only too, of course: One of them is that it can lower your speeds – and this partly explains why PIA have average lower speeds than other VPNs.

If this bothers you, then know that PIA offers an option to disable virtual servers in the app settings if you prefer to use only physical servers. How do you do this? By toggling off the “Show Geo-located Regions” option in the app settings, you can limit the VPN to physical servers only.

If all this isn’t enough, then PIA has an option to sign up for a Dedicated IP, which costs an extra $5 per month and provides you with an IP address that only you can use. Though this does create a bit of a footprint so be careful if you’re paranoid.

Security

PIA VPN has a mostly robust and highly customizable set of security features.

How? Firstly, it provides multiple encryption levels and protocols, which you can mix and match according to your needs. Plus PIA also comes equipped with split tunneling and comes with a kill switch – both default featrures so you don’t need to pay more.

Additionally, you can manually set the packet size between large and small, but in most cases, it’s best to just leave it at “auto”.

Moreover, as it’s open source, anyone can browse the sourcecode if they so wish, and third parties can test and update regularly to ensure maximum security. This open-source nature of PIA also allows developers and cybersecruity nerds to delve into the code and assess any vulnerabilities that could exist in the service.

Another exciting security feature of PIA is its “Whitehat Security Alert program”, which is essentially a bug bounty system that pays people who find bugs or vulnerabilities in the PIA system. These bug bounties work well to ensure that the service and apps remain secure and free of any bugs that could compromise user’s data.

Encryption

In terms of encryption, PIA has the usual military-grade 256-bit encryption protocol here, that makes it impossible for any third party to spy on your data. However note that, by default, OpenVPN protocol uses 128-bit encryption. If that concerns you then you can increase it that further and crank it up to the highest level for added protection, if you so desire (and I seriosuly would).

During my tests, I didn’t find any differences in speeds after I increased the encryption level, so that’s why I recommend using the highest level of encryption: it’ll give you maximum protection.

Just an FYI, if you’re using WireGuard, you don’t have to worry about encryption levels, since it always uses 256-bit encryption. 🙂

Worth noting that, as of July 2021, Private Internet Access no longer allows you to adjust handshake settings or select from the multitude of data authentication options it used to have. And that’s a bit of a shame – the removal of these customization options was apparently chosen to enhance compatibility and stability.

These settings were useful for advanced users like me, but perhaps most won’t notice their absence. PIA now defaults to the most secure settings: using GCM ciphers and a RSA-4096 certificate. I suppose it’s a welcome change, as both protocols use the same level of encryption.

Leak Testing and Kill Switch

Private Internet Access scores highly here with its leak-free record. I can confirm that no DNS, WebRTC, or IP leaks were found after tests were performed on multiple virtual & bare-metal servers.

This level of protection and testing is needed, as these usually leak information like which IP addresses are visible to websites, making it easy for hackers to steal sensitive data.

One of the most essential features of any VPN is its kill switch, and Private Internet Access has a highly reliable one. In my testing, the kill switch blocked all internet traffic once the VPN connection was disconnected, ensuring that my real IP was never accidentally leaked. I used multipel services to verify this.

The “advanced kill switch” goes even further by blocking all traffic until the VPN is connected again – this feature is available across different devices like Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Another feature that adds to PIA’s privacy levels is that of split tunneling. For those who don’t know, this allows you to reroute some traffic through the VPN tunnel while keeping the rest through your regular connection. It’s perfect for keeping banking apps outside of the VPN tunnel to prevent them from being blocked, for example.

In the Android app, you can find the split tunneling feature under “Per App Settings,” and it’s available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Be aware though that it’s currently unavailable for iOS devices.

Protocols

Here we have the three standard protocols that other VPNs offer, so not much change here. But I’m pleased to report that they all work fine.

• You can use OpenVPN and WireGuard on every app; these are strong protocols, but other VPN providers sometimes offer other protocols to.
• Protocols are a set of rules your VPN follows that tell it how to encrypt your traffic.
• OpenVPN is the safest because it’s open source, so it’s constantly checked for vulnerabilities.
• WireGuard can sometimes be faster, but OpenVPN beat it in the VPN Hound speed tests.
• The iOS app has access to IPsec (IKEv2). This is an older protocol that can be faster, but I don’t recommend it because it’s not considered 100% secure.

Other features – are they any good?

Like most VPNs nowadays, many of the features are the same and it’s hard to differentiate their core VPN service.

So often you’ll see providers trying to offer new, interesting features to set them apart from the others. IPA VPN is no different and has a few, quirky security features that I’ll review below. Not all users will actually use them ultimately; it’s up to you.

The first is an ad-blocker called MACE that claims to block trackers, malware, and ads. However, it doesn’t block all ads, and some still got through when I tested on advanced sites. It also can’t block ads on YouTube, and there’s no option to whitelist sites or apps. As a result, it’s recommended to use a separate ad blocker along with MACE for a more comprehensive ad-blocking solution, for example like UBlock Origin.

PIA also offers what they call Identity Guard, that checks if your email has been exposed in a data breach. You can set up email alerts to notify you if your email has been compromised.

There’s also a paid feature called Private DNS servers, which means PIA can handle your DNS requests instead of your internet service provider (ISP) doing it This is more secure, as ISPs have been known to store and could share your DNS queries, which can be used to track you.

For mobile users, PIA also has its own incognito browser called InBrowser. It’s only available for Android and iOS. It works with the TOR network (fully supported), by doing things like auto deleting your history, cookies, and session data whenever you log off. InBrowser is a lot faster than regular Chrome incognito mode, and it can double your browsing speed according to the blurb. I didn’t try it, so can’t comment.

Conclusion & Verdict

I really like PIA, overall. But there are a few caveats.

On one hand, PIA boasts top-notch security features, with adjustable encryption levels and protocols, a reliable kill switch, and a proven no-logs policy. It also supports P2P file-sharing and can bypass China’s Great Firewall. Its apps are open-source and it even has a bug bounty program to encourage security researchers to find & report glitches and exploits.

On the other hand, PIA is based in the United States – a country with a dubious reputation for surveillance. Its ad blocker is not very effective, and it lacks some advanced features found in other VPNs, such as split tunneling on iOS, or WireGuard on other platforms. Its customer support can also be iffy.

Despite these contradictions, PIA remains a solid choice for those seeking a VPN that balances security and speed with affordability. Its pricing is highly competitive, and it offers unlimited bandwidth and five simultaneous connections. Its commitment to online privacy and supporting pro-privacy organizations is commendable. However, you should be aware of its limitations plus the inherent absurdity of relying on technology to protect us from the very technology that threatens our privacy.