Private Internet Access VPN Review

Are you searching for the Private Internet Access VPN Review. So, let’s start, we will try to explain all the aspects in our PIA VPN Review. Virtual private networks (VPNs) encrypt your surfing data and send it through a server located in a separate location, so protecting it from prying eyes.

Private Internet Access is one of the virtual private network (VPN) brands that are active in the United States. VPNs are helpful tools for protecting users’ privacy (PIA). We are examining it now to see whether or not this locally produced brand is worthy of our confidence.

We will discuss its features, information on its subscriptions, customer care and support, as well as its app offerings. We will also discuss the “no-logs” policy of the brand and explain why it is such an important component of what PIA has to offer.

Private Internet Access, sometimes known as PIA, is a helpful tool for ensuring online safety. It provides extra capabilities like as browser extensions and ad filtering that users may take use of.

 

But despite the fact that these advantages are readily apparent, there are still certain aspects that cause worry. PIA is not the fastest VPN available, falling behind other big providers in this regard. It is also not the greatest option for streaming, since it is unable to connect to a number of the most popular streaming services.

In addition, the VPN’s parent company, Kape Technologies, which also owns ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Zenmate VPN, has been the subject of multiple stories that suggest it may have had links in the past with the dissemination of malware.

 

But are there any of these things that are really worth being concerned about, and do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? Is there anything particularly appealing that Private Internet Access (PIA) has to offer, considering that there are many other VPN services that are more competent, such as NordVPN?

 

Pros and Cons of Private Internet Access VPN Review

Pros

Excellent for accessing blocked streaming sites. I had access to 17 various Netflix libraries, including the US library, as well as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, and many more streaming services.

On the local servers, I was able to see and broadcast in Ultra HD without any issues; however, the speeds were reduced while travelling over further distances. Find out how much your connection will be slowed down by using a VPN here.

Multitude Servers. However, some of its servers are located in virtual places, making it one of the VPNs with the biggest server networks overall. Examine the dependability of the network based on the results of my experiments.

Strong security with a wide range of options that may be customised. In addition to having changeable encryption levels, split tunnelling, and a kill button, PIA also passed all of the leak tests that I ran on it.

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Good option for downloading through torrent. On every server, I could download data at a rapid rate. I had no problems.

The no-logs policy has been tested and found to be effective. Your confidentiality is ensured by the fact that PIA does not save any information that may be used to identify you.

Guaranteed full refund within 30 days. I placed an order for a membership that cost $2.19 a month, and thanks to the company’s return policy, I received the whole amount of my money back in only one day.

 

Cons

The quality of the customer service is inconsistent. When I was able to use the live chat that is available around the clock, it functioned quite well. On the other hand, there were several occasions when it was either unavailable or I did not get a response.

Streaming – Unblocks More Than 25 of the Top Streaming Platforms, Including Netflix and Disney+ in the United States

 

Private Internet Access VPN is an effective method for bypassing region locks on streaming services. I was able to get access to libraries from 16 additional nations in addition to the US Netflix library. Even though accessing HBO Max and ESPN+ required more tinkering on my part, I was ultimately successful in gaining access to both services. Sky Go and DAZN were the two platforms that I tried that did not function properly.

 

Netflix Disney+ HBO Max Hulu Amazon Prime Video
BBC iPlayer Paramount+ Peacock Crunchyroll YouTube
CBC Eurosport FranceTV Canal+ ZDF
ARD Hotstar India RaiPlay All 4 ITV
ESPN/ESPN+ Spotify SlingTV Comedy Central CBS
Ruutu YLE Kodi C More C More SE
MTV Finland HBO Nordics hbonordic SE DRTV tv4play

 

 

Is it possible to use Torrent with PIA VPN?

Yes, you may torrent with PIA since all of its servers offer P2P file sharing as well as torrenting. In addition, the virtual private network (VPN) comes complete with an embedded SOCKS5 proxy and the Shadowsocks option to redirect your internet traffic for an additional layer of security.

  • uTorrent
  • BitTorrent
  • qBittorrent

In preparation for this evaluation of Private Internet Access, I used a MacOS device to experiment with torrenting. The accomplishments of PIA came as a pleasant surprise to me. This is due to the fact that torrenting was not only successful but also very quick in comparison to all of the other torrenting VPNs that I tested.

I consistently got rates between 10 and 15 MB per second (80-120 Mbps). P2P functionality might be obtained without requiring a connection to any particular servers. The download speed is fast enough that even the biggest files won’t take too long.

