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Private Internet Access review summary: “Despite being a veteran in the VPN space, PIA is by no means what we could call an old-school player. The VPN service has made consistent improvements over the years. Nowadays, Private Internet Access ranks among the most traditional and the best VPN providers available.
Even though the service earned its spot in this select gallery, it still presents limitations. It’s a solid choice for Torrenting and Security purposes, but PIA needs to improve in other areas.
For example, when it comes to Streaming, this VPN still has considerable gaps regarding speed, stability, and unblocking skills, notably regarding Netflix. While this VPN service may be suitable for everyday privacy needs, it’s important to mention that the company raises some suspicions about its trustworthiness.”
Private Internet Access is a veteran VPN service in a relatively young market. The company was founded in 2010 by Andrew Lee, an American software developer. Since then, the service has gone through significant changes.
On the bright side, PIA revamped its service, growing the company quickly. Improvements have taken place on several fronts, including infrastructure size, geographical coverage, technology, and marketing.
Over the last few years, PIA has established itself as a well-known brand and one of the most robust VPN services in the world.
But there’s also a potentially dark side to this story. The recent company’s ownership change raised some privacy concerns. In 2019, Private Internet Access was acquired by Kape Technologies PLC [1]. The software firm is the owner of CyberGhost, ZenMate, and, more recently, ExpressVPN. So, Kape now owns three of the most popular VPN services worldwide. However, all this tradition in the software industry doesn’t necessarily guarantee trust.
Private Internet Access still has some work to do regarding its features. From the average user’s perspective, PIA might have a fair enough set of functionalities.
PIA’s flagship is its astonishing number of servers, currently over 15,000 VPN and Proxy servers across 84 countries! Although the company doesn’t clarify how many Proxies and Virtual Servers are among those servers, it’s a pretty impressive mark. Of course, to ensure higher performance, a VPN service needs more than a massive number of servers. But in the case of PIA, it’s way above the number of servers NordVPN deploys, currently around 5400.
However, speeds are somewhat uneven throughout the network. Clients might face below-the-average and even slow connection speeds for some specific location needs. After all, the vast majority of the servers (80%) are in locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
Overall, the VPN service offers some excellent traits, like a native app for Linux users, a browser extension for Opera, and dedicated IPs, available at an additional cost.
A unique IP address can be handy in some cases, especially bypassing geo-blocks and getting the most out of your Streaming services. Even extensive VPN networks can get their IPs blocked by the major video platforms.
Security-wise, PIA’s service offers unique configuration possibilities. Users can switch between security levels at their wish through neat encryption profiles. There are four pre-formatted options for different needs: default protection; maximum protection; all speed, no safety, and risky business.
Beyond the standard options, users have total and granular control over these settings for more advanced customization. This option allows for a better balance between performance and security in practice. It is possible to individually pick the desired authentication algorithm, handshake certificate, and cryptographic scheme.
The service also includes a free email breach monitoring tool, a sweet add-on to the package.
| Features | |
|---|---|
Multi-hop connections | |
Kill-switch | |
Strict no-logs policy | |
Dedicated IP address | |
Split tunneling | |
Anonymous payment methods | |
Tor over VPN | |
Obfuscation | |
Torrenting allowed | |
Ad blocker | |
Malware blocker |
The pricing structure is another area where PIA has put some effort to pair with the competition. Over time, the service had become better and cheaper, probably due to the growth of the user base.
Currently, the brand offers a monthly no-commitment plan for a higher price of $11.99 a month. Regarding long-term subscriptions, the company also provides competitive options to attract customers.
Discounted prices can drop by 82% ($2.69 monthly for a 2-year plan). This approach puts PIA’s subscription plans close to what you can get from VPNs like Surfshark, which delivers a superb value for money, and CyberGhost.
Price-wise, PIA is now among the best VPN deals available on the market.
It depends. Let’s take a look at some facts so that you can make your judgment. The problem is new PIA’s owner Kape Technologies has a history with malicious software under its former name, Crossrider. The company became notorious for engaging in ad injection and browser hijacking [2].
In other words, Crossrider used to be an adware company providing advertisers unauthorized access to users’ browsers and their private data. It’s quite the opposite of what a trustworthy VPN should do. I’m not saying they’re still in that business. But, honestly, doesn’t it remind you of a story about some fox in a chicken coop?
To be fair, Private Internet Access has been adopting harsh measures towards privacy protection lately. Despite being incorporated in the United States, where data disclosure can be legally required, PIA has proven to be an absolute no logs VPN.
The company has already been compelled by law to disclose its users’ activity data in several opportunities. As its Transparency Reports indicate [3], PIA hasn’t provided any logs to the authorities. Those consistent responses to subpoenas, warrants, and court orders constitute a pretty strong trust statement for this VPN’s clients.
Data from Trustpilot, Amazon, Apple App Store, and Google Play Store.
EDITOR’S PICK
Best Overall VPN
Best VPN for Streaming
Users' Rating ⊕
Based on Trustpilot, Amazon, Apple App Store, and Google Play Store customers' reviews.
Based on 792,162 reviews
100% money-back guarantee (30 days)
EDITOR’S PICK
Best Overall VPN
Users' Rating ⊕
Based on available customers' reviews on Trustpilot, Amazon, Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Capterra, and G2.
Based on 792,162 reviews
100% money-back guarantee (30 days)
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