PrivateVPN is a VPN provider based in Sweden. The company was founded in 2009 and is owned by Private Communication. The company has VPN servers in over 60 countries and supports multiple VPN protocols.
PrivateVPN is available in the US and abroad. The service uses AES-256 encryption (a government-grade key used to encrypt data) and several VPN protocols. The service is available for iPhone, iPad, or Android phones and is compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems. You can also set it up on your router to protect any device connected to your home Wi-Fi network.
This is a great VPN app if you want to access geo-restricted content from Netflix and BBC iPlayer. The VPN service for torrenting allows you to download large files without your ISP slowing down your service.
Key Data
| Features | Data |
|---|---|
|
Over All Rank |
#29 |
|
Usability |
Easy to Install and Use |
|
Log Files |
Questionable Logging |
|
Locations |
61 Countries, 81 Servers |
|
Support |
Ticket System |
|
Torrenting |
Yes |
|
Encryption/Protocol |
256-bit AES, PPTP, OpenVPN, IPSec andL2TP |
|
Cost |
$10.95/Month |
Features
PrivateVPN has all the advanced privacy and security features you need. Whether you need a VPN to unblock foreign content or to prevent your ISP and the government from spying on your browsing habits, PrivateVPN has you covered.
Speed and Stability Test
Overall, speeds were pretty good, with the US servers we tested maintaining nearly 90% of their original connection speeds. The international servers all delivered above average or pretty good speeds.
Speed Test - PrivateVPN - Desktop
| Location | Trial | Latency | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NoVPN |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 |
17ms 17ms 13ms |
95.31 Mbps 94.96 Mbps 95.11 Mbps |
12.46 Mbps 12.48 Mbps 12.40 Mbps |
|
USA |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
35ms 40ms 37ms 37ms |
85.50 Mbps 81.78 Mbps 87.80 Mbps 85.03 Mbps |
11.87 Mbps 11.84 Mbps 11.66 Mbps 11.79 Mbps |
|
UK |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
310ms 345ms 333ms 329ms |
9.39 Mbps 10.17 Mbps 7.84 Mbps 9.13 Mbps |
5.36 Mbps 4.21 Mbps 4.46 Mbps 4.68 Mbps |
|
Hong Kong |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
360ms 368ms 346ms 358ms |
4.52 Mbps 9.37 Mbps 10.15 Mbps 8.01 Mbps |
4.29 Mbps 3.83 Mbps 4.45 Mbps 4.19 Mbps |
|
Australia |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
439ms 440ms 441ms 440ms |
15.78 Mbps 22.72 Mbps 17.66 Mbps 18.72 Mbps |
2.96 Mbps 2.58 Mbps 2.87 Mbps 2.80 Mbps |
Speed Test - PrivateVPN - Mobile
| Location | Trial | Latency | Download Speed | Upload Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
NoVPN |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 |
33ms 32ms 32ms |
70.24 Mbps 71.37 Mbps 68.72 Mbps |
14.00 Mbps 14.14 Mbps 13.43 Mbps |
|
USA |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
56ms 52ms 45ms 51ms |
18.30 Mbps 23.22 Mbps 21.74 Mbps 21.09 Mbps |
10.15 Mbps 10.34 Mbps 9.63 Mbps 10.04 Mbps |
|
UK |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
326ms 326ms 334ms 329ms |
13.70 Mbps 11.16 Mbps 9.99 Mbps 11.62 Mbps |
9.80 Mbps 6.59 Mbps 9.78 Mbps 8.72 Mbps |
|
Hong Kong |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
0ms 0ms 0ms 0ms |
0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps |
0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps 0 Mbps |
|
Australia |
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average |
450ms 462ms 450ms 454ms |
9.54 Mbps 11.22 Mbps 13.19 Mbps 11.32 Mbps |
4.32 Mbps 5.28 Mbps 4.85 Mbps 4.82 Mbps |
All tests were performed using AES-256 UDP – this explains the slower speeds on mobile devices, where the bottleneck is really limited hardware compared to desktops. As mentioned above, the ovpn file for Hong Kong could not be found in the Android profile package (Hence the lack of results shown above).
PrivateVPN Prices
PrivateVPN offers a plan that varies in price depending on the term you choose.
- One month $7.67/month
- 4.88 per month for three months
- One year (plus one month free) for $3.82 per month
All of these packages are reasonably priced compared to the competition.
PrivateVPN also offers a referral system that allows you to earn points (redeemable for credits) when you get others to sign up.
All packages come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you want to test before you buy, you can email PrivateVPN and ask for a 7-day free trial. You will receive a gift code that will allow you to try the service without transferring any money.
