Private Internet Access (PIA) review
Our Verdict
PIA is an fantabulous VPN service that offers some unusual features not often seen in run-of-the-mill providers. While speeds are fairly boilerplate, power users will appreciate its nifty privacy, torrenting tools and all the added extras, while its capable Netflix unblocking is the carmine on superlative.
For
- No logging
- Unrestricted torrenting
- Reliable kill switch
- Highly configurable
Confronting
- Boilerplate speed results
- No third-party security inspect
Tom's Guide Verdict
PIA is an excellent VPN service that offers some unusual features not often seen in run-of-the-mill providers. While speeds are fairly average, power users will appreciate its great privacy, torrenting tools and all the added extras, while its capable Netflix unblocking is the crimson on pinnacle.
Pros
- +
No logging
- +
Unrestricted torrenting
- +
Reliable impale switch
- +
Highly configurable
Cons
- -
Boilerplate speed results
- -
No third-political party security inspect
Founded in 2009, Private Internet Access is a well-established and trusted VPN provider known for its in-depth apps and extra functionality. Acquired in 2019 by Kape (besides possessor of competitors CyberGhost and ZenMate), PIA is known for its huge network offering. While information technology hasn't disclosed the exact number, it's certainly at 10,000, if not over the 35,000 mark - more than any other VPN we've tested offers.
Numbers on newspaper hateful cipher if the service doesn't work well in practice, though. So, here we'll be running downward every important aspect of the service in our in-depth Private Cyberspace Admission review – from user privacy to streaming – to make sure information technology's the best VPN for your needs. All y'all need to exercise is keep on reading.
Private Internet Admission i-infinitesimal review
If you simply sign up for a calendar month, Private Net Access isn't hugely affordable at $11.95, although even that's cheaper than much of the contest's rolling monthly plans. Sign up for a year and that drops to $3.33 a calendar month. If you lot're prepared to commit for the long haul, the arrival of its 3-year program replaces the former 24-calendar month option, and makes it fifty-fifty more competitively priced at a rate of just $two.nineteen a month.
PIA as well has splendid privacy and security credentials. You'll get admission to OpenVPN and WireGuard, and you'll besides be able to choose your level of encryption, plus information hallmark and handshake methods. The apps are open source, the impale switch was totally effective in our testing, and the no-logs policy seems watertight – although an independent audit would make that concrete.
Speeds were changeable in our testing, and when using OpenVPN in the US, we saw averages of around 190-300Mbps. On WireGuard we saw speeds peak, reaching 430Mbps. While speeds were middling, PIA was neither the best or worst performer, and for many these speeds will be just the chore.
PIA can unblock US Netflix, merely a number of other libraries such every bit Canada and Nihon were off limits. Improving once again from our final round of tests, PIA adds BBC iPlayer to the list, alongside Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video which were reliably unblocked. Great news for streaming fans. Torrenting is permitted on whatever server, and the port forwarding function is tailored to P2P sharers.
Desktop apps are simple and constructive, with easy access to tons of additional features. A groovy improver is the 'piactl' control line tool, which allows y'all write scripts for the app to follow – something quite unique in the consumer VPN marketplace – likewise every bit other useful features like port forwarding. Mobile apps are similarly powerful, which makes a nice alter from the blank-bones offerings from a number of other providers.
Finally, we get to 1 of PIA's weaker points – back up. Unfortunately the written articles are a niggling sparse, just a positive is that while nosotros haven't been able to test it out withal, a alive chat feature was recently introduced, and then that should cut query fourth dimension down essentially.
Overall, if y'all're after a secure, stable VPN and don't hugely care about streaming, Individual Cyberspace Access is a very worthwhile selection that'south likewise eminently affordable if you commit for 3 years.
Latest updates
There take been relatively fewer large changes this fourth dimension around since our last round of testing, but that makes sense when we consider the leap PIA had taken. Withal, there are a few points worth noting, including added another country to its network, bringing it up to 78.
It's also get that bit more accessible with the introduction of its three-twelvemonth plan, replacing its ii year + 2 month offering. Sign up and become PIA at a rate of just $2.19 a month, a truly competitive cost point.
