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Ran Greenberg
New-Media and online expert, Venture Capitalist and investor
Private Internet Access (PIA) and ZenMate are very popular VPNs known for their innovative services and easy-to-use, dedicated apps for all major platforms, including iOS and Android. Strong 256-bit encryption, malware blocking, tracking and wi-fi protection, unlimited bandwidth, and all the other essentials you would expect from top VPNs can be found with either of these providers. When it comes to advanced features, you’ll find ad blocking, a built-in SOCKS5 proxy, and DNS leak protection only in PIA’s service. If you plan to download torrents, both providers support P2P activities, but you should be aware that ZenMate had a questionable privacy policy in the past regarding torrenting. While ZenMate offers a 7-day free trial and a 14-day money-back guarantee, PIA offers only a 7-day money-back guarantee on new orders and no free trial. These providers also differ in network size, with PIA maintaining an impressive 3,160+ servers in 33 countries, compared to around 300 servers in 30+ countries for ZenMate. See our detailed, category-by-category comparison below to decide which VPN is better for you.
Features
9.7
Pricing
8.0
Ease of Use
9.6
Reliability & Support
9.8
Features
8.2
Pricing
8.4
Ease of Use
8.2
Reliability & Support
8.4
Rating
Features
9.7
8.2
0.0
Pricing
8.0
8.4
0.0
Ease of Use
9.6
8.2
0.0
Reliability & Support
9.8
8.4
0.0
Reviews
Review by our expert
Katie Kasunic
Technology Researcher
9.2
Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the most popular VPNs on the market. True to its name, this provider is best known for its strict no-logs policy and commitment to user privacy.
Is PIA truly as trustworthy as they claim when it comes to protecting user privacy and anonymity? How does it perform in other categories like streaming, torrenting, and safety?
We tested PIA ourselves to fin...
Best VPN Out on The MarketI like PIA VPN the best for the following reasons:
● It's a reliable and trustworthy policy; they don't record anything harmful to you; strict no logs.
● I've been using it for one month and there are specific times when it speeds up my internet speed (varies by internet)
● It's a distinctive feature of DIP (dedicated IP) - I think not many popular VPNs have this feature, I also purchased this feature to avoid getting the captcha verification and it never showed up ever since.
It's only been a month using this VPN but as I gain more experience with this client, I'm pretty sure I will find more good features and utilize them. Thanks for having read my review:)
Latest negative user review
Mark Chambers
2.0
Stopping working on my MacBook Air, terrible tech supportI used PIA on my MacBook Air, for about a year without a problem then, after an upgrade, a year ago, it blocked all traffic. The only way I could use it at all was with the "use existing DNS option" under network settings (which they directed me to use back in July). I didn't pay attention to the consequences until I installed PIA on a different MacBook Air and I had exactly the same problem - all traffic blocked unless I chose "use existing DNS. This time, I did a DNS leak test and it did leak. Tech support kept giving me the same advice over and over as if my problem could be solved by a couple of clicks. They didn't listen. When I got fed up and asked to cancel, they denied me any refund even though I was only 3 months into a 2-yr plan. I rated it highly when it worked, but they were totally unable/unwilling to solve my problem.
ZenMate is a simple and user-friendly VPN. It will make your devices safe at home and when using public WiFi. If you are a novice user, you will find many helpful guides explaining some technical issues easily. ZenMate was founded in 2013; it is owned by Kape Technologies, the company behind CyberGhost and Private Internet Access. Its headquarters are in Germany.
It has an extensive server net...
Good experienceNo matter your location, using a VPN is important for your online security. I got ZenMate for exactly that and I am satisfied with it, especially when it constantly improves its service.
Customer support helped me so much and I just wanted to say that I've asked for their help a few times. And every time the support was respectful and fast in their response time. Keep it up!
Latest negative user review
Mark J
2.0
70% of the time it is not workingZenMate is not working most of the time.Support is very bad.I am using them for more than one year.
Untill now they are the worst vpn provider i worked with.I hope my review will make you think twice before you buy from them.
Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the most popular VPNs on the market. True to its name, this provider is best known for its strict no-logs policy and commitment to user privacy.
Is PIA truly as trustworthy as they claim when it comes to protecting user privacy and anonymity? How does it perform in other categories like streaming, torrenting, and safety?
We tested PIA ourselves to fin...
ZenMate is a simple and user-friendly VPN. It will make your devices safe at home and when using public WiFi. If you are a novice user, you will find many helpful guides explaining some technical issues easily. ZenMate was founded in 2013; it is owned by Kape Technologies, the company behind CyberGhost and Private Internet Access. Its headquarters are in Germany.
It has an extensive server net...
Best VPN Out on The MarketI like PIA VPN the best for the following reasons:
● It's a reliable and trustworthy policy; they don't record anything harmful to you; strict no logs.
● I've been using it for one month and there are specific times when it speeds up my internet speed (varies by internet)
● It's a distinctive feature of DIP (dedicated IP) - I think not many popular VPNs have this feature, I also purchased this feature to avoid getting the captcha verification and it never showed up ever since.
It's only been a month using this VPN but as I gain more experience with this client, I'm pretty sure I will find more good features and utilize them. Thanks for having read my review:)
Mattew
10.0
Good experienceNo matter your location, using a VPN is important for your online security. I got ZenMate for exactly that and I am satisfied with it, especially when it constantly improves its service.
