Private Internet Access (PIA) — Top-Rated VPN with a User-Friendly Antivirus Add-On 2022

PIA With VPN Review: Quick Expert Summary

Private Internet Access (PIA) is simple and fast. It employs industry-leading security practices.

Its apps are open-source and have been repeatedly tested by courts. Advanced users have access to a variety of high security options that allow them to personalize the app.

PIA includes additional features that aren’t offered with other VPNs. These features include:

• Torrenting on all servers.
• Split-tunneling.
• Tor support.
• Ad blocking.
• and more…

PIA VPN works well for torrenting and gaming. It’s one of my favorite streaming services. PIA works on Netflix along with Amazon Prime, Disney +. PIA also works with countries without internet access.

Overall, PIA is a high-rated VPN. It allows you to connect 10 times per account. This is unlike many VPNs that only allow 5-10 simultaneous connections span>

Private Internet Access provides 1-month, 1-year or 3-year payment options. The 3-year plan often offers additional months without charge.

Private Internet Access Full Exam

Private Internet Access. (PIA), was the best VPN that I had tested and investigated for a few months.

PIA can be used by anyone and it has excellent security features. It also maintains high speed across all servers.

Speed tests proved that PIA was able to perform well. I was capable of streaming HD content quickly without buffering, downloading torrents quickly, browsing the internet uninterrupted, and connecting to distant server.

Private Internet Access

PIA provides all the standard security features including:

• Multiple encryption methods. It’s more secure than 128bit AES encryption but it’s faster (it was 4-5% in my tests).
• No logs policy. PIA does NOT track, store, log or log browsing data. This is contrary to other VPNs who have not been legally tested.
• Kill-switch. It prevents data leaks from your computer and shuts down internet connection when you disconnect from the VPN.

I love that PIA iOS’s app has a built-in Kill Switch. Many VPNs don’t provide one. The PIA kill Switch for Windows & Mac gives you more options. You can choose to activate the kill switch if the VPN disconnects by accident or if your PC is not connected with a VPN server. This will only let you access the internet if your computer has been connected to a PIAVPN Server.

It is great that PIA has RAM memory. The server is powered by RAM memory.

PIA provides complete protection from DNS leaks. This makes it easy to forget to turn off IPv6 traffic on your device.

PIA offers 3 protocols: OpenVPN UDP & WireGuard (only for iOS). WireGuard performed quicker than OpenVPN or IKEv2/IPSec when I tested it. WireGuard cannot be supported by rivals TunnelBear or HMA.

Tor Support

The Onion Router (The Onion Router), is supported by . You can browse.onion site with added security.

Tor is very secure. Tor VPN protects your IP address against being discovered by Tor users. Tor users may see the VPN IP address, and not yours, if your IP has been leaked.

It is very easy to use PIA’s Tor feature over VPN (it’s free). To begin using Tor, connect to any PIA-owned server.

Tor over VPN connections can still be slow. This is because Tor’s network encrypts traffic multiplexes. Add a VPN connection to make it slower. It took websites as much as 20 seconds for them to load in my tests.

PIA supports Tor well. ProtonVPN’s Tor function is better than AstrillVPN. Both VPNs enable you to connect to the Tor network with Opera, Chrome Firefox Firefox and Firefox.

Overall, Tor Over VPN works well for PIA. It works with any server and offers additional protection for users who visit.onion.com.

Split-Tunneling

PIA split-tunneling This feature is superior than most VPNs’ split tunnelling functions.

Splittunneling is supported on Android, macOS and Windows (iOS does NOT support split-tunneling).

Unlike ExpressVPN (which allows you to bypass application traffic), PIA’s desktop software lets you choose both website or app IP addresses.

Split-tunneling I love about PIA. It’s also possible on macOS. However split-tunneling cannot be supported by most VPNs running on Mac computers. This is a major plus.

