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vpnMentor was established in 2014 as an independent site reviewing VPN services and covering privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize the independent, professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.
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vpnMentor was established in 2014 as an independent site reviewing VPN services and covering privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize the independent, professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

IPVanish Review 2024 — A Safe VPN, But Is It Any Good?

Our Score: 9.2/10
Ranked 6th out of 306 VPNs
Keira Waddell Updated on 4th March 2024 Senior Writer

IPVanish offers high-speed connections and an impressive list of advanced security features at a budget-friendly price. So, I was eager to test it out for myself.

I carefully studied its privacy policy and thoroughly tested its speeds, security features, and streaming capabilities. I also looked into its network coverage and ease of use before putting its customer service team to the test.

Overall, I can say that IPVanish is a safe and reliable option with fast speeds and a decent server network. While I came across a couple of issues surrounding its privacy standards, it’s taken several steps to mitigate these issues. If you decide to give IPVanish a try, you can take advantage of IPVanish's 30-day money-back guarantee. If you’re not happy with it, getting a refund is easy.

Try IPVanish Risk-Free >>

Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

Pros

Cons

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IPVanish VPN Features — 2024 Update

9.2
💸 Price 2.75 USD/month
📆 Money Back Guarantee 30 Days
📝 Does VPN keep logs? No
🖥 Number of servers 2400+
🛡 Kill switch Yes
🗺 Based in country United States
🛠 Support 24/7 Live Chat Support
📥 Supports torrenting Yes

Streaming — Great for Unblocking With Solid Playback

8.8

IPVanish has seriously stepped up its game when it comes to streaming. In the past, it could only work its magic on Netflix US, but now it's expanded its repertoire to include lots more platforms. I was really impressed with how it performed.

I tested over 50 server locations and unblocked the following platforms:

Netflix Hulu Disney+ BBC iPlayer HBO Max Crunchyroll
Amazon Prime Video Channel 4 ESPN+ Paramount+ Rai Play Pluto TV
Crave Zatto Kodi fuboTV CBC Gem Vudu
Globoplay Discovery+ Locast Rakuten Viki Apple TV DAZN
beIN Sports ITV Hotstar Crackle ProSieben Peacock

Unblocked: Netflix US, UK, India, and Japan

The first platform I tried to unblock was Netflix, which was mostly issue-free. The first 4 US servers I tested (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston) could access the US Netflix library without any problems. The only servers I tested that didn’t work were the Miami and Ashburn servers. But considering that even the top VPNs can struggle to unblock Netflix from time to time, this wasn’t surprising.

IPVanish’s website doesn’t tell you which servers work best with Netflix, and its live chat agents couldn’t provide the answers either, so you may have to test a few servers. But once you find one, it’s very reliable.

In addition to Netflix US, IPVanish managed to unblock Netflix libraries in Japan, the UK, and India.

Screenshot of IPVanish unblocking Netflix Japan on Tokyo serverThe load time was around 3–5 seconds, similar to my non-VPN connection

I didn't experience any buffering or connection issues on any of these servers, including the Japanese servers, which were the farthest away at over 9,000 km.

Unfortunately, IPVanish didn’t let me access full European libraries, such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Spain. I could only access Netflix Originals when connected to these servers. This version of Netflix only offers titles that are available no matter your location, so I couldn’t watch region-locked content. So, it’s a solid Netflix VPN, but there are a few that unblock many more libraries.

Unblocked: Hulu

I had no issues unblocking Hulu on the 3 US servers I tested, and my load times were under 10 seconds each time. As soon as I accessed the site, I watched The Prank Panel in UltraHD for over an hour on its Boston server.

Screenshot of IPVanish unblocking Hulu on Boston serverMy stream didn’t lag at all when connected to any of the US servers

A lot of VPNs really struggle to unblock Hulu as it has cracked down on VPN IPs, so I was really impressed that IPVanish was able to unblock it.

Unblocked: Disney+

I tested 4 US servers with Disney+, and all of them unblocked the platform with ease. After a load time of less than 5 seconds, I streamed A Small Light and The Kardashians on its Dallas and Denver servers.

Screenshot of IPVanish unblocking Disney+ on New York serverAgain, I had seamless, lag-free streams on IPVanish’s US servers while streaming Disney+

Next, I tested IPVanish’s servers in Canada and Australia with Disney+, and again I had no issues. The only difference was that my load times were closer to the 10-second mark.

Unblocked: Max

Unblocking Max (previously HBO Max) with IPVanish was just as easy. After connecting to a server in Los Angeles, I watched Love & Death without any interruptions.

Screenshot of IPVanish unblocking HBO Max on LA serverMax also worked perfectly with every other US server I tried, including New York, Boston, and Dallas

Then, I streamed Euphoria on its Las Vegas server, and again, I had no issues with the load time or picture quality.

Also Unblocked: ESPN+, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, DAZN, Kodi, and more

I was pleased to see that IPVanish’s UK servers also proved to be reliable — I streamed shows on BBC iPlayer and ITV without any issues. I began my tests by connecting to its London and Glasgow servers, which unblocked both platforms in a little under 10 seconds.

My streams were smooth, and the picture quality never dropped below HD the entire time. Many VPNs focus mainly on unblocking US platforms, so I was pleasantly surprised.

