Private Internet Access VPN proves to be reliable for the customers as it provides online safety and a truly-private access to the internet!
Private Internet Access
Pros
DNS Leak Security
Internet Kill Switch
IPv6 Leak Prevention
P2P and VOIP Support
Port forwarding
Protect Up to 10 Devices
No logs of customers’ internet usage
24/7 Customer Support
Cons
No free trials
Based in the US
4.2
Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) by London Trust Media, Inc. based in the United States of America. It has quite an impressive infrastructure in terms of servers and IP addresses scoring thousands of clients all around the world.
Due to the substantial increase in potential threats, the demand to be anonymous is increasing with every passing day among common internet users. Private Internet Access is cashing on this persistent need of the end-user by providing remarkable VPN services in an equally incredible price range.
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Pricing Plan
Private Internet Access VPN proves to be reliable for customers as it provides online safety and truly-private access to the internet! PIA offers three pricing plans enriched with wonderful features specialized for the encrypted and secure VPN tunnel. It is the most cost-effective VPN service providing a significant value of discount up to 83% of the total price, which is obviously an added bonus for PIA.
Payment Method
It is a lesser-known fact that the payment method is as important for a customer as the package itself. Ideally, a service provider should give complete liberty to the user when it comes to paying. Also, most VPN providers forget the core value of their business, which is to provide anonymity, as they don’t provide a payment method that allows anonymous payment. However, we are glad to inform you Private Internet Access accepts anonymous purchases as well.
Following is the list of payment methods offered by PIA;
If you want to avail the service anonymously, you can use a gift card from any major American brand. The list of cards supported by PIA is easily available on the official website. You can choose whichever payment method you want as it does not affect the VPN services provided by PIA in any way.
Free Trial Or Money Back Guarantee
PIA doesn’t provide any free trial so the only way to avail of its services is by purchasing any of the packages mentioned above. However, you do get a 30-day money-back guarantee. So you can take the chances as you can get back your money in case it doesn’t meet your expectations.
Servers & their Locations
PIA has 34000+ servers in 120 locations across 78+ countries. It is pretty obvious that the quality of VPN service is directly dependent on the condition, function, and location of its servers. The ideal situation for any VPN service provider is to have the widest web of servers across the globe for providing cent percent undetected anonymity to the users.
Private Internet Access is not in the ideal state, but it has plenty of servers located in different countries. For instance, PIA has 1646 servers in the US. Now, these servers are not located in one place but spread throughout the country and so is the case with all other countries. Following is the detail of PIA’s establishment in various countries along with the number of servers and locations.
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Features
Dynamic Shared IPs
PIA offers dynamic shared IPs to create the highest level of anonymity among its users. The idea behind having shared IPs is to blend the traffic and make it almost untraceable. PIA doesn’t provide dedicated IPs as it would kill the purpose of opting for a Virtual Private Network in the first place.
DNS Leak Security
PIA’s DNS servers ensure that all the queries from the user’s default DNS servers are routed through the VPN to guarantee complete anonymity. The feature is particularly critical as it is a tad bit difficult to fool the default DNS. Only an authentic VPN can handle it and PIA can dodge the default DNS easily.
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Kill Switch
If for any reason, the PIA stops working then there is a chance of revelation of your true identity, which kills the whole purpose of VPN. Internet Kill switch enables the feature where if PIA stops working, you will be disconnected from the internet to protect your identity at all costs.
Socks5 Proxy
There must be some older devices (legacy) that have no support from any VPN provider. Socks5 Proxy basically protects such devices.PIA has a Socks Proxy facility available for its customers. So it does not matter what applications or programs you are running on the VPN as you are protected all the time.
P2P and VoIP compatibility
It is a common practice for most VPN providers to charge an extra amount of fee for P2P and VOIP services. PIA provides complete support of Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and Voice over Internet Protocol(VoIP) without any extra charges. However, compatibility is not an issue anymore as all VPN providers are P2P and VoIP friendly.
