Highs
- Cheaper pricing plans
- P2P support for torrenting
- Netflix friendly servers
- 6 device connections
- 2048-bit Encryption With AES-256
- Live chat support
- 30-day money back guarantee
Lows
- Record logs data to some extent
- Average browsing speed
- Lagging iOS app
Editor's Rating
Excellent
4/5
Save 65%
$3.82/mo
With 150+ servers, PrivateVPN network is spread across 60 countries, providing the highest level of security and privacy. Headquarters based in Sweden, the government respects online privacy rights which is a win-win situation for users. It provides faster HD streams that will make your browsing experience faster, better and private.
Yes! Anonymity online should be in the checklist for any provider.
The provider uses OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), PPTP, L2TP, IKEv2, and IPSec which fall under high-end military-grade protection to make worthwhile protection.
The provider is confident about its services and gives a 30-day no bandwidth limitation money back guarantee; with 6 simultaneous connection and a live chat support, this is an offer you shouldn’t refuse.
This PrivateVPN review will examine all the details and features of the service provider minutely to share with you our unbiased experience of this VPN; you can’t challenge our unbiasedness!
PrivateVPN Overview – Things you need to know
| VPN Servers | 150+ servers locations in 60 countries |
| Offered Protocols | OpenVPN with UDP/TCP, L2TP, IPsec, PPTP and IKEv2 |
| Level of Encryption Used | 2048-bit Encryption With AES-256 |
| Dedicated Apps for all Devices | Yes |
| Netflix | Yes |
| Torrent friendly | Yes |
| Location | Sweden (9-Eyes) |
| Support | 24/7 Live Chat Support |
| Zero-Log Policy | Yes (few loopholes) |
| Simultaneous Connection | 6 Simultaneous Connections |
Pricing Plan
PrivateVPN reviews over the web have put the price list of this VPN as a con while we can’t be unbiased; they don't agree with.
We believe in assessing the service with complete honesty and mindfulness. Comparing other VPNs, this security service is cheap and all the three price plans are reasonable and feasible for anyone to purchase.
- 1 Month: $7.67
- 3 Months: $4.88/month billed at $14.63
- 13 Months: $3.88/month billed at $49.68
The monthly plan is a good pick because its light on the pocket; even the 3-month plan is also not to be ignored as its way cheaper option than the monthly plan since it saves you $8.38.
Mode of Payment
The provider has basic payment options which is nothing to talk about. Yes! Having Bitcoins is a plus as multiple users want their identities hidden while processing payments.
30-Day Money back Guarantee
The refund policy is clean and relevant; we appreciate that. We condemn the policies which have cluttered content making things complicated to understand. Unlike other VPNs, this provider will make a refund in 5 business days without creating a fuss. Multiple providers wait till the 30th day which is frustrating. They have a bandwidth limit of 100GB which we believe is enough for downloading 5-7 HD movies per day.
Additional Security Features
Killswitch Feature
The provider comes with a Kill Switch, to safeguard your connection. Our test gave a positive result; the provider did not leak any data or information while the connection was lost. This is a positive sign of the VPN because many providers include this feature but with questionable functionality.
2048-bit encryption with AES-256
The VPN uses the highest encryption protocol available on all its servers with 256-bit encryption code with 2048-bit to keep the channel of communication encrypted.
PrivateVPN Global Reach
Servers
The provider offers a vast range of servers at major locales such as Canada, USA, and the UK. These three countries have the most number of servers, while the rest 150 + servers has spread across 60 countries, giving users a wide range of options to choose from. This helps users to avoid the most congested servers and connect to the least crowded one to maintain optimum speed.
Dedicated Servers for Streaming Netflix
We were not expecting the service to work on Netflix, but while reviewing this VPN, the servers of US worked quite well, but the list of dedicated servers was nowhere to be seen on the website. We took help from the live chat representative who directed us towards the Netflix unblock guide.
The page has a guide to unblock Netflix on multiple operating systems which can be followed to stream PrivateVPN Netflix on any device. Also, the page includes dedicated servers which will 100% unblock Netflix.
Apart from Netflix, the service also offers to unblock the popular UK channel BBC iPlayer and access its lucrative library. With a price of one, you will be able to access BBC iPlayer on 6 different devices no matter where you are on all the dedicated servers.
Dedicated servers for torrenting
This is a user dedicated VPN since the provider has facilities to cater to the masses. Streaming and torrenting are a plus because with anonymity users demand to access foreign content as well. All the servers of PrivateVPN are P2P supported which makes it ideal for torrenting. We did not find any specific servers for it, but the live chat representative mentioned all the servers are P2P friendly.
