IPVanish VPN

IPVanish VPN

Editor Rating: Excellent (4.0)
IPVanish VPN - IPVanish VPN
US Street Price$12.00
  • Pros

    User-friendly interface. Excellent speed test performance. Hundreds of servers around the globe. Allows BitTorrenting. Automatic IP address cycling. Kill switch.
  • Cons

    Expensive. Unattractive interface.
  • Bottom Line

    VPN service IPVanish secures your Web traffic from prying eyes and packs extra security features. It's also one of the few VPNs that improved download performance in our testing, but it's expensive.

Network security is a tricky thing, but using a virtual private network (or VPN) like IPVanish goes a long way toward making the web safer and more secure. IPVanish offers a good value with 10 simultaneous connections and an impressive collection of servers, and it goes further with unique features like automatic IP address cycling. IPVanish is an all-around excellent product and one of the best VPNs we've reviewed.

What Is a VPN?

When you connect to the internet via a VPN, all your web traffic is routed to a VPN server through a secure, encrypted tunnel. This means that someone spying on your local network, say at a coffee shop, won't be able to see your online activities. A VPN also hides your real IP address, making it harder to track you across the web. Even your ISP will have a hard time gathering and selling your data when you use a VPN, because it can't penetrate the encrypted tunnel.

VPNs are used every day by people concerned about security or trying to circumvent restrictions on internet access. Journalists and activists in countries with restrictive internet policies use VPNs to keep in contact with the rest of the world and access content that would be otherwise forbidden.

Pricing and Features

IPVanish has a simple pricing scheme with just three options, all of which have the same features. The service costs $10.00 per month, $26.99 billed every three months, or $77.99 billed annually. As is the case with most VPN services, it offers a variety of special deals and discounts.

That's slightly below the average monthly price of $10.30 for a VPN, but there are even-more affordable options out there. Editors' Choice service Private Internet Access has a monthly plan for $6.95.

If price is a major concern, consider looking at a free VPN, instead. TunnelBear offers a free subscription, but limits users to just 500MB per month. ProtonVPN has the best free option, placing no data limits on free subscribers. It also has a very flexible payment plan, making it extremely accessible.

You can pay for IPVanish with any major credit card or PayPal. If you're looking to use Bitcoin, prepaid gift cards, or some other anonymous method of payment, you're out of luck with IPVanish. TorGuard, on the other hand, allows many anonymous payment options. If you ever wanted to use a Subway gift card to buy a VPN subscription, for example, TorGuard is a good option.

IPVanish allows you to connect up to ten devices simultaneously, which is double the five offered by most VPN services. Windscribe and Avira Phantom VPN take the unusual move of placing no limit on the number of devices you can use. Many VPN services allow you to purchase extra connection slots, but TorGuard has the simplest system: a slider that lets you select up to 200 additional connections.

Nearly all VPNs allow the use of BitTorrent and P2P file sharing on their networks, although some do restrict the activity to specific servers. NordVPN is one such service, and TorGuard is another. If you're a heavy downloader, you're sure to appreciate the freedom and flexibility of IPVanish, which doesn't restrict BitTorrent at all.

VPN Protocols

There are many ways to create a VPN connection, but I prefer the OpenVPN protocol. It has a reputation for speed and reliability and is open-source, meaning that its code has been picked over for potential vulnerabilities. IPVanish supports OpenVPN (TCP or UDP), as well as IKEv2—another good choice. The service also has legacy support for L2TP and PPTP, but I don't recommend using either unless it's absolutely necessary.

IPVanish VPN

Note that many developers opt to not include OpenVPN in their iOS apps because Apple treats such apps with exceptional scrutiny. IPVanish is one example of a developer that has not included OpenVPN, opting instead for IKEv2.

Servers and Server Locations

I value geographic diversity in VPN servers because it means you have lots of options for spoofing your location and can be assured that there will be a nearby server for faster, more reliable connections when you travel abroad. It also means more options for location spoofing.

IPVanish boasts servers spread across 51 countries. That's fewer than several competitors, but it's still a good mix of locations, covering most of the globe. IPVanish deserves credit for offering servers in Africa and South America, as those two continents are often completely ignored by VPN companies. It's a small presence, however, and one I'd like to see expand. ExpressVPN, for example, covers over 90 countries.

The total number of servers a VPN company provides is obviously linked to how many subscribers it servers—more subscribers, more servers. Still, more is always better since more servers can mean less overcrowding on those servers. IPVanish currently offers a respectable 1,300 servers. NordVPN currently leads the pack with well over 5,200 servers, followed by CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, Private Internet Access, and TorGuard, all of which have around 3,000 total servers.

A virtual server runs on physical server hardware, but it is software-defined, letting several virtual servers exist on a single physical server. Sometimes, virtual servers are configured to appear as if they are operating in a different country than the hardware on which they operate. This can be an issue if you're concerned about the specific locations through which your data travels, but it has its upsides. Virtual servers mean companies can quickly adapt to meet demand and can use physical hardware in safe locations to serve regions that aren't as secure.

My feeling is that virtual servers are fine, as long as they're used transparently. That's a non-issue with IPVanish. A company representative tells me that IPVanish simply doesn't use virtual servers.

IPVanish VPN

Your Privacy With IPVanish

When you use a VPN, it has as much insight into your internet activity as your ISP. That's why it's important to understand the information any VPN service may collect and how they use it. In general, the best VPN services will collect as little as possible, and share even less.

