What is PrivateVPN?
PrivateVPN, is a Português VPN provider that claims to offer the highest levels of security and privacy. With stable connections anywhere in the world and uninterrupted VPN service, 24 hours a day. And they offer all this to their users at what they consider a reasonable price.
In addition to top-notch service, Private VPN says they have customer support that is second to none. They help their customers via live chat, email and remote desktop assistance via our TeamViewer system. Let’s see what they go for!
Virtual private network
But what does VPN mean and what does it mean?
– VPN is an abbreviation for virtual private network. In short, it means running your internet traffic through encrypted tunnels. In this way, your internet provider or the website you visit cannot get information about you. Let’s say you send a postcard in the mail. All the way to the sender, anyone who handles your letter can see the contents. What you need to do to protect yourself from that is to put the postcard in an envelope.
But with a VPN you can also access geo-blocked websites abroad and find cheaper trips. Yes it’s true!
Do you usually receive spamming advertisements when you visit certain websites or search for information on Google? It’s because all the pages collect information about you and then you get targeted advertising around you all the time. You also avoid this with a VPN installed on your device.
Is PrivateVPN secure?
PrivateVPN offers servers used by the military. AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) 256-bit encryption code with 2048-bit. (Keep in mind that basically all VPN services market themselves with this, as the military always uses encryption)
AES 256 means that if someone wants access to your traffic, they have to try an awful lot of combinations – 2 to the 256th power – to successfully hack you.
When it comes to security against themselves, they state that they do not save information about you or your logs. What is saved is the email you entered, as well as the username and password. Should a lawsuit arise, Private VPN will have this about you, so we advise you to have a fake email.
It is also the case that through your payment to them they can also track information about you. Here you need to make sure you can pay with encrypted currencies, which Private VPN does not take care of. This makes it a small security risk that you need to think about.
If this is super important to you, to be fully protected even against the VPN service you use, you can read more under compare VPN services.
You can also go to the best VPN service that we believe puts all security points.
Which protocols are Private VPN compatible with?
All VPN services use one or more VPN protocols. You can therefore choose to use e.g. OpenVPN but still be connected with Private VPN. Below you can see which ones you can choose if you don’t actually use their protocol.
OpenVPN
Allows different types of authentication methods and uses a secure SSL / TLS protocol for key exchange. OpenVPN provides faster speeds than L2TP, but it is not supported on all devices.
TCP via OpenVPN, is the most reliable VPN connection.
OpenVPN over UDP, is usually faster than TCP because it lacks the error correction feature.
L2TP / IPsec
When used in combination, L2TP and IPsec offer greater security than PPTP, but these protocols are slower than OpenVPN and can be blocked by firewalls at times.
L2TP, was developed as an upgrade to L2F. L2TP is perfect for use with mobile devices that are not compatible with OpenVPN.
IPsec, IPsec offers protection for all application traffic over an IP network and is available to most mobile devices.
PPTP, one of the oldest protocols in use, works well with dated operating systems and mobile devices.
IKEv2, available on newer mobile devices. IKEv2 is a more secure version of the IPsec protocol.
Cheaper travel with PrivateVPN
It sounds too good to be true, but you can actually use a VPN to book cheaper trips. The travel companies use information they receive about you to see where you are. That way, they can determine how much you could spend on a trip.
We in Scandinavia generally earn quite well and can pay more for our trips. Do you come from e.g. In the Baltics, the middle class there cannot pay as much. Then they reason that instead of getting no trip at all, they lower the price.
With PrivateVPN, you can set yourself up on a server in another country and thus fool the travel companies that you are somewhere else. This trick also works when you want to rent a car abroad. See how you rent cars cheaper with a VPN service.
How much does PrivateVPN cost and is there a monthly trial?
All of their subscriptions come with a 30-day money back guarantee. There is actually also a free month to try. Then you need to email them to get a code. With PrivateVPN you can choose 3 different subscription lengths. Either 1 month, 3 months or 12 months.
1 month costs USD 80 a month.
3 months costs USD 50 a month.
12 months costs USD 40 a month and you also get an extra month for free right now. With this subscription you earn a whopping 65%.
All their subscriptions contain the same things, which we think is good. It can be the case otherwise that you sign for a month, e.g. you usually get smaller units to connect.
How many servers does PrivateVPN have?
They are available in 57 countries with around 100 servers. This is neither low nor high. Thanks to their strong processes they use, they still maintain a relatively high speed despite somewhat longer servers when compared to the larger VPN companies.
Does Private VPN work for streaming services?
Private VPN is good together with streaming sites. We tested Netflix, HBO, Svt play and BBC player.
It is the case that we are blocked from accessing a lot of movies and TV series. It is usually content in the US that we want to access. But it could also be that you lived in China and moved to Portugal. Then you will no longer be able to access your favorite series. With a VPN you can get around this blocking. You only place yourself in the country you know broadcasts the matetial you want to access.
