IPVanish

IPVanish has over 1,300 servers in its network, and over 40,000 IP addresses, which is one of the highest figures we’ve seen. This fine blend in IPVanish’s network means that it is unlikely that users will experience slow speeds and server congestion when connected to IPVanish.

IPVanish’s service covers both popular destinations like the US, UK, and Canada, aswell as some less popular countries like Philippine and Moldova. The VPN service offers city-level options in four countries: US (19), UK (4), Canada (3) Australia (2), and Brazil (2).

IPVanish is one of only a few VPN services to own and manage almost all of its server structure – they rent very few servers from third-party agencies.

Though IPVanish is equipped with a range of obfuscation features, the VPN service is very transparent about its VPN’s chances in China. We really appreciate their honesty on this subject.

On the IPVanish you would find a list of other countries where the VPN would not work in. The VPN provider states that while they try their best to provide access to the internet and support freedom of information worldwide, they “are forbidden to do business with the following countries”:

•  Burma/Myanmar
•  Cuba
•  Iran
•  North Korea
•  Sudan
•  Syria

The VPN service also states that its ipvanish.com domain is blocked in the following countries:

•  Qatar
•  Saudi Arabia
•  UAE
•  Egypt
•  China
•  Kazakhstan

As well as its domain, many IPVanish users have reported that the VPN’s apps do not work in the above countries. So, if you are traveling to countries with high censorship, you should consider using other VPN providers like VyprVPN or ExpressVPN.

Despite IPVanish’s excellent VPN speeds, we do not recommend it for streaming. Most of its US servers are Netflix-compatible, though you may experience lags while trying to access the service, but all of its UK servers are not compatible with BBC iPlayer, and if what IPVanish says is anything to go by, this wouldn’t change anytime soon.

If BBC iPlayer streaming is important to you, you may want to consider other options like CyberGhost and NordVPN. IPVanish also confirmed that the VPN service isn’t currently compatible with Hulu or Amazon Prime Video.

• Torrenting

Torrenters would be making a great choice by using IPVanish for their torrenting needs. The strong logging policy and excellent VPN speeds makes it a great choice for torrenting. IPVanish allows torrenting on all of its servers, and its protection against IP/DNS leaks is effective.

Encryption and Security: One of the Best Security Features

•  Encryption: AES-256
•  Protocol: OpenVPN; PPTP; L2TP/IPsec; IKEv2/IPsec
•  Security: VPN kill switch; DNS leak blocking; First-party DNS; IPV6 leak blocking; Supports TCP Port 443
•  Advanced features: SOCKS

IPVanish is one of the best VPNs in terms of security and privacy. The VPN service uses OpenVPN and IKEv2 as its main protocols, and encrypts user web traffic using the ‘impenetrable’ AES-256 method, ensuring your protection at all times.

IPVanish also has a VPN kill switch which protects your privacy in the event of a connection drop, as well as loads of other advanced security features designed to secure your online activity. One of these features include SOCKS5 web proxy, which protects your IP address during VoIP and P2P activities, though it does not encrypt traffic.

IPVanish does not store user data of any kind, which makes it a true no-logs VPN.

Considering the fact that most VPN services store user login information and server load at the very least, IPVanish stands head and shoulders above many top tier VPNs for privacy.

Under the VPN’s former management in 2016, it was discovered that IPVanish stored logs when it furnished US authorities with information that helped the prosecution of a user. However, since its new owners acquired the service, IPVanish has revamped its privacy policies, and we now recommend it for privacy-minded persons.

•  Jurisdiction

IPVanish was first launched by US-based HighWinds Network Group in 2012; but it has since been acquired by StackPath and in 2019 by J2 Global – two US-based companies.

IPVanish has always been owned and managed by US-based companies – in a jurisdiction where intrusive surveillance laws hold sway. However, this is largely irrelevant as the VPN’s zero-logs policy means that a user’s personally identifiable data cannot be collected by IPVanish.

Though the IPVanish VPN app could do with a little improvement, they are incredibly easy to use. Even if you are an inexperienced VPN user, you’d find the advanced privacy settings easy to customize.

Key features like VPN kill switch are absent in the mobile app version, but overall, they provide a user-friendly experience.

During our review, we found IPVanish customer service agents to be supportive no matter the questions we asked about their service. IPVanish recently introduced the 24/7 live chat service which has been very impressive so far.

IPVanish also has a helpful email support, which provides clearly written responses, and an online FAQ where users can find straightforward answers to their most common issues.

IPVanish is fairly priced for users. While it is not the cheapest VPN service out there, it is also not the most expensive. The standard monthly subscription is available at $9.99/month, but you’d be saving up to 46% if you subscribe to the yearly plan which costs $6.49/month. IPVanish also has a 3-month plan which costs $2.91/month for Annual Plan. Unfortunately, IPVanish does not currently accept international payment methods like Alipay nor does it accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

IPVanish operates a 7-day no questions asked refund policy, and users can rest assured their money would be refunded within 10 working days.

The only issue we have with IPVanish’s refund policy is their plan for iOS users – those who sign up to IPVanish through the iOS Store do not qualify for the money-back guarantee.