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PrivadoVPN Review

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Simon Migliano
Simon Migliano

Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more. Read full bio

Fact-checked by JP JonesAdditional Testing by David Hughes

PrivadoVPN appRanked #16 out of 61 VPNs
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Privacy

Free
6.4/10
PrivacyRanked #29 out of 23 free VPNs for Privacy
Best Rating
9.7/10
Average Rating
5.2/10
Worst Rating
0.1/10

We calculated this rating by examining the VPN's logging policy, jurisdiction, ownership, and privacy features. We also evaluated its history of handling user data and responding to legal requests.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.
Paid
6.4/10
PrivacyRanked #28 out of 61 VPNs for Privacy
Best Rating
9.7/10
Average Rating
5.2/10
Worst Rating
0.1/10

We calculated this rating by examining the VPN's logging policy, jurisdiction, ownership, and privacy features. We also evaluated its history of handling user data and responding to legal requests.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.

PrivadoVPN has a reasonable privacy policy, and it does not log any sensitive or personally-identifying data. It’s also based in Switzerland, which is a safe jurisdiction for privacy. However, it only achieves a rating of 6.4/10 as it still logs your individual bandwidth usage and device information. The VPN has also made no effort to evidence its logging policy claims, either through an independent audit, transparency reports, or a warrant canary.

Originating IP AddressNo
Browsing ActivityNo
Individual Connection TimestampsNo
Date of Last ConnectionNo
VPN Server IPNo
Device InformationYes
Individual Bandwidth UsageYes
Account InformationYes

PrivadoVPN only collects a small amount of information, and none of it is identifiable. It doesn’t log any sensitive data, such as your IP address or the websites you visit.

However, this is not a no-logs privacy policy, and the data it collects appears to be stored indefinitely. VPNs like Private Internet Access maintain an excellent service without storing any information at all.

PrivadoVPN loses points in our privacy assessment because it’s a relative newcomer to the VPN market and it’s not yet done enough to evidence its privacy claims and build user trust.

PrivadoVPN could fix this by commissioning an independent audit into its privacy policy. It could also release regular transparency reports that detail the legal requests it receives and how it responds to them. A warrant canary would be useful, too.

Is PrivadoVPN Trustworthy?

The company behind PrivadoVPN is legitimate and we like that it’s based in Switzerland, which has no data retention laws and respects consumer privacy. It is not a member of the European Union, so it doesn’t abide by the Data Retention Directive, either.

Moreover, Switzerland has no role in the Five Eyes or 14 Eyes alliances, or any other anti-privacy intelligence-sharing agreements. In other words, PrivadoVPN is under no legal obligation to store or share the data of its users.

For this reason, we think PrivadoVPN is trustworthy. However, there is no information about the company behind PrivadoVPN. We want PrivadoVPN to build further trust by releasing transparency reports and commissioning audits of its logging policy.

Streaming

Free
4.3/10
StreamingRanked #21 out of 23 free VPNs for Streaming
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
4.6/10
Worst Rating
0.8/10

We calculated this rating by identifying which streaming services the VPN could unblock and measuring how consistently it could access them.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.
Paid
6.1/10
StreamingRanked #11 out of 61 VPNs for Streaming
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
4.6/10
Worst Rating
0.8/10

We calculated this rating by identifying which streaming services the VPN could unblock and measuring how consistently it could access them.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.

PrivadoVPN unblocks every major streaming site, including US Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu. The free version performs equally well in our streaming tests, and is the best free VPN for US Netflix. However, access to BBC iPlayer and ITVX is inconsistent on both versions. Even when activated, not all of PrivadoVPN’s servers work.

Streaming ServiceWorks with PrivadoVPN FreeWorks with PrivadoVPN
BBC iPlayer (UK)NoNo
DAZN (Canada)NoNo
Disney+ (UK)YesYes
Hulu (US)YesYes
ITVX (UK)NoNo
Max (US)YesYes
Netflix (US)YesYes
Netflix (UK)YesYes
Prime Video (US)YesYes
Sky Go (UK)YesYes

PrivadoVPN Paid & Free Works with US Netflix

Both versions of PrivadoVPN can unblock US Netflix from anywhere. According to our recent tests, the paid version also unblocks Netflix in France, Israel, Turkey, and the UK.

PrivadoVPN Unblocking US Netflix

PrivadoVPN works with US Netflix and more.

This is nowhere near as many Netflix libraries as similar VPNs can access — Windscribe unblocks 32, for example. Failing to access Japanese Netflix is also disappointing, but reliable access to the US region is a big perk.

