Welcome everyone to my VPN service spotlight series. In this series I intend to take a closer look and introduce you to each one of the VPN service providers that I recommend on my VPN Services page. Today’s spotlight is brightly pointed at Privateinternetaccess (PIA). Their full name may be a tad bit too long and not so memorable so I typically call them PIA. In spite of the odd name they have proven themselves to be a very successful VPN service provider ranking high is nearly all top 10 VPN providers lists I was able to find on google. Privateinternetaccess goes for the budget market so if you love a great deal these guys have you covered. Their service is _very_ affordable in my opinion. I’ll list the cost later on in the article, but this being a crypto blog what I bet (and hope) you’re wondering is if they accept crypto payments. The answer is a resounding YES and they offer a wide variety of crypto payment options.
Crypto payment options:
Bitcoin, Ethereum, BitcoinCash, Litecoin, Zcash, and Zcash z-address (100% anonymous).
So if you’re super paranoid and pseudo-anonymous payment via bitcoin and related crypto is not good enough then zcash z-address is the way to go. I’m a bit surprised they don’t offer Monero payments as well. If I may toss in my two cents for a second, I believe Monero is the superior privacy coin. But anyways, it’s good that they support a good variety of mainstream cryptocurrencies.
Cost:
$3.33/month – 1 year plan ($39.95 total)
$2.91/month – 2 year plan ($69.95 total)
$6.95/month – monthly plan (I don’t recommend this plan though)
VPN Tunnel Network:
PIA has 3275 VPN and Proxy servers in 52 locations across 33 countries. They do not have as many countries as some other VPN providers but remember this is a budget provider and bear in mind you are paying less. I think 33 countries should be enough for most people though.
Pros:
- Very cheap
- No logging
- Bitcoin/altcoin support
Cons:
- No trial or free plan
Overall I’d say PIA is worth your consideration. If you’re trying to transact crypto securely a VPN provider is a good idea, and a MUST if you’re trying to remain anonymous. For more details or to sign-up (remember sadly no trial) please visit the Privateinternetaccess (PIA) website.