Private Internet Access Review 2024: Is PIA VPN Good?

Private Internet Access (PIA) offers one of the cheapest VPN subscriptions, starting at just $2.03/month. With such a low price, I wondered whether PIA could really stand out against its higher-priced competitors. However, it prides itself on a 10-plus-year reputation of being safe and trustworthy, so it’s also one of the best-value VPNs available.

I’ve used PIA for a while and have examined its privacy policy, security features, and speeds in depth. I also tested its capabilities, including streaming and torrenting. It stands out for its reliable performance, customizable security options, and unlimited device connections. Plus, I like its add-on features, like dedicated IPs and the PIA Antivirus.

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 that it falls short of in certain areas.

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Private Internet Access Pros, Cons, and Needed Improvements

PIA can access dozens of streaming platforms, making it possible to stream global content safely from anywhere. When our team of global testers and I tried PIA, we had success with over 30 major streaming services, including 17+ Netflix libraries, Disney+, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video.

PIA also offers streaming-optimized servers in 11 countries that work consistently with streaming platforms and deliver fast enough speeds for HD streaming. Most of its regular servers performed well, but some didn’t work with certain platforms.

My team and I were able to stream the following platforms:

Works With: Netflix (US, Canada, Japan, and 14 Other Libraries)

PIA successfully accesses lots of different Netflix libraries. My global team and I could watch our local Netflix between 17 different countries. Our tester in New York streamed Bakugan on US Netflix using PIA's US East Streaming server without interruptions. Its regular US servers worked just as well for Netflix US.

We confirmed that its streaming servers also work well with Netflix in the UK, Canada, Japan, Denmark, Italy, Germany, and Sweden. The regular servers in these locations worked with the platform, too, but it’s nice to know that if that’s ever not the case, you have optimized servers as a reliable option.

PIA’s optimized servers make it possible to stream global content in HD from anywhere

Works With: Disney+

From the UK, I was able to stream Disney+ UK with no issue. My colleague in the US also had good results with PIA’s US East Streaming Optimized server and played Grown-ish on Disney+ US without buffering. It can also access Disney+ Hotstar securely from anywhere.

PIA's connections are stable and reliable for streaming from anywhere

Works With: Hulu

Hulu only worked well with PIA’s optimized servers. When our US team first tried its US West Streaming Optimized server, they were able to stream with minimal slowdowns, without buffering or interruptions.

Our US testers experienced no lag even when skipping to different parts of the show while streaming Hulu

However, its regular servers, like US New York City and US Massachusetts, didn’t work with Hulu at all.

Works With: Amazon Prime Video

PIA’s streaming-optimized servers reliably access Prime Video’s US library, where our US tester watched Lost in Oz in the best quality buffer-free. However, like with Hulu, Amazon Prime Video didn’t work with the regular servers.

The quality was good throughout the whole video

I was able to watch my local library from my location in the UK, but I had to reach out to chat support for some tips to get it to work.

Also Works With: BBC iPlayer, (HBO) Max, ITV, Crunchyroll, Peacock, and YouTube TV

It was straightforward to access BBC iPlayer using PIA’s UK streaming server. Loading times weren’t longer than a few seconds, and I could watch Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK vs the World in the best possible quality without lag. I also had no issues watching ITV using the same server.

PIA’s London Streaming server let me watch BBC iPlayer with zero slowdowns

Our testers in the US also had no issues streaming Crunchyroll and Max using its US East and West Streaming Optimized servers. They also reported that some regular US servers worked with these platforms.

Streaming on Peacock TV and YouTube TV was just as easy, with both its streaming and regular servers.

The only platform our testing team reported issues with was ESPN+. No matter which server my US colleague tried, it didn’t let them stream any content. After they reached out to PIA’s live chat, though, a support agent helped troubleshoot the issue and they were able to access their account and stream in HD.

Doesn’t Work With: DAZN and Sky Go

Two platforms that my team and I had no success with were DAZN and Sky Go. We tried multiple troubleshooting techniques, like switching servers and logging in via browsers (instead of apps), but nothing worked. As a final attempt, I used PIA’s live chat to ask for assistance.

Very few VPNs work with these platforms, so I wasn't too surprised with PIA's response

The support agent made it clear that PIA can’t access DAZN or Sky Go, and there are likely no troubleshooting techniques to get around this. At least the quick and direct response saved me time trying to fix the issue myself.

Overall, PIA offers impressive speeds, especially on nearby servers. Our dedicated speed tester got some speed loss at long-distance servers but reported it wasn’t enough to disrupt their browsing and streaming experience.

