PrivadoVPN Review Australia
Reviewed by Laurence Deer, founder and reviewer in Melbourne, testing VPNs since 2019
On this page
- What stood out
- Who should buy PrivadoVPN?
- PrivadoVPN tested from Melbourne: October 2026 results
- PrivadoVPN deal in Australia (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- PrivadoVPN price in Australia
- Is PrivadoVPN safe? Privacy and audits
- PrivadoVPN apps and features
- Using PrivadoVPN in Australia
- Alternatives to PrivadoVPN
- PrivadoVPN FAQ
- How we keep this review current
- Sources
PrivadoVPN
Not in our calculated order yet (it is recalculated every morning)BestVPN score 5.5 out of 10
- Speed3.8
- Streaming10.0
- Security4.0
- Value10.0
- Australia1.0
From our own tests and published figures, newest 29 Oct 2026. How we score
Our verdict
Good for watching Netflix UK and BBC iPlayer from Australia
PrivadoVPN suits Australians who mainly want British TV from home. In October 2026 Netflix UK and BBC iPlayer both played on its London server. The catch is everything closer to home: its only Australian server, “Sydney”, is really in Los Angeles. Our real IP also showed for at least 32 seconds when we switched servers.
From US$1.11 (about A$1.58) a month
Unlimited plan, paying for 2 years. Renewal price not shown on its pricing page. Lowest plan of each VPN we track: A$1.58 to A$17.77.
Visit PrivadoVPNFrom US$1.11/mo · checked 29 Oct (Lowest monthly price (about A$1.58), on the Unlimited plan paid upfront for 2 years; checked on 29 October 2026)
Price and plan details read from privadovpn.com.
Choose it if
- You want Netflix UK and BBC iPlayer
- You mostly connect to overseas servers
- You want one plan for the whole household
Skip it if
- You want a server really in Australia
- You switch servers often (our IP showed, October 2026)
- You play games or make calls within Australia
- You want the kill switch on from the start
PrivadoVPN: key facts
- Money-back
- 30 daysVPNs we track: 7 to 45 days
- Free trial
- Not checkedCompare VPN free trials
- Devices at once
- 10VPNs we track: 2 to unlimited
- Server countries
- 49VPNs we track: 30 to 150
- Australian cities
- 1Sydney (virtual: our test found it in Los Angeles, United States)
Company
- Company
- Based in Switzerland
As PrivadoVPN's own site lists them, read 29 Oct 2026.
PrivadoVPN test results
- DNS leaks
- None foundTested 29 Oct 2026
- Streaming
- Both played
Netflix UK✓ played
BBC iPlayer✓ playedNetflix UK and BBC iPlayer. Tested 29 Oct 2026
Tested on an account PrivadoVPN gave us free of charge (29 Oct 2026).
PrivadoVPN: what has changed
- Review text last edited
- Our latest test round: local speed, overseas speed, streaming, leaks and kill switch settings (drop test not run)
No price or plan changes seen between 13 Oct 2026 and 29 Oct 2026.
We check PrivadoVPN's prices by hand every week (last checked 29 Oct 2026) and record every change we see.
Our three picks
NordVPNOne of our picksBestVPN score 8.3/10From A$4.79 a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit NordVPNNordVPN review
SurfsharkMost popular with our readersMost clicks from readers in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in the last 30 daysBestVPN score 7.2/10From A$3.49 a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit SurfsharkSurfshark review
Proton VPNFastest on Australian servers in our testsKept 99% of our download speed on a Melbourne server, 21 Oct 2026BestVPN score 8.7/10From US$3.49 (about A$4.96) a monthPartner offerVisit Proton VPNProton VPN review
Each pick is chosen for one strength, shown on its card with our evidence. For the full order by our tests, see each VPN's score and how we score.
What stood out
The first surprise came from the app’s own advice. It suggested Sydney as my best location, but every check we ran placed that server in California, and the app gave no hint of it.
That means every Australian site you use is reached via the United States and back. In October 2026 the trip to Amazon’s Sydney data centre took more than ten times as long as with the VPN off. Download speed was fine; the delay is what you would feel.
It is not just Sydney. “Tokyo” also exits in Los Angeles and “London” in Amsterdam, though both use addresses registered in those countries. That is enough for Netflix UK and iPlayer, which both played, but not for anything that needs a nearby server.
Pros
- Netflix UK and BBC iPlayer both played
- No DNS or WebRTC leaks
- Downloads kept pace with our line
- Settings explain the kill switch and protocols
- 10 devices on every paid plan
Cons
- “Sydney” server is really in Los Angeles
- Real IP showed for 32+ seconds
- Kill switch off by default
- “Tokyo” and “London” are elsewhere too
- First connection hung without an error
From our tests in Melbourne, October 2026.
