We review vendors based on rigorous testing and research but also take into account your feedback and our affiliate commission with providers. Some providers are owned by our parent company.
Learn more
vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover 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 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.
Advertising Disclosure

vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover 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 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.

NordVPN vs ibVPN 2024

Table of Contents
    Our Score: 9.4/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info
    Our Score: 7.5/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info
    Editors' Note: Intego, Private Internet Access, Cyberghost and Expressvpn are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company.

    Which VPN is better?

    Author Image Kate Richards
    Kate Richards

    Managing Editor

    Choosing the best VPN for your needs can be tough, especially when the market is flooded with vendors offering lots of promises. Let’s showcase the strengths and weaknesses of two well-known VPN pioneers, ibVPN and NordVPN. NordVPN hits the ground running with a colossal network of 5,000+ servers in 60+ countries, about 35 times bigger than ibVPN’s network of 150+ servers in 40+ countries. Both ibVPN and NordVPN have a healthy focus on user anonymity, thanks to privacy-friendly locations in Romania and Panamá, respectively. Both also offer high-end security, including military-grade encryption, a kill switch, IPv6 leak protection, double VPN protocols, and Tor over VPN. NordVPN guarantees hassle-free access to almost any restricted web content from anywhere in the world. It delivers consistently high speeds and works almost flawlessly in China. Although ibVPN is also skilled at overcoming geo-restrictions, its speeds are just above average. Connecting with ibVPN also sometimes requires manual setup, especially in tough locations such as China. NordVPN also offers some sweet extras, such as the anti-malware CyberSec suite and a SmartPlay (Dynamic DNS) mode for fast streaming. On the opposite side, ibVPN competes with a SmartDNS service and more tunneling protocols, including SoftEther, Shadowsocks, SSTP, and Stealth VPN. The two VPNs offer browser extensions and have dedicated apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Both ibVPN and NordVPN are also compatible with Linux systems and routers. In terms of value for your money, NordVPN stands out by offering six simultaneous connections per account, a 3-day or 7-day free trial, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Meanwhile, ibVPN supports five simultaneous connections only with its Ultimate plan, but does offer a 24-hour free trial and a 15-day money-back guarantee. Both services provide excellent 24/7 live chat support and a variety of payment options, including Bitcoin. We’ll find our winner by diving into a category-by-category comparison.

    Our Score

    Features 9.4/10
    Pricing 7.5/10
    Ease of Use 10.0/10
    Reliability & Support 10.0/10
    Features 7.5/10
    Pricing 7.8/10
    Ease of Use 8.4/10
    Reliability & Support 8.2/10

    Reviews

    Review by our expert
    Author Image Angela Jovanoska
    Angela Jovanoska

    Cybersecurity Researcher

    Our Score: 9.4/10

    On the surface, NordVPN looks like a really impressive service. It claims to have a huge global server network, a speedy and reliable connection, and iron-clad security and privacy features. Plus, you can get it all for just $5.99/month. That all sounds great, but is there a catch? To find out, I did an in-depth analysis of NordVPN. I tested its speeds and how well it performs when you’re str...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    2
    210493Lu
    10.0/10
    The Best of The Best

    I simply tested all VPNs looking for cutting-edge online security, I tested the most expensive and the...  most talked about virtual anonymity, none made me as happy as NordVPN, it stands out for several reasons that the much more expensive ones it doesn't have, its double encryption, dedicated IPs, onion VPN, makes NordVPN unique, with almost 6,000 servers around the world and 12 million customers like me, you can see that NordVPN is not playing games with its customers and their online security , it always innovates to keep you more secure day after day, for a fair price in the long term and without sacrificing the speed of your connection, recently Nord is developing a new VPN protocol, Nordlynx a version still under construction derived from the Wireguard protocol, if you want to have a VPN of last security that think how it will make you more secure in the next month NordVPN is the right choice, I am completely thankful for being a customer and for finding what to me is the perfect VPN.More

    Latest negative user review
    S
    SAM
    2.0/10
    BUYER BEWARE!

    BUYER BEWARE! If you purchase NordVPN, it will throttle your interned speed/connectivity by 50%, like ... it did to mine. I pay $100/month to get speeds of nearly 600mbs. With NordVPN turned on, my speeds decrease to 250mbs. Nord’s “customer support” is useless and unprofessional, and, after nearly 3 weeks of endless “try this, try that”, they were unable to resolve the issue and blamed it on everything under the sun except their product, when it is OBVIOUS that, since I have zero speed issues with Nord turned off, and ONLY experience the issues with Nord turned on, it is NordVPN that is causing the issue. When I asked them for a refund of my one year subscription paid in advance and in good faith, they refused, and have now decided to ignore me. So, YOU’VE BEEN WARNED. Their VPN will devastate your internet speeds, their “support” is ridiculous, they are in denial, and they will not refund your money, even if their product is a failure…More

    Read the full review
    Review by our expert
    Author Image Doris Muthuri
    Doris Muthuri

    Senior Writer

    Our Score: 7.5/10

    Update: Recently, ibVPN merged with StrongVPN. We did indepth testing on StrongVPN, and you can find all the details in our review. ibVPN is a relatively small VPN, with a network of 180+ servers in 50+ countries. The name stands for "invisible browsing" VPN, and true to its name, ibVPN has a strong focus on security and privacy. This provider claims to be a great VPN for many different purposes, ...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    A
    Anonymously
    10.0/10
    Very stable, full option, the top if you look for a good privacy protection option!