Servers
In VPN networks, the number and location of servers also play an important role in the quality of service for users.
If the servers are located close to the users, they can expect better VPN internet speeds. Nearby servers also mean better latency and a more refined user experience.
When there are many servers in one location, the traffic through each server is low, which is also beneficial for users.
PrivateVPN consists of more than 80 servers in over 50 locations.
If you just look at the numbers, it’s not impressive at all. But if you look at the locations of the servers, they cover a large area.
But if they do indeed have 44,000 customers, as the official website says, then we think servers with high traffic on the network are common, and it will be interesting to see how this affects the speed and performance of the service.
There are a number of dedicated servers for streaming in different countries that you will have to look for in the server list, as they are not specifically listed anywhere.
All servers allow P2P file sharing, but download speeds can vary greatly from server to server within the same region.
There is no automatic server selection, and server sorting is sorely missed when using a client.
Privacy and Logging
Does PrivateVPN store any logs? The privacy policy states, “We do not collect or store log files of your activities, including browsing history, traffic destinations, connection timestamps, DNS lookups, IP addresses (neither assigned nor connected IPs), data content, or bandwidth logs.”
The rest of the privacy fine print is pretty much the same as most other VPNs. PrivateVPN only tracks your email address, uses cookies on websites, and possibly third-party analytics, but there’s no data sharing or other indication of suspicious activity.
While this is good news, potential customers should still trust privateVPN to deliver on its promises. Many providers are now conducting public security and privacy audits of their systems to give users proof of authenticity and independence, and we hope more providers will do the same.
Streaming and Torrenting
If you need a service for streaming video, PrivateVPN is one of the best out there. Yes, it works with Netflix as well as other popular services like Sky and Hulu – each with their own servers.
The same goes for BBC iPlayer – it’s also available through a number of servers, though not as many as Netflix. Given the popularity of Netflix, this makes sense.
For sports fans, PrivateVPN recommends DAZN, which allows users to watch most sports leagues, including the Champions League in soccer and the NFL. The company claims that not all VPNs support this service, so that’s probably (literally) another point in PrivateVPN’s favor.
Also, if you don’t know which server is best for the video streaming service you want – just ask customer support. We’ve found that this is the fastest way to get ahead in the streaming world, especially if you want to use some of the less popular services.
P2P Support
PrivateVPN is torrent-friendly and allows for unrestricted peer-to-peer file sharing. Port forwarding is also accessible on some servers. Here are the servers devoted to P2P activities, according to the Android app:
• Brazil
• Canada
• Finland
• France
• German
• Italy
• Japan
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
Despite the fact that there are a number of websites that enable anonymous P2P activities, PrivateVPN suggests using their servers in Sweden to accomplish so.
How PrivateVPN works in China
Because PrivateVPN offers a stealth VPN model, it’s one of the better options in China.
While I haven’t tested VPNs in China, providers claim that their L2TP protocol is generally more effective in China, as OpenVPN is heavily controlled and restricted by mainland authorities. In addition, obfuscation features such as StealthVPN are generally designed to trick the Great Firewall of China (GFW) by disguising VPN traffic as normal HTTPS traffic.
While no VPN is guaranteed to work inside China, PrivateVPN is one of the best candidates for bypassing the GFW.
Browser Extensions
There are no browser extensions available with PrivateVPN. So, if you are interested in that, you will have to use another VPN.
VPN Protocols
VPN protocols affect connection speed, reliability, device compatibility, and in some cases, security. PrivateVPN offers five VPN protocols: openVPN, IKEv2/IPsec, IPsec, L2TP/IPsec, and PPTP.
OpenVPN
OpenVPN is the most popular and most recommended VPN protocol. It’s open source, meaning it’s been tested by programmers and developers around the world for security and code integrity, and is optimized for high speeds without sacrificing encryption strength.
PrivateVPN lets you choose between OpenVPN UDP (best speed) and TCP (better reliability and less packet loss). UDP is the recommended option; use TCP if you have problems with firewall blocking or incomplete data transmission.
PrivateVPN also clearly allows you to switch between OpenVPN TAP and TUN modes. You’ll almost always want to use TUN mode, which only carries IPv4 traffic; if you need to use the VPN to forward other types of traffic, such as IPv6 or IPX, or if you need to access a local web server or play LAN games, you can use TAP mode.
If you’re still confused, you can find more information about TAP and TUN on the OpenVPN website. But chances are you can use TAP mode if you need to, and if not, you should stick with TUN.
PrivateVPN offers OpenVPN on all apps, including iOS. In the Android app, this is the only protocol option.
