Private Internet Access Review 2024:Good, but Is It Safe?
- Our Score: 9.5/10
- Ranked 3rd out of 298 VPNs
Private Internet Access has one of the cheapest VPN subscriptions available — you can sign up for as little as $2.03/month. With such a low price, I wondered whether PIA could really stand out against its higher-priced competitors. It’s been around for 10+ years, so it could be one of the best-value VPNs out there.
I decided to find out just how good it is by looking into the company’s logging policy, security features, and testing out its speeds. In addition, I performed in-depth tests on its streaming compatibility, its torrenting performance, and every other aspect of the VPN to see where it ranks among other top VPNs.
Overall, Private Internet Access is a secure choice and great value for the money. With its streaming abilities, strong torrenting performance, and customizable security options, it’s impressive that you can get a subscription for so little. On top of that, you get unlimited device connections.
The fact that it comes with a trustworthy 30-day money-back guarantee shows that PIA really stands behind its product. With that said, even though it’s one of the cheapest, I wouldn’t call it the best. There are still a couple of VPNs out there that it falls short of in certain areas.
Private Internet Access Features — 2024 Update
| Price | 2.03 USD/month |
| Money Back Guarantee | 30 Days |
| Does VPN keep logs? | No |
| Number of servers | 29650+ |
| Number of devices per license | 7 |
| Kill switch | Yes |
| Support | 24/7 Live Chat Support |
Confidentiality / Anonymity
Private Internet Access offers anonymous VPN service IP addresses which effectively mask your IP address for all of your software applications, including but not limited to web browsing, instant messaging, and more. This anonymous IP address will allow you to enjoy the freedom of the internet and the freedom of anonymity. Use an anonymous VPN to browse today!
Speed and Reliability
Another important consideration is definitely speed and reliability so we decided to put PIA to the test by connecting to several private internet access locations. After recording the connection time, verifying server location via geolocation, and running ping tests, results were in and we were impressed. Location test results showed that each server matches its advertised location. As far as connection times are concerned, Private Internet Access did really, really well. When we were testing other VPNs, most averaged a speed of between 150-200Mbps but PIA surprised us with an average speed of 314Mbps with the fastest connection speed clocking at 452 Mbps. There is a hardly noticeable drop of only about 4% with this VPN turned on.
Platforms and Devices
With apps for various operating systems, PIA supports nearly every device you can think of, including Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android/Android TV, iOS/iPadOS, Fire TV, routers and browsers. I tested PIA on Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, Android TV, iOS and Fire TV. You’ll find a host of features like split tunneling, obfuscation and multi-hop connections. PIA lacks some niche privacy amenities such as Tor Over VPN like Nord Sports, but the average person won’t mind.
Server Locations
CyberGhost VPN boasts an impressive number of servers—7,000 spread across 90 countries worldwide, especially in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Asia. Given this extensive list of servers, you should have no trouble accessing any websites, no matter where you are. All their plans also include unlimited traffic and bandwidth.
Customer Service
PIA’s support page is very straightforward and easy to navigate. There is a Knowledge Base tab with plenty of resources as well as a Guides tab that contains a lot of easy-to-follow installation guides and troubleshooting steps. Private Internet Access also offers 24/7 support on English with live chat access between 9:00 – 18:00 Monday to Friday MST. You can also contact them via email and they usually reply pretty quickly.
Pricing
Compared to competing VPN services with similar features, Private Internet Access is available at a very reasonable price. As of this writing, you can subscribe monthly for only $9.99 or $5.99 if you sign up for 6 months. You get the most bang for your buck when you pay for a year upfront as the price drops to a mere $3.33 per month. The only thing that might put you off though is the absence of a free trial. Instead, PIA offers a money-back guarantee period of 30 days. With other VPN services, you’re only ever allowed one refund. That’s it. PIA is a lot more generous. Say, you purchased a subscription, canceled, and got a refund. Three months later you decided to give it another go only to cancel yet again. As long as you are still within the guarantee period, you can get another refund.