This is especially the case for PrivadoVPN Free, which is one of the few free VPNs to unblock Netflix and the only free VPN that can access US Netflix on desktop devices.

However, the amount of time you can stream with PrivadoVPN Free is heavily restricted by its 10GB monthly data cap.

Works with HBO Max, Disney+ & Hulu

Both the paid and free version of PrivadoVPN also work to unblock US streaming services like HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, and US Amazon Prime Video.

PrivadoVPN Free HBO Max Test

PrivadoVPN Free unblocks HBO Max and more georestricted streaming sites.

Because of its success unblocking US Netflix and other geo-blocked sites, PrivadoVPN is the best free VPN for streaming overall, with Windscribe Free a close second.

BBC iPlayer Access Is Inconsistent

PrivadoVPN didn’t unblock BBC iPlayer on its Manchester server, but it did work on its London server – for a while. Coming back to test it again shortly afterward, our real location was detected by the BBC’s blocking technology.

PrivadoVPN BBC iPlayer Test

BBC iPlayer detected that we were using PrivadoVPN to watch British TV.

PrivadoVPN also failed to access ITVX. However, watching Channel 4 from abroad was far more successful, including when using PrivadoVPN Free. Overall, fans of British TV should choose a UK VPN that unblocks all British streaming sites, instead.

Speed

Free
9.3/10
SpeedRanked #17 out of 23 free VPNs for Speed
Best Rating
10/10
Average Rating
7.0/10
Worst Rating
0.4/10

We calculated this rating using our proprietary tests of download, upload, and ping speeds across servers in 10 countries.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.
Paid
8.7/10
SpeedRanked #33 out of 61 VPNs for Speed
Best Rating
10/10
Average Rating
7.0/10
Worst Rating
0.4/10

We calculated this rating using our proprietary tests of download, upload, and ping speeds across servers in 10 countries.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.

Both versions of PrivadoVPN are very fast. We recorded a speed loss of only 8% on same-country connections. Long-distance connections are also fast; we only lost 10% of our normal speed speed connecting to the UK, despite 3,500 miles of distance. However, PrivadoVPN still doesn’t match the fastest VPNs like Hotspot Shield. Based on this data, PrivadoVPN scores 8.7 in our speed evaluation.

We tested PrivadoVPN’s average speeds when connecting to servers on six continents Here are the results for PrivadoVPN Premium in full:

These results show that PrivadoVPN performs very well connecting to any part of the globe. On local connections, our speed loss was marginal at just 8%.

Its international speeds are naturally slower, but still more than enough for Full HD streaming, video calling, and even gaming.

For example, connecting to Australia we picked up speeds of 82Mbps despite over 10,000 miles of geographical distance.

PrivadoVPN Free Is Faster than the Pro Version

PrivadoVPN Free performs just as well — and sometimes better — than the paid version in our VPN speed tests.

We recorded local average connection speeds of 96Mbps, which is actually better than the pro version.

Similarly, its Germany connection speeds were faster compared to the Pro version, and its long-distance UK speed were similar at 89Mbps.

This means that PrivadoVPN does not throttle its free servers like other free VPNs do, such as Hide.me Free.

While this is excellent for users of the free version, paid users might feel short-changed by this.

Security

Free
7.0/10
SecurityRanked #36 out of 23 free VPNs for Security
Best Rating
9.0/10
Average Rating
6.4/10
Worst Rating
1.0/10

We calculated this rating by testing the VPN's security protocols, encryption, leak protection, and kill switch reliability. We also assessed the provider's track record and any past security incidents.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.
Paid
7.0/10
SecurityRanked #35 out of 61 VPNs for Security
Best Rating
9.0/10
Average Rating
6.4/10
Worst Rating
1.0/10

We calculated this rating by testing the VPN's security protocols, encryption, leak protection, and kill switch reliability. We also assessed the provider's track record and any past security incidents.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.

PrivadoVPN provides solid security with AES-256 encryption and secure protocols like WireGuard and ChaCha, ensuring it’s safe to use. However, it falls short in some areas — its kill switch isn't available on iOS, and it lacks advanced security features like multi-hop.

Independent AuditNo
VPN Kill SwitchYes
Leak ProtectionYes

Does PrivadoVPN Fully Encrypt Your Data?

To begin our security tests, we first checked whether PrivadoVPN actually encrypts your web traffic. We did this by running it through the packet-sniffing tool Wireshark.

As you can see in the screenshot below, PrivadoVPN successfully encrypted our web traffic, which means you can trust it to hide your browsing activity from your ISP.

PrivadoVPN Wireshark Encryption Test.

