Private Internet Access

$9.95 (about £7.99)/month

If transparency is your thing, then Private Internet Access may be for you. Its entire code base is open-sourced to make it easy to audit, which explains why it only supports the WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols (defaulting to the latter at 128 bit.)

PIA has a reputation for excellent performance, but in our tests it was among the also-rans, lagging some way behind the top performers. It does, however, offer a slick, simple interface accessible from the menu bar that can unfold to reveal all kinds of useful stats and settings.

FROM privateinternetaccess.com

It also offers a generous 10 simultaneous connections – only Windscribe’s unlimited option beats it – and you can road test PIA on your iPhone for up to seven days. Sadly, the Mac version offers no such trial. It does offer deep discounts for even a single year’s subscription $3.33 (about £2.50)/month) – though, making it one of the most affordable on test, so you do get value for money.

VERDICT

Very privacy focused Great value for money Within 5 Eyes jurisdiction Not the quickest