Private Internet Access (PIA) VPN review
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PIA VPN is a powerful premium VPN, but it doesn’t quite stand shoulder-to-shoulder with VPN powerhouses like NordVPN and Surfshark. It offers fast speeds, can unblock a spread of streaming services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer, and supports torrenting on its vast server fleet of 35000+ servers. But it also suffers from inconsistency in speeds across this extensive server network, and some servers struggle to unblock specific platforms. It also lacks some features that are commonplace in leading VPNs, like multi-hop servers. Still, it remains a solid and affordable choice for streaming and torrenting, or simply for general security online.
What is Private Internet Access (PIA)?
Private Internet Access is a premium virtual private network service that lets you establish a secure, anonymous VPN connection with encrypted web traffic and protection against tracking. Connecting to a PIA VPN server changes your IP address too, allowing you to bypass content blocks on geographically restricted websites. Founded in 2010 by London Trust Media, Kape Technologies acquired Private Internet Access in 2019.
| PIA VPN rating: | 7.4 ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Price: | $ 1.33/month for a multi-year plan to $7.50/month for 6 months |
| Free trial: | ✅ Yes, 7 days (iOS and Android) & 30-day money-back guarantee |
| Servers: | 35000+ servers in 91+ countries |
| Good for streaming? | ✅ Yes, dedicated streaming services that can unblock Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and more |
| Good for torrenting? | ✅ Yes, torrenting supported on all servers, and port forwarding feature |
| Good for gaming? | ✅ Yes, strong speeds and good latency on nearby servers |
| Current deal: | Get PIA, now 89% off! |
PIA VPN is a secure and reliable VPN that offers fast speeds and fairly consistent unblocking power on geo-blocked websites. It also has advanced customization settings that are well-suited to privacy-focused, advanced users. But it does have drawbacks, including speed variability depending on server choice, a lack of multi-hop connections, and quite inflexible subscriptions options based on my analysis.
In 2025, I tested PIA myself to see how the service has evolved and whether it has improved since controversy surrounding the parent company, Crossrider, before it was rebranded under Kape Technologies. Below, I’ve scored the VPN on each of the major facets, including security, pricing, privacy, and more.
PIA VPN price
PIA is an affordable VPN, with prices that start from $ 1.33/month for the best-value 2-year plan. I noticed that PIA doesn’t have quite the same variability in its plans, and the only other option is a 6-month subscription that costs $7.50/month.
| Private Internet Access VPN subscriptions: | 2 years | 6 months |
| Total amount billed: | $56.94 | $45 |
| Average cost per month: | $2.19/month | $7.50/month |
| Current deal: | Get PIA, now 89% off | Get PIA, $7.50/month |
Choosing the longer-term 2-year subscription significantly lowers the overall cost of a Private Internet Access subscription. While the 2-year subscription pricing is competitive, the 6-month plan doesn’t offer fantastic value for money. However, it’s more affordable than a month-to-month subscription from a VPN like NordVPN for example, which starts from $12.99/month for a rolling 1-month subscription.
Does PIA VPN have free trials?
Yes, PIA VPN has a 7-day free trial for iOS and Android devices that can be initiated by getting the app from the respective app store for your device. Beyond this, I noted that Private Internet Access also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its plans. This means you can get an extra month’s risk-free usage to test the VPN for yourself. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any 7-day free trial for desktop devices.
Here’s how to get PIA VPN for free:
- Download the PIA app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
- Fill in your personal and payment information.
- Sign up through the app to claim the 7-day free trial for mobile.
- Now, you can use the free trial on any device.
Does Private Internet Access work with Netflix and other streaming sites?
I tested Private Internet Access with the most popular streaming services, and I can confirm that PIA can unblock Netflix in some locales. I was able to unblock Netflix US and Netflix UK for example, and I could access Netflix Japan, though I had to change servers a couple of times.
