Founded in 2010, it’s practically a dinosaur compared to some of the other services out there.
In short, it does.
I’ve tested Private Internet Access many times over the years and it has managed to stay consistently decent.
How Much Does Private Internet Access Cost?
It gets even better when you take into account that you renew your subscription at that price, too.
That said, there are VPNs that are cheaper than PIA, at least at first.
Related:FastVPN Review: What’s In a Name?
At $2 a month, “pretty good” is, well, pretty good.
Using PIA
Let’s kick off with the interface, so how you use PIA.
The app works the same across platforms and is a small, mobile-bang out app.
Plenty of competitors go the same route,Mozilla VPN, for example, also does this.
It practically drowns on a large desktop screen.
The app is more or less the same across all operating systems.
There are alsobrowser extensionsfor Chrome, Firefox, and Opera.
I like the simplicity of the app.
It’s essentially just two buttons, one that selects the server and one that switches the VPN on.
To do anything besides the basics, you better delve into one of three extra screens.
The first are options associated with the connection and a few extras.
To access these, you hit the down arrow at the bottom of the app and it extends.
I have trouble describing exactly how much I dislike this approach.
Also, the main button disappears, which is annoying.
Not gonna lie, it took me a sec to figure out why Montenegro was above Malta.
There’s no other way to filter servers, it’s either ping or use the search function.
There are also specialized streaming servers, which are an important draw for PIA.
Private Internet Access and Netflix
These streaming servers are specialVPN serversthat PIA has optimized for streaming.
Overall, these do a pretty good job ofunblocking Netflix, though they’re not perfect, either.
If you’re looking for a reliable streaming option that costs less, check out myMysterium VPN review.
tweaks
Finally, let’s also take a look at some of Private Internet Access’s tweaks.
These are accessed through the three dots at the top of the app.
If you like to tweak your VPN just so, PIA is a very good pick.
That said, the defaults are fine, too.
There’s no real reason to go into these configs if you don’t want to.
Related:What Is a VPN Kill Switch, and Do You Need One?
How Fast Is Private Internet Access?
Let’s first look at the readings I got testing from Cyprus early in the morning.
Israel underperforms a little despite it being pretty close, but that seems normal compared to all other reviews.
OnlyMullvadandIVPNtest better than PIA, and even then not by much.
However, there’s a caveat: the streaming servers are a lot slower.
Security-wise, I like how the service focuses on two of thebest VPN protocols, OpenVPN and WireGuard.
These are solid choices that are safe, yet still fast.
As for privacy, reading through theprivacy policy, PIA looks solid.
Private Internet Access is a solid VPN.
