# Private Internet Access

6 Hacker News commenters recommended Private Internet Access and 7 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended for port forwarding and reliable everyday use; the most common caveat is distrust after its Kape buyout.

## Why people recommend it

- Supports port forwarding (2 comments): "PIA is my VPN vendor. They and Proton both support port forwarding." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48584174)) "PIA or Proton for a port forwardable VPN." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49642072))
- Works fine for many users (3 comments): "I've never had this issue (using Private Internet Access on iOS)." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48610295)) "now my browsing experience is fixed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46172123)) "PIA and nordvpn work fine for me." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46277286))

## What people warn about

- Distrust after Kape acquisition (2 comments): "Switched off PIA when they were bought by Malware vendors Kape" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45946961)) "PIA is not to be trusted after their buyout" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46327122))
- Called among least trustworthy VPNs (2 comments): "if there ever was a red flag for a company NOT to use" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48034961)) "PIA it’s one of the least trustworthy VPNs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46261294))
- Server locations questioned (2 comments): "they are likely playing word games to not drive away their members" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46307926)) "PIA's servers were in Miami for BR as well last time I checked" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46258428))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Mullvad VPN](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mullvad-vpn.md): 255 recommend
- [Proton VPN](https://hackerapproved.com/p/proton-vpn.md): 63 recommend
- [iCloud Private Relay](https://hackerapproved.com/p/icloud-private-relay.md): 26 recommend
- [Cloudflare WARP](https://hackerapproved.com/p/cloudflare-warp.md): 18 recommend
- [Firefox VPN](https://hackerapproved.com/p/firefox-built-in-vpn.md): 16 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Private Internet Access", https://hackerapproved.com/p/private-internet-access/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).