The best VPNs for streaming should be able to unblock streaming sites worldwide without restrictions, so I tested other services too. PIA also unblocked BBC iPlayer and YouTube TV+, as well as Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. Occasionally, server blacklisting or VPN detection software meant that a streaming site was blocked. However, I overcame this by simply swapping servers. PIA has the largest server network, with 35000+ servers, so finding an alternative connection normally resolved the problem for me.
| Streaming service | Works with PIA VPN? |
| Netflix | ✅ Yes |
| Amazon Prime Video | ✅ Yes |
| Disney+ | ✅ Yes |
| BBC iPlayer | ✅ Yes |
| Hulu | ✅ Yes |
| YouTube TV+ | ✅ Yes |
| Peacock | ✅ Yes |
Overall, I found that Private Internet Access is a good choice for streaming, though it’s not as good as alternative premium VPNs such as NordVPN or Surfshark. This is because I saw more variability in speeds depending on the distance between my device and the destination server. Also, while NordVPNand Surfshark tend to unblock streaming sites first-time, I had to switch servers on occasion with PIA to get past geo-blocks.
Is PIA VPN good for torrenting?
Private Internet Access is a good VPN for torrenting thanks to its strong privacy features, extensive P2P server support, and built-in port forwarding. PIA allows torrenting on all of its 35000+ VPN servers as opposed to offering dedicated P2P servers. This flexibility means you can connect to any server without worrying about whether P2P is allowed. PIA VPN’s port forwarding feature works on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android devices and makes it easier to connect to more peers, which delivered fast torrent downloads in my tests.
I also noted that PIA offers a SOCKS5 proxy when you want to configure your torrent client at the application level. I found this very easy to set up in qBittorrent and uTorrent by generating separate proxy credentials in the PIA control panel and then entering the SOCKS5 host, port, username, and password into my torrent client. In my torrenting tests with qBittorrent, PIA didn’t suffer any DNS leaks, and download speeds were strong using the WireGuard protocol with port forwarding enabled. While NordVPN or Surfshark may offer slightly faster speeds, PIA’s port forwarding option, strong leak protection, and the ability to torrent on every server make this VPN a good choice for torrenting.
Is Private Internet Access good for gaming?
PIA is a solid VPN for gaming if you choose nearby servers and use the WireGuard protocol. In my tests, my ping rose slightly from its 25 ms baseline to around 35 to 40 ms, with little speed or packet loss. This meant my tests with high-speed shooters like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 resulted in lag-free gameplay. That said, on more distant servers such as Singapore, my latency rose to over 150 ms, which isn’t great for fast-paced gameplay.
Though PIA doesn’t offer gaming-specific servers, its kill switch and other privacy features keep your IP cloaked, protecting you from risks like DDoS attacks. In summary, Private Internet Access is good for gaming based on my tests, but it’s not the best VPN for gaming. This is particularly true if you want to play with friends or matchmaking in more distant regions like Asia.
PIA VPN speed test results
PIA VPN isn’t the fastest VPN, and its speeds can vary across servers, but in my tests it delivered fast enough connections for torrenting, streaming, and gaming. I used Ookla Speedtest to benchmark my connection speeds, before testing PIA across numerous international VPN servers of varying geographical distance.
While PIA has the largest server network of any VPN service, it doesn’t always provide consistently fast speeds compared to the best VPNs like NordVPN or Surfshark. For me, speeds were better on servers located closest to my location, while they dipped on faraway servers. Latency also increased on distant servers, which can produce lag if you’re online gaming. For the best results, I recommend choosing nearby servers and ensuring you’re using the fastest VPN protocol, like WireGuard.
Private Internet Access server list
Private Internet Access has the largest VPN server fleet in the industry, with more than 35000+ servers in over 91 countries. In the United States, PIA has a server presence in all 50 states, plus Washington D.C. Based on my historic tests with more than 100 VPN services, this is an uncommon feature and means PIA is excellent for bypassing US sports blackouts. What’s more, PIA offers dedicated IP addresses in some US cities like New York, California, Texas, Florida, and Washington D.C.
| Country | PIA VPN servers |
| United States | Over 1,000 servers covering every state |
| Canada | ~250 servers |
| United Kingdom | ~150 servers |
| Australia | ~120 servers |
| Brazil | ~80 servers |
| Switzerland | ~50 servers |
| Germany | ~200 servers |
| France | ~180 servers |
Overall, I’m impressed by PIA’s server fleet as the largest I’ve seen during my many years testing VPN services. Such a vast server network helps avoid issues like server congestion that can result in speed dips. However, I would’ve liked to see greater country coverage, as competitors such as NordVPN have a presence in over 137 countries compared to PIA’s 91+ countries.
