PrivateVPN
Review

The name of PrivateVPN is what attracts people’s attention. The company was created in Sweden in 2009 under the name privatvpn.se before changing its name to Privat Kommunikation Sverige AB. With a name like PrivateVPN, you’d think it’d be packed with great privacy and security features.

The webpage of PrivateVPN is colorful and lively, with just enough information to keep visitors happy. They’ll tell you right away that they provide a 30-day money-back assurance and discounts (if any).

They will also notify you that all of their plans include all of the features. These include unrestricted speed, VPN protocols, server location, and server switch options.

They also insist on having a zero data logging policy. This, however, is only a marketing trick, as you’ll learn later. After all, Sweden is part of the 14-Eyes monitoring alliance.

When it comes to mentions of PrivateVPN across the internet, customers generally have no negative things to say about it. On the contrary, the reviews are relatively positive. The company maintains a Twitter page among other social media accounts, and it communicates well with followers, tweeting out announcements, new updates, installation guides, server locations, and more.

PrivateVPN is based in Sweden and has 200+ servers in major cities across 60 countries. The VPN service routes your connections via OpenVPN, IPSec, IKEV2, L2TP, or PPTP protocols and uses 256-bit encryption to scramble your information resulting in complete anonymity online. It provides native apps for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, and Routers that enable unrestricted browsing without coding or complicated setup. Additionally, this VPN service has some privately owned torrenting servers, port forwarding options, and a reliable kill switch on the windows app.

This VPN has over 200 servers in 60 different locations, these are located in most major cities, but the number is still minimal because the best VPN service providers have more servers than that.

They are mainly in the Americas, popular Western Europe countries, and a few in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

PrivateVPN offers inconsistent connection speeds across different servers. However, it is fast when connected to a local server. Tests using a 100mbps optical fiber router and UDP OpenVPN connection show download speeds of about 94mbps and upload speeds of about 95 Mbps. This implies a 6 % drop in download speeds, which is still adequate for most internet activities.

Meanwhile, PrivateVPN international speeds are significantly slower, and its overcrowded servers frequently cause slowdowns. For example, when surfing from London using a Singapore server, 68 percent lower. Likewise, the speed drops by 51% when using an Australian server and 16% when using a Toronto-based server.

Although these numbers aren’t the fastest on the market, you can still stream, surf, and torrent easily. You should be cautious of its slow, overloaded servers, though. But with a little iterative process, you should be able to locate a faster server on the list of available servers.

PrivateVPN is secure enough for typical web browsing activities. If you check their FAQ page, you’ll notice that they employ OpenVPN with a 128-bit CBC scrambler for TAP. When it comes to TUN, they use AES-256 and SHA256 scramblers for Hash-Based Message Authentication. Furthermore, they have TLSv1.2, ciphers TLSv1/SSLv3, and 2048-bit RSA.

This is cutting-edge security that is impregnable to brute-force attacks. Moreover, it’s bank-grade encoding, so you can feel safe entrusting your information.

The company also provides a kill switch on its Windows VPN application and promises to deliver one for the Mac VPN app soon. There’s also DNS leak protection, which prevents traffic from leaving the protected VPN tunnel.

However, this VPN service lacks the advanced capabilities that other top VPNs offer. For example, there are no RAM-based servers. In addition, split tunneling is not possible.

PrivateVPN lets you know upfront that they route your connection through the following protocols:

• OpenVPN
• PPTP
• L2TP
• IKEv2
• IPSec

This VPN service suffers from a few issues when it comes to privacy. First, they say they follow a zero data logging policy. They do, however, record your Internet address plus cookies. Indeed, they even say that websites may not load correctly on their infrastructure if you deactivate cookies. Moreover, they may sell your information to other parties. Because of this shady logging strategy, PrivateVPN is private in name only. Such duplicity just erodes user trust.

The VPN service is also based in Sweden, which is a part of the 14-Eyes surveillance alliance. Sweden used to be a safe jurisdiction for VPN service providers. However, the country has recently tightened data retention regulations to make it essential for VPN companies to store user logs.

As per significant internet security reports, Sweden intends to implement VPN monitoring and legislate that its internet is designed to maximize state surveillance. This may spell disaster for VPN providers. However, thus far, the corporation has been quite open with its clients about the regulatory changes.

Yes, PrivateVPN is excellent for streaming. Indeed, this VPN service was created with Netflix in mind. Because, unlike other VPNs, PrivateVPN allows you to unblock US Netflix and Netflix Canada, Uk, France, Netherlands, etc., by simply connecting to the appropriate server. It unlocks 14 Netflix regions in total.

