PrivateVPN
PrivateVPN is a Sweden-based, self-serve consumer VPN provider offering encrypted tunneling across 200+ servers in 63 countries, sold via direct website subscriptions and mobile app stores to privacy-conscious individual consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersStockholm, Sweden
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What PrivateVPN does
PrivateVPN is a privately held consumer VPN service provider operating under the legal entity PrivateVPN Global AB, domiciled in Sweden and founded in 2008. The company delivers encrypted network tunneling services to individual consumers worldwide, routing traffic through 200+ servers located in 63 countries across six continents. Its product portfolio is a single unified VPN service packaged as native applications for Windows (v3.1.2), macOS (v3.3.11), iOS (v3.13.5), Android (v4.3.0), Linux, routers, Kodi, Android TV, and Fire TV Stick. Core technology comprises military-grade 2048-bit AES-256 encryption, a proprietary High Quality Network (HQN) that sources internet capacity directly from IP transit providers to reduce latency, IPv6 leak protection, a system-wide kill switch, port forwarding for P2P, and adoption of the WireGuard protocol. The service supports up to 10 simultaneous device connections per account, each to a unique IP address.
The company operates a purely self-serve, direct-to-consumer go-to-market with no sales team and no enterprise or B2B tier. Distribution is fully digital: customers purchase subscriptions on the company's website (with a 1-click setup promising under-60-second onboarding) or through Google Play and the Apple App Store. Three subscription tiers are offered — a monthly plan at $9.90, a quarterly plan at $17.99 (~$6.00/month), and a 36-month plan at $72.00 (~$2.00/month, marketed as 85% off) — all backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Marketing is content-driven, anchored by an SEO-focused blog with 789+ articles, multi-language site support (German, English, Finnish, French, Swedish), and a customer referral program. Customer support is delivered by in-house developers rather than outsourced agents.
Business-model mechanics are entirely subscription-recurring with a clear LTV-maximization bias toward long-tenure plans. Customer segments are horizontally defined: privacy-conscious individual consumers, geo-restricted streamers, torrenters, travelers, and mobile users, with a secondary non-promoted segment of remote workers using the service for secure access. No external funding rounds, no parent company, and no disclosed management team are present in the data, suggesting a lean, founder-controlled, and likely bootstrapped operating model. The company claims 44,000+ lifetime users served, 15,000+ TB of data encrypted, 99.98% uptime, and zero data breaches since launch — all self-reported.
PrivateVPN firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PrivateVPN
- Legal name
- PrivateVPN Global AB
- Website
- https://privatevpn.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- PrivateVPN is a Sweden-based, self-serve consumer VPN provider offering encrypted tunneling across 200+ servers in 63 countries, sold via direct website subscriptions and mobile app stores to privacy-conscious individual consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PrivateVPN industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer VPN Services
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- akta.pro primary industry
- VPN & Remote Access Gateways (HDADABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Network Security Services (Firewall/VPN/ZTNA/SASE Integration) (BPAEAEAG)
Keywords
Where PrivateVPN is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockholm
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
PrivateVPN business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- VPN Subscription - Monthly Plan: Monthly subscription at $9.90 USD billed monthly, providing full access to VPN service with all features
- VPN Subscription - Quarterly Plan: Quarterly subscription at $17.99 USD billed every 3 months (approximately $6.00/month), offering 50% savings versus monthly plan
- VPN Subscription - Annual Plan: 36-month plan at $72.00 USD billed every 12 months after initial 36 months (approximately $2.00/month), offering 85% savings. Includes 12 months + 24 months extra promotion
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | 1 Month Plan - Basic monthly subscription |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | 3 Month Plan - Quarterly subscription with savings |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | 36 Month Plan - Long-term subscription with maximum savings |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
PrivateVPN product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PrivateVPN sells a consumer Virtual Private Network (VPN) subscription service that provides encrypted internet connections, IP masking, and geo-restricted content unblocking for individual users across 200+ servers in 63 countries. The service is delivered through dedicated applications for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, routers, Kodi, Android TV, and Fire TV Stick, supporting up to 10 simultaneous device connections per account with 2048-bit AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, IPv6 leak protection, and port forwarding.
Product overview
PrivateVPN is a Swedish-based VPN (Virtual Private Network) service provider offering a unified product portfolio centered on its core VPN platform. The service provides encrypted VPN connections through custom-built applications for major platforms including Windows (version 3.1.2), macOS (version 3.3.11), iOS (version 3.13.5), and Android (version 4.3.0), as well as Linux, routers, Kodi, Android TV, and Fire TV Stick. The products work together as a single VPN service enabling users to connect up to 10 devices simultaneously with military-grade 2048-bit AES-256 encryption, protecting privacy and enabling access to geo-restricted content across all connected devices.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PrivateVPN Windows App Custom VPN application for Windows operating systems providing encrypted VPN connections, IP masking, and secure browsing for individual users on PC platforms.
