PrivateVPN Review: Is It Any Good? [Full 2022 Report]

PrivateVPN Top VPN Of 2022 Review: Quick Expert Summary

PrivateVPN Full Review

PrivateVPN was tested and reviewed by me over a period of several weeks. I wanted to find out if it offers good security, speed, and intuitive apps. To determine if it is a good value, I also compared PrivateVPN with other top VPNs.

PrivateVPN does not offer as many extra features as other VPNs and has a smaller network of servers than its competitors. It does have good privacy features and performed well in my speed, streaming and torrenting tests. The app interface is also very simple. It is also less expensive than many other VPNs.

PrivateVPN Features

PrivateVPN offers the following security features:

• 256 bit AES encryption. This encryption is used by banks and military around the world to secure sensitive data.
• No logs policy. PrivateVPN does not log your internet traffic or personal data.
• Kill switch. This feature prevents data leaks and traffic from being lost if your VPN connection is dropped. Only Android and Windows users can use the kill switch.

PrivateVPN offers 4 internet protocols: OpenVPN (UDP/TCP), IKEv2/IPSec L2TP/IPSec and PPTP. These protocols are sufficient for most users. However, PrivateVPN should offer WireGuard like CyberGhost VPN or Private Internet Access (PIA). PrivateVPN should add WireGuard to their list of protocols. In my tests, WireGuard performed slightly better than other protocols.

PrivateVPN apps are very useful because they have DNS leak protection built in and can block IPv6 traffic. PrivateVPN sends traffic through encrypted DNS servers to prevent DNS leaks. While connecting to 10 servers, I ran 10 DNS leak tests. My IP and DNS addresses were never revealed.

PrivateVPN does not offer WebRTC protection – . However, top VPNs such as ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN have in-app WebRTC protection. Other VPNs, like CyberGhost VPN or Private Internet Access (PIA), offer browser extensions that disable WebRTC. PrivateVPN does not have browser extensions so you will need to use a third party app (such as uBlock Origin), to stop WebRTC leaks.

PrivateVPN does not offer extras such as an ad- and malware blocker or split-tunneling. Private Internet Access and ProtonVPN have ad- and malware blocking features that prevent malicious websites from being visited and speed up website loading times. Split-tunneling allows you to choose which apps will go through the VPN server and which traffic will go through your local network. These are two additional features that I would love to see in PrivateVPN.

PrivateVPN offers additional security features such as Stealth VPN (obfuscation device) and Tor support.

Stealth VPN

Stealth VPN is PrivateVPN’s obfuscation feature that is used to hide your VPN traffic from your internet service provider (ISP) and other third parties.

Your ISP will know that you are using a VPN, but not what you’re doing online. PrivateVPN VPNs that offer obfuscation conceal your VPN traffic, making it appear like you’re surfing the internet without using a VPN. This is how VPNs can bypass restrictions and block VPNs.

Stealth VPN allows you to bypass internet restrictions in countries like China, Iran and Indonesia. It may also allow you to access streaming apps such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Stealth VPN can slow down your internet speed as it adds an additional layer of encryption to your traffic. StealthVPN can slow down your internet. This may result in lag on streaming sites, or files taking longer to download. Stealth VPN took 4-5 seconds longer to load videos in my tests. However, there was no buffering after the videos were loaded.

TunnelBear and ExpressVPN offer similar obfuscation tools to Stealth VPN. All of them work well at bypassing internet restrictions but ExpressVPN’s obfuscation features are my favorite because it offers the fastest speeds.

The Stealth VPN feature of PrivateVPN can be used to bypass VPN restrictions, bypass censorship, and access restricted sites from countries like China.

Tor Support

All PrivateVPN servers let you connect to The Onion Router (Tor)

a privacy network that conceals your IP address and encrypts traffic multiple times. Although the Tor network is secure I recommend Tor over VPN. A VPN will block the Tor entry node seeing your actual IP address. Tor over VPN allows users to access.onion sites in countries that have banned Tor network use.

PrivateVPN’s Tor Over VPN is easy to use. All you need to do to make it work is to connect to a PrivateVPN server and then open the Tor browser to browse the internet. I was able access.onion websites without any problems, although the speeds were slower than normal due to double encryption.

PrivateVPN’s Tor support is great, but there are other VPN providers that offer better Tor functionality. ProtonVPN, for example, allows you to browse.onion websites in normal browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Opera, instead of the Tor browser.

PrivateVPN is recommended if you are using Tor browser and do not want anyone, not even Tor’s entry servers, to know your IP address.