When testing PIA’s speeds, we look at 3 different things:

• Download speed is how fast you receive data from the server you’re connected to. It impacts activities like streaming and web page loading, and it’s measured in Mbps (megabits per second).
• Upload speed is the rate at which data is sent from your device. It affects how fast you can send files, post on social media, upload videos, etc. It’s also measured in megabits per second.
• Ping is the time it takes for data to travel between the game server and your device. If the ping is too high, you will have noticeable latency in your gaming session. Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms).

Our dedicated speed expert regularly measures speeds for PIA and other top VPNs from the same US location. In the table below, you’ll see average rates gathered from several tests with each server. Every result was recorded with the same internet connection to create fair comparisons.

Check out PIA's speeds side-by-side with other fast VPNs

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• • ExpressVPN
  • CyberGhost VPN
  • NordVPN
  • Surfshark
  • IPVanish VPN
  • PrivateVPN
  • Proton VPN
  • Hotspot Shield
  • hide.me VPN
  • TunnelBear VPN

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• • ExpressVPN
  • CyberGhost VPN
  • NordVPN
  • Surfshark
  • IPVanish VPN
  • PrivateVPN
  • Proton VPN
  • Hotspot Shield
  • hide.me VPN
  • TunnelBear VPN

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No VPN

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Upload Speed

Ping

USA (Dallas)

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Ping

USA (Miami)

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Ping

USA (Los Angeles)

Download Speed

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Ping

USA (New York)

Download Speed

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Ping

Canada

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Ping

Brazil

Download Speed

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Ping

UK

Download Speed

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Ping

France

Download Speed

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Ping

Japan

Download Speed

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Ping

Australia

Download Speed

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Ping

Singapore

Download Speed

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Ping

142.61 Mbps

49.53 Mbps

4 ms

117.09 Mbps

66.94 Mbps

13 ms

112.55 Mbps

27.59 Mbps

51 ms

139.55 Mbps

30.57 Mbps

41 ms

72.79 Mbps

29.14 Mbps

64 ms

7.04 Mbps

6.71 Mbps

69 ms

110.15 Mbps

55.30 Mbps

143 ms

67.53 Mbps

43.2 Mbps

116 ms

119.14 Mbps

38.36 Mbps

122 ms

106.17 Mbps

24.62 Mbps

152 ms

57.44 Mbps

113.98 Mbps

199 ms

98.05 Mbps

79.52 Mbps

213 ms

207.69 Mbps

32.89 Mbps

9 ms

153.31 Mbps

123.86 Mbps

9 ms

136.86 Mbps

73.69 Mbps

51 ms

157.23 Mbps

142.35 Mbps

41 ms

174.61 Mbps

93.67 Mbps

47 ms

156.24 Mbps

N/A*

45 ms

146.86 Mbps

N/A*

144 ms

126.27 Mbps

18.75 Mbps

113 ms

122.38 Mbps

18.15 Mbps

121 ms

133.43 Mbps

N/A*

146 ms

143.33 Mbps

12.93 Mbps

172 ms

131.13 Mbps

10.04 Mbps

208 ms

218.55 Mbps

33.11 Mbps

3 ms

164.46 Mbps

97.64 Mbps

10 ms

142.95 Mbps

95.22 Mbps

52 ms

189.32 Mbps

15.44 Mbps

42 ms

142.27 Mbps

45.54 Mbps

43 ms

57.01 Mbps

35.80 Mbps

59 ms

153.39 Mbps

45.51 Mbps

139 ms

78.27 Mbps

65.09 Mbps

125 ms

74.53 Mbps

70.22 Mbps

116 ms

154.09 Mbps

66.89 Mbps

143 ms

83.71 Mbps

42.62 Mbps

199 ms

76.88 Mbps

52.38 Mbps

208 ms

These tests are conducted from the USA

*N/A indicates that we do not currently have speed test data for this location

Overall, these are excellent results you’d expect from a premium VPN like PIA. Considering it’s normal for a VPN to drop your speeds by 20% on the closest server, PIA’s speeds are impressive. Speeds can sometimes drop by nearly half on some long-distance servers, but that is normal when you factor in their distance from the US.

PIA offers fast enough speeds for smooth gaming on nearby servers, but I experienced some lagging on long-distance connections.

To begin my tests, I first connected to the optimal server for my location and then launched Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on Steam. I waited for less than a minute for the game to start, and I played without any slowdown or interruptions, with a ping of only 6 ms. Next, I connected to a server in France, and my ping only went up to 19 ms.

