IPVanish is another leading Virtual Private Network (VPN) brand that elicits somewhat mixed feelings for me. It offers relatively decent performance and has been around for some time but got itself mired in a logging controversy sometime in 2016.
Following that, however, the company was acquired by Stackpath in 2017. StackPath rapidly washed their hands of the matter and have kept the IPVanish nose clean ever since. While my first experience with them wasn’t ideal performance-wise, revisits have changed my opinion.
If you can get over the slightly clouded past and accept a VPN with its headquarters in the US, then IPVanish is a decent candidate. It’s well-established and has kept up with newer technologies, including the WireGuard protocol.
About IPVanish
Quick Facts
Features | Details |
---|---|
Headquarter | The United States of America |
Number of Servers | 1,600+ |
Servers in Countries | 52 |
Protocol Support | PPTP, L2TP, IKEv2, OpenVPN, WireGuard |
Logging | No |
Kill Switch | Yes |
Muti-server hopping | No |
P2P / Torrenting | Yes, all servers |
Website | https://www.ipvanish.com/ |
Feature Highlights
Perhaps the most notable thing about IPVanish is the lack of unique features. It doesn’t create jazzy names for standard features and claim uniqueness. While that is refreshing, it also brings to the fore some areas that seem to be lacking. Nevertheless, there are a couple of things to note here.
Many Platforms, Unlimited Devices
Access Netflix US Content With IPVanish
Multiple Protocols Mix the Old and New
Our Take on IPVanish
IPVanish Pros
- Decent performance with usable speeds
- Smooth streaming experience on Netflix
- Old-school interface design is mixed with newer elements such as an interactive map
- WireGuard coming soon
- Doesn’t install TAP adapter without permission
IPVanish Cons
- Price hikes on renewal with IPVanish aren’t an industry standard
- The user interface is a bit exasperating to navigate
Who Should Use IPVanish?
I would go for IPVanish if I were an avid media streamer. While many VPNs support media streaming, IPVanish offers one of the smoothest streaming experiences to date. There was no buffering, lag, or any other annoyance during my tests.
It also offers strong torrent performance, which is another pro I heavily favor. Again, while many VPNs support P2P, they often do so reluctantly, and you tend to see speeds drop significantly. With IPVanish, the pain isn’t so pronounced.
Is IPVanish Worth the Price?
Maybe. I like that IPVanish offers a decent sign-up discount and doesn’t try to tie customers into lengthy contracts just to get that discount. However, it’s essential to understand that prices increase on renewal, nearly doubling.
IPVanish Speed Tests
Speed tests are run to IPVanish servers fifteen times each month. Each test run goes to three separate locations to better understand its scope of performance, taking into account distance to server.
As a whole, IPVanish isn’t the fastest service around. The crown for that goes to NordVPN. Yet, it isn’t exactly a slouch and offers decent speeds across the board. Unless you intend to get every bit of speed from your Internet line, it’s a good experience.
