PrivateVPN Review

Our rating
Security Read more toggle icon
80%
Features Read more toggle icon
70%
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  • English chat support chat enabled icon
  • No phone support phone disabled icon

PrivateVPN calls itself the fastest-growing VPN service, and it certainly lives up to that statement. In the short time, it has been available on the VPN market, it has steadily increased its relatively small server network and gained a loyal subscriber base.

If you are happy with limited server options (for now at least), then you'll be able to enjoy an excellent VPN product that offers plenty of privacy and security features. As well as this, PrivateVPN helps users enjoy more internet freedom and keep certain activities hidden from prying third parties.

We've put the VPN's software to the test below. Check out the full review to find out more about features on offer, the provider's policy on data logging, and whether or not PrivateVPN is a fast VPN, amongst many other things.

    Pros

  • pro icon Torrenting friendly
  • pro icon Excellent customer support
  • pro icon Cheap plans

    Cons

  • con icon Small server network
  • con icon No split tunneling
  • con icon No dedicated IPs
Price Starting At: 2.5 $ / monthly 30 $ / annually
For New Users: 7 days free trial + 30-day money-back guarantee
Number of servers: 100+
General information
Max Speed: Unlimited
Type of IP offered: Shared
Simultaneous connections / Users: 6
Number of Netflix Libraries: 5
Information sharing: None
OS support: Android, iOS, macOS, Windows
Router support:
VPN Promotion: Get VPN from PrivateVPN for 2.5$ per month
Capabilities
Unlimited Bandwidthcross iconKill Switchcross iconSplit Tunnelingcross iconZero Data Loggingcross iconFree Version / Trialcross iconMobile Appcross iconBrowser Extentioncross iconNetflix Approvedcross iconFirestick Compatiblecross icon
Payment options
  • American Express
  • Bitcoin
  • Diners Club International
  • Discover
  • JCB
  • Mastercard
  • Mastercard Debit
  • Paypal
  • Visa
  • Visa Debit
  • Visa Electron
Geolocations available
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Isle of Man
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Norway
  • Panama
  • Peru
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Serbia
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Vietnam

PrivateVPN Security

80%

Since PrivateVPN is a newer VPN and far smaller than many other VPN providers, you'd be forgiven for thinking that PrivateVPN might underperform on the security front. However, this couldn't be further from the truth.

Firstly, PrivateVPN uses advanced AES-256 bit encryption. This is the highest grade of encryption, ensuring that you enjoy a secure VPN connection at all times. PrivateVPN offers many VPN protocol options as well, including OpenVPN, PPTP, IKEv2, L2TP, and IPSec. Depending on how secure or fast you want your connection to be, you can adjust the VPN protocol in the app settings.

On top of the above, there are extras included with PrivateVPN to ensure you have an even safer VPN experience. Firstly, there is an automatic kill switch that will spring into action and cut off your wi-fi connection if the VPN connection drops. This ensures none of your browsing data leaks.

There is also IPv6 leak protection, which ensures that your real IP address and all details linked to it are not exposed. Since your IP can reveal your location, identity, and browsing footprint, it is great to see that PrivateVPN offers this feature. PrivateVPN's servers also come with DNS leak protection to stop your DNS requests from being revealed.

If you were worried about data logging, then you needn't. PrivateVPN claims to operate a complete zero logs policy. Since the provider is based in Sweden, it can operate under data-friendly privacy laws, meaning that user data does not need to be monitored or collected. A quick glance at the privacy policy offered further indication of PrivateVPN's commitment to zero-logs, with the service only collecting essential account and payment data.

Overall, PrivateVPN offers excellent privacy and security features to users, ensuring that they stay safe yet remain anonymous while surfing the web.

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PrivateVPN Features

70%

Aside from keeping VPN users private and safe online, PrivateVPN comes with plenty of other useful features for a better internet experience and more internet freedom.

First of all, you can use PrivateVPN to bypass geo-restrictions and access websites in other countries. Although the VPN server network is small, with only 100 servers, these are spread around 63 countries and offer good global coverage. Moreover, PrivateVPN is consistently adding more servers to provide new IP addresses in other locations. There are currently no dedicated IP addresses on offer, but we'd like to see them added soon.