PrivadoVPN encrypted our internet traffic.

A Selection of Safe Connection Protocols

PrivadoVPN lets you choose between OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2 protocols. These are the leading protocols that we expect to see from any safe VPN.

PrivadoVPN uses IKEv2 by default, but we recommend changing this to WireGuard. However, WireGuard is not immediately available on the macOS app. It has to be manually authorized and installed, which is inconvenient and should be pre-installed.

If you’re a mac user, OpenVPN is the next best option.

PrivadoVPN Preferences Menu

WireGuard is not available on macOS.

Kill Switch Works, But Not on iOS

Continuing our security tests, we ran all of PrivadoVPN’s apps through our unique kill switch test tool to see if it prevents accidental IP address exposure.

Our tests show that the kill switch works perfectly on Windows, macOS, and Android. In prior tests, our real IP address was leaked whenever we switched servers, so we’re pleased to see that this has been fixed after we contacted PrivadoVPN about the issue.

However, there is no kill switch on the iOS app, so we caution against using PrivadoVPN on iPhone or iPad.

PrivadoVPN Kill Switch Test

PrivadoVPN’s kill switch works perfectly but is absent from iOS.

Server Locations

Free
2.7/10
Server LocationsRanked #47 out of 23 free VPNs for Server Locations
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
6.7/10
Worst Rating
1.0/10

We calculated this rating by assessing the number of countries and cities available, their geographic spread, and availability in popular regions.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.
Paid
5.5/10
Server LocationsRanked #23 out of 61 VPNs for Server Locations
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
6.7/10
Worst Rating
1.0/10

We calculated this rating by assessing the number of countries and cities available, their geographic spread, and availability in popular regions.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.

PrivadoVPN has a physical server network covering 44 countries, with several city-level options available. This is a good number, but it’s small in comparison to top-rated VPN services. The average number among top-tier VPNs is 50, and the very best offer IP addresses in over 100 countries. Furthermore, PrivadoVPN is limited by the small number of individual servers that make up its entire network — only 322 servers in total.

ContinentPrivadoVPN Free
Countries with Servers
PrivadoVPN
Countries with Servers
Europe524
North America33
South America22
Asia112
Africa01
Oceania02

PrivadoVPN’s premium server network caters heavily to European countries, with only one server location on the African continent and two in South America. Asia is relatively well represented, but we’d like to see PrivadoVPN generally invest in more locations going forward.

PrivadoVPN Server List on Android

PrivadoVPN’s server network is small compared to the competition.

PrivadoVPN’s server network is nowhere near the size of networks offered by top-ranking VPNs.

ExpressVPN scores 9.9 in our server evaluation because it has lots of servers spread across 100 countries, including a much greater focus on often-neglected regions like Africa and the Middle East.

Small Network of Physical Servers

One of the reasons that PrivadoVPN has a small server network is that it is exclusively devoted to building an all-physical server network. This is more expensive, and it makes it much harder for PrivadoVPN to provide IP addresses in countries with less developed infrastructure.

There are some privacy benefits to choosing physical over virtual servers, but we are worried that, as the subscriber base grows, servers will become increasingly congested.

PrivadoVPN Free Offers 11 Free Countries

PrivadoVPN Free has a substantially smaller network compared to the paid version, but 11 countries is a lot when compared to other free VPNs like Hotspot Shield Free, Proton VPN Free, and Atlas VPN Free, which all have 3.

PrivadoVPN Free US Servers on Mobile.

PrivadoVPN Free comes with 4 US servers.

PrivadoVPN Free’s server network is refreshingly diverse. Alongside major European and North American countries, it has IP addresses for Argentina, Brazil, and India. It’s also the best free VPN for Mexico, and there are four city-level server choices in the United States.

User Experience

Free
7.7/10
User ExperienceRanked #21 out of 23 free VPNs for User Experience
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
7.0/10
Worst Rating
2.0/10

We calculated this rating by assessing the VPN’s ease of use, interface design, and setup process across multiple platforms.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.
Paid
7.7/10
User ExperienceRanked #20 out of 61 VPNs for User Experience
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
7.0/10
Worst Rating
2.0/10

We calculated this rating by assessing the VPN’s ease of use, interface design, and setup process across multiple platforms.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.

PrivadoVPN has improved the design and user experience of its apps considerably. It continues to offer an approachable and streamlined service that makes it friendly for beginners and consistent across apps. However, advanced users will want more features and customization options, and certain features are reserved for Windows and Android devices.

Installation & Setup

Installing PrivadoVPN is straightforward, but there are a few quirks worth noting. The app download process is relatively fast, and the installer file is compact, making it quicker than many VPNs like NordVPN or ExpressVPN.

