Private Tunnel Review – Best VPN for Anonymous Access

Private Tunnel Review: I’ve used and reviewed quite a number of VPNs by now which you already know if you’re an avid reader of this blog. Although I rarely come across a tool which really does all it promises + a little something extra, so one such tool we have today with us is Private Tunnel so obviously this is a Private Tunnel Review.

Now I already know what’s going on in your mind. You might not be sure if you should even continue reading this review.

Here’s the point, by vouching for a good for nothing product, I wouldn’t risk losing your trust in my articles and websites, right? And secondly, if I wanted to sell you a “VPN” I could write this article about a hundred other kinds of VPNs, but I still chose Private Tunnel, there must be a reason for it, right? (The features will make you smile!)

Well I’m not asking you to buy Private Tunnel right now, all I’m asking off you is couple minutes of your time, read this article to the very end, get familiar with the features and then decide for yourselves if it’ll be worth your time or not.

What is Private Tunnel?

Private Tunnel is a VPN (Virtual Private Network), and just as the name suggests it’s a private tunnel for you to access the internet. In other words, it keeps your identity safe, hidden and helps you bypass govt. restrictions in some cases.

Now I’m not saying it’s the best VPN out there, or the only one capable of the job.

All I’m saying is, it’s the one VPN that has more than the features I actually need, and at a price I’m happy to pay for it. (And I’m sure you will be too!)

So when I say it’s a “VPN”, a natural question that comes up is what’s a VPN?

Yeah that’s right. Now I know you already know what a VPN is, or else you wouldn’t have come this far on this Private Tunnel review article, but just so we can connect things and get a smooth read on this article, let me explain a VPN as briefly as possible.

A VPN is a piece of software that you can install on your system, and then it changes your IP address to one of its own addresses and hence masking your real address.

Now IP addresses are your footprints on the internet, just like telephone numbers, they can be used to track you to your geographical location and in most cases even to your real name and a face.

Now if you’re someone like me, you surely don’t want the world prying on who you are and what you are doing on the web. So yeah even if you’re not a hacker or doing anything illegal, just for the sake of your privacy you do need a VPN.

Although, the more popular uses of a VPN include:

1. Hacking :– It’s the more crude way to put it. It’s not always illegal, and when it is I or Private Tunnel don’t support it. All I’m saying is it’s one of the reasons why people use VPNs.

2. Accessing Restricted Websites :- In many countries, a lot of websites are banned. Now a good way to access them is by using a VPN.

3. Hiding Identity

4. Accessing the Deep Web :- Well this is what I use a VPN for if I have to be honest. The Deep Web isn’t a bad place to be, (the “Dark” web is, but these two are mostly confused with each other, although yeah it’s illegal).  Now as you’ll see in the final section of this article, with the OBFS connection protocol, it becomes extremely easy for me to mask my TOR traffic with any other acceptable form of traffic and get across the border.

So primarily what a VPN does is, it changes your IP which results in a change of your location. It seems to Mr. Internet as if you’re based off some other “virtual” location and not your real one, and hence your identity is safe and you’re allowed access to the sites which are banned in your country.

Apart from the location change thing, Private Tunnel does a lot more, like overlay your traffic with acceptable connection protocols, auto-detect the best protocol for you and stuff like that which I’m discussing in the later sections.

Features Private Tunnel Offers

Now as I’ve already said, there are over 1000 VPN software out there, so what makes Private Tunnel worth my time and yours? What’s special and what does it offer?

That’s what I’m answering in this section. I’ll walk you through a complete, detailed insight into the tool and then you can decide your verdict about it.

So first of all, you’re going to have to download Private Tunnel.

1. Supports all Major Operating Systems:

So the first feature that I’m listing over here is that, doesn’t matter which operating system you’re using, Private Tunnel supports most of them.

As you can see, I’ve downloaded it for windows, but there are the Mac / Android and even a separate version for iPhone/Ipad.

Con:– A good review can never be complete without the honest mention of the downsides.

So well I couldn’t find any download option for the “Linux” operating system. So yeah if you’re on Linux this might be a problem for you.

The file size is around 30mb which I say is pretty lightweight considering it’s a full-featured program.

2. Great User-Interface

The other thing that I value a lot is User Experience. Now there isn’t any use in loading a program with 100 different kinds of features if the users can’t find those features out and use them, right?

The first thing you need to do with any VPN is login into it. So once you install Private Tunnel, a popup box comes up with neatly placed login boxes.

You just enter your login details there and you’re in. It took me around 50 seconds to login. (Yeah that matters too, it’s no use if it takes hours just to log you in right?)

3. Country / Server Selection

Once you login, the next box you get is region selection. This is where you get to choose where you “virtually” want yourself to be. Now you can literally choose from 12 different locations!

