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PrivadoVPN is a relatively new virtual private network (VPN) that launched in 2019. The new kid has performed well, earning praise for its affordable prices and good free version.
I reviewed and researched PrivadoVPN to find out how well it stands up against the best VPNs that feature fast speeds, advanced settings, and great customer service. Can PrivadoVPN really compete with the leaders while offering a budget price?
Privado isn’t the biggest but VPN on the market, but it stays competitive with affordable pricing. While ExpressVPN is fast, the $100 annual subscription might seem too expensive.
PrivadoVPN charges just $36 for a year of geo-unlocking and privacy protection. You can get an even better deal with a two-year subscription that costs only $48.
With either plan, you get a three-month bonus, so the first year of service renews after 15 months and the two-year plan goes for 27 months if you’re a new subscriber.
There’s also an $11 monthly plan. All three paid plans support up to 10 simultaneous connections so you can protect all your computers, phones, tablets, and smart TVs.
PrivadoVPN has servers in 66 cities within 49 countries. Bigger VPNs like CyberGhost, boast as many as 10,000 worldwide servers, but it’s not only size that matters. Read on to see my speed tests and other important features.
The free version of PrivadoVPN lets you use 10 GB of data every 30 days. Speeds aren’t capped either, but there are fewer servers and a busy server is often slower.
Privado lets free users access 13 servers in 10 countries, including popular streaming locations like the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, and Germany. Despite the data cap, PrivadoVPN is among the best free VPNs for your computer or phone.
PrivadoVPN has a simple setup, and there was a brief visual tour after installation to familiarize me with the Windows app.
The primary functions happen in a tiny window with a fixed size that reminds me of older Windows apps. There’s a quick connect button that starts the VPN with the last server I selected or the closest server for time use.
The current server location appears below and I can select another from a full list, my favorites, or by searching and sorting to narrow down the choices.
A list of icons at the bottom show the status of options like the kill switch that blocks the internet if the VPN unexpectedly drops. I can select any of these shortcuts to open that tab in settings for quick adjustments.
The settings window is twice as large as the main window and has options to adjust server sorting, pick a different VPN protocol, set up split-tunneling, review my account, and get support.
I can adjust locking options by selecting the second tab on the main window. PrivadoVPN’s Control Tower claims to block malicious websites, scams, ads, and spam.
Speed is high on my list for a VPN, so I spent time connecting to different servers throughout the day to measure how fast PrivadoVPN is overall. I tried different servers within each country, connected at various times across several days, and played with settings to try to optimize speed without sacrificing privacy.
Ultimately, PrivadoVPN was the slowest VPN I’ve tested so far. Still, it was fast enough for streaming video, and latency was as good as that of competitors when connecting to an overseas server.
I get 900 Mbps downloads and uploads over Ethernet when I don’t use a VPN. I measured 439 Mbps downloads for France and 368 Mbps in Germany. However, my best SpeedTest rating for a PrivadoVPN server in the U.K. was a disappointing 16 Mbps.
I’m in Canada, so I was also surprised to get a maximum of 57 Mbps download speeds within the border. The U.S. was somewhat better with 179 Mbps, but I regularly get well over 400 Mbps with nearby servers from most VPNs.
PrivadoVPN’s Canadian server did deliver good upload speed, reaching 32 Mbps. Uploads to distant servers are always slow, so the average of about 4 Mbps felt normal for connections to Europe and beyond.
I noticed significant differences from one moment to the next, with the U.S. speed falling to 12 Mbps about a half hour after the fastest U.S. test. This could be a sign of growing pains for Privado. As a new VPN, it doesn’t have as many servers as others and crowding results in slower speeds.
Other features are good. I can use split-tunneling to use the VPN on some apps and not others. There’s also family-oriented blocking of dating, substance abuse, gambling, and adult content websites.
Privado claims 24/7 support to free and paid users. I put that to the test by reaching out on a Sunday afternoon. While there could be representatives responding via email, live chat wasn’t available.
I left an offline message asking for the live chat hours. I received a reply by email a few hours later, but it was a generic request for more detail and “any available logs.” I tried again Monday morning, but still couldn’t reach anyone for immediate help.
PrivadoVPN support is primarily via email with limited chat hours.
Privado is located in Switzerland, which isn’t part of Five Eyes or other intelligence alliances. However, that isn’t a guarantee of privacy. I checked the PrivadoVPN terms of service and privacy policy to make sure there weren’t any concerns.
Like most VPNs, Privado points out that it collects minimal data, so there is little to share, even in response to requests from law enforcement. Unlike most top VPNs, PrivadoVPN hasn’t had an independent audit of its no-log service or security yet.
I couldn’t find any record of a data breach at PrivadoVPN, which isn’t surprising for such a new company. Your data should remain safe and private with a PrivadoVPN subscription.
PrivadoVPN’s free version is quite generous with servers in 10 countries. If the 10 GB per-month-data cap is frustrating, Proton Free has unlimited data, but only for servers in three countries.
PrivadoVPN’s paid service is very affordable. but TorGuard is even cheaper. For a little bit more, Surfshark has a great deal on a two-year plan that supports an unlimited number of devices.
PrivadoVPN might be a good choice if you like the sound of the family filtering option or need a free VPN that supports several countries. If it doesn’t quite fit, check out our guide to the best VPNs overall, the best streaming VPNs, and the best VPNs to use at school.
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