It also worked to unblock Amazon Prime Video US, UK, Australia, and Canada. It worked with all the servers I tried, although I had to use the browser version as it didn’t work with the app.

Sports lovers will also be pleased that IPVanish can unblock ESPN+, meaning you’ll never miss out on important matches. I didn’t experience any lag or delay while streaming an NBA match on its Dallas server, and the load time was a little over 10 seconds. Finally, I was also able to unblock DAZN on all the US servers I tried, including Dallas, Boston, and Chicago.

Blocked By: Sky Go

I tried accessing Sky Go with IPVanish’s UK servers, including in London, Manchester, Nottingham, and Glasgow, with no success. I then contacted IPVanish’s live chat support, which confirmed that IPVanish does not support streaming on Sky Go.

Screenshot of conversation with chat support confirming that IPVanish cannot unblock Sky GoNone of IPVanish’s UK servers worked to unblock Sky Go

However, I wasn’t surprised by this. Very few VPNs actually work to unblock Sky Go since the platform is so dedicated to blocking VPN IPs.

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Speeds — Super Fast on Most Servers

9.4

IPVanish provides fast speeds on both nearby and long-distance servers. While my speeds did drop up to 53% on long-distance servers, I still consider this a decent result since I’ve tried VPNs that have slowed me down by 85%. Long distances tend to slow speeds anyway because your data needs to travel farther. So, I was impressed that long-distance servers were still fast enough for streaming and torrenting.

During my tests, I looked at 3 factors:

  • Download speed. This is the time it takes to receive data. It’s measured in megabits per second (Mbps) and indicates how quickly you can load web pages and content.
  • Upload speed. This refers to how fast you can send data, such as uploading videos, sending emails, sharing files, and more. Like the download speed, it’s measured in Mbps. But it’s always slower because a lot more data is received than sent.
  • Ping. This measures how long it takes for data to travel and is an indicator of latency. A low ping rate indicates a more responsive connection, which is ideal for gaming. It’s measured in milliseconds (ms).

We have a specialized speed expert who has conducted tests on IPVanish servers over several months, consistently using the same location in the UK. The chart below exhibits the average speeds from 10 tests conducted on each server.

Graph showing IPVanish's speed test results on nearby and long-distance serversThe only inconsistency came from the Canadian server, which was slower than I expected

Comparing these results to most other VPNs I’ve tested, IPVanish’s speeds are really impressive. I was especially pleased with the nearby servers, as my speeds barely dropped by 10% on most of the European servers I tried. Even the New York server, which is more than 5,000 km from my location, only dropped my speeds by 4%, which is almost unheard of.

However, other long-distance servers didn’t provide as impressive results, and they were a little inconsistent. For example, the Toronto server dropped my speed by 53%. This was surprising since it’s only around 200 km farther from me than the New York server is. The farthest server I tested was in Sydney, Australia (around 17,000 km), and my speed only dropped to 69.22 Mbps (43%).

The underlying trend was that the short-distance servers provided the fastest speeds. On the Auckland server, the drop was 20%, whereas, on the Sydney server, it was only 8%. For reference, a speed reduction of 10-20% is expected on short-distance servers. Anything above a 55% drop in speed on long-distance connections I would consider a bad result.

It’s normal for a VPN to slow down your speeds because of encryption. While a 53% drop might sound like a lot, I didn’t notice a difference in the VPN’s performance since my base speed was already high.

Local Speeds

The first thing I did was record my base speed here in the UK to use for comparison.

No VPN (London, UK):

Ping (ms) 6
Download (Mbps) 122.04
Upload (Mbps) 17.26

The WireGuard protocol generally gave me the fastest speeds, so I used this to test. Then, I started recording speeds on my Windows 11 laptop.

First, I used the “Optimal Location” option, which automatically finds you the fastest server based on speed, latency, and distance. It connected me to a server in Birmingham, UK, and I hardly experienced any slowdowns.

Birmingham, UK:

Ping (ms) 10
Download (Mbps) 115.87 (5% drop)
Upload (Mbps) 16.45 (5% drop)

Then, I tried a server close to my location in Paris, France. I got almost identical results.

Paris, France:

Ping (ms) 11
Download (Mbps) 116.87 (4% drop)
Upload (Mbps) 16.68 (3% drop)

Next, I connected to a couple of other European countries (Germany and Poland) and got similar results. My speeds only fell by 7% connected to a Poland server, which is excellent since it’s over 1,500 km from my actual location.

Overall, IPVanish’s local servers were really impressive. No server dropped my speeds by more than 7%, so I didn’t notice a difference in the VPN’s performance.

Long-Distance Servers

In general, I got really fast long-distance speeds. However, I did experience some inconsistencies — some servers were much slower, and some were just unusually fast or slow, no matter how far they were from me. Long-distance servers also take longer to establish a connection. The San Paulo server took 7 seconds to connect (nearby servers usually only took a few seconds).

I started by testing a few servers in the US on both the east and west coasts:

New York, United States:

Ping (ms) 75
Download (Mbps) 116.92 (4% drop)
Upload (Mbps) 16.67 (3% drop)

Los Angeles, United States:

Ping (ms) 129
Download (Mbps) 75.58 (38% drop)
Upload (Mbps) 16.44 (5% drop)

Then, I went the distance and tested IPVanish's servers in the UAE, Brazil, and Australia.