How it makes that happen?

Well Private Tunnel has private servers all across the globe, so when you connect to the internet with Private Tunnel, it lets you choose your preferred region, right? Then it connects you to a server of its own in that country and then all your internet activity is routed through that server.

So to the Internet authorities (or whatever you call them) it seems that the traffic is coming from that location and not from your real location.

So okay you’ve chosen a server and then all that’s required is to verify the connection. You just click on “YES” in the next popup and done! You’ll be instantly connected to the chosen server.

Cons:- Being honest, I’ve been with some other VPNs which offer as many as 50-100 different locations to choose from. So taking “quantity” as a measure, it might be listed as a negative side for Private Tunnel.

But then, I can’t help but mention that those VPNs, although offer 50+ different locations, also increase the load on their servers, and hence resulting in a slower connection.

So if you take “Quality” as a measure, I’d say Private Tunnel still has the upper hand.

4. Time Required for Connection

For this review, I tested each and every aspect of the tool and well it took it exactly 8 seconds (in my case, it might be a bit + or – depending on several factors in yours) to establish a successful connection.

5. Verifying the Connection

This isn’t a “feature”, but just for the sake of this Private Tunnel review I’m verifying my connection. All I’ve to do is, Google “What is my IP address” and it will give me my IP Address.

And then I just have to check the location of that IP address. See here’s where I’m “virtually” based off right now with the Private Tunnel IP.

See? I’ve got a registered ISP and a real location in Switzerland, while really I’m at my home somewhere in India.  And all I had to do was, Select a location > Connect. Wasn’t really that hard.

Other Features Worth Mentioning:-

Now the “change location” was just the surface level feature. It’s like saying “The army protects us“.

It’s just the outline. In reality, there’s much more than this little friend of yours can do.

6. Connection Protocols

If you don’t know what connection protocols are, well they are basically the “methods” in the broader sense of how your VPN client connects you to the internet.

Now the one positive edge Private Tunnel has here is, I’ve used quite a number of VPNs as I repeatedly claim, and in most of them I get 2 or a maximum of 3 connection protocols.

But with Private Tunnel, I’m getting 5 different connection protocols. Well at the moment this might not make a lot of sense for you, but it will once I explain to you what these different protocols are.

7. TCP:- Transmission Control Protocol

This is the most reliable connection protocol available. What it basically means is, as you already know the internet is nothing but streams of data, right?

So in the TCP connection protocol, your connection sends a data packet, and then waits for a response from the receiver end.

And once it gets the verification that the data packet was successfully delivered, that’s when it sends the other data packet.

Imagine you’re standing at one end of a straight highway and your friend at the other.

So what would happen is you send a letter to your friend somehow, in the TCP protocol, you would get a response from your friend about the successful or unsuccessful delivery of the letter. And then you can proceed based on the situation.

Now no doubt it’s slower compared to UDP which we will discuss in the next section but it makes sure that whatever data you’re sending is being successfully delivered. If it’s not, then the next data packet isn’t sent.

Well it’s not as simple in the background as I’m making it sound, but you don’t need a class on connection protocols, do you? So yeah that’s the basic idea.

8. UDP (User Datagram Protocol)

Take this to be just the opposite of the TCP protocol.

What happens is, the sender sends the data stream, and it keeps on sending data streams without waiting for any response from the receiver.

Now that makes it a faster connection no doubt, but at the cost of the reliability and trust. You don’t have any way to verify if the data being sent is even being received by the other party, but hey as long as you’re not voice-calling or something, it’s not such a bad option either.

9. Adaptive

Well this is what makes Private Tunnel special. Not a lot of VPNs I’ve come across offer the adaptive connection protocol. Now I expect you aren’t some tech-genius who always knows which connection is best for you or in any specific situation.

In those situations the adaptive protocol automatically selects the best available protocol for you from the ones available. This ensures that you’re always on the best protocol. Whenever something is possible off UDP on a faster speed, it switches to UDP or when a TCP connection is required, you get that too.

So well yeah it’s like the automatic network selector thing on cell phones and trust me it really boosts up your connection quality, because you’re always getting the best.

10. HTTP Proxy

It’s not as simple as the above two protocols, but let me try to explain this to you as simply as possible for the sake of this Private Tunnel Review.

Let’s say that if you’re trying to access something from a restricted space, something that’s behind a HTTP Firewall or a Proxy, in that case only some requests are allowed to pass through.

So what something like Private Tunnel does for you is, it acts as an intermediary, packages your data packets into HTTP layers (or formats or whatever you wanna call it) and then sends it over the restricted space thus allowing you the access.

