Private Internet Access is a virtual private network (VPN) service that lets users route their internet traffic through encrypted connections to servers in various locations. It offers software for platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, as well as browser extensions. The service is designed to help users manage their online privacy and security when connecting to the internet.
Reviewers consistently praise Private Internet Access for its reliable service and ease of use, highlighting its excellent OS support and the effectiveness of its VPN in providing secure internet access. Many customers appreciate the straightforward setup process and the responsive customer service, with specific mentions of quick resolutions to issues and refund requests.
However, some users express concerns regarding the quality of customer support, noting that it can be complicated to navigate at times. Additionally, there are mentions of wanting better performance for torrenting and occasional connection speed issues. Overall, while there are some criticisms, the majority of feedback reflects a high level of satisfaction with the service.
Summary generated with AI from recent reviews
Each source counts by its number of reviews. Only reviews written by people are scored.
| Source | Rating | Reviews | Weight | 6-mo | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trustpilot Imported Trustpilot reviews | 4.3 | 1,000 | 100% | +0.2 | ● Low |
Monthly average rating from reviews written by people · latest review Jul 2025.
| Month | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 | 4.0 | 49 |
| Sep 24 | 4.1 | 52 |
| Oct 24 | 4.0 | 44 |
| Nov 24 | 4.6 | 39 |
| Dec 24 | 4.4 | 34 |
| Jan 25 | 4.3 | 43 |
| Feb 25 | 4.4 | 40 |
| Mar 25 | 4.5 | 39 |
| Apr 25 | 3.9 | 32 |
| May 25 | 4.4 | 39 |
| Jun 25 | 4.3 | 36 |
| Jul 25 | 4.7 | 35 |
Share of positive (4–5★) and negative (1–2★) reviews mentioning each topic · based on the 500 most recent reviews.
“PIA has been consistently great, enabling me to select different proxies to get the best connection and very easy to use”
“the customer support doesn't work, I haven't slept since the scam, they make out to be legit”
Same method for every company: overall rating, legitimacy checks, the average rating of reviews mentioning each area and the 6-month trend · Computer & Software.
| Company | Overall | Legit | Service | Value | Website & app | Trend | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4.3 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 3.8 out of 5 (good) | 4.4 out of 5 (good) | 3.7 out of 5 (good) | +4% | 1,000 |
| 4.7 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 4.6 out of 5 (good) | 4.9 out of 5 (good) | 3.5 out of 5 (good) | — | 1,000 | |
| 4.0 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 3.7 out of 5 (good) | — | — | −1% | 1,000 | |
| 3.5 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 4.0 out of 5 (good) | 2.9 out of 5 (fair) | 3.0 out of 5 (fair) | — | 1,000 | |
| 4.9 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 5.0 out of 5 (good) | 5.0 out of 5 (good) | 4.7 out of 5 (good) | 0% | 192 |
Bottom line: Private Internet Access is #3 of 5 on overall rating in this group. On service, One Stop Cable Shop scores higher (5.0 vs 3.8).
500 reviews of Private Internet Access. Filter by what matters to you.
It had been working fine for months. Now, in Europe, it has been intermittent and, oddly, I am getting massive amounts of spam like never before, even with it running everytime I'm on the computer. I wonder if others are having the same problem. Has PIA sold out and allowing others to decrypt or ???
I requested aid regarding a geolocation block, to a site I had access before. This site made a full rebrand and makeup to their website and after I personally performed an extremely extensive and thorough troubleshooting, decided to reach them. They misread either the subject or the body of my email, as they tried to help just by telling me I should connect to this other vpn access point to a different website, non of them the country I stated in both the subject and body of the email... I mentioned this on a follow up email 4 days ago... 3 days ago... 2 days ago... and yesterday. Yep, non existent customer service. Perhaps this Marius from the support team has died in front of the computer, about to click "send" with the right way to fix the issue, and here I was, selfish of me, thinking they are just bad at their customer service and that I was never going to renew their service when the time comes. I am such a bad person. Pray for Marius from the support team.
Wel zo dat PIA VPN zeer goede VPN is, maar gecombineerd met falende licentie en helpdesk beleid. Nov22 abonnement met VPN 24mnd+4mnd gratis en anti-virus aangegaan. Anti-virus werkte niet, na installatie zou dit opstarten en gebeurde niets. Toen andere antivirus geïnstalleerd. Nov24, wordt mij ongeveer €35 gefactureerd via auto renewal en toen de renewal stopgezet. Mrt24 werkt de VPN niet meer. Helpdesk gecontacteerd en blijkt dat renewal van nov24 enkel voor het anti-virus was. Dan voor nimmer gebruikte anti-virus cashback op enkel de renewal gevraagd. Men zegt dat ik wel vrij laat ben met het terugvragen voor de verlenging van het ant-virus, maar dat komt omdat enkel VPN 24+4maand was en anti-virus 24maand, zodat dit maar bij afsluiten VPN duidelijk was. Gevraagd om deze niet werkende anti-virus terug te betalen, temeer ook na al die jaren het installeren ervan herhalen op niets uitdraait, op mijn klantenzone staat dat alles verlopen is terwijl dan niet begrijp dat ik in nov24 betaalde voor 2 jaar anti-virus en volgens de website dit anti-virus geïntegreerd zit in VPN, die werd afgesloten. Krijg steeds mails dat ticket werd afgesloten omdat ik niet reageer op hun antwoord, terwijl het bericht dat ticket werd afgesloten het enige ontvangen antwoord is. Schort wat aan hun mail antwoord systeem en men begrijpt hun eigen software niet, gezien men anti-virus automatisch afzonderlijk voor 2 extra jaren verlengt en voor moest dit werken ook enkel kan mits verlenging van de andere software.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most.
