Private Internet Access Review: Is It A Good VPN?

Searching for the best Virtual Private Network (VPN) on the market that fits your budget? VPNs like Private Internet Access (PIA) help keep your data and identity secure and protected from prying eyes when logging into unprotected WiFi networks (such as those at airports or coffee shops).

VPNs can be applied to any connection, whether you’re on your laptop, home PC, or smartphone — and all at a remarkably low monthly price. Our Private Internet Access review gives you the lowdown on this top-ranking service.

Private Internet Access

Product Name: PIA

Product Description: PIA is a major player in the VPN space with robust security features, an unbelievably easy interface, solid and speedy performance, and much more.

Summary

Private Internet Access (PIA) is a private VPN (Virtual Private Network) service provider. It offers its customers a secure and private connection to the internet by encrypting their online data and hiding their IP addresses. PIA provides services for individuals, businesses, and organizations to protect their online privacy and security. Additionally, it provides access to a global network of servers to allow users to unblock websites and services that might be restricted in their location.

Overall Score

3.8

• Security
• Performance
• Cost
• Customer Service

Pros

• Lowest price among our top ranked companies
• No traffic logs
• Simple interface and easy to install and get working
• High 256-bit encryption level
• Accepts hundreds of payment types, including Bitcoin and other anonymous payments
• Almost anonymous sign-up (all they require is an email address)

Cons

• No NAT firewall
• Hit or miss with unblocking Netflix
• No statistics in app (data sent/received, etc.)
• Customer support via website FAQs and email ticket only

Visit Private Internet Access Website

Consumer Reviews

This is the aggregate score of reader reviews we’ve received. Have a good or bad experience with PIA? Feel free to leave your own review in the comments. Please note that only ratings with valid review content will be published and counted.

9 Key Features

1. 14,00+ Private Internet Access servers in 78 countries
2. Secures up to 10 devices simultaneously
3. One-click installers connect you immediately
4. Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android
5. Supports OpenVPN, P2P, PPTP, and IPSEC/L2TP VPN tunnels
6. Blocks ads, trackers, and malware
7. DNS, IPV6, and Email IP leak protection
8. Private Internet Access proxy included: SOCKS5
9. Mobile app and website icons show your security status

Pricing

PIA offers a 100% money-back guarantee for the first 7 days of service.

• $11.99/month paid monthly
• $7.50/month for 6 months
• $2.19/month for 1 year
  

Don’t Get All The VPN Lingo?

VPN industry terminology can certainly be a techie at times. If you need some layman’s explanations about the lingo we’ve used in our Private Internet Access review, be sure to read our terminology page.

Consumer Reviews

Are current or former VPN Private Internet Access customers happy with their service? We’ve researched online feedback to gauge user experiences. Below you’ll find a balanced sampling of both positive and negative reviews.

Positive Reviews

I have been using PIA VPN service for a couple of years now and am completely satisfied with it. So much so that I recently signed up for the three year deal. I have tested it on numerous occasions and it really does work. I like that I can use it at home and on my mobile device. Which is very important when being connected to a public wi-fi .I’m probably going to save a good amount of money now that a one time payment option is available. The customer service has been great. Not that I’ve needed it much. Thank you PIA and good luck to you in the future. – D. Evans, Trustpilot 4/1/2019

Switching to multiple geographic regions is a breeze with Private internet access. They have a universal Kill switch feature for all their clients, ie) The internet connection is blocked when the device is not on the VPN, this ensure that users are protected from accidental DNS leaks. Private internet access also comes with the ability to natively block ads and trackers, this feature can be toggled anytime. There are multiple encryption settings which lets you set the amount of tradeoff between security and speed. PIA also automatically chooses the best VPN server based on PING. I was able to deploy this easily inside of a docker container, they also give us an option to use a SOCKS proxy which is basically a VPN without the encryption. – Laksh M., G2 11/3/2019

Complaints

I have waited 2 days for my activation email and log in, despite numerous support tickets that i have submitted, in the end i opted to cancel using the 7 day money back guarantee they display on their website, its the 7th day and no one has responded to me so i will be calling PayPal to reverse the payment. This seems to be a hit or miss company when requesting service or even in the event of signing up and receiving your log in details. i will get my money back via PayPal and go with a renowned service like Nord or Cyber Ghost. – Jan D., Trustpilot 4/1/2019

Sometimes the connection to the server is lost. Privateinternetaccess is hard to use for new users. The first configuration is troublesome. This software do not offer live chat also we must be waiting for an answer when we are having any problem. In my opinion, the interface should be more modernized and user-friendly. – Konrad K., Trustpilot 1/13/2019

What Does PIA Do And How Does It Look? (Video)

We know you’re worried about your online security and anonymity — we all are these days.  Watch the video below to see PIA in action.

Is PIA Worth It?

Visit Private Internet Access Website

PIA used to be an incredible bargain, but even with a recent price increase, they remain competitively priced. The major downside with PIA? No phone or live chat customer support.

If you want more customer support avenues or want to see VPN alternatives, be sure to check out our comparison of VPNs to learn more about PIA’s competitors.