IKEv2/IPsec
IKEv2/IPsec is a popular choice on mobile devices because it offers a similar level of security as OpenVPN, but with the added benefit of maintaining a VPN connection when switching between mobile data and WiFi; with other protocols, the connection must be re-established when switching. It is also very fast, making it a good choice for high-bandwidth applications such as torrenting and streaming media.
IKEv2/IPsec does have some drawbacks, however: It only runs over UDP, so it can sometimes be blocked by firewalls. It’s also closed-source, so it’s impossible to know exactly what’s going on under the hood – some leaked documents suggest that the NSA has shown interest in figuring out how to build a backdoor into the IPsec protocol.
L2TP/IPSec
L2TP/IPsSec is an older protocol that is now mostly obsolete, but has some useful applications despite its slow speed. Almost all devices manufactured in the last 20 years support the protocol. Due to its low detection rate, it is a recommended protocol for users in China and other countries where VPNs risk being blocked.
PPTP
PPTP is the oldest VPN protocol and is still widely used today. It has been around for over two decades, so it runs smoothly on almost any device or operating system, regardless of processing power, but it has been hacked many times in its life, rendering its protection mechanisms useless.
No Log Policy
According to PrivateVPN, they do not keep any logs. That isn’t exactly correct. They do maintain some logs. Every VPN in the world will simply because they need to limit the amount of concurrent connections you may utilize with a single license. Yes, they do maintain logs.
In order to create an account, you must also give your email address. You will not be able to pay in cash, once again. You must pay using PayPal, a credit card, or a debit card. If you want, you may pay using Bitcoin.
I’m not sure if they truly delete all activity logs or not. At least, that’s what they say.
They don’t say how many government or security agency requests for user information they get. They haven’t put anything on their website. I didn’t notice anything about private or independent audits.
This is quite unsettling! So, either they don’t maintain logs, or perhaps they do! All you have to do is think that they don’t.
Kill Switch Security
Another essential security feature that VPNs should have is an automated kill switch. This simple method constantly checks your connection to the VPN servers. If you are disconnected, it takes action to ensure that your data is not routed through your ISP without encryption by turning off your internet completely. It’s an excellent way to keep your connection hidden at all times, and it may really save your data if you’re passing through a privacy-restrictive nation.
PrivateVPN’s kill switch is enabled by default to prevent automatic reconnections. If you like, you may enable it under the advanced settings under the connection guard tab. Most individuals, though, will prefer to leave it alone for maximum online security.
We also put PrivateVPN’s kill switch to the test by forcing it to close the data connection, mimicking an unintentional disconnect. PrivateVPN’s software instantly responded by preventing the reconnect to our ISP, protecting our data until the VPN could re-establish a connection with a secure server.
Encryption
Encryption is what renders your internet traffic unintelligible to anyone who intercepts it. This includes your government and Internet service provider. You may also change the encryption level with PrivateVPN.
You have a choice between:
- AES-256-CBC encryption
- AES-256-GCM encryption
- AES-128-CBC encryption
- AES-128-GCM encryption
These options boil down to choosing between 128-bit or 256-bit versions, as well as CBC or GCM modes.
The numbers 128 and 256 represent various encryption key lengths — the longer the key, the more possible possibilities it may have. More possible combinations are always preferable since hackers’ computers would have to guess more to crack the encryption, rendering the entire operation unviable.
The distinction between CBC and GCM is a little more nuanced. They both require scrambling block cipher data, although in somewhat different ways. In theory, CBC is less secure since it relies on prior data blocks to encrypt data. GCM randomizes the blocks, making them more difficult to reassemble as puzzle parts.
Customer Support
When I tested PrivateVPN, I didn’t need any help because everything was fine. However, if you have problems with your account or installation, you may need help. In that case, you may need help as well.
I tried through the company’s ticket system and got a response within 3 hours. Although they have a live chat, I have yet to see any online support from them. It would be nice to see one.
In addition to the support system, PrivateVPN has a “Getting Started” page where you can find and follow various setup instructions. You can also check out the “FAQ” page if you need a quick answer to your questions. However, not many questions are answered and some of the answers are outdated.
Connecting Simultaneously
With a single PrivateVPN subscription, you can connect to six devices simultaneously. This means that you cannot only connect your desktop and laptop to this VPN, but also your cell phone and some phones and computers of your family members.
Payment Options
Users can purchase PrivateVPN packages via credit card or online payment systems such as PayPal, Payson Direct Bank Transfer and Stripe.
But what really caught our attention was the fact that Bitcoin is also supported. Cryptocurrency is not the most popular payment method because it is completely secure and anonymous. We are happy to see that PrivateVPN, as well as other top VPN providers, allows payments in cryptocurrencies.