PIA's servers each display their ping rate to make it easy to choose a fast gaming connection

I then connected to the New York server to see how it performed at longer distances. I waited for nearly 3 minutes for the game to load and measured a ping of 79 ms. This isn’t ideal, considering you need a ping of at least 60 ms to avoid any delays. The game was still playable but with some lagging.

I had an even more significant slowdown when connected to a server on the West Coast. Sadly, the game wasn’t even playable at even longer distances, such as Japan and Australia.

PIA has one of the largest server networks of any VPN. It currently offers over 29,650 servers in 91 worldwide — more than any other VPN I’ve tested. It also uses dedicated 10 Gbps internet lines to offer increased bandwidth.

That said, PIA’s coverage is not as widely dispersed as some other VPNs. For example, ExpressVPN and CyberGhost both have fewer servers in total, but they cover more countries than PIA.

One thing I really liked, however, is that PIA offers servers in every US state, which is not the case with most VPNs. This makes it one of the best VPNs for accessing US content in HD from anywhere.

Virtual Server Locations

PIA has virtual servers in around 80 locations. These servers give you an IP from the country they’re intended for, but they’re not physically located there. It has 150 locations total, so virtual locations make up over 50% of PIA’s server network. That’s not a problem for me since I don’t mind using these servers. However, there are VPNs that don’t use any if this concerns you.

You can also disable virtual servers in the app settings. All you have to do is go to Show Geo-located Regions in the app settings and toggle it off.

One negative of having virtual locations is that it might lower your speeds. Since the server is actually in another country, it might be farther away from you than it appears, which means your data will have to travel farther.

On the positive side, having virtual locations allows PIA to offer locations in countries where it can be unsafe to have physical servers. It used to have physical servers in Brazil and Russia but removed them over privacy concerns. You can still use locations in these countries, but it’s now done through virtual servers.

PIA has a list on its websites with all its virtual servers and where the physical server is located

PIA owns all of its servers, so you don’t have to worry about a third party handling your data. Most VPNs use outside companies to handle at least a few of their servers, and some only use rented servers. This shows that PIA is dedicated to protecting your data.

Dedicated IP Addresses

For a small extra fee, PIA offers dedicated or static IP addresses, which means you can use the same IP address every time you log into the VPN. Dedicated IP addresses are used only by you, so they are much less likely to be detected and blocked by streaming platforms and other sites.

PIA has dedicated IPs in multiple locations, including the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, Belgium, and Sweden. They are only available on PIA’s apps (Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS), so you will not be able to use them on devices that are not VPN-compatible.

RAM-Only Servers

For added privacy, PIA’s entire network runs entirely on RAM (volatile memory). RAM-only servers are much more secure than traditional HDD-based servers, as your private data is automatically wiped from the server with each reboot.

Private DNS Servers

PIA uses NextGen, colocated servers, meaning that it owns and operates its own private DNS servers. This means your DNS requests are handled privately by PIA, unlike standard DNS servers provided by ISPs. It enhances your internet privacy as your internet activities won’t get into the hands of unwanted third parties.

They can improve your speeds and connection reliability, too. Since your traffic goes by a more efficient route, it reduces the distance your data has to travel. You can also set the Windows client to use any custom DNS you want, but I recommend using PIA’s.

Private Internet Access has all the standard security features of a premium VPN. This includes military-grade encryption, a reliable kill switch, a powerful ad-blocker, and several security protocols to choose from.

It’s unique in that it lets you choose your encryption level, a feature you will not find in most VPNs. Plus, its apps are fully open-source, which means anyone can check the code for security vulnerabilities. With PIA, you also get full protection against DNS and Web RTC leaks.

Solid Encryption

Private Internet Access offers military-grade 256-bit encryption to prevent anyone from spying on your data. With the OpenVPN protocol, the default setting is 128-bit encryption, but I recommend moving it up to 256-bit. It can slow down your speeds slightly, but it’s worth it for the extra security. If you’re using WireGuard, the encryption level is always 256-bit.

I recommend using 256-bit encryption since it's more secure

You can no longer change the handshake settings or choose between a few data authentication options. Private Internet Access removed this customization option to fix compatibility issues and make the VPN more stable.

Now, the VPN defaults to the most secure settings (GCM ciphers and the RSA-4096 certificate), so you’ll still get top-notch security. The same level is used for both protocols. It also offers 4 remote ports for both TCP (8443, 853, 443, 80) and UDP (8080, 853, 123, 53), or you can enter a local port in the PIA client.

IP/DNS Leak Protection and Kill Switch

PIA offers full protection against DNS, WebRTC, and IP leaks. I tested 10+ virtual and physical servers, including locations in the US, Germany, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, and Australia, and never experienced any data leaks. My real IP address stayed hidden every time.

