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Private Internet Access Review 2024: Is This American VPN Any Good?

When it comes to US-based VPNs, more experienced users are always skeptical. With their 5 Eyes jurisdiction, it’s often hard to keep the expected level of privacy. However, Private Internet Access is a pretty popular choice on Reddit and among thousands of users worldwide.

The company started back in 2009 and so far, it upheld its reputation pretty well. Recently, PIA (for Private Internet Access) was acquired by Kape Technologies, the same company that owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and ZenMate.

Joining forces with the three VPN giants, PIA aims to bring its A-game and attract even more customers. In this PIA VPN review for 2024, we will examine it thoroughly and see if its claims about security and performance ring true.

What’s more, we’re talking about one of the most affordable Virtual Private Networks out there, which makes it even more attractive to potential users. But, as said, our Private Internet Access review will cover every feature of this service so that you have a full image.

If you’re looking to buy PIA and you’re not sure, I suggest you stick around. Our in-depth review of PIA VPN will tell you everything you need to know about it – and more!

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The 3 best alternatives to Private Internet Access:

ExpressVPN
Mac Windows Android iOS Linux Router

 3000 servers

 105 covered countries

 30 days money-back guarantee

 8 simultaneous connections

Mac Windows Android iOS Linux Router

9.8 /10

Monthly price
6,67 $
15 MONTHS
9,99 $
6 MONTHS
12,95 $
1 MONTH
Our opinion: One of the best VPN out there!
Speed
Security
Features
Ease of use
Customer support
Value for money
SEE MORE
1
CyberGhost
Mac Windows Android iOS Linux Router

 8100 servers

 91 covered countries

 45 days money-back guarantee

 7 simultaneous connections

Mac Windows Android iOS Linux Router

9.4 /10

Monthly price
2,19 $
26 MONTHS
6,99 $
6 MONTHS
11,99 $
1 MONTH
Our opinion: Strict no-log policy, cheapest VPN service
Speed
Security
Features
Ease of use
Customer support
Value for money
SEE MORE
2
NordVPN
Mac Windows Android iOS Linux Router

 6300 servers

 111 covered countries

 30 days money-back guarantee

 10 simultaneous connections

Mac Windows Android iOS Linux Router

9.2 /10

Monthly price
2,99 $
24 MONTHS
4,99 $
12 MONTHS
11,99 $
1 MONTH
Our opinion: Excellent choice for privacy and anonymity
Speed
Security
Features
Ease of use
Customer support
Value for money
SEE MORE
3

PIA VPN User Experience & Device Support

Starting off this test and review, we’ll first talk about device support and user experience. Besides, your first contact with Private Internet Access will be through its app, so it needs to leave a good impression.

Desktop and Mobile Apps

As is the case with every VPN, the provider supports a plethora of desktop and mobile platforms. By that, we mean offering native applications for the following platforms and systems (with 10 simultaneous connections):

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Chrome/Firefox extensions

Private Internet Access won’t win any medals in terms of how it looks. However, it keeps a consistent look throughout all supported platforms, making switching between them seamless. I like its mobile app as well, which is very easy to use on both iOS and Android.

Its minimalistic look is translated to PC, too. However, once you unwrap its server list, it rolls down, extending the app window further. I don’t like this, to be honest, because there’s always a slight delay between clicking on the server list and the moment it opens.

PIA VPN Windows
© 01net.com

Somehow, it isn’t very smooth. What’s also a bit confusing is this very server list. Servers aren’t listed alphabetically, so you’ll have Belgium at the start, for example, only to find New Zealand at the last spot.

Private Internet Access shows the ping next to each server location on the brighter side, which is super intuitive. Actually, the server list is listed in this order – from the lowest to the highest ping. Opening the Settings menu at the top-right part of the screen reveals many features that the VPN offers.

PIA VPN Windows 2
© 01net.com

We’ll talk more about them in this Private Internet Access VPN review for 2024. For now, I should mention that I like how organized the Settings menu is, despite it being a separate window, taking more space on your screen. On PC, of course.