While there was a bigger drop at these distances, my connection was still fast enough for high-bandwidth activities. I was able to stream geo blocked content on all these servers without buffering.

It was strange that my speeds dropped so much on the Canadian server. Even though it’s only 5,300 km from me, my speed was 10% slower than on the Australian server, which is over 14,500 km from my location.

IPVanish’s app shows you the ping and load next to each server, giving you a good idea of how fast your speeds will be. The load tells you the approximate number of users currently connected. With less load, the servers generally give you better speeds. Ping measures how long it takes for data to travel and is an indicator of latency. A low ping rate indicates a quicker connection.

Protocol Speed Test

Next, I tested all of IPVanish’s protocols on my home servers in the UK to see if there were any differences in speed. To my surprise, the differences were very minimal. The fastest protocol was WireGuard, with a download speed of 93.05 Mbps average across the nearby and long-distance servers. I expected this since it’s a modern protocol that’s purpose is to provide strong security without noticeably reducing speeds. I measured the protocols on local (green) and long-distance (yellow) servers.

Graph showing IPVanish's speed tests results on different protocolsWireGuard was the fastest protocol, but only marginally

Also, keep in mind that the volatility of your internet connection has a bigger impact on speeds than the VPN you use. However, percentage drops in speed tend to be similar no matter your base speed, so you can use those numbers to determine how IPVanish will affect your connection.

Gaming — Mostly Fast Enough on Local Servers

9.5

IPVanish’s short-distance servers are fast enough for gaming, but its long-distance servers proved otherwise. The underperformance of its long-distance servers was primarily attributed to high ping rates. Higher ping rates equal higher latency, which results in slower response times and in-game lag.

I played March of Empires for my tests on a local server in the UK and long-distance servers in the US and Australia. The protocol I used was WireGuard, as it gave me the fastest speeds. The game can get pretty full-on when the battles take place, so having low latency is crucial.

Screenshot of gaming with IPVanish on London serverI was only able to game on nearby UK or European servers

While gaming on its London, UK server, I recorded an average ping rate of 10 ms, which is very low latency. A ping rate of under 100 ms is deemed suitable for gaming, so this was highly sufficient. It did not affect the performance of the game: with every press of a button, the action took place almost immediately, as if I wasn’t connected to a VPN at all.

But when I tested its US and Australian servers, everything changed. The US server in Los Angeles gave me a ping rate of 129 ms, while the Australian server in Sydney came in at 272 ms. There were times when the gameplay would freeze for up to 5 seconds, while my scrolling and command inputs would take a bit longer to catch up. With such a disadvantage, I frequently lost my battles on those servers.

However, this is common with all VPNs. Unfortunately, I’ve never tested one that lets you game comfortably on long-distance servers. So overall, IPVanish’s gaming performance is very impressive.

Server Network — Large Network of Self-Owned Servers

9.2

IPVanish has an extensive server network of 2,400 servers in 90 countries, with the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany having the most servers. You can choose city-level servers in these countries, as well as Brazil. There are even some servers in Africa and South America, which most VPNs don’t cover. However, no servers exist in restrictive countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. The domain "ipvanish.com" is blocked in these countries, too.

Having an extensive server network is beneficial because it can provide faster speeds with less overcrowding and give you more IP addresses to access more global content and protect your privacy.

What’s most impressive is that IPVanish owns its entire server network and doesn’t rent any servers from a third party. This provides increased security since it’s very unlikely that your data will ever fall into the wrong hands. IPVanish doesn’t use any virtual servers either, which means all of its servers are physically located in their respective countries.

Connecting to the best server available is easy, too, as IPVanish has a Quick Connect feature, called “Optimal Location.” When I used it, it connected me to a nearby server in Birmingham that was slightly faster than the others. It will also connect you to the fastest server in your chosen location. All you need to do is select the country or city you want to connect to and click “Connect.”

You can search for a location or sort servers by country, city, or load to manually select one. Additionally, you can use its interactive map to find a server on the Home tab. Being able to zoom in and out of the map makes it easy to navigate.

Screenshot of IPVanish's server map and list on Windows appAn intuitive map is handy for locating servers and connecting to them

Like other VPNs such as ExpressVPN and PIA, all of IPVanish’s servers are P2P-friendly, which means you can freely torrent on them without any restrictions.

Security — Robust Features With Limited Customization

8.8

IPVanish is a safe VPN and one of the main reasons for that is its world-class security features. These features include military-grade encryption, a kill switch, DNS/IP leak protection, split tunneling, and advanced protocols. There’s even a Scramble feature for the OpenVPN protocol, making it look like you’re not using a VPN by obfuscating your traffic. Its main function is to help bypass tough firewalls.

I like that it has its own malware and ad blocker called Threat Protection. It also has a split tunneling feature, which lets you redirect some of your internet traffic through the VPN while the rest uses your regular unencrypted connection. Unfortunately, it lacks multi-hop, which adds extra encryption layers to your connection.

Encryption — Military-Grade Encryption

Military-grade encryption, also known as AES 256-bit encryption, is the highest level of encryption available and is very secure. 256 refers to how long the character key is, which protects your data like a password. The longer the character key, the better, as it takes more time to crack it. In fact, 256 bits is so long that it would take several lifetimes for the world’s most powerful supercomputers to break it.