Is Private Internet Access safe
Yes, Private Internet Access is a safe VPN service offering powerful protection via encryption, anonymity, and zero data logging. It has military-grade AES-256 encryption and includes a kill switch to prevent IP leaks if your VPN connection drops. PIA also offers DNS leak protection and safeguards against IP leaks, ensuring your real identity stays hidden.
PIA offers several secure VPN protocols, including the fastest WireGuard option, plus OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPSec. WireGuard provides lightning-fast, secure connections, while OpenVPN is open-source and configurable, and IKEv2/IPSec is well-suited and optimized for mobile users who often change between networks.
I noted that PIA uses RAM-only servers, which cannot store data on hard drives. This supports PIA’s no-logs promise. There’s also a split tunneling feature to specify which traffic is routed via the VPN, obfuscated servers for better unblocking capabilities, and an ad and tracker blocker called MACE. While PIA lacks multi-hop functionality offered by some competitors like NordVPN, it is still a solid and reliable choice for security in my assessment.
Who owns Private Internet Access?
Private Internet Access is owned and operated by Kape Technologies, a digital security company based in the UK that also owns ExpressVPN and CyberGhost. PIA is headquartered in the United States, which is part of the Five Eyes alliance. This does put it at a slightly higher risk of privacy concerns compared to VPNs like NordVPN and Proton VPN, which are headquartered in Panama and Switzerland respectively.
Kape Technologies used to be known as Crossrider, and during my research, I also uncovered some criticism about the company. Before rebranding, Crossrider was linked to data collection, ad injection, and browser hijacking via potentially unwanted programs (PUP).
Despite these concerns, PIA has an independently audited no-logs policy, which has also been tested in court cases where no data could be provided to authorities. The company has also been keen to improve transparency by publishing quarterly Transparency Reports, so it wins some points back in my assessment. So, while PIA’s history and jurisdiction may carry privacy concerns, the company has demonstrated a commitment to user privacy through its no-logs policy and efforts to improve transparency.
Does Private Internet Access keep logs?
Private Internet Access offers a strict no-logs policy that’s mentioned in its Privacy Policy. According to PIA, they do not collect or store your browsing history, IP address, connection time stamps, DNS queries, or anything else that could tie your online activity back to you. That said, there are some inconsistencies in what PIA actually collects. PIA confirms gathering limited technical data like payment details, email addresses, and some diagnostics information.
PIA has had its no-logs policy and infrastructure audited by Deloitte, who carried out an assurance review in 2022, auditing servers and management systems. Deloitte confirmed that PIA’s server architecture and configuration aligns with their privacy policies and are not able to identify users or log their activities.
Deloitte completed a more recent audit in 2024, which maintained that PIA holds no logs, uses RAM-only servers that wipe memory on reboot, had disabled error logs in production, and that the infrastructure practices match what is claimed in their privacy policy. All of this means that despite collecting some limited data, I’m confident PIA can keep you secure and anonymous in line with their no-logs guarantee.
How many devices does Private Internet Access support
Private Internet Access allows unlimited simultaneous device connections under one account. I used this benefit to test PIA on all its supported platforms, which include Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, browser extensions and routers. Installation on desktop devices was simple, with a clean and beginner-friendly UI. On mobile, setup was just as easy through the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, though I noted that some features were absent. For example, the ad blocker (MACE) needed to be manually installed on Android using the .apk in certain regions.
However, I appreciated that PIA offers a consistent and familiar interface regardless of the devices you’re using, that connections were fast and stable, and that key features like the kill-switch and leak protection worked as intended during my tests. Where I was less impressed was in finding some advanced settings to be hidden or harder to understand, such as encryption mode and port selection. Still, PIA’s device support and the consistency of the user experience across platforms was something I appreciated.
PIA VPN Reddit reviews: what real users are saying
As part of any VPN review, I also look at real-world user feedback on Reddit. I checked Reddit for any reviews or criticisms of Private Internet Access, and I found that users’ experiences mirrored a lot of my own findings in this PIA review. For example, one user noted how PIA was good for torrenting and offered heavy configuration options around security settings, but that its app was less polished than the likes of NordVPN and Surfshark. These points are all consistent with my own experience.