PIA VPN Windows 3.
© 01net.com

However, each option is placed in a separate menu, so you get special menus for split tunneling, protocols, dedicated IP, Multi-Hop, and other interesting functionalities. Overall, I can’t say it’s the most intuitive VPN app I’ve ever used.

Its minimalistic look surely is a plus, but the UI on the desktop could use an overhaul. On mobile platforms, Private Internet Access is a bit easier to use, maybe because it doesn’t have as many features…

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TV Apps

If you plan on using Private Internet Access on your TV, things won’t go as smoothly. Namely, the VPN offers applications for Smart TVs but doesn’t specify which Smart TVs it’s talking about. In our PIA review for 2024, we found out what it’s about.

Users who use Android TV will be able to download a native VPN client through Google Play. For instance, that is possible with Philips TVs that come with Android out of the box. However, LG and Samsung TV users will have to perform some workarounds.

They’ll have to connect to Private Internet Access via a router, which takes a bit more technical knowledge and patience. In the same fashion, the VPN doesn’t have a dedicated app for Firestick TV, making the setup much harder.

Although, you can find a step-by-step tutorial on how to do that, where you need to complete 20+ steps to set it up properly. That said, if you need a VPN for Smart TV, ExpressVPN is a much better choice.

Gaming Apps

Unlike some other providers, PIA’s gaming support is OK. In our Private Internet Access review, we tested it on popular gaming platforms with success. The best case is to use it on a PC, where you just need to connect to a server to secure your connection.

Those who prefer gaming on PlayStation or Xbox consoles can use its SmartDNS functionality. It’s not a full-fledged VPN feature, though, and is mostly used for bypassing geo-restrictions, with no security features of a VPN.

Once again, Private Internet Access can be connected to gaming consoles via a router. Or perhaps, you can do so via your PC by setting up a secured network to which you’ll connect your PlayStation or Xbox consoles.

Router Support

Let’s finally talk about routers in this PIA VPN review for 2024. As said, the provider supports routers and offers several guides on how to set it up on different models. Out of the box, it supports mainly routers from Asus and Netgear.

However, if you flash the router’s firmware, you can install it on any router, as long as you do it carefully. Users who use DD-WRT, Merlin, and OpenWRT routers can install it immediately and there are dedicated tutorials for that.

Furthermore, Private Internet Access offers you the ability to purchase a pre-configured router from Flash Routers. This will make the setup easier and give you a simple plug-and-play solution. It’s important to mention that the VPN supports OpenVPN in this case.

But, we shouldn’t forget split tunneling and ad-blocking as advanced router functionalities that PIA offers. While its router support isn’t the best in the world, it’s more than decent, especially due to the advanced functionalities that it offers.

If you consider yourself tech-savvy, I have no doubt it’ll be easy to set it up. Although, thanks to its 10 simultaneous connections, you most likely won’t have to do it.

Is PIA Safe & Secure? All Security Features Examined!

The hallmark of every VPN should be its focus on privacy and security. That’s why we talk about it almost at the very start of this PIA review. Despite being a US-based service, Private Internet Access has a lot going for it in this regard.

Let’s analyze all of its security features and see how well it’s equipped.

256-bit AES Encryption

As is the case with every premium VPN of this caliber, the service comes with AES-256 encryption. This is a well-known feature that secures your connection and prevents anyone from reading its content.

For comparison, the US government uses the same level of encryption to protect confidential data. Thus, we’re talking about an impenetrable security measure that will make sure you browse the internet safely and securely, without any risks.

In addition, Private Internet Access lets you choose 128-bit AES encryption as well. If you, for some reason, don’t want the highest level of encryption, you can downgrade willingly. Although, even 128-bit encryption is impenetrable, let alone 256-bit AES encryption that’s much better.

Bear in mind that, the stronger the encryption is, the slower the speeds will be. If you aim for maximum performance, it’s probably better to stick with the 128-bit AES encryption that the provider offers.

Automatic Kill Switch

When it comes to the most important security measures, in this Private Internet Access VPN review, we can’t go on without a kill switch. I mean, it’s here to shut down your internet connection if you lose the connection to a VPN server, preventing any IP or DNS leaks.

