PIA

PIA is a VPN: it encrypts your internet traffic so your broadband provider and anyone on your network can't read it, and it swaps your real IP address for one of its servers', hiding your location from the sites you visit and from advertisers. What sets it apart from most rivals is how open and configurable it is — the apps are fully open source, you can fine-tune protocols, ports and split tunnelling, one subscription covers unlimited simultaneous devices, and it runs UK servers in London, Manchester and Southampton for fast local connections.

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Yes. PIA's no-logs claim isn't just a promise — it's been tested in court more than once, where the company genuinely had no user data to hand over, and it's since been backed by an independent Deloitte audit, with the apps themselves fully open source for anyone to inspect. Ownership is the one caveat: PIA belongs to Kape Technologies, the same parent as ExpressVPN and CyberGhost. But the court-proven no-logs record and the publicly auditable code are unusually strong, documented counterweights that few competitors can match.

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About US$2.19/mo on the 2-year plan (usually with a few bonus months on top) — one of the cheapest quality VPNs you can get in the UK. After the initial term it renews higher, at around US$4.70/mo, and rolling monthly billing costs far more per month. There's a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it and get a refund if it doesn't fit.

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Not exactly. PIA is run from Denver in the United States and is owned by Kape Technologies, a company listed on the London Stock Exchange whose majority shareholder is the Israeli-born businessman Teddy Sagi. So it's US-run, UK-listed, with an Israeli major investor. Either way, PIA's privacy record — court-proven no-logs and open-source apps — stands documented independently of who owns it.

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Install the PIA app for your device, sign in with your account, and press the large connect button — it automatically picks the best server for you, or you can choose a specific UK city (London, Manchester or Southampton) from the list. The first time you connect, your phone or computer asks you to approve the VPN profile once. Auto-connect rules and per-app split tunnelling live in the settings if you want to fine-tune things.

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Yes — especially if you're a tinkerer or a value hunter. You get fully open-source apps, a court-proven no-logs record, unlimited simultaneous devices and near-bottom pricing, all of which make it excellent for the money. Where it gives ground is polish and streaming consistency: it's not as slick or as reliable with Netflix and the like as NordVPN or ExpressVPN, which is why it sits sixth in our UK ranking rather than higher. But if configurability and price matter most to you, nothing else in this line-up beats it.

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