IPVanish VPN Review

Where is IPVanish Based?

IPVanish has its headquarters in the United States, as it is a US-based company. This may cause concern for some users since the United States is a member of the Five Eyes alliance. This security alliance shares citizen data internationally, with other member states.

However, customers need not worry too much about this, since the provider has a zero-logging policy, that effectively ensures it would never have user data to share with government agencies. Even if the US government were to request data from IPVanish’s servers, there would be nothing for them to hand over.

Does IPVanish Really Have a No-Logs Policy?

A foolproof no-logging policy is essential with a VPN. Without a good zero-logs policy, your internet activity could end up being stored and sold to third party businesses such as advertising companies. Many of us use a VPN service to encrypt our web browsing, and so it is important to know that our provider isn’t sneakily misusing or looking at it.

We looked at IPVanish’s privacy policy to understand whether the provider can be trusted with users’ privacy. The provider reassures users through a brief overview of its zero-logs policy, insisting that it does not log any internet traffic. Moreover, IPVanish promises that it does not “…sell or rent personal information to others…”.

However, as mentioned in the security section above, IPVanish VPN does “…need to collect an email address and payment method to process transactions.” Upon creating an account, customers can modify the information via the account control panel to give themselves more privacy.

Unfortunately, the provider doesn’t provide a transparency report, and its privacy policy has not been independently audited. Although its zero-logs policy checks out, we would like to see the VPN service go through an audit.

Is IPVanish VPN Free?

IPVanish VPN is not a free service, and for a good reason. Firstly, all of its subscription plans come with unlimited simultaneous connections, and it gives customers access to a large number of VPN servers across the globe.

Moreover, IPVanish VPN offers first-rate solutions that usually come at a higher cost. Although there are some great free VPNs, such as ProtonVPN and TunnelBear, we recommend avoiding free VPNs, since they more often than not put your privacy at risk and provide a less than satisfactory service.

How Do I Use IPVanish for Free?

Since IPVanish is not a free service and doesn’t offer a free trial, there are limited ways in which you can use it for free. However, IPVanish, like many other providers, has a 30-day money-back guarantee with all of its subscription plans.

Although signing up requires a payment, if you are not satisfied with IPVanish before the end of the first month, you can employ the 30-day money-back guarantee, receiving a full refund.

How Much Does IPVanish Cost?

To create an IPVanish account, you’ll need to purchase a subscription plan. Fortunately, we feel that the service is great value for money, despite the slightly expensive monthly plan.

For the VPN service alone, you can choose from two plans:

• The monthly plan is $4.99 for the first month and then $9.99 thereafter.
• The yearly plan costs $39.99 for the first year, which is 3.33 per month, and $79.99 on renewal which works out to $6.66 per month.

If you want to purchase the VPN along with the SugarSync storage, you can do so for a small price increase:

• The monthly plan is $5.49 for the first month and $10.99 after that.
• The yearly plan is $49.99 for the first year and $99.99 thereafter, which works out to $4.15 per month for the first year and then $8.33.

We think that the storage option is fantastic and provides great value for money. To purchase SugarSync storage alone would cost you at least $10, which means you save money and get VPN software and file storage protection for less.

If the above wasn’t enough indication of the excellent value for money that IPVanish customers get, there is a student discount. It’s great to see the provider offering its service for less to students, who will get a lot out of the VPN.

What Payment Methods Does IPVanish Accept?

IPVanish accepts a couple of payment options for its VPN service. You can pay for the services either by debit or credit card or using PayPal. Unfortunately, IPVanish doesn’t accept cryptocurrency payments such as Bitcoin, which is a shame.

Paying with Bitcoin can anonymize your payment, making your use of the service more private. Since more providers are adding this payment option to their roster, we hope that IPVanish follows suit.

Does IPVanish Change Your IP Address?

Yes, IPVanish VPN does change your IP address. All devices have a unique IP, which can identify the user behind them and your real-life location. When you use a VPN, you connect to a server and change your IP address.

IPVanish has servers in 75+ locations around the world, which means there are many IPs available. If you want use a US IP, you can, or you can change your IP to one in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Japan, or another country. With IPVanish there is a large choice of IP options.

Does IPVanish Unblock Netflix?

IPVanish VPN has a decent-sized server network, which bodes well for unblocking streaming services and restricted internet content. Many people use VPNs since they change their IP address and virtual location, giving them access to content in other parts of the world. IPVanish is no different and works well on several streaming services, including Netflix, since it operates servers in over 75 locations.

We tested US Netflix with IPVanish and had no issues accessing the platform. Likewise, when we tested Netflix in the UK, Germany, and Spain, we could get through without problems.

After testing Netflix, we decided to try out a few other streaming sites to see if the VPN could unblock them. Disney Plus worked fine, and we have found that it is fairly easy to access Disney Plus content in other locations outside of the US (at least for now).

However, we were unable to watch Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer, outside of the US. These two platforms are similar to Netflix because they have strong anti-VPN firewalls, which means that sometimes providers can’t get past them. While some VPNs like ExpressVPN can bypass the VPN blocks on Prime and iPlayer, IPVanish was unsuccessful.

Is IPVanish Good for Torrenting?

If you want a VPN for torrenting, then you’re in luck! IPVanish provides a great service for users who want to torrent on the network. Firstly, you can access P2P file sharing networks like BitTorrent on all of IPVanish’s servers. Download speeds are good, which bodes well for people who want to download files fast.