Customer support helped me so much and I just wanted to say that I've asked for their help a few times. And every time the support was respectful and fast in their response time. Keep it up!
Latest negative user review
Mark Chambers
2.0
Stopping working on my MacBook Air, terrible tech supportI used PIA on my MacBook Air, for about a year without a problem then, after an upgrade, a year ago, it blocked all traffic. The only way I could use it at all was with the "use existing DNS option" under network settings (which they directed me to use back in July). I didn't pay attention to the consequences until I installed PIA on a different MacBook Air and I had exactly the same problem - all traffic blocked unless I chose "use existing DNS. This time, I did a DNS leak test and it did leak. Tech support kept giving me the same advice over and over as if my problem could be solved by a couple of clicks. They didn't listen. When I got fed up and asked to cancel, they denied me any refund even though I was only 3 months into a 2-yr plan. I rated it highly when it worked, but they were totally unable/unwilling to solve my problem.
Mark J
2.0
70% of the time it is not workingZenMate is not working most of the time.Support is very bad.I am using them for more than one year.
Untill now they are the worst vpn provider i worked with.I hope my review will make you think twice before you buy from them.
PIA offers a powerful service with a very large network of servers, no known restrictions on speed or usage, and many unique features. ZenMate also has a fairly reliable service that’s consistently improving, with very user-friendly apps across all major platforms.
PIA offers a powerful service with a very large network of servers, no known restrictions on speed or usage, and many unique features. ZenMate also has a fairly reliable service that’s consistently improving, with very user-friendly apps across all major platforms.
If you’re interested in P2P file sharing, we recommend PIA, which offers dedicated, high-speed servers optimized for downloading torrents anonymously. ZenMate now supports torrenting, but has previously prohibited P2P activities on its network, and its privacy policy still leaves some unanswered questions about the level of anonymity you can expect.
If you’re interested in P2P file sharing, we recommend PIA, which offers dedicated, high-speed servers optimized for downloading torrents anonymously. ZenMate now supports torrenting, but has previously prohibited P2P activities on its network, and its privacy policy still leaves some unanswered questions about the level of anonymity you can expect.
PIA offers a Windows app with a straightforward interface and access to advanced DNS leak protection and ad blocking. Meanwhile, ZenMate’s Windows client is very easy to install and set up, features a smooth interface that’s easy to adapt to, and gives you access to strong encryption and VoIP capabilities.
PIA offers a Windows app with a straightforward interface and access to advanced DNS leak protection and ad blocking. Meanwhile, ZenMate’s Windows client is very easy to install and set up, features a smooth interface that’s easy to adapt to, and gives you access to strong encryption and VoIP capabilities.
By providing access to more than 3,000 servers worldwide, a dedicated app, and features like malware protection and ad blocking, PIA offers a commendable service for Android. ZenMate also has an attractive service for Android that includes its own user-friendly app, with OpenVPN as the default protocol.
By providing access to more than 3,000 servers worldwide, a dedicated app, and features like malware protection and ad blocking, PIA offers a commendable service for Android. ZenMate also has an attractive service for Android that includes its own user-friendly app, with OpenVPN as the default protocol.
PIA features a powerful service for MacOS that includes access to a SOCKS5 proxy, an ad blocker, and support for the PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec VPN protocols. ZenMate also provides a MacOS app that includes malware protection and access to the provider’s entire network of about 300 servers.
PIA features a powerful service for MacOS that includes access to a SOCKS5 proxy, an ad blocker, and support for the PPTP, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPSec VPN protocols. ZenMate also provides a MacOS app that includes malware protection and access to the provider’s entire network of about 300 servers.
PIA offers a dedicated iOS app that uses IPsec as its default encryption protocol and includes built-in malware protection and ad blocking. If you need to use PIA with OpenVPN, you can manually configure the protocol using the universal OpenVPN connect app, which can be set up in minutes. ZenMate also offers an iOS app with a very user-friendly interface and malware and tracking protection.
PIA offers a dedicated iOS app that uses IPsec as its default encryption protocol and includes built-in malware protection and ad blocking. If you need to use PIA with OpenVPN, you can manually configure the protocol using the universal OpenVPN connect app, which can be set up in minutes. ZenMate also offers an iOS app with a very user-friendly interface and malware and tracking protection.
PIA unblocks hundreds of US websites from any location worldwide and even has dedicated streaming servers for accessing US shows and movies. However, it does not unblock US Netflix. Although its connections are slower, ZenMate offers more than 70 US servers that are capable of unblocking Netflix and many other websites based in the country.
PIA unblocks hundreds of US websites from any location worldwide and even has dedicated streaming servers for accessing US shows and movies. However, it does not unblock US Netflix. Although its connections are slower, ZenMate offers more than 70 US servers that are capable of unblocking Netflix and many other websites based in the country.
The Bottom Line
Ran Greenberg
New-Media and online expert, Venture Capitalist and investor
Private Internet Access wins this comparison mainly by offering a much larger network of servers and more advanced features than ZenMate. It also has a more transparent privacy policy, including a verified promise to never store any activity logs. PIA’s more budget-friendly subscription prices and faster connection speeds than ZenMate also help to tip this contest in its favor. Interestingly, top VPN providers like CyberGhost and ExpressVPN match PIA’s privacy protections while offering even better speeds and reliably unblocking Netflix-US.
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