This feature works really well in Private Internet Access and there are two levels of it. Namely, you can use a “normal” kill switch that will do exactly what we described. However, there’s an advanced kill switch that functions the same way as the kill switch of NordVPN.

It basically prevents internet access when the VPN is turned off. This means that, if you aren’t connected to a VPN, you can’t access the internet at all. Is this a good thing, though? Well, it depends on how much you care about your security.

But to be honest, I like to keep this advanced kill switch off either way.

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PIA MACE

PIA MACE is a fancy name for an ad-blocker we’ve seen with Surfshark, NordVPN, and CyberGhost. With these VPNs, you get an “extended” ad-blocker that blocks not only ads but also malware and trackers.

Well, with Private Internet Access, it’s exactly the same. By default, this feature is turned off, but once you turn it on, you’ll see some improvements. Ads and pop-ups will be eliminated, allowing you to browse every web page without interruptions in the form of ads.

Although it’s not as reliable as CyberSec in NordVPN, it’s still decent for getting rid of the most annoying stuff online – advertisements!

Split Tunneling

In this Private Internet Access review, we should address split tunneling. I think that the provider did a phenomenal job here, letting you apply different split tunneling rules easily. Once you enable it, it’ll install a so-called Split Tunnel Filter, which lasts about two seconds.

Then, you can choose which apps and IP addresses will or won’t use the VPN tunnel. This is pretty convenient, right? Well, PIA introduced the ability to choose which servers will follow the app rules and which will use a VPN DNS only.

This allows for a much higher degree of customization and making sure that the VPN works in your favor. I found split tunneling very useful when accessing my bank account or local shopping sites, where I didn’t need to change my online location.

Multi-Hop

If you’ve read our Surfshark review, you’ve noticed a feature called Multi-Hop. In this PIA review for 2024, you’ll see that the provider offers the same exact feature, under the same name. Thankfully, it functions almost the same as well, although it’s not as intuitive.

PIA VPN Multi Hop
© 01net.com

Enabling Multi-Hop gives you obfuscation which should help you bypass censorship and firewalls in certain countries. More about that later. Multi-Hop functions here in a way that it routes your traffic through two different servers, resulting in stronger encryption.

However, your connection is routed through a server and Shadowsocks, a protocol made for bypassing censorship. To use Multi-Hop, you need to close the Settings menu, go back to the home screen, and manually choose a VPN server + Shadowsocks server.

While I like that any server can be used, I also don’t like it. As mentioned in our PIA vs Surfshark comparison, it’s a bit harder to use than having predetermined server pairs, as it’s the case with Surfshark. With that VPN, you just have to click on Multi-Hop on the home screen, click once on the server pair, and you’re done.

Here, as you can see, it’s a bit more complicated but nothing out of the ordinary. And, lest we forget, Surfshark uses two REAL servers for Multi-Hop, rather than using Shadowsocks or SOCKS5 Proxy for the second point, as Private Internet Access does.

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WireGuard Support

Having lots of different servers isn’t a must anymore with the addition of WireGuard. OpenVPN and WireGuard are enough to do the job, so you won’t find VPNs with PPTP, SSTP, and other older protocols.

PIA VPN Protocols
© 01net.com

Nonetheless, I like the WireGuard implementation here, as it boosts the performance a bit and makes connection times much shorter. OpenVPN is a valuable addition as well, and it’s a tested-and-tried solution that works flawlessly in 2024.

Some features, like Multi-Hop, won’t be available while using WireGuard, however. But if you want a bit of performance boost, it’s a decent option, although don’t expect exceptional unblocking capabilities from it.

Connection Automation

Connection automation is more like a behavioral than a security feature but let’s mention it nonetheless. While using it, you can create certain connection rules and tell PIA to connect or disconnect from a server when you’re on certain networks.

For instance, you can disconnect from the VPN while on home WiFi and connect while on WiFi in your local cafe. The same rules can apply to wired connections as well, which is convenient if you often find yourself using that LAN cable instead of suffering WiFi radiation.

