Private Internet Access
Private Internet Access is one of the oldest providers in the category with fully open-source clients and a no-logs policy validated in US federal court on two separate occasions — authorities requested data, and there was nothing to hand over. Two caveats are meaningful: jurisdiction is the United States, a Five Eyes country; and since 2019 PIA has been owned by Kape Technologies — the same holding that owns ExpressVPN and CyberGhost. Deloitte audits in 2022 and 2024 confirmed RAM-only servers and no-logs compliance. Best-in-class configuration depth and competitive pricing — paired with the highest jurisdictional risk profile among the providers reviewed here for users with serious privacy requirements.
Key parameters
- Speed7/10
- Reliability6/10
- Ease of use6/10
- Price / quality7.5/10
- Features6.5/10
Ideally suited for
- Users who want maximum configuration depth: multiple protocol and cipher options for power users
- Those who value open-source transparency: all PIA clients are publicly auditable on GitHub
- P2P and torrenting use cases requiring port forwarding — PIA is one of few major providers that still offers this feature
- Budget users who need unlimited simultaneous connections: $2.19/month on the 2-year plan with no device cap
Usage scenarios
Configuration depth without limits
PIA offers a level of control over protocols, ciphers, and routing that most competitors don't match. The dense interface is the price of that flexibility — users without a technical background may find the learning curve steep.
Streaming is not its strength
Netflix and some other services unblock, but reliability is lower than NordVPN or ExpressVPN. PIA is not the first pick for consistent streaming.
No-logs proven in court
Two separate cases where US authorities requested data and got nothing — a strong real-world proof of the policy. US jurisdiction remains a conceptual risk for users with high-stakes anonymity needs despite the validated no-logs record.
The P2P-first pick
Port forwarding, MACE, and unlimited devices make PIA one of the most capable options for torrenting. Dedicated P2P servers are available in most regions.
Advantages
- No-logs policy confirmed in US federal court twice: authorities requested data on two separate occasions, and there was nothing to produce
- All client code is open-source on GitHub; Deloitte audited infrastructure and no-logs policy in 2022 and 2024
- MACE blocks ads, trackers, and malicious domains; port forwarding for P2P is available
- Unlimited simultaneous devices; WireGuard and OpenVPN on all plans; $2.19/month on the 2-year plan
Disadvantages
- United States jurisdiction — Five Eyes; despite the no-logs policy, this is the highest-risk jurisdiction in the category from a government surveillance standpoint
- Owned by Kape Technologies since 2019 — the same holding company as ExpressVPN and CyberGhost
- App interfaces are dense with settings — the learning curve is higher than most competitors for new users
- China reliability is poor: most users report the VPN not working without additional manual configuration
Features
Highlighted capabilities bundled with this service in our rating methodology.
- No-logs policy
- Open-source clients
- MACE — ad and tracker blocker
- WireGuard protocol
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