IPVanish VPN Review: Is It Any Good? [Full 2022 Report]

IPVanish offers security, intuitive apps for all operating system, and unlimited simultaneous connections. This makes it a great choice for large households or people who use many devices.

IPVanish is also a top VPN for torrenting.

IPVanish does not have a large server network (1.900+ servers in more than 50+ countries), but the servers are equally distributed in the world so that most users can find the nearest server to get the fastest speeds. My tests showed that IPVanish was very fast — I experienced a 33% decrease in speed on average.

IPVanish offers additional industry-standard security features, such as 256-bit AES encryption and a kill switch. It also has secure protocols.

• Absolute forward secrecy.
• Split-tunneling.
• Tor support.
• and more…

IPVanish can be a great VPN but has its limitations.

IPVanish, for example, is not good for streaming. While it can access Netflix, IPVanish cannot access Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer or Disney+. IPVanish cannot bypass firewalls in countries with high internet censorship like China. IPVanish’s split tunnelling is only available for Android. DNS leak protection is only possible on Windows. There is no WebRTC protection.

IPVanish offers 4 payment options. You can choose between a 1-month or 1-year subscription to the VPN. There are also options for a 500GB storage plan and a VPN + 1-month subscription. IPVanish offers a 30-day money back guarantee on 1-year plans.

Full Review of IPVanish

I spent several weeks researching and testing IPVanish in order to determine if it was worth the investment and how it compares with the best VPNs available.

IPVanish is known for being one the most reliable VPNs for torrenting. It allows P2P traffic from all 1,900+ servers, supports all major torrent clients and offers 25+ SOCKS5 proxy server that provide faster speeds than IPVanish’s regular servers. IPVanish doesn’t keep track of what files you download and protects your data using 256-bit AES encryption.

IPVanish offers user-friendly apps and affordable annual plans. It also allows unlimited simultaneous connections to one account.

IPVanish Features

IPVanish offers the following industry-standard VPN security options:

• 256 bit AES encryption.IPVanish uses bank-grade encryption to secure your data.
• No-logs policy. IPVanish does not log any personal information, such as your IP address, files downloaded, or websites visited.
• Kill switch. This feature disconnects you automatically from the internet when your VPN connection drops. The kill switch works on Android, macOS and Windows. It is not available on iOS.

IPVanish offers 7 protocols including WireGuard (UDP, TCP), PPTP and L2TP/IPSec. I love the diversity of protocols offered by IPVanish. I am also happy to see that WireGuard is available. It has much faster speeds than the other protocols. PrivateVPN and TunnelBear are competitors that don’t offer WireGuard.

IPVanish offers perfect forward secrecy using OpenVPN or IPSec. Perfect forward secrecy, which changes the encryption keys used to encrypt and decrypt traffic after every online session, is an excellent security feature. It prevents hackers from gaining access to your data using any of the previous encryption keys.

IPVanish offers IPv6 leak protection to all its apps. However, it only provides DNS leak protection for Windows. WebRTC protection is not available. You will need to disable WebRTC manually on your device. ExpressVPN, TunnelBear and many other IPVanish competitors have integrated leak protection for IPv6 and WebRTC.

IPVanish supports The Onion Router, (Tor), over VPN on all its servers to add an extra layer of protection against Tor network leaks. Your IP address won’t be exposed if it accidentally leaks while you browse on the Tor network. My tests showed that I could surf seamlessly using the Tor browser when connected to an IPVanish server. However, websites took around 15-20 seconds to load. This is due to the Tor network’s extra layer of encryption. ProtonVPN is more convenient than IPVanish, as it allows you to browse.onion websites in regular browsers such as Chrome and Firefox.

IPVanish offers these features as well as split-tunneling and obfuscation.

Split-Tunneling

IPVanish’s split-tunneling is good for excluding specific apps from the VPN tunnel, but it’s only available on Android and FireOS.

In my tests, I used a local IPVanish server for torrenting, and I streamed content from Amazon Prime while connecting to my local network. Split-tunneling enabled me to download faster and stream video in HD without interruptions.

Split-tunneling works in a similar way to CyberGhost VPN and ExpressVPN’s split tunneling. ProtonVPN, for instance, lets you split-tunnel IP address, web browsers and apps. This allows you to exclude certain websites from your VPN tunnel rather than your entire web browser by excluding IP addresses.