My real UK location was never revealed with PIA

If a VPN leak occurs, it can expose your IP address, browsing activity, and DNS requests to your ISP, so it’s a huge plus that PIA is leakproof. Plus, PIA’s leak protection feature is turned on by default, so you don’t need to enable it manually, which is great news if you’re new to VPNs.

PIA's kill switch blocks your internet traffic if the VPN gets disconnected. This is an essential feature because it reduces the chances for hackers to steal your data, as your real IP can’t be accidentally leaked.

For my tests, I kept a browser open while I switched servers and the page wouldn’t load if the VPN was still connecting. That’s how I knew it was working. You have the option to turn it off, but I recommend always keeping it on. You can also use the Advanced Kill Switch, which blocks all internet traffic until the VPN is connected.

The kill switch feature is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS devices.

Split Tunneling to Reroute Traffic

This feature lets you route some traffic through the VPN tunnel and the rest through your regular connection. I like to keep my banking app outside of the VPN, so my account isn’t blocked, for example.

Split tunneling can give you better speeds by conserving your bandwidth for more data-intensive activities

It’s available for Windows, Mac, Linux, and you can exempt apps (not websites) on Android devices. In the Android app, you can find the split tunneling feature under Per App Settings. It’s not currently available for iOS devices.

Security Protocols — 3 Good Options

PIA uses OpenVPN and WireGuard — two of the most secure protocols available. They are available on all its desktop apps (Windows, Mac, and Linux) and Android. For iOS devices, it also offers IPSec (IKEv2). This is a good selection of protocols, but unlike some services, like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, PIA doesn’t have its own proprietary VPN protocol.

• WireGuard: If you want to use the VPN for data-intensive tasks, such as streaming and torrenting, the WireGuard protocol is your best option. During speed tests, WireGurad gave me the fastest speeds. It uses ChaCha20 authenticated encryption, a type of “stream” encryption that is quicker and less complex than AES, while also being very secure.
• OpenVPN: This protocol doesn’t offer speeds as fast as WireGuard, but it’s been around for much longer, so it’s considered the safer option. It can transfer data with UDP or TCP and supports several encryption ciphers up to AES-256-GCM. It’s also open-source, so the code is publicly available to be checked and modified.
• IPSec: PIA offers IPSec on iOS devices only. This is an older protocol that offers decent speeds, but it’s not as secure as OpenVPN or WireGuard, so I don’t recommend it.

You can choose between 2 encryption levels on the OpenVPN protocol, 128 or 256-bit

PIA automatically chooses the best VPN protocol for you, but you can change it manually if you prefer. You can easily switch between protocols in the Settings menu under Protocols.

Multi-Hop and Obfuscation

The Multi-Hop feature routes your traffic through 2 servers to bolster security. It travels through a combination of a SOCKS5 or Shadowsocks proxy and a VPN server. I liked this feature even more than traditional double VPN servers, as Multi-Hop provides extra security without significantly reducing speeds.

MACE Ad Blocker — Effective At Blocking Malicious Ads, But Not Paid Ads

PIA comes with a powerful ad blocker called MACE that serves primarily to block malicious ads. To get more info on PIA’s ad blocker, I contacted a support agent, who confirmed that MACE doesn’t block all ads — only those that contain malicious content.

To test it, I visited the ad-heavy websites Forbes and Daily Mail, and only 1 ad got through on each site, which is a big improvement.

I haven't tested an ad blocker that blocks 100% of ads, so this is impressive

Unfortunately, MACE also doesn’t block ads on YouTube videos. Plus, there’s no option to exclude certain domains from the ad blocker or make other adjustments. It can be simply turned on or off.

Additional Security: Identity Guard and Antivirus

PIA also has a feature that shows you if your email address has been exposed in a data breach. You can access this through the Client Support Panel under the tab Identity Guard. It will regularly search for your email address, and you can set up email alerts to notify you if it’s ever compromised.

I also appreciate its private mobile browser (InBrowser) that automatically deletes your activity, cookies, and history when you close the app. You can download it for free for iOS or Android.

There’s an Antivirus add-on for a small extra fee. It is designed to remove malware without user tracking or logging, emphasizing full control over data and digital privacy. It can be added to your subscription for $5, and it can be accessed using the same credentials as your VPN account.

Antivirus features a dashboard for real-time protection, a prevention engine for Zero-Day threats, and a web shield against malicious websites and downloads. It also offers various scan options (quick, complete, custom, and scheduled) and lets you “quarantine” malicious files. You can view security reports and adjust settings for notifications, security, and privacy.

