PrivacyPro SmartVPN & Firewall Reviews

by GabiVie

I do not know with PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall when I blocked a site and when it is allowed. In activity it shows most recent tracked addresses with a rectangular box that says allowed. When I press the arrow next to the site a window opens in which the Term Blocked is turned on. When I save the site though, Blocked is turned off.
This is very confusing. There were some sites that showed as allied that I wanted to block. specifically I wanted to block a site that had the term remoteconfig in it. Now I don’t know if instead I gave them custom permission to be on. You should at least have clear instructions for PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall. I did not download it to make myself less safe.i could not find the information on the web. I will reverse my rating if this issue can be resolved.

by Focusing13

****New 2019 bug alert****

My block list is gone and stopped working and I’m not able to re-block any website to start over and create a new list. As of right now I get UNABLE. Which is a new error message not allowing me to block any websites. (Yes developers, I’ve deleted/re-installed app, restored purchases, deleted/re-installed the VPN and wiped the block list AND I’ve restarted my phone.)

I had the free version for a few years and was having the same issues with the blocked list disappearing and not working. I thought buying PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall would put and end to the problem, sadly it did not.

PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall is finicky. It will only work for a few weeks. If I’m lucky, a few months. I have to check that PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall is working several times a day because at ANY moment my block list will be gone and stop working.

***Unless you keep an eye on it, you’ll have zero idea that your block list is wiped and not working.****

Encrypted shows it’s still working, but the numbers are significantly lower when the site blocking stops.

I will gladly change my rating to a 5 if these issues are addressed.

by Amathakathi

Very disappointed to see crucial free features migrating to the paid version.
I had previously been telling everyone about PrivacyPro’s power; it is a very effective firewall for keeping out trackers and ads while browsing and even preventing apps from sending tracking information etc. That power is now gone as the free version no longer supports user security rules. Clearly the free version was too powerful for its own good and made the additional vpn measures unnecessary—something I can confirm having tried out the paid version.
I was thrilled with what the non-subscription version had to offer but without custom security rules, the free version is no better than the most basic Ad-Blocker but more user unfriendly since it has tons of unusable features until you upgrade.

by Siouxnamee

I’ve been using PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall for a few years now and loved the ability to customize the block list. Unfortunately I’ve lost the ability to see any activity except for blocked trackers. This means that I cannot further customize my block list based on the trackers actively tracking me. I reached out to the customer service team and the person helping me was very kind and responsive. They said they’re working with the developers on a fix, but they haven’t been able to come up with anything in the 2 months since I first reported this issue. If I can’t get this fixed, I’ll probably switch to a different app once my subscription runs out since I can no longer further customize my privacy protection.

by LNMRMN

I do not have the vpn on, and when I check for activity I notice that it just stops logging for hours at a time. The only way to fix it is to turn PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall off and then back on again. So basically there is no record of what was going on while PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall crashed, and nothing blocked for hours at a time when you thought PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall was working. It has happened every day, 2 weeks after installing. So I am unsure whether to purchase premium version if I have to check PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall every couple of minutes to see if it is actually working.

by Jim24670

I like that it blocks most of what you custom block, but it doesn’t allow you to block certain Apple connecting domains, even though it states that the pro version lets you block everything. I have the pro version. It doesn’t allow you to block everything. If they want to disallow some, there should be some sort of notification of why it was disallowed.

Also, I sometimes block things that I find out later has ‘broken’ certain functionality. I would love to be able to mark these with a color, and/or even add a note after unblocking. Please add these features, thanks!

by Ocon The Pic Man

Installed on iPhone and does not appear to negatively effect functionality of phone. Did not notice any dramatic improvements in page loading times. App provides a comprehensive list of trackers both blocked and not blocked. Would really be helpful if app explained why some were blocked and others not. It would also be helpful if app provided information about which apps on phone were responsible for the trackers and also links to what the trackers are so we have more information as to whether we should block. Thanks.

by Moshfosh

Makes it literally impossible to update anything and if you sign out of PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall Store it becomes impossible to sign back in, took me half an hour to question maybe the vpn and new features might be the cause. Turned it off and everything instantly starts working again. Little upset a new feature, that cost $25 mins you would be so breaking.

Edit: after the update functionality has greatly improved but certain things still don’t work. Streaming anything live or online (ESPN, bleacher report, hbo go, Netflix) is extremely hit or miss still. Either it works flawlessly or it just refuses to give playback until you turn it off.

by Thevoidboy

VPN is a bit slow; typical of all VPN services, but users should be aware.

