IPVanish is one of the largest VPN providers in the world. The company is based in Florida, USA and was founded in 2012. IPVanish has its own tier 1 network and a large number of worldwide server locations. Its IOS app is one of the top grossing and most downloaded VPN apps in the Apple App Store. In this VPN review, we will cover IPVanish’s features, server locations, security, price, connection speed and customer support etc.
Website:
Summary:
- Pros:
- One of the largest VPN networks with tier 1 network and a large number of worldwide server locations
- Fast connection speed
- No throttling, zero logs, unlimited bandwidth
- Cons:
- No live chat option for customer support. Only email & forum supports available.
- Starting Price: $6.49/mo
- Free Trail: 7- day money-back guarantee
- Number of Simultaneous Connections Allowed: 2 Devices
Network & Server Locations:
IPVanish has its own tier-1 VPN network. Actually very few VPN providers can claim this. This means faster speed and more stable connection for VPN users. IPVanish owns over 200 servers, spreading across over 60 countries with over 25,000 IPs. Also, unlike some VPN providers who fake multiple server locations by geospoofing, IPVanish has servers where they say they do.
Security & Privacy:
IPVanish support the following VPN protocols: PPTP, L2TP/IPsec and OpenVPN. Their implementation of OpenVPN supports TCP and UDP. A NAT firewall is included with all VPN accounts, which helps block inbound traffic to protect attack. IPVanish’s no logs policy means the company doesn’t track VPN users’ online activities and keeps on logs.
Feature Restrictions:
IPVanish does not limit bandwidth and there’s no throttling of traffic. Also, it allows unlimited server switching and do allow P2P traffic (many VPN providers don’t allow P2P). For simultaneous connections, IPVanish allows two simultaneous connections per username – as long as each connection uses a different VPN protocol (PPTP/ L2TP or OpenVPN). Users can also set up IPVanish’s VPN on a router (for example, a DD-WRT router). This way all connected devices can use the VPN service.
Plans & Pricing:
IPVanish offers three types of payment plans: $77.99 per year (equivalent to $6.49 per month), $26.99 per 3-months (equivalent to $8.99 per month) or $10.00 per month.
Free Trial:
IPVanish offers a 7-day money back guarantee for users to test out their VPN service.
Software & Supported Operating Systems:
IPVanish provides free VPN software for the following operating systems: Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. In addition, its VPN can be set up manually on the following operating systems: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Linux, Chromebook and router firmware (DD-WRT, SP2 and Tomato).
For our testing, we downloaded IPVanish’s client software for Windows. The installation process is straight forward and the software interface looks clean and user-friendly (see picture below):
This software allows users to choose different VPN protocols (PPTP, L2TP/IPsec and OpenVPN) as well as switch server locations. When you open up the drop down menu for server location option, you will see a large number of locations around the world that can be connected to. VPN connection can be turned on or off by clicking the Connect/Disconnect button on the upper-right corner. We found IPVanish’s VPN software is very easy to use. The only minor complain is that the interface is a little bit too big. We know we can minimize it, but if it can be made even smaller, we can then keep it showing up on the desktop all the time without too much distraction.
VPN Speed Test:
We did our VPN speed tests for IPVanish using a Windows computer located in Oregon, USA. We used speedtest.net to measure the speed for ping, download and upload. Below is the details of our VPN speed test results for IPVanish:
Without Connecting to VPN:
Ping: 16 ms, Download: 52.96 Mb/s, Upload: 13.52 Mb/s.
Connected to IPVanish’s U.S. server in New York using OpenVPN (TCP):
Ping: 141 ms, Download: 15.04 Mb/s, Upload: 1.02 Mb/s.
Connected to IPVanish’s U.S. server in Los Angeles using OpenVPN (TCP):
Ping: 30 ms, Download: 12.14 Mb/s, Upload: 1.97 Mb/s.
Connected to IPVanish’s U.S. server in Dallas using OpenVPN (TCP):
Ping: 61 ms, Download: 18.96 Mb/s, Upload: 1.19 Mb/s.
Connected to IPVanish’s UK server in London using OpenVPN (TCP):
Ping: 142 ms, Download: 5.10 Mb/s, Upload: 0.48 Mb/s.
Connected to IPVanish’s Japan server in Tokyo using OpenVPN (TCP):
Ping: 93 ms, Download: 4.33 Mb/s, Upload: 0.79 Mb/s.
IPVanish VPN Speed Test Conclusion: IPVanish’s connection speed is very good across different server locations.
Customer Support:
One of the weak points of IPVanish is customer support. There’s no live chat option for connecting to a customer support representative directly. If the user need support, he/she can fill out an email form to connect to IPVanish or look for answers in IPVanish’s customer forum. But IPVanish does provide 24/7/365 expert support with very fast response time.
IPVanish Review Conclusion:
As one of the largest VPN providers, IPVanish provides stable VPN connections, fast speed, multiple worldwide server locations on their tier-1 VPN network. Based on our test, we recommend IPVanish to our readers and have included IPVanish in our list of the Best VPNs.