CNET testers say Private Internet Access slowed internet speeds by nearly half, crashed often and struggled with streaming, even at a very low price.
CNET says Private Internet Access, known as PIA, has slipped badly. In its 2026 review, the site found slow speeds, buggy apps, crashes that forced repeated reinstalls and poor streaming. PIA has been around since 2010 and was once a solid pick. The reviewer says it now feels stuck in the 2010s.
A VPN is an app that routes your internet traffic through a private connection, often to protect privacy or reach streaming libraries. It always slows you down a little. CNET's team ran over 200 speed tests on Mac and Windows, over Wi-Fi and Ethernet cables. Average speed loss with PIA was 49.2%. Fast VPNs such as ExpressVPN, Windscribe, NordVPN and Norton VPN lost 20% to 30%.
CNET says people with base speeds under 100 Mbps, or many devices sharing one network, are most likely to notice the problem.
PIA costs $12 a month, $48 a year or $79 every three years. CNET notes that renewal prices at several top rivals are as high or higher per year: Surfshark $79, Proton VPN $84, ExpressVPN $100 and NordVPN $139. CNET also praises PIA for simple pricing, with no price doubling at renewal. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee. Even so, the reviewer says none of those rivals needed constant reinstalling during testing.
PIA has some strengths. It is open source, allows unlimited devices at once and uses servers that run only on temporary memory. CNET still lists a messy privacy policy and no postquantum encryption, which is designed to resist future powerful computers. PIA also takes no crypto or other anonymous payments. CNET does not recommend it for people with critical privacy needs.
Add-ons are thin. A dedicated IP costs $5 a month, $51 a year or $90 for three years. Antivirus for Windows costs $4.50 a month, $24 a year or $36 for three years.
Current PIA customers who see slowdowns or crashes can use the 30-day refund window if they are newly signed up. CNET says other VPNs are better budget picks. Its general advice is to commit to a VPN for no longer than a year at a time.
A cheap VPN is no bargain if it halves your speed and keeps crashing, so test any VPN inside its 30-day refund window.
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