PrivadoVPN Review 2025
An excellent free VPN that’s not quite ready for premium prime time.
PrivadoVPN is a rising VPN provider with a world-class free plan but a few kinks left to work out.
- Table of Contents
- PrivadoVPN Review Overview
- PrivadoVPN: Latest News & Updates
- PrivadoVPN Background & History
- PrivadoVPN Features
- PrivadoVPN Cost: Plans & Value for Money
- Compatibility: Apps & Support
- Server Locations
- Hands-On Testing & Ease of Use
- Speeds & Performance Testing
- Streaming Performance
- Security: Is PrivadoVPN Safe?
- Is PrivadoVPN Private?
- Customer Support
- PrivadoVPN Reviews on Reddit & Social Media
- Bottom Line: Do I Recommend PrivadoVPN?
- PrivadoVPN Alternatives
Quick Summary: PrivadoVPN Review
PrivadoVPN combines the best available free VPN with a set of well-made core features and a nice visual design. However, its download speeds can drag and it’s missing some privacy credentials. You can try a paid plan with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
I can give you the most important part of this PrivadoVPN review right off the bat: PrivadoVPN has officially surpassed Proton VPN as my pick for the best free VPN. I still prefer Proton overall for its commitment to privacy, but as it de-emphasizes its free service, PrivadoVPN has leapt in to fill the void.
It’s astonishing how much you can get away with on PrivadoVPN’s free plan. It includes unlimited access to 13 well-distributed servers. You can’t even run out of data, though it does start capping your speeds after you use 10GB in a month. Still, this is a free VPN you can integrate into your daily internet use.
When compared to the best VPNs overall, though, PrivadoVPN suffers a little. Its server network is small, its download speeds tend to seesaw and it could do more to prioritize user privacy. All that said, it’s only five years old, so I expect great things from it in the future. In this review, I’ll explain how PrivadoVPN pulled ahead of the free VPN pack.
PrivadoVPN Review Overview
- Unlimited free plan
- Excellent app design
- Great worldwide latencies
- Unblocks all streaming services
- Customizable ad & content blocker
- No live chat support
- Hasn’t passed a privacy audit
- Download speeds can fluctuate
- Few servers in Southern Hemisphere
Note: Free version has 13 server locations, one device connection, unlimited data (speeds are capped after 10GB)
How Good Is PrivadoVPN?
For a VPN that was founded in only 2019, PrivadoVPN is very good. Its pleasing app design stands out, and I couldn’t find any holes in its security. It also unblocked eight different streaming services on the first try. Its free plan may be the best feature of all, with 13 useful server locations.
As much as I like it, there are some hitches. Customer support is slow, and the entire server network underwhelms, with only one location available in the whole of Africa. Its download speeds also jumped around a lot within the same testing session. Still, PrivadoVPN is a service with potential, and it’s a free VPN that’s well worth your time.
PrivadoVPN: Latest News & Updates
PrivadoVPN keeps up-to-date, publicly visible version logs for its main apps. On Windows, the latest change is the addition of an app-level kill switch as of August 2024. The macOS app had its last major update in June, adding new languages and more options for sorting the server list.
PrivadoVPN Background & History
PrivadoVPN was founded in 2019, joining Proton VPN in the august company of Swiss VPN providers with good free plans — see my Proton VPN review to learn about that service. Initially, it offered only business-scale software, but it launched individual Windows and Android apps by the end of 2019. macOS and iOS apps followed in 2020.
Five years and change isn’t a long time compared to some VPN heavyweights, but PrivadoVPN has a clean record so far. I dug through the news since 2019 and found no scandals, hacks or major security failures, though it hasn’t stood out much for positive reasons, either. The apps themselves will have to tell the story.
What Is PrivadoVPN?
PrivadoVPN is a virtual private network (VPN). I wrote a post called “What Is A VPN?” to explain it in more detail, but to summarize, a VPN gives you an anonymous online identity that can’t be traced back to you. There are many reasons to use a VPN, but the biggest benefits are privacy, security and the ability to change your virtual location.