For slap-up streamers looking to become their set up of Medico Who or the latest BBC drama will now exist able to use PIA to unblock BBC iPlayer while outside of the UK. In the past, this proved a catchy nut to crevice, but nosotros've at present been able to stream content through PIA without issue.
Other new additions include Smart DNS and updates to its browser extensions for faster, more powerful performance.
Less recent updates include PIA's Android app being certified by the ioXt Alliance, alongside ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
Private Net Access on paper
Number of servers: 10,000+
Number of countries: 78
Platforms supported: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Opera
Simultaneous connections: 10
Dissever tunneling: Yes
Kill switch: Yes
Supported protocols: OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard
Country of registration: U.s.a.
Back up: 24/vii live chat, email, knowledgebase
PIA price: how much is it, and is there an PIA free trial?
PIA has a monthly, yearly, and two-twelvemonth plan. The monthly plan is a fairly pricey $11.95/month, although fifty-fifty this is better value than much of the competition. The yearly plan costs the equivalent of $3.33/month. PIA has replaced its 2-year plan for the even better value 3-year program, which costs the equivalent of just $2.xix/month. This iii-year plan includes a license for Boxcryptor, a service that you can use to encrypt cloud files on Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and more than.
The three-year programme positions PIA as an incredibly cheap VPN, and drops below the price of Surfshark'southward cheapest two-twelvemonth program.
If y'all're looking for a dedicated IP address, you can rent one for $five a calendar month – there'southward no disbelieve for committing for longer. That's a little cheaper than NordVPN, but CyberGhost is far cheaper at just $2.25.
At that place'due south no VPN free trial, merely in that location is a 30-day money-back guarantee. PIA supports a massive listing of payment methods, from credit cards and gift cards to cryptocurrencies and bank transfers, so if you're looking for a secure way to pocketbook a deal, PIA could be a great choice.
- Sign up now on the Private Net Access website
How private is PIA?
PIA scores highly for privacy. Its apps employ OpenVPN and WireGuard, two of the latest, nearly secure protocols. OpenVPN uses AES-128 encryption by default, but you tin bump that up to AES-256 in the settings. You can set up the data authentication and handshake methods, including RSA-2048 and RSA-4096. To reduce the hazard of DNS data leaks, PIA uses its own DNS server, though y'all're free to modify this to your ain.
If a VPN connexion fails for whatever reason, there'due south a chance that your real location is leaked. So, PIA includes a kill-switch that cuts your net connectedness immediately until the VPN is re-enabled. Unusually, this feature is also included on the mobile apps, not just the desktop app, and in our testing it worked 100% of the fourth dimension.
PIA'southward apps are all open source, meaning developers can pore over the source lawmaking to search for bugs or leaks. This can give yous more conviction in the security and privacy of the software, as opposed to proprietary solutions that don't e'er have the same level of rigorous oversight.
Install the Chrome extension and you lot'll get additional privacy features, similar the blocking of ads, trackers, and tertiary-party cookies. You tin can apply the extension to connect to the VPN from within your browser interface, but this only protects your browser traffic. A overnice feature in the Chrome extension is the bypass list, which allows you lot to selectively choose which websites will featherbed the VPN and which will go through information technology. Once more, PIA'southward Chrome extension includes many configuration options, making it an first-class choice for VPN power users.
PIA'south website tells united states that information technology absolutely doesn't proceed any logs of whatever kind, and goes on to merits how it'southward 'verified' as a zero-logging service. Rather than referring to an contained third-party audit, however, PIA makes these claims on the back of its Transparency Report – you can read it yourself here.
Essentially, PIA is regularly sent courtroom orders, warrants, and subpoenas requesting information on its users, and the fact PIA has never handed annihilation over from one of these requests (because there's zip stored to hand over in the beginning place) finer proves it does not log its users. That's excellent news.
Just, nosotros still have to take this on trust – and we hope PIA takes the fourth dimension and attempt to undertake an independent audit to prove these claims once and for all.
How fast is PIA?
In our extensive testing, PIA averaged a connection time of 2 seconds when using WireGuard and two.5 seconds when using OpenVPN, regardless of whether we were connecting to distant locations, which is very good.
