Private Internet Access sells one of the largest server fleets in the consumer VPN market, a permissive P2P stance, and a proven no-logs record after multiple US court disclosures produced nothing. The desktop client is open source on GitHub, which is a rarity worth paying for. The friction sits elsewhere. Kape Technologies owns PIA, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and ZenMate under one roof, which some readers dislike on principle. The company is headquartered in the United States, an intelligence-sharing jurisdiction, so buyers who plan for the worst case prefer VPNs seated in Panama, Switzerland, or Sweden. And the client, while functional, has picked up bugs on Linux Wayland and macOS Sequoia that go unfixed for weeks. We tested seven Private Internet Access alternatives on Windows 11, macOS 15, and Fedora 40 to see which ones hold the value pitch without the caveats.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mullvad VPN | Trust-first anonymity | Trial | Flat 5 EUR per month | No account, only a random 16-digit number |
| Proton VPN | Free tier that works | Yes | Around $5 per month annually | Swiss jurisdiction and Secure Core |
| IVPN | Small team, transparent audits | Trial | Around $6 per month | Anti-tracker and DNS-based blocklists |
| NordVPN | Big server network | Trial | Around $4 per month multi-year | Meshnet for personal device linking |
| ExpressVPN | Beginner-friendly interface | Trial | Around $8 per month annually | Lightway protocol with quick recovery |
| Windscribe | Configurable free tier | Yes (10 GB) | Around $6 per month | Build-a-plan pricing by region |
| Surfshark | Unlimited devices per account | Trial | Around $4 per month multi-year | CleanWeb ad and tracker blocker |
Why people leave Private Internet Access
The Kape ownership sits at the top of most switching threads on r/VPN. Buyers who chose PIA before the 2019 acquisition point to the changed ownership as a reason to move even when the audits keep coming back clean.
US jurisdiction changes the threat model. PIA has stood by its no-logs claim in court, and disclosures produced nothing. Some readers still prefer VPNs seated in privacy-friendly jurisdictions where a data request is a longer road to nowhere.
Client bugs hit macOS and Linux longer than they hit Windows. Users on Fedora, Ubuntu, and macOS Sequoia have reported broken kill switches, Wayland tray icon glitches, and reconnection loops that persisted across two or three release cycles. The Windows build is the most polished by a distance.
Streaming reliability rotates. PIA unblocks Netflix, Prime Video, and BBC iPlayer during many weeks and gets caught during others. Users who chose PIA specifically for a country’s Netflix catalogue often keep a second provider ready.
The interface is dated. Compared with ExpressVPN or NordVPN, the tray menu and settings panels have a heavier, older feel. That is a minor gripe on its own, but combined with the other reasons it tips people toward a rival.
The alternatives
Mullvad VPN — best for trust-first anonymity
Mullvad hands you a 16-digit account number, takes cash in the post if you want, and charges a flat 5 EUR per month regardless of term. The desktop clients are open source, WireGuard is the default protocol, and independent audits by Assured and Cure53 land publicly on the blog.
Where it falls short: No port forwarding since 2023, no dedicated streaming servers, and no free tier. The flat rate means no annual discount if you plan to commit for years.
Pricing:
- Free: No free tier, no trial. A 30-day money-back guarantee stands in.
- Paid: Flat 5 EUR per month, cash accepted.
- vs PIA: Similar per-month rate, cleaner privacy story, thinner streaming toolkit.
Migrating from PIA: Cancel PIA auto-renewal, install Mullvad, sign in with the number Mullvad generates for you. Rebuild port forwarding rules with your seedbox if you had them.
Download: mullvad.net
Bottom line: Pick Mullvad when the point of a VPN is to remove identifying data from the pipe. Skip it if you need port forwarding, dedicated streaming servers, or a bundled password manager.
Proton VPN — best free tier that actually works
Proton VPN gives free accounts unlimited data on a handful of servers, which puts it ahead of every other big-name provider on generosity. The paid tier adds Secure Core routing through Switzerland, Iceland, and Sweden, Tor over VPN, and the NetShield ad and tracker blocker.
Where it falls short: Free servers get busy at peak times, and streaming access on the free tier is intentionally limited to keep paid customers happy.
Pricing:
- Free: Unlimited data on three server locations, one device at a time.
- Paid: A two-year plan lands around $5 per month, a monthly at closer to $10.
- vs PIA: Similar server sizes on paid, better free tier, stronger jurisdiction story.
Migrating from PIA: Cancel PIA, install Proton VPN, sign in with a Proton account. NetShield is off by default and worth turning on.
Download: protonvpn.com
Bottom line: Pick Proton VPN when you want a Swiss-based no-logs provider with a free tier for family members. Skip it if the free servers you get locked to feel too crowded during your usual hours.
IVPN — best small-team option
IVPN is a small Gibraltar-registered operation that runs a tight ship: WireGuard on every platform, DNS-level tracker and malware blocking through their AntiTracker feature, and a policy of not asking for an email address if you pay with crypto.
Where it falls short: The server list is short compared with the majors, so location shopping is limited. The client interface is functional but plain.
Pricing:
- Free: A short free trial by request, no persistent free tier.
- Paid: Standard sits around $6 per month monthly, or under $4 per month with a two-year term.
- vs PIA: Comparable price with a stronger jurisdiction and a much smaller footprint.
Migrating from PIA: Cancel PIA, sign up for IVPN, install the client, and pick your preferred AntiTracker list.
Download: ivpn.net
Bottom line: Pick IVPN when the size of the operator matters and a boutique feel is welcome. Skip it if you need dozens of city-level locations for content shopping.