Other Features
In addition to the above-mentioned features, PIA also provides the following features;
- Hides your IP
- Let’s you browse incognito
- Provides 100 percent security for public Wi-Fi networks
- Guards your identity online
- Allows you to use the internet securely
- Give you unmonitored access
- Guarantees No data theft
- Hides your location
- Unblock blocked websites
- IPv6 Leak Prevention
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Compatibility
The user of our times is very complex. He works on a Lenovo laptop, has an iPhone, reads on Kindle, and is a die-heart fan of Google Drive. Now you must have noticed an average user is using multiple devices, consequently multiple Operating Systems, on a day-to-day basis.
Diversity is definitely a challenge for all VPN service providers. In fact, it can be a deciding factor in the success or failure of any VPN business. As for the PIA, it passes our compatibility test by being fully functional in almost all devices and operating systems.
OS Compatibility
There are plenty of Operating Systems pertinent in the market. Each OS has different versions. A successful VPN tries to support as many as possible in terms of OS and its version. Private Internet Access is not compatible with each and every OS out there. However, it is sufficient for most of the mainstream Operating Systems. PIA is compatible with the following list of OS;
Windows: Compatible with Windows 8.1, 10, and 11.
IOS: Compatible with iOS 12.1 and newer
Android: Compatible with Android 5.1 (Lollipop) and higher and also Android TV
Mac OS: Compatible with High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey (64-bit only)
Linux: Ubuntu 18.04+ (LTS), Mint, Debian, Fedora, and Arch
Device Compatibility
If we are talking from a compatibility point-of-view, the OS compatibility will dictate the device compatibility. In short, any device running the above-mentioned operating systems is compatible with Private Internet Access. PIA’s services are available, but not limited, for the devices from the following giant companies;
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Security and Privacy
Security and privacy are the core tasks of any VPN service and the providers have to be sound in this aspect in order to survive. Since security and privacy are the core domains, all major VPN service providers spend a lot of resources and energy on this department.
Private Internet Access also has a flawless plan for the complete security and privacy of its users. It provides a number of protocols and encryption levels to choose from. As for privacy, PIA is offering a deal that no other company offers – no activity logs of the users. For further details, skim through the following pointers;
Protocols
- PPTP,
- L2TP/IPSec,
- Open VPN
Encryption Level
PIA has the following encryption levels;
- Default protection — AES-128 / SHA1 / RSA-2048 (recommended)
- Very fast but no protection — None / None / ECC-256k1
- Protection at its best — AES-256 / SHA256 / RSA-4096
- Tricky affair — AES-128 / None / RSA-2048
Logs & Privacy Policy
PIA has maintained a crystal clear stance not to maintain any sort of logs of their users’ activity. Their privacy policy also revolves around this fact and enlists all the customers’ information that it keeps, along with the reasons. Unlike other VPN providers, you can easily find the PIA’s privacy policy in the navigation menu.
Customer Support
Website
The PIA website has all the necessary information about the company, service details, and payment methods as well as all the features and add-on such as P2P and VoIP highlighted on the home page.
Online Support
The company follows the old-fashioned way of submitting tickets for any problem faced by the customer, but the great thing is it always shows the estimated time of response so the user knows when to expect an answer from the support team.
Live Chat
The support team is also available on the live chat as well, in case; you want to talk to them directly. Here again, you can see the estimated time of response when support will be available to chat and answer your concerns and problems.
Community Support
For further assistance, you can also check out communities for any kind of guidance or queries.
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Unique Selling Proposition
The unique selling proposition of Private Internet Access can be its pricing. We are only talking about the yearly package that brings the per-month cost to just $3.33. You may find the services provided by PIA somehow similar to all other VPN service providers and since the competition is tough, more and more VPN providers are willing to stretch their services’ spectrum.
However, no other company is ready to compromise on prices. It is just the PIA that gives you a competitive VPN service at such a cost. And we all know the price of the product plays a huge role in purchasing decisions. So with PIA, it is not just about the features and services but also, nobody else can provide the same value for money as PIA.
The Verdict
To sum up the whole conversation, Private Internet Access is one of the best VPN service providers out there. They have a full-fledged solution to protect your identity from breaches and other data thieves.
Although it is not the ideal VPN service and has a lot of scope to improve yet we have no doubt that PIA is leading the VPN race currently because of its unbeatable pricing plan and competitive services. So, if you are planning to go for a VPN service, you can leave the job of keeping yourself anonymous to “Private Internet Access”.
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