During my testing, PIA splittunneling performed perfectly. I routed all my P2P activities through the VPN. The VPN also exempted me from my bank’s IP (most banks won’t let VPN traffic ). ) This allowed me faster file downloads and access to my account

Overall, PIA’s split tunnelling function is excellent. It allows you to redirect both the app and website IP address. It is also available for Mac.

Traffic Obfuscation

PIA offers obfuscation with the Shadowsocks proxy (an open source encrypted proxy), which conceals your VPN traffic.

PIA makes your VPN connection appear to be unencrypted, making it appear as though you are connecting without a VPN. This is what allows for you to bypass VPN blocks or geo-blocks.

Shadowsocks are a great way to bypass online firewalls and to hide your VPN connection from your ISP. It’s great to access geo-restricted web pages.

Shadowsocks can cause a slight slowdown in your internet connection due to the additional layer of encryption it provides. This is compared against the speed I experienced connecting to a PIA Server.

Overall, PIA Shadowsocks proxy obfuscation feature is excellent for bypassing Internet firewalls. It also masks the connection of your VPN to your ISP.

PIA MACE – Ad Blocker

Ad-blocker. This tool blocks ads, ad trackers and malicious websites.

I tried PIA MACE on a variety of ad-heavy media outlets. PIA MACE stopped ads from loading on these sites. This made web pages load much faster than normal.

I also tested PIA MACE Malware detection. I visited known suspect HTTP sites and the tool blocked all of them. However, PIA MACE did identify some sites that were unsafe, but this wasn’t a common occurrence.

PIA ACE will be available in PIA’s desktop applications. You can also access it for Android if you already have the APK file of the PIA AndroidApp installed. PIA MACE doesn’t work with iOS. PIA can redirect you to the iOS Safari settings to allow Safari to block ads.

I believe PIA MACE is a powerful tool that protects users from malicious websites, trackers, and other threats.

Identity Guard

Identity Guardian is a useful tool for data breach monitoring that’s easy-to-use and that works really well.

This feature allows you the ability to determine if your email address or any other information has been compromised through a data leak. If it does, an alert will be sent.

Identity Protector was tested with an inactive email address. I discovered 9 data breaches.

Identity Guard can be used in order to verify if your emails were ever compromised. You can also set-up alerts to receive an email notification whenever your email is leaked.

Privacy & Security on Private Internet Access

adheres to a No-Logs Policy

It does NOT track your IP addresses. This includes your email address for communication with you, payment data, in order process refunds, and state and ZIP codes data (for fraud detection, payment processes, and to ensure compliance to statutory taxes obligations span>

PIA sno-logs policies are proven in court (multiple occasions). This is because PIA cannot comply with a request for data in a 2015 case about a cyber attack against a mediahouse or a case in 2016 concerning a bomb threat. PIA produces regular transparency reports, detailing the exact requests it has received.

Anyone who wants to examine PIA’s code can do so

The US headquarters for PIA are in the US. This country is a member the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. They share intelligence data.

Overall, PIA can be described as one of the most transparent VPNs. It has a strong, no-logs policy that has been tested numerous times in court. All software of PIA are open-source.

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Private Internet Access Speeds & Performance

I performed speed tests connecting to a server of each of the 78 PIA countries. In average, I experienced a 67% speed drop. But, being from Romania, where internet speeds are the best, this was not a significant problem. My US colleague ran speed testing and I was still able download files, stream content, and browse the internet at extremely high speeds. His speed loss averaged 25%, according to him. This is better than other VPNs.

I used WireGuard Protocol for speed testing. OpenVPN is slow.

To establish a baseline for my system, I performed a speed test without connecting with a PIA.

Next was to use PIA’s autoconnect option. I was connected immediately to a server located in Romania. Despite having a slower download speed by 53% (which can be quite a bit), it was still possible to surf the internet, and view HD content from Netflix in almost no-time.

Next, tried a VPN server in America. It took just 10-15 seconds to load Netflix TV. The download speed was 75% slower compared to my normal speed. I managed to download a 20GB torrent from the US in just 24 minutes. That’s fast.