It also uses the SHA512 algorithm for authentication and the DHE-RSA 2048 key exchange that supports perfect forward secrecy. These encryption standards ensure that none of your data can be read even if a hacker gets hold of the decryption key (which is very unlikely, anyway).

Security Protocols — Several Advanced Options

IPVanish provides strong security through several protocols: OpenVPN (TCP and UDP), WireGuard, IKEv2, and IPSec. These protocols allow you to customize your connection for whatever you’re doing online, mainly through speed and security. IPVanish also has an Automatic protocol setting. When you have this enabled, it will choose the best protocol for you based on what you’re doing, so you don’t need to manually select one.

  • OpenVPN: A highly secure open-source protocol. This means that its code is always visible, which allows people to examine and improve it. It offers 2 options: TCP and UDP. TCP provides reliable data delivery but can reduce speeds, while UDP offers faster transmission, but may be less reliable.
  • WireGuard: A newer protocol that has quickly become the default for many VPNs. It provides a good balance between speed and security. It gave me faster speeds for long-distance connections than any other protocol the VPN offers. It’s also open source, so you can be confident it’s secure.
  • IKEv2: A fast protocol that works well on mobile devices. This is because of its ability to auto-connect, which protects you while you switch between a mobile and WiFi network. However, it’s not as fast as OpenVPN or WireGuard.
  • IPSec: A safe protocol that provides a framework for secure transport by encrypting IP packets. While it’s predominantly used for security, it still produced decent speeds in my speed tests, coming in as the 3rd fastest.

Overall, the protocol I’d recommend is WireGuard since it offers strong security without compromising your speeds as was evident in my speed test results.

Kill Switch

IPVanish has a reliable kill switch and it performed well during my tests. This is a standard feature with VPNs, so I expect to see it. The kill switch cuts off your internet connection if your VPN disconnects temporarily. It is available on most devices, including macOS, Windows, Android, and iOS. IPVanish also offers a Kill Switch app companion for Android TV and Fire Stick, which is still a rarity with most VPNs.

The benefit is that it prevents any accidental exposure of your data. This makes it a handy feature to use on public WiFi networks because hackers can easily intercept your connection if it’s unprotected even for a minute.

Enabling or disabling the kill switch is very easy on desktops. On Windows, there’s a kill switch check box in the main window, you don’t need to open your settings at all. On macOS, it can be toggled on or off by going to your OpenVPN settings under Preferences.

Screenshot of Kill Switch on Windows appIt works with any protocol on Windows and Android, but only with OpenVPN on macOS

Enabling the kill switch on Android is a bit more complicated. You have to turn it on in your Android’s advanced connection settings. Under the “Connection” tab in the IPVanish app, you’ll see a section called “Android OS kill switch”. When you tap it, a popup will explain exactly how to enable it. It still only took me about 15 seconds to activate.

Threat Protection Ad & Malware Blocker

IPVanish also offers a Threat Protection feature that blocks all ads, trackers, and malicious content, so you can browse the web with peace of mind. I contacted customer support, and the agent confirmed that it uses a custom DNS blocklist to protect you from third parties tracking what you do online.

A screenshot showing IPVanish's Threat Protection blocking all banner ads on the Forbes websiteYou can easily toggle the Threat Protection on from the Settings menu

To test this, I visited various sites known to have pop-ups, such as Forbes and Daily Mail, and IPVanish blocked all the pop-up ads on the pages I opened. This also made each page I visited load noticeably quicker. However, it doesn’t block in-video ads like those on YouTube. This feature is available for iOS, Android, Fire TV, and Windows (as a beta).

Leak Test Results — No Leaks Detected

IPVanish provides both DNS and IP leak protection on all of its apps and it worked really well during my tests. This ensures that both your DNS requests and actual IP address remain hidden, so no one can uncover your browsing activity, location, and identity. These features are already in place, so you don’t have to enable them manually.

Screenshot of IPVanish passing IP/DNS leak test on French serverIPVanish provides strong protection against leaks as shown in tests across several servers

I conducted tests on six different servers, located in the US, France, Australia, Germany, Japan, and Canada, using ipleak.net to check for any DNS/IP leaks. The results showed no leaks.

Privacy — Independently Audited No-Logs Policy

9.4

IPVanish has a transparent privacy policy that is outlined on its website. The policy states it only collects payment details and email addresses from customers, which are used to make payments and contact customers when required. While the company was involved in a dubious privacy scandal in 2016, it has changed ownership and come a long way since then. In March 2022, Leviathan Security Group conducted IPVanish’s first security audit.

Does IPVanish Keep Logs? No

IPVanish follows a no-logs policy. This means it won’t collect or record your data, such as the websites you visit, DNS queries, and connection timestamps. However, it collects random bits of data to help improve its product performance. But says this is anonymously collected, so it can’t be traced back to you.

Screenshot of IPVanish's privacy policy explaining what data it collectsIPVanish is transparent in its privacy policy about the data it collects

The collected information includes user language preference, device model, UI interactions, country, and session lengths. Also, you need to provide your email address, name, and payment information when signing up. And since you can’t pay with cryptocurrencies, there’s no way to pay anonymously.

IPVanish has only had 1 third-party audit in its history, which was undertaken by Leviathan Security Group in March 2022. The audit confirmed that IPVanish doesn’t collect user logs or violate any part of its privacy policy, making it trustworthy.