Now if you understood the above explanation, it’s great. If you didn’t, then worry not the Adaptive connection protocol will know when and if you need HTTP proxy protocol and automatically switch to it, you don’t have to know or even be aware of what’s happening.

11. OBFS Proxy

Another one of the “more advanced” connection protocols you won’t find with almost any other VPN out there, OBFS proxy.

Ever heard of “TOR”? Yeah that blue half-split onion logo thing? Probably used it too? Than we’re on the same page.

So in simple English, let me tell you that your internet traffic has signatures. It can be http, SSL, VPN etc.; this is decided by the DPI (deep packet inspection).

So Anyway what the OBFS connection protocol does is, it can make your traffic look like anything it wants, and it does that based on your needs, the type of site you’re trying to access and some other details.

Bottom line being, your traffic protocol is masked and you’re able to access just about any website you wish without issues.

12. The Edge for TOR users

Now accessing general websites or masking IP is cool, most other VPNs can do it. But OBFS is a deeper kind of connection protocol, and is primarily used with TOR traffic.

What I’m trying to say is, not a lot of VPNs out there got this protocol and hence ofcourse it gives Private Tunnel an edge over them, and if you’re someone who goes on and off the Deep/Dark web at times, then I’d say this is just the VPN you had been looking for.

Because other VPNs might be able to give you a fresh set of IPs but still your traffic isn’t always filtered for traffic protocols which it is with Private Tunnel.

I’m not promoting the access of Dark web in any way, but I already know you don’t care what I say, if you access it, you’re going to be accessing it anyway regardless of my opinion, right?

So all I’m offering you is just a safer, faster and professional solution in addition to your TOR browsers. Because TOR isn’t always as anonymous or “hidden” as you think it to be. I can get into the technicalities but that would be another 3,000 words of long, boring terms and definitions.

13. Simultaneous Connections

This is both the most impressive, and the most disappointing feature of this PrivateVPN Review at the same time.

Well, “Simultaneous connections” in the context of a VPN means the number of devices you can connect your account to, without having to pay extra. Most other VPNs out there offer 3-5 simultaneous connections. This helps us connect to most of our devices using the same VPN account.

With Private Tunnel, there’s the possibility of using the same account on as many as 100+ devices. (This is impressive). 

While the disappointing aspect is that, these connections aren’t free. The VPN charges extra money depending on the number of devices you connect to. How much you’re charged depends on your plan (Monthly / Yearly, check Pricing Plans section for details).

14. Flexible Pricing

Okay so finally down to the most important section of this Private Tunnel Review. Wait, most important?

Well yeah, because I believe no matter how awesome and feature rich the new Mercedes might be, if you can’t afford it, it’s no way reading or drooling over it, right?

Well this is where Private Tunnel launched an almost new concept. (And an extremely cheap one!)

When the VPN debuted, it had this concept of pricing its packages based on the “amount of data” each plan offered. Although they seem to have become a lot more liberal now.

Instead of the 3, data-restricted plans offered earlier they now offer just two plans. A monthly, and a yearly package.  Again, unlike what other VPNs do; Private Tunnel decided to offer a difference in “Features” as well based on a user’s plan.

So the discounts, and the price you pay on extra devices differs based on your core-plan.  Anyway, the two plans are:

• Monthly plan: Unlimited Data Usage / USD $6.00 for each 3 devices/ 20% discount on 5+ devices – USD $6.00/month.
• Yearly plan: Unlimited Data Usage / USD $3.00 for each 3 devices/ 50% discount on 5+ devices – USD $6.00/month.

In my personal opinion, affordable and acceptable yet not the cheapest VPNs plans out there

So I personally believe all the plans are more than affordable. In fact I’d pay couple dollars extra without a hitch for this service.

Final Verdict

So I’ll just sum this Private Tunnel review up. Here’s the deal let’s be honest about it, I’ve seen VPNs with “more” features compared to Private Tunnel.

But, they’re either slow, or aren’t as efficient with the connections as this. In fact with Private Tunnel I got one of the best (fastest) browsing experiences I’ve ever had with a VPN.

And hey, I’m not making this stuff up. Don’t believe me?  You’ll believe the New York Times and CNN maybe? Private Tunnel has been featured on a lot of major media channels across the globe, and trust me it’s not every VPN that makes it up to this kind of exposure.

And considering the pricing plans, I’d say it’s a steal deal. Because I don’t think $6.00 matters to any of you reading this article right now, and for the features and super-advanced connection protocols that we get? I’d loan it from a friend just to buy this one.

Now there are some cons, which I’ve mentioned throughout the guide, but hey nothing is “perfect”, and I believe the pros highly over-weigh the minor cons we might have.

So final verdict? Go for it. You’ll love every bit of your investment.