Who should buy PrivadoVPN?
Buy it if you want British TV and Netflix UK from Australia, and you will leave the VPN on one server. Both services played on London in October 2026.
Skip it if you want a real Australian server, for gaming, calls or local sites while you are away. Skip it too if you hop between servers: switching showed our home address for over half a minute. The alternatives cover both.
PrivadoVPN tested from Melbourne: October 2026 results
PrivadoVPN streamed British TV well but failed our two most important checks: location and switching. I tested on the Mac mini at home in Melbourne on the evening of 29 October 2026, with the app’s default settings.
Switching servers: our real IP showed for over half a minute
Switching servers on default settings exposed my real Melbourne address for at least 32 seconds. For that time, any site, app or torrent you had open could see where you are.
I switched from Tokyo to London in October 2026. The app dropped Tokyo, connected to London, lost it within seconds and retried. Our watch ended with my address still showing, and London only held about 1 minute 46 seconds after I clicked.
That is the longest exposure in our current round by far. Surfshark showed our address for 3 to 4 seconds; NordVPN and Proton VPN showed nothing on their defaults.
The kill switch is off out of the box. It pauses the apps you have open if the VPN drops, rather than blocking the whole Mac. We have not yet tested it switched on.
Leaks: nothing showed while connected
Once connected, PrivadoVPN kept our address private. In October 2026 we found no DNS or WebRTC leak.
Leaks and kill switch
| DNS | ✓ No leak29 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| IPv6 | Could not test29 Oct 2026 |
| WebRTC | ✓ No leak29 Oct 2026 |
| Kill switch | Chosen apps only, off by default; drop test not run29 Oct 2026 |
| Switching servers, kill switch off | ✕ Leaked Real address showed for at least 32 s, still showing when we stopped watching29 Oct 2026 |
"Could not test" means our line had no IPv6 to leak; it is not a failure.
- DNS: no leak on “Sydney”, Los Angeles, “London” or “Tokyo”. Lookups went to PrivadoVPN’s own servers, so your internet provider could not see which sites you looked up.
- WebRTC: BrowserLeaks showed only the VPN’s address on “Sydney”. WebRTC powers video calls in the browser, and a leak there reveals your address.
- IPv6: our line has no IPv6, so we could not test it.
Locations: Sydney is in Los Angeles
Australia has one location, Sydney, and it is not in Australia. Our IP checks in October 2026 placed it in Los Angeles, and Cloudflare routed it through its Los Angeles data centre.
The app lists it as plain “Sydney” and puts it at the top as the best location. AdGuard VPN, by contrast, labels its virtual Indian server “Mumbai (Virtual)” in the list.
Two of the three overseas cities we tried were elsewhere too:
- “Tokyo” exits in Los Angeles, on an address registered in Japan.
- “London” exits in Amsterdam, on an address registered in the UK.
- Los Angeles is really in Los Angeles.
Services that read an address’s country from a database see Japan or the UK, which is how Netflix UK and iPlayer still played. What you lose is distance: “Tokyo” is no closer to Japan than Los Angeles is.
Speed: downloads held up; the delay did not
PrivadoVPN did not slow our downloads much anywhere. On the evening of our test, Los Angeles kept 100%+ of our line, “London” 87% and “Tokyo” 100%+.
Speed kept
 “Sydney” server (virtual location, really in Los Angeles, United States) | 100%+ |
|---|---|
 Japan virtual location, server in  Los Angeles, United States | 100%+ |
| United States | 100%+ |
 United Kingdom virtual location, server in  Amsterdam, Netherlands | 87% |
Download, upload and ping in Mbps, and how we measured
From our test bench Melbourne, October 2026
| Connection | Download | Upload | Ping |
|---|---|---|---|
| No VPN | 34.2 Mbps | 17.9 Mbps | 15.4 ms |
| PrivadoVPN, “Sydney” server (virtual location, really in Los Angeles, United States) | 42.4 Mbps +24.1% | 7.15 Mbps −60.1% | 174.6 ms |
| Server in | Download | Upload |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 35.7 Mbps +4.6% | 3 Mbps −83.5% |
| United Kingdom virtual location, server in Amsterdam, Netherlands | 29.6 Mbps −13.4% | 8.30 Mbps −53.6% |
| Japan virtual location, server in Los Angeles, United States | 37.8 Mbps +10.6% | 14.4 Mbps −19.6% |
A virtual location is a server the app lists under one country that actually sits in another; its speed is the speed to that other place.
