BlackVPN was founded in 2009 and the company was originally based in The Netherlands. In 2012, the company moved to Hong Kong, in order to prevent NSA monitoring and infiltration, as well as to avoid secret court orders. This shows how serious is BlackVPN’s commitment to ensure that the privacy of its customers is protected and that they can truly enjoy online freedom. BlackVPN is aware of the threat that the NSA scrutiny represents for companies that operate in the US, particularly VPN providers. It is not coincidence that they chose Hong Kong to set up their headquarters, after all this is where Edward Snowden made its revelations about the NSA’s surveillance programs. The team that conforms BlackVPN counts with an extensive IT experience, which is applied to help protect users’ online freedom and privacy. With such a strong dedication to ensure that you can maintain your anonymity on internet, BlackVPN sounds like the ideal solution for users that feel strongly about their right to privacy. We will take a closer look to BlackVPN to find out if they truly deliver a service, that allows you to claim back your freedom to enjoy internet without any fear.
Features
One of the things that BlackVPN does best is providing comprehensive information that will help you to install their VPN service easily and without issues. There are useful guides available for every platform and device supported including Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, Android, iOS, DD-WRT Routers and pdSense. The protocols offered are PPTP, L2TP/IPsec and OpenVPN. PPTP is included in most operating systems and mobile platforms but it comes with a low level of security. L2TP/IPsec is the best option for mobile devices and it is more secure than PPTP.
OpenVPN is recognized as the safest and most reliable choice and it offers great speed, particularly with PCs. With this protocol, BlackVPN offers a high level of encryption of AES-256 with 2048-bit keys. BlackVPN provides instructions to set up each protocol in the platforms that are compatible with their service. The step by step guides are clear and easy to follow, ensuring that all their customers can properly configure the settings required to use their service.
BlackVPN has created a solid set of plans that are designed to suit the needs of every user. You will be able to find a plan that covers all your requirements and that adapts to the way you use internet. The packages in offer are Global Package, TV Package, Privacy Package and Single Server. The Global Package is the most comprehensive options as it offers access to all the servers in the network and it allows you to switch between them whenever you want. All the traffic is protected with a top level of encryption, ensuring your anonymity is maintained and you can use it on all systems. The price of this package per one month is €9.50, three months cost €27 and a full year subscription costs €99.
The TV package is ideal for anyone that is mainly interested in streaming online content. This plan will give you access to BlackVPN’s servers in Singapore, United Kingdom and United States, which will allow you to watch content from services like Hulu and BBC iPlayer. You can switch between servers without limits and your connection is encrypted and secure. The cost for the TV package is €7.50 per month, while three months cost €20 and one year, €75. For an additional charge of €1, you can get a Swiss server included in this package.
The Privacy Package is suitable for those who are particularly concerned about their anonymity online and that want to ensure that they can access websites and download content securely. This package allows access to servers in 9 countries including Panama, Estonia, Ukraine, Canada and Lithuania. As with the other packages, you can switch between servers as much as you want and all your traffic is encrypted. One month of this package costs €5, 3 months cost €13 and the total cost for one year is €49. These are the same prices for the Single Server plan, which only lets you access one server of your choice. Even though BlackVPN does not offer free trials, all the plans come with a 14-day money back guarantee and you can get a refund during that time, without any questions asked.
In terms of speed, BlackVPN stands out by offering impressive performance and stability, which is why it is a great option for anyone that wants to stream TV series or films. With BlackVPN, users can enjoy unlimited bandwidth that will allow them to fully enjoy all the possibilities that internet has to offer. From online gaming and downloading movies (through specific servers) to online video calls, you will be able to enjoy a fast and strong service. Usually, when you are connecting to internet with a VPN, the speed of your connection to be affected. However, online browsing with BlackVPN, feels almost as if you were using through your regular internet connection and you will not experience a significant slowdown. The company also stays true to its commitment with privacy, offering a no logging policy. BlackVPN also powers readthenburn.com, a site which allows you to communicate privately. Simply enter a message, share a secret code and once the message is read, it will self-destruct.
Location and Performance
BlackVPN has servers in United States, Panama, Estonia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Russia, Switzerland, Singapore, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Canada but only the Global Package gives you access to all of them. Keep in mind that P2P is not allowed in UK, US or Singapore servers and even though the company does not keep logs of your traffic, in these servers they may assign specific IP addresses to users and will follow up on any copyright infringement reports received.
Customer Support
BlackVPN’s customer support team can be contacted through email ticket system and you can select the best option for your query. Ticket/ contact form is the only way to reach out to them and while their response was helpful and took only a few hours, we would prefer to see options such as live chat or a faster response to ensure that any urgent issues can be addressed in a timely manner. In the meantime, the fact that BlackVPN’s website offers a large selection of guides, means that users may be able to find a solution without requiring further assistance.
Conclusion
The main highlight of BlackVPN is its speed and its what makes it an ideal option for users that are looking to stream media content. The company also offers a website that is easy to navigate and that offers a great deal of information. Another good point is that the company donates 10% of every Privacy Package to the EFF, the Electronic Frontier Foundation , which aims to protect your rights to online privacy. This is a VPN provider that offers a solid service that will suit many users.