I also wish IPVanish offered split tunnelling for different apps like Private Internet Access which includes split-tunneling with Windows, Linux, and macOS.

IPVanish’s split tunneling feature is simple to use and free from bugs. It also works well to exclude apps from the VPN tunnel for Android and FireOS. However, I would like to see IPVanish expand the tool to other platforms.

Password Generator

IPVanish has a free password generator that’s very easy to use.

It took me only a few seconds to create a password in my tests. You can choose the length of your password from the dropdown menu (up to 20 characters), and you can also select whether symbols are desired.

This feature is great because it helps you create strong passwords quickly. However, VPNs such as PureVPN and ExpressVPN have better password generators. These password generators can help you create stronger passwords, which are also longer and contain special characters.

IPVanish offers a decent, free password generator. Although it isn’t as customizable as other VPN password generation tools, it’s easy to use and create a secure password in no time.

Obfuscation

IPVanish offers obfuscation with its Scramble feature (available only with OpenVPN), but Scramble is unable to circumvent internet firewalls.

IPVanish customer support representatives told me that the most restrictive countries blocked its service.

Scramble is a great VPN service that hides your traffic from your internet provider (ISP). However, Scramble can slow down your connection speeds due to extra layers of encryption. My connection speeds were 41% slower than normal OpenVPN connections so I wouldn’t recommend Scramble for torrenting or streaming.

ExpressVPN or Mullvad VPN are two options that can bypass internet censorship.

Scramble is a traffic obfuscator, but it won’t work in restricted countries, and it will significantly slow down your speed.

IPVanish Privacy & Security

IPVanish clearly states in its privacy policy that IPVanish does not log your IP address or track what websites you visit.

IPVanish does not record your email address. This is to communicate with you and for processing refunds and payments. I like the fact that IPVanish’s privacy policies are well-written, do not contain legal terms and are easy to read.

In 2016, IPVanish shared user data with the US authorities. Despite helping to catch a child pornography peddler, IPVanish violated its no-logs policy which stated that it did not store IP addresses.

StackPath purchased IPVanish’s parent firm in 2017. They performed an independent audit to confirm that IPVanish was a no-logs VPN. IPVanish, unlike competitors like TunnelBear, VyprVPN and ExpressVPN did not publish the audit results. This is a serious lack in transparency.

IPVanish’s headquarters is in the US. This is part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances, a group of countries who share surveillance data. I don’t know if IPVanish would have any user data to hand over to the US government. Private Internet Access, on the other hand is also located in the US. Although it has not conducted an audit, Private Internet Access’s “no-logs” policy has been repeatedly proven in court documents.

Although IPVanish may have violated its no logs policy in the past it is now owned by a new owner and has a strict policy against any logs. It would be a great idea if IPVanish released the results of an independent audit that confirmed it does not store any user data.

IPVanish Speed and Performance

I did speed tests connecting to all 50+ countries that IPvanish has servers. I saw an average 83% decrease in speed. However, I live in Romania which has the fastest internet speeds anywhere in the world. It’s unfair to compare my speed with someone who has the same speeds. My American colleague asked me to run speed tests. IPVanish lowered his average speed by 33%. That’s pretty impressive. WireGuard was the fastest protocol we used for speed testing.

As you would expect, I was able to access servers in my home country at the fastest speeds. However, my speeds were good when I was connected to distant servers in Japan and the US. Although I experienced some buffering while streaming on the US server I was still able to torrent, browse, and make Voice over IP (VoIP), calls at lightning fast speeds. My biggest complaint was that I had to wait 20-30 seconds for a server to connect, regardless of where it was located. A colleague from the US said it took him 10 seconds.

To establish a baseline, I ran my first speed test without connecting to an IPVanish server.

Next, I used IPVanish’s QuickConnectfeature to connect to a server in Romania. My download speed was slower by 75% but I had a great online experience. Websites and 4K videos loaded immediately and large files were downloaded very quickly.

Connecting to a US server resulted in a 91% drop in speed. Websites took 5 seconds to load, while 4K videos took 10 seconds. My 1080p videos were fine, though I did experience buffering when watching 4K videos. It took me 15-20 minutes to download 10-15GB of torrent files, and I did not experience freezing or disconnections while on a VoIP call.

Finally, I was able to connect to a VPN server in Japan. My online experience was comparable to that of a US server, although the speeds were 85% slower. Although websites and 4K videos took five seconds to load, I experienced no buffering while viewing content.

