PrivadoVPN Review- Does this Swiss VPN Promise Privacy?

There are numerous small and lesser-known VPN services on the internet. However, not all of them are worth using. Privado is a small Swiss-based VPN service with servers in 63 countries and a free version. The service is giving tough competition to the top-rated VPNs like NordVPN in terms of bypassing geo-blocks and security features. 

In addition, it also offers a premium version, which is also very economical. However, we were curious whether the hype about PrivadoVPN is due to the excellent marketing tactics or if all the claims are true. If you want to know more about PrivadoVPN, read our review and learn more about the VPN. 

Who owns PrivadoVPN?

PrivadoVPN was founded in 2019 and is run by Privado Networks AG. Besides this, Privado offers no public information about its ownership or parent company. We have no leads about the management or ownership structure of the VPN. 

We appreciate that the company wants to operate in privacy, but most users opt for services with more transparency. This opaque ownership structure might seem shady to some users, and we hope that Privado will disclose more information about its parent company in the future. 

What does Privado VPN offer?

Users need to understand the cruciality of online surveillance and its risks. We cannot disagree with the benefits of online surveillance, but let’s not disregard the importance of privacy. Therefore, we recommend using privacy tools, such as VPNs, for added layers of security.

PrivadoVPN is a freemium service with many security features. The service follows a no-log policy and is known for unblocking all major streaming platforms. However, the limited information about its parent company and Privado being a relatively new service user is suspicious about it. We decided to review the VPN to help users understand the functionality of PrivadoVPN better.  

• Online privacy: it uses AES-256-bit encryption for robust security and maximum protection of users’ data. 
• Safe jurisdiction: Privado is a Swiss-based VPN service, and luckily, Switzerland is free from all data retention laws. 
• No-log policy: it follows a strict no-log policy, ensuring it does not monitor or store users’ information. 
• Streaming: the VPN efficiently unblocks streaming sites and offers high-quality streaming. 
• Torrenting: it has a SOCKS5 proxy, which helps in torrenting. 
• Gaming: unfortunately, Privado does not offer gaming support. 
• Onion over VPN: it does not support the Tor Browser. 

To complete this review, we researched various online forums, including Reddit and Quora, to get insights about users’ experiences. However, our search didn’t stop there. We used the VPN personally for several months to cross-check the claims made by the service with our real experience. Continue reading to know if PrivadoVPN is worth it!

Is PrivadoVPN a trustworthy service? 

Online security is not a myth; you must protect your digital identity while browsing the internet or using unprotected wifi. PrivadoVPN promises to protect your privacy with AES encryption and VPN protocols. It also offers privacy features such as; 

• Kill Switch: it disables online activity during unexpected VPN connection loss. 
• Split Tunneling: users can choose which app gets protected by the VPN and which doesn’t. 
• IP leak Protection: it protects your IP by using high encryption. 
• Privado Control Tower: it blocks ads, malware, and phishing attacks. It also helps in bypassing geo-blocks.  

Privado is a feature-packed service and includes all the necessary privacy features. Besides, it offers AES advanced encryption with fast tunneling protocols to ensure extra security. On top of that, it is located in Switzerland, which is a privacy-friendly jurisdiction with no data-saving laws. However, the VPN is very secretive about its parent company and has disclosed zero to no information about who owns the VPN. We delved deeper into its privacy policies and past records to see if Privado is worth using. 

Logging policy- does it log users’ data?

PrivadoVPN follows a no-log policy and promises to keep not more than the needed information about users. According to its privacy policy, 

Privado has yet to undergo an audit. It has a strict no-log policy, but an independent audit will only increase the transparency of its privacy policy. As mentioned in its policy, PrivadoVPN stores the following data,  

Data collected by PrivadoVPN,

• Email address and username.
• Credit card information. 
• Support issues or customer requests. 
• Device information.
• Crash reports to fix bugs. 
• Mobile identifiers are used on iOS and Android devices to gain marketing details. It can be turned off anytime by users. 

The service lacks RAM-only servers and a perfect forward secrecy feature. It would’ve been a great addition to increasing the security of the VPN. Besides, the VPN is trustworthy with a reliable no-log policy. 

Where is it located? Jurisdiction.