It was quite amazing to see the speed at which I downloaded content from New Zealand. The websites loaded in 4-5 seconds. While streaming Netflix took 20 seconds. This was similar to the US. Online games played smoothly took only 20 seconds.

Romanian internet speeds are fast, so it’s unfair to compare my results and those of other countries.

This was ‘s first speed test. He didn’t connect to a PIA Server.

Next, he connected using the auto connect function to a PIA Server. However, he said that his connection speed dropped by 6%. Despite not seeing any changes in the online activities of his computer.

Next, the connection was made to a server in Spain. He claimed that he could download websites in less than 2 seconds and streaming content in just seconds. HTML3_

My colleague finally connected with an Australian server. Websites loaded in less than a second, while TV and video shows were up and running within seconds.

This PIA runs at lightning fast speeds with local servers, but has slow speeds with distant servers

Private Internet Access Servers/IP Addresses

The PIA Servers are available in 78 Countries.

Although some VPNs have servers in additional countries (e.g. CyberGhost VPN – 190+ Countries or HMA – 190+ Countries), PIA still maintains a local server in almost all regions of the globe.

Although I love how PIA shows the latency (and whether it is high/low) of each server, I would like to see PIA indicate the server load percent.

PIA uses static-shared IP addresses. These IP addresses are useful because you can share one IP address with many users. This makes it difficult to track your IP address back.

PIA offers dedicated addresses for a nominal fee. These IP addresses are for a small fee.

PIA operates servers all around the world. All servers are open to P2P.

Private Internet Access streaming & torrenting

PIA works along with Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu and BBC iPlayer.

During tests, PIA prevented me from accessing Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+. It also blocked less well-known sites, like VRV. Tubi TV. USA Network. Crunchyroll TV.

PIA offers great P2P service which allows you to torrent on all its servers. Port forwarding by PIA also allows for faster speeds.

Before testing PIA in torrenting, I did leak tests connecting with servers in 10 countries. All of my tests were free from leaks.

PIA is able to access all the major streaming sites and torrenting software.

Private Internet Access bypassing Censorship

In order to avoid online censorship consistently, PIA uses Shadowsocks protocol

Restricted countries are not allowed to access the internet.

Private Internet Access Plans and Pricing

We offer very affordable payment plans.

There are three options to choose from: a 1-month (or 1-year) or 3-year (or 3-year) plan. The 3-year package is the most affordable and includes extra months for no additional cost.

PIA will accept PayPal, Amazon Payment, and cryptocurrencies (Bitpay & Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin and Litecoin).

All PIAs include the same features as before and come with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.

Overall, PIA offers attractive pricing. They also accept multiple payment methods. They offer a 30-day return policy.

Access to private internet is simple with mobile and desktop apps

PIA offers apps to install on iOS, Android, Windows. It took less than two minutes for me to install Windows and macOS app.

Android

I really enjoy PIA’s Android App

It works exactly as promised. It’s simple and rich in features.

I love the simplicity of connecting to servers via power button at the top. To manually connect, tap on Current area. The complete list will appear. To save time, filter servers by favorite or latency.

I love the flexibility and customizability of PIA’s Android App. You can set protocols (OpenVPN/WireGuard), proxy settings, encryption level, proxy settings, connection options and connect to trusted Wi Fi networks ). .

Although many options can seem daunting for new users, PIA automatically sets the recommended default setting to all features so that it is easy to find them. ExpressVPN makes it simpler to navigate its settings by organizing them into smaller categories.

InBrowser by PIA, a private/incognito Android/iOS browser is available. You can clear all browser history, cookies, and sessions when you close an app.

The Android app for PIA has no obfuscation. This is the only problem. The APK version must be installed in order to use PIA MACE. You cannot use PIA’s ad blocking technology if you install the Android app from Google Play Store.

Overall, PIA’s Android App is exceptional. It’s quick to use and allows advanced users to customize the app.

iOS

PIA’s iOS apps are similar to the Android apps.

The iOS app now supports 3 protocols and not 2. IKEv2/IPSec is supported, as well as OpenVPN. WireGuard, too, is now available.

