There are so many VPN services these days that it can be confusing trying to choose the best one to use. PrivadoVPN is a fairly new VPN provider and it has a good free and paid services.
The large number of VPN services available make trying to choose the best one difficult. PrivadoVPN is a new-ish VPN provider with one of the best free VPN services and competitive subscriptions for people that need more.
The company is based in Switzerland to take advantage of some of the strongest privacy laws and it has a zero-log policy so your browsing activity is never stored. Anyone wanting to get information about you will have a tough time trying, which makes it a good service for those seeking privacy and anonymity on the internet.
Devices, systems, data, subscriptions
Software is available for Windows PC, Apple Mac, Android and iOS. There are also instructions on how to get set up in Linux too. A PrivadoVPN subscription allows up to 10 devices to be protected by the VPN, so a single account could be used by a whole family with multiple phones, computers and tablets. That is a good deal and is more devices than some VPNs allow.
There is no data limit on a subscription account and you can consume as much as you want. That is good to know if you are someone that uses a lot of data, such as when streaming movies and TV over the internet. Streaming media can use more than a gigabyte of data every day, so you don’t want a low limit.
These are two of the main differences between a free account and a paid one. It allows just 10 GB of data every 30 days and can be installed only one device. However, that is a generous amount of data for a free account and if all you do is browse the web, email, shop and do other lightweight online activities, it is probably sufficient. However, you do need a subscription for streaming media, online gaming, big downloads and multiple devices.
How much is a subscription? The best deal when I looked was $4.99 a month when paying for an annual subscription. I find VPN subscriptions vary a lot and there are often deals, promotions and special offers for limited periods. Prices are down one week and up the next, then back down. Go to PrivadoVPN to check the current price and deals (affiliate link).
VPN details at-a-glance
- PrivadoVPN is based Switzerland and is protected by Swiss privacy laws. No logs policy
- Stream music and video access social media no matter where you are in the world
- Automatically connect to the best server or choose from hundreds of servers in 47 different countries
- Data is encrypted, anonymous and secure between you and the server, no eavesdroppers, hides your IP address
- P2P transfers supported, fast and secure
- Free plan for single devices and light usage
- Subscription plans for multiple devices and unlimited data
- Works on Windows PC, Apple Mac, iOS, Android, Linux and more
PrivadoVPN software
I tried the free VPN on a Windows PC and found it easy to set up and use. There is a link in the bottom right corner of the app window to create a free account and clicking it prompts you to enter an email address. This is the only information required to create an account. An email is sent and clicking the Verify Now button leads to another page, which then activates the Privado VPN app. You can immediately log in to your free account and secure your internet connection.
I also tried a full account on the Apple Mac and found it equally easy to set up and use. Go to the PrivadoVPN website (affiliate link) and choose a subscription. Create your account, enter your username and password into the app and you are ready to boost your online privacy and security.
If you are not bothered about the location, you can simply click the big button at the top to connect the VPN. Your location is the nearest VPN server. Clicking the location enables you to select a location. Many countries are available so if you want to appear to be in the US, UK, EU countries or someplace else, the country can be selected. There are multiple cities in the most popular locations, so you can actually choose where in a country you want to be located.
It is not something I do, but a popular use of a VPN is to get around geographic location restrictions, like TV and movie streaming, social media and music that is not available in your country but is available in another country.
There are a few useful configuration settings, like the Kill Switch. If the VPN connection is lost for some reason, the internet cannot be accessed. This prevents software from switching to another connection that may expose your identity, browsing, privacy and security. Network printers and shares can remain enabled though.
There is a choice between two secure protocols, IKEv2 and OpenVPN. Automatic mode is best for most people, but OpenVPN can be manually configured if you know what you are doing.
Summing up
PrivadoVPN offers simplicity and security when using the internet. Being Swiss-based, it is covered by strict privacy laws and it has a no-logs policy. The free VPN is good if all you use is a single device and are a light internet user. A subscription is reasonably priced, has no data limits and up to 10 computers, phones and tablets are supported.
