PrivateVPN Review | Torrent Friendly

PrivateVPN

Incognitoline

Packages & Price

Software & Connectivity

Speed

Servers

Reliability

Level of Privacy

Support

Summary

PrivateVPN delivers a simple interface to quickly and easily connect to a VPN server. It is torrent-friendly, allows secure P2P connections, and there is zero logging of data making it a safe VPN for anonymous browsing. However, the transfer speed outside Europe was slow and inconsistent with company claims at the time of testing.

3.9

Who are they? Where are they from?

PrivateVPN’s own words:

PrivateVPN, a Swedish-based VPN provider, offers the highest levels of security and privacy, stable connections from anywhere in the world, and uninterrupted VPN service – 24 hours a day – guaranteed. And we offer all this to our users at a reasonable price!

PrivateVPN, one of the fastest VPN service providers, designed its global network to offer our users the fastest VPN speeds possible. Whether you’re in North America, Europe, or Asia, we strive to provide ultra-high-speed server connections – with lower latency and higher speeds – for all your devices.

In addition to first-rate service, PrivateVPN boasts of customer support that is second to none! We assist our customers through live chat, email, and remote desktop help through our TeamViewer system. We’re here to help you in any way we can.

Price/ Packages

Package Configuration

All packages currently have the below-listed features.

• 100+ VPN servers in 63 countries
• Unlimited bandwidth and speed
• 6 simultaneous connections on multiple devices
• Zero logging of connections
• HQN (High-Quality Network) Capacity
• OpenVPN, L2TP, IPsec, PPTP, and IKEv2 protocols
• 256-bit AES encryption with 2048-bit DH Key
• Anonymous Torrenting with SOCKS5 and HTTP Proxy
• Port Forwarding
• 24/7 Live Customer Support
• 7-Day Money-Back Guarantee

The Ordering Process

PrivateVPN offers a simple ordering process that only requires selecting a pricing plan, creating a username and password, and payment. After submission and acceptance of payment, login is valid.

Payment Options

PrivateVPN currently offers payment through the following services.

• Major Credit Cards
• PayPal
• Bitcoin
• Trial Code/ Promotional Code

Packages

PrivateVPN currently offers three pricing plans.

• 1 Month: $8.95
• 3 Months: $21.95 – $7.31 per month
• 12 Months: $71.40 – $5.95 per month

Software and Connectivity

PrivateVPN currently offers support for Windows, Mac OS X, iOS and Android clients. The clients are simple to use and connection can be established in less than a minute. The ability to quickly switch between VPN servers is an added benefit and is extremely fast.

Windows Client

The tested client v2.0.2.0 is a truly well-designed desktop application. It is aimed at simplicity, a theme that seems to be present across all PrivateVPN platforms.

The ability to quickly change protocols is simplistic and easy for users who do not describe themselves as tech-savvy but want to protect their internet interactions. The ability to switch between a “simple” and “advanced” view of the program is perfectly accommodating for all users, although you can’t select a specific server, it’s done for you.

The Connection Guard “Kill Switch” is also a useful feature, preventing internet connection when the VPN fails or is not connected. This feature aims to keep the user safe and anonymous when surfing the web. It even gives the option to assign specific programs to the kill switch, instead of blocking internet communications to the entire computer as a whole.

In addition, the inclusion of a simple and intuitive “switch-settings” menu readily presents itself to the user and provides numerous configuration options. The client experienced no crashes or complications after extensive testing of all aspects of the program. The Windows client provides far more configurations than the Mac OS X client at present time of writing.

Mac OS Client

The tested client v1.1 is clean, intuitive and stable. The service did not provide any connectivity issues on macOS Sierra and ran without issue on the system. The interface parallels the simplicity of MacOS and requires no tech-knowledge to use.

The MacOS client is clearly a new release, as the only customization option accessible from the actual client at the present time of writing this article is the ability to choose which server you would like to connect to from the drop-down list. Despite the fact that this is still a very early version of the MacOS client, the lack of ability to change VPN protocols seems lazy.

Android Application

The PrivateVPN Android application was tested on a Samsung Galaxy S7 running Android 7.0 and provided no connectivity issues. There was no option to switch between IKEv2 and IPsec protocol and the app crashed upon closure and reopening. Despite this, app navigation is smooth and interface is simplistic.

iOS Application

The PrivateVPN iOS application was tested on an iPhone 7 running iOS 10.3.1 and provided no connectivity issues. There are two protocols available: IKEv2 and IPsec. Navigation of the application interface is smooth and fluid, providing an easy-to-use list of server locations and options.

Connectivity Options

PrivateVPN offers OpenVPN, L2TP, IPsec, PPTP, and IKEv2 preferences. PrivateVPN recommends the use of OpenVPN UDP, especially for web services that rely on real-time interaction. This protocol will almost always yield faster speeds than any other.

For torrenting purposes, the PrivateVPN client offers SOCKS5 proxy configuration, allowing effortless and secure P2P file sharing.

Speed

Our standard and most reliable testing methods that we found are by downloading from the nearest and fastest HTTP or FTP link for 60 seconds and measuring the average and max transfer rate. Upload and ping tests are performed by the closest beta.speedtest.net server, the most accurate HTML5 speed test thanks to 3000+ servers worldwide.

Speed Testing

Servers

PrivateVPN currently offers 100 server options in 63 countries. The server options are limited in number but widespread globally and should provide many options within fairly close proximity to all users. At the time of writing, the following server locations are available:

Server Locations

Reliability

All connections made on PrivateVPN seem to be quick, reliable, and stable. After extensive testing, I never experienced a dropped connection. PrivateVPN delivers quick connections that remain connected and do not falter.

Availability of server load lists are not available through PrivateVPN’s client, but it is assumed that they are not near full capacity, as I was always able to connect to any server without problems. However, download speeds were inconsistent and slow.

Level of Privacy

Private VPN offers a “zero logging” policy with their service. This means that they will never store user IP addresses, website and browsing data, or client information. The service scrambles internet data as well, meaning that a hacker or someone wanting to access your data will only receive an incoherent stream of letters, numbers, and symbols.

IPv6, DNS and WebRTC IP Leak Test

We tested for IP leaks at https://ipleak.net. PrivateVPN did not leak our IP through WebRTC and IPv6. Unfortunately, it leaked the DNS address of our ISP. You can manually follow a few steps to prevent the DNS leaking in Windows.

Customer Support

Private VPN offers a FAQ page and the ability to send them a message for support options.

PrivateVPN offers Live Chat Support. Testing proved that this is correct. The Live Support service replied instantly to our test question in a professional and friendly manner.

FAQ

Pros

Cons