I love that PIA iOS App has a builtin Kill Switch. Many VPNs that are top-rated, such as ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN have no iOS app with a kill option.

PIA’s iOS App is missing obfuscation, PIA MACE.

Overall, PIA’s iOS App is user-friendly. It also offers many of its features and functions, just like the Android app.

Windows/Mac (Desktop)

I used PIA’s desktop application on my MacBook Pro and Windows 10 computer. They have similar interfaces to the Android or iOS app.

Only one button is needed to connect to the server. To access quick connect options and details like data usage and encryption, press a slider.

It’s easy to enable/disable PIA features like port forwarding or MACE. PIA is my favorite because it has the split-tunneling feature for macOS.

The automation options in PIA’s desktop app let you tell the VPN what to do when you use a wired, secure or wireless connection. You can also set PIA up so that it connects automatically to a server every time you access unsecured WiFi networks.

Overall PIA desktop software is excellent.

Private Internet Access Apps – Is Private Internet Access Easier to Use?

provides user-friendly, cross-platform apps that can be used on Android and iOS.

All three have a very similar design, make it easy to use and are all open-source.

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Support for private internet access customers

offers great help and support.

Unfortunately PIA is unable to offer phone support.

PIA has extensive step by step guides to help you set up, uninstall, and troubleshoot your PIA app. A FAQ section is available that answers over 100 of your questions.

I found PIA’s live chat extremely user-friendly. I was connected to an agent in less than 10 minutes. They were friendly, knowledgeable and responsive.

I sent 5 emails to PIA. Each time, I received a reply in 2 to 3 hours. Some companies even reply the same day.

It was easy via live chat to request a reimbursement. The rep did nothing to try to convince my decision to cancel. All I needed for the refund was my order #.

Overall, PIA delivers excellent customer support. They offer helpful setup and troubleshooting steps, detailed FAQs and 24/7 live chat. Within hours I received a response.

Is the Private Internet Access Quality Enough?

PIA has great security features and is easy to use. It supports up to 10 concurrent connections.

It allows you to customize and open source your apps. It also offers a range of pricing options. It works with most of the popular torrenting programs.

During speedtests, PIA offered above-average connections speeds . The connection speeds allowed me to stream media, download torrents and use games without any lag.

256-bit AES encryption, leak protection and PIA data protection. The kill switch is also available. A kill switch is also available. PIA does, however, not record any user information. It would therefore not have data that could endanger the government.

PIA comes with many additional security features. This includes split tunnelling (email monitoring), obfuscation of Tor support, split tunnelling and an ad blocking option.

I don’t like PIA’s iOS or Android apps’ obfuscation, native adblocking and native adblocking. These are not significant issues for most users.

PIA VPN’s pricing is among the lowest on the marketplace. All plans come standard with a 30-day money back guarantee.

Private Internet Access: Can it be trusted?

Yes. PIAs can be trusted.

It is a member 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. The alliances consist of countries who share intelligence data. PIA, however, has a court tested no logs policy. It has never been audited. All its apps are open-source, which makes them safer and easier to audit than any single audit.

PIA comes standard equipped with security features including 256bit AES encryption (256 bits) and a kill-switch. RAM memory powers all servers. This means that any data is deleted every time the server restarts.

Private Internet Access to China:

Yes. Yes.

Shadowsocks can be used to bypass government firewalls.

Do you have private internet access that works with Netflix

Yes PIA accesses Netflix. Because of PIA’s high-speed internet connection, I was able streaming Netflix content in HD seamlessly.

I was also able, during my testing to access Disney+ or Amazon Prime.

Private Internet Access is there a kill-switch?

Yes. Yes. PIA offers a Kill button for its iOS and macOS Windows apps.

PIA has no kill switch for Android. Android has a better feature. It can block internet connections, without VPN. PIA cannot allow users to connect from within their apps.

Private Internet Access provides a kill button for all operating system.

Source : #safetydetectives
Editor by : BEST Antivirus Review Team