Not all VPN services are good for this due to speed or connection. With Private VPN we didn’t experience any speed issues but switching between servers was a bit demanding. In some cases we lost touch completely. Best server was in Los Angeles. This can be a disturbing factor if there are many different countries you want to access content in and therefore have a need to switch frequently.
We are pleasantly surprised by the speed though. It didn’t bug anything once we got into the server. In fact, the quality of the video did not deteriorate either.
Want to read more about using a VPN with streaming sites? Read under “that’s why you need a VPN client when you watch streaming sites”
Does it work on IPTV?
Of course, we needed to test the VPN service together with an IPTV. This is a very big reason why some people want to get a VPN. Just IPTV has been on the map a lot as it is actually illegal to broadcast channels like they do. Hence, it can be very nice to feel safe. With PrivateVPN you can feel sure that the authorities will not find you and the person broadcasting the IPTV will also not see who you are due to your IP address being changed.
Another important thing in this test was connection and speed.
We did not experience any problem with the speed and the quality improved here as well.
Fortunately, you often choose a server you want to be on and then you don’t switch. Here you don’t have the same need to change depending on what you want to access. If we had to do that, they would have gotten worse results as the connection to different servers is slow.
The end result is that you can absolutely use PrivateVPN for IPTV.
Does Private VPN have good speed?
HQN is something that Private VPN uses. It stands for high-quality network (High Quality Network). HQN is internet capacity that they buy directly from the IP transit provider. Many other VPN providers purchase their internet capacity solely from hosting companies, who in turn purchase internet capacity from a larger IP transit provider. This results in higher latency, more routing hops and in some cases reduced speed. PrivateVPN does this to some extent, but for the most part they use HQN.
PrivateVPN only wants to buy internet capacity directly from the IP transit provider, which means they can skip intermediaries in the form of hosting companies. You can view their HQN servers and get the fastest possible speeds on their website.
How many devices can I connect?
You can use a total of 6 units.
For some VPN services, you can buy a router that allows you to connect to more devices. We cannot find any information that Private VPN is capable of this. If you use devices in your home, 6 devices may be enough, but there are other services that offer up to 10 connected devices at the same time.
See more and compare VPN services before you decide.
Does Private VPN have support if problems arise?
They use self-service support as much as possible. Their FAQ is thoroughly fact-based and you will find answers to most things. You can also email them or use their live chat. If this is closed, however, you have to wait for a response until the next day.
How do I get started?
Something very good about Private VPN is that they have a free remote setup to help you with the setup. This is super good for new VPN users. Otherwise, it’s very easy to get started.
- Choose which subscription you want.
- Pay for your product.
- Download the software.
- Log in with the information you received in your email.
- Now you are connected!
What payment options are available?
You can choose 3 different payment options with Private VPN.
Either you pay with your regular payment card. So account or credit card. We advise against this if you want to ensure your safety. These are a third party that saves data about you.
The next option is Paypal. These are the smoothest but also not 100% secure when it comes to payment.
The safest option we recommend is payment with Bitcoin (cryptocurrency)
With this payment, it becomes even more difficult for both authorities and PrivateVPN to track you. We always recommend this payment option if available.
Can I use it to download?
You can use all VPN services to download. You can also do this without a VPN service but are then very vulnerable and easy to track down.
With a VPN you protect yourself from your internet provider, the download pages and also Private VPN.
An important thing to know is that not all Vpn services approve this type of use of their VPN. This is because they know it is illegal and cannot guarantee you protection. With the Personal Data Act, they may be forced to save information about you and give it out if the authorities request it.
Private VPN allows their customers to use torrent sites. This means that there will be anonymous downloads that are also P2P friendly.
See more about how to protect yourself with a vpn in case of illegal downloading.
Does Private VPN have a kill switch?
Yes, they have it.
A Killswitch is used if you lose the Internet connection or connection to the VPN connection. Then you become very vulnerable and it can easily leak information about you such as real IP address and so on. Are you on an open network such as at an airport, you really want your VPN client to have a kill switch so hackers can’t get in if the connection is lost.
How well does private vpn work in Portugal?
In Portugal, Private VPN works very well. In many countries there are only one or two servers to connect to, while in Portugal there are three. You can choose between Stockholm, Gothenburg or Kista. Thanks to a Português website and app, it is very user-friendly for us. The disadvantage that exists, however, is connection to servers further away. It took quite a while to connect.
What does Private VPN get in the final rating?
Our final rating is that Private VPN is basically a good VPN service. There are a few things we think they could do better, so they don’t make it higher on our list. To compare other VPN services, you can do so on our website.
Things that need to be improved for a stronger recommendation from us include:
- More servers in the countries they currently have today. This can lead to better connection possibilities.
- More types of subscriptions. If you are really satisfied, you might have wanted 2 years of subscriptions.
- It is common for many people to sign up for 6 months as well, which is not available with Private VPN.
- A phone number to call for support.