    I am using ibVPN for about 5 years, and I never had an issue. It perfectly works with many protocols a... llowing me to use the VPN at home (with my DD-WRT router) and in many public places, like airports, even when some port usage is restricted --> Just switching the protocol! The 24h free trial is perfect for checking if the service fits your needs. I highly recommended it!More

    Latest negative user review
    D
    Daltonic
    6.0/10
    Some great features but a lot of drops

    I'm a customer since almost 2 years, paying 2.41$ / month. Choose them for the price, no-log policy a... nd because they support upnp/port forwarding (no NAT firewall + dynamic IP on 4 servers in the Netherlands). I always had a big problem with their server: connection drops.. If I use too much bandwidth, I loose the connection and the VPN client is not able to reconnect to the server by itself (I need to reconnect it manually). Same thing happens always with torrent clients and Socks proxy: tried with different clients but after some days or a week (if I'm lucky) their servers kick me out, and a restart of the torrent client is not enough. No!! I need to change manually the server to re-start to torrenting! No problem if we are slow, for that price I'm more than happy.. but all these disconnections are very, very boring. I will stay with them till I will not find something suitable for my needs, but there's too much work from my side to stay with them forever.More

    Read the full review

    Pricing

    Starting price $5.99/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 30 Days
    Number of devices per license 10 devices
    Starting price $4.95/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 15 Days
    Number of devices per license 25 devices

    Best VPN by Category

    Best VPN Overall

    Even though ibVPN is an excellent VPN service, it falls just a little short on speed and network reliability. In contrast, NordVPN is without doubt one of the best all-around VPNs ever designed. It easily adapts to any internet purpose, whether you need your VPN for secure browsing, video streaming, torrenting, or gaming.

    Best VPN for Torrents

    Torrenting couldn’t be easier with NordVPN. You get access to dedicated P2P servers, strong multi-layer encryption, and reliable connections. Although ibVPN also allows torrenting on specific servers, you may face some connection issues from time to time, depending on your location. Both VPNs give you access to the Tor network.

    Best VPN for Windows

    If you want a fast, feature-loaded VPN app for your PC that doesn’t require any extra setup effort, then you’ll love NordVPN for Windows. Meanwhile, ibVPN also provides a feature-rich Windows client, but it’s less user-friendly.

    Best VPN for Android

    Both ibVPN and NordVPN have thumb-friendly clients for Android devices. However, while ibVPN doesn’t offer a lot of features in its Android app, NordVPN is equipped with Cybersec, servers for P2P and Tor, a double VPN protocol, and more. Both VPN apps will keep you safe on public wi-fi networks, but you get faster speeds with NordVPN.

    Best VPN for Mac

    Apple users will find NordVPN’s hack-proof MacOS app an absolute delight. Not only does it display a sleek layout, it also has plenty of key features including a kill switch, obfuscated servers, Cybersec to get rid of unwanted ads, custom DNS, and a customizable OpenVPN protocol. Meanwhile, ibVPN keeps its Mac app simple and straightforward, with a kill switch and multi-protocol support.

    Best VPN for iOS

    Guarded by a kill switch and the tough IKEv2 protocol, NordVPN’s dedicated iOS client runs on six different devices at the same time. It comes with access to thousands of servers, including special servers to access the Tor network and double VPN (multi-hop encryption). The ibVPN iOS app has a clean interface and a quick connect option, but lacks a kill switch. You can choose between OpenVPN, IKEv2, and IPsec in the ibVPN app.

    Best VPN for USA

    Both ibVPN and NordVPN can smoothly bypass US geo-restrictions to get you into your favorite American streaming channels (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and many more). But if you want to lie back and relax without worrying about speed lags and connection issues, NordVPN is exactly what you’re looking for.

    The Bottom Line

    See Plans & Pricing

    Truth be told, it’s a very close call between ibVPN and NordVPN, since both services offer feature-rich VPN solutions for all users, from rookies to pros, at attractive prices. From sturdy encryption and versatile security tools to cross-platform compatibility and access to a huge range of geoblocked sites worldwide, these two big boys won’t let you down. However, NordVPN ultimately wins this battle thanks to its outstanding server network, consistently fast connections, ease of use, and exceptional performance in the most restricted internet environments.

    Time to decide which one is best for you

    Go with NordVPN
    Go with ibVPN
    Or click here to check best VPNs, rated by {{review_count}} users

    FAQ

    Is NordVPN better than ibVPN?

    Yes, NordVPN is better overall than ibVPN. It has 6339 servers in 111 countries, fast speeds, and impressive security features.

    Best of all, you can take advantage of its latest discount and get it for only $5.99 a month.

    What should I keep in mind when choosing between NordVPN and ibVPN?

    When choosing a VPN, you want to pay close attention to its number of servers, overall speed score, pricing, and the number of simultaneous device connections it offers. While some VPNs provide a flawless online experience, others will really slow you down.

    If you’re ready to commit, then NordVPN may be perfect for you due to its performance during the tests .

    Is NordVPN faster than ibVPN?

    Yes, NordVPN is faster than ibVPN. Since your VPN is your computer’s main connection to the internet, you need to use a service that won’t slow you down by more than 20%.

    If speeds are important to you, then I recommend you take a look at ExpressVPN. It’s the fastest service out there, provides unlimited bandwidth, and you won’t experience any slowdowns even when you connect to the other side of the planet. You can try it out risk-free. It’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund if you don’t like it.

    Do NordVPN or ibVPN offer any deals?

    Both NordVPN and ibVPN offer deals on occasion. You can check out the current coupons and discounts here. However, ExpressVPN has the best deals. Right now, you can get a 49% discount and up to 3 months for free with a new subscription.

    We review vendors based on rigorous testing and research but also take into account your feedback and our affiliate commission with providers. Some providers are owned by our parent company.
    Learn more
    vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover 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 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.

    About the Author

    Kate is a Managing Editor at vpnMentor. Kate promotes the use of VPNs as a means to achieve unhindered access to the internet, as she strongly believes in online freedom for everyone.