IPVanish VPN Review: Pros, Cons, and Conclusion

IPVanish is no newcomer to the world of internet privacy and security. Since its inception 15 years ago, IPVanish has been providing individuals with robust VPN service, allowing for safe and secure browsing. More than 40,000 IP addresses are available in over 60 countries. So no matter what your needs are for streaming or downloading, this company has got you covered.

It is a well-known fact that IPVanish has never been the cheapest VPN around—though the company has reduced its prices substantially over the years. The quality of the service however has remained unchanged. So this is an excellent time to jump in there and take advantage of the low prices for monthly or annual service—while the discount lasts.

In our IPVanish review, we take a look at bandwidth, speed, reliability, security, customer service and other features for this popular service.

Main Reasons to Use IPVanish VPN:

• Those who want to find a VPN to protect their privacy while torrenting will be pleased to know that IPVanish supports and encourages P2P file sharing.

• Don’t want your ISP snooping on your activities or throttling your connection?  IPVanish can protect you.

• If you are traveling or living abroad and need to get around geo-blocking, you can rely on IPVanish.

• Get around the pesky restrictions on your university or workplace internet connection.

• IPVanish can help you to counteract government censorship.

• On a public wi-fi connection? Keep hackers from stealing your data and compromising your identity.

Pricing and Plans

There are three pricing plans for IPVanish. All are based on the amount of time you are paying for rather than on specific features. You get all the same features and benefits at every level.

• 1 month: $10 per month
• 3 months: $8.99 per month
• 1 year: $6.49 per month

It is worth mentioning that this is a deal, and it may not stick around. Previously, a month of service cost $11.99, not $10, and the other tiers were more expensive as well.  So if you are looking to save money on IPVanish, now is the time.

Businesses can use IPVanish, but there are no plans specifically tailored to companies at this time.

How to Sign Up for IPVanish VPN

The quickest and easiest way to sign up for IPVanish is just to click on the orange button in the upper right-hand corner of the website which says “Start Now.”

This will take you directly to the order page. Here, you can click on a plan to select it.  You may even qualify for an added discount at this point (as of the time of this writing, you can grab an extra 25% off).

On the same page, you will be prompted to create your account by entering in an email address and password. The email address you provide will become your username.

You can then choose a payment method. Options include your credit card, PayPal account, an e-wallet of your choice, or Bitcoin. It is excellent that Bitcoin is accepted, since this lets you pay entirely anonymously. Once you complete your payment, you will be ready to download and use IPVanish.

You will find that there are a lot of options for customization, so if you are an advanced user, you can configure IPVanish to fit your exact needs. If you are new to VPNs and do not want to deal with all these features and options, however, you can hide them. That way you will not be overwhelmed.

IPVanish Features

You now know how to get started using IPVanish. What kinds of features can you expect?

Quick Facts:

• 40,000 shared IP addresses available
• More than 750 servers located in over 60 countries
• Bandwidth is unlimited
• Full support for anonymous, unlimited P2P and torrenting
• 256-bit AES encryption
• Open VPN, PPTP, and L2TP/IPsec VPN protocols
• No traffic logs
• Connect up to 5 devices simultaneously
• Access customer service 24/7
• Kill switch included

As you can see, IPVanish includes excellent features when it comes to server diversity, bandwidth and security. Now let’s take a closer look at features and benefits in all categories.

Supported Devices and Platforms

A number of different types of devices are supported by IPVanish:

• Windows laptops and desktops
• Windows phones
• Computers running Mac OS X
• Computers running Ubuntu
• iOS and Android mobile devices
• Chromebooks
• Routers

This is a diverse assortment of devices and operating systems. You can connect up to 5 different devices at a time through IPVanish, making it an all-in-one solution for your entire household.

Security and Privacy

IPVanish protects your connection using 256-bit AES encryption, which is the industry standard. Additionally, a SOCKS5 proxy is used to mask your IP address when you are using VoIP and P2P applications.

These security measures are enough to ensure that governments and ISPs are unable to perform deep packet inspection on your activities. This can help prevent your ISP from monitoring your usage and throttling your connection.

Does IPVanish keep logs? The company answers this with the statement, “No. We do not monitor, record or store logs for any single customer’s VPN activity. We have a zero log policy.”  Additional details are available in the company’s privacy policy.