However, logging in requires an account email and password, which is standard, but the lack of single sign-on or streamlined device management makes the process feel a bit dated, especially if you’re setting it up on multiple devices.

Unlike some top-tier VPNs, PrivadoVPN doesn’t automatically configure advanced settings, leaving new users to manually adjust options like Auto Connect or protocol selection post-installation. While this isn’t a dealbreaker, it may feel less polished compared to more user-friendly alternatives.

The setup process is serviceable but falls short of the seamless experience offered by more established VPN providers.

Interface & Ease of Use

PrivadoVPN has made significant strides in improving the design and usability of its apps, making it a beginner-friendly VPN. The interface is consistent across devices, featuring a simple home screen with a large connect button, a server list, and a settings menu.

However, advanced users may find the apps lack features and customization options, and some functionalities are exclusive to Windows and Android.

One area for improvement is the settings menu, which opens in a separate window. This design choice feels fragmented and can clutter your desktop, especially if you forget to manually close the extra window.

PrivadoVPN's apps for Android and iOS

On macOS, we appreciated the inclusion of a “dock to tray” feature, allowing you to either fix the app to the tray or drag and move it around your screen. That said, customization is limited — the app doesn’t allow resizing, and beyond toggling Auto Connect, there are few options.

Windows users have the advantage of split tunneling, enabling control over which apps and websites use the VPN. Unfortunately, this feature isn’t available on macOS or iOS, which would benefit greatly from its inclusion.

Day-to-Day Experience

PrivadoVPN provides a consistent and straightforward experience for everyday use, particularly for those who value simplicity.

While its design is clean and its functionality reliable, the lack of advanced features and cross-platform parity leaves room for improvement.

Torrenting

Free
6.2/10
TorrentingRanked #29 out of 23 free VPNs for Torrenting
Best Rating
9.7/10
Average Rating
6.2/10
Worst Rating
0.0/10

We calculated this rating by assessing the VPN's torrenting features, including P2P servers and port forwarding support. We also evaluated its average bitrate and stance on file-sharing.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.
Paid
6.9/10
TorrentingRanked #24 out of 61 VPNs for Torrenting
Best Rating
9.7/10
Average Rating
6.2/10
Worst Rating
0.0/10

We calculated this rating by assessing the VPN's torrenting features, including P2P servers and port forwarding support. We also evaluated its average bitrate and stance on file-sharing.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.

PrivadoVPN supports P2P file sharing on its entire server network, and a SOCKS5 proxy is included as a special feature for premium subscribers. This makes PrivadoVPN a suitable VPN for torrenting. However, its average download bitrate of 7.9MiB/s is slower than the competition and it doesn’t support port forwarding.

Torrenting AttributePrivadoVPN FreePrivadoVPN
Permits P2P TrafficYesYes
Average Download Bitrate5.7MiB/s (43% loss)7.9MiB/s (21% loss)
Countries with P2P Servers1144
Port ForwardingNoNo
Kill SwitchYesYes
Logging PolicyNo Identifiable DataNo Identifiable Data

PrivadoVPN’s network supports P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing. Its entire network is optimized for P2P traffic, including its free servers.

We tested PrivadoVPN on torrent clients like qBittorrent and uTorrent to see how it performs.

Our results show a good average download bitrate of 7.9MiB/s, but you can download torrent files quicker with faster VPNs for torrenting.

Premium PrivadoVPN users also have access to a SOCKS5 proxy on every server. The SOCKS5 proxy is a favorite of torrenters as it can allow for faster speeds and greater anonymity. This feature is not available on PrivadoVPN Free, though.

Unfortunately, PrivadoVPN does not permit port forwarding on any of its servers, so you may not be able to seed files for fellow torrenters.

Overall, PrivadoVPN is a good but imperfect choice for torrenting; it’s average bitrate is fast and it doesn’t log sensitive data, but its kill switch isn’t available on iOS, and there is no port forwarding.

Device Compatibility

Free
6.6/10
Device Compatibility
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
6.0/10
Worst Rating
1.0/10

We calculated this rating by evaluating the VPN's support for various devices. We considered dedicated apps, browser extensions, Smart DNS functionality, and router compatibility.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.
Paid
7.0/10
Device Compatibility
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
6.0/10
Worst Rating
1.0/10

We calculated this rating by evaluating the VPN's support for various devices. We considered dedicated apps, browser extensions, Smart DNS functionality, and router compatibility.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.