PrivateVPN Privacy & Security

PrivateVPN follows a transparent policy that prohibits logging.

PrivateVPN claims it does not record your email address. This privacy policy is for communication purposes only. It also records payment information to process refunds. You can also pay in cryptocurrency if you wish to further protect your identity.

PrivateVPN has its headquarters in Sweden. This country is part of 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances (an intelligence-sharing arrangement between different countries). Sweden has mandatory data retention laws. However, these laws only apply to ISPs. PrivateVPN is not legally required to share or keep any user data with the authorities.

PrivateVPN’s no logs policy has one drawback. It hasn’t been audited. This is especially important since it is located in a country with the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances.

PrivateVPN’s transparency and no-logs policy is transparent (that has not been audited). However, it is headquartered in a country which is part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. PrivateVPN does not store any user’s personal data or traffic so it would not have any data to give to the government.

PrivateVPN Speed & Performance

To determine the average speed of PrivateVPN’s internet VPN, I ran speed tests in 60+ countries. I saw a decrease of about 40% in download speed compared to my baseline speed. This is quite good — I was able to stream, torrent, and play on almost every server.

PrivateVPN provided the fastest speeds when I used local servers (Romania), but I also experienced a slowdown when using remote servers (in South Africa, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Africa, and New Zealand). ).

My original speed was checked before I began my tests (without using a PrivateVPN). This allowed me to establish a baseline for my speed:

Next, I connected with a VPN server in Romania. The ping, or the time it takes for the internet signal from my device to reach the PrivateVPN server, actually decreased. Although I experienced a 42% slowdown in my download speed, it was not noticeable when browsing the internet or watching videos at 1080p on YouTube. I was also able to instantly download Netflix TV and 4K movies on my PS4 without buffering.

Then, I tried a US server. Although my download speed was affected by 56%, it did not affect my internet speed. Most websites took only 1-2 seconds to load. I was still able watch streaming video in HD and to play online games without any lag.

Finally, I tried a Japanese server. It was noticeable that websites took longer to load and there was some buffering when I watched HD videos.

My country, Romania, has extremely fast internet speeds. It’s difficult for people from other countries to compare speed. So I asked my American colleague to do some speed tests.

My colleague ran his first speed test connecting to his local network before he tried PrivateVPN speeds.

My colleague then connected to a PrivateVPN Server in New York. His browsing, streaming and torrenting speeds were not affected by the connection to a local server.

The next step was to connect to a server in Germany. He was able to download at a 30% rate, which is quite impressive. He confirmed that he was able to watch TV and movies in HD without buffering. However, it took around 10 seconds for the content to load. Video games were also played without interruptions. Websites took an additional 1-2 seconds to load.

My colleague was connected to a Japanese server and experienced a slower download speed (46%) than when he was connected with the German server. Websites took between 5-6 seconds to load, and there was minor buffering while watching YouTube videos.

PrivateVPN is fast— During my tests, my connection speeds were great when I was connected with local servers and my speed didn’t drop as much on distant servers. I was able to view HD videos and download P2P files at good speeds.

PrivateVPN Servers & IP Addresses

PrivateVPN offers over 200 servers in more than 60 countries.

It has a lower server count than other top VPNs such as CyberGhost VPN (7.400+ servers) or ExpressVPN (3,300+ servers). PrivateVPN’s servers are located in more countries that TunnelBear (45+) and MullvadVPN (3,300+), which allows you to quickly find a server near you.

PrivateVPN supports P2P traffic. Some VPNs restrict you to torrenting only on specific P2P servers. This can sometimes make it difficult to locate a local location to get high speeds. PrivateVPN supports obfuscation for any server.

Most of PrivateVPN’s servers can be found in physical locations (they are physically located in a country you connect to), but I would like to see where the virtual servers are.

PrivateVPN should also display load percentages beside its servers list (such as CyberGhost VPN and ProtonVPN). It would be easier to locate servers that aren’t crowded. PrivateVPN displays the ping of each server and gives a rating with a simple code: green (good), yellow(average), or red (bad).

PrivateVPN uses public shared IP addresses on all servers. This makes it nearly impossible for anyone else to trace your IP address back to you. PrivateVPN offers dynamic dedicated IPs for free (IP addresses that you are the only one who has them). PrivateVPN offers dedicated IPs for free, which is an advantage over other VPNs.

PrivateVPN’s server network is smaller than other top VPNs. However, all servers support P2P traffic, obfuscation and most servers are physical. You can also get a dedicated IP address for free.

