Desktop & Laptop (Windows & Mac)
The Private Internet Access Windows app offers the best balance of performance and features, with the macOS app not far behind.
It is easy to install and immediately opens with a simple interface from which you can connect to your desired server location, access the settings menu, and view your real and virtual IP address.

A demonstration of PIA’s dark mode (on Windows) and light mode (on macOS).
More experienced VPN users can click the downward facing arrow to access a wider array of settings. In this expanded view you can see the amount of data transmitted during your VPN session, activate the VPN snooze feature, and measure your VPN’s performance.
The PIA Windows app comes with a ‘Proxy’ tab in the apps settings, which allows you to redirect your VPN connection through one extra location. You can choose between the Shadowsocks or SOCKS5 proxy options, with multiple locations available.

PIA’s Windows app allows you to route your traffic through one additional location.
The app runs in the Windows system tray by default, which means that the client is pinned to the bottom right of your device’s screen. The option to detach the app from the tray is buried in the ‘General’ section of the app’s settings, which is hard to find for most people. We’d like to see this fixed.

A demonstration of PIA’s dark mode (on Windows) and light mode (on macOS).
There are a couple of minor differences that we think makes the Mac app more frustrating to use than the Windows client.
Firstly, the PIA Mac app launches as a menu bar app by default. This means that the app cannot be conveniently placed in the dock or launched from Spotlight. Even when detached from the menu bar, traditional keyboard shortcuts do not work with the app.
PIA’s macOS application is also very slow to load and operate. When running as a windowed app, the Private Internet Access Mac app takes three seconds to load — it may not sound like much, but it can make using it feel laborious.
Mobile (Android & iOS)
PIA’s Android app is by far the best of its mobile apps, offering advanced VPN features without compromising on simplicity. In terms of looks, though, the Android and iOS apps are almost identical.
The Android app offers a range of configuration options, with more settings than some competing desktop clients.

Both mobile apps look almost identical to their desktop counterparts, which is rare.
Tapping your current server location will display a list of other options. Here, a favorites system means your most commonly-used servers will always be at the top of the list.
Android users can choose between TCP or UDP connections, request port forwarding, customize DNS servers, and adjust encryption settings.
The application can be configured to automatically protect you when accessing unknown wireless networks, or turn itself off when you’re using mobile data.
There is also a built-in kill switch, a split tunneling option called Per App Settings, and even an option to set your device to vibrate when you connect to a PIA server.
Due to restrictions enforced by Google, the Private Internet Access app downloaded through the Google Play Store does not come with MACE, PIA’s proprietary ad blocker. It’s also missing from the iOS app.
To get PIA MACE on your Android device you have to download the .APK file directly from the PIA website, where you’ll also find a simple step-by-step setup guide.
While it may have slightly fewer features, the iOS app has the best choice of VPN protocols of all PIA apps, letting you switch between OpenVPN, WireGuard, IPsec, or IKEv2.
We’re delighted to see how many customization options PIA has on iOS — it’s the platform that ordinarily gets left behind the most when it comes to VPNs. You can set a custom port, change your DNS server, alter your encryption settings and enable a VPN kill switch. This exceptional functionality makes PIA one of the best VPNs for iOS devices.
The home screen allows you to quickly connect to recently used server locations and toggle network management settings, including the ability to automatically permit trusted networks.
Both iOS and Android have access to InBrowser, PIA’s private browser for iOS and Android.

PIA’s iOS app lets you block ads and trackers via its Safari Content Blocker.
Fire TV & Android TV
PIA has an attractive and easy-to-use VPN app that you can use on any Amazon Fire TV device (like a Firestick) or any Android TV device (like a Google Chromecast with Google TV).

PIA VPN’s app for Fire TV Stick doesn’t look great.
While it’s super useful for streaming, and very easy to use, we were only able to stream US Netflix on 25% of PIA’s US servers using this version of its app. This is significantly less reliable than the desktop and mobile clients.
PIA’s Broken Smart DNS Tool
Private Internet Access recently introduced a Smart DNS feature, to change your location on devices that don’t let you install VPN apps.
PIA’s Smart DNS tool changes your geo-location to: the US, the UK, Germany, Japan, or the Netherlands. However, when testing it on our Apple TV, we discovered it doesn’t work with any streaming apps.
The Smart DNS tool didn’t unblock Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, or Hulu. The screenshot below shows how HBO Max detected the Smart DNS proxy and stopped us accessing the streaming service.

PIA’s Smart DNS tool doesn’t work with streaming apps.
This is one of the only ways to use PIA on things like games consoles and Smart TVs, so the fact that it doesn’t work at all for streaming really disappointed us.
Browser Extensions
PIA’s browser extensions come with many settings to explore, and on balance they work very well.
Bonus privacy features include the ability to prevent websites accessing your location, camera, or microphone, block Flash, and bypass particular websites.
You can also block third-party cookies, website referrers, and trackers. If you’re looking to keep it simple, you can also just choose a location and click Connect.
We strongly recommend enabling ‘Block WebRTC IP Detection’ in the PIA Firefox extension. Otherwise, your IP address will leak through WebRTC due to a privacy vulnerability in the Firefox browser.

PIA’s browser extensions allow you to stream US Netflix with ease.