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PIA S5 Proxy

Provides secure, high-speed proxy access for privacy and network management.

Our take: PIA S5 Proxy is a usage-billed residential and SOCKS5 proxy platform; entry starts at $12.50 for 5 GB or $36 for 150 IPs (one-time, no expiry).

Best forPrivacy‑focused users
ReviewedPricing: Offline
5.9 out of 105 criteria · see breakdown
From $12.50 (5 GB) or $36 (150 IPs)
Status: offline (checked 3 October 2026)

piaproxy.com and www.piaproxy.com have no DNS record. The Internet Archive's last working capture of the site is from 1 January 2026.

On 28 January 2026, Google's Threat Intelligence Group said it had disrupted the IPIDEA residential proxy network, and reporting on that action named PIA S5 among the brands controlled by the same operators. Other sites now use the PIA S5 name, but we could not confirm that any of them is the original service, so we have removed our link.

Checked October 3, 2026
The bottom line

Aggressively priced proxy network with the world's largest claimed IP pool, but serious ethical sourcing concerns and post-crackdown reliability issues limit it to price-sensitive, risk-tolerant buyers.

Our score

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team. Hover a facet to focus it; click to pin.Tap a facet to focus it.

Community ratings

Shown for context only. Our score is independent.

G2
5.0 out of 5
5+ reviews
Trustpilot
3.7 out of 5
150+ reviews

3.7 / 5 aggregate · across 2 sources

Third-party ratings shown verbatim; aggregate weighted by review volume.

What it is, and why we rate it

One line each. Open a row for detail.

What it really isPIA S5 Proxy — large-scale commercial residential SOCKS5 & rotating proxy network.
Our takePIA S5 Proxy is a usage-billed residential and SOCKS5 proxy platform; entry starts at $12.50 for 5 GB or $36 for 150 IPs (one-time, no expiry).
The service has no free trial and operates on crypto-only payments with no KYC. It claims 350M+ residential IPs across 200+ countries and supports country, city, and ISP-level targeting, making it a compelling option for web scraping and multi-account management. However, in January 2026 it was identified as one of several brands reselling IPIDEA's proxy network, which Google disrupted for botnet-linked activity — a significant ethical and reliability flag for enterprise buyers.
Why we rate itThe largest SOCKS5 IP pool on the market combined with usage-based, never-expiring credits makes PIA S5 a uniquely flexible tool for high-volume proxy consumers who aren't locked into monthly billing cycles.
Its desktop proxy manager, broad geo-targeting, and multiprotocol support (HTTP/S + SOCKS5) give it genuine utility — if you can accept the sourcing controversy.
The catchIn January 2026, Google disrupted IPIDEA's network (which PIA S5 resells), raising botnet-sourcing concerns and causing service instability.
Performance testing also revealed speeds well below marketing claims, inconsistent uptime, and support response times of 24–48 hours.

Best / not good for

Best for
  • High-volume web scraping and data collection on a tight per-IP budget
  • Social media multi-accounting with antidetect browsers
  • E-commerce price monitoring requiring broad global geo-coverage
Not good for
  • Enterprise buyers needing ethically sourced IPs and compliance guarantees
  • Users requiring fast, responsive customer support or SLA-backed uptime
  • Projects where payment anonymity (crypto-only, no KYC) is a compliance risk
Trade-offs

Friction report

Trade-offs to know before signing up.

  1. Time to value
    Moderate: crypto-only checkout adds friction for new users; once funded, IPs are accessible immediately via desktop app or API.
  2. Scale breakpoint
    Per-IP and per-GB costs drop significantly at volume, but reliability and sourcing concerns grow as scale and visibility increase — particularly after the January 2026 IPIDEA disruption.
  3. Walled garden
    Moderate: IP and GB credits are tied to the platform; crypto-only payments make chargebacks or refunds effectively impossible.

A look inside

PIA S5 Proxy product screenshot

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a mobile time clock with facial recognition for employees?

Mobile time clocks with facial recognition allow employees to log hours securely.

Can users access the internet anonymously with this residential proxy service?

Yes, residential proxy services enable users to access the internet anonymously, rotate IPs, and scrape data securely.

How does a PIA S5 Proxy service allow users to manage a pool of residential IP addresses for anonymous web scraping?

A PIA S5 Proxy service manages a pool of residential IP addresses, enabling anonymous and rotating connections for web scraping.

How does this proxy service provide secure, anonymous internet access for privacy and testing purposes?

Proxy services provide secure, anonymous internet access by routing traffic through private servers and masking IP addresses for privacy and testing.

What capabilities does this proxy service provide for secure and anonymous internet browsing?

The proxy service enables secure, anonymous browsing, IP masking, and protection against online tracking and geoblocking.

Alternatives

  • Step up

    Bright Data or Oxylabs for ethically sourced residential proxies with SLA, compliance guarantees, and enterprise support.

  • Lighter alternative

    Webshare for lower-volume scraping needs with standard payment methods and a freemium entry point.

Showing 1–2 of 2

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Tags

#Proxy#Privacy

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