{"slug": "private-internet-access", "name": "Private Internet Access", "category": "networking", "category_name": "Networking and VPN", "description": "", "recommenders": 3, "commenters": 6, "warners": 2, "score": 1.336, "rising": 0.35, "first": "2025-12-13", "latest": "2026-09-10", "why": "Managed to get up and running quickly with this and https://github.com/pia-foss/manual-connections for Private Internet Access.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 2}, "spark": [0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0], "listed": true, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Managed to get up and running quickly with this and https://github.com/pia-foss/manual-connections for Private Internet Access.", "kind": "", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/pia-foss/manual-connections", "official_url": "https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Private Internet Access"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 794273153, "item_id": 49642072, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49642072", "by": "nekusar", "date": "2026-09-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "PIA or Proton for a port forwardable VPN.", "excerpt": "And Jellyfin for the server. And whatever leftover storage you have. And PIA or Proton for a port forwardable VPN. And https://github.com/halcyon-video/halcyon-video for that real Blockbuster experience.", "context": "", "use_case": "Port-forwardable VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/year more than in 2021"}, {"id": 784814673, "item_id": 49050917, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49050917", "by": "QGQBGdeZREunxLe", "date": "2026-07-25", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Managed to get up and running quickly with this and https://github.com/pia-foss/manual-connections for Private Internet Access.", "excerpt": "Managed to get up and running quickly with this and https://github.com/pia-foss/manual-connections for Private Internet Access. WGConfig = \"/etc/wireguard/pia.conf\" # Socks5 creates a socks5 proxy on your LAN, and all traffic would be routed via wireguard. [Socks5] BindAddress = 127.0.0.1:25344", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Firefox Containers Preview"}, {"id": 740436577, "item_id": 46277286, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46277286", "by": "gruez", "date": "2025-12-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "PIA and nordvpn work fine for me.", "excerpt": "Of the largest providers[1], PIA and nordvpn work fine for me. [1] https://ipinfo.io/tools/vpn-providers-detected", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "SoundCloud has banned VPN access"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 741634448, "item_id": 46352153, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46352153", "by": "wkat4242", "date": "2025-12-22", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "I moved away from PIA in the past", "excerpt": "I only use OpenVPN (another reason to move away from Mullvad), not their own clients. I moved away from PIA in the past, I don't remember why, it was a long time ago. I was happy with Mullvad for a long time, especially being able to buy their scratch cards, but now I had to move to Proton due to the deprecation of port forwarding and openvpn at mullvad. But PIA is american anyway so that won't work for me, I'm not s", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks"}, {"id": 740180704, "item_id": 46261294, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46261294", "by": "jb1991", "date": "2025-12-13", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "PIA it\u2019s one of the least trustworthy VPNs, highly recommend getting a different one.", "excerpt": "PIA it\u2019s one of the least trustworthy VPNs, highly recommend getting a different one.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "VPN location claims don't match real traffic exits"}]}], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["port-forwardable vpn", "vpn"], "compared": [{"slug": "mullvad", "name": "Mullvad", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "proton-vpn", "name": "Proton VPN", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49641215", "title": "The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/year more than in 2021", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48995409", "title": "Firefox Containers Preview", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46388185", "title": "Governments in the West Are Turning Their Sights on VPNs", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46324078", "title": "Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46269891", "title": "SoundCloud has banned VPN access", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46257339", "title": "VPN location claims don't match real traffic exits", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {"warn": 2, "recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "versions": [], "version_unnamed": 0, "family_ref": null, "runs_on": null, "lines": [], "quotes": [{"id": 794273153, "item_id": 49642072, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49642072", "by": "nekusar", "date": "2026-09-10", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "PIA or Proton for a port forwardable VPN.", "excerpt": "And Jellyfin for the server. And whatever leftover storage you have. And PIA or Proton for a port forwardable VPN. And https://github.com/halcyon-video/halcyon-video for that real Blockbuster experience.", "context": "", "use_case": "Port-forwardable VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "The same nine streaming subscriptions cost $702/year more than in 2021"}, {"id": 784814673, "item_id": 49050917, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49050917", "by": "QGQBGdeZREunxLe", "date": "2026-07-25", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Managed to get up and running quickly with this and https://github.com/pia-foss/manual-connections for Private Internet Access.", "excerpt": "Managed to get up and running quickly with this and https://github.com/pia-foss/manual-connections for Private Internet Access. WGConfig = \"/etc/wireguard/pia.conf\" # Socks5 creates a socks5 proxy on your LAN, and all traffic would be routed via wireguard. [Socks5] BindAddress = 127.0.0.1:25344", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Firefox Containers Preview"}, {"id": 742245890, "item_id": 46390368, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46390368", "by": "mft_", "date": "2025-12-26", "version": null, "stance": "neutral", "quote": "Private Internet Access", "excerpt": "ExpressVPN Cyber ghost Private Internet Access ZenMate Intego VPN According to [0] though there are various other sites that roughly align with this list. [0] https://blog.boycat.io/posts/expressvpn-israeli-ownership-1b-privacy-risk", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Governments in the West Are Turning Their Sights on VPNs"}, {"id": 741634448, "item_id": 46352153, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46352153", "by": "wkat4242", "date": "2025-12-22", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "I moved away from PIA in the past", "excerpt": "I only use OpenVPN (another reason to move away from Mullvad), not their own clients. I moved away from PIA in the past, I don't remember why, it was a long time ago. I was happy with Mullvad for a long time, especially being able to buy their scratch cards, but now I had to move to Proton due to the deprecation of port forwarding and openvpn at mullvad. But PIA is american anyway so that won't work for me, I'm not s", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "Amazon will allow ePub and PDF downloads for DRM-free eBooks"}, {"id": 740436577, "item_id": 46277286, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46277286", "by": "gruez", "date": "2025-12-15", "version": null, "stance": "recommend", "quote": "PIA and nordvpn work fine for me.", "excerpt": "Of the largest providers[1], PIA and nordvpn work fine for me. [1] https://ipinfo.io/tools/vpn-providers-detected", "context": "", "use_case": "", "switched_from": "", "story": "SoundCloud has banned VPN access"}, {"id": 740180704, "item_id": 46261294, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46261294", "by": "jb1991", "date": "2025-12-13", "version": null, "stance": "warn", "quote": "PIA it\u2019s one of the least trustworthy VPNs, highly recommend getting a different one.", "excerpt": "PIA it\u2019s one of the least trustworthy VPNs, highly recommend getting a different one.", "context": "", "use_case": "VPN", "switched_from": "", "story": "VPN location claims don't match real traffic exits"}]}