NordVPN — best big server network
NordVPN runs one of the largest fleets in the market and pushes hard on features: Meshnet ties your personal devices together, Threat Protection blocks malware, and dedicated servers cover Onion Over VPN and P2P workloads.
Where it falls short: The client is heavy and the default view assumes you want to browse a map instead of picking a city from a list. Panama HQ helps the privacy story, but the parent company Nord Security has expanded into other paid services that some users find noisy.
Pricing:
- Free: 30-day money-back guarantee, no free tier.
- Paid: Two-year plans land under $4 per month, monthly closer to $13.
- vs PIA: Similar sale pricing, wider feature set, glossier client.
Migrating from PIA: Cancel PIA, install Nord, sign in with the account you set up during purchase. Enable Threat Protection and Meshnet from the settings.
Download: nordvpn.com
Bottom line: Pick NordVPN when you want a full toolkit under one login and can wait out the map-driven UI. Skip it if you want a lean client focused on one job.
ExpressVPN — best beginner-friendly UI
ExpressVPN keeps the setup process to under two minutes: install, sign in with a code, pick a country, connect. The Lightway protocol recovers from network changes fast, which is a real difference on trains and in cafes.
Where it falls short: ExpressVPN also sits under Kape Technologies, so buyers moving from PIA specifically because of that ownership will not solve the problem here. The price is higher than most competitors on a monthly basis.
Pricing:
- Free: 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Paid: Around $8 per month on a 12-month plan, higher for monthly.
- vs PIA: Same parent company, cleaner UI, higher price.
Migrating from PIA: Cancel PIA, install ExpressVPN, sign in with the activation code they email you.
Download: expressvpn.com
Bottom line: Pick ExpressVPN if the interface friction of PIA is what you want to fix and Kape ownership is a non-issue. Skip it if the ownership question is the whole reason you are moving.
Windscribe — best build-a-plan pricing
Windscribe gives 10 GB free every month, plus 5 GB extra when you confirm an email, which is enough for occasional browsing. The Build a Plan option lets you pick individual server locations at $1 per country per month, so a traveller can pay for exactly the exits they need.
Where it falls short: Support is community-first and can be slow. The free tier does not include the ROBERT blocklist system in full.
Pricing:
- Free: 10 GB per month, more with email confirmation.
- Paid: Build a Plan from $1 per location, Pro Plan around $6 per month annually.
- vs PIA: More flexibility at the low end, similar pricing on the full plan.
Migrating from PIA: Cancel PIA, install Windscribe, and if you only need a couple of countries, pick them in Build a Plan rather than paying for the full fleet.
Download: windscribe.com
Bottom line: Pick Windscribe if you want to pay only for the exits you use. Skip it if you want fast, always-available support.
Surfshark — best for unlimited devices
Surfshark is one of the few consumer VPNs that lets a single account run on unlimited simultaneous devices. That is useful for shared households, small teams, or setups that put a client on every laptop, phone, tablet, and TV in the house. CleanWeb blocks ads and trackers at the DNS layer.
Where it falls short: Surfshark merged with NordVPN’s parent Nord Security in 2022, so the operator concentration argument applies here too. The client is polished but the monthly-only price is high.
Pricing:
- Free: 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Paid: Two-year plans under $4 per month, monthly around $13.
- vs PIA: Similar multi-year price, unlimited devices instead of PIA’s 10.
Migrating from PIA: Cancel PIA, install Surfshark, sign in, then enable CleanWeb and MultiHop for a two-country route if you want it.
Download: surfshark.com
Bottom line: Pick Surfshark when your household has more than 10 devices to protect. Skip it if operator concentration is on your list of reasons for switching.
How to choose
Pick Mullvad VPN if the whole point of a VPN is minimising the data trail on your side of the pipe. The number-only account is a mindset shift, and the flat rate keeps the maths simple.
Pick Proton VPN if you want a Swiss no-logs provider with a real free tier to give to relatives. Secure Core is worth switching on for sensitive sessions.
Pick IVPN if you would rather work with a small team you can email directly than a large operator with a marketing department.
Pick NordVPN if you want the widest feature list, plenty of servers, and can accept a busier client.
Pick Windscribe if your VPN use is thin and paying only for the countries you actually need suits you.
Stay on Private Internet Access if you already own a multi-year seat, use port forwarding with a seedbox, and the Kape ownership does not bother you. The engine is solid; the reasons to leave are mostly about ownership and jurisdiction.
FAQ
Is Private Internet Access safe after the Kape acquisition? The no-logs claim has been tested in US courts multiple times and the disclosures produced no user data. The switch to Kape ownership is more a trust question than a technical one, so the answer depends on how much weight you give to operator history.
Which PIA alternative is the cheapest per month? Mullvad’s flat 5 EUR per month is competitive without any promo dance. NordVPN, Surfshark, and Windscribe drop below that on two-year plans if you are ready to pay up front.
Do any of these alternatives support port forwarding? IVPN supports port forwarding on paid plans. Windscribe, PrivateVPN, and AirVPN also do. Mullvad removed port forwarding in 2023 and does not support it now. NordVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN currently do not support user-selectable port forwarding.
Which PIA alternative works best on Linux? Mullvad, Proton VPN, and IVPN all ship native Linux clients with GUI installers. Mullvad and IVPN have the smoothest Wayland experience. Proton VPN offers both CLI and GUI on major distributions.
Can I import my PIA settings into another VPN? No consumer VPN accepts a PIA settings export. Rules like port forwarding, split tunnelling, and DNS overrides need to be recreated in the new client. Budget 15 minutes for a full setup.
