Private Internet Access VPN review 2023: Cost, features and more

Private Internet Access VPN review 2023

Virtual private network (VPN) users want security and privacy, and Private Internet Access (PIA) delivers. It does not collect or store logs, so there is nothing to share with government authorities. PIA’s no-log policy has been tested in multiple court cases and confirmed through a third-party audit in 2022. Additionally, only PIA’s infrastructure team can access its network.

Yet, PIA is headquartered in the United States. Since the U.S. is a five-eyes country, meaning its part of an intelligence alliance, consumers have concerns about government pressure to share data. 

Private Internet Access isn’t the fastest VPN provider. But it has next-generation servers in 84 countries and all 50 U.S. states, ideal for accessing local news stations and sporting event coverage. Like several competitors, PIA supports unlimited simultaneous connections. 

However, it lacks a central portal for managing multiple business accounts, a tool offered by the best business VPNs. Overall, PIA’s long-term service plans offer excellent value for individuals and business owners wanting a secure, budget-friendly solution.

Private Internet Access VPN overview and facts

Since its founding in 2010, Private Internet Access has stood by its commitment to ensuring privacy. It has expanded and updated operations and infrastructure, from putting servers in all 50 U.S. states to upgrading to the new PIA NextGen VPN network. 

Although PIA is headquartered in the U.S., its no-log policy prevents authorities from accessing details about individual or corporate online behavior. However, Kape Technologies, formerly Crossrider, acquired PIA in 2019. This gives some users pause. 

Kape Technologies also owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost VPN and ZenMate VPN.

Private Internet Access reconfirmed its commitment to privacy in 2022. And an independent audit by Deloitte verified that PIA has appropriate safeguards to ensure zero logs on VPN servers. Learn if this VPN is right for you in our Private Internet Access VPN review.

Private Internet Access VPN pricing

PIA offers a single plan, like nine out of 16 providers on our Best VPNs list. When paid monthly, it’s more expensive than over half of reviewed vendors. However, PIA’s annual billing package stands out —  it’s $39.95 per year, which is the lowest annual cost out of all the VPN providers we’ve reviewed. 

Individuals can score even lower rates with PIA’s three-year plan. Plus, Private Internet Access has bulk pricing for businesses needing a minimum of three accounts (30 devices connected simultaneously). Individuals able to pay a year or more in advance realize the most savings, as do businesses wanting three or more accounts. 

Try PIA risk-free for 30 days before signing up for a one or three-year subscription.

Private Internet Access VPN

You can choose from three individual billing plans or three bulk account billing packages, which all include the same features. Longer payment terms provide greater discounts than monthly billing. 

Only PIA, hide.me and IVPN offer three-year deals. For a $79 payment, users get three years and three months of service. This price works out to roughly $2.03 per month or $24.36 per year, making PIA one of the cheapest VPNs available.

Business owners needing three or more accounts can also save with bulk pricing. On top of lower monthly or yearly fees, PIA applies a bulk discount to your purchase. The markdown is $1.49 for three accounts, and you can add up to 1,000 accounts.

PIA offers a free trial for certain mobile subscriptions. Most VPN providers don’t provide any type of trial except for those with a free version or mobile app. Users can also pay anonymously using prepaid gift cards or cryptocurrency.

Private Internet Access VPN plans

Most VPN services, including PIA, provide a single subscription for individual users with multiple billing options. The highest-rated VPNs (TunnelBear, NordVPN and TorGuard) have more than one plan. With Private Internet Access, users can run unlimited devices simultaneously or cover their entire network by installing PIA’s VPN on a router. 

Like most solutions, PIA allows anonymous browsing and provides domain name system (DNS) protection. It forwards DNS requests through your VPN instead of your internet service provider’s (ISP) DNS server. 

Switch your PIA network preferences from DNS to the handshake naming system (HNS) to bypass censorship of certain web or social media sites.

PIA has a kill switch, which prevents your IP from being exposed if your connection drops. It doesn’t throttle speed or bandwidth, and all accounts come with email breach protection.

Although PIA has most VPN features needed for a secure connection, it lacks team management tools and encrypted cloud storage. PIA’s features work well for technical experts, but beginners may face a learning curve when customizing settings.

Private Internet Access plan features

Private Internet Access VPN accounts let you choose industry-standard protocols and access servers in 84 countries. You can use Smart DNS tools to stream movies without bandwidth restrictions. 

However, during our testing, we were blocked from using Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. Switching to PIA’s optimized U.S. servers (east or west) resolved this issue.

What sets Private Internet Access apart is the ability to customize settings, from port forwarding to the kill switch. For instance, with advanced split tunneling, you can choose which programs you want to go through your regular IP address and select others for the VPN tunnel. You can also choose your encryption method and server location, whereas some competitors choose for you.