PrivateVPN can unblock several streaming services, including Netflix and BBC iPlayer. Being able to unblock BBC iPlayer is pretty impressive since this streaming platform is well-known for its VPN blocking technology. On top of this, users have the ability to access Netflix in the US, the UK, and several other popular regions.

Surprisingly, given its small network, PrivateVPN supports torrenting on its UK servers. This is great news for P2P networking fans who want to protect their download data and hide their real IPs when file sharing. There is also port forwarding for faster download speeds.

If you're worried about the VPN affecting your internet speed, you don't need to. PrivateVPN offers unlimited bandwidth and fast server speeds, so you can enjoy buffer-free video playback and fast download and page load speeds. Given that PrivateVPN also hides your browsing activity from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), you'll be able to prevent bandwidth throttling from your ISP too, which could result in faster speeds.

You can use PrivateVPN on 6 devices simultaneously, and there is support for many devices, including iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows. You can use the native PrivateVPN apps, but experienced users can manually configure the VPN onto their operating systems.

Finally, all VPN users can enjoy dedicated customer support 24/7. There is a live chat on the PrivateVPN website as well as a comprehensive support center.

Summary

4
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Is PrivateVPN a Secure VPN Service?

A commonly asked question about this VPN service is, is PrivateVPN safe? From our research for this PrivateVPN review, we can confirm that it is.

Firstly, it uses the highest level of encryption as well as offering secure VPN protocol options such as OpenVPN connections. There is also a kill switch to instantly cut off internet access to protect users if the service fails.

Moreover, PrivateVPN employs a strict no-logs policy, which means your data is safe with the provider. It doesn’t monitor or store browsing data, IP addresses, or anything else related to your VPN usage.

Does PrivateVPN Offer DNS Leak Protection?

Yes, PrivateVPN is DNS leakproof. We ran a DNS leak test to check and were pleased to see that our DNS requests were not leaking. This ensures that data such as the websites you visit and apps you use are not accidentally disclosed.

How Much Does PrivateVPN Cost?

PrivateVPN offers three subscription plans:

All of the above plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. PrivateVPN accepts many payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, and even Bitcoin.

Does PrivateVPN Have a Free VPN?

No, PrivateVPN does not offer users a free VPN. However, there is a 7-day free trial that users can take advantage of.

Where Are PrivateVPN’s Server Locations?

PrivateVPN offers many server location options, despite the fact that its network is smaller than many others. You can choose between a UK, Australia, Canada, and US server location, as well as many servers in Europe and Asia.

Is PrivateVPN Good for Streaming?

PrivateVPN is a great option if you want to access streaming services in other countries such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer. Since there is unlimited data, you can stream as much as you want without suffering any buffering or low-quality playback. Moreover, our speed test demonstrated great download speeds, which bodes well for streaming fans.

Does PrivateVPN Support P2P Networking?

Yes! PrivateVPN supports torrenting on all of its UK servers. There are open ports for a greater torrenting experience, and our speed tests indicated excellent results, which is great for P2P file sharing.

What Devices Does PrivateVPN Support?

You can use the PrivateVPN app on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows. We tested the Windows app and found them to be extremely user-friendly, meaning a new VPN user would easily get to grips with the service. However, experienced users can manually configure the VPN to their systems if they prefer to do so. It is great that PrivateVPN offers both of these choices.

Where is PrivateVPN Based?

PrivateVPN is based in Sweden, which is great news for users. Sweden operates data-friendly laws, meaning the company does not need to collect user data and share it with third parties. If you’re extremely privacy-conscious and want to use a VPN that offers privacy protection in terms of data logging, then PrivateVPN is a great choice.

Does PrivateVPN Have Good Customer Support?

PrivateVPN offers excellent customer support. Firstly, there is a live chat on the PrivateVPN website, as well as the option to contact support via a ticket system. You can also browse an extensive FAQ section and get help with manually setting up the VPN on your device.

Author Madeleine Hodson

I’m Madeleine, and I'm a writer that specializes in cybersecurity, tech products, and all things related to the internet. I have a keen interest in VPNs and believe that everyone deserves internet freedom and security. I wr...
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