We tested PIA on ii 1Gbps lines, one in the U.k., one in the United states of america. Nosotros tested at various times throughout the mean solar day to ensure reliability, and we also used a number of unlike speed tests and services. Nosotros tested both OpenVPN and WireGuard speeds.
Showtime upwards, US OpenVPN speeds. PIA'south connections were competitive, delivering speeds of 190-300Mbps. That'southward up in that location with Hide.me (310-330Mbps) and ExpressVPN (250-270Mbps), though not quite as good every bit ProtonVPN (460-510Mbps). While non an absolute class-leader, it'due south more than than usable.
However, switching to WireGuard saw speeds drop to ninety-110Mbps, though in the Great britain they truly peaked at 430Mbps. Using OpenVPN in the U.k., speeds were virtually the same, at 220-230Mbps.
So, PIA seems to be able to deliver adept speeds, particularly on WireGuard, but there's an evident need for further optimisation in lodge to run with the leaders in this category with the likes of IPVanish (750-900Mbps) and NordVPN (760-880Mbps) leading the charge.
- Click to head straight through to the Private Cyberspace Access website
How good is PIA for streaming?
1 of the well-nigh pop VPN uses is to change location to access geo-blocked content on sites like Netflix and iPlayer – and we put PIA through its paces to run across how it performed.
First upwardly was US Netflix, and PIA certainly impressed. On every server we tried, we were able to unblock US-only content. Notwithstanding, unlike services that truly specialize in this, PIA wasn't able to unblock sectional content from Canada, the UK, Japan or Australia. For casual Netflix users, though, this shouldn't be too much of an issue.
BBC iPlayer has often proved to be PIA'south Achille'due south heel. However, the provider appears to have truly cracked the code with us able to break downwardly BBC'due south defences and stream content through PIA. Great news for anyone finding themselves outside of the UK and in need of a Doctor Who binge.
That is some other to add to the list, with PIA also finding success in unblocking Disney+ and Amazon Prime number during our tests.
Then, in the grand scheme, PIA is quite a capable streaming VPN. However, a select few providers like ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN are able to unblock the full gamut of services, as well every bit more regional Netflix libraries.
How good is PIA for torrenting?
On the surface, Private Internet Access is a very capable torrenting VPN, with total P2P support on its vast selection of servers worldwide. At that place are no bandwidth limitations, and speeds are adequate, and then information technology's definitely a skillful candidate. And, in our testing, we had no problems when downloading some test files.
What's more, for those looking to optimize their torrenting feel, PIA too offers a port forwarding function. By allowing incoming connections to featherbed the NAT firewall, this can help improve download speeds – merely be enlightened that this does put you at more of a risk. Nosotros'd but utilize it if you already know what you're doing, and accept a proficient grasp on what it does and doesn't allow y'all to practice.
Also, it's worth noting that while PIA offers these features, in that location's not much in the way of support on the website. Users are essentially given the tools and left to their ain devices. This is quite understandable given the greyness area that P2P sharing is, and most other providers do the same.
Otherwise though, PIA is very capable for torrenting, and has more dedicated P2P tools than nearly rivals. Information technology'southward certainly worth considering if yous're something of an expert and think you could become the most out of what's on offering without any manus-property.
How good are the PIA desktop apps?
Installation of PIA on the desktop is straightforward. We similar that the download pages for each VPN client include a detailed changelog that shows you which changes have been made to the product over time, and old versions are also available to download if an update isn't performing well. If yous want to use your own app, OpenVPN configuration files are available, which is a nice touch on.
Once you've installed the PIA desktop app and logged in, there'south a big Connect button that automatically connects yous to the closest server. You can easily choose a VPN server from the list of countries and cities, with most showing yous ping times so you can get an idea of expected latency.
Dig into the settings dialog, and you'll find one of the most highly configurable VPN clients on the marketplace. You tin can choose OpenVPN over WireGuard or UDP over TCP, for example. Y'all tin gear up a custom port, and choose an encryption level (AES-128, AES-256), although authentication and handshake configuration has been removed to stabilize the app'southward functioning and better speeds. This is no huge loss, but we've got to note it. The Utilize Small Packets feature improves reliability on poor cyberspace connections, and the previously-mentioned port forwarding is easy to admission and switch on.
