Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN Review

Private Internet Access is great for basic use but falls short when it comes to streaming services.

Private Internet Access VPN
private internet access
3.8 out of 5 stars
3.75
  • pro
    Many servers
  • pro
    Unlimited streams
  • con
    Inconsistant local speeds
John Brandon
Mar 20, 2023
Icon Time To Read5 min read

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Private Internet Access is the thirteenth VPN we’ve reviewed on this site, and it’s absolutely worth considering if you’re after a VPN service that ticks most of the right boxes. While it doesn’t topple the dominance of our current top three—all-rounder NordVPN, user-friendly ExpressVPN, or speedster Hotspot Shield—it’s a well-priced contender that supports a great number of simultaneous connections and boasts solid connection speeds.

Pros
  • Many servers
  • Unlimited simultaneous streams
  • Great value annual pricing
Cons
  • Inconsistent local speeds
  • No manual server switching
  • Basic device support
private internet access dashboard

Private Internet Access VPN connectivity and user experience

From the get-go, Private Internet Access does things a little differently by not only hiding your IP address but assigning a username and password, which emphasizes anonymity from the get-go. There’s a quick-tour option for PC users after installing the PIA VPN software, but this is an incredibly easy VPN to use so it’s not essential.

It’s a great touch that PIA VPN offers latency values, color-coding them either green for good (anything below 150ms) or orange for less great. For context, my latency initially claimed to be at 137ms but was actually at 232ms when I tested my connection; on later days, the latency was listed more accurately in the 230+ range but never dropped to acceptable green levels. It’s a shame because PIA VPN is a speedy connector (about four seconds) and disconnector (two seconds), with a few seconds of breathing space to allow for your internet to catch up. Also, add a couple of extra seconds for connections to Australia or UK.

Private Internet Access claims to have 28,000+ VPN and proxy servers in 104 locations across 84 countries. That country and location count is decent, but the server count blows every other VPN we’ve reviewed out of the water, with the closest contender being the 7,000+ from CyberGhost VPN. While that server count is impressive, it’s strange that the international servers are consistently slower.

PIA VPN’s user interface is incredibly straightforward across Windows and Android (for my tests). It’s a little cleaner on Android but, whichever you’re using, connecting or disconnecting is as simple as tapping the big green connection button, while switching servers is as easy as bringing up the server list and connecting to a new server with another tap. Unlike other VPNs, PIA VPN plays nice with all of my day-to-day online software, including peer-to-peer tools like Slack, and, yes, it performed admirably in my torrent tests.

pia

Private Internet Access VPN number of devices and pricing

A single Private Internet Access subscription can be used for an unlimited number of simultaneous connections, which is enough to cover all of your supported devices. Other VPN services that offer unlimited streams include Windscribe VPN, IPVanish, and Surfshark.

PIA VPN also has a decent range of supported devices, which you can see below:

Private Internet Access supported devices

  • Windows 8.1, 10, and 11 (32-bit or 64-bit)
  • MacOS 10.13 or newer (64-bit only)
  • Linux 64-bit desktop versions (Ubuntu 18.04 or newer, Mint 19 or newer, Arch, Debian)
  • Android 5.1 or newer (mobile devices only)
  • iOS 12.1 or newer (64-bit only)
  • Chrome v48 or newer
  • Firefox v57 or newer
  • Opera v52 or newer

That range of supported devices ticks the main boxes for PC, mobile, and it offers some support and/or guides for other devices, including smart TVs, streaming boxes, and gaming consoles. You can dig around and find limited router support for PIA VPN, though.

Private Internet Access prices and plans

Private Internet Access does not offer a free trial, but the company does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can try the service for a month, and if you don't love it, you can get a full refund. 

The longer you sign up for a subscription through Private Internet Access, the more money you can save. Here's the pricing breakdown for each plan: 

Plan
Monthly price
VIew Plan
One-month plan$11.95/mo.
One-year plan$3.33/mo.
Three-year plan$2.03/mo.

Private Internet Access VPN speeds

Regardless of the VPN provider, whenever you connect to a VPN server, your internet connection will be slowed down. In theory, connecting to a nearby server should result in minimal impact on your internet speeds, while there are acceptable speed changes when connecting to international servers. The better the server infrastructure of a VPN service, the better speeds you can expect when connected.

To test all of this with PIA VPN, I use my Superloop NBN 100/40Mbps Fibre-to-the-Curb home internet connection. The table below highlights how Private Internet Access handles server connections in the US, Australia, and the UK. For context, my NBN connection is capable of max download speeds of 99.02Mbps and upload speeds of 44.34Mbps (though the copper cabling in my building stops me from achieving these speeds).

