Private Internet Access VPN Review: Key Features & How it Works

6 min readSep 8, 2023

Private Internet Access (PIA) is a reliable VPN service provider that helps users protect their online privacy and secure their data by encrypting internet traffic and providing different high-speed VPN servers worldwide. For this, it gives members peace of mind to enjoy their online activities and access the blocked content.

In this article, you will learn everything about this VPN service in terms of how it works, pricing, and key features, which you could consider if it is the right one for you and your family members.

Let’s dive deeper into some great features PIA VPN provides:

Key Points

If you are searching for an affordable and reliable VPN service provider. PIA VPN is considered an ideal solution for bloggers and freelancers to protect their online security by encrypting internet traffic.
With some top-notch features like the “split tunnel, hide your real IP address, and block ads, trackers, and malware”, means users can enjoy their online activities while their privacy and data are protected.
This VPN service has a global server network in 84 countries, so you can switch to any VPN server and enjoy a reliable connection.
Especially, choose the VPN server that has a low latency, which helps to increase the speed performance of your network.

What is a Private Internet Access VPN ( PIA)

PIA is a reliable VPN network that provides traffic encryption, security features, and global server networks that protect users’ internet privacy and allow them to access restricted content. Especially, The company claims that it never tracks or stores members’ real IP addresses, search history, and log activities.

With over 10 years of experience as one of the top VPN services, PIA has a global server VPN network in more than 83 countries, which means you can enjoy fast speeds internet with unlimited bandwidth.

At the time of writing, Private Internet Access has more than 30 million downloads worldwide.

How does Pia VPN work?

PIA is considered a reputable and safe VPN provider because it offers some great features like strong traffic encryption (128-bit and 256-bit AES) for users to get a secure internet connection and protect their personal data.

In particular, this VPN service routes your traffic to the server that is available on its global VPN server networks, which means you can get a new IP address and access restricted content as well as mask your online activities.

Private Internet Access is one of the VPN services that enables members to share files on all servers safely and effectively ( P2P support).

With thousands of VPN servers in 84 countries, including 50 states in the US, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, etc. This allows members to select any servers closest to them by clicking the available server on the app.

If you want to enjoy the fastest VPN speed, then consider choosing the server that has a low latency or selecting the nearest server to where you live. For example, the screenshot above shows that the Singapore VPN server has low latency, which means you will definitely enjoy the high-performance speed.

Before using PIA VPN and protecting your online privacy and data, you need to sign up and download the PIA VPN — which is available on many major operating systems such as macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome, Android, Chrome, Smart TV, Firefox, Consoles, etc.

The following is the step-by-step on how to use a Private Internet Access VPN:

Head to the official homepage and download the VPN for your device.
Enter your email and password and select the available VPN server you want.
Connect the VPN server, and then you can enjoy streaming, sharing files, or downloading without any problem.

Keep in mind that PIA VPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you still pay money upfront, but later on, you can cancel the subscription at any time within 30 days if you are not satisfied with its VPN products.

With any premium subscriptions, members can connect to unlimited devices like smartphones, laptops, PCs, tablets, etc., and enjoy their online browsing, gaming, and streaming with unlimited bandwidth.

Our readers can get up to 82% discount when you use our link to sign up for Private Internet Access:

⇒ Get Started with PIA VPN

What are the key Features of a Private Internet Access VPN?

PIA is a good VPN option for those who want to gain access to restricted content and protect their data, and privacy while browsing anonymously online.

The following are several useful features you should get familiar with in order to use this VPN effectively:

The global network of VPN servers: As mentioned earlier, PIA has thousands of VPN server networks in more than 83 countries and 50 states in the US, which provide reliable and fast speed service to users.
Provide 24/7 customer support service: PIA promises to provide customer support that is related to general inquiries like technical issues, billing, and others.
Reliable speed performance: After connecting to the nearest server, I tested PIA by streaming videos and downloading files, and it didn’t have any significant impact on the internet connection.
Encrypting traffic (128-bit and 256-bit AES), and hiding the users’ IP addresses: This helps to protect your privacy and data as well as prevent other third parties from tracking your browsing activities.
“Split tunneling”: This is one of the greatest features PIA provides, where you can split tunneling by enforcing the untrustworthy apps or websites that need to go to VPN encryption.
” P2P support”: Users can take advantage of this feature to share files on all servers.

Besides those top-notch features, the PIA VPN app for macOS is a bit confusing, where new users need to take a few minutes to get familiar with all features like Quick settings, etc.

Pia VPN pricing

PIA doesn’t provide any free VPN, instead, the firm provides a 30-day money guarantee and a 7-day free trial for using PIA mobile app for iOS and Android. Here are the three main subscription plans for your consideration

Monthly: The price is a bit expensive if you select this paid option as it costs around $11.95 a month.
Yearly: It offers a discount for purchasing a whole-year subscription, and it costs around $3.33 a month.
3-year deal: This plan is a great fit for those who want to save money on VPN costs, whereas PIA offers a good value for a 3-year subscription, and it costs around $2.02 a month.

Pia VPN pros and cons

The following are the pros and cons of Private Internet Access:

Pros

Global VPN server network: with thousands of VPN servers in more than 83 countries that provide reliable internet connection.
Provide strong traffic encryption that helps users to enhance online security and privacy.
30-day money-back guarantee.
Users can take advantage of ” P2P support” features to share files on all available servers of PIA VPN.
The firm said it never tracks or stores users’ personal information.

Cons

It is a bit expensive when you pay for a single-month subscription plan.
The PIA app for Mac laptops is a bit confusing, especially for new users as they need to take a few minutes to get familiar with all features.

Final thoughts on Private Internet Access VPN review

Private Internet Access is an ideal option for those who want a reliable and affordable VPN service to protect their data and privacy while browsing anonymously online.

It may not be the fastest VPN network in the market, but it provides a stable and reliable internet connection when streaming videos or downloading files.

In addition, PIA has some excellent features, including P2P file sharing, strong encryption, a no-log policy, and a large network of VPN servers worldwide, which provides a secure and fast speed for their users.

If you have any experience with PIA VPN, please share by commenting below!

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