Who Owns PrivadoVPN?
PrivadoVPN is run by Privado Networks AG, a Swiss startup that doesn’t appear to have a parent company. Its operating address is available on its website at privadovpn.com, but it’s a bit more difficult to find a complete staff roster.
Where Is PrivadoVPN Located?
PrivadoVPN is based in Zug, Switzerland. It doesn’t appear to have any other offices, though all its open job offers are remote.
Is PrivadoVPN Safe?
Yes, it is safe, but with reservations. PrivadoVPN uses three standard, expert-vetted VPN protocols: OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2. It’s also never suffered a hack or data breach. That all makes me 95% confident it’s safe. To get to 100%, I’d need to see a full infrastructure audit by a well-known independent firm.
PrivadoVPN Features
PrivadoVPN doesn’t have many standout features. It’s more focused on getting the table stakes right — a lot like ExpressVPN, as you can read in my ExpressVPN review. There are a few standouts, though, including the extremely customizable threat blocker called “control tower” and the SmartRoute app-based split tunneling.
Here’s an overview of what you can expect on the PrivadoVPN app:
- Kill switch
- SmartRoute split tunneling
- Auto start and auto connect
- Scramble obfuscation on OpenVPN
- OpenVPN, WireGuard and IKEv2 protocols
- 10 simultaneous connections on a paid plan
- Control tower to block malware, ads, social media and adult content
Basic Features
A VPN app’s first job is to connect you to private IP addresses through secure VPN protocols. PrivadoVPN’s main UI window includes all the features you need to do that.
- Server network: PrivadoVPN users can choose from 65 server locations in 48 countries. You can search the list by name, sort it by current latency or select favorites. The app will also tell you what the fastest location is at any given moment.
- Kill switch: A kill switch protects you from broadcasting sensitive information by cutting off your internet if your VPN connection drops. It’s also an important way to ensure you’re connected to a real VPN server, which protects you from the TunnelVision attack.
- VPN protocols: You can have the VPN app automatically select the fastest protocol, or choose between IKEv2, WireGuard or OpenVPN. I’ll go into more detail on these in the security section.
- Auto start: In the application tab in the settings menu (accessed by clicking the main screen’s gear icon), you can set your PrivadoVPN app to open automatically when your computer starts.
- Auto connect: In the VPN tab, you can set PrivadoVPN to automatically connect the moment it opens to the best location, the last location used or a random location. When combined with auto start, PrivadoVPN can do its entire job without you needing to think about it at all.
Advanced Features
A couple of PrivadoVPN’s features push the envelope. They’re not especially innovative, but I do find them genuinely useful.
- Best location: PrivadoVPN is one of the few providers that lets you choose how it decides what the best location is. It can always pick the nearest location, the location with the lowest latency or a favorite location you’ve specified. The latter is great if you repeatedly need to get Netflix unblocked in the country with your favorite show.
- Scramble: When using OpenVPN, you can check the “scramble” box to add obfuscation. This feature can get you past some stubborn firewalls and restrictions by obscuring the metadata on your VPN connection so it looks like normal traffic.
- SmartRoute: SmartRoute is PrivadoVPN’s name for split tunneling, which sends some apps through the VPN tunnel while others get online as normal. You can protect a sensitive app like qBitTorrent while going unencrypted for websites that block VPNs on sight.
- Smart DNS: Each paid PrivadoVPN account comes with the addresses of secure DNS servers you can use to resolve all requests from your browser. This reduces the chance of DNS leaks and lets you get around firewalls without being connected to the VPN; however, it does require more setup work on your part.
- SOCKS5 proxy: You also get a SOCKS5 proxy with a premium subscription. This is an unencrypted server you can use for online communications through any app. It’s not fully private or secure unless you combine it with an active VPN, but it can be a faster way to handle quick jobs.
- Privado Sentry: Privado Sentry is a standalone antivirus app with real-time malware scanning, on-demand virus checks and a quarantine mode. So far, it’s only included on Windows and the Android app for paid users.
