Private Internet Access Overview

General Overview

Private Internet Access, or PIA, is a US based software company that offers a virtual private network under the same name. They launched in 2010 and since then, they became one of the most popular VPNs on the market.

PIA is known for their strict zero-logs policy and dedication to ensuring total privacy to their users. They offer over 3000 servers in 29 different countries worldwide. And their app is available on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android, and they also have browser extensions for Google Chrome, Opera and Mozilla Firefox.

PIA uses military-grade encryption technology to protect their users’ personal online details and they use the industry standard OpenVPN protocol to encrypt data. Among PIA’s in-app security features you’ll find you can customize the app to best fit your needs. They offer a Kill Switch feature, DNS leak and IP leak protection. As well as Mace, a feature that blocks domains used by third-party advertisers.

Privacy

PIA is a strong advocate for complete online anonymity. That’s why, to assure their users of their reliable service, they have a strict no-logs policy in place. If you read their privacy policy, you’ll see they claim that “The data controller does not collect or log any traffic or use of its Virtual Private Network (“VPN”) or Proxy.”

However, PIA does store a bit of information about their users. But that’s mostly payment information and details about the users’ website experience for affiliate partners and Google Analytics data. They never store information about what you’re doing when connected to their VPN service. And, as stated in their privacy policy, ” Private Internet Access does not share a data subject’s personal information with third parties for direct marketing purposes.”

Product and User Experience

PIA offers dedicated apps for almost all operating systems like Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android, as well as browser extensions for Google Chrome, Opera and Mozilla Firefox. The installation is fairly quick and while the app might seem complicated at first, it’s very easy to get used to. Their intuitive interface makes setting up your desired features a breeze. The PIA app might seem like it’s made for more technical users but since it’s so easy to use it’s perfect for beginners as well.

The app is available in 19 different languages, and you can customize the way your PIA app looks by choosing either the dark or light mode. You can also select to display it in either the compact default mode or in a detailed view mode that showcases some quick settings, your performance and usage as well as your subscription type and how many days you have left.

Speed & Performance

While VPNs are known for slowing down internet connections and download speeds, usually good VPN services don’t slow down your internet speed too much. But this may vary. Sometimes users experience even higher speeds with the VPN turned on because ISPs may limit their speed to avoid congestion. So, with that in mind, we tested PIAs speed and you can see the results bellow.

PIA OFF

PIA ON

While the download speed suffered the most it’s still a good enough speed. Most users wouldn’t even notice the difference.

Servers & Locations

PIA has over 3000 servers in over 30 countries worldwide. When choosing a VPN service, you should take into account not only the number of servers but the ratio of servers to locations. And in this case, PIA does an excellent job at diversifying their server locations and offering users enough servers to connect to in every location.

When you check out the server list in the app, you’ll discover that in some countries you have multiple locations to choose from. You can also see the Latency of each server, and you have the option to save the servers that work best for you to connect to them easily later on.

Devices

1 single PIA subscription allows you to use up to 10 devices at the same time. This way you’ll be able to protect all your gadgets. PIA is available on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux and supports OpenVPN, which means you can configure it on your router to protect your entire Wi-Fi connection.

Support

PIA offers 24/7 support in English. They reply quickly to support tickets and users are generally pleased with their response time.
PIA also offer live chat support for logged in users between 09:00 – 18:00 Monday to Friday MST.

They also have a set of articles and answers to frequently asked questions in the support section on their website. So, if you’re experiencing issues maybe check their FAQs before contacting their support team. That sec

Pricing and Plans

If you’re considering buying a subscription to Private Internet Access, they offer plenty of plans for users to choose from. Their normal price for a one-month subscription is $11.95. For 1 year plan the price is $3.33 per month and for 2 years (+2 months free) the price is $3.69 per month:

Considering the high-quality service, and the competition’s prices, PIA is fairly priced and worth paying for. Especially when taking into account the price of the yearly subscription

Summary

Private Internet Access is a great VPN service for both first timers and seasoned users. Its state-of-the-art features and impressive server infrastructure powers up a great app on all major platforms that anybody can use.

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