Private Internet Access (PIA) is a virtual private network (VPN) service that encrypts your internet connection and routes it through remote servers. This can help protect your online activity on networks such as public Wi-Fi. It is owned by Kape Technologies.
A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and a server operated by the VPN provider. Your internet traffic passes through this server, so websites see the server's IP address instead of your own. This can help improve privacy but does not make you completely anonymous.
PIA offers apps for common platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Browser extensions and manual setup options for some routers are also available. Check the official website for the current list of supported devices and versions.
PIA states that it follows a no-logs policy. For the exact details of what data is and is not collected, refer to the company's current Privacy Policy on its website. Policies can change, so reviewing the latest version is recommended.
PIA sets a limit on the number of simultaneous device connections per account. The exact number may change over time, so confirm the current limit on the official website or in your account details.
Sign up for an account on the PIA website, then download the app for your device from the official site or your device's app store. Log in with your account credentials and choose a server location to connect. Step-by-step guides are available in the PIA support center.
PIA provides customer support through its official website, including a help center with guides and a way to submit support requests. Live chat or other contact options may also be offered. Visit the support section of the website for current options and availability.
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Half the time it never connects me to the internet and if it does within 5 mins I am not anymore why am I paying so much money a month and for what while on vacation in China Might end up cancelling not happy
This company auto-renewed what was supposed to be a single 3 year subscription with no notice. Customer service was satisfyingly quick to get back to me and put through my request for a cancellation and refund though. The lack of courtesy notice is EXTREMELY irritating, but so long as you take your account off auto-renew, you should be ok.
I bought a PIA VPN so I could stream programs from the UK but it no longer works, for example U-TV tells me that I can't watch programs from abroad. A useless purchase because that's exactly why I bought it, so I could watch UK TV programs in Scandinavia where they are not shown much.
I might be dim, but flashing 1.99euro in my face, for me later to realize that 51.74euro was withdrawn from my credit card, is kind of a d***-move. I realize now, reading the fine prints, that I ordered a 2 year subscription, and not a mounthly subscription. This kind of advertising is bad costumer-service. No thanks.
Another company which doesn't value long time customers. Increasing yearly fee for existing costumer by 25% while offering new accounts for huge rebates. As a newbie you get 40 months for about 30% more than the existing costumer pays for 12 months. Well done PIA, thank you for making me look somewhere else and get a huge deal.
Have been using for over 6 months and it's the worst performing VPN I've tried out of Nord, Surfshark, Proton and Expressvpn. I've paid for a dedicated IP that was already blocked on many sites when I got it. PIA customer support didn't care at all and refused to address any issues. The apps are buggy on all platforms and generally the UI/UX is terrible. I can't get onto many sites on half the PIA servers, and especially on my dedicated IP(...) and yet on the free Proton VPN I get access to everything. Despite having two more years on my PIA account, I've paid for Proton now because I just can't stand how bad PIA is and I need something reliable. Wish I never spent money on it. I recommend to spend the little extra and go with Proton/Nord/Surfshark/Express so you have something that functions as it should.
11/6/2024 UPDATE: After further discussion, PIA executed a PRORATED REFUND which was the fair thing to do. The issues reported in my initial review are accurate, however, my inquiry was escalated resulting in a refund. Paid for 2-year subscription for use of this VPN product/ service (MacOS device). It worked okay for roughly 6 months - though there were numerous stability issues, i.e. disconnects and failure to reconnect requiring deinstallation/ reinstallation. After upgrading to MacOS 15, this VPN product/ service became completely unusable. The customer support techs worked with me for multiple hours over multiple days to rectify the problem without success. I then requested a prorated refund but was informed refunds for this VPN service was only good for the 1st 30 days. This is important because that means if at anytime, the VPN product fails to perform/ function after 30 days, there is no recourse except to engage in trial and error in hopes of addressing the dysfunction. My recommendation? Look elsewhere. A service should function smoothly for the contracted time period and if it does not, the provider should provide a prorated refund.
It's generally works well but support is non-existent. Any issue which goes beyond the common user silliness caused problems will not be solved. Support staff have no skills for the job. Not does I met.
Often slow, Most of sites blocking access. Dedicated IP is sometimes too slow, and still blocked by many providers. but the worst of all is opening tickets, receiving an email saying they'll reply in 24 hours, but they don't reply even after 5 days. I've requested a refund many times but they don't evev bother replying. Use nordvpn and don't waste time with those cheap malfunctioning services if you are using this for professional use
PIA has a refund policy for eligible purchases within a specified period after purchase. Terms, eligibility, and time limits can vary by plan and payment method. Review the current refund terms on the official website or contact support before purchasing.
PIA accepts several payment methods, which may include credit cards, PayPal, and other options depending on region. Available methods can change, so check the checkout page for what is currently offered.
Many users use VPNs for streaming and peer-to-peer file sharing, but results vary by service and server. Streaming platforms may restrict VPN access, and you should only download content you have the legal right to access. Consult PIA's support resources and acceptable use terms for guidance.
VPNs are legal in most countries, but laws differ by location and some regions restrict or ban their use. Using a VPN does not make illegal activities lawful. Check the regulations in your country before using one.
Using a VPN can affect speeds because traffic is encrypted and routed through another server. The impact depends on factors such as your base connection, server distance, server load, and the protocol used. Connecting to a nearby server may help reduce slowdowns.
Private Internet Access is a virtual private network (VPN) service that lets users route their internet traffic through encrypted connections to servers in various locations. It offers software for platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, as well as browser extensions. The service is designed to help users manage their online privacy and security when connecting to the internet.
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