IPVanish
IPVanish is a simple-to-use VPN with great streaming speeds and a decent security suite. (IPVanish is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) It’s the perfect VPN for beginners due to its simple user interface and provides unlimited connections. Unfortunately, it’s not the best VPN for Japan due to its inconsistent speeds. Its speed testing results were all over the place, making it hard to stream or use the internet. Plus, its Quick Connect button sometimes didn’t do what it advertised. Although we tested this only in the US, considering its differing speed results outside the country, I don’t recommend trying it in Japan.
Read our IPVanish review.
Private Internet Access (PIA)
PIA is a wallet-friendly VPN that’s cheaper than most competitors at $12 per month, $40 for the first year (renewing at $50 annually) or $79 total for three years of service. Despite all it offers, we don’t recommend using it in Japan due to its limited Japanese server network (only servers in Tokyo) and high internet speed loss. PIA also offers unlimited simultaneous connections, a benefit that pricier VPNs like Proton, ExpressVPN and NordVPN don’t have. It’s suitable for streaming service unblocking, provides a solid network of 35,000-plus servers in 91 countries and has highly customizable, albeit a little unpolished, apps. Folks who live in or frequently travel to the US may appreciate PIA’s servers in all 50 of the United States — this can be helpful for streaming regional sports, like NFL games.
We like that its apps are open-source, meaning anyone can inspect the source code for bugs or vulnerabilities, which is solid transparency. Only a few other providers, including Proton VPN and Mullvad, have open-source apps. While PIA largely sticks to covering the basics, it features some neat privacy amenities, including split tunneling on MacOS (which lets you use a VPN for certain apps and services but not others) — a rarity among VPN providers. Notably, Surfshark also has Mac split tunneling.
But unfortunately, PIA was rough around the edges in our latest round of testing. We clocked its internet speed loss at an underwhelming 49% average, meaningfully higher than the 25% average we like to see. Additionally, we encountered many CAPTCHAs while trying to perform basic tasks like running a Google search. Although streaming was largely decent, we had to change servers more often than with other providers, like NordVPN, Proton VPN, ExpressVPN or Surfshark. You can get Surfshark, which delivers far faster speeds, a better streaming experience and more forward-thinking privacy features, for a little more money. Still, PIA can be good on a budget for folks who need comprehensive US server coverage. Otherwise, your money is probably better spent on Surfshark or Proton VPN, both of which offer faster server performance and robust privacy while charging slightly more cash than PIA.
Read our PIA review.
