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PROS
- Multi-hop and split tunneling
- 10 simultaneous connections
- Numerous server locations
- Good Speedtest scores
- Third-party audit completed
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CONS
- Expensive
- There is no free version.
If you choose to activate an VPN that encrypts all the internet traffic you use and then transmits it to a server that is controlled by the VPN company. This makes sure that nobody or even your ISP, is able to see what you’re doing on the internet and makes it difficult for snoops as well as advertisers who track your activities on the internet. While it’s among the most enduring contenders in the market Private Internet Access VPN is one of the most reliable VPNs. It has dual simultaneous connections to the majority of rivals, and has high scores in our tests, and has an impressive interface, and its sophisticated network settings allow tinkerers to tinker. A recent audit by a third party aids in establishing credibility with customers. Be aware, however, the fact that Private Internet Access has grown gradually more expensive over the past few years.
How Much Does Private Internet Access VPN Cost?
Private Internet Access provides three different pricing options that start with $11.95 monthly. This is nearly triple the $6.95 that the company charged when we first looked at it several years back. This is also a lot higher than that $9.78 per month average that we’ve seen for all the VPNs we test. It’s a lot more expensive than our top list of most affordable VPNs. Comparable top VPNs do more for less. Mullvad VPN is our cheapest Editors’ Choice award winner at only 5 euros per month ($4.97 at the time at the time of this writing).
As with most VPNs like the rest, as with most, the Private Internet Access VPN offers longer-term subscriptions at significant discounts. One-year plans cost $39.95 and is considerably lower that the $65.57 average that we’ve seen from the VPNs we’ve examined. Privacy Internet Access also offers the option of a three-year subscription that costs $79. While subscriptions at these rates will be renewed at the same cost however, this is not always the situation. The company alters the structure of its subscriptions frequently, therefore make sure you be sure to read the fine print.
Although discounts can be tempting but we recommend not beginning with an ongoing subscription. Instead, you should start with the short-term option so you are able to try the VPN from your home , and then see whether the VPN will meet your needs.
In the event that Private Internet Access VPN is too expensive for you It’s important to note that there are other worthwhile VPN services for free to pick from. Proton VPN However, it is the most reliable free VPN we’ve ever tested for a variety of reasons, primarily because it doesn’t impose any limitations on data usage for free users.
To purchase a subscription, Private Internet Access VPN accepts Amazon payment methods as well as credit cards, cryptocurrency as well as PayPal. Editors Choice top performers IVPN as well as Mullvad VPN offer more choices for payment options that are anonymous, and accept cash directly at their headquarters.
What Do You Get for Your Money?
You can connect up 10 devices simultaneously using one Private Internet Access VPN subscription that’s more than double the number of devices we’ve seen on the marketplace. However, the industry may be shifting away from this model completely. Atlas VPN, Avira Phantom VPN, IPVanish VPN, Surfshark VPN, and TunnelBear VPN all put no limit in the amount of concurrent connections.
The Private Internet Access VPN provides split tunneling that lets you choose the apps that send data via VPN VPN and which apps send data out in the open. This is useful when you are doing high-bandwidth, low-risk tasks like streaming videos. It also has a multi-hop option that sends your internet traffic via two VPN servers rather than just one. The Private Internet Access VPN handles this in a different way than other VPN providers, allowing you to select the proxy settings, and then the second one.
The company is not able to offer directly access directly to Tor anonymization network through VPN however, we must not forget that the use of a VPN is not required to use Tor. It is free to access the Tor network. Editors choice top picks Proton VPN and NordVPN both have access to Tor multi-hop connections and split tunneling.
Many VPN firms add additional security and privacy features to attract users. In this regard, Private Internet Access VPN comes with its own tracker- and ad-blocking tool, MACE. Private Internet Access informs us that Google’s regulations require this feature been removed from the Android application. It also suggests that customers who wish to use MACE on Android add an APK from its website. However, it’s important to remember that sideloading is always associated with a risk. Private Internet Access also offers an free monitoring of email breaches services that is similar to HaveIBeenPwned.
Private Internet Access VPN also supports port forwarding on a few servers. This is a sophisticated setting that is not essential to use the use of a VPN it is sure to appreciate by networks hackers.