But, I wanted to know what speeds my American colleague had with IPVanish. To get an idea of his internet speed, he first connected to his local network.

QuickConnect then connected him to a New York City server. He was able to download at a reduced 14% speed, which allowed him to stream, torrent, and browse extremely quickly.

My colleague then connected to a German server, and experienced a 21% loss. His speed was very good. Websites loaded in 2-3 seconds and it took 25 minutes for a 20GB file to download (which is quite fast). He also didn’t experience any freezes or drop calls during a call with a friend from the UK.

When he connected to a server in Australia, his speed dropped by 46%. TV shows and movies took about 4-5 seconds to begin, but once they started, there were no interruptions. Websites took up to 5 seconds to load, but my colleague maintained pretty fast speeds for torrenting.

IPVanish has a good mix of speeds for local servers and distant servers. However, it can take up to 30 seconds to connect with a server. My streaming speeds dropped noticeably when I was watching 4K videos, and websites took longer to load on distant servers in Japan and the US. However, I was able to torrent, game, and make VoIP calls from all servers with great speeds.

IPVanish Servers & IP addresses

IPVanish offers 1,900+ servers across 50+ countries and 75+ places.

Many VPNs are known for having a large server network. CyberGhost VPN has 7,400+ servers across 90+ countries. ExpressVPN has 3,300+ servers in 90+ nations. IPVanish has servers all over the globe, so users can easily find servers close to them.

IPVanish is a great VPN that shows both the ping (how long it takes for an internet signal to travel from your device and to the VPN server), and the server load percentage (how active users are connected to that VPN server). This helps users locate fast servers.

I also love IPVanish’s P2P support. It allows torrenting on any server and you can always find one nearby. CactusVPN and ProtonVPN are two examples of VPNs that allow torrenting on P2P servers.

IPVanish claims it has 40,000 IP addresses. This should make it easier for users to access streaming sites, and help avoid reCAPTCHAs. These are tests websites use to verify if visitors are real users or bots. However, in my tests I was unable access streaming sites and encountered reCAPTCHAs a lot.

IPVanish does not offer dedicated IPs. These are IP addresses that you are assigned only. Private Internet Access and CyberGhost VPN have a slight additional cost for dedicated IPs. PrivateVPN however offers them free of charge.

IPVanish overall has a solid server network that covers most of the world. It displays the ping and server loads to make it easier for you to locate the fastest servers. It also allows P2P traffic and has over 40,000 IP addresses.

IPVanish Torrenting & Streaming

IPvanish’s ability to access streaming services is very weak. I tested IPVanish with Netflix in the UK. However, my Canadian colleagues were able to view lesser-known streaming sites such as Crackle, VRV and CBC.

IPVanish’s support representatives admitted that streaming sites blocked its service. They suggested that I buy StrongDNS (IPVanish’s sister company) in order to stream streaming content. It would be expensive to purchase another service, so it is not the best option.

ExpressVPN or Private Internet Access are the best VPNs for streaming.

IPVanish is great for torrenting. IPVanish supports P2P traffic from all 1,900+ servers. IPVanish also works with major torrent clients such as Deluge, Vuze and qBittorrent. IPVanish does not offer port forwarding, which connects you with more peers to achieve faster speeds.

IPVanish’s 25+ SOCKS5 proxy server servers are something I love. These servers replace your IP address by an IP address from the country where you are connected, and provide faster downloads. However, SOCKS5 proxy servers don’t employ encryption. My speed tests showed that the SOCKS5 proxy servers improved my speeds by around 10%.

Before I started torrenting, I did IPv6 and WebRTC leak testing on servers in 10 countries. Each test revealed zero leaks, which was a great relief.

IPVanish is compatible with Netflix and other streaming sites, however it does not work with popular streaming services such as Amazon Prime or BBC iPlayer. IPVanish works with most torrent clients and offers faster speeds.

IPVanish Government Overpassing

IPVanish is not compatible with countries that have restrictions.

IPVanish support representatives told me that many countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, have successfully blocked its service.

ExpressVPN is a great choice if you live in a country with restrictions on internet access. It works consistently, bypasses any internet restrictions and is extremely secure.

IPVanish Plans & Pricing

IPVanish offers two types of subscriptions: a VPN subscription and a VPN + storage option.

