TechRadar Verdict
Low price, slow speeds, support for torrenting, and unblocking Netflix - but the food-focused PizzaVPN is no longer in operation, and besides, plenty of other VPNs are more worthy of your time.
Pros
- +
Affordable price
- +
Standard protocol
- +
Kill switch
Cons
- -
Small server network
- -
No free VPN option
- -
Currently not operational
Why you can trust TechRadar
PizzaVPN is no longer in operation, but there are plenty of excellent choices in our best VPN guide. Keep reading to find out what the service was like with this legacy review of the service.
Perhaps the most notable thing about PizzaVPN is its name, which was inspired by the fast-food favorite. The VPN called London its base, and was developed by the ABC Gamers company.
For the privacy and security-conscious, London is among the worst places for a VPN to have its headquarters since the UK is a member of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance, a collection of nations that share a lot of surveillance information among themselves. Any VPN located in one of the 5/9/14 Eyes alliance nations, including this one, should be used with extreme caution. This is due to the likelihood that foreign intelligence agencies could request specific data from any VPN operating in these countries.
PizzaVPN offers access to over 200 VPN servers in more than 60 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Nepal, Spain, Panama, Switzerland, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Mozambique, France, Kyrgyzstan, Germany, Bolivia, Italy, Angola, the United States, and others.
These servers are separated into four categories based on their functions: regular VPN servers, SmartVPN servers, Torrent VPN servers, and Virtual VPN servers. Although 200 servers may seem like a lot, they are nothing compared to the top-tier VPN services on the market, such as ExpressVPN, which provides its users with more than 3000 servers across 94 countries. Pizza VPN has been providing services for over a decade. However, they never had their software subjected to a VPN audit - a crucial step to assure users that the network is secure and trustworthy and can protect user data from being stolen or misused.
Pricing & plans
Unlike other VPNs in the industry that give you a 30-day free trial, PizzaVPN does not offer a free VPN version to test their product. However, there is a 1-week non-recurring option for a one-time payment of $1.99, which is beneficial if you want to try out the service before committing to a lengthier plan.
PizzaVPN offers a range of different-length subscription plans to pick from, each with the same features included. One month of the service costs you $3.99/month, six months of the VPN cost $3.17/month and is billed at $18.99 on a 6-month basis, and the 12-month subscription plan costs $2.50 per month and is billed at $29.99/year. The VPN provider offers a 14-day money-back guarantee on all its subscription plans and accepts payments using bitcoin, major credit cards, PayPal, and Amazon Pay.
Privacy & encryption
PizzaVPN is based in the UK, within the jurisdiction of the 5/9/14-Eyes Alliance. The provider states clearly that they do not log browsing history, traffic destination, data content, IP addresses, or DNS queries. According to the firm, the only logs collected are user emails, payment information, and user session length data for troubleshooting purposes and deleted after one day. Additionally, it boldly claims that even if required to divulge user information, the firm would be unable to do so because the necessary data isn't available.
PizzaVPN uses the industry-standard OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, and IPSec protocols and also goes far to keep you anonymous by assigning randomly generated usernames and passwords to each VPN subscription. The service has plenty of valuable features to choose from, including an auto-reconnect feature that saves you from having to start the tool every time and a VPN kill switch that halts your internet traffic if you ever lose connection. This is a crucial feature because it stops traffic from going through your ISP by default, thereby hiding your location and online activity.
Speed & experience
While it’s advertised as one of the fastest VPNs, as of this review, the VPN is no longer in operation, so we could not test this claim. It is somewhat unfortunate that it ended this way because this VPN seemed to have had a lot to offer. Is this a temporary closure, and will they soon be open for business?
Ultimately, this is unimportant, since there are much better options available, with features like the ability to access any geo-restricted content on any video streaming platform around the world at lightning fast speeds.
Customer support
According to customer reviews from the period PizzaVPN was still in operation, it had user-friendly native mobile VPN apps for Android and iOS, and desktop apps for Windows and Mac. It was also possible to contact the provider through a contact form, an email address, and by visiting the provider's Facebook and Twitter pages. But all of these channels were unavailable at the time of this review, as well as inactive social media pages.
Alternatives to PizzaVPN
PizzaVPN may have been a great VPN when it was operational, but since it is currently inactive, you can check out practically any of the services that are still available.
The best of these include the top VPN providers in the market, such as ExpressVPN with its extensive server network, NordVPN with its quick connection and ability to unblock geo-restricted content on popular VOD platforms, and Surfshark with its affordable pricing and unlimited bandwidth. We also like the 45-day money-back guarantee offered by CyberGhost. These VPNs may cost more than PizzaVPN’s previous rates, but they offer everything you require in a stand-alone VPN service without any compromises in quality or service.
Verdict
After reading some excellent reviews about PizzaVPN, we had high expectations for the service, particularly after checking out a few of the customer's written reviews about the product. However, our expectations were dashed since the company is currently out of business.
If you want to use one of the best VPNs available right now, pay attention to the major players in the market, like ExpressVPN. Even though it may cost a little more than PizzaVPN, what you get is worth the extra money. You get access to thousands of servers, robust security, the ability to use the VPN for Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services, as well as the ability to operate in regions where other providers can’t.
Aloysius Ejike Ukejeh is a seasoned tech and virtual private network writer. He has over 5 years of experience in the technology industry, focusing on streaming, web hosting, security, and privacy. Aloysius is an expert in virtual private networks (VPNs), and he frequently writes about the latest news and developments in this area. He is also a strong advocate for online privacy and security. Aloysius spends time reading about the latest technology news in his free time.