My Private Network VPN Review 2020

My Private Network is going through a transition ever since its merger with Le VPN. The service maintains the crucial elements that made it such a user-friendly option in the first place i.e. the safe jurisdiction of Hong Kong as well as its strong encryptions.

Additionally, users can continue torrenting as much as they want using this service via dedicated servers through split tunneling. This makes it safer and further secure for users that have extensive use for P2P-sharing.

However, that is pretty much it. The service does not unblock Netflix or other streaming services. Furthermore, it lacks the wide array of servers necessary to make your browsing and gaming easier and smoother.

Overall, I can say with confidence that in terms of safety, My Private Network gets top marks. However, it fails to perform adequately in other categories. For users that want the absolute best in all departments, PureVPN is the best option thanks to its ability to unblock every major streaming site at extremely affordable prices.

Rating Criteria

1. Jurisdiction: Where Is My Private Network Located?
2. Security: Is My Private Network A Safe Option?
3. Leaks: Are Your IP, DNS & WebRTC safe?
4. Servers: How Many Servers Does My Private Network Have?
5. Streaming: Can My Private Network Unblock Netflix?
6. Speed: How Fast Are My Private Network Servers?
7. Compatibility: What Devices Can I Use My Private Network On?
8. Pricing: Is My Private Network An Affordable Option?
9. Trustworthiness: What Do Other Users Say About My Private Network?

Jurisdiction: Where Is My Private Network Located?

My Private Network operates out of Hong Kong. As far as VPN locations are concerned, it is one of the safest options out there.

For starters, Hong Kong is not a part of the 14 Eyes alliance or any other intelligence sharing organization. To further increase users’ peace of mind regarding the jurisdiction, there are no data retention laws in the country that should worry users.

Neither the government nor the corporations inside the country have the authority to keep logs or have overwatch on users’ online activities.

Security: Is My Private Network A Safe Option?

Yes, thanks to a combination of safe jurisdiction, transparent logging practices, as well as the strongest encryptions, MPN is a completely safe VPN option. Furthermore, as virus and leak tests indicate, users can rest assured about the service’s ability to keep them safe from any potential vulnerabilities.

Secure Logging Policy

While I was at ease knowing that the service is based out of Hong Kong, its logging policy further solidified my initial confidence. The service guarantees that none of its users and their activities are being spied on.

Considering how Hong Kong’s national law makes it illegal for companies and even the government itself to keep logs on its citizens’ digital activities, I’m confident that users need not worry as far as My Private Network’s logging practices are concerned.

My Private Network Encryption & Protocols

The Private Network offers users the military-grade AES-256-bit encryption. In terms of encryption, it is by far the safest option that users can hope from any VPN.

As far as protocols are concerned, users will be able to choose between PPTP, L2TP, IKEv2 as well as OpenVPN. The combination of this encryption and protocols mean that users will be secured via the strongest combination on the market. However, I should add that L2TP comes with the 128-bit encryption rather than the 256-bit one, that could leave users a

My Private Network VirusTotal Test

I conducted a virus test using Virus Total on the service to be sure that My Private Network’s installation files and the website is safe from any unwanted malware and viruses. Here is the result of that test.

As users can see, there are no problematic malware and viruses to be concerned about.

Leaks: Are Your IP, DNS & WebRTC Safe?

Naturally, to be certain that the service that promises complete anonymity for users is free from any potential vulnerabilities, I conducted a series of IP, DNS, and WebRTC leak tests. I wanted to be sure that none of these were leaking and leaving me exposed.

Here are the results:

As users can see, none of my actual IP is ever exposed.

Servers: How Many Servers Does My Private Network Have?

I had to look a lot harder than anyone should have to find out exactly how many servers My Private Network has. The service does not state the exact amount but it seems that they have nearly 200 servers operating out of 44+ countries.

Does My Private Network Support P2P/File Sharing?

Yes, the service supports torrents, with a notable caveat. While users can enjoy torrenting as much as they want, they’ll need to connect to servers inside Russia and Malaysia to do so.

There’s no exact reason why this is so but one prominent reason is that most of the other countries that My Private Network has a server in have strict anti-piracy laws that make it extremely dangerous to download torrents.

Does My Private Network Work in China?

Unfortunately, the service is unable to provide its services to users inside China. The primary reason is the lack of a local server inside the Mainland.

Recent years have seen a sharp escalation in the authoritarian censorship of the Chinese government. This has led to users relying heavily on VPNs to continue accessing the internet while evading the restrictive local laws.

Additionally, expats also depend on these VPNs to have seamless access to geo-restricted Chinese content. However, My Private Network will be unable to provide reliable services to either kind of users.

Streaming: Can My Private Network Unblock Netflix?

No, despite my numerous attempts the service cannot unblock Netflix. While the US library is the most popular one among users, I tried unblocking other major libraries but was unsuccessful at every attempt.