Similarly, some Reddit users commented on the same drawback around consistency of speeds that I experienced while testing PIA. On some servers, I found that speeds are less reliable than on others. While PIA can unblock the likes of Netflix and Prime Video with powerful streaming speeds in HD and 4K, you can occasionally find a server that performs below average and results in buffering.
Overall, I’m happy to see that real-world feedback from Reddit appears to mirror my own experiences. PIA is a solid, secure VPN that offers good torrenting and streaming support with fast speeds. It also has a wealth of configuration options for advanced users. However, perhaps due to the sheer size of its server network, some servers can be slower than others.
Final verdict: is Private Internet Access a good VPN in 2025?
In summary, I found Private Internet Access to be a solid choice of VPN that can easily handle tasks like torrenting, gaming, and streaming. Where it falters slightly is in specific use case scenarios, such as matchmaking for gaming in a distant part of Asia, where latency and speeds can dip. Or, if you need multi-hop connections, which are not part of PIA’s functionality. PIA is a good choice for users seeking an affordable, highly secure VPN, but competitors like NordVPN provide better value for money overall in my opinion.
Private Internet Access VPN pros
- ✅ Strong security: Has AES-256 encryption, secure WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols, and a reliable kill switch with leak protection.
- ✅ Massive server network: PIA has 35000+ servers, including servers in all 50 US states, making it one of the best VPNs to bypass sports blackouts.
- ✅ Audited no-Logs policy: PIA’s no-logs guarantee has been audited and tested in court cases, proving no personal data is ever stored.
- ✅ Ad and tracker blocking: PIA’s built-in MACE feature blocks ads, trackers, and malicious websites.
- ✅ Unlimited devices: Connect as many devices as you want under a single subscription.
- ✅ Affordable subscriptions: PIA’s plans start from just $ 1.33/month for the best-value 2-year plan.
Private Internet Access VPN cons
- ❌ US jurisdiction: PIA is operated out of the United States, which part of the Five Eyes alliance, and this may concern privacy-focused users.
- ❌ Dubious parent company history: Owned by Kape Technologies, which was formerly known as Crossrider and has a controversial past linked to PUP distribution.
- ❌ Mixed unblocking performance: While PIA unblocks Netflix and other services, reliability varies by server and region.
- ❌ Lacks multi-hop servers: Unlike some competing VPNs, PIA doesn’t have double VPN connections for enhanced security.
- ❌ Limited plan variability: PIA only allows subscriptions over 2 years or 6 months, lacking a 1 month and 1 year option as competitors like NordVPN offer.
You might also like to read:
- NordVPN review
- Surfshark review
- Proton VPN review
- CyberGhost VPN review
- IPVanish review
- PIA vs ExpressVPN
FAQ
Private Internet Access, part of Kape Technologies, is based in the United States, with its headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Despite Kape Technologies being a UK company, PIA operates under United States jurisdiction. Since the US is a Five Eyes Alliance country, it’s not the best jurisdiction for a VPN service to have. For example, NordVPN is based in Panama, making it a more secure VPN overall.
No, while Private Internet Access may occasionally let you establish a Chinese VPN connection, most users report that it doesn’t work due to China’s strict “Great Firewall” network restrictions. During my tests, I wasn’t able to get PIA working reliably in China. Instead, I recommend choosing a premium VPN like NordVPN or Surfshark, which I have had success using in China.
PIA VPN offers two plans, with its 2-year plan costing $2.19/month (billed at $56.94) and its 6-month plan costing $7.50/month (billed at $45). You can also get a 7-day free trial of PIA by downloading the official mobile app from the iOS or Android app store, and there is a 30-day money-back guarantee available on both plans.
PIA works by rerouting your internet traffic via an encrypted PIA VPN server, which masks your IP address and encrypts your data securely. This gives you greater anonymity and privacy, protecting you from tracking and allowing you to bypass geographical content restrictions on foreign websites. Other benefits include bypassing sports blackouts, getting cheaper hotel and flight prices, and stopping your ISP from throttling your speed.
Been using them for years and gotta say I almost never had any issues.
Great reviews and unfortunately fell for this when I bought a 2-year license. Off wi-fi this application fails to connect. I have had a back and forth with the support team for over a month and my issue remains unresolved. Time and money wasted on this.
We're sorry to hear that you're having such a bad experience with PIA. Hopefully their support team manages to resolve this for you.