Private internet access vpn free review android#
Private internet access vpn free review verification#
Private internet access vpn free review trial#

Private Internet Access is far more confident, claiming to be 'verified' as 'the only proven no-log VPN service.' You're expected to cross your fingers and trust they're being honest. While most VPNs claim they don't log customer activities or traffic, there's rarely much to back this up. Private Internet Access keeps no logs on its users (Image credit: Private Internet Access) Logging This allows other developers to freely examine the source code, assess its quality, report bugs, and maybe check to see whether it's doing anything which might compromise the user's privacy.

Perhaps best of all, Private Internet Access has open-sourced its desktop clients, mobile apps and many other components and libraries. PIA's MACE feature blocks access to domains used by ads, trackers and malware, further limiting the ways in which companies can follow you around the web. You could set these up separately and for free, but the extensions make it easier, and they do add worthwhile extra layers of protection. Get connected with the Chrome extension and you'll find a bunch of bonus privacy features (block location access, third-party cookies, website referrers and more). Nothing gets sent unless you go into the Settings panel and turn it on (it's the 'Help improve PIA' option in the Help area, if you're curious). But unlike some of the competition, the installer doesn't turn this on by default. PIA's desktop apps have an option to send anonymous connection data back to the company, to help improve the product.

Private internet access vpn free review android#

PIA uses its own kill switch on the desktop, and integrates with device features on iOS and Android (it uses the Android system kill switch, for instance). There's a kill switch to disable your internet access if the VPN drops. Private Internet Access managed to protect all of our data from DNS leakage in the tests we performed (Image credit: DNS Leak Test) Private Internet Access says that if you purchase a new account more than three months after the last refund, you're eligible for another. Many VPNs say customers are only allowed one refund, ever. PIA's Terms and Services (opens in new tab) has another surprise (and unusually for small print, it's a good one).

Private internet access vpn free review trial#

There's a free 7-day trial for mobile users, and you're also covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can pay for PIA via Bitcoin if you're looking for extra privacy, and there's the usual card and PayPal options, too. NordVPN is a little more expensive at $5.83 a month on its annual plan, but Ivacy undercuts everyone at just $2.41 a month on its annual plan, $1.99 over two years. Pricing for a dedicated IP is reasonable at $5 a month, $4.25 on the one-year plan, $3.75 over three years. But using the same IP also means you're more likely to be recognized by websites, so this isn't an option for everyone. This gets you the same IP address every time you log on, and as no one shares it, you're less likely to find you're block-listed due to someone else's dodgy activities. PIA offers dedicated IPs in Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore, UK and US.

That's less than half the price of CyberGhost ($4.29) and HideMyAss ($4.99), and less than a third of the price charged by Hotspot Shield ($7.99). The annual plan (opens in new tab) is cheaper than most at a low $3.33 a month, but opt for the three-year plan (opens in new tab) and this drops to just $2.03 ($2.19 on renewal).

The Private Internet Access monthly plan (opens in new tab) is fair value at $9.95. Private Internet Access provides a range of payment methods (Image credit: Private Internet Access) Private Internet Access pricing The desktop now automatically measures and selects the real MTU value after connecting, for instance, a technical tweak which could make a big difference to connection speed and reliability.

Private internet access vpn free review verification#

The Android app has been certified by the ioXt Alliance (opens in new tab), verifying that it complies with standards in areas like cryptography, software verification and updates.Ī capable command line app for Windows, Linux and Mac enables automating VPN operations from scripts.Īpp updates are mostly about fixing bugs and making smaller incremental changes, but some could still have far-reaching effects. This isn't as powerful as a VPN – there's no encryption, it doesn't change your IP address – but you can use it on devices like Smart TVs, games consoles, and many others which don't support running PIA's apps. PIA now supports Smart DNS, a handy technology which provides a quick and easy way of unblocking some websites. PIA offers plenty of server locations, as well as Smart DNS tech (Image credit: Private Internet Access) Recent additions