Location — Inside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance

A bigger concern with IPVanish is that its home base is in the US, which is at the heart of the 14 Eyes Alliance. This is a global surveillance network where member nations share data about their citizens. Plus, they have the power to make third parties hand over this data by law.

In fact, this occurred in 2016 when the FBI requested user data from IPVanish, revealing that the company was retaining user logs. IPVanish complied with the FBI following two requests as part of a criminal investigation. However, IPVanish has updated its privacy policy numerous times since the scandal.

Ownership

IPVanish has also undergone a change in ownership since the scandal and is now owned by Ziff Davis (previously known as J2 Global). Ziff Davis is a group that has a number of subsidiaries in cybersecurity and digital services, including StrongVPN and Encrypt.me.

While IPVanish’s security features proved to be strong and reliable in my tests, its past and its location are concerning. However, the privacy scandal happened a long time ago and the VPN has undergone changes in ownership twice since then, updating the privacy policy each time. Additionally, the independent audit from Leviathan Security Group is further proof of its safety and trustworthiness.

Does IPVanish Work in China? No

IPVanish doesn’t work in China. The country has blocked all of its servers and IP addresses and access to the IPVanish website. Even its obfuscation tool called Scramble cannot bypass the great firewall of China and other restrictive nations. I confirmed this by asking customer support.

Screenshot of conversation with IPVanish chat support confirming the VPN does not work in ChinaIPVanish support had no tips for how to bypass the Great Firewall of China

I also asked whether the VPN works in any other restrictive countries like Russia, Iran, or Saudi Arabia, but its agent confirmed that it does not work in these regions. There are other VPNs that work reliably in China, so I’d suggest choosing one of them instead.

Torrenting — Allows P2P Sharing on All Servers

9.6

IPVanish is a great option for torrenting since its entire network works for P2P file-sharing. It also has unlimited bandwidth and no data caps, so you can torrent as much as you want, for as long as you want.

It is advisable to use a VPN for torrenting as it shields your online identity and location while also encrypting your data. This adds an extra layer of protection against malicious entities. However, it is critical to activate your kill switch in the event of a VPN disconnection.

During my tests, I connected to its US, UK, and New Zealand servers to download a movie on uTorrent. I got an average speed of 101 Mbps while torrenting Mabel’s Strange Predicament on its London server, which took less than 2 minutes to complete. It was a 700MB file, so this was really fast. However, IPVanish lacks port forwarding, which can help you find a larger number of seeders.

Screenshot of IPVanish torrenting with uTorrent on London serverI appreciate that IPVanish supports torrenting on all servers since many VPNs don’t

But keep in mind that your torrenting speeds are largely determined by the number of seeders and leechers that are assigned to your torrent and not by your internet speeds or VPN. Additionally, the IPv6 protection, DNS leak protection, and no-logs policy let you torrent safely.

IPVanish also offers SOCKS5 proxies in more than 20 locations. You can manually configure this in your BitTorrent client to hide your IP address. Since it doesn’t encrypt your traffic, you’ll get slightly faster speeds for downloading. My speeds were 5% faster using the proxy address in London as they were using the regular VPN server.

Even though the proxy offers good speeds, keep in mind that it is less secure since it doesn’t encrypt your data. You can access the full list of SOCKS5 proxy addresses in your IPVanish dashboard and there are guides on its website to help you set it up.

Be aware that many torrents are subject to copyright laws, and we do not endorse any unlawful actions. Before engaging in torrenting, always consult the legal regulations in your jurisdiction and refrain from downloading copyrighted content. Additionally, IPVanish specifies in its Terms of Service that it will deactivate the accounts of users found to be downloading materials protected by copyright.

Installation & Apps

9.0

IPVanish’s apps are beginner-friendly but function slightly differently depending on which operating system you use. However, even with the differences, I found the individual apps and their settings easy to navigate, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user.

The tabs contain the settings arrangement. Utilizing the Optimal Location (Quick Connect on macOS) function enables you to establish a connection with your most suitable server location. Meanwhile, the Server List tab provides the freedom to manually pick a server. This tab also includes search and sorting features that make the selection process more efficient. Saving preferred servers is achievable by simply clicking the star symbol located on the left. Furthermore, the main tab incorporates an interactive global map, which you can utilize to choose a server based on its geographical location.

The settings menu (or preferences on macOS) is where you can choose your security protocol, toggle the OpenVPN scramble feature on/off, and enable or disable DNS and IP leak protection. There are also several options to personalize how IPVanish will connect upon startup, including an automatic connection feature that you can customize based on server location or speed.

Side-by-side screenshots of IPVanish's settings menu on the Windows and macOS appThe settings slightly differ, but the layout is similar on both apps

There’s also a Diagnostics tab under settings where you can pinpoint connectivity issues and lodge them to be fixed. Even if you don’t understand what any of the information there means, you can share it with support, who will then be able to help solve any issues more efficiently.

While IPVanish’s apps aren’t overly complicated, this simplicity and its design did give it a bit of an outdated feel. I’ve used VPNs with much sleeker and more modern designs, but this is just personal preference. Overall, the apps are user-friendly, even though navigation is slightly different on each one.

Setup & Installation

Downloading and installing the IPVanish app is very easy and requires no technical knowledge. It only took me a few minutes to install the app on each of my devices.