Just like with other VPNs, I tried unblocking other major streaming sites like Amazon Prime, Hulu, Hotstar, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+ but unsurprisingly, My Private Network failed to unblock any of them. So, if streaming is the primary reason for your VPN use, then MPN isn’t the option for you.

Speed: How Fast are My Private Network Servers?

The service attempts to make up for its shot numbers in terms of servers by offering the absolute best. However, I wanted to see how successful are these attempts. Hence, I conducted a speed test using a 100 Mbps connection and connecting to 5 random servers in India, Canada, Spain, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Here are the results:

Compatibility: What Devices Can I Use My Private Network On?

The service is good for use on Windows, Mac, Android, Linux, and iOS as well on Fire TV. Additionally, users will also be able to use it on different routers and SMART devices.

The best aspect of this service’s complete cross-compatibility is its support for all major gaming devices like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Pricing: Is My Private Network An Affordable Option?

This is by far the most confusing feature of this service. The service offers the standard monthly, quarterly, and yearly payment plans. However, each of these plans is further broken down into three more offers i.e. a free server, a global server, and a single-country server.

My Private Network Payment Methods

I was surprised to see that the service supports a diverse range of payment methods. The users have the option to pay via their VISA/Mastercard debit and credit cards, as well as through a Bank Transfer. Additionally, there is support for payments via PayPal as well.

MPN also accepts cryptocurrencies through CoinPayments. This brings digital anonymity to users’ financial transactions and makes digital safety guaranteed.

My Private Network Refund Policy

My Private Network offers users assurances that should the service fail to meet their expectations, they’ll be given a complete refund up to 90 days after they’ve made the purchase.

This would make them as one of the market leaders given how lenient their policy is compared to the market standard of 30-days. All users would need to do is send them an email at (support@my-private-network.co.uk) and avail of this service within 90 days of their purchase.

Trustworthiness: What Do Other Users Say About My Private Network?

It’s important to know exactly what the service’s existing customers feel about the VPN provider and whether it delivered on all the fronts that it promised initially or not. Hence, I headed over to Trustpilot and Reddit to see what the users feel. Additionally, I also reviewed the service’s customer support.

This is what I found out:

My Private Network Trustpilot Review

To my surprise, My Private Network appears to have one of the most positive Trustpilot pages that I’ve ever reviewed. With a robust 4.7/5 rating, MPN comes across as an immensely pro-customer VPN provide.

I particularly found the 96% Excellent reviews to be something too good to be true. Hence, I looked at the reviewers themselves and their profiles. All the reviewers have only ever made 1 review i.e. My Private Network. The fact that there’s not a single other review made raises my suspicions that these are fake profiles giving it fake reviews.

This would not be the first time a VPN service has done something like this. There are too many red flags for me to take its Trustpilot rating too seriously.

My Private Network Reddit Review

I spent hours trying to find a single mention of this service on Reddit but failed. There are two principal reasons behind that, in my opinion, i.e. its generic name as well as the fact that it is such a relatively unknown service.

My Private Network Customer Support

Over the years, I’ve come to regard a 24/7 live chat support function to be the most essential aspect of any VPN service. It reveals a lot about how forthcoming and user-friendly the service is. My Private Network’s lack of such a feature reflects extremely badly on it.

The only alternative that it presents to users is a generic ticket system. In my experience, there is a huge gulf in terms of quality between the two different features. Other than that, there is a knowledge base. I found it to be an adequate resource as far as most users’ queries are concerned.

Lastly, there is a Community tab, it connects users with other users of the service. It’s more like a forum for all the users. For users that feel that their issues are best resolved by other users experiencing the same issues, this should be a great feature.

My Private Network Alternatives

It becomes quite clear from the first impression that there are some glaring deficiencies in the service. While I have absolutely no qualms about the safety and general security of the service, it lacks other essential VPN functions like the ability to unblock Netflix as well as other geo-restricted content from around the world.

There are other important missing features like a Chinese server as well as a wider array of servers that would truly make the entire internet safer to scroll for users.

PureVPN comes across as the best alternative when I take all these features into account. Not only can it match My Private Network’s secure encryptions and safe jurisdictions but it can bring a lot more features to the table. I would highly recommend users opt for this service if they want the best of both worlds i.e. security and entertainment.

Do I Recommend My Private Network VPN?

Yes, although not for much more than its iron-tight security aspect. Its safe location from Hong Kong is rightfully its best feature. It is through the virtue of this jurisdiction that My Private Network can offer users guarantees of no-logs as well as the strongest encryptions to keep them safe from prying eyes.

Apart from that, there’s nothing extraordinary that this service can offer. It cannot seamlessly unblock Netflix and other streaming services, there is no dedicated Chinese server, and perhaps most importantly, its overall server count leaves a lot to be desired.

For users that place particular emphasis on all these features, My Private Network may not quite be the all-round VPN option they’re looking for. Instead, I would highly recommend PureVPN thanks to its safe location, also in Hong Kong as well as a host of other features that add to the users’ overall experience online.