When it comes to your online activity, it is important that you choose a Virtual Private Network (VPN) service provider that offers a variety of benefits. IPVanish is one of a few top tier VPN services that guarantee secure connections and anonymity when surfing the web. Interestingly, on its homepage, IPVanish lays claim to the ‘World’s Best VPN’ title. While it has loads of sponsorships and endorsements, and is one of the most popular VPNs in the world, is IPVanish really the best overall?
Following our rigorous testing and analysis, this VPN review is designed to provide detailed answers to that question. We will take an unbiased look at this VPN service provider – including its service quality, level of safety, speed, features, background, pricing, and lots more.
Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO, Torrenting, Kodi
IPVanish registered some of the quickest speeds we’ve seen while testing VPN services. We didn’t experience so much of a connection drop when connected to IPVanish, and it is fast enough for 4K or HD streaming.
Our speed test results from our physical London location using a London test server.
DOWNLOAD AVERAGE | UPLOAD AVERAGE | |
---|---|---|
US | 53 Mbps | 37 Mbps |
AustraliaAsia | 24 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
Germany | 76 Mbps | 81 Mbps |
Singapore | 25 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
According to our tests from our location in the UK, here are the average speeds you can expect when in these locations:
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”:
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.
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
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.
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.
IPVanish has native apps for all major desktop and mobile operating systems, including Apple Macs, PCs, Android, and iPhones. Even if your device does not have a custom IPVanish app, you can still set up the VPN software manually
IPVanish is also a great choice for streaming devices and gaming consoles. In fact, it is our recommended VPN service for Amazon Firestick, and it is incredibly east to setup. IPVanish can be used on 10 devices simultaneously, which is a very generous figure since most top tier VPN services allow an average of 5 connections at the same time.
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.