What would be useful is a filter that lets you see blocked trackers, only. And then abides of what the source is (website in browser, app?). That may be difficult, because you can only analyze traffic, not app data on device. But I suspect you might have a good idea about where the traffic is originating, if only through a bit of reverse engineering.

Finding that, fortunately, most of the traffic being generated is for services I would know about if I thought about it: Apple services associated with location I have allowed (iCloud, App Store, etc.), Outlook, obvious stuff.

What’s insidious is Google. I don’t run Google apps for reasons of privacy, and yet they somehow find ways to track me. That company is insidious.

Valuable app. If nothing else, you get a good idea of how much data smog your iPhone leaves behind you.

by JaDo1981

When Privacy Pro came out, you could create as many lists as you’d like to block all the unwanted traffic.
However, now, you are not able to create any list without opting for the Pro plan, which is currently $40/yr.
I know as a free user, they aren’t making any money off of me, but it stinks to start out on a product that was free and then have it changed to a costly plan.
Aside from the cost issue, Privacy Pro is a really good app. I’m not sure I believe the quantity of data blocked though, it seems unusually high.

by GribbleFlotz

I’ve been using it for many months and have been consistently surprised at how many accessed it blocks, usually without my noticing any missing functionality.

Over the past 24 hours I have noticed it blocking Gmail. I’ll see a notice on my phone that I have some number of unread Gmail messages, but when I go into PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall it is unable to download any mail. This went on for several hours before I tried turning Privacy Pro off. A moment later all of my Gmail messages were downloaded and I turned Privacy Pro back on. This has happened another four times since then on multiple WiFi networks. Every time a new Gmail messages comes in I get a notification, but I can’t see the messages until I turn Privacy Pro off.

by Shpellegrin

For many people, running all their traffic through a VPN is overkill - and a bandwidth killer. Disconnect has the solution for folks who want to make sure their web browsing can’t be snooped and that all their Internet activities are protected from tracking, malware and abusive ads. The VPN wakes up when it’s needed and steps out of the way when it is not.

This product is a gem: easy to install, easy to configure, and unobtrusive when in use.

by RLNfirst

For myself I find PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall to be very unique and blocking everything for me! I have tried and paid for other apps that did not even come close to what PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall does. I thank the developers for putting PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall out for all of us to use. I bow down to the hard work they are putting into PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall every day to make it better for you and myself! The updates that take place seems to always for myself make PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall better and better! That’s hard to believe because for myself it’s always been a unique outstanding design app that I willingly give a 5 star rating! Yes it’s not free but I for myself have always found free apps don’t work out down the road! Download PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall today now I don’t feel you will be sorry! (Really) so I wanted to say thanks again to the developers for such a great unique app! I wanted privacy protection more than just hiding where I am at and I feel PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall does that for me. Thanks

by Davidphorne

** Updated my rating after successful and speedy interaction with support. PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall is once again performing as expected. Kudos to Codi in support who shared a direct fix with me. **

Been successfully using this for a year and a half. Recently, after an update of PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall on her phone, it no longer sees the family share and asks her to upgrade to a subscription.

I have checked that our family share plan is configured properly and other apps are available to her. The description for PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall still says it supports family sharing, so either that's no longer true or there's a bug in the latest version.

Both our phones are up to date on iOS 14.2. Hers is an iPhone 8 and mine is an iPhone 11 Pro.

If I can't get this resolved I will be canceling my subscription and finding an alternative. Not happy :(

by Arajul

This is a great app. Lately, with iOS 15, I’m running into an issue where I’m unable to access the internet through my eero router until I disconnect PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall and reconnect again. It happens when I switch from LTE or 5G to my home wifi. Once I disconnect the privacy pro app, connectivity is restored. I then can re-enable privacy pro and it will continue working, but in a day or so, the same thing happens again. I’m not absolutely sure it’s related to PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall, but I’m clearly able to reestablish connectivity by disconnecting Privacy Ro.

by Diana.McCall

This is a great app and it works exactly as described. Blocks all sorts of connections you didn't know you were making. May slow loading of some sites, which may be waiting for their ads to arrive. Be careful not to block anything important (like app updates); you can easily undo any goofs. The recent actions list lets you see what was accessed/blocked when running a given app. I already have another VPN, and it still works fine with PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall 's blocking feature enabled. Note that it blocks googleadservices by default. That disables the little ads at the top of a google product search.

by Swross

I’m not sure why there are so few reviews. I don’t write many but came here to offer my opinion. I’m probably Fickle, always looking for “better,” but I’ve come back to this. Why? Because it’s the cleanest, most versatile and it using it doesn’t ruin my new iPhone’s performance. Emails, web pages with photos can be blocked or loaded on demand. Even cable tv can be viewed by switching off and back on instantly. The partnering DNS app makes it even better. I won’t trash the other apps, but for me — I came back to this one.

by Bciso

Excellent app for reviewing your DNS queries on your device whether you are on WiFi of on 3G/LTE network with option to block DNS lookup of trackers.