Configure the PIA’s split tunneling to activate app-specific kill switches. For example, you can listen to Spotify through your regular IP but route business email through the VPN.

After installing the PIA VPN, you can access features like:

• Automation: Configure PIA to automatically connect to a VPN when you leave the office and disconnect when you get back. 
• Protocols: With one click you can switch between OpenVPN and WireGuard or IPsec on iOS devices. 
• Multi-hop: Reroute web traffic thru a Shadowsocks or SOCKS5 proxy so apps can’t see that you’re using a VPN.

Private Internet Access add-ons and optional features

Bundling services can save money and reduce the number of vendors you need to manage. But, not many VPN companies offer premium add-ons and optional features. A few provide more options in higher-tier packages, with a static IP being the most common option. 

Private Internet Access’s single plan does not include a dedicated IP or antivirus tools. Instead, users can add Antivirus by PIA or a dedicated IP during checkout or from the VPN application after subscribing.

A dedicated IP address is a convenient way to protect your IoT devices and provides a smoother experience when accessing bank accounts or streaming services. Antivirus software protects your network from threats, and PIA’s 24/7 threat protection service is affordable.  

Antivirus by PIA

With real-time malware and ransomware protection, Antivirus by PIA alerts you if suspicious activity occurs. It costs $1.49 per month. Make a one-year commitment to decrease the price to $1.27 per month (billed for $15.20) or prepay for three years, which drops your price to $1.12 monthly (billed for $40.23). 

Antivirus by PIA uses a DNS-based ad blocker to prevent potentially malicious ads, trackers and websites. The prevention engine identifies vulnerabilities and patches them. Users can configure custom parameters and set up an automated scanning schedule.

Use PIA’s security reports to understand historical data, then decide whether to delete or keep the data. You can also determine what information goes to the PIA virus database and get alerts when Antivirus by PIA connects to its cloud-based servers. 

One downside of Antivirus by PIA is that the software only works on Windows devices. If you need Mac, Android or iOS hardware protection, consider adding a standalone program. 

Dedicated IP

Certain applications may not play nice with VPNs. They’ll block streaming attempts or require you to prove you aren’t a bot multiple times. A dedicated IP is an address used only by you, resulting in fewer captchas. PIA allows users to purchase one per account. 

• Private Internet Access does not link your dedicated IP to your user account. It uses a token mechanism to ensure 100% anonymity. 

A dedicated IP address costs $5 monthly. Like other VPN services, substantial savings come with longer commitments; It’s $4.25 per month (billed $51 annually) and $3.75 monthly with a three-year agreement (billed $135).

You can still access shared VPNs after purchasing a dedicated IP. Private Internet Access’s dedicated IP comes with all benefits of a standard VPN package, including no usage logs and unlimited bandwidth. 

You can choose individual servers in Australia, Canada, Germany, the U.K. or the U.S. If you want nonstop service that doesn’t waiver during peak usage hours, a dedicated IP is a good solution.

Private Internet Access customer support and experience

Private Internet Access provides a high level of customization, but beginners will appreciate the easy VPN setup process. Once you download the VPN app, simply click the yellow button —  it’ll turn green once connected. 

Many settings have an information button, which provides a brief overview of the configuration options. In other cases, you can click on an in-app guide to pull up further instructions. Plus, you can choose a dark or light interface.

As part of our review,  we also downloaded and used the Chrome extension. Again, the installation process was straightforward, as was configuring the settings. But the sheer number of options may overwhelm a new user. If you want a cleaner interface, see our Surfshark review, as we recommend it for beginners. 

Connect to your VPN from your browser by downloading extensions for Firefox, Chrome or Opera. 

One downside of PIA is you can’t contact customer service directly from the VPN panel. You must log in to your client control panel online. From there, you can submit a support ticket or head to the website to chat with a live agent. 

We used live chat during weekday and weekend hours. Each time the wait was short and the agents could answer our questions. Indeed, users report high satisfaction levels across multiple review sites. They praise its customer service, affordability, speed and privacy track record. 

Like other VPN providers, PIA does not offer phone support. But this wasn’t an issue, since live chat was quick and helpful. The website has a searchable knowledge base, step-by-step guides and a relatively inactive community forum.

Private Internet Access vs. NordVPN

NordVPN and Private Internet Access are leading providers of VPN services. Both provide a 30-day money-back guarantee and require payment information to begin services. PIA costs less, has more servers and supports more simultaneous connections. However, it charges a fee for antivirus tools and malware detection, whereas NordVPN plans have built-in protection. 

NordVPN stands out for its separate business VPN services. NordLayer accounts provide a central hub for managing network access. PIA has bulk pricing but no corporate portal. 

We recommend Private Internet Access for users on a budget. But if you want to monitor employee usage, go with NordLayer. Explore more features in our full NordVPN review.