What Is PrivadoVPN Control Tower?
The control tower is PrivadoVPN’s most interesting feature outside the VPN itself. Much like Windscribe’s R.O.B.E.R.T., which you can read about in my Windscribe review, the control tower is a set of blocklists you can toggle depending on your needs. It includes three lists: threats, social and family security.
The threats list is the broadest, and includes abusive websites, ads and their trackers, and sites known to be associated with malware, phishing, crypto grifting or NFT scams. The social list lets you block Facebook, TikTok, Twitch, YouTube, Instagram and/or Twitter. The family security list blocks gambling sites, dating sites, drug markets, porn sites and (ironically) VPN sites.
It’s a bit annoying that users can’t control the content of these blocklists, but it’s easy to simply turn one off if it blocks a site you have to use regularly. I most liked the social media list, which offers a finer level of control than you tend to get with built-in blockers.
PrivadoVPN Cost: Plans & Value for Money
PrivadoVPN is aware that it’s a more basic service, so thankfully it doesn’t overcharge. On top of its free plan, there are three pricing options for a paid plan. Each price tier has the same features but a different duration — the longer you subscribe, the more you save.
If you choose to pay for PrivadoVPN, you can get one month at a time for $10.99. The 12-month plan includes three free months in the first billing period for $2.99 per month ($44.85 total). Subsequent years will cost you $3.74 per month for the same total price.
The 24-month plan costs $1.99 per month ($53.73 total), which also adds three extra months in the first two-year period. After that, each 24-month period renews at the same price, working out to $2.24 per month.
| Duration: | Price (First Billing Period) | Price (Next Billing Periods) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $10.99 | $10.99 |
| 12 months | $2.99/month ($44.85 total) | $3.74/month ($44.85 total) |
| 24 months | $1.99/month ($53.73 total) | $2.24/month ($53.73 total) |
PrivadoVPN Free Plan
PrivadoVPN also includes a free plan that does not require a payment method. The free service comes with no limits on monthly data usage. Free users can also access 13 server locations, which represents a decent chunk of PrivadoVPN’s small server network in North America, South America, Asia and Europe.
All in all, it’s an even better free plan than the one I praised to the skies in my Proton VPN review. The catch, other than missing out on the rest of the server network, is that the free plan caps your speeds after you use 10GB of data in a month. After that, you’ll be restricted from the best speeds until the next month.
PrivadoVPN Payment Options & Anonymity
PrivadoVPN supports a gobsmackingly large range of payment methods, though you can only use them in regions where they’re supported. The list below includes methods available only in the United States, but there are a lot more — wherever you are, PrivadoVPN probably accepts whichever processor you’re used to using.
- PayPal
- Other: Mint, Sofort, GiroPay, EPS, Boleto
- Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, JCB, Diners Club
- Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dai, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Bitcoin Cash, USD Coin
Compatibility: Apps & Support
PrivadoVPN loses a few points with me for being less flexible between devices than some competitor VPNs. It’s available on the Big Four of Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, but it has no browser extension and can be only manually set up on Linux. It also has clients for only three types of smart TVs.
However, it earns a few points back for its router setup options. The premium account dashboard includes a quick and easy menu for generating OpenVPN or WireGuard configurations, which you’ll need to install on your router to have it connect to PrivadoVPN’s network. It compares well to the services on my “Best VPN for Netgear Router” list.
What Devices Work With PrivadoVPN?
PrivadoVPN works on the following platforms:
- Desktop: Windows, macOS
- Mobile: Android, iOS
- Browser extensions: None
- Smart TVs: FireTV, Android TV, tvOS
- Routers: Asus, DD-WRT, pfSense
Server Locations
PrivadoVPN’s server network is rather small. More than half of the 65 locations it maintains across 48 countries are in North America and Europe. South America has only two locations and Africa just one. In some countries, you may have trouble getting a fast internet connection.
I also couldn’t determine how extensively PrivadoVPN uses virtual servers, which are located in a different country than what they display online. A blog post on PrivadoVPN’s website says the Indian location is virtual, owing to the dubious legal status of VPNs in India. That makes sense, but I couldn’t find similar confirmation for the Russia server.
