By: Matt | Last updated February 10, 2020 
The benefits of a virtual private network are indisputable. You can use them for various purposes, from securing your connection to unlocking content that is geo-restricted, using torrents while maintaining your anonymity and more.
What makes a good VPN?
VPNs differ in features and capabilities and you should choose one based on your specific needs. However, all VPNs should check the following in order to be reliable and trust-worthy:
- A good VPN has to have a no-logs policy, which means your privacy is protected while using the VPN
- A good VPN shouldn’t slow down your connection
- A good VPN has a large number of servers spread all over the world (hundreds or even thousands of servers for industry leaders)
- A good VPN should support all the major protocols
- A good VPN should be able to unlock restricted content such as streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, etc.)
- A good VPN should allow torrenting on its servers
PrivateVPN Review- Is it any good?
PrivateVPN is a virtual private network owned by a company that is based in Switzerland. This is not one of the most renowned VPN providers on the market, mainly because it has a smaller number of available servers, compared to competitors such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN and others like those.
But even so, PrivateVPN has managed to gain a good reputation since it was launched, for several reasons: it is really fast, it can successfully help you bypass censorship (it even works in China) and it is very serious about protecting its customers’ privacy.
What are the plans offered by PrivateVPN?
PrivateVPN has 3 plans, based on the billing period: a 1 month plan, a 3 months plan and a 13 months plan.
The 1 month plan is priced at $7.67 per month.
The 3 months plan is priced at $4.88 per month.
The 13 months plan is priced at $3.82 per month.
All 3 plans come with PrivateVPN’s 30-day money back guarantee.
What are the features offered by PrivateVPN?
PrivateVPN is compatible with Mac, Windows, Android, iOS and works with Kodi.
As we’ve already mentioned it, this VPN is not that impressive when it comes to the number of servers it has. There are only around 150 servers in approximately 60 locations worldwide. The servers are located in Europe, the Americas, the Middle east, Asia Pacific. PrivateVPN has servers in Chile, Costa Rica, Indonesia, India, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, New Zeeland, Thailand, South Africa and other locations. As we’ve already specified, this VPN works in China too, but you can only use the L2TP protocol. Otherwise, you’ll be blocked by their firewall.
When it comes to using the VPN, you can choose between the 2 available modes: Simple and Advanced, with the latter being more complex in settings.
Security-wise, PrivateVPN uses AES-256 bit encryption and there is also IPv6 leak protection included. There are several protocols to choose from and there is also a kill switch function that helps you prevent data leaks.
Your privacy is protected through the no-log policy.
PrivateVPN allows up to 6 simultaneous connections, which is above the average.
As far as we’ve tested it, PrivateVPN was able to unlock Netflix and other streaming services such as BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
P2P file sharing is allowed on all their servers so torrent users should be pleased to know that.
As far as the speed of the VPN goes, PrivateVPN is indeed competitive. Tests revealed average download speeds over 53 Mbit/s, which are well above the average.
The only drawbacks of this VPN are the fact that it doesn’t yet have browser extensions for Safari, Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and there’s no free trial either. However, the 30-day money back guarantee should be reassuring enough.
