PrivateVPN Review

PrivateVPN claims to be ‘the best-rated VPN provider’ on Trustpilot, with 4.9/5 stars on the popular
platform. The service provider is based in Sweden, part of the 14 Eyes Alliance but keeps a strict
no-logs policy protecting customer data.

Compared to other VPN providers, it has a very limited number of servers, but it has a great country
distribution which compensates for it. We’ll see if that will affect the download speeds.

PrivateVPN is an industry leader in opening content across the globe. The company prides itself on
unlocking many streaming providers, including Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon, and BBC iPlayer.

Customer Experience

We’ll start with the customer experience. 4.9 out of 5 stars in Trustpilot is an impressive statistic.
The evaluation is based on more than 1,600 reviews which is a good sign. While we cannot define with 100%
accuracy which reviews are genuine and which are not, the majority of the good reviews showcase
PrivateVPN’s customer service proficiency.

We love how PrivateVPN’s team handless negative reviews with screenshots and detailed explanations of
each case. Their team leaves no stone unturned in an attempt to maintain an impeccable reputation.

Their customer service team has an email and live chat option, the latter being available 24/7, which we
highly appreciate. However, formal requests (such as a refund request) are handled only over email.

Usability

PrivateVPN scores are very high in the user experience department. The app has an intuitive user
interface, and the focus is put on making everything easy for customers. As a result, even beginners in
the VPN industry could benefit from the software package.

There is a simple and advanced view option, meaning you can tailor your experience according to your
personal preferences. If you don’t fancy advanced settings, you can use the simple interface and
start/stop your VPN with a click of a button.

For more tech-savvy VPN users, you can choose between different protocols, select encryption, turn on and
off the kill switch or activate Stealth VPN.

PrivateVPN support all major operating systems – it works on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. The Swedish
service provider hasn’t forgotten about mobile devices, too – it runs on iOS and Android flawlessly. It
can also be installed on routers.

Price

PrivateVPN has a standard pricing model that includes three options. Short-, mid-, and long-term ones.
Currently, you have to pay $8.99 if you are to renew your subscription each month. For quarterly
subscriptions, you will have to pay $18 or $6.00 per month. The best deal is the 3-year subscription plan
which costs $72 in total or $2.00 each month.

The 3-year plan puts PrivateVPN in a pole position if you seek low prices. From our research, you can’t
go any lower than that unless you want to sacrifice functionality or select an unproven VPN (which is a
considerable risk, considering how much of your private data goes through).

PrivateVPN offers neither a free plan nor a free trial to the service. While this could be considered a
slight disadvantage, the Swedish VPN provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you are
dissatisfied with what you have received, you will get refunded.

Your subscription will also allow you to connect up to 10 devices simultaneously, which is generous,
considering many competitors (including ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and Cyberghost VPN) offer between 5-7
connections simultaneously.

Security features

PrivateVPN is well packed with security features that include military-grade AES-256 encryption, a kill
switch, DNS leak blocking, Open VPN over TCP and UDP, and an IPv6 leak blocking.

It doesn’t end here. PrivateVPN has many dedicated IP addresses (which is perfect for streaming) and a
Stealth VPN feature which is crucial in countries where VPN services are forbidden (Arab countries,
China, etc.). The Greatest Firewall is the biggest challenge for VPNs, and PrivateVPN passed the test
effortlessly.

PrivateVPN’s features don’t end here. You can enjoy a smooth gaming experience and turn on the 128-bit
AES encryption. While it is less secure, it allows for greater speeds.

On the downside, the app lacks some advanced features like WireGuard (less mobile data usage) and
RAM-based servers.

Streaming

People use VPNs for various reasons, but one of them is streaming content. It can open multiple Netflix
libraries, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and others.

Another piece of good news is that all PrivateVPN’s servers allow streaming. Of course, you need to
enable the ‘Stealth VPN’ function if you live in countries where your favorite content is restricted or
if you travel abroad in a foreign state that has tight laws regarding VPNs and content streaming.

The team behind PrivateVPN has ensured that you will enjoy streaming your favorite content without
buffering. You can watch Full HD and 4K content without any issues.

We didn’t really witness any flaw when streaming with PrivateVPN since we know how hard content platforms
are on VPNs. The Swedish VPN platform works perfectly with Amazon Fire Stick, and the only minor issue we
encountered was the lack of Smart DNS.

Torrenting

PrivateVPN is a top dog in terms of torrenting. It has its own no-logs DNS servers, meaning no one but
PrivateVPN can access them. We advise you to use them for torrenting, but even if you use the other ones,
you won’t face any issue downloading your favorite movies and music since all servers support P2P
torrenting.

Not only can you download, but you can also seed at fast speeds, which is excellent, considering
torrenting websites can limit your speed if you don’t contribute to the network.

Most servers allow automatic port forwarding, which saves a lot of time, so you don’t really need to
configure the settings of your torrent client. To get the best speeds available, we recommend getting
assigned a Dedicated IP address, as it gives you much-improved security and control by no other than
PrivateVPN itself.

Another piece of advice is to connect to the closest possible server, as you can get the highest speed
doing so.

Speeds

At first, we were shocked that PrivateVPN has just over 200 servers, especially given the fact that its
main competitors offer thousands. The results are predictable – slower speeds. But, to our surprise, we
didn’t witness major losses. Local servers resulted in 5-6% slower Internet connection, while the farther
the physical distance, the slower your connection will get, which is typical for any VPN provider, not
only the Swedes.

If we abstract ourselves from the numbers (it’s addictive), we can safely say that you won’t experience
lag or any buffering if you have decent speeds from your ISP.

It behaved exceptionally well even against Private Internet Access (PIA) – a VPN provider that operates
on 35,000 servers. From our test, even connecting to a distant server will not affect your content
streaming experience or hurt gaming.

Verdict

PrivateVPN is the Toyota of VPN providers. It is not the fastest, but it will definitely get you from
point A to point B. On top of that, the software is packed with many safety features and a best-in-class
subscription plan. Each feature is secure and rock solid without being extravagant or unneeded. You can
access your favorite streaming services or download music, movies, and video games without any issues.
And if you encounter any problems, a team of highly trained customer service representatives will be
there to assist you within minutes.