Dedicated IP

Let’s talk about dedicated IP in this Private Internet Access test and review. It’s a bonus feature, normally, but it allows you to get an IP address that’s only yours, from a country of your choice.

If you want to avoid annoying captcha and you don’t want to use an IP that others are using, this is a viable solution. Bear in mind that you’ll be able to enjoy all security features here, with the only caveat of buying a token to activate it.

Antivirus

Speaking of bonus features, we should also mention that Private Internet Access offers antivirus. Similarly to Dedicated IP, it’s also a bonus feature, so you don’t get it out of the box. Instead, you’ll have to add it to your basic PIA VPN purchase and its price will depend on the plan.

If you go for the longest plan, it’ll be a modest $1 per month. This isn’t a bad price since this Antivirus is backed up by malware protection, so you get a 2-in-1 package. In our PIA VPN review, we enjoyed its great capabilities and even managed to get rid of a few viruses and malware we didn’t know we had.

PIA VPN’s antivirus also includes detailed security reports and is frequently updated to be able to clear out the newest threats. We should mention that it’s by no means better than a full-fledged antivirus like Kaspersky or Avira, for example.

But if you want a VPN with antivirus, this is a solid choice. NordVPN is actually also great, as it includes antivirus + malware protection at no additional cost, but it’s more expensive than PIA.

IP and DNS Leak Test: No IP/DNS Leaks Found

Having all of these security features, Private Internet Access shouldn’t fail our IP leak test. To make sure this is the case, we tested numerous servers with great success. For the sake of this PIA VPN 2024 review, we’ll use a VPN server in the United States.

Once we established a connection, we visited this site called ipleak.net. Needless to say, you can see the results below, where Private Internet Access showed not even the smallest signs of any IP or DNS leaks.

PIA VPN IP Leak
© 01net.com

To make sure it’s really the case, we went to browserleaks.com, yet another IP/DNS leak test site. And as expected, we got the same great results, which is expected from a VPN with this level of security.

PIA VPN IP Leak 2
© 01net.com

To digress, it’s highly unlikely that PIA VPN will show any DNS and IP leaks. Given its IPv6 leak protection, users with this type of IP address will be safe and secure as well.

Does It Have a No-Logging Policy?

And now, we’ve come to the most interesting part of this Private Internet Access review. As a US-based VPN, you can’t always expect a crystal-clear no-logs policy. Besides, a 5 Eye country like this would never value privacy, despite claiming democracy and whatnot.

While this is still true in 2024, there are some exceptions to the rule. Wondering why many people on Reddit love using Private Internet Access? If so, keep reading – the provider will surprise you positively regarding its logging practices.

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Which Information Isn’t Stored?

It’s already clear that we’re talking about a no-logging VPN and despite having no external audit, PIA audited itself… sort of. The provider has been to court multiple times, and after the authorities tried to extract user-related information, they always went out empty-handed.

PIA VPN No Logs
© Private Internet Access

Once again, this trend repeated several times during PIA’s existence, which is enough to prove that it stores no logs. When saying that, we think about your IP address, browsing history, used bandwidth, and connection times that the VPN won’t store.

We should also point out that Private Internet Access doesn’t store your location. This means that it can’t track where you’re located and what you’re doing online. I like that, unlike many VPNs, it stores no timestamps.

As such, when using it, the VPN has NO idea when you connected to a server and what exactly you were doing while using a particular server. In simple terms, you’re guaranteed complete privacy with every connection, which isn’t very common for US-based VPNs.

Which Information Is Stored?

We should point out in this PIA VPN review that there aren’t any 100% no-log VPNs. However, minimal logs like your email and payment details aren’t considered dangerous. Besides, you must pay for a subscription and create an account using these bits of info.

In terms of storing logs, this is almost everything you’ll find with Private Internet Access. Apart from that, it uses cookies on its website, which will track your activity only on the site, for improvement purposes. This, once again, isn’t anything malicious and can’t be traced to you.

Transparency Reports

Transparency reports are very rare from VPN services and I wish more of them would implement them. However, if we take a look at PIA’s brother company CyberGhost, it actually follows this trend, which I commended in my review of it.