Private Internet Access vs. ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access are both owned by Kape Technologies. Each offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 live chat. ExpressVPN has faster average download speeds than PIA and has servers in 10 more countries. 

However, ExpressVPN is substantially higher priced when paying annually. It also doesn’t have dedicated IP addresses, whereas you can purchase them as an add-on with PIA subscriptions. 

We recommend PIA because it’s less expensive for more simultaneous connections. It also offers two proxies, whereas ExpressVPN has none. 

If you want a VPN with a built-in password manager, check out our ExpressVPN review. The password manager comes with all subscriptions, protects mobile devices and has a password generator and browser extension.

Read our full ExpressVPN review for more information.

Is Private Internet Access VPN right for your business?

Private Internet Access is best for users wanting an affordable long-term service with customizable split tunneling and feature automation. PIA’s allowlists and configuration tools let you choose what applications connect and disconnect. It also costs less than other services when users make a one or three-year commitment, but is more expensive for monthly billing.

PIA’s user-friendly, feature-rich platform works on most devices, allowing users to access the internet privately from smartphones, gaming consoles and smart TVs. In addition, its ad-blocking tool, MACE, stops threats at the domain level. 

Users appreciate PIA’s open-source software, bug bounty program and dedication to transparency. Although Private Internet Access is under U.S. legal jurisdiction, it has documented its refusal to provide logs in response to court orders, warrants and subpoenas. An audit by Deloitte confirmed that PIA has proper safeguards to support its no-log policy.

However, PIA lacks a central console for monitoring business VPNs, which is inconvenient if you manage dozens of employee connections. It’s also not the least expensive choice for short-term usage. 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Does Private Internet Access offer a free trial?

No, Private Internet Access does not provide a free trial of desktop services. Instead, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on most purchases. About half of the VPN providers we reviewed have free trials or free versions, and nearly all offer money-back guarantees.

Android and iOS mobile apps may include a seven-day free trial but require users to subscribe and confirm payment. You must cancel the mobile app subscription 24 hours before the trial ends.

Where is Private Internet Access based?

Private Internet Access is a U.S.-based organization with headquarters in Denver, Colorado. The United States is a five Eyes country. The U.S. does not currently force providers to keep logs or retain data, whereas companies based in the European Union must follow mandatory data retention policy laws.

Where are Private Internet Access’s VPN servers?

Private Internet Access has VPN servers on six continents, including the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Central Asia. Users can choose from servers in all 50 U.S. states and 84 countries. Although PIA no longer provides details about server quantity, credible third parties report that PIA has 12,000 to 35,000 servers.

How secure is Private Internet Access?

PIA is very secure because it masks your IP address and encrypts internet traffic using 128-bit or 256-bit AES. It blocks malicious sites, ads and trackers at the DNS level.

In addition, the advanced kill switch features prevent data leakage, and PIA lets users route their VPN connection through a proxy server.

PIA’s strict, court-proven no-log policy enables it to operate in the U.S. without compromising user privacy. Moreover, you can buy your Private Internet Access subscription anonymously.

What VPN protocols does Private Internet Access offer?

PIA offers WireGuard®, OpenVPN and IPsec protocols. OpenVPN uses a variant of the military-grade 256-bit AES to encrypt data, whereas WireGuard employs ChaCha20, a 256-bit encryption key. The three protocols are open-sourced, but WireGuard uses fewer lines of code, making it easier to audit and less prone to errors.

How do I connect to Private Internet Access’s VPN?

Depending on the devices used, PIA offers several ways to connect to its VPN. It has desktop (Windows, macOS and Linux) and mobile apps (iOS and Android), so you can log in, choose a country and turn on your VPN.

Alternatively, you can install a Chrome, Firefox or Opera browser extension, download router firmware or use the Smart DNS feature to change virtual locations on smart TVs.

Does Private Internet Access keep logs?

Multiple court cases and an independent audit show that PIA does not collect or store usage logs or any identifying information. It offers anonymous payment methods, meaning you can use non-traceable email addresses and payment information when subscribing to a plan.

Private Internet Access won’t cave to government pressure either. When Russia took PIA’s servers and demanded PIA log user identities, the company shut down local operations to avoid government coercion.

How fast is Private Internet Access?

PIA’s average download speed is 124 Mbps, lower than most VPN providers reviewed by USA TODAY Blueprint. However, the average upload speed is 154 Mbps, higher than nine companies, including TunnelBear, our top-ranked VPN provider.

What devices work with VPN?

PIA’s VPN is compatible with most devices and operating systems. It has Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and iOS hardware apps. The Smart DNS Settings tool lets you set up VPNs on major brands, including LG, Apple, Samsung, Roku and Amazon Fire. You can install Private Internet Access firmware on some routers, allowing you to use VPNs for all of your connected devices.