Quick Guide: How to Install IPVanish in 3 Easy Steps

  1. Select a plan. Go to the IPVanish website and choose one of the pricing plans that are listed. Create your account through the website — this way you won’t have to deal with third-party app stores if you want to claim a refund using the money-back guarantee.
  2. Install the app. Choose the app for your device, download it and follow the installation prompts. Log in using the credentials you created when you signed up.
  3. Enjoy safe browsing. Connect to a server and use the internet with peace of mind.

Device Compatibility — Available on Most Devices

IPVanish has native apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Amazon FireStick. There is also a native app for Chrome OS, but it can only be installed if your Chrome OS device can run Android apps through its Play Store.

Unfortunately, IPVanish doesn't have a Smart DNS service, which makes VPNs easier to use on devices that don't support native apps. It also doesn’t have any browser extensions, which is pretty unusual for a VPN, so this is something I’d really like to see introduced in the future.

Furthermore, you can use IPVanish on Linux, Roku, gaming consoles, and Raspberry Pi if you install it on a router first. The router option is great because it will secure all your home devices at once.

Desktop Computers — Apps for Windows, Mac, and Compatible With Linux

IPVanish’s desktop apps are easy to install and use. I tested it on both macOS and Windows, and each time, I was able to download and install the VPN in less than 3 minutes.

Screenshots showing the UI of the IPVanish Windows and macOS appsBoth apps come with a world map, which makes it easy and fun to choose and connect to a server

Here’s a rundown of the features available on each desktop app:

  • Windows: You can get the IPVanish app for Windows 10 and higher. It offers many security features, including LAN blocking, OpenVPN Scramble, a kill switch, and IPv6 leak protection. It also comes with a wide choice of protocols — OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2. The app also allows you to change the level of encryption from AES 256-bit to 128-bit with the Scramble feature. Plus, you can choose between 8 languages (English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Italian, and Portuguese) and enable audible speech feedback.
  • macOS: The macOS app is available for macOS 10.13 and above. It also comes with a kill switch, OpenVPN Scramble, and API load balancing that helps you find the fastest server, but there’s not an option to change the AES 256-bit encryption to a lower level. It works with the OpenVPN protocol, WireGuard, IKEv2, and IPSec. The app also allows you to choose IPVanish’s private DNS or a third-party DNS.

While there’s no Linux desktop app, you can manually configure the VPN on your device through OpenVPN (with the help of the step-by-step guides on IPVanish’s website if you need them). You can set IPVanish up on Ubuntu, Fedora, Kali Linux, Linux Mint, Lubuntu, and Pop! OS. The protocols available on Linux are OpenVPN, L2TP, and IKEv2. It also lets you adjust your encryption level between AES 128 and 256.

Android and iPhone (iOS)

Downloading IPVanish on my mobile app was just as easy as the desktop apps. I simply downloaded them from the App Store and Google Play and signed in with my credentials. The Android and iOS apps are slightly different, but they have pretty similar features.

A screenshot showing the Settings menu of the IPVanish Android and iOS appsThe navigation of both mobile apps is quite similar

Both mobile apps offer the WireGuard and IKEv2 protocols and Threat Protection ad/malware/tracker blocker. They also come with features that some VPNs don’t offer on their mobile apps (especially iOS), like a kill switch and split tunneling, which allows you to choose which traffic runs through the VPN and which doesn’t.

The Android app has the OpenVPN protocol and the Scramble feature for obfuscation, which is lacking on iOS. But the iOS app has a unique Connect On Demand feature, which connects the VPN automatically when the app detects you’re using an untrusted WiFi network.

You can get the IPVanish app on mobile devices using iOS 13 or higher and Android 5.1 and above.

Also Works with Amazon Firestick

IPVanish also has a native app for the Gen2 Fire TV Stick or newer. It comes with the OpenVPN Scramble feature, split tunneling, and AES 256-bit encryption. This app only offers the OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2 protocols.

It’s easy to install, too. The app can be downloaded directly from the Amazon App Store to a device running Android 5 or higher.

When you turn on your Fire TV/FireStick, press the Home button on your remote. Next to it, you’ll see the search icon that looks like a magnifying glass. After you type “IPVanish” there, you can just select the app, click “Download”, and “Open” when it has finished downloading.

IPVanish has recently introduced a companion Kill Switch app to complement its main VPN app for Firestick. This protects your data on your Firestick by blocking internet access if your connection is temporarily interrupted to prevent data leaks.

To connect it with your VPN app, simply download and install the Kill Switch app on your Firestick device and sign in with your IPVanish credentials. Once you're logged in, the app automatically syncs with your existing IPVanish VPN settings. This straightforward integration eliminates the need for complicated configurations and makes the Kill Switch feature easily accessible even if you’re new to VPNs.

Router Compatible, but It Doesn’t Have a Native App

You can set up IPVanish on your router and protect all the WiFi-enabled devices in your household. It offers pre-configured FlashRouters that you can purchase from its website. You can also configure the VPN on the one that you already have at home if it’s compatible. Unfortunately, though, IPVanish is only compatible with DD-WRT, ASUSWRT, ASUSWRT-Merlin, and Tomato routers.

Most other VPNs I’ve tested let you manually set up the VPN on a lot more router models (ExpressVPN even has its own firmware that doesn’t require manual configuration). It’s also important to bear in mind that manually setting up a VPN on your router can be tricky, and doing so incorrectly can damage it. However, IPVanish offers detailed guides on its router setup on its website, and its 24/7 live chat was always extremely helpful whenever I reached out, if you need support.

