Private Internet Access: A low-price, high-value VPN for everyone

This veteran VPN shows it can still hang with the best.

- SAM SINGLETON

Private Internet Access (PIA) has seemingly been around since the advent of third-party VPNs. Since that time, it’s been a favorite VPN service for many users thanks to its excellent pricing and good privacy guarantees. Recently the service has made some truly promising improvements by lifting the device connection limit and undergoing a third-party audit. So, with these new updates, how does it stack up against the other titans of the VPN market? Let’s dive in and have a look.

Private Internet Access in brief:

P2P allowed: Yes

Simultaneous device connections: Unlimited

Business location: U.S.

Number of servers: 10,000-plus

Number of country locations: 90

Cost: $11.95 per month, or $79 + 4 free months for a three-year subscription

FEATURES AND SERVICES

Upon first opening PIA, you’ll notice that it has maintained the same user interface design since the company overhauled its Windows app in 2019. You’re presented with a simple panel in the lower-right corner of your screen. By default this panel is anchored to that location unless you unlock it in the settings menu. It’s an interesting design decision and one that I’m not honestly a big fan of. It feels a bit constrained, but then again maybe I’m just used to every other VPN having a free window by default.