PrivadoVPN has headquarters in Switzerland, which is considered a safe jurisdiction with no data retention laws. it is not a member of the European Union or the Five Eyes intelligence. Moreover. The Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (DPA) prohibits the processing of personal data without the user’s consent. 

However, in 2009, UBS AG, Switzerland’s largest bank, agreed to share the personal details of some U.S. customers of UBS’s cross-border business. No consent was taken from the UBS users to process their personal data, which clearly shows that Switzerland disregarded its own policy here. And as the U.S. holds immense military power, it was pretty easy for the U.S. to get information from the UBS. 

“In the case of UBS, we actually got a good compromise, where UBS agreed to share the names of up to 4,450 American citizens with bank accounts here. But only after an amnesty program in the United States,” U.S. ambassador to Switzerland Donald Beyer told the radio station.

However, this was a rare occasion where the data shared by UBS were of people doing unlawful acts, but it is still an alarming situation for users.  In short, Switzerland cannot be regarded as a completely safe country.

Past Records

The company started in 2019 and has evolved in many ways since then. It included more security features, including Kill Switch and Wireguard protocol. Privado Networks AG owns PrivadoVPN, and we have found no records or shady history of Privado. 

What Encryption does PrivadoVPN use?

VPNs are used to secure data and protect digital footprints. However, not all VPNs are good at offering robust security. The type of encryption they use decides their level of security. You must choose a VPN with high encryption for maximum security. 

PrivadoVPN takes security seriously and offers advanced AES-256-bit encryption. This encryption increases your security; we expect nothing less from the VPN. It helps in making your online activity anonymous and protects your IP address. 

Which protocols does PrivadoVPN offer?

VPN protocols decide how that data will travel from the device to the server. Every protocol works differently in terms of speed and security. While some are more secure, others provide fast speed. PrivadoVPN offers strong VPN protocols, including, 

• OpenVPN (UDP/TCP): one of the most secure and reliable open-source VPN protocols. UDP offers faster speed, while TCP provides more security. 
• IKEv2/IPsec: an ideal protocol for mobile users that is good at establishing connections between wifi and cellular data. 
• WireGuard: it is the most reliable protocol in terms of both speed and security. It offers fast speed, is good enough for streaming, and secures your data. 

Users can manually select which protocol they want to use. This is a good feature as it allows users to choose a protocol according to their needs. 

Streaming- how many streaming sites can Privado Unblock?

Since the pandemic, online streaming has increased significantly, and more users are opting for streaming site subscriptions. It is convenient, and you get all the entertainment on one platform. However, it has some downsides, including ISP throttling, bandwidth limitations, and geo-blocking. Streaming sites have copyright agreements, and for that reason, they apply geo-blocks. 

PrivadoVPN claims to unblock all streaming sites with its Smart DNS feature. Expectations get high when a service mentions a specific quality on its website. However, it was unfortunate that Privado didn’t meet our expectations. Let’s look at its streaming features first,  

• Prevent ISP throttling: the advanced encryption masks your IP and prevents ISP throttling. 
• Control Tower DNS: it blocks ads, trackers, and threats. It also helps in bypassing geo-blocks. 
• Netflix: US, France, and Germany. 
• Amazon Prime Video: US.
• Hulu: Blocked. 
• BBCiPlayer:  Blocked. 
• Disney+: Blocked. 

We tried accessing streaming sites with PrivadoVPN, and here is our personal experience with the VPN in detail. 

How to Unblock Netflix with PrivadoVPN? 

The first streaming site we tried accessing was Netflix. It is a popular site that produces its own streaming content and has different regional libraries. We used PrivadoVPN to unblock Netflix by enabling the Smart DNS feature. This is how it went. 

We first connected to a US server, which easily unblocked the site and offered high speed. Moreover, we used the WireGuard protocol for fast speed. Next, we connected to the France server much slower than the last one. Although it unblocked the site, the video kept lagging. Overall, it was a good experience, but not all servers worked with Netflix, and you must select the right server to unblock the site. 

How I set up Privado VPN for Netflix;

• Launch the PrivadoVPN app and Log in with your email. 
• Choose your subscription plan. 
• Connect to a server of the country you want to access Netflix from. 
• Enable the Smart DNS. 
• Open the Netflix site or app on your device. 
• Start streaming!