Protocols Supported
Multiple protocols are provided at your disposal to keep security in check at all times. You can select the default protocol on the app which will choose a random protocol as per your need. Every device has a different protocol need. If you are logged on through a web browser, you can avail any desirable of favorite protocol.
The available protocols are:
- OpenVPN with UDP/TCP
- L2TP/IPsec
- L2TP, or Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol
- IPsec, or Internet Protocol security
- PPTP, or Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol
- IKEv2, or Internet Key Exchange version 2
Customer Support
The VPN offers a good support page that deals in all technical queries and a FAQ section that would solve your problem before you would want to reach a representative. The support page has listed all the issues and glitches which may be faced, with a detailed solution and guide.
Live chat support is a big relief, throughout our review, we took help from this feature and our concerned issues were dealt and solved within a few minutes.
This is of a great help as anyone in the process of setting the VPN on a device or while browsing may find themselves stuck and would need immediate assistance.
Available Apps and Supported Devices
PrivateVPN has standard device compatibility mentioned on their website. They claim it to be a 1-click connection; takes just 60 seconds of your time. The devices include:
- Mac
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
- Linux
- Routers
Each operating system has an option for users to confirm their device specifications and offers a simple setup guide with hassle-free instructions. Customer support can always be availed for technical assistance giving you a smooth browsing experience.
PrivateVPN router configuration has a complete description of the type of routers compatible with and its benefits. In case you’ve availed all device connections, PrivateVPN router is the only option.
To be more specific you can connect PrivateVPN on the following routers:
- ASUS RT models
- Tomato
- Linksys
- QNAP
- pfSense
- Synology
- DD-WRT
PrivateVPN for Kodi
Afraid of using Kodi? The provider offers a Kodi app where you can protect your IP and browsings through the free XMBC media player. The provider can connect you through 6 devices simultaneously on Kodi. This is something that is not found in other VPN providers. We tested the app on Kodi which took us not more than 5 minutes to bridge the connection during the configuration.
The use of Kodi is prohibited in the UK, but with PrivateVPN, you can access HBO, CBS, Hulu, NBC Sports, ABC, USTVNow, Fox, iTV and ESPN.
PrivateVPN iOS App User Reviews
The iOS app is rated 2.6/5 on the App Store and user rating on the store is not sufficient. Users are not happy with the app which does not indicate how busy the servers are. Joining those servers would take more time to build the connection.
PrivateVPN Android App User Reviews
The Android app on the Google Play Store is surprisingly rated better than the iOS with a score of 3.7/5. The Android app has a better outlook and a responsive interface.
The Drawbacks of PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN Speed Test
PrivateVPN claimed to be the fastest, but while testing the VPN, our hopes nosedived as the speed test did not reached our break even criteria. We tested multiple servers frequently to test different upload and download speeds, our major focus was on the US server, Netherlands and the server in Hong Kong – which covered the largest section of their servers’ network.
US Server
- Ping: 139 ms/Download: 4.70 Mbps/Upload: 7.63 Mbps
Netherlands Server
- Ping: 50 ms/Download: 19.83 Mbps/Upload: 23.07 Mbps
Hong Kong Server
- Ping: 245 ms/Download: 4.63 Mbps/Upload: 5.73 Mbps
The speeds recorded were mediocre and looking at the price charged, speed should have been better. We can assume your PrivateVPN Netflix experience would be with lots of buffering complaints.
Log Policy has Loopholes
Going through the policy, we were sure that the provider does not log any identifiable information, but they have several categories on which they retain information of users. These categories include:
Content
- Information we collect
- Usage of information
- Cookies
- Security
- When we contact you
- If you need to change your information
- Minors
- Contact
Among these categories, the “information we collect” clause states that the service analyzes usage of users while using the VPN and seek help from third-party companies – who companies? Secondly, the VPN stores session cookies of users while they are logged in and if you disable cookies, the site may not work well. This is a clear indicator that the service wants to know your cookies.
So Do We Recommend PrivateVPN?
By far this VPN provider has been in our good books considering the features it provides, security aspects and the pricing plan. This is among the VPN providers that provides good speeds with a cheaper price package. Further, we can recommend this feature-rich VPN as it has included all the necessary tools that are ideal to keep your identity safe.
The only drawback comes with the log policy. Why they are retaining such information is a big question while claiming ‘we are a no logging VPN provider.’ The latter contradicts here!
That’s all for now:
If you've read our PrivateVPN Review up to here, we are grateful. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our ever-growing blog of review and comparison articles of VPN services, eCommerce platforms, SEO software, screen capture tools, webinar and conferencing software, education platforms, website builders, and more such as;
- What is a VPN? Your Guide to Anonymity
- Top 5 Absolutely Free VPN Services
- Express VPN UK Review
- Proton VPN Review
- 15 Best Torrent Websites that STILL work!
Please share any comments below!