 

Servers & their Locations

There is no other virtual private network (VPN) that I have come across that offers more servers than Private Internet Access VPN does. This is due to the fact that its selection is so extensive; at the moment, it provides more than 30,000 VPN and proxy servers in 84 different countries.

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The data centres may be found in many parts of the world, including Europe, South America, North America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania and Australia. However, a tiny portion of the servers are virtual (PIA refers to them as “geo-located”) since it is not viable to have physical servers in certain countries owing to specific legislative reasons.

 

Does PIA VPN works in China?

The use of the Shadowsocks proxy allows the Private Internet Access VPN to potentially function in China. On the other hand, there isn’t a single report that confirms this.

 

Features of Private Internet Access

It’s true that there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and the same is true for virtual private networks (VPNs). Although it is true that all virtual private networks (VPNs) provide a private network that encrypts data and IP addresses, not all VPNs are created equal.

Will My Data Be Recorded If I Use Private Internet Access?

Private Internet Access makes a point of highlighting the fact that it does not save any form of surfing data logs. That means the firm won’t know when you’re using the VPN, how long you’ve been using it, what your IP address is, or what websites you’ve been accessing while using the VPN.

 

So, what exactly does PIA record? According to the company’s privacy policy, it records personal information that it need in order to retain user accounts, including the following information:

  • Email addresses
  • Payment information, but not the whole credit card number and expiration date
  • Cookie identifiers
  • The user’s state or region of origin as well as their zip code

PIA does not gather any information that may be considered personal or non-personal about its users, such as their IP addresses, browsing statistics, or site traffic.

 

Is There A Kill Switch Available With Private Internet Access?

If you lose your connection to the VPN, the kill switch, also known as a “network lock feature” or “disconnect protection,” will cause any programme or website to shut down immediately. Other names for this function include “disconnect protection.” Consequently, it prevents your internet connection from switching to public networks, which would result in your internet service provider (ISP) being able to view your whole browsing history.

 

Available Tunneling Options with Private Internet Access

On Windows, Mac, and Linux, as well as Android (where it is known as Per-App Settings), users of the Private Internet Access VPN have the ability to use split-tunneling. Split tunneling enables us to utilise the encrypted tunnel provided by the VPN while at the same time allowing part of our traffic to go across public networks that do not provide encryption.

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Split tunneling may also be helpful in the following situations:

  • There are certain applications, such as some online games, which ban VPN IP addresses.
  • Websites that provide online banking services but restrict access from particular locations based on IP address
  • Streaming services that do not permit Virtual Private Networks
  • PIA’s effectiveness in comparison to other procedures

Private Internet Access VPN Sufficient for Gaming

Yes, but Not on Servers That Are Considered to Be on Long-Distance.

If you are located too far away from the server, you won’t be able to play any games, but if you are close by, you won’t have any problems.

When I did not use a virtual private network (VPN), I just had to wait around ten seconds for the game to load, but when I did use a VPN, it took nearly a minute to connect. Despite this, I did not have any difficulties when playing after the game had loaded.

The level of security is adequate, and many personalization choices are available.

Private Internet Access provides users with a number of robust and customizable security settings. It provides a number of different encryption levels and protocols that may be combined in a variety of ways.

Unbreakable Encryption

Private Internet Access provides its customers with 256-bit encryption, which is of a military quality and makes it difficult for anybody to snoop on their data. If you’re using the OpenVPN protocol, the default encryption option is 128 bits, but I strongly suggest bumping it up to 256 bits instead.

Pricing

Private Internet Access VPN offers customers three different payment options: one month, six months, and two years. PIA’s Anti-Virus and Boxcryptor are included in the 2-year plan, which costs $2.19 per month and may be purchased. Boxcryptor provides you the power to encrypt your cloud data stored on platforms such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud.

Private Internet Access VPN Review Pricing

In general, I think the two-year plan is the best option. It is one of the subscriptions that will cost you less money over such a long period of time. Private Internet Access is able to process payments from a wide variety of payment options, including major credit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, and Union Pay, among others. It also allows you to pay using gift cards from other parties, providing you with an additional layer of anonymity. If you purchase it from the app store, you also have the option to subscribe using Google Pay or iTunes.

In addition, both the iOS and Android versions of the PIA app come with a free trial period of one week. On the other hand, I discovered that the PIA desktop app offers the most potential for productivity gains. Because of this, I strongly suggest putting the VPN to the test utilising the money-back guarantee it offers.

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