PIA VPN Transparency Reports
© Private Internet Access

The same trend can be found with Private Internet Access. Transparency reports further connect you with the company and expose some behind-the-curtains information. For instance, you can see the exact address of the company, as well as government demands for user data.

At the time of writing this Private Internet Access review, we found that it received 9 court orders, 6 subpoenas, and 6 warrants. Yet to all of these, it gave out no information as it stores nothing on its servers.

Private Internet Access for Streaming: Netflix & Other Platforms TESTED

With a huge focus on user privacy and security, it’s interesting to see how well PIA performs in different environments. Today’s review will have a thorough streaming test that we’ll perform on Netflix and other popular streaming portals.

The good thing about Private Internet Access is that it offers dedicated streaming servers, making things much easier. Having that in mind, let’s see if the VPN is any good for streaming enthusiasts.

Does PIA VPN Work on Netflix?

Planning to use this service on Netflix? Good news, because it works relatively well… relatively. As always, our PIA VPN test on Netflix consists of several catalogs, one of which is Netflix US – the most popular one.

While using a streaming-optimized server in the USA, I didn’t manage to unblock Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix, unfortunately. I tried a few other US servers, but at the time of writing this review, I had no luck in unblocking Netflix US (check the screenshot below).

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PIA Netflix US Not Working
© 01net.com

Moving on, we tested Netflix Canada as well by trying to watch Midnight in the Switchgrass. From the screenshot below, you can figure out that that was a pretty successful attempt.

PIA Netflix CA
© 01net.com

The last attempt involved watching Naruto Shippuden on Netflix Japan. However, despite Private Internet Access offering a streaming-optimized server in this country, my attempt was unsuccessful.

PIA Netflix JP Not Working
© 01net.com

On the brighter side, Private Internet Access works with Netflix UK but apart from these 3 catalogs, it rarely unblocks anything more.

What About Other Platforms?

When it comes to Netflix, Private Internet Access isn’t better than ExpressVPN. Although, it surely performs similarly to CyberGhost in this regard. To make sure this in-depth PIA VPN review of streaming is fair, we tested other platforms.

While using a UK streaming server, I couldn’t unblock BBC iPlayer, which isn’t a pleasant surprise given that it has pretty fast servers in this country.

PIA BBC iPlayer Not Working
© 01net.com

When using a server in India, I actually unblocked Hotstar. In the screenshot below, you can see that I’m watching a movie with no issues, despite my location in Europe.

PIA VPN Hotstar
© 01net.com

So overall, we can say that PIA VPN is a decent choice for streaming – certainly not the best. It works with a few popular Netflix libraries (CA and UK) and you can use it to watch Hotstar abroad. Streaming performance isn’t the best in the world, however.

But if you plan on streaming in 1080p and not often in 4K, Private Internet Access will most likely satisfy your needs. As for unblocking capabilities, well, this service surely isn’t among the top choices like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and NordVPN.

Private Internet Access is obviously more focused on security and privacy, while streaming isn’t its primary strength. If that’s a big deal to you, simply go for one of the three providers. And if it isn’t, PIA VPN’s streaming capabilities aren’t going to bother you, especially for the price.

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Speed Tests: Here’s How Fast PIA Really Is

The streaming experience is often correlated with performance. If speeds are slow, streaming without constant buffering is impossible. Sure, PIA VPN won’t win any medals for its performance, but we did some practical work to prove that in this Private Internet Access test and review.

I tested its speeds 3 times a day for 3 days, by using 4 locations. They include the US, UK, Japan, and Australia, none of which are my location.

As said, I’m located in Eastern Europe, and my internet speeds and ping look something like this:

Native Speeds
© Speedtest.net

Then, with all tests out of the way, we got the following results:

UK:

PIA UK Speed
© Speedtest.net

US:

PIA US Speed
© Speedtest.net

Japan:

PIA Japan Speed
© Speedtest.net

Australia:

PIA Australia Speed
© Speedtest.net

As you can see from the results, Private Internet Access isn’t what we consider slow. However, its speeds aren’t extraordinary if you’re connecting to servers overseas. In the UK, which is in Europe, I barely saw a speed reduction.