Both subscriptions come with a 1-month or 1-year plan. You have access to IPVanish’s VPN and SugarSync (a secure cloud services) with the VPN + Storage plan. Bundled plans are a great deal for cloud storage, sharing, syncing and backups.

IPVanish offers a good price for the first year of its 1-year plan. It costs D85690 per month. However, IPVanish’s prices double after the first year.

IPVanish allows you to pay via PayPal or 6 credit cards. However, I would prefer the option of paying with cryptocurrency. This provides greater privacy. Private Internet Access or CyberGhost VPN are both affordable VPNs that accept crypto payments.

IPVanish offers a 30-day money back guarantee on yearly plans (most VPNs offer money-back guarantees on all plans).

IPVanish offers both 1-month and 1-year plans, respectively for VPN + Storage and VPN + Security. IPVanish’s 1-year pricing is comparable to that of competitors, but it increases significantly after the term ends. IPVanish offers both 1-year plans and a 30-day money back guarantee.

IPVanish Mobile and Desktop Apps Ease-of-use

IPVanish offers apps for Android and iOS as well as Windows, macOS Linux, Windows, MacOS, Linux, and Fire TV. The Android and iOS apps were installed on my smartphone in less than a minute. I was able to install the desktop apps on my MacBook Pro and Windows 10 PC in just 1-2 minutes.

Android

IPVanish’s Android app is easy to use and has an intuitive interface.

It’s easy to manually locate a fast server by using the QuickConnect feature. IPVanish organizes the servers alphabetically according to country, city, or ping.

The Android app also has descriptions of each connection setting — such as the sentence under Reduce MTU size mobile networks (which solves connectivity problems over mobile data) helped me to understand when I should enable it. It has split-tunneling and wireguard, OpenVPN and WireGuard.

IPVanish’s Android application lacks DNS leak protection and IPv6 support. However, you can enable the Android OS kill button. CyberGhost VPN or ExpressVPN are great options if you’re looking for an Android VPN that has a built in kill switch.

I’m pleased with IPVanish’s Android application. It does not have a kill switch or leak protection. However, it provides secure protocols and split-tunneling and is user-friendly.

iOS

IPVanish’s iOS app has a similar design to the Android app, but the iOS app isn’t as feature-rich as the Android app.

The iOS app has a Favorites tab where you can save your favorite servers. There are also Siri Shortcuts which allow you to quickly start and stop the app. IPVanish’s iOS App includes WireGuard and IKEv2/IPSec.

The iOS app does not have a kill switch, IPv6 or DNS leak protection. I also couldn’t connect to a server using IKEv2 via the app. I had to research this myself to find out if Alternative Connection Mode should be used.

There are many better iOS apps. ExpressVPN’s iOS application has the fastest speeds, strong security features and unblocks tons streaming services. Private Internet Access’s iOS application has an integrated kill switch.

IPVanish’s iOS application is lacking some key features and fast protocol, but it’s still secure and easy-to-use.

Windows/Mac (Desktop)

IPVanish’s desktop apps look different than its mobile counterparts, but the desktop apps are also easy to use and include really good features. Apps have the Quick Connect They make it simple to manually choose a server. There’s also a map that shows all server locations. Competitors like TunnelBear and ProtonVPN also have maps.

The macOS and Windows apps offer a wide range of protocols that allow you to select different protocols for different purposes. WireGuard and OpenVPN are included in the Windows app. PPTP, SSTP, PPTP and L2TP are also available. The macOS app includes WireGuard and OpenVPN as well as IKEv2/IPSec and L2TP. However, it also adds IPSec.

The kill switch can be used on both desktop apps. However, only the Windows app has IPv6 protection and DNS leak protection. The macOS app does not have this protection.

The IPVanish desktop apps are intuitive and have a large number of protocols. However, the Windows app has DNS leak protection.

IPVanish Apps: How easy is it to use IPVanish?

Yes. IPVanish offers easy-to use apps for iOS, Android and Windows.

Although the interfaces of desktop and mobile apps are different, both have an intuitive design.

Split-tunneling is available in the Android app. It also includes explanations of features, but it lacks DNS leak protection or a native kill switch. Although the iOS app is easy to use, it lacks many key features. IPVanish’s desktop applications are secure and offer a wide range of protocols

Support for IPVanish customers

IPVanish offers a large support library that includes support guides, 24/7 chat, email support and phone support.