PrivateVPN also unblocks several streaming providers worldwide, including DAZN, Hotstar, Sky Go, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

However, one disadvantage of using PrivateVPN for streaming is that it lacks a Smart DNS option. On non-VPN-compatible devices, Smart DNS allows you to fake your address and avoid geo-blocks. The implication here is that PrivateVPN doesn’t work well with PlayStation, Xbox, and Apple TV.

PrivateVPN supports a variety of operating systems.
These include:

• PC
• Mac
• Linux
• iOS
• Android
• TOR

It provides apps for many devices tailored to these particular operating systems.

Torrenting is limitless with PrivateVPN. Each of its servers supports port forwarding and P2P traffic, enabling private torrenting. There are no speed limits, VPN protocol limitations, server switches, or location limitations. Also, with an AES-256 data scrambler, you won’t be traced. The VPN service also runs its own private DNS servers, eliminating the need to send users’ DNS requests to third-party servers for handling.

With all of these features, you can link your device with other users and share huge movies, games, or music files without the fear of being traced. Speed tests reveal a bandwidth of 5.1 MiB/s from a 100mbps router when torrenting.

PrivateVPN allows you to connect up to 6 gadgets at once. This is a good deal compared to VPN service providers that only allow up to 3 devices.

PrivateVPN can be used with routers too. Some of the supported routers include:

• ASUS RT models
• Tomato
• Linksys
• Synology
• DD-WRT
• QNAP

There’s also an application for a relatively inexpensive Amazon Fire TV that allows you to watch tv shows and movies from all over the world.

The VPN service, however, does not offer browser add-ons. That’s an additional disadvantage.

PrivateVPN is simple to set up and use. No matter what gadget you want to use, installation guides and instructions are available on their website.

Start by downloading the right app, then simply provide your email address and password.

Once you are in, you’ll see the “Not Connected” symbol near the bottom of the screen.

Navigate to the list of servers and pick one, then hit “Connect” and get a connected notification.
To disconnect, simply hit the “Disconnect” button.

Hit the “Advanced” icon in the lower right-hand corner to explore more advanced settings, including:

• A dashboard for users
• The settings page
• VPN protocols

Customers can use LiveChat and ticketing options to communicate with PrivateVPN. The LiveChat feature is found in the app, while the text bubble feature is available on the homepage. However, LiveChat isn’t always available around the clock.

You will need to provide your email address, name, and message to file a ticket. You should get a notification when you click send. They also offer an excellent FAQ help page where you can get answers to typical questions.

One-month, 3-month, and 12-month packages are available. All of these options include unrestricted speed, bandwidth, and server switching. The long-term plan is the best because it’s inexpensive in the long run.
Here is the breakdown:

• One-month package at $10.95 per month ($131.40/ year)
• Three-month package at $7.31 per month ($87.72/ year)
• One-year package at $5.95 per month ($71.40/ year).

Payment methods include PayPal, credit card, and Bitcoin.

PrivateVPN has a 1-month money-back policy, one of its strongest features. If you don’t like the service, you have 30 days from the date of purchase to ask for a refund.

China is a VPN-censored region, which means the government strictly prohibits VPN use. However, PrivateVPN offers obfuscation techniques and tools to bypass censorship in China, allowing you to access services like Netflix, Gmail, Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp. The VPN service works just fine most of the time, but you must install the software before entering the country.

Pros

• Works with Netflix, Hulu Prime Video, and other services
• Affordable long-term plan
• Torrenting with powerful features
• Amazon Firestick TV app
• DNS leak protection
• Various VPN data routing protocols
• Provides a kill switch on the windows app
• 7-day 100% free trial

Cons

• Inconsistent speed performance
• Smart DNS isn’t available.
• Live chat isn’t available 24/7
• No browser add-ons
• WireGuard isn’t available.

Apart from its questionable logging and the fact that its country of operation is tightening data retention laws for surveillance purposes, there isn’t much to complain about PrivateVPN. Connections are fast on local servers despite being a bit slower on international ones, but that is expected. Plus, even with the reduced speeds, you can still stream HD videos without buffering or interruptions.

It provides high-grade encryption and secure VPN protocols and includes a kill switch on its windows app. There’s also DNS leak blocking to keep your data from the eyes of third parties. This VPN has apps for various OSs, routers, and Amazon Fire TV. However, it doesn’t provide browser extensions and lacks a smart DNS feature.

Overall, this is a simple, affordable, and secure VPN service for regular internet activities.