Our own measurements on a Melbourne home connection of about 34 Mbps at the time, October 2026. Changes are against the speed of the same line with the VPN off, measured the same day.
Share of our download speed kept with PrivadoVPN on, against the same line with the VPN off, measured the same day. "100%+" means that run was faster than our run with the VPN off minutes earlier (34 Mbps); a home line's speed varies through the evening.
That is plenty for HD streaming by Netflix’s own guidance. Uploads were weaker, especially on Los Angeles, which matters if you send big files or make video calls.
Through “Sydney”, downloads were as fast as our line with the VPN off. Because the server is in Los Angeles, we do not count it as an Australian speed result, and it scores no Australian speed.
Gaming and calls: too far for anything Australian
PrivadoVPN rules out Australian online games. In October 2026, Amazon’s Sydney data centre took 333 ms to reach through “Sydney”, against 29 ms with the VPN off.
Overseas, Los Angeles averaged 221 ms, “Tokyo” 326 ms and “London” 504 ms. A video call to family in the UK would lag, and fast games are out. Our VPN for gaming guide compares every VPN we have timed.
Overseas streaming: Netflix UK and iPlayer played
Both British services we tried played on “London” in October 2026. That puts PrivadoVPN with Surfshark and Proton VPN, the only others to play both in our current round.
What played
| Netflix UK | ✓ Played29 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|
| BBC iPlayer | ✓ Played29 Oct 2026 |
"Site opened, not played" means the service's site loaded through the VPN but we did not play anything.
- Netflix UK: The Rookie played, with no proxy error.
- BBC iPlayer: BBC One played live.
Streaming services block VPN servers and let them back in, so each result holds for the evening we tested (29 October 2026).
Setting it up: turn the kill switch on, then watch the first connection
You need to change one setting before you rely on PrivadoVPN: the kill switch, which starts off. The protocol is set to Automatic, and the app’s DNS filters (Control Tower) also start off.
The first connection hung. On 29 October it timed out, then sat on “Connecting” for over half an hour without retrying or showing an error, until I quit the app. A macOS permission prompt was waiting at the same time. After a restart it connected in a few seconds.
If it stalls for you, quit and reopen the app rather than waiting.
Still to test
We have tested PrivadoVPN in one evening sitting; a morning sitting is next. Still to come:
- Netflix US and Japan, Prime Video, Hulu, Pluto TV, Tubi, ABEMA and TVer.
- ITVX and Channel 4 in the UK.
- Australian TV and banking through “Sydney”.
- Torrenting, and speeds to India, Brazil and South Africa.
- A server switch with the kill switch on, and how fast it connects.
PrivadoVPN deal in Australia (checked 29 Oct 2026)
PrivadoVPN is not running a named offer at our latest check. Its lowest price is US$1.11 (about A$1.58) a month on the Unlimited plan, for a 24-month term. That is the price PrivadoVPN shows any Australian visitor; you do not need a coupon code for it. We have not recorded the upfront total. We could not find a renewal price on PrivadoVPN's pricing page.
Compare it with every VPN's current deal on VPN deals in Australia.
PrivadoVPN price in Australia
PrivadoVPN prices its plans in US dollars, and GST may apply at checkout. The table shows what our checker read on its pricing page, with the date.
| Plan | Term | Per month | Paid upfront | Renews at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | 2 years '24 Month Unlimited VPN + 3 FREE' (3 extra months); 'Save 90%'; total not shown on the pricing page | US$1.11 (about A$1.58) | – | – |
| Unlimited | 1 year '12 Month Unlimited VPN + 3 FREE' (3 extra months); 'Save 88%'; total not shown on the pricing page | US$1.33 (about A$1.89) | – | – |
| Unlimited | 1 month monthly; 'No Savings' | US$10.99 (about A$15.63) | US$10.99 | – |
GST may apply.
Checked 29 Oct 2026 Price and plan details read from privadovpn.com.
The lowest price is US$1.11 (about A$1.58) a month when you pay for 2 years upfront; the one- and two-year plans add 3 free months. The pricing page shows monthly rates only, not what you pay upfront, so check the total at checkout.
Every paid plan covers 10 devices and comes with 30 days to ask for your money back. PrivadoVPN lists servers in 49 countries. In October 2026 its pricing page also listed a free plan for one device, with 10 GB every 30 days. We tested only Premium.