PrivateVPN Streaming & Torrenting

PrivateVPN works well with Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ as well as Hulu and BBC iPlayer

You can also stream from less-known streaming sites such as DAZN, Sling TV and ABC. My tests showed that streaming speeds were fast and that movies and TV shows played in HD.

PrivateVPN provides great P2P support– you can download torrents from all servers but PrivateVPN recommends that you use the Swedish servers (I don’t know why). PrivateVPN support representatives confirmed that torrenting is possible on all servers.

I downloaded many files with PrivateVPN. I was amazed at how quickly I was able download them. One example is the 18GB movie I downloaded using BitTorrent in 9 minutes. I was able to download the same file using VPNs such as CyberGhost VPN and Private Internet Access (PIA). It took me around 30-35 minutes.

PrivateVPN offers port forwarding which allows you to connect with more peers while downloading torrents (to obtain faster speeds).

PrivateVPN can access streaming content from streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and BBC iPlayer. PrivateVPN is compatible with all the major torrent clients that allow you to download files.

PrivateVPN Bypassing Censorship

PrivateVPN uses StealthVPN to bypass internet censorship.

It allows users from countries such as Iran and China to access virtually all websites.

PrivateVPN Plans & Pricing

PrivateVPN costs less than top VPNs.

You can choose from three payment options: a 1-month, 3-month or 36-month plan. This plan is the most cost-effective and offers the greatest savings. It costs only D45,680 per month.

All PrivateVPN plans include the same features. All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, but PrivateVPN requires that you provide a reason for why you aren’t interested in using the plan.

Although a customer service rep assured me that PrivateVPN would refund any request (and I received a refund without problems), I dislike the fact that PrivateVPN isn’t 100% transparent about its money-back guarantee. CyberGhost VPN, ProtonVPN and ExpressVPN offer money-back guarantee without questions.

PrivateVPN does not issue refunds for crypto payments or auto-renewals.

PrivateVPN allows payments through 6 credit cards (Visa MasterCard, American Express and Diners Club International), PayPal and Bitcoin.

PrivateVPN’s 3-year plan is much cheaper than top VPNs and is reasonable in price. PrivateVPN accepts Bitcoin payments. Each plan comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.

PrivateVPN Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps

PrivateVPN is compatible with iOS, Android, Windows and macOS.

PrivateVPN apps are easy to install. It took me just 1-2 minutes to install the apps on my Android and iOS phones, and 2-3 minutes for my Windows 10 PC.

Android

PrivateVPN’s Android app is pretty good

It’s feature-rich, yet user-friendly. The interface was very intuitive when I downloaded it to my Samsung Galaxy. The app is easy to use even for those who have not used a VPN before.

The home screen is very easy to use.

PrivateVPN’s Setting tab allows you to easily choose which OpenVPN protocol you want (I prefer UDP over TCP, as it is faster). The Setting tab will also contain the Stealth VPN and kill switch features.

PrivateVPN is a VPN that offers 128 bit AES encryption as well as 256 bit encryption. You can also switch to 128bit AES to stream faster.

You can also set the app to connect automatically to a VPN server whenever you turn on your phone or restart it. This will ensure that your data is not accidentally exposed.

Overall, I love PrivateVPN’s Android application. The Android app is simple to use and feature-rich. You can also connect to a server using one tap.

iOS

PrivateVPN’s iOS app is easy to use and has a similar design as the Android app.

It does not have an IPv6 leak protection or a kill switch. Unlike the Android app, however, the iOS app has IKEv2/IPSec, which is faster than OpenVPN.

Although the iOS app lacks a few features, it was very user-friendly and reliable. It was easy to connect to servers, switch servers, browse and stream content.

PrivateVPN’s iOS app has IKEv2/IPSec, which makes it faster than the Android version.

Windows/Mac (Desktop)

PrivateVPN’s desktop application was used on both my Windows 10 laptop and MacBook. The app’s intuitive interface is great and it is easy to use (like the mobile apps).

The Windows app offers 2 view modes: Simple View and Advanced View. This is a great feature.

The Simple view is great to use for beginners. You can either connect to a server using the power button, or manually select a server. From the main screen you can access live support and view your account.

Advanced users with more experience will love the Advanced View . PrivateVPN offers similar connections to mobile devices. You can choose the VPN protocol (OpenVPN or PPTP) and your VPN encryption (128-bit AES encryption, or 256-bit AES encryption), and see which port you should use for port forwarding. You can also track how much data you consume.

PrivateVPN can be enabled under the Settings Tab. This will automatically launch and connect with a server whenever you turn on your device.

