Private Internet Access Review 2026: We Tested It for 30 Days
Our Verdict
PIA is the best VPN for torrenting in 2026 — full stop. Port forwarding works on every server, WireGuard speeds are excellent, and the no-logs policy has been independently audited three times. The price is unbeatable. Our only hesitation is Kape's ownership history and slightly inconsistent streaming performance.
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Pros
- ✓Port forwarding on every server — rare in 2026
- ✓Open-source clients (GitHub verified)
- ✓Deloitte-audited no-logs policy (verified 3x)
- ✓Cheapest long-term price of any audited VPN
- ✓SOCKS5 proxy included
- ✓WireGuard support on all platforms
- ✓Unlimited simultaneous connections
Cons
- ✗Owned by Kape Technologies (transparency concern for some)
- ✗Streaming performance is inconsistent vs NordVPN
- ✗US-based jurisdiction (Five Eyes country)
- ✗UI is functional but not the most polished
Speed Test Results (WireGuard)
Tested on a 500 Mbps base connection from Chicago, IL. All tests run 3 times and averaged.
| Server Location | Download | Upload | Ping |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York (US) | 412 Mbps | 380 Mbps | 18 ms |
| London (UK) | 388 Mbps | 310 Mbps | 92 ms |
| Frankfurt (DE) | 401 Mbps | 298 Mbps | 104 ms |
| Tokyo (JP) | 221 Mbps | 198 Mbps | 178 ms |
| Sydney (AU) | 189 Mbps | 164 Mbps | 220 ms |
WireGuard protocol consistently delivered 80-90% of base connection speed on nearby servers — comparable to NordVPN and ahead of OpenVPN by a significant margin.
Privacy & Security
PIA's no-logs policy has been independently verified three times — most recently by Deloitte in early 2026. The audit confirmed that PIA's servers store no browsing data, connection timestamps, or user-identifying information. This matters: NordVPN has one audit, ExpressVPN has one audit. PIA has three.
All PIA client apps are open source and available on GitHub. Unlike most VPN providers who keep their code proprietary, PIA's apps can be independently verified. This is a meaningful security differentiator for technically-minded users.
Torrenting Performance
PIA is our top pick for torrenting in 2026. The key reason: port forwarding on every server. Port forwarding is essential for torrenting because it allows peers to initiate connections to you, dramatically improving download speeds and seeding ratios. NordVPN dropped port forwarding in 2023. Surfshark doesn't offer it at all. PIA does, on every one of its 35,000+ servers.
In our tests with qBittorrent, enabling port forwarding through PIA increased our download speeds by 35-60% compared to torrenting without it, and our connection count (peers) nearly doubled on popular torrents.
Pricing
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