The VPN on routers works with the OpenVPN protocol, and offers the standard military-grade encryption, AES 256-bit.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Unlimited

What makes IPVanish such great value is that it allows any number of devices to be connected simultaneously. This is great if you live in a larger household where each person owns at least 1 device. Having unlimited device connections means that everyone under the same roof will have their device secured with just a single IPVanish subscription.

I tested this out by connecting my Windows laptop, MacBook Pro, smartphone, and Android tablet, to watch Netflix. It didn’t feel any different at all, and I noticed no slowdowns. The streaming quality was HD at all times. The average number of simultaneous connections that most VPNs allow is 5. The fact that IPVanish doesn’t limit this shows that it really sets the bar high compared to other VPNs.

Pricing

9.2
2-Years
$ 2.75 / month per month
Yearly
$ 3.33 / month per month
Monthly
$ 12.99 / month per month

You can choose between 3 pricing options with IPVanish: monthly, yearly, and 2 years.

These plans have the same features, but only the yearly and 2-year plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll also pay less if you sign up for the longest-term plan, which provides a 77% discount compared to the monthly plan.

However, it’s important to note that there’s fine print. Upon renewal, you won’t benefit from the introductory promo price, so you’ll be paying more (an extra few dollars a month). So, make sure you read carefully when you’re signing up.

You can also use IPVanish free for 7 days on iOS and Android devices. You’ll need to download the app from your mobile app store and choose the annual plan. However, you need to remember to cancel to avoid being charged if you don’t want to continue. These plans are also not covered by IPVanish’s money-back guarantee.

In addition to your IPVanish subscription, you can choose to add a cloud storage solution called SugarSync or an antivirus software called VIPRE. Both have monthly, and yearly plans and are a bit more expensive (around $2 more than the regular monthly subscription). These are labeled as “IPVanish + Backup” and “IPVanish + Antivirus” on its website. Unfortunately, static IP addresses aren't available.

There are 3 payment options available with IPVanish — credit or debit card, PayPal, and Google Pay. This means that billing information is collected for payment processing but won’t be shared. Unfortunately, cryptocurrency payments like Bitcoin aren’t accepted, so you can’t pay anonymously.

Its 30-day money-back guarantee is legitimate and truly no-questions-asked. You don’t have to provide a reason for requesting a refund and you don’t even have to speak to a customer support representative. I just logged into my account and clicked on “I wish to cancel my subscription”. So it was really no hassle at all. I received an email confirmation and my money was back in my account after 3 days.

Reliability & Support

9.3

IPVanish’s support is prompt, informative, and available in almost every language. There are 3 ways to contact IPVanish for support: 24/7 live chat, email/ticketing system, and phone.

When you initiate a live chat, it’ll connect you to a bot first before you can speak to a real human. Even though I found the bot to be slightly irritating, it managed to direct me to a number of links on the support center that were relevant to my search. I found the live chat to be relatively prompt and helpful, as the representative was polite and answered all of my questions with clarity. I only waited for around 10 seconds in the queue before speaking to the representative. The live chat supports any language with its translation tool, making it very accessible.

Graphic showing IPVanish and live chat conversationLive chat is the most convenient way to seek assistance

You can also choose to submit a ticket if you require further assistance. When I did so, I got an email response within 2 hours.

What I found really unique is that IPVanish offers over-the-phone customer support in 6 countries. It has phone lines in the US, UK, Australia, Spain, Mexico, and Brazil. These lines are open from 9am to 5pm in their local times Monday–Friday. Not many VPNs give this option to their users, so kudos to IPVanish for implementing it and making it accessible in different countries.

Lastly, IPVanish offers a support page that’s full of helpful content. You can enter a query in the search bar in the knowledge base, or check out the FAQ questions or support categories below to find what you’re looking for. These categories include troubleshooting tips, installation guides, announcements, and billing questions. Whenever I had some questions, I first visited its knowledge base and often found answers immediately, so I didn’t have to contact customer support for each small query I had.

The sole problem I encountered was outdated information within the knowledge base. As an illustration, when attempting to discover the procedure for enabling the Scramble feature, the provided method was inaccurate, necessitating my contact with the support team instead.

The Bottom Line

Final Verdict — Offers Great Security, Fast Speeds, and Is Great for Streaming

IPVanish’s robust security features make it a super-secure VPN. It also provides fast speeds across its global server network, and the fact that you get unlimited simultaneous device connections makes this VPN really good value. Plus, its customer support is reliable and available in almost every language (there’s even phone support in 6 countries!).

While it can unblock most streaming platforms, I wasn't able to access Sky Go. Another concern is its US home base and past compliance with the FBI. However, IPVanish has updated its privacy terms, been audited by a reputable third party, and found trustworthy.

All-in-all I found IPVanish delivers an excellent service and is an easy-to-use VPN. Plus, it’s money-back guarantee is very straightforward. So, you can test IPVanish out for yourself for 30 days knowing you can easily get a refund if you change your mind.

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  • Fast speeds across all distances
  • Vast server network of 2,400 servers in 90 countries
  • World-class security features
  • No-logs policy
  • Easy-to-use app with an intuitive interface
  • 24/7 customer support available
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

FAQs on IPVanish

Is IPVanish safe?