The support articles are organized into categories such as billing questions, setup guides and frequently asked questions (FAQs), which I find very helpful. The support articles were very helpful. They solved most of my problems and I didn’t have to call customer service as often. IPVanish also has very helpful tutorials, such as ExpressVPN.

IPVanish is one VPN that offers phone support. It covers seven countries: the USA, Mexico, Australia, Brazil and Germany. Support is available Monday through Saturday between 7am-7pm CT (UTC-6)

IPVanish’s live chat was very fast. I was connected with someone within a matter of minutes almost every time I tried it. Although most support reps were friendly, helpful, and responsive to my questions, one rep took over 10 minutes to answer my question. IPVanish provides support in English. However, the reps are able to use a translation tool to assist with other languages.

IPVanish took 7-8 hours to respond to my emails. However, I liked that they answered all my questions and provided very useful information.

IPVanish offers excellent customer service. They offer live chat support, as well as a variety of support videos and help videos.

IPVanish: Is it one of the best VPNs in 2022

IPVanish has a user-friendly interface, good security features, high speeds and unlimited simultaneous connections.

It boasts 1,900+ servers across 50+ countries. P2P traffic is possible on all servers. The app also has intuitive apps for iOS and Android as well as Windows, macOS Linux, Linux and Fire TV.

My tests showed that I experienced very fast speeds on my local servers in Romania (Romania), and quite fast on distant servers in the USA and Japan. While streaming to the US and Japan servers caused some slowdowns, my torrenting and gaming speeds were stable and fast on all servers. Popular torrent clients such as qBittorrent and Deluge were used to download large torrents of 10+ GB in just 15-20 minutes. IPVanish offers 25+ SOCKS5 proxy servers that offer faster download speeds.

IPVanish provides industry-standard security features such as 256-bit AES encryption and a kill switch. It also offers secure protocols and additional features like perfect forward secrecy.

There are many things I love about IPVanish. However, there are a few flaws. IPVanish doesn’t publish the results from an independent audit of their no-logs policy. It doesn’t work well with streaming services like Amazon Prime or BBC iPlayer. Split-tunneling is only available on Android and it can’t bypass firewalls in countries such as China. DNS leak protection is available only on Windows and no WebRTC protection.

IPVanish offers 1-month and 1-year plans to get a VPN or a VPN + 500GB of cloud storage. Each 1-year plan comes with a 30-day guarantee.

IPVanish can access Netflix

Yes, IPVanish is compatible with Netflix. IPVanish isn’t a good VPN for streaming. I couldn’t access Disney+ or Amazon Prime and colleagues in the UK and US couldn’t watch Hulu and BBC iPlayer. IPVanish support representatives told me that streaming sites can block their service.

ExpressVPN or CyberGhost VPN are good options if you want a VPN that can work with Netflix and other streaming services.

Is IPVanish going to slow down my internet speed?

IPVanish may slow down your internet speed, but it is a common practice for VPNs to do so. However, my colleague in the US did speed tests and found that IPVanish only reduced his internet speed by 38% on average, which is well above the average. Although IPVanish did reduce my speed by 83%, I’m from Romania, which has extremely fast internet speeds. I was able to browse, torrent, and play games across all of IPVanish servers even with the slowdown.

IPVanish makes it easy for you to connect to a fast servers — there are 1,900+ servers located around the globe, so you can easily find one near your location. IPVanish also displays server load (how many active clients are connected to a server), and ping (how long the internet signal takes to travel from your device the server) to help you choose the fastest server. It also has more than 25 SOCKS5 proxy server servers, which provide faster speeds that IPVanish’s regular servers.

IPVanish keeps logs?

IPVanish does not keep logs. However, it has a strict policy against keeping logs. IPVanish was subject to an independent audit in order to prove that it doesn’t keep logs. However, IPVanish has not publicly disclosed the results of this audit, unlike many top VPNs such as ExpressVPN and VyprVPN or TunnelBear.

IPVanish is it free?

IPVanish does not offer a free plan. IPVanish offers a 30-day money back guarantee on its 1-year plans. This allows you to try the product before you commit to a longer term.

Although there are many free VPNs, I do not recommend them. These VPNs often have slow speeds, limit your data, do not have essential security features, log your internet activity, have bugs and provide poor customer service.

Instead, I recommend using a premium low-cost VPN such as IPVanish. IPVanish’s 1-year subscription costs D85,690 per month. This is comparable to top VPNs.

Source : #safetydetectives
Editor by : BEST Antivirus KBS Team