PrivadoVPN offers apps for most platforms, including major desktop and mobile devices, such as Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It allows for 10 simultaneous connections, which is a generous amount, and its Fire TV Stick has been fixed. However, there is no Smart DNS, and there are no browser extensions available. Manual router installation is technical and tricky.

WindowsYes
MacYes
iOSYes
AndroidYes
LinuxNo
Amazon Fire TVYes
Android TVYes
Apple TVYes
RouterManual Setup Only
ChromeNo

Simultaneous Connections: 10

There are manual setup guides on PrivadoVPN’s website if you want to set up the VPN on your home router or on Linux.

PrivadoVPN imposes a limit of 10 simultaneous connections. This should be more than enough for most users, enabling you to connect to every device you own, and it’s double what’s on offer from top-rated services like ExpressVPN.

However, other VPNs like Surfshark and IPVanish have abandoned device limits entirely.

It’s a shame that PrivadoVPN doesn’t offer a Smart DNS tool, which makes it easier to stream geo-restricted content from smart devices without the use of a VPN.

Additional Features

Free
5.1/10
Additional Features
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
3.3/10
Worst Rating
0.2/10

We calculated this rating by evaluating the VPN's extra capabilities beyond the basic VPN service. This includes bypassing censorship, additional tools like malware blockers, and customization options like split tunneling.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.
Paid
5.6/10
Additional Features
Best Rating
9.9/10
Average Rating
3.3/10
Worst Rating
0.2/10

We calculated this rating by evaluating the VPN's extra capabilities beyond the basic VPN service. This includes bypassing censorship, additional tools like malware blockers, and customization options like split tunneling.

Read our VPN testing methodology to learn more.

PrivadoVPN is lagging behind top VPNs in terms of additional features. Competitors now commonly include multi-hop servers, split tunneling, and 24/7 live chat support as part of their standard offerings. PrivadoVPN lacks these, but does have some strengths: it sometimes works in China, includes SOCKS support, and has an ad blocker.

Additional FeaturePrivadoVPN FreePrivadoVPN
Split TunnelingNo No
VPN ObfuscationNo No
Multi-Hop ServersNo No
Dedicated IPNo No
Ad BlockerNo Yes

Does PrivadoVPN Work in China?

We tested PrivadoVPN on our Shanghai server within China and found that it is able to get around The Great Firewall of China.

However, as you can see in the video below, connections within China took a very long time to establish. While we unblocked YouTube when connecting to the Taiwan server, it took over four minutes to get around Chinese website blocks (we have shortened the video).

PrivadoVPN currently works to get the free internet in China.

It’s unclear how long PrivadoVPN’s success in China will last, as it doesn’t have any obfuscation technology. Its current success is probably a result of its relative unpopularity and small user base. As PrivadoVPN gets more popular, it’s likely the Chinese authorities will identify and block it.

If that happens, Astrill VPN is a reliable alternative for China – it bypasses Chinese web blocks 100% of the time.

PrivadoVPN Free used to work in China, but since introducing the requirement for users to manually refresh data via its website each month, users in China cannot access more data as that web page is blocked in the country.

It’s rare that a free VPN works in China, so it’s a shame that the manual refresh requirement has unintentionally stopped people from accessing the global internet.

Useful Live Chat, But It’s Not 24/7

PrivadoVPN has a live chat feature that it says is available 24/7. However, it’s actually available at unpredictable times. Sometimes we’ve sought help and received an answer instantly. Other times it has taken hours.

This was frustrating, so we used a ticket system on its website instead. We sent the ticket at 14:27 and got a response at 16:07 – nearly a two hour waiting window. The response was polite and helpful enough, though.

We’re pleased that PrivadoVPN’s live chat is available to everyone, whether you’re a subscriber or not. This is not always the case with VPN providers. However, we’d prefer it if you didn’t have to fill out your name, email, and category of enquiry before initiating the conversation.

PrivadoVPN Live Chat Support.

PrivadoVPN live chat forces you to fill out your name and email.

We found the live chat response to be fast and useful. However, the agent was too keen to end the conversation. By the time we had consulted their response via the provided link, they had ended the chat.

The website has some basic FAQs (mainly used to promote the service) and a few helpful setup guides, as well as some articles on general privacy, but it’s far behind the sort of comprehensive online help you get from a VPN like Astrill.

Features We’d Like to See

PrivadoVPN is safe, but it needs to add to its security suite in order to compete with top-tier VPNs. Here are some absent features that we’d like to see added:

  • First-party DNS servers so that PrivadoVPN handles your DNS requests itself and not your ISP.
  • Multi-hop servers for an additional layer of VPN security.