IPVanish's privacy policy is a bit of a tough read. It's lengthy, but mostly understandable. I still think TunnleBear deserves praise for creating a truly readable policy. For the most part, IPVanish's privacy policy paints a positive picture of a privacy-conscious service. It plainly states: "IPVanish does not collect or log any traffic or use of its Virtual Private Network service," and that "we do not sell or rent personal information to others." That's exactly what I like to hear, and I confirmed with company representatives that it only generates revenue from customer subscriptions. I'm also impressed at the level of transparency IPVanish demonstrates by listing all its third-party partners.

IPVanish operates under Mudhook Marketing, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of StackPath, LLC, and is based in the US. A company representative tells me that while it does respond to valid requests from law enforcement, it has no user data to supply. Some VPN companies use a foreign base of operations to add another layer between them and law enforcement requests. In general, I don't feel qualified to make a judgment about the security implications of a VPN being based in a particular country. Instead, I encourage readers to educate themselves on the issues and go with a product with which they feel comfortable.

In an effort to establish their trustworthiness, some VPN companies have begun releasing the results of commissioned audits. NordVPN had its no-log policy audited, and TunnelBear has committed to releasing annual audits of its service. IPVanish has not undergone a third-party audit. It also has not responded to the Center for Democracy and Technology's VPN questionnaire, but provided me with much of the same information.

Hands On With IPVanish

The IPVanish application installed quickly and easily on my Lenovo ThinkPad T460s running Windows 10.

The IPVanish app has kept its hacker-chic black-and-green color scheme from older versions, but the current iteration looks better and feels more substantial. It's a much smoother experience than before, but it's still not earning many points for looks, nor does it hold your hand. NordVPN has numerous advanced features, but it still manages to look friendly, while TunnelBear has hung its hat on the cute bears that populate its interface. IPVanish is centered around a chart that shows your online traffic, which isn't particularly useful.

Tabs down the side of IPVanish's Windows app let you access account information, advanced settings, and a full server list. I especially like that the server list is searchable, and that it can be filtered by available protocol, country, and latency time. There's also a map view, but it's not on by default. Other services with more emphasis on user interface design put maps at the forefront.

IPVanish VPN

The main page lets you connect with a click, which I like. Too many VPN apps make you guess at how to turn them on. Pull-down menus at the bottom let you select the country, city, and specific server of your choosing. However, it's probably best to just select a country and let IPVanish choose the best options thereafter.

I like that the IPVanish app has lots of customization and advanced features—and that it keeps them hidden unless you need them. You can, for instance, have the app change your IP address at a set interval. The Kill Switch feature blocks access to the web unless the VPN is connected, and the app can be configured to connect automatically on startup. Still, I would like to see IPVanish offer specialized servers, as NordVPN does, for activities like using a streaming video service. NordVPN even lets you connect to Tor via VPN connection, for additional anonymity.

Some VPNs may leak your personal information, like your real IP address or DNS information. In my testing, I confirmed that my IP address was changed and my ISP information hidden. Using the aptly named DNS Leak Test tool, I confirmed that IPVanish doesn't leak DNS information. It also named its DNS server something recognizable, which I appreciate.

IPVanish and Netflix

The location-spoofing abilities of a VPN make it a popular choice for accessing streaming content in other countries. In order to enforce these kinds of geographically sensitive deals, Netflix and other streaming services tend to block VPN users.

While using IPVanish, I found I was able to access Netflix with ease. That could change at any time, since the VPNs for watching Netflix are in a cat-and-mouse game with the streaming service.

Beyond VPN

Many VPN companies have begun including additional security features that go beyond what a VPN provides. Ad blocking and malware protection are typical additions, as are static IP addresses. IPVanish does not offer additional services. TorGuard, on the other hand, has a remarkable slate of static IP addresses of various flavors that are less likely to be blacklisted among other add-ons.

Speed Test Results

VPN services generally have some kind of impact on your web browsing. Usually, this means slower download speeds, slower upload speeds, and increased latency. To get some kind of feel for what kind of impact a VPN makes on web browsing, I take a series of speed measurements using Ookla's Speedtest tool. (Note that Ookla is owned by PCMag's publisher, Ziff Davis.) Read my unimaginably titled article on how I test VPNs for more of the nitty gritty details.

Related Story See How We Test VPNs

In my tests, I found that IPVanish had no impact on latency. It did, however, reduce upload speeds by 78.8 percent and download speeds by 81 percent. Keep in mind that your results will be different, and that I use these figures solely for comparison's sake.

You can see how IPVanish compares in the chart below with the top ten performers among the over 30 services we tested.

Fastest VPN 2019

For now, I consider HideIPVPN to be the fastest VPN in town because it had the smallest impact on upload and download speeds. That said, I don't recommend choosing a VPN on speed alone. Rather, consider the features, value, and trust that a service offers.

IPVanish on Other Platforms

You can configure most any device to use IPVanish's services, but the company also offers native apps for Android, Chromebooks, iOS, Linux, macOS, and Windows. IPVanish does not offer browser plugins, as many competitors do. It does, however, support an app for Amazon Fire TV.

The company's website offers specific instructions for configuring devices, as well as Windows Phones and routers, to work with IPVanish. Putting a VPN on your router might sound strange, but doing so secures all the traffic flowing through the router, including devices that can't have VPN software installed locally. If you're interested in having a VPN router, but you don't want to set it up yourself, IPVanish has partnerships with retailers to provide preconfigured routers.

Vanishing Act

What sets IPVanish apart is the value it offers. With a below average price, it offers 10 simultaneous connections, and access to 1,200 servers with good geographic diversity. IPVanish's app and server offerings could be improved, but it's an overall successful service. It compares favorably with our Editors' Choice Winners: NordVPN with its numerous features, Private Internet Access with its low price, ProtonVPN with its flexible pricing, and TunnelBear with its friendly and approachable apps.