Servers and Locations

When it comes to servers and locations, it is hard to beat IPVanish for diversity. You can connect through any of more than 40,000 IP addresses on over 750 servers located in more than 60 countries.

This includes:

• 426 servers in Europe
• 523 servers in North America
• 47 servers in Asia
• 65 servers in Oceania
• 20 servers in South and Central America
• 14 servers in Africa and Middle East

What is great about this kind of server diversity is that it enables you to get around geo-blocking no matter where you are located and no matter what kind of content you are trying to access.

If you are located in North America and want to watch BBC iPlayer, for example, there are plenty of European servers you can access. Want to watch Star Sports in India with IPVanish? You can do that as well by accessing a server in Asia.

Speed, Stability and Bandwidth

You probably know that VPNs are notorious for slowing down speeds for both uploads and downloads. What kind of impact does IPVanish have on your connection speeds?

Most users report in speed tests that IPVanish did slow down their downloads, but only marginally by around 7%. Many other VPNs cause much more of a slowdown, so speed-wise, ipvanish is fast. Upload speeds are a little bit slower, but still not bad either.

A faster option is ExpressVPN, which I recommend if speed is of the essence to you. But if you are looking for average to good VPN speeds, IPVanish should be fine for most users. As for bandwidth, that is unmetered, which is perfect for torrenting, gaming, streaming and more. Customers do not report much in the way of lag, interruptions or dropped connections either, so this is a reliable service.

Refund Policy

There is no free trial for IPVanish unless you are signing up for the iOS app. There is however a 7-day money back guarantee for everyone else. If for whatever reason you are not satisfied with IPVanish, you can have your refund automatically processed just by canceling from the website. That means you can in effect test out IPVanish risk-free.

Support

If you have a question or need assistance when you are using IPVanish, you can search the database on the website for answers, or you can get in contact with the support team. You can do this by sending an email or filling out the web form.

Agents are available to respond to customer support inquiries 24/7, which is great. The downside with IPVanish however is that there is no telephone number listed, and there is no live chat feature either. So if you want to talk live to a real person online in real-time, you are out of luck.

I have seen some references to live chat offered by IPVanish, but I can confirm that this feature currently does not exist. So presumably it was available in the past, but the company decided to discontinue it.

Is IPVanish good for Torrenting

If you are looking for a VPN specifically for P2P file sharing and torrenting, you would do well going with IPVanish. This is discussed on their site, which means they are fine with you using it for that purpose. While the speeds are not blazing fast, they also should not be prohibitive while you are uploading and downloading files.

How Safe Is It To Use IPVanish?

Many people have had bad experiences with VPNs—especially free VPNs, which may serve up unwanted advertising or even malicious software. Low-quality VPNs may also lack the robust security features needed to ensure that hackers, ISPs, and government agencies stay out of your business.

So is IPVanish safe to use? Yes. IPVanish is not a free or even cheap VPN. On the contrary, this VPN is more expensive than a lot of its competitors. While a higher price may seem like a detractor, you are paying for a dependable service. IPVanish does not need to resort to dubious tactics to make money, and it has the funds to provide you with the very best security and support.

Plus, IPVanish has existed for 15 years, and has had plenty of time to establish a reputation, so this service is very safe and trustworthy.

IPVanish Pros:

• IPVanish may not feature lightning speeds, but the slowdown is minimal, making this a good service to use for any activities online.
• There are a ton of IP addresses, servers and locations.
• Encryption, a kill switch, and other great security features protect your privacy and anonymity, along with the no log policy.
• You can connect up to five devices simultaneously.
• IPVanish offers a stable, reliable connection.
• This company has 15 years of experience and has built up a loyal customer base.

IPVanish Cons:

• IPVanish is a bit more expensive than a lot of competing providers.
• There is no live chat or telephone available for customer service.
• There is no free trial.

Conclusion: IPVanish Can Help You “Vanish” Online By Protecting Your Privacy

IPVanish advertises on their site that they are the “world’s fastest VPN.” They are not, but they are still a great choice for your security and anonymity while you are surfing, streaming, gaming and downloading.

They have a well-established, strong reputation in the industry, and provide you with a range of great features for customization along with diverse servers and IP addresses, fast speed, unlimited bandwidth, and support for P2P.