Since the last time we reviewed it, Private Internet Access VPN has been providing dedicated IP addresses for clients. This means you will have the same IP address each whenever you sign up to the VPN. In theory, this should look less suspicious as a continually changing or recognized VPN IP address. It could thus avoid being blocked by web sites that restrict VPN access such as banks or streaming services. The monthly cost is $5 per address and long-term dedicated IP subscriptions come with substantial discounts. In addition, you pay for the basic Private Internet Access VPN subscription. Customers who are already customers can choose an amount of time for the billing of their IP address. IP addresses are accessible across Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore, the UK as well as the US.
Alongside a few other VPN businesses, Private Internet Access VPN provides antivirus protection for Windows devices at $1.49 per month. There are, again, discounts on longer subscriptions. Editors choice winner NordVPN along with Surfshark VPN both offer antivirus tools, but we were not impressed by their performance. We’re excited to test the Private Internet Access VPN’s antivirus in the near future.
While VPNs are great tools to improve your online privacy however, they are not able to protect you from all threats. We strongly recommend using an independent antivirus to secure your PC and utilizing with a password management program to generate distinct and complicated passwords for each website and service as well as enable multi-factor authentication in any location it is accessible.
What VPN Protocols Does Private Internet Access Support?
VPN technology is available in various varieties, each with different protocols that are used to create an encrypted connection. We recommend OpenVPN as it is open source and is therefore analyzed by volunteers for vulnerabilities. The open-source VPN closest to the original can be found in WireGuard that features newer technology and the potential to provide even better performance. WireGuard isn’t yet fully developed and hasn’t yet been popular as OpenVPN.
Private Internet Access supports OpenVPN and WireGuard across all platforms. In addition the iOS application is compatible with the IKEv2 protocol which is an excellent feature.
Servers and Server Locations
The wide range of server locations provides you with greater options for creating fake locations and improves the odds that you will find a service close to any place you’re. VPN Private Internet Access VPN has a decent mix of locations having servers in the 84 countries. This is a lot more than average and is close to matching ExpressVPN’s impressive selection of the 94 countries. Particularly noteworthy is the fact the fact that Private Internet Access VPN boasts several server locations in Africa as well as South America, two regions often overlooked by other VPN providers.
The company has recently announced that it has servers available across all fifty US states. This is great news for residents who might not want their internet traffic to be redirected across the country just because they’ve signed up for VPN. VPN.
We’ve always believed that the number of servers don’t reveal anything about the overall quality of an VPN service. Businesses will maintain an appropriate number of servers to satisfy its clients’ requirements, and will roll new servers and shut them down when needed. Internet Access VPN is a private company. Internet Access VPN declined to reveal how big the server fleet it has, however, we were able to confirm that it runs more than 500 servers. The company did mention that it is upgrading its servers to support 10Gbps.
Certain VPN services utilize virtual locations that look like servers located in the country of origin but could be actually located in another. It is to its credit that Private Internet Access VPN has clearly indicated which of its locations are virtual and disclosed the actual location of servers in an blog article. It is clear that more than half of the VPN’s sites are virtual. Although virtual locations aren’t necessarily problematic, we would prefer to have VPN services not be as dependent on these locations. ExpressVPN’s server network, for instance is less than 3percent virtual.
Private Internet Access VPN shows which servers are located within the country they claim to be.
Following the adoption of an updated national security law that affects Hong Kong, Private Internet Access VPN announced that it would be removing its servers in the city. Instead the company has arranged for virtual servers situated in other parts in China for them to offer VPN services in Hong Kong. This is an excellent way to make use of virtual locations as they cover a potentially risky area while making sure the server is located in a safe location. Secure Internet Access VPN has virtual locations for countries with strict internet laws including Turkey as well as Vietnam. Private Internet Access VPN does not provide any services, whether virtual or other than located in Russia.
VPN providers can also utilize virtual servers, where one hardware device plays host to multiple software-defined servers. A representative from the company tells us that Private Internet Access VPN does not have its own servers, which isn’t unusual, but it only has the dedicated servers of hardware. Many VPN businesses like Private Internet Access VPN, have switched to diskless RAM-only servers which don’t save any data on hard disks, making them immune to physical manipulation.