Is PrivadoVPN safe? Privacy and audits
PrivadoVPN says it is a Swiss company with a zero-log policy. We have not yet read its full privacy policy or checked for an audit, so judge it on the tests above for now: no leaks while connected, but a long leak when switching.
PrivadoVPN apps and features
We have tested only the Mac app. In October 2026 it had these settings:
- Protocol: Automatic by default, choosing between IKEv2, WireGuard and OpenVPN. It used IKEv2 for “Sydney” and fell back to OpenVPN for “London”.
- Kill switch: off by default. It pauses your open apps and browsers if the VPN drops.
- Control Tower: DNS filters for threats, ads, family and social media, all off by default.
- Split tunnelling and SmartRoute: in the settings, but we have not tested them.
- Locations: search, favourites and a choice of city, though Australia offers only Sydney.
Using PrivadoVPN in Australia
- Australian servers: Sydney, according to PrivadoVPN's server list. When we tested it in October 2026, “Sydney” was really in Los Angeles, United States.
- Billing: charged in USD, so the Australian-dollar cost moves with the exchange rate.
- Where it is based: Switzerland, according to its own site.
- Refund period: 30 days.
Australian law requires internet providers to keep customers' metadata for two years. A VPN encrypts the connection between your device and the VPN server, so your internet provider can see that you are using a VPN but not which sites you visit. It does not make you anonymous to the VPN provider itself, which is why the provider's logging policy and audits matter.
Alternatives to PrivadoVPN
For a real Australian server and quiet switching, NordVPN has a Melbourne server and did not show our address in a switch in October 2026. Proton VPN also passed that test and played Netflix UK and iPlayer.
Surfshark played both British services too, but showed our address for a few seconds on its defaults. These are our three picks; each card shows the fact from our tests or data behind its label, with its BestVPN score.
- NordVPNOne of our picksBestVPN score 8.3/10From A$4.79 a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit NordVPNNordVPN review
- SurfsharkMost popular with our readersMost clicks from readers in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore in the last 30 daysBestVPN score 7.2/10From A$3.49 a monthBlack Friday deal ends soonVisit SurfsharkSurfshark review
- Proton VPNFastest on Australian servers in our testsKept 99% of our download speed on a Melbourne server, 21 Oct 2026BestVPN score 8.7/10From US$3.49 (about A$4.96) a monthPartner offerVisit Proton VPNProton VPN review
Guides for PrivadoVPN users
PrivadoVPN FAQ
How much does PrivadoVPN cost in Australia?
PrivadoVPN's lowest advertised price is US$1.11 (about A$1.58) a month on the Unlimited plan, over 2 years. Prices were last checked on 29 Oct 2026.
Can I get a refund from PrivadoVPN?
PrivadoVPN advertises a 30-day money-back guarantee. Purchases made through an app store are usually refunded by Apple or Google under their own rules, so check the provider's refund terms before you buy.
How many devices can I use with PrivadoVPN?
One PrivadoVPN account covers 10 devices at the same time on the plan we track.
Does PrivadoVPN have servers in Australia?
Not in Australia, going by our test. PrivadoVPN's server list shows Sydney, but when we tested it in October 2026 the “Sydney” server was really in Los Angeles, United States.
Is it legal to use PrivadoVPN in Australia?
Yes. Using a VPN is legal in Australia. What you do while connected is still subject to Australian law and to the terms of the services you use.
Is PrivadoVPN safe?
It hid our address while connected: in October 2026 we found no DNS or WebRTC leak. But our real IP showed for at least 32 seconds when we switched from Tokyo to London on default settings, with the kill switch off. PrivadoVPN says it is based in Switzerland and keeps no logs; we have not yet checked for an audit.
Is PrivadoVPN good for gaming in Australia?
No. Its only Australian location, Sydney, was really in Los Angeles when we tested it in October 2026. Amazon's Sydney data centre took 333 ms to reach through it, against 29 ms with the VPN off, far too slow for online games.
Does PrivadoVPN work with Netflix?
Netflix UK played on its London server in October 2026, and so did BBC iPlayer. We have not yet tried Netflix US or Japan, so we cannot tell you about those libraries.
How we keep this review current
Every test result carries its date, and each retest is added here with its own. Our price checker reads PrivadoVPN’s pricing page, and the price table shows the date of the last check.
Sources
Our results are from the evening of 29 October 2026, 8.05 pm to 9.15 pm, on the Mac in Melbourne, on a Premium account PrivadoVPN supplied. The location list, settings and defaults are from the app that evening.
Prices, plans, device limits and the free plan are from PrivadoVPN’s pricing page, and the country count and Australian location from its servers page, read by our checker on 29 October 2026.