Yes, IPVanish is a safe VPN service that prioritizes user privacy and security. With its robust AES-256 encryption, IP/DNS leak protection, and kill switch, your online activities and data are protected from prying eyes. IPVanish has a strict no-logs policy, ensuring that your browsing history, connection timestamps, and any other sensitive information are not stored or monitored.

What does raise concerns is that IPVanish is based in the US, a member of the 5/9/14 Eyes alliance, and it was involved in a scandal in 2016 where it handed user data over to the police. However, its privacy policy has been updated multiple times since then. Plus, its no-logs policy was audited in 2022, proving that IPVanish does not retain personally identifiable information.

Will IPVanish work with FireStick?

Yes, IPVanish has a native app for FireStick. Downloading and installing the IPVanish app onto your FireStick follows the same process as the mobile and desktop devices and only takes a few minutes at most. Just download it from the Amazon App Store and sign in with your IPVanish credentials.

The app supports several features, including server switching, advanced protocols, split tunneling, and auto-reconnect. It’s supported on every FireStick except the first generation.

Where is IPVanish based?

IPVanish is based in the US, which is part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance and not ideal since the alliance members can share user data between them if needed. However, IPVanish has an audited, strict no-logs policy in place, so there shouldn’t be any data to hand over to any authorities.

The 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance is a network of countries that conduct online surveillance and agree to share data with each other for various purposes. Companies under the Alliance’s jurisdiction can be subjected to investigations that force them to hand over data.

How much does IPVanish cost?

IPVanish subscriptions start at $2.75/month. That is for the annual plan. The prices increase the shorter term you choose, so you'll pay considerably more per month if you sign up for the monthly membership. If you only intend to use IPVanish for the short run, then the monthly plan would be a good option. But if you want a bigger discount in the long run, it’s best to sign up for the yearly plan.

However, it’s also important to note that prices will increase quite significantly after your first year or 2 years. This is because the initial discount only applies to the first block, so make sure you’re fully aware of the cost after your initial sign-up period.

Is IPVanish better than NordVPN?

When it comes to overall performance, IPVanish and NordVPN are closely matched. Both VPNs have a strong reputation, offer similar levels of security and encryption, and are equally reliable at unblocking popular streaming platforms while maintaining fast speeds. Moreover, neither VPN works in China. However, there are some differences.

One of the main issues I’ve come across with NordVPN is that it sometimes takes a while to connect to a server, and at times, fails to connect completely. There are no connection issues I’ve come across with IPVanish.

When it comes to privacy and security, both IPVanish and NordVPN have strong measures in place. They offer robust encryption, strict no-logs policies, and features like kill switches and DNS leak protection. However, NordVPN is based in privacy-friendly Panama, while IPVanish is based in the US — part of the data-sharing 14-Eyes Alliance.

In terms of pricing, NordVPN is a little more expensive than IPVanish, but both VPNs are some of the most affordable on the market. You can sign up for IPVanish for just $2.75/month, while NordVPN costs a little more at $3.39/month.

Is there a free version of IPVanish?

IPVanish offers a 7-day free trial for iOS and Android on annual plans. It also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, which allows you to try the VPN free for a limited time and claim a full refund within the guarantee period.

You can get all your money back without providing a reason for your request or talking with a customer support representative. You just need to log into your IPVanish account on the website and click on “I wish to cancel my subscription”. The refund will be automatically processed (if requested within those 30 days). Unfortunately, the guarantee is only offered on the annual or 2-year plan, so you will have to pay a bit upfront to use it.

Money Back Guarantee (Days): 30
Mobile app:
Number of devices per license: Unlimited
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vpnMentor was established in 2014 as an independent site reviewing VPN services and covering privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize the independent, professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.
IPVanish VPN User Reviews (User reviews are not verified)
7.8
Based on 185 reviews in 29 languages

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All Speed Streaming Security Сustomer service
Beth Gray
Beth Gray
2/10
Misleading, false advertising, don't honor guarantee. BEWARE

IP address and region not effectively blocked on most sites. Streaming sites do NOT work with their services, but they do not disclose that anywhere on their website. The support team had no idea in terms of technical knowledge. They claim that their 30-day guarantee is unconditional and there is no risk, but they have so many exclusions buried in their fine print that the average user would have huge difficulty finding. They advertise on many streaming how-to websites where they KNOW their services do not work. COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY. If I could give less than one star I would. SO unethical.

Douglas
Douglas
4/10
Won't refund

Seems to have too many subscribers as we experienced significant buffering issues while streaming. We purchased a one-year subscription and after thirty days they would not refund our money. Very poor business ethics.

AM
AM
2/10
Unreliable Product, Poor Customer Service, and Unethical Business Practices

Customer service, and unethical business practices. There were IP leaks through their VPN connection from my Mac PC. The issue persists after their troubleshooting and resulted in repeated exposure of my personal and financial information. I’m a few months into my 2nd annual subscription. Despite the technical issues with their product and my investment in their troubleshooting process, they have repeatedly refused to refund the remainder of my annual subscription. I’m escalating to the BBB. ExpressVPN provides a much reliable product and engages in ethical business practices. BEWARE.

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About the Author

Keira is an experienced cybersecurity and tech writer dedicated to providing comprehensive insights on VPNs, online privacy, and internet censorship.

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