Private Internet Access Review for February 2021

Item: Private Internet Access Review
Rating: 4.5

Friday, February 26th

2021 VPN Service Provider Reviews

Private Internet Access

Cost: From $3.33 to $9.95 monthly
7-day money-back guarantee

If you're looking for private internet connections at the lowest price, give Private Internet Access a try. Out of all the independent VPN systems we've reviewed, theirs is the lowest at $2.91 per month billed every two years, $3.33 per month billed yearly, or $6.95 billed monthly. No matter how you slice your payments, you're coming out ahead of the other services on costs.

Private Internet Access has an impressive array of recognizable logos on their website intended to give credibility to their service, through comprehensive reviews and their sponsorships of electronic freedom-oriented organizations, as the one that the majority of consumers might prefer. Their one-minute intro video is decidedly non-technical in providing an overview of what it is and how it works, which indicates that they are marketing to the non-technical user.

Like other VPN services, Private Internet Access provides the ability to browse anonymously with a cloaked IP address over any WIFI hotspot, unblocking of censorship filters, and easy setup. They have over 3,000 servers in over 44 locations across almost 30 countries.

Private Internet Access has PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec. The service blocks ads, trackers, malware and doesn't keep logs of your activities. It has multiple VPN gateways and unlimited bandwidth. However, it is limited to 5 simultaneous connections, but it does support Windows, OS X, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Private Internet Access also can be installed as a Google Chrome browser extension. There are setup video guides and each of the platform options has an easy setup guide for alternate (advanced) configurations if necessary, such as router, SOCKS5 proxies, port forwarding, and regional gateways.

Support for Private Internet Access is 24/7 but only by virtue of the fact that it seems just to be accessible through online support articles, FAQs, email ticketing, and social media channels.

Happy Private Internet Access users write that they are satisfied with the low cost, fast download speeds, no logging, strong encryption, good torrent support, and longevity of the service compared to others. People who didn't feel as satisfied said they didn't like the fact that there's no live chat (email only), the fact that it's located in the US (a privacy problem for people outside the US), and that it doesn't work with Netflix.

Even though Private Internet Access has a shorter money-back guarantee, for the low price you pay even monthly you can walk away without much damage to your bank account. And, with the good service you get as described by positive reviewers, we can recommend it as a great VPN service.

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What's the Best VPN Service?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It does just what it says. It creates a virtual (as opposed to physical) private network for you by encrypting (or scrambling) each and every piece of data that goes from your computer out onto the Internet as well as any data that comes back to you from the Internet.

So, who needs a VPN? If you're concerned about the rising problem of "hackers" - people who infiltrate computers and networks to steal or misuse information - you should be looking at a VPN service. Or, if you think your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may log, monitor, or analyze what you do online, a VPN is for you.

Continue reading below

VPN Service Provider FAQ

What is a VPN and why do I need it?

A Virtual Private Network is security software that hides your personal identity and information from hackers, businesses, and government agencies. You will want to use a VPN if you're concerned about a person or entity finding out which websites you've visited and when or monitoring your general activities online.

Is a VPN a foolproof way to protect myself online?

Nothing in technology is 100% secure. You should research which VPNs offer the best security and choose from among those options. Every VPN provider is operated by human beings who can make mistakes. But there are several that have strict policies, protocols, processes, and procedures for ensuring that user data is protected.

How does a VPN work?

VPNs give you an alternative IP address to the one your hometown internet service provider will give you. The alternative IP address can be located in another town, region, or a whole other country entirely. It's usually up to you. When you browse with a VPN, it's harder if not impossible for a hacker, business, or government agency to trace your web activity to your precise location. Another thing a VPN does is fully encrypt or scramble your data transfers so that anyone trying to peek at your data stream will not be able to interpret what they see.

How hard is it to use a VPN?

In most cases using a VPN is very simple. You sign up for a pricing plan and then download the VPN software to your computer. Once you install the software, it may ask you for some information so it can configure your services. After it's done, every time you start your computer the VPN software can immediately begin hiding your activity online.

Are VPNs good for reasons other than security?

A VPN can be useful if you want to access websites, watch videos, or transfer file content to or from other countries that ban foreign IP addresses. For example, if you want to watch a streaming movie that is only available in the Netherlands, simply open your VPN software and choose an IP address location in the Netherlands. The VPN will make it appear to the movie streaming service as if you're online in that country. However, be aware that streaming video service providers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at detecting VPN use and blocking you. Be sure to research what you can and cannot do with a specific VPN.

Is my IP address logged by the VPN provider?

It could be, so definitely do your research. With some VPN providers, your IP address is fully logged or tracked. In that case, you are not 100% protected from inquiries by businesses or law enforcement organizations in the event that your connection is compromised or comes under suspicion of illegal activities. Even if a VPN provider says they don't log your IP address, it's not necessarily a good idea to take them at their word. Many VPN companies want to protect themselves first in the case of a court order or law enforcement action against any users on their service.

Is it illegal to have a VPN?

Most democratic countries do not have laws against using a VPN. In some countries, however, it is highly illegal to use a VPN. Be sure to read the terms of service of the VPN provider as well as research the laws in your country before buying, installing, or using a VPN solution.

Should I use a VPN at home?

You don't need to use a VPN at home if your connection is protected from intrusion by a properly-configured router and Wi-Fi access point. VPNs are most useful when you're connecting from a public hotspot such as at a cafe or library. But, home use still has the advantage of helping to further secure your data and hide your location from outside entities that try to watch what you're doing online.

Continued from above...

Millions of credit cards can be exposed online at any given moment as people purchase things from popular ecommerce sites. If the ecommerce site you're buying from doesn't bother to encrypt that information, a hacker can "sniff" that information right out of your connection with the website. Anything you type into a vendor's website form becomes fair game for identity fraudsters and thieves.

Furthermore, ISPs have been known to sell their user's information to marketers and advertisers. Or, they can use it to restrict (throttle) your bandwidth and block access to sites they don't want you to see.

Finally, a VPN is useful for people who live in countries where governments regularly censor information not flattering to the state, or that they deem to be harmful to their citizens. Protests, rallies, and citizen actions that get started online usually don't have a chance of being successful without some type of VPN service protecting the organizers from being spied on.

To choose a VPN service, you need to research their features and compare their costs, reputations, security, performance, and customer service. Some of the factors to use when researching VPN services include:

Features: Which VPN features set one service apart from all the others? Why is it important to have those features?
Cost: Are their free trials and/or money-back guarantees? Is there a way to save more in the long term by paying quarterly or annually, or even longer?
Reputation: How do current and former customers feel about their experience using a particular VPN solution? If they had a bad experience, how long had they been using the VPN?
Security: Are there redundancies and safety nets built into the system in case of failure? Are logs kept of your activities? Are there enough IP addresses and servers scattered throughout the world to more effectively hide every user's activity and location?
Performance: Are VPN connections significantly slower than unsecured connections?
Customer Service: How quickly and easily can you get help from the VPN provider? How is the follow-up done?

TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best VPN Services available today. We hope these reviews will help you find the right VPN service to make browsing the Web 100% secure!

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Private Internet Access Review