Virtual servers are a great way to provide IP addresses in countries like Russia and India that are cracking down on internet privacy. However, the server’s physical location impacts its performance — if you aren’t warned about where a server really is, you might be surprised by how badly it runs. It’s disappointing to not see more transparency here.
Where Are PrivadoVPN Servers Located?
| Region: | Countries | Locations |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 3 | 18 |
| South America | 2 | 2 |
| Europe | 29 | 31 |
| Africa | 1 | 1 |
| Middle East | 2 | 2 |
| Asia | 10 | 10 |
| Oceania | 2 | 2 |
Hands-On Testing & Ease of Use
PrivadoVPN couldn’t be easier to use — or rather, if I can think of a way it could be, I’ll start my own VPN. Its apps are nice to look at and uniquely easy to navigate, with important features accessible through multiple channels. Everything makes sense, nothing gets in your way and every click does its job with no lag.
The biggest reason this category earns a 90 and not a 100 is that the connection process itself lagged occasionally. In certain locations, especially South Africa, I had to wait a while for PrivadoVPN to contact its server.
My Experience With PrivadoVPN
I tested PrivadoVPN on both its desktop and its mobile apps. On desktop, all the important functions are deftly packed into an unobtrusive window that’s small without being cramped. My only complaint is that I wish the settings could have fit in the same panel as the main UI, since I really like how the server list works without opening a new window.
The mobile appearance is even better. The server list fits flawlessly at the bottom of the window, where it can be raised or lowered with a tap. The settings window is likewise simple and responsive, and the whole purple-forward aesthetic is nice to look at. If anything, mobile feels like PrivadoVPN’s natural habitat.
How to Download & Install PrivadoVPN
In short, you can install PrivadoVPN by going to privadovpn.com and following the download links. On mobile, get it from your device’s app store instead. Here’s the process in a little more detail.
- Go to privadovpn.com: Scroll down on the first page to find the pricing deals. Click “select” on the one you want. For the free plan, download the app first, and click “create a free account” when asked to log in. On mobile, search “PrivadoVPN” on the Apple app store or Google Play store.
- Create an account and pay: Enter an email address and password for your account and add a payment method. Mobile users can sign up through the app and skip the rest of the steps. If you’re getting the free plan, you’ll create your account from the downloaded app.
- Download the VPN app: Go to the software tab on the top banner of the website. Click the dropdown arrow, then click the VPN app for your device. Click the large orange “download” button on the page that appears.
- Open the downloaded disk image: The download process should complete automatically. Find where your computer saves downloaded files and open the disk image for PrivadoVPN. Follow the setup instructions.
- Open the VPN app: Once the VPN app has been installed, click on it. Log in again if necessary.
How to Use PrivadoVPN
Whether you want to just get started or tinker with the settings, PrivadoVPN makes it all pretty quick.
- Pick a server location: Click the arrow next to “selected location” to open the server list. Click the arrow next to any country to see the list of servers in that country. Use the magnifying glass to search the list, or choose a method to sort the list. To add a favorite server location, click the star by its name.
- Activate the kill switch: Click the gear icon to open the settings menu. In the VPN tab, toggle the kill switch on.
- Choose a VPN protocol: Next, go to the VPN protocols tab and choose IKEv2, OpenVPN or WireGuard. If you aren’t sure, toggle the “automatic” option on.
- Connect to a server: Back on the main panel, hit the “click to connect” button to connect to a VPN location. Your IP address is now masked, so you can get online and browse as normal.
Speeds & Performance Testing
Speed-testing PrivadoVPN yielded some exciting results and some confusing ones. Upload speeds were excellent, with no serious dips. Download speeds were more variable, with large fluctuations on some servers, especially Brazil and Singapore. PrivadoVPN should give you good speeds, but you may have to reset to get them.