Overall, PIA is a good option for privacy due to its strict no-logs policy and the features it offers. Although, it's based in the US, which is not so privacy-friendly. Still, you can be assured that even if your data were requested by government agencies, there would be nothing to show. This has been proven on numerous occasions.

Does Private Internet Access Keep Logs? No

Private Internet Access ensures that no identifiable information about you is stored. The only details it keeps are your email address, payment information, state and zip code (for taxation reasons), and anonymized data that aids in service improvement. For heightened security, it allows you to make payments using cryptocurrency. Furthermore, it guarantees that customer information will never be rented or sold.

It only collects enough data to maintain accounts and comply with tax regulations

Its privacy policy has been verified in court. In 2016, the FBI requested information about a user, and PIA couldn’t provide any data on their activities because nothing was stored. The Russian government also seized PIA servers in 2016 but didn’t find any identifiable data. After this, PIA took down all of its Russian VPN servers.

In 2018, its policy was proven once again when the US government asked PIA to hand over identifiable information about a user, and it had nothing to share.

Was PIA VPN Audited? Yes

In June 2022, PIA's no-logs policy was independently audited by the Big Four auditing firm Deloitte. It found that PIA's server configurations are in line with its internal privacy policies, don't store logs, and cannot identify users or track their activities. This means there is no record of your online activity on PIA's servers.

Plus, its network architecture is designed to prevent data retention. PIA’s service runs on RAM-only servers. These servers use RAM modules rather than traditional hard disks and restart themselves regularly. All user data is lost when the servers are rebooted, so you can be confident that your data can't be shared since it's never stored.

Based in the US

Private Internet Access operates out of the United States, which isn’t the most privacy-friendly country. The US was one of the founding members of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. This is a pact between governments where they promise to share information on people they’re suspicious of.

Nevertheless, Private Internet Access adheres to a robust no-logs policy that has been frequently audited and verified. Having operated for more than ten years without storing or sharing any identifiable user information, it has earned my trust regarding data protection.

PIA supports non-profit organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Creative Commons, which are dedicated to internet freedom. Most importantly, Private Internet Access’ privacy policy has been proven in court, so I trust it to be responsible with my data.

Does Private Internet Access Work in China? Maybe, but It’s Not Guaranteed

PIA claims that it’s possible to use it in China, but you need to download the app to your device before you get there. Customer support also confirmed that it’s not always guaranteed to work in China and may require some troubleshooting. This isn’t surprising, though, as even the best VPNs for China don’t record 100% of uptime.

The agent also recommends using the WireGuard protocol in China

It’s also one of the few VPNs to offer servers in China. These are virtual, so they provide you with a Chinese IP address but aren’t physically located there to ensure a private connection. The downside is that these connections increased my ping to 278 ms and reduced my speeds by almost 80%.

The Chinese government only allows government-approved VPNs and enforces this by blocking VPN services in the country. However, there are no publicly reported cases of China going after tourists for using them. Nevertheless, we urge you to make yourself aware of the current laws and regulations about VPN use in China and the risks that might come with it.

Its customer support told me that PIA can also be accessed in other restrictive countries like Iran, UAE, Russia, or Turkey. However, again, it cannot guarantee that it will always work.

PIA allows P2P file sharing across all its servers. I found this really convenient as there is no need to look for specialized P2P servers to download torrent files.

To test its torrenting speeds, I first connected to a UK server and started downloading the movie The Last Man on Earth (copyright-free) on uTorrent. It was a 1.23 GB file that took less than 2 minutes to download. This is similar to the speeds I usually get without a VPN connection.

I downloaded a 1.23 GB file in less than 2 minutes

Next, I used a more distant US server to download The Chase, a 900 MB file that is free from copyright restrictions. The download was complete in a minute and a few seconds.

You can also increase your speeds by turning on PIA’s port forwarding feature. This will increase the number of seeders and allow you to download torrent files even faster. I didn’t like that port forwarding is not available on US servers, though. After asking a support agent about this, I was only told that it was due to legal reasons.

There is also the option to use a SOCKS5 proxy, but I don’t recommend it for torrenting. PIA’s proxies work as a double-hop, meaning your connection is sent to the proxy and then the VPN tunnel. This slows speeds quite a bit (91% for me).

Overall, I was impressed with PIA’s torrenting abilities. It not only offers fast speeds for torrenting but also has military-grade encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and strong leak protection. This will allow you to torrent safely without worrying about your activity and personal data being exposed.

My team and I do not condone any illegal activities. Downloading copyrighted files is not allowed in most countries, so you should always check your country’s local laws and regulations before torrenting with PIA.