It can also secure your DNS queries using DoH (dns over https) using Cloudflare’s DNS servers. This keeps your DNS queries private from the WiFi and the cellular operators.

The add-on paid option for encrypting http connections is a also must have privacy feature for those who travel frequently or use WiFi outside their homes. Unfortunately, there are a lots of websites that still use http (that is, non TLS unencrypted connections). The encrypt http feature will protect any potential information leakage from http connections from your device.

by Fcub32

I don’t understand how so many people have issues- I am currently running developer 12.4 beta, and within the past 30 days, PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall has prevented collection of 1.4 gigs of data on my device. I have settings changed to “Agressive” and even with that, my Gmail is fine. The only adverse effect i have is i cannot click on the top search engine results that are sponsored or advocated by google, the hyperlinks will not work, and a few emails do not load (mostly advertisemen emails). No big deal for me, It’s an easy workaround for the benefits PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall provides. No sarcasm intended, but If you cannot figure such easy workarounds, or if your social network apps are that important, you may need to reconsider your use of VPNs.

by Tasker32

In my experience,If your looking for a TOR based post modem vpn protection that will mask you home ip. This may not be your best choice. If your a true road warrior that uses public WiFi’s that are notorious for blocking TOR connection attempts as well as allowing device sharing protocols this will be perfect for you . Been using PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall for a few years . With its local device firewall rule sets I am able to use it on both cell and Wifi without interruptions as well as layering it with a TOR vpn or TOR browser for additional security depending of the host network policies .

by Yo Holla

It’s always been a stellar product. Used it when it was a completely free service and paid for the toolbox and vpn services.
Now I restore purchases and the banner is still there, the protection turns itself off and then tells me that I don’t have an internet connection so “products cant be loaded”.
You have us over a barrel here...this is the only vpn service that does what you do. Not Nord, not Express, not Private internet access...OK, maybe OpenVPN with a crap ton of modifications. But I don’t expect to have to beg a developer to make their product work.
FYI, I have not upgraded to the new iOS yet and running a perfectly good 6S+.
Sorry for the bad review, but my experience calls for it.

by F£lix-01

In the last 2 updates, he had trouble updating the application. I have to remove the application and download it again. I have an iPhone XR and my wife has an iPhone 7 and we had the same problem. the problem is that when you enter AppStore and select update your application does not download the update and only happens with your application because I can update all other applications normally.

by Skypemike

I love PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall. Great app to let you know all the user tracking that goes on when you visit websites and even just use the apps on your device. E.g. my old home security cam app was pinging sited in China whenever I used it...
Great customization for choosing which domains to block. (Blocked the .cn China domains used by that security cam app).
And you can use a partial domain to block which is great to block ad sites and other trackers.
Highly recommended!

by Dustyp

Good protection and easy-to-use interface. Earlier complaints about app breakage seem to have been ironed out. Almost everything works normally with the VPN turned on. One suggestion: the newest update reset the tracking statistics in PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall . It’s nice to see how effective Disconnect is, and it’s a shame to have those metrics reset to zero after every update. [UPDATE: The most recent update fixed this issue. Thank you!] Aside from that, everything is smooth. Highly recommended.

by Cdftrim

Application works great, even works alongside another virtual private network (Personal VPN)FYI this is not a real VPN, does not mask who you are and only uses that profile in order to block tracking cookies but as I said I can be used along side any VPN'S that are listed under "Personal VPN" in settings-> VPN (bottom). Nothing rose like this on PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall store. Been using it for over a year and its blocked 70,000 trackers and saved 6.3gb of data on my phone alone. Keeps getting better.

by S.Tasker

In my experience,If your looking for a TOR based post modem vpn protection that will mask you home ip. This may not be your best choice. If your a true road warrior that uses public WiFi’s that are notorious for blocking TOR connection attempts as well as allowing device sharing protocols this will be perfect for you . Been using PrivacyProSmartVPNFirewall for a few years . With its local device firewall rule sets I am able to use it on both cell and Wifi without interruptions as well as layering it with a TOR vpn or TOR browser for additional security depending of the host network policies .

by 6r360ry

It seem like everything was working but now I have a blank page for recent connections in the tools that I paid for; Sorry gotta drop some stars until it is back.

Update: Dev responded with a promised update that could fix the issue; Adding back stars for being responsive and seems to be working after uninstalling and reinstalling. Maybe just a glitch.