Moving away from this location and PIA VPN already shows its first shortcoming. The US server wasn’t particularly fast, while Japan and Australia showed even weaker results on paper. In practice, I noticed the increased ping due to longer page-loading times.

And when performing bandwidth-hungry activities such as streaming or gaming, high ping, and slower speeds can negatively impact your experience. That’s why you might want to consider a faster VPN such as ExpressVPN, which has stable 10+ Gbps speeds on all servers.

Is PIA Good for Gaming?

Speaking of gaming, we think that ExpressVPN is the best VPN for gamers. But what about Private Internet Access?

When using servers close to you, the provider will give you a stellar experience, with no noticeable performance hits. This is somewhat expected from a VPN like this.

Long-distance servers aren’t meant for gaming. For instance, while using a server located in the United States, my ping often reached more than 150 ms, which wasn’t enough for Fortnite or fast-paced Apex Legends.

Slow-paced online games are more enjoyable in this case but not many people play them. I also tested PIA VPN with cloud gaming on PS Now and GeForce Now but that wasn’t a very enjoyable experience.

Having a bit of lag, controlling my character, and responding to in-game actions was all but smooth. Once again, ExpressVPN is a much more compelling choice for gaming.

Can I Use Private Internet Access for Torrenting?

Moving on with my Private Internet Access review for 2024, let’s talk about torrenting. You see, ZenMate and CyberGhost come with dedicated P2P servers, specially optimized for torrenting and P2P activities.

PIA Torrenting
© 01net.com

PIA takes another route and with no special P2P servers, its entire server fleet is torrent-friendly. This means that connecting to whichever server will give you a smooth torrenting experience, as long as you opt for servers close to you.

Anyway, I had a good time with PIA VPN while torrenting. It’s fast enough and thanks to rock-solid security, the whole process is safe and anonymous. In the end, it’s all that matters, that’s why you use a Virtual Private Network for this purpose.

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Is It Working in China & Other Censored Countries?

As said at the start of our Private Internet Access review, this VPN has obfuscation technology. In theory, this should mean that it can work in China and bypass the Great Firewall. However, to make sure this rings true, we performed several tests.

With writers in China, the UAE, and a few censored countries, we gave them our subscription to see if the VPN will work in these countries. In China, with or without obfuscation enabled, our writers didn’t manage to make it work, no matter what.

The good news is that the VPN will work in countries like the UAE, Turkey, and Russia, so you have no worries about that. But if you live in China or you’re planning your vacation there, it’s better to be equipped with ExpressVPN or NordVPN instead.

These VPNs are proven to work in this country each time, making them more reliable for bypassing censorship overall. PIA VPN might work in China at some point but we’re not sure if that’s going to be the case and when.

Just in case, make sure you get a far more reliable VPN like the two services we mentioned above. Our tests proved that they’ll work pretty much 100% of the time.

Servers and Server Locations: Here’s How Big PIA Is

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Private Internet Access is its server fleet. Although, if you scrounge around the website for more information, you’ll find nothing. Thus, we had to perform a bit of research to find out how many servers it has.

Pia Vpn Servers Countries
© Private Internet Access

And much to our surprise, it looks like PIA currently has 30,000+ of them in 91 or so countries. Sounds crazy compared to an already huge provider such as CyberGhost that prides itself on 10,000+/- servers, huh?

Nevertheless, the server distribution is far from bad. Most of the servers are stationed in the USA and Europe, but many of them are available in the UK, Canada, Germany, and other popular locations.

Private Internet Access includes less popular locations as well. You can, therefore, expect to find Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, and many other countries on the server list. Factoring in streaming and Multi-Hop servers, I would say the server variety is pretty good.

Customer Support: How to Contact PIA for Help?

Customer support of Private Internet Access is second to none. I mean, you get full-fledged 24/7 live chat support on the site and it’s primed and ready to help you out. Pleasantly surprising are response times that go well below 10 to 15 seconds – sweet!

