If you are looking for a VPN service that is backed by a reputation of excellence, then look no further. Private Tunnel is the brainchild of the developers of OpenVPN, which is the leading VPN protocol used by almost all the top VPN services.
That should make you feel good about Private Tunnel already.
According to the company it created Private Tunnel in 2001, and since then the software has 50 million downloads.
Private Tunnel sets the bar high, so let’s see if it falls flat on its face or holds up to the hype.
The Scoop on Private Tunnel
The goal of every VPN is to protect your real IP address by disguising it. Doing this allows you to securely connect to any public Wi-Fi without exposing your personal data.
Private Tunnel takes this a step further by saying it also protects your devices from malware and viruses. On the Private Tunnel website, it states that its VPN prevents over one million cyber-attacks every day.
The software uses AES encryption, which is the worldwide standard. This encryption makes you less prone to attacks.
As well as keeping you safe and secure online, the company offers 24/7 online support through a ticketing system, but it would be nice if it had some form of live chat for
immediate issues. Based on our research, many people get quick responses from the ticket system.
How Much Does it Cost?
Private Tunnel offers a limited pricing structure. There are only two options:
- $6.00 a month – No limit data usage, connect up to three devices, seven-day free trial
- $35.00 a year – No limit data usage, add more than three devices, seven-day free trial
The yearly plan allows you to add more than three devices, with the maximum amount set at 100 devices. The more devices you add, the more it costs, but also the greater the discount you get.
For payment, it accepts every major credit card, PayPal, and apple gift cards. It does not accept bitcoin.
Each plan comes with a seven-day free trial that does not require a credit card to sign up.
What We Like About Private Tunnel
Technical wizards are at the helm of Private Tunnel, so the expectations are high. Let’s take a look at some of the best features of this VPN service.
Need for Speed
Private Tunnel is fast. Really fast.
Private Tunnel is open about why it performs so well on speed tests, and it says it’s due to its lower encryption standard. Private Tunnel states that a lot of VPNs go out of their way for security and as a result, sacrifice speed.
We don’t like to hear that a VPN is sacrificing security for speed, but the speed tests speak for themselves.
Tests show that a benchmark download speed of 97Mbps on an EU server performed at 90.59Mbps, and the US server was at 69.29Mbps. As a result, Private Tunnel is known as one of the fastest VPNs available.
No DNS Leaks
When VPNs leak your DNS, they give up your session data as well as your location. Across many tests, we found that there were no DNS leaks or malware. Private Tunnel checks
out fine here.
Simple to Use
Installing Private Tunnel is simple and easy because it guides you through every step of the process from point A to point B. When you are using the app, you will find it is also user-friendly and well optimized. Private Tunnel lets you know what is happening at each stage of the process, and you connect simply using a big “connect” button.
If you want to change servers, all you have to do is click disconnect and connect again. Overall, when you combine its usability with its high speed, you have an incredibly easy to use VPN.
What We Dislike About Private Tunnel
It’s unfortunate, but we have to hit you with some bad news. There are some downsides to Private Tunnel that outweigh the functional portions of our research. Let’s take a look.
Logging Concerns
While Private Tunnel is not logging your site traffic or downloads, it does record the time you spend online and the bandwidth you use. Every two weeks, it deletes that data.
The primary issue with this is, in its privacy policy, Private Tunnel state that it will forfeit any data to law enforcement when asked. It also aggregates information for marketing and advertising purposes. While it’s not tracking everything, it isn’t going the extra mile like some other VPNs.
US Based
Since this VPNs located in California, it falls under stiff US regulations as well as the five eyes surveillance alliance.
What does this mean? It means that, if the United States government wants Private Tunnel to give up information, it has to do it. It also means that this information can be shared with other countries that are part of this alliance. The alliance includes Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and others.
No Netflix, No Torrents
Across many tests on different servers all over the world, we found that Netflix blocked Private Tunnel each time. Since Netflix isn’t working, we would assume that most other streaming services are also blocked.
What about torrenting? Private Tunnel says that while torrenting isn’t blocked on all of its servers, it doesn’t recommend doing it. If you download anything illegally, you are violating its terms of service which negates any protection that the VPN offers.
So you can do it but they don’t recommend it. We think that if you really want to torrent you are better off choosing one from our best VPN’s for torrenting list.
Low Number of Servers, No Kill Switch
Private Tunnel only offers 50 servers in 12 countries, which is dramatically low compared to its competitors. This means you could experience slow connection speeds if the servers ever become crowded and you are at a higher risk of being identified as you spend more time on these servers.
Also, there is no kill switch, so if your connection drops, you are putting yourself at a considerable risk of losing your protection and exposing your IP address.
Our Verdict
We had high expectations of Private Tunnel, but we are somewhat disappointed. The company has the right team, but it falls short in many areas. Private Tunnel operates one of the fastest VPNs on the market, but it does make some sacrifices to achieve this performance.
This includes low-level encryption, no kill switch, no Netflix, incompatibility with TOR, no online casinos, and no torrents.
The price of Private Tunnel is somewhere in the middle, neither cheap nor expensive, so you’re not getting a budget option here.
Overall, if you are looking for a fast and easy-to-use VPN that allows you to connect up to 100 devices, Private Tunnel may do the trick; however, it’s not the best VPN on the market. And honestly what is the point of fast speeds if you cannot use them?
Check out some of our other VPN reviews for services that offer streaming, torrenting, and better privacy and security features.
Disclosure: Blokt strives to provide transparent, honest reviews, and opinions. The writer of this article is a user of the product(s) or service(s) mentioned in this article and was not influenced by the respective owners.
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