Moreover, the use of shared IPs means that your torrenting activity won’t be linked back directly to you. The no-logs policy ensures that your torrenting activity won’t be stored on the network, and the kill switch guarantees that you won’t ever torrent without encryption protecting your browsing.

What Devices Can You Use IPVanish on?

With one IPVanish subscription, subscribers get unlimited device connections. This is good news for customers, since you can use the VPN on all of your devices at the same time. Fortunately, IPVanish works on many devices including:

• Windows PC
• macOS
• Android
• iOS
• Linux

You can also configure the VPN to your router to protect all devices on your network. The provider has detailed setup guides for routers on its website to help you set up this connection.

Moreover, IPVanish can be used on the Amazon Fire TV, so that you can access different streaming service libraries on your Smart TV. You can even use the VPN on your Chromebook, which is great news as these tablet devices are becoming more popular. IPVanish offers the option for customers to manually set up the VPN on the above devices, bu also has comptabile and easy to use apps.

Unfortunately, IPVanish does not offer internet browser extensions. While you can still protect the data in your internet browser by switching the VPN on, browser extension add-ons are often handy since they allow people to configure the VPN directly in the browser itself. It would be great if IPVanish added browser extensions in the near future.

Does the IPVanish App Provide Ease of Use?

IPVanish provides extreme ease of use on its dedicated apps. Firstly, download and installation is simply. Once you have signed up for an account, and created a password, you can select the app you wish to download onto your operating system.

Upon installing the app, you’ll have access to the client where you can choose to view the server locations either on a map or list. There are many great features for ease of use including the Quick Connect panel for an easy connection, and tech-savvy users will enjoy the real-time graph that shows download and upload speeds.

You can add certain server locations to a ‘Favorites’ list, for fast connections upon opening the app or desktop client, and you can configure the VPN features in the settings. In the settings, you can choose your tunneling protocol, and enable the kill switch. You can also customize the VPN to automatically connect to a server when you open the app.

Overall, we like the functionality of the IPVanish app and the way in which it allows customers to configure their use of the service to better suit their needs.

Is IPVanish Fast?

A fast VPN is essential. Slow speeds are common occurrences with VPNs since connecting to distant server locations or to servers with a heavy user load can slow down the connection. We ran a speed test to check whether IPVanish performed well in this area.

Our base download speed was 39 Mbps, and this only dipped slightly to 35 Mbps when we collected to a US server. However, our speed test results were slightly slower outside of the US. Connecting to the UK saw our download speeds drop to 32 Mbps, and we had similar speeds in other European countries.

In Japan, we were pleased to get good speed ratings, with our highest recorded download speed at 34 Mbps. Overall, IPVanish performed well on the speed front and we would recommend it to anyone looking for a provider that won’t drastically slow down their internet connection.

Does IPVanish Have Good Customer Service?

Customer service is often a reflection of a company’s care for its clientele. Fortunately, IPVanish offers decent customer support to all users. Firstly, there is 24/7 live chat where you can chat directly with a customer support agent on the website.

Secondly, there is a telephone line available, where users can speak via the phone to customer support agents. The phone line is open 9am-5pm, Monday through to Friday.

The help center on IPVanish’s website is full of many detailed set up guides and tutorials for users, including how you can manually create VPN connections on all of your devices if you don’t want to download the dedicated apps.

Finally, there is email support for customers. Overall, we’re impressed with the number of ways in which subscribers can get in touch with the provider if they are having any issues.

Can IPVanish Be Hacked?

Technically, VPNs can be hacked but it is hard. IPVanish, like most other VPNs, employs military-grade encryption, so it would take extremely skilled hackers to be able to decrypt the code. However, it isn’t impossible. Moreover, hackers can also steal keys, and access VPN networks this way too.

There have been famous security breaches on VPN servers in the past. However, since IPVanish has been in operation, it has never experienced a breach on its server network. Furthermore, IPVanish has complete control of its own network so it can quickly identity and solve any issues that could pose a threat to its security.

So, while hacking is never impossible, IPVanish seems to have its security under control to prevent this from occurring.

Is IPVanish a Good VPN?

We’ve looked at different aspects of IPVanish and feel as though it is a decent VPN. Firstly, it has a good number of servers in its network, providing users with access to all of them. This provides customers with a way to access content in other countries. Moreover, all servers support P2P networking.

The speed ratings are impressive and important to bear in mind if you are looking for a VPN that is fast. IPVanish also provides customers with a way to bypass streaming service firewalls.

One of the best things about IPVanish is that there is not cap on the number of devices you can use the service on. Considering that you can protect your computer, mobile phone, iPad, and connect the VPN to your Smart TV, IPVanish is incredible value for money.

So, overall, we think that IPVanish is a very good VPN.

What is a VPN Server Footprint?

You may have heard of the term ‘VPN Server Footprint’ and wondered what this means. Essentially, a server footprint is the size of a VPN’s network. IPVanish has a relatively large footprint, with 1,600 servers dotted across the globe. Usually, the larger the footprint, the better!

Author Madeleine Hodson

I’m Madeleine, and I'm a writer that specializes in cybersecurity, tech products, and all things related to the internet. I have a keen interest in VPNs and believe that everyone deserves internet freedom and security. I wr...
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