The customer support team is helpful enough and the agents are very friendly, too. The same applies to email support, with the exception of longer response times that are typical for this type of support.

Nevertheless, PIA also offers an extensive knowledge base and community for additional help. Although its knowledge base can be a bit cluttered and not the most intuitive, it has answers to all questions you could ask about this VPN.

The provider also listens to its community where people are often requesting servers in certain countries. Because of that, PIA VPN increased its server count from 70+ to 80+ countries covered in less than a year.

Private Internet Access Pricing: Is It Affordable?

As we approach the imminent end of our Private Internet Access review for 2024, we’re obligated to talk about pricing. So far, we haven’t mentioned it in this test and I’m sorry we didn’t because it’s one of the best aspects of this VPN.

Here’s how much it costs:

PIA VPN Price 2024 Updated
© Private Internet Access
In the screenshot, you can see that the cheapest offer is priced at around $2.1 a month for a 2-year plan, where you get 3 months free. Beware that the prices are accurate at the time of writing the review and we’ll make sure we update them if necessary.

See PIA’s Best Deal

Nonetheless, we like its 6-month plan at $7.5 a month, while the monthly plan at $11.99 is a bit more expensive. Still, bear in mind that you get 10 simultaneous connections for the price, and there’s a free email breach monitor.

Don’t forget a 30-day money-back guarantee for all subscription plans, even the monthly one. It will allow you to get refunded in the first 30 days of your purchase in the case of dissatisfaction.

Available Payment Methods

Paying for Private Internet Access is a breeze when you have so many payment methods. Apart from VISA and PayPal, you can count on Amazon Pay, Bitpay, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. Fees aren’t present and with no value-added taxes, you pay the exact price.

If you want, you can add an antivirus by PIA for $1 a month or a dedicated IP address for $4 a month, but that’s about it. Overall, it’s very cheap and affordable compared to more expensive providers that sometimes aren’t better, despite their higher price.

How to Get a Refund from Private Internet Access?

PIA VPN supports refunds, as said, as long as they’re requested in the first 30 days of purchase. Requesting a refund is pretty easy. You just have to contact customer support through live chat, request your money back, and follow the steps.

Bear in mind that refunds are unconditional, so you can get your money back even if you don’t need a VPN anymore or you don’t have money to pay for it. Either way, this is the easiest way of getting your money back and requires no more than 5 minutes.

What We Don’t Like About PIA?

Before we conclude everything we said, let’s talk about PIA VPN’s downsides. If you’ve read our Private Internet Access review thoroughly, you know that there aren’t many of them. Undoubtedly, its device support could be a bit better overall.

While 10 simultaneous connections somewhat make up for it, we’re sad that PIA isn’t as fast as CyberGhost or ExpressVPN. Also, don’t expect it to be as good for Netflix as some better VPNs, especially because it doesn’t work with Netflix Japan.

My main complaint is its unintuitive and poorly-designed VPN client for Windows. But then, this is subjective and it might affect only me. However, if you compare it to the app from NordVPN, Surfshark, or ExpressVPN, you’ll see a big difference in favor of these 3 VPNs.

Finally, we don’t like that PIA VPN doesn’t work in China, making it not the best choice for bypassing censorship. At this price, though, it’s hard to have everything and that’s understandable!

Conclusion: THE Best US-Based VPN!

Private Internet Access is one of the oldest VPNs on the market. It successfully carved its name into the premium segment, positioning itself among the best VPNs like ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and NordVPN.

In our PIA review for 2024, we saw that this US-based VPN deserves its position. While it does have some flaws that some of you won’t like, its pros definitely outweigh the cons.

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Thanks to rock-solid security, decent performance, and cheap prices, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better VPN for the money if we’re not talking about Surfshark and CyberGhost. Given its steady improvements, it’s interesting to see what’s in store for PIA in the future.

For now, we do recommend Private Internet Access as a stellar choice for modestly-demanding users. But if you don’t mind paying a bit higher price, ExpressVPN is still a way better choice.

Private Internet Access

8.7

Overall Score

8.7/10

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