Refund Policy
The money-back guarantee is probably one of the categories users should look for when choosing a VPN service. They don’t want to blindly sign up and then regret their decision and spend money they didn’t have.
PrivateVPN allows users to try their service risk-free for 30 days. If it doesn’t work as expected, they can ask for a full refund, but only if they stick to the required time frame.
How to Install PrivateVPN
It is not difficult to set up Private VPN. Simply follow these easy instructions and you will notice how quickly you will be able to reap its benefits:
1. The first step is to visit the official VPN website. Then, to access the area of plans and costs, click on the icon that says Get Private VPN. You will be able to select the one that appeals to you the most or is most suited to your needs.
2. It will request an email address, ideally one you use frequently. After selecting a password, proceed with the rest of the private VPN download process.
3. You will receive a verification email from the company to confirm that you are the person who want to utilize these services. To complete this section of the procedure, click the link that appears in it.
4. After you have finished confirming your account to download Private VPN, ps will present a box in which you must approve the program’s installation on the device.
5. In order to proceed with the Private VPN download, you must accept the terms and conditions. It is critical that you read them before continuing.
6. To log in, enter your email address and password from the last session.
7. In the screen that appears following the previous step. It will allow you to select the server location you want to connect to. You may alter all of the setup, including the kind of connection, by clicking on settings.
It is not difficult to install this VPN. It is quite similar to how other VPN servers are obtained.
How to Cancel PrivateVPN
Canceling PrivateVPN is a simple process, and you can get a full refund if you cancel within 30 days. If you need a VPN with other features, you should check out our review of the best VPNs. If you’re having teething problems and want to cancel, check out our guide to buying and setting up a VPN.
- Start the chat: Use the live chat feature on PrivateVPN’s website.
- Enter your details: Provide your information and ask to cancel. Ask for a refund if you’re within the 30-day money back guarantee period.
- Wait for confirmation: check your email for cancellation and refund confirmation.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Unblock services like Netflix, Disney+, etc
- Very affordable and offers a seven-day free trial
- Premium features for torrenting
- Firestick unlocked streaming apps
- Zero logging policy, no IP address leaks
- Intuitive apps for all devices and platforms
Cons
- Unreliable speed behavior
- No smart DNS feature
- Live chat is not always available
- No browser extensions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PrivateVPN a good choice for Netflix?
Yes! In my testing, PrivateVPN unlocked the Netflix library in all but 2 countries that have servers. I was also impressed with how fast streaming was. Although connecting to remote servers causes a noticeable speed drop, all servers were fast enough to watch Netflix content without lag, buffering, or image quality issues.
Can I get a free private VPN?
Yes, PrivateVPN offers a 7-day free trial that allows you to test the service risk-free. All you need is a valid email address to sign up – my free trial was up and running in less than 5 minutes.
All paid plans come with a money-back guarantee, so you can try PrivateVPN for 30 days and get a full refund if you’re not satisfied with the service. I tried the policy and was surprised at how quick and smooth the refund process was. It only took a few minutes and I got my money back in just 5 business days.
Is PrivateVPN secure?
PrivateVPN is not secure enough for sensitive activities or for people who are worried about their online privacy. While the company boasts of being strictly protocol-free, there is no independent audit to confirm this. Shockingly, PrivateVPN’s privacy policy shows that sensitive data is collected and can be shared with authorities upon a court order. If you’re serious about anonymous browsing, opt for a service that is proven to never log user data, such as ExpressVPN.
Can I torrent safely with PrivateVPN?
While 14-Eye Nation is determined to disallow privacy, this provider allows you to torrent. However, there are about 25 P2P servers at your disposal, which means that if they are all busy, there aren’t many options. As always, we use 1337x torrent sites to see if they recognize our real IPs.
What payment methods does PrivateVPN accept?
PrivateVPN accepts all major credit cards, PayPal, Payson Direct Bank Transfer and Stripe.
What is the Connection Guard feature?
PrivateVPN Connection Guard is like an automatic off switch. If your VPN goes down for any reason, the particular application will be stopped. This protects your activities and data from being seen or accessed when your VPN is off.
Conclusion
PrivateVPN has been around for years and has built a reputation as a reputable and established VPN provider. Subscribers to the service have access to a tier-1 network of servers around the world.
Although VPN Private doesn’t claim to be the fastest provider, the speeds we got when testing different servers were very good. It is even on par with its main competitors. PrivateVPN doesn’t keep any logs. The kill switch and automatic reconnection are also great additions for users.
Even though it is not the best option on the market, it is not far from it. The price is reasonable compared to the others. The customer service is great, and the speed and security options are the best. We hope that our review of PrivateVPN will help you make an informed decision if this is the right VPN service for you.