In apply, information technology'due south unproblematic to detect to the server list, which lists country, city, and ping times. You can sort servers by proper name or ping, and there's an effective search role likewise equally a favorites system which definitely improves usability.
The PIA desktop client includes a impale switch that disables internet access if your VPN disconnects for any reason. In our testing, this performed admirably, always notifying us of an cyberspace connection issue and reconnecting without once exposing our real IP address.
Interestingly, there's a control-line client called 'piactl'. This ways you can administer the VPN through the use of a script. For example, y'all can easily set your VPN to enable and disable at certain times of the day. The documentation on this characteristic is minimal, simply information technology'south easy plenty to understand what a command like "piactl connect" volition do. With the correct corporeality of tinkering, you could have your VPN performing relatively intricate automated functions.
And then, while they look pretty lightweight, PIA's desktop are packed with actress features without making the interface uncomfortable to employ – overall, they're actually quite impressive.
How proficient are PIA mobile apps?
PIA has mobile VPN apps for iPhone and Android, and in employ they're remarkably impressive. You can connect upward to ten devices simultaneously on a single plan, which is more than most VPN providers allow.
Initially, the Android VPN app is clean and stripped back, with just a large on/off button, your IP address, and your chosen region displayed on the main interface. Tapping the region brings upwardly a listing of the other available regions, with a guide on expected latency, so you can cull wisely. It's worth noting that these settings screens are a little decorated, and at that place's a lot of info to take in. That doesn't touch on usability, though, and also ways everything y'all need is very piece of cake to navigate to, and not hidden behind multiple menus.
The PIA iPhone VPN app is very similar to the Android client. A Network Direction tile adds the ability to gear up certain networks as automatically trusted or untrusted. Y'all could employ this to automatically enable your VPN when you're at a java shop and disable it when you get abode, for example. There'south support for Siri shortcuts too, so you can enable and disable your VPN with a voice command. Aesthetically, the iOS app is a footling tidier than the Android version, and doesn't sacrifice a whole lot in the process.
What's really impressive most the mobile clients is their configurability. The settings bill of fare contains a long list of options. You tin can choose from OpenVPN and WireGuard (IKEv2 is available on iOS, besides), for example. Setting a custom port or DNS server is possible, and you can choose between UDP and TCP connections. Split tunneling is also available on Android – named 'Per App Settings' here – and small inclusions similar a unmarried vibration rather than a notification to tell you you're continued shows real thought has gone into designing a stellar fleck of software for mobile devices.
Finally, the mobile apps take a congenital-in kill switch that works only similar the desktop app. If the VPN fails for any reason, your cyberspace connection is blocked momentarily until the VPN connectedness tin can exist reestablished. That's notable because many major VPN providers don't put a kill switch on their mobile apps.
Overall, PIA's mobile apps – both Android and iOS – are real highlights of the providers suite of software, and if you're a mobile-kickoff user, PIA is definitely worth considering.
What customer back up does PIA offer?
PIA has a support centre with articles for troubleshooting technical issues and problems with your account. The manufactures aren't as detailed as those offered by competitors like ExpressVPN, but they're numerous. A news page alerts you to reasons for any arrangement outage.
If you need help from a human being, your options are raising a back up ticket or starting a live-chat conversation. In our testing, we typically received replies to support tickets within five hours, which is lengthy compared to another VPN services, and the live chat is a new evolution we haven't had a chance to test still. Withal, we expect it to be fairly like to competitors', which means an initially script-based conversation, followed past (hopefully) more than in-depth communication.
PIA review: Final verdict
Individual Cyberspace Access impresses with its ease of apply, wide range of clients, support for torrenting, and advanced features – and it's also smashing value if yousign up for the 3-year programme.
It strikes the right residue betwixt usability and features with plug-and-play apps for all way of devices, plus advanced functionality such as command line VPN control and multihop servers – and that's not to mention the incredible number of servers.
However, it lags behind class leaders like ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN, who is climbing upward the rankings, in terms of sheer performance ability and unblocking prowess. While PIA tin unblock about geo-blocked content and speeds are usually fine, other services offer more reliable content unblocking that's always fast and always works. Overall, though, it offers excellent value, and is definitely one to consider if you're glued to your smartphone or tablet 24/7.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/private-internet-access-review
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