Private Internet Access Download is one of the oldest surviving VPN services and is a strong contender for our list of the best VPNs. It has a nice interface and advanced network settings that tinkerers can tinker with. Recently, the company removed its limit on simultaneous connections, helping to justify its higher monthly costs. We have several Editors’ Choice winning VPNs, but two that stand out are Proton VPN and Mulvad VPN. The former is a powerful, affordable option with the best free version we’ve seen, and the latter goes to great lengths to protect customers’ privacy.
What Is private Internet access?
Private Internet Access is a private VPN service that allows users to connect to multiple locations. In 2018, Mark Karpeles, former CEO of Mount Gox, was named Chief Technology Officer of PIA’s parent company, London Trust Media. In November 2019, Personal Internet Access was acquired by Cape Technologies.
What is Private Internet Access used for?
Private Internet Access has a wide range of features, including split-tunneling that allows you to choose which apps use the encrypted tunnel. a kill switch and leak protection that keeps your data safe if the VPN connection drops; and built-in ad blocking.
Is PIA VPN a free VPN?
Alternatively, you can download PIA VPN for free, but you cannot use it without an active subscription. However, once you subscribe to PIA you can enjoy a risk-free VPN trial with our 30-day money-back guarantee to decide if you’re getting your money’s worth.
Private Internet Access VPN in brief:
- P2P Allowed: Yes
- Simultaneous device connections: Unlimited
- Business Location: United States
- Number of Servers: 10,000+
- Number of Country Locations: 84
- Cost: $11.95 per month, or $79 + 3 months free for a three-year subscription
Private Internet Access (PIA) has seemingly been around since the advent of third-party VPNs. Since then, it has been a favorite VPN service for many users thanks to its excellent pricing and good privacy guarantees. Recently the service has made some really promising improvements by lifting device connection limits and undergoing third-party audits. So, how does it stack up against the other titans of the VPN market with these new updates? Dive in and have a look.
Private Internet Access VPN features and services
Upon opening PIA for the first time, you’ll notice that it retains the same user interface design since the company overhauled its Windows app in 2019. You are presented with a simple panel at the bottom-right of your screen. By default, this panel is locked in that position and you are unable to move it These design decisions honestly felt a little restrictive and awkward. Thankfully, you can change this in the settings menu, but it’s not obvious at first glance.
Otherwise, the Windows application is pretty straightforward. At the top is a large on/off button, and below that is the VPN server location—clicking this will take you to a different screen where you’ll be able to view and choose a different country or server location. For countries with multiple location options, you are able to click a drop-down menu to display all available server locations within that country. And boy are there many to choose from. PIA offers an 84-country server spread, and although not officially confirmed, it is believed to have more than 10,000 servers.
Privacy and security
Good VPN privacy starts with a strong set of core features and private internet access offers more than most.
PIA’s apps use only the latest and most secure protocols—such as WireGuard and OpenVPN There is also DNS leak protection and a kill switch that will disable your internet access if the connection drops. PIA’s MACE feature blocks ads, trackers, malware, and more, and its Chrome extension adds a bunch of bonus privacy features (like block location access, third-party cookies, and website referrers).
The best providers also demonstrate that they respect your privacy, and many VPNs have options to send anonymous troubleshooting data back to the company. Some turn it on by default, the VPN probably hoping users will never know what’s going on. With PIA, however, nothing is sent unless you go to the Settings panel and manually activate the feature (it’s the ‘Help improve PIA’ option in the Help area if you’re interested).
It’s important for a VPN to show transparency—providing tangible evidence that it’s delivering on its promises. Again, PIA has more to boast about than most of its rivals.
Will Private Internet Access Log My Data?
Private Internet Access emphasizes the fact that it does not log any browsing data. That means whatever you do while connected to the service will not be stored on the VPN server. As we explained above, this is incredibly important especially since private Internet access falls under the jurisdiction of the United States.
That being said, Private Internet Access collects information when you sign up. In accordance with its Privacy Policy2, it logs personal information that is necessary to maintain user accounts, including:
- Email address
- Payment information, but not your full credit card details
- Cookie identifier
- State or territory of origin and zip code of users
Of course, data breaches can happen. So even if your browsing data is private, your personal information can still be compromised, leading to identity theft. To prevent this from happening, Private Internet Access has strict protocols in place to ensure that only selected employees can access stored personal data. Additionally, all personal information is stored in the United States and is maintained in encrypted form at all times.
If you would like to learn more about PIA’s privacy policy and practices, see our Personal Internet Access Privacy Report.
WebRTC Leak Test
WebRTC allows two web browsers to communicate directly with each other instead of going through a server. This makes for fast speeds, especially when you’re live streaming videos, sharing files, or video chatting However, this requires knowing each other’s private IP addresses, so that’s something to look out for, especially if you use Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or Microsoft Edge.
Just like DNS leak testing, we want to make sure that PIA protects our browsing data, including our IP address, from WebRTC leaks. Is this the verdict? No leaks! All in all, Private Internet Access Mac passed our tests with flying colors save for download speed & Private Internet Access Download.
Features
You can get help through PIA’s online knowledge base, or to contact someone, you can fill out a form or live chat with an agent. The live chat feature was especially useful.
There was a wait time of a few minutes, especially on weekdays, but it’s better than waiting days for a response from email support. More importantly, we got accurate and clear answers to the questions we asked Unfortunately, there is no phone support, but we are more than happy with the support options that PIA provides.