- PrivateVPN Mac App Custom VPN application for macOS providing encrypted connections, IP masking, and secure browsing for individual users on Apple computers.
- PrivateVPN iOS App Custom VPN application for iPhone and iPad devices running iOS, providing encrypted connections and privacy protection for individual mobile users on Apple devices.
- PrivateVPN Android App Custom VPN application for Android smartphones and tablets providing encrypted VPN connections and location masking for individual mobile users on Android devices.
- PrivateVPN for Linux VPN service for Linux operating systems providing encrypted connections, IP masking, and privacy protection for individual Linux users.
- PrivateVPN for Router VPN configuration for routers that protects all devices connected to the home or office network simultaneously through a single VPN setup.
- PrivateVPN for Kodi VPN service optimized for Kodi media player, enabling users to securely access geo-restricted streaming add-ons and content on TV-connected devices.
- PrivateVPN for Android TV VPN application for Android TV devices providing encrypted streaming and access to geo-restricted content on television screens.
- PrivateVPN for Fire TV Stick VPN app for Amazon Fire TV Stick devices enabling secure streaming and access to geo-restricted content on Amazon Fire TV products.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.98% uptime record since launch in 2009
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use PrivateVPN
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PrivateVPN technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
PrivateVPN partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PrivateVPN competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Surfshark: Consumer VPN with multi-platform apps, global servers, and unlimited simultaneous connections. Closely competes with PrivateVPN on price, streaming unblocking, and consumer GTM.
- NordVPN (Nord Security): Direct competitor offering a consumer VPN service with global server footprint, similar subscription pricing tiers, and overlapping features (kill switch, no-logs, multi-platform apps). Comparable on product, target market, and business model.
- ExpressVPN: Leading consumer VPN provider with global server network, multi-platform apps, and subscription pricing. Directly competes with PrivateVPN on streaming unblocking, privacy, and consumer self-serve positioning.
- ProtonVPN: Privacy-focused consumer VPN from Proton AG with audited no-logs policy, multi-platform support, and freemium-to-paid model. Comparable on privacy-first positioning and target market.
- Mullvad VPN: Swedish-based, privacy-focused VPN provider with no-logs policy and minimalist product. Highly comparable on jurisdiction advantage (Sweden), target customer (privacy advocates), and subscription model.
- Windscribe: Independent consumer VPN with freemium tier, multi-platform apps, and privacy-focused positioning. Comparable on independent/niche brand identity and self-serve model.
- VyprVPN: Consumer VPN with proprietary network infrastructure (similar to HQN approach), global servers, and multi-platform apps. Operates in the same niche as PrivateVPN.
- CyberGhost: Large consumer VPN with thousands of servers, streaming-optimized profiles, and a self-serve subscription model. Overlaps with PrivateVPN on consumer use cases and global rollout.
- TunnelBear: Consumer VPN with audited no-logs policy and strong brand identity among privacy-conscious users. Comparable on consumer subscription model and privacy-led positioning.
- IPVanish: Consumer VPN with multi-platform apps, no-logs policy, and tiered subscription pricing. Comparable on product, customer base, and direct-to-consumer distribution.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PrivateVPN social profiles
Digital presencePrivateVPN financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PrivateVPN leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PrivateVPN funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PrivateVPN M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PrivateVPN
What does PrivateVPN do?
PrivateVPN sells a consumer Virtual Private Network (VPN) subscription service that provides encrypted internet connections, IP masking, and geo-restricted content unblocking for individual users across 200+ servers in 63 countries. The service is delivered through dedicated applications for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, routers, Kodi, Android TV, and Fire TV Stick, supporting up to 10 simultaneous device connections per account with 2048-bit AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, IPv6 leak protection, and port forwarding.
Is PrivateVPN a public or private company?
PrivateVPN is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PrivateVPN founded?
PrivateVPN was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PrivateVPN based?
PrivateVPN is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does PrivateVPN make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. VPN Subscription - Monthly Plan is the primary driver. The others are VPN Subscription - Quarterly Plan and VPN Subscription - Annual Plan.
Who are PrivateVPN's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Surfshark, NordVPN (Nord Security), ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, Mullvad VPN, Windscribe, VyprVPN, CyberGhost, TunnelBear and IPVanish.
Does PrivateVPN have an API?
No public API is recorded for PrivateVPN.
What industry is PrivateVPN in?
PrivateVPN's product category is Consumer VPN Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADABAD, VPN & Remote Access Gateways, with a secondary code of BPAEAEAG, Network Security Services (Firewall/VPN/ZTNA/SASE Integration). Its NAICS code is 5182.