You must have a Netflix subscription to unblock other regional libraries. 

Unblocking Amazon Prime Video with PrivadoVPN

Amazon Prime Video applies geo-blocks due to copyright issues, and many users access the site with a VPN to bypass them. PrivadoVP worked well with Netflix, so we tried accessing Amazon Prime with it next. 

This time, we connected to a US-based server and enabled the Smart DNS. The VPN worked exceptionally well with the site and unblocked it in a few minutes; there were no lags, and we could stream HD videos. Like Netflix, we used the WireGuard protocol for fast speed; Privado is a good choice if you want to stream Amazon Prime Videos. 

How I set up Privado VPN for Amazon Prime Video;

• Launch the PrivadoVPN app and Log in with your email. 
• Choose your subscription plan.
• Connect to a US-based server.  
• Enable the Smart DNS. 
• Visit Amazon Prime Video.  
• Start streaming!

You must have an Amazon Prime Video subscription to unblock the site. 

Torrenting with PrivadoVPN

PrivadoVPN is a trustworthy service that offers SOCKS5 proxy and Split tunneling features. These features are ideal for torrenting. Thus, we tried using the VPN for torrenting to check its speed and if it supports P2P sharing, 

• Split Tunneling: users can choose which app gets protected by the VPN and which doesn’t. 
• IP leak Protection: it protects your IP by using high encryption. 
• SOCKS5 proxy: it protects your internet traffic and provides security.

While using the VPN for torrenting, we used the SOCKS5 proxy and the VPN for fast speed and to keep our IP address anonymous. The speed was fast, and there were no IP leaks. Then we tried downloading files through P2P sharing, and again, the speed was good, and there were no lags. Enable the Spilt tunneling feature for more privacy, and you are good to go! 

Tor Browser

PrivadoVPN can be used with the Tor Browser. Its numerous security and privacy features can help maintain your security while browsing Tor these are the features that help in providing security during online browsing,

• Kill Switch: it disables online activity during unexpected VPN connection loss. 
• IP leak Protection: it protects your IP by using high encryption. 
• Privado Control Tower: it blocks ads, malware, and phishing attacks. 

We used the Tor over VPN method to the browser on the Onion network. This is a much faster and more secure way than VPN over Tor. In this method, your IP remains anonymous. Additionally, the speed was fast, and the VPN protected our IP while we surfed the Tor Browser. Privado is a trustworthy service and worth trying. 

Pricing plans and the difference between the free and paid plan. 

 Privado is a freemium VPN service and offers 3 payment plans. It provides a 30-day money-back guarantee with the 12 and 24-month payment plans. 

Here is a quick differentiation between the premium and the free VPN service. 

The free version is a reasonable opinion for people who want to try the service for security. It has limited features and is not the best free VPN we have encountered. Better free VPN services such as ProtonVPN’s free version is far better than Privado’s.

Customer support

PrivadoVPN has very disrupted customer support. Upon visiting their site, we were met with a live chat option. I started the live chat and was quickly assigned an agent. The agent helped me with my quires and answered my questions within a few seconds. 

It can be seen that the agent was entirely professional. 

However, after ending the live chat, the icon disappeared, and I could no longer contact live support. The online ticket option was still available, but the live chat icon vanished. It could be a glitch or a malfunction, but it seemed quite shady. 

I also submitted a ticket and got my answer within an hour. 

Overall, the customer support is efficient, but we are still unsure if the live chat option will reappear or if it’s gone forever.

Pros and cons- a short overview

We have listed Privado VPN’s significant pros and cons for a better understanding of what the service offers. 

Final Words 

PrivadoVPN is a reliable service; it is relatively new and still includes security features every year. It recently introduced the Split Tunneling feature and is up for good. The VPN has robust AES encryption along strong tunneling protocols like WireGuard for better performance. 

However, the opaque parent company background raises red flags. Besides, the logging policy is not yet audited. We liked that it can unblock Netflix and is good for torrenting but keep in mind that the VPN offers average speed. Overall, it is an above-average VPN that can do better in the future. 

FAQ’S