Private Internet Access VPN server latency and speeds
VPN server
Download speed
Upload speed
Latency

No VPN

93.24Mbps

37.49Mbps

5ms

AU VPN (Sydney)

54.66Mbps
(~41% difference)
24.14Mbps
(~36% difference)

232ms

AU VPN (Melbourne)

87.86Mbps
(~6% difference)
35.40Mbps
(~6% difference)

15ms

US VPN (West Coast)

74.37Mbps
(~20% difference)
28.81Mbps
(~23% difference)

165ms

US VPN (Silicon Valley)

79.99Mbps
(~14% difference)
31.89Mbps
(~15% difference)

155ms

UK VPN (London)

43.09Mbps
(~54% difference)
20.77Mbps
(~45% difference)

259ms

As you might expect from my points above, the Sydney speeds are bad with a noticeable impact on my connection that brings it closer to NBN 50 speeds. Connecting to Melbourne reaped much better download and upload speeds. The speeds to the Silicon Valley server in the US are great with comparatively decent speeds to the UK, too.

pia-server-locations-australia

Data effective 12/08/2022. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.

Private Internet Access VPN Netflix and other streaming services

One of the more common uses for a VPN service is to access geo-blocked streaming content from around the world. While people who do this do run the risk of violating user agreements for these services, it does open up a greater breadth of streaming options. Here’s how PIA VPN fares when attempting to stream with one UK service, two Australian alternatives, and five popular US options, all of which have a knack for detecting VPNs.

Private Internet Access VPN performance with popular streaming services
Streaming service
PIA VPN compatible?
Buffering speed
Netflix

Partial

Slow

HBO Max

Partial

Fast

Hulu

Partial

Fast

Peacock TV

Yes

Fast

discovery+

Partial

Fast

Data as of 04/05/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.

Private Internet Access was inconsistent in my tests, with Peacock proving to reliably work, albeit with moderate to fast buffering speeds depending on the server. The Netflix library is basically an easy win these days for most VPNs, but PIA VPN only worked when connected to certain US servers and was incredibly slow to load the library and had slow buffering results.

Normally, this is where I introduce a table that gives an idea of how Private Internet Access should work with different NBN speed tiers. But given that Netflix and Hulu only have partial support (with a slow buffering speed for Netflix), it doesn’t feel like an accurate indication of real-world use. If you’re after a VPN service for streaming, don’t go with Private Internet Access.

Private Internet Access VPN extras

One of the unique features of Private Internet Access is its open-source transparency, meaning the VPN code can be scrutinized and improved by the community. PIA VPN has an admirable zero-log policy to ensure your anonymity, while there’s a DNS-based ad blocker to protect against malware, trackers, and ads. PIA VPN also has split tunneling, so you can select which apps or websites are covered by the VPN, a Smart DNS service, and an internet kill switch if PIA VPN unexpectedly disconnects.

Private Internet Access VPN vs NordVPN

For comparison, here’s how Private Internet Access compares to our current VPN gold medallist NordVPN. PIA VPN has the wood on NordVPN in terms of pricing, with cheaper monthly, annual, and two-year costs.

PIA VPN scores another easy win in terms of some basic numbers, with more servers (28,000+ vs 5,400) in more countries (84 vs 60) and with more simultaneous device connections (unlimited vs. six). Both VPN services have zero-log policies, Smart DNS options, split tunneling, browser extensions as well as anti-malware inclusions. Both VPN services also have high levels of encryption, 24/7 tech support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

When it comes to streaming, NordVPN is hands down the better choice, which also carries over to my recommendation between the two VPN services: go with NordVPN.

Should I buy Private Internet Access VPN?

Private Internet Access has great speeds to the US, Australia, and the UK, and it works well as a background companion that doesn’t get in the way of your daily internet goings-on.

Still, the high server count and unlimited simultaneous connections allowed are curbed by a lack of versatility when it comes to streaming services. PIA is a solid and affordable VPN, but there are better options out there.

Private Internet Access FAQ

Private Internet Access uses split tunneling, advanced encryption settings, built-in ad and malware blocking, as well as has open-sourced code which decreases risk of vulnerability for its users. 

No. Private Internet Access has a strict no-usage-logs policy. The company does not collect or store any user information regarding browsing activity or usage.

Private Internet Access was founded by Andrew Lee. The current CEO of PIA and its parent company, Kape Technologies PLC is Ted Kim. 

To download the Private Internet Access app on your device, open the official download page on PIA's website. Select the operating system you're using, and click on the download button.

Once the installation file is downloaded, you will receive on-screen instructions to continue creating your log in. 

John Brandon
Written by
John Brandon
John Brandon is an Editorial Lead at Reviews.org covering TV apps, services, and devices. He also covers the VPN market currently. He has a long history as a journalist and author. His articles have appeared in many magazines including Wired, Popular Mechanics, FoxNews.com, Inc. Magazine, Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Relevant Magazine. His hobbies include disc golf, reading books, and watching obscure Netflix documentaries. Contact him at john.brandon@reviews.org

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