IPVanish Speed Test Summary
- Singapore : Average Upload: 712.14 Mbps / Average Download: 2.18 Gbps
- United States : Average Upload: 320.33 Mbps / Average Download: 604.45 Mbps
- United Kingdom : Average Upload: 42.85 Mbps / Average Download: 247.14 Mbps
Daily Test Results
Test | Singapore | United States | United Kingdom |
---|---|---|---|
1 |
Download: 349.58 Mbps Upload: 377.50 Mbps |
Download: 193.42 Mbps Upload: 215.14 Mbps |
Download: 254.52 Mbps Upload: 43.24 Mbps |
2 |
Download: 363.72 Mbps Upload: 357.54 Mbps |
Download: 176.04 Mbps Upload: 227.52 Mbps |
Download: 263.96 Mbps Upload: 41.81 Mbps |
3 |
Download: 375.72 Mbps Upload: 359.80 Mbps |
Download: 178.11 Mbps Upload: 227.20 Mbps |
Download: 256.03 Mbps Upload: 41.24 Mbps |
4 |
Download: 370.46 Mbps Upload: 357.46 Mbps |
Download: 194.36 Mbps Upload: 252.82 Mbps |
Download: 251.00 Mbps Upload: 46.24 Mbps |
5 |
Download: 347.96 Mbps Upload: 353.66 Mbps |
Download: 113.64 Mbps Upload: 139.04 Mbps |
Download: 232.81 Mbps Upload: 40.48 Mbps |
6 |
Download: 357.28 Mbps Upload: 333.57 Mbps |
Download: 193.08 Mbps Upload: 250.71 Mbps |
Download: 233.95 Mbps Upload: 42.30 Mbps |
7 |
Download: 345.20 Mbps Upload: 369.59 Mbps |
Download: 167.20 Mbps Upload: 248.32 Mbps |
Download: 235.43 Mbps Upload: 44.71 Mbps |
8 |
Download: 353.67 Mbps Upload: 317.12 Mbps |
Download: 184.96 Mbps Upload: 243.53 Mbps |
Download: 228.01 Mbps Upload: 40.91 Mbps |
9 |
Download: 358.63 Mbps Upload: 373.79 Mbps |
Download: 214.10 Mbps Upload: 222.90 Mbps |
Download: 240.18 Mbps Upload: 44.34 Mbps |
10 |
Download: 357.82 Mbps Upload: 347.94 Mbps |
Download: 227.75 Mbps Upload: 231.96 Mbps |
Download: 258.19 Mbps Upload: 44.74 Mbps |
11 |
Download: 8.56 Gbps Upload: 1.86 Gbps |
Download: 1.94 Gbps Upload: 589.35 Mbps |
Download: 264.87 Mbps Upload: 40.71 Mbps |
12 |
Download: 7.73 Gbps Upload: 1.86 Gbps |
Download: 1.94 Gbps Upload: 661.28 Mbps |
Download: 235.59 Mbps Upload: 45.58 Mbps |
13 |
Download: 8.56 Gbps Upload: 1.86 Gbps |
Download: 2.00 Gbps Upload: 654.56 Mbps |
Download: 258.31 Mbps Upload: 40.69 Mbps |
Test | Singapore | United States | United Kingdom |
Click here to visit IPVanish online
How To Setup IPVanish On Your Devices
IPVanish exemplifies the process of mainstream application installation. Unless you’ve never installed an app before, there’s absolutely nothing new to take note of for the process. It’s streamlined and fast.
Overall Setup Process
- Grab the app you need from the IPVanish app download page
- Run the installation package and follow the on-screen instructions
- Sign up for an IPVanish package
- Launch the app and sign in with your subscription credentials
- Connect to a server and start using the Internet as usual
IPVanish Windows Application
IPVanish on Windows blends an old-school interface with some interactive elements. Note that the default Windows installation doesn’t include the TAP package, so you can only use OpenVPN if that’s installed separately.
IPVanish macOS Application
The IPVanish macOS application looks and behaves a little differently from the Windows package. It’s less intrusive and obnoxious, leading to me wonder if they got a telling-off from Apple leading to a redesign.
Click here to visit IPVanish online
IPVanish User Reviews
In Summary
IPVanish offers smooth online streaming and strong torrent performance – which is favored by many VPN users.
While their signup price is cheap – it’s essential to understand that prices increase on renewal, nearly doubling.
IPVanish is secure and very fast software for changing IP’s
I have started using Ipvanish for last few months and I really like this tool as this tool allows me to connect to different countries IP”s and access the restricted sites. What I like best about this tool is its interface which is so understanble and easy to use. Also, it is fast when I connect with different locations. I had tried few tools for Ip changing before but I can say the speed of this Ip changer is best.
Okay overall but could be a lot better
Overall for the price point of this VPN, IPVanish is quite good.
Love it in the sense that it’s affordable gives you the necessary to connect from different servers at a very reasonable price which for some might make the difference and it’s not too glitchy. Problem is that when connected to another server even if it’s the optimal one it’s not usually too good, which lets certain pages detect the use of a VPN and renders it useless. Could definitely improve the server usage.
Average
I like IPVanish best for:
– OpenVPN protocol
– Servers in over 60 countries
– Killswitch and DNS leak protection
– Dedicated applications for all platforms
And I dislike them for:
– No live customer support
– Speed may be unstable during peak hours