PrivadoVPN is a well-rounded VPN provider that has a great set of features, a simple desktop and mobile app, and a good selection of worldwide servers. In this PrivadoVPN review, we look at what this provider has to offer, and if it is a suitable choice for you!
In this PrivadoVPN review…
- PrivadoVPN Overview
- Pros and Cons
- Features
- Pricing
- Servers
- Usability
- Customer Support
- PrivadoVPN Review Summary
PrivadoVPN Overview
PrivadoVPN is a relatively new zero-logs VPN provider based in Zug, Switzerland. The company aims to provide accessible VPN services to the general public and believes in the concept of an open internet and digital protection for everyone.
The PrivadoVPN service certainly has a great array of features, although it may not have quite as much as some of the best-known names. For example, it has a dedicated kill switch, but it does not have any split-tunneling capabilities. In contrast, unlike most providers, it does have a free VPN which includes secure streaming.
The security of this provider is excellent, and they use a range of encryption methods including WireGuard and OpenVPN – they also protect your IP address. We also found the VPN speeds to be excellent with minimum latency.
For server versatility, this provider offers worldwide servers in 45 countries. This includes major countries like the USA, the UK, Australia, Canada, Spain, and France. They do admittedly not have as many global locations as some other providers like ExpressVPN, however.
Overall, PrivadoVPN is a reliable, secure, and affordable VPN service that is right up there with the main contenders.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Dedicated kill switch for the desktop and mobile apps
- Has a free plan that has a decent 10GB data limit
- Inexpensive premium plan at £4.99 per month for an annual subscription
- Zero data logging policy to protect your privacy
- The desktop and mobile apps are minimalistic and easy to use
- Owns its own physical servers in many countries – rather than using virtual servers like other VPN services.
Cons
- Does not offer split tunneling (coming soon on the most recent Android release)
- No multi-hop VPN connections
Features
- Kill switch
- Desktop and mobile app for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac OS, and Fire TV
- Secure streaming for video, music, and social media
- IP protection
- Multi-device access for up to 10 simultaneous devices
- 24/7 customer support via a live chat or email support
PrivadoVPN Review
In this PrivadoVPN review, we look at the most important features including price, servers, usability, customer support, and what you can expect from the VPN itself.
Features
PrivadoVPN has an OK selection of features. It is not as well-equipped as some other providers. This is because things like split tunneling and multi-hop connections are missing. However, it has all the basics you would expect.
Secure Streaming
Many people use a VPN service to unblock streaming services like Netflix. PrivadoVPN can help with this due to the large range of international servers available. Additionally, PrivadoVPN offers secure streaming on all plans. This means you can have easy access to streaming platforms, and watch your favorite media without any interruptions.
Kill Switch
If you have an emergency such as a hack attempt or device problems, you can use the instant kill switch. This disables all your online activity and thus prevents any unsecured actions while using the internet.
Zero-Log Policy
You are assured that your personal data and internet traffic remains personal when using PrivadoVPN. This is because they operate a strict no-log policy.
IP Address Protection
IP address protection is vital to prevent malicious attacks on your devices. This is included as standard with a PrivadoVPN subscription.
Pricing
Many people value price above all else when choosing a VPN provider. PrivadoVPN keeps it simple when it comes to pricing. It has a free plan, and two types of premium plans based on the length of your subscription. These are detailed below:
- Free: £0.00 per month – 10GB Data Limit / 1 Connection
- 12 Months: £4.99 per month – Unlimited Data / 10 Connections
- 1 Month: £7.99 per month – Unlimited Data / 10 Connections
As you can see, the free plan is decent! It is limited of course, and you can only choose from servers located in 12 different cities. However, for free, you can’t complain! This is one of the few VPN providers to offer a free plan, and you still get the benefit of zero data logs, streaming support, and the ability to use the VPN on an unlimited number of devices (but not simultaneously).
The 12-month subscription is the best value for money. For this, you get a large discount on the standard month-by-month price. Compared to other VPN providers, £4.99 per month shapes up really well and it sits somewhere in the middle ground. It is not the cheapest option, nor is it one of the most expensive VPNs.
For the premium subscription, you get unlimited data usage, full access to the range of servers, and the ability to have 10 simultaneous devices connected. There is also a handy 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the service.
Servers
The availability, specs, and dispersion of servers are highly important when choosing a VPN provider. The more servers, the more flexibility you have for using the VPN for work or while traveling abroad, for example.
PrivadoVPN has an OK selection of server locations. As with the pricing, it sits somewhere in the middle ground. It has servers in 45 different countries spread across 6 continents. This includes countries like Canada, the USA, Argentina, the UK, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, India, Australia, and New Zealand.
This is certainly a diverse selection of locations, but not as many as some providers like ExpressVPN that have servers in 94 different countries.
However, PrivadoVPN only uses high-quality, physical servers – no virtual servers. This results in superior performance and responsiveness. There is also a useful recommended server location feature on the app. This recommends the best server based on your current location that will provide the fastest VPN connection.
For VPN encryption, PrivadoVPN also has four options available which are more than most providers. These are OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard, and SOCKS5. This gives you versatility when using the VPN service, and allows you to choose between speed, security, or a mix of both.
Usability
PrviadoVPN is available for Windows, Android, Mac OS, iOS, Fire TV, and Android TV. We spent time testing both the Windows app and the Android app on a Samsung smartphone.
For the Windows app, once installed, an icon sits in your notification bar. It runs quietly in the background and has virtually no impact on your device performance. We also found the app easy to use. The pop-up dashboard clearly shows your VPN connection status, together with the selected server – the kill switch feature is also easily accessible.
We like how you can choose to un-dock the app so that it opens as a full Windows program. The VPN is also easy to configure via the simple settings menu.
The smartphone app is similarly easy to use. It has a stylish interface that is minimalistic. You can quickly connect the VPN and choose a server. We also like that a status icon is displayed in your top menu at all times. This simply shows the current status of the VPN – much like other smartphone notifications.
Both apps appear to have great performance, work well, and do not interrupt other actions on your devices.
Customer Support
When using technical software like a VPN, you want assurance that you can easily contact the customer support team.
Luckily, PrivadoVPN has a decent customer support setup. The primary method of contact is via live chat on their website. To start the live chat you must provide your name, email, username, and support category. You are then connected to a member of the support team. We found the response times for the live chat quick, and the level of support effective.
Alternatively, you can also submit a support ticket. The great thing about this is that you don’t have to have a registered account to leave an email support ticket. Simply enter the subject and message, attach any optional files and you can send the ticket. Response times for this are longer than the live chat, but still acceptable.
Using the desktop app or the mobile app, there is no in-app support option, however. If you open the main menu, you can click the contact us button. This simply opens a web browser and loads the support page.
PrivadoVPN Review Summary
We hope you have found this PrivadoVPN review beneficial! But is this VPN provider worth it? Certainly! It is one of the better providers in terms of price, usability, security, and speed. From testing, the desktop and mobile apps are incredibly easy to use. Also, the VPN connections are fast and are great for gaming and streaming.
The customer support is also excellent, and features like a Kill Switch and IP protection help put your mind at ease when using the service. It could benefit from some additional features like split tunneling, and we would like to see a great variety of server locations, however.
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