PrivateVPN has a great way to organize leak protection and kill switches (it is not available on Macs). You can find it under the connection Guard tab. You can also terminate certain programs from the Windows app using Application Guard if you are disconnected from VPN.

PrivateVPN’s desktop apps are excellent. Both the Windows and macOS apps are easy to use.

PrivateVPN’s Apps: Is PrivateVPN Easy to Use?

PrivateVPN offers easy-to use apps for Android, iOS and Windows.

The apps are almost identical, but both the iOS and Mac app lack a kill switch and the iOS app does not have IPv6 leak protection. The apps are similar in design and all have intuitive and well-designed interfaces.

PrivateVPN Customer Support

PrivateVPN’s Support Section is quite good.

You will find step-by-step instructions (including video tutorials), some frequently asked questions (FAQs), and 24/7 live chat. There is also email support. PrivateVPN does not offer phone support.

PrivateVPN’s setup guides are very helpful. They include videos and have lots of information. However, the FAQs do not answer all my questions. I had to contact live chat or email for most of my answers.

I love PrivateVPN’s remote support option. This allows you to remotely access your device to assist with installing PrivateVPN, or troubleshooting problems. This unique feature is only available through PrivateVPN.

PrivateVPN’s live chat support was excellent. PrivateVPN supports English but they can also answer questions in any other language using an automated translation tool.

PrivateVPN was also contacted by me. In less than 10 minutes, I received detailed information. VPNs usually take at most a few hours or even a whole day to reply to emails.

PrivateVPN customer service also handled my refund request efficiently. The support rep responded to my email within 30 minutes and was friendly. She didn’t push me to accept a refund. My refund was processed in 9 hours. Many VPNs will refund you within 2-5 days.

PrivateVPN offers excellent customer service. PrivateVPN’s setup guides are well-written and remote support is a great tool. However, I would like to see PrivateVPN include more FAQs and troubleshooting guides. PrivateVPN’s live chat and email support are extremely responsive and offer great help.

Is PrivateVPN One of the Best VPNs in 2022?

PrivateVPN offers great security and speeds. It also works well with streaming sites like YouTube and other popular websites.

PrivateVPN offers P2P traffic to all servers and has over 200 servers in 60+ countries. It also works in China and other restricted countries.

PrivateVPN isn’t the fastest VPN but I experienced a very low average download speed. While connected to PrivateVPN servers I was able browse the internet, stream HD content, torrent with all major torrent clients and play video games without any lag.

PrivateVPN has many security features. The service includes 256-bit AES encryption, as well as 128-bit AES encryption. There is also a kill switch, no logs policy, DNS protection and Tor support. PrivateVPN offers 24/7 support via live chat and a remote assistance option that allows a PrivateVPN representative to access your device remotely to assist you with installing apps or solving any other problems.

PrivateVPN is not perfect. There aren’t any troubleshooting guides and the iOS and Mac apps lack a kill switch.

PrivateVPN offers three payment options at a reasonable price. Each plan comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.

PrivateVPN is it free?

PrivateVPN does not offer a free plan. PrivateVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee so that you can try the VPN risk-free. PrivateVPN may ask you to give a reason for a refund. The refund does not cover auto-renewals or cryptocurrency payments.

Although there are many free VPNs available, I do not recommend them. These VPNs lack the essential security features and slow down your speed. PrivateVPN, an affordable VPN that works with all major streaming platforms and has fast speeds, is what I recommend.

PrivateVPN works with Netflix

PrivateVPN can access Netflix. PrivateVPN is also an excellent choice to watch other streaming services like Hulu and Disney+.

PrivateVPN’s fast speeds allowed me to stream Netflix in HD and 4K throughout all my tests. I also experienced very little buffering from distant servers.

PrivateVPN is it safe?

PrivateVPN has many great security features . It uses 256-bit AES encryption to protect your data — the same encryption used by banks and military personnel — and it is transparent with no logs. PrivateVPN offers a kill switch for Android and Windows, as well as good leak protection. I ran over 10 leak tests and found no leaks.

PrivateVPN’s headquarters is in Sweden. The country has mandatory data retention laws, but only for ISPs. It is also part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances. PrivateVPN is not to be avoided. PrivateVPN would not be required to give user data to the Swedish government if it didn’t already.

Does PrivateVPN work in China?

PrivateVPN can be used to bypass internet restrictions in China or other restricted countries. Third parties will not know that you are using PrivateVPN. They will assume you are surfing the internet as normal. PrivateVPN allows you to obfuscate on all its servers.

Source : #safetydetectives
Editor by : BEST Antivirus Review Team