IPVanish VPN Review

Our Review

Ipvanish is an excellent choice for those wanting increased protection and web surfing annonminity. The software allows for BitTorrent and P2P traffic using its servers and includes multiple features considered advanced such as the automatic cycling of IP addresses, VoIP communications, safe Wi-FI access, zero traffic logging, unlimited switching between servers, and multiple connections simultaneously. The combination of these features allows for an experience that is superior, user-friendly, and affordable.

As an IPN service, IPVanish offers in excess of 750 servers located in over 60 countries. Its list covers virtually every geographical location and enables diverse options for those wishing annominity, and it is tough to find this volume of server options with other VPM providers. One thing to note however is IPVanish has chosen to suspend its operations in Russia due to local laws that relate to the zero log history. Currently, the company is based in the United States as its laws are friendly on that front and do not have laws that relate to data retention.

One important feature of using IPVanish, and one most will see as a selling point, is the fact that, for the most part, any device can be configured for use with IPVanish, and included apps for macOS, Linus, ChromeOS, Windows, and Android. As a plus, instructions for configuring each is provided on the company’s website, and this is a real time saver for those less technically minded.

Those wishing to use multiple devices will find as many as five can be added, and this is on par with most other VPN services. The BitTorrent feature is one not as commonly offered as one might think, and many of those offering it will restrict activity to certain servers. However, IPVanish assures its users that practice is not carried out by the company, and for those who do a large volume of downloading, that flexibility will be appreciated.

As with most VPN’s, IPVanish employs multiple security features to protect from cybercrime, firewalls, etc., and includes a kill switch to ensure that traffic is shut down should a connection fail to occur. This feature is one that should be utilized at all times when surfing online for protection and annonminity reasons. They further include IPSec and IKEv2 protocols to secure all transmission of data. In addition, the IPVanish software works with AppleTV and Amazon Fire TV using a Tomato router or DD-WRT, and for many, this is becoming an expectation, so it is nice to see IPVanish meeting those expectations.

As briefly mentioned above, IPVanish has many features that are ideal for this style of software. It includes apps for Mac OS, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Chromebook, Windows and Ubuntu routers. One of key selling points is the access to the fasters VPN’s in the world, and with over 40,000 isps, more than 750 servers in over 60 countries, its unlimited bandwidth with 256-bit encryption is a valuable feature that most cannot lay claim to.

Adding to this is the companies policy relating to zero logging of traffic and annonymous torrenting. They further allow unlimited P2P traffic and access to apps and websites that are censored. As an additional feature, the software affords users an unlimited amount of server switching and the ability to have five devices accessing it simultaneously.

Customer service is another key feature, with the company offering 24/7 email support, and being based in the U.S, increases that value as the company has the infrastructure in pace to ensure that downtime with their service and customer support team is non-existent.

Pricing

IPVanish has multiple pricing models that can be chosen, and currently, have special pricing in effect for new users. Those who are new may wish to consider the monthly package, as this is only $10.00 a month, and the investment is minimal, so if you are unhappy or feel the service is not beneficial to you, the investment is not large.

However, a six-month subscription and yearly one are available. The six-month package is priced at $9.00 a month, a 25% discount off regular pricing, and the yearly subscription is $6.49 a month, with its discount being46% discount off regular pricing of $11.99 monthly. It is important to note, six month and 12-month packages require payment in full, whereas the monthly is charged once a month with auto-renew being in effect.

Payment options include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Delta, Paypal, iDeal, Giropay, Boleto, and Bitcoin. A 7-day money-back guarantee is offered and those who wish to cancel their subscriptions and avoid auto-renewal can do so by accessing their account and selecting to cancel their subscription.

How to install

Installation is pretty straightforward and requires the downloading of the software, and then following the installation instructions. Once the installation process has been completed, access and use of the VPN client is instant.

Those wishing to use macOS or any other device suck as iOS or Android, the process is the same as it is for windows. The nice side to this is the software is compatible with most devices and considering most people prefer to access the internet with a mobile device, this is critically important, and the fact you can do so in any location in private is one that has unparalleled value. As an added value, the IPVanish websites offers a tutorial video for both Mac and Window installation, and of course, the 24-hour support team can further assist should you run into any unforeseen problems.

Those who wish to connect through Amazon Fire TV or Apple TV, it is recommended to purchase or use a router that is compatible. IPVanish recommends using Tomato compatible router or a DD-WRT router in this case.

Speed and Overall Performance

Speed and overall performance are key aspects to the quality of experience you get using a VPN. The measurements of speed for IPVanish are more than acceptable, and when testing, it was found that domestically, IPVanish fell within accepted latency testing. The download speeds were reduced by almost 7%, but this is small in comparison to the value that is derived from its use, and overall IPVanish is on par with most other providers in this area.

Internationally, IPVanish has excellent speed results with its latest hovering at nearly 350%. The download speeds were as expected and met with most other services, while not as fast as some, it was well within acceptable limits and this should be of little to no concern for users. The upload times, however, were average and this was a little disappointing, however, it is important to bear in mind that depending on the time of day you are accessing the web, results will vary, so again, this should not be of any real concern.

Country IPS offered

IPVanish offers one of the best range in servers when compared to its competition, and this should be considered when selecting a VPN service. At the time of writing, they offered over 40,000 ips and over 750 servers. While that in itself is impressive, having those servers in sixty plus countries is even more so.

The largest number of servers are in North America. Those offered number 326 and include 14 servers in Canada, located in Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto. South America also is represented with seven being located in Mexico,  one in Costa Rica and 3 in Brazil.  The balance of locations includes 28 in Ashburn, VA. 37 in Atlanta, 39 in Chicago, and Dallas having 20. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Phoenix, San Jose, and Seattle make up the other geo-location for North American servers.

Europe, as expected, also has excellent representation with a total of 288 servers.  The largest number of those are located in the Netherlands with 64 being offers, 40 are located in Germany, Sweden hosts 15, France 12 and Switzerland has 8. The balance is diverse and well spread out with Albania, Austria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia all having servers located within their borders.  Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine and the U.K make up the balance.

As for other countries with server representation, Australia/Oceania are high on the list with a total of 68 in Oceania, 579 in Australia, and 9 in New Zealand. Asia is well represented as well with 71 servers, and the balance of server locations include Africa, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indian Israel, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam.

Summary

One of the best aspects to selecting IPVanish is the sheer volume of tools that are included with its service. Its pricing is fair, and when you consider the added features and price comparison shop, it is not long before you see the value in IPVanish. While the speed tests were not mind blowing, they are more than adequate and are on a level playing field with most other VPN’s that choosing this provider will not cause you stress.