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vpnMentor was established in 2014 as an independent site reviewing VPN services and covering privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize the independent, professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.
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vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

Private Internet Access vs Avira Phantom VPN 2024

Table of Contents
    Our Score: 9.5/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info
    Our Score: 5.9/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info

    Our Score

    Features 9.5/10
    Pricing 9.5/10
    Ease of Use 9.6/10
    Reliability & Support 9.8/10
    Features 5.9/10
    Pricing 6.6/10
    Ease of Use 6.6/10
    Reliability & Support 4.0/10

    Reviews

    Review by our expert
    Author Image Angela Jovanoska
    Angela Jovanoska

    Cybersecurity Researcher

    Our Score: 9.5/10

    Private Internet Access has one of the cheapest VPN subscriptions available — you can sign up for as little as $2.03/month. With such a low price, I wondered whether PIA could really stand out against its higher-priced competitors. It’s been around for 10+ years, so it could be one of the best-value VPNs out there. I decided to find out just how good it is by looking into the company’s lo...

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    Latest positive user review
    E
    Ez
    10.0/10
    Best VPN Out on The Market

    I like PIA VPN the best for the following reasons: ● It's a reliable and trustworthy policy; they don... 't record anything harmful to you; strict no logs. ● I've been using it for one month and there are specific times when it speeds up my internet speed (varies by internet) ● It's a distinctive feature of DIP (dedicated IP) - I think not many popular VPNs have this feature, I also purchased this feature to avoid getting the captcha verification and it never showed up ever since. It's only been a month using this VPN but as I gain more experience with this client, I'm pretty sure I will find more good features and utilize them. Thanks for having read my review:)More

    Latest negative user review
    M
    Mike Johnson
    2.0/10
    PIA no longer works on Amazon Fire devices.

    I have used PIA for several years with no issues. Currently, amazon fire devices can no longer sign i... n to the account. Used on 3 TVs with 3 different fire devices with the same result. There is no way to resolve the issue.More

    Read the full review
    Review by our expert
    Author Image Doris Muthuri
    Doris Muthuri

    Senior Writer

    Our Score: 5.9/10

    Avira has an extremely popular free antivirus software and offers both free and premium VPNs. However, just because the company has one renowned security option doesn't mean it makes one of the best VPNs. Can the free Avira VPN really keep you safe, and is it worth trying the premium version? To find out, I ran extensive tests on everything both versions of Avira Phantom VPN provide. That meant...

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    Latest positive user review
    A
    Anonymously
    10.0/10
    No issues

    I have no issues with this VPN (although I admit that it is from my favorite security company). Those ... who write about garbled text, for example, probably have their own operating system issues with which they should be concerned; I do not experience this or any other issue—not even after a clean install of Windows 10.More

    Latest negative user review
    J
    Joe
    6.0/10
    The only problem i have had is disconnects

    Easy to install, speed is good and many servers to choose from. However if I understood the author cor... rectly, there is not an unlimited number of devices you can connect. The first level is only five devices and then the next level is 25 devices. I now have 7 devices with Avira mounted. The problem I have had is that it randomly disconnects. It doesn't seem to happen often, perhaps once a day, but it is disconcerting. Checking with the help desk via email, I was advised to completely uninstall and reinstall, Unfortunately, that has not helped. The other issue is that a site called subscribe star seems to block it sometimes after you have logged in. That is, suddenly you get the "FORBIDDEN" window popping up and you cannot click on anything on the site's screen. I am guessing that the site has some sort of VPN restrictions but I am not sure. I am trying to contact them about the issue. It only seems to happen when I am running VPN.More

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    Pricing

    Starting price $2.03/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 30 Days
    Number of devices per license Unlimited devices
    Starting price $3.92/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 60 Days
    Number of devices per license Unlimited devices

    Best VPN by Category

    Best VPN Overall
    Read the full review
    Best VPN for Torrents
    Read the full review
    Best VPN for Windows
    Read the full review
    Best VPN for Android
    Read the full review
    Best VPN for Mac
    Read the full review
    Best VPN for iOS
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    Best VPN for USA
    Read the full review

    The Bottom Line

    See Plans & Pricing
    Author Image Angela Jovanoska
    Angela Jovanoska

    Cybersecurity Researcher

    Final Verdict: Great Price for Customizable Security on Any Device Private Internet Access provides strong security with several customization options. Plus, its large server network is great for torrenting since every location allows P2P downloads. I was even able to download twice as fast with its port forwarding option. On top of that, it has full-featured versions for every major OS, including one of the best Linux apps around. It’s a great value for the price, especially with its longest-term subscription (and because it offers an unlimited number of device connections). In addition, its privacy policy has been proven in 2 different court cases. Regular transparency reports are further proof it’s a company you can trust to handle your data. There are a few flaws. The customer support is hit-or-miss. On top of that, it has inconsistent speeds on local servers, and it’s really slow on long-distance ones. Overall, I

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    Time to decide which one is best for you

    Go with Private Internet Access
    Go with Avira Phantom VPN
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    We rank vendors based on rigorous testing and research, but also take into account your feedback and our commercial agreements with providers. This page contains affiliate links.