Across the board, latencies were ridiculously low, with no server topping 400 ms. If true, these numbers would make PrivadoVPN one of the best VPNs for gaming by a wide margin. However, it’s possible they came from virtual servers located near me in the U.S., which would mean not every user could count on the same performance I had.
PrivadoVPN Speed Test Results
| Location: | Latency (ms) | Download (Mbps) | Upload (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌐 Portland, Ore.1 | 20 | 60.00 | 6.00 |
| 🇺🇸 USA2 | 172 | 54.61 | 4.70 |
| 🇬🇧 UK | 348 | 30.13 | 5.44 |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 331 | 45.76 | 5.13 |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | 293 | 11.34 | 5.45 |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 391 | 28.74 | 5.44 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 172 | 54.52 | 5.48 |
| Average: | 285 (1422% increase) | 37.52 (37.47% decrease) | 5.27 (12.11% decrease) |
2. Fastest server
Streaming Performance
PrivadoVPN was highly successful at unblocking streaming sites. I tested it with the eight different sites in the table below and managed to unblock them even after switching server locations. Even the free server locations unblocked every streaming service, which makes PrivadoVPN competitive for the best free VPN for Netflix.
Can PrivadoVPN Unblock Netflix or Other Streaming Sites?
There are now too many streaming sites for me to test each VPN with all of them, but I’ve found that the eight in this table provide a representative sample. Just switch to a PrivadoVPN server location in the proper country and you can explore the foreign libraries of any of these channels.
| Streaming Service: | Can Unblock? |
|---|---|
| Netflix | Yes |
| Hulu | Yes |
| Amazon Prime Video | Yes |
| Max | Yes |
| Disney+ | Yes |
| ESPN+ | Yes |
| BBC iPlayer | Yes |
| Peacock | Yes |
Is PrivadoVPN Good for Torrenting?
PrivadoVPN allows torrenting on all its servers. The only downside is that there’s no port forwarding option, so you may find that speeds get sluggish as the VPN connection negotiates your firewalls. However, PrivadoVPN posted impressive upload speeds in my tests, so you should get decent seeding speeds even without port forwarding.
Security: Is PrivadoVPN Safe?
PrivadoVPN has been in the business for only five years, but its security record during that time is completely clean. It’s never leaked personal information on its users, never had an access point taken over by hackers and uses a private DNS to make leaks a non-issue. All it’s missing is a bit more experience in the field.
Encryption & Protocols
PrivadoVPN doesn’t try to dazzle you with fancy proprietary protocols. It sticks with the meat and potatoes: WireGuard, IKEv2 and OpenVPN over TCP or UDP. That’s fine with me — when you have access to expert-vetted open-source security, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
| Protocol: | Devices |
|---|---|
| WireGuard | All |
| IKEv2 | All |
| OpenVPN | All |
Leak Test Results
I used ipleak.net to check whether PrivadoVPN is free from DNS and WebRTC leaks. As the image above shows, the masking IP address never slipped to reveal my real one. PrivadoVPN uses its own DNS servers to resolve requests, and (for now) blocks all IPv6 internet traffic, so there are very few vulnerabilities in its security.
Is PrivadoVPN Private?
Yes, it is private, as far as I can tell. However, I don’t have enough evidence yet to say for sure. When judging a VPN’s privacy, you can basically throw out its stated policy — too many providers have broken their own “strict zero-logs” policies for me to trust any of them without corroboration.
Thus, although PrivadoVPN’s privacy policy hits all the right notes about recording only necessary anonymized information, I can’t call it fully private without two additional elements: a confirmation of diskless or RAM-only servers and an independent audit from a major accounting firm.
Until then, if you have extremely sensitive information to keep under wraps, use PrivadoVPN with a measure of caution.
Privacy Policy: Does PrivadoVPN Keep Logs?
PrivadoVPN does not log your browser activity or any identifiable information, at least according to its privacy policy. The only traceable information it keeps is your account credentials, payment method and customer support history. It uses some tracking cookies, but only on its website, not on the VPN app itself.
PrivadoVPN is located in Switzerland. As a data controller, it must abide by the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), which includes protection similar to the European Union’s GDPR. Under the FADP, it’s unlawful for any business to obtain data on its customers without their consent. This makes me trust PrivadoVPN a little more.
Independent Audits
To really earn my trust, however, PrivadoVPN needs to publish the results of an independent audit. Accounting firms can cast an objective eye on a VPN’s privacy practices, and publishing the results for the public shows that the VPN provider is committed to transparency. I’ll boost PrivadoVPN’s privacy rating if it passes an audit.
Customer Support
PrivadoVPN’s customer support can be helpful, but just as often it feels like an afterthought. You’ve got two options for getting assistance — visiting the knowledgebase on privadovpn.com (which you can open from the app or the “contact us” page) or sending an email ticket. There’s no live chat, even with a bot.
I liked using the knowledgebase. The online help articles are succinctly written, with plenty of screenshots, and if you ever have trouble finding one, the search bar almost always turns it up. I do wish there were more troubleshooting guides targeted at common user problems, though — that section may feel esoteric for the regular user.
I was less enamored with the email ticket support. I sent a basic question about whether PrivadoVPN intended to add IPv6 support. Although I got an answer within two hours, it didn’t answer my question, instead repeating a canned response about how I’d need to disable IPv6.
How to Contact PrivadoVPN
You’ve got two options to start with. Either click the “contact us” button in the settings panel, or go to support.privadovpn.com in your browser. Once there, you can access either of the two help methods above.
- For the knowledgebase, just click the category links or type your problem into the search bar.
- For an email ticket, click the message icon at the bottom right of the browser window and fill in the form.
PrivadoVPN Reviews on Reddit & Social Media
PrivadoVPN appears to be a rising star among Redditors disenchanted with other free services. One user reports that “Privado seems to be the new goto-guy for all of Usenet.” Another describes it as “a good free VPN” on a torrenting advice subreddit.
Bottom Line: Do I Recommend PrivadoVPN?
Among free VPNs, PrivadoVPN comes with my seal of approval. It bears repeating that PrivadoVPN lets you do more without forking over cash than any other provider. However, as of right now, I can’t recommend paying for it — its premium service falls too far behind other VPNs at a comparable price point.
Have you used PrivadoVPN? Did you go with the free version, or choose to pay? How satisfied were you with the service, and do you think my review missed anything? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading, and check out our other VPN reviews to help you make your final choice!
PrivadoVPN Alternatives
If you’ve decided PrivadoVPN isn’t for you, there are plenty of alternatives on the market, whether you want a free service or a paid subscription.
NordVPN is my favorite VPN overall. It unblocks as many streaming platforms as PrivadoVPN but surges past it in speed trials, with a much larger network of real servers to boot. It also brings unique features like Meshnet to the table. You can give NordVPN a test drive with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Easy to operate
- Unblocks every major streaming service
- Great savings on one- & two-year plans
- Includes a kill switch & ad blocker
- Strict no-logs policy
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Suffered a security breach in the past
- Split tunneling isn’t available on all OSes
- Mobile UI map challenging
Surfshark is a user-friendly VPN with great speeds. It offers unlimited simultaneous connections on every account, so it’s a top choice for saving money in a large group. Despite being just a year older than PrivadoVPN, Surfshark also has a much larger server list. Check it out with the 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Very good price-performance ratio
- High security level
- Netflix-compatible
- Unlimited simultaneous connections
- Great support with live chat
- No information on individual servers
- Can have issues establishing a connection
Proton VPN is the other best free VPN. It fell behind PrivadoVPN when it removed the ability for free users to choose their server location, but it’s still an unlimited free VPN with impeccable privacy bonafides. I prefer its paid service to PrivadoVPN’s premium service; you can try out the full version of Proton VPN with its 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Fast download & upload speeds
- Impeccable security
- Unblocks all streaming services
- Unique quality-of-life features
- Servers in oft-ignored locations
- High latencies on most servers
- No live chat support
- Overpriced plans
- Few servers overall
- Manual router installation only
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