IPVanish VPN Review

“A comprehensive solution for users prioritizing privacy, security, and versatile device support. While lacking a free version, its competitive pricing, no-logs policy, and strong performance make it an attractive choice for those seeking a reliable VPN service.”

A virtual private network (VPN) is an important tool in today’s digital scene, providing users with a secure and private internet connection. As online activities have become more exposed to monitoring, hacking, and data breaches, the use of VPNs has increased as people attempt to preserve their privacy and secure their digital communications.

A VPN, at its core, creates a secure tunnel between the user’s device and a server, encrypting the data that flows through it. This encryption ensures that even if data is intercepted, it remains unreadable, protecting critical information like passwords, personal information, and financial transactions. Furthermore, VPNs disguise the user’s IP address, providing an additional degree of anonymity and preventing websites and online services from tracking their online actions. VPNs are useful for more than just privacy protection. They enable users to circumvent geographical restrictions and censorship by making it look as if they are connecting to the internet from another area. This is especially useful for accessing region-restricted content while maintaining a free and open internet experience.

IPVanish is a comprehensive VPN solution that provides users with privacy, security, and a seamless online experience. It offers advanced encryption standards, a verified no-logs policy, and support for multiple VPN protocols. IPVanish is compatible with various devices and has a wide network of servers spanning 75+ regions. It is a competitive and reliable VPN solution that is worth considering for those seeking a secure and private gateway to the internet.

Initial Setup

Setting up IPVanish VPN is a simple and straightforward process. The first step is to create account with IPVanish and choosing a subscription plan. You can visit the official IPVanish website, select a subscription plan that meets your needs (monthly, yearly, or multi-year), and create an account by supplying basic information such as email and password.

You can then proceed to the download the application for your specific system and begin the installation process. Users are guided through the installation procedure, making it accessible even to people who are unfamiliar with VPN technology. Meanwhile, IPVanish app users on Android and iOS can easily find it in their respective app stores, download it, and install it on their mobile devices.

After installing the program, you move to the login and configuration stage. When customers launch the IPVanish app, they are prompted to log in with the credentials they created during the subscription process. The UI is user-friendly, frequently displaying a dashboard that simplifies server selection and connection initiation. You can connect to their selected server location with a single click, launching a secure VPN connection.

The selection of server sites is a critical phase in the process. IPVanish has a large network of servers in over 75 different countries. You can choose a server depending on your geographical location and personal requirements. Advanced users can experiment with additional parameters, such as server protocols like WireGuard and OpenVPN, to personalize their VPN experience to their specific needs.

You have to test the connection to check that the VPN is working properly. Users can check their IP address to ensure it has not been hidden and run speed tests to ensure the connection speed remains sufficient. Additional customizations, such as investigating capabilities like split tunneling, establishing a kill switch, and selecting preferred protocols, are also available throughout the setup process.

Users that become accustomed to IPVanish may choose to further modify the program based on their tastes. The service provides regular updates to improve security and speed, therefore users must keep the app up to date. IPVanish’s platform compatibility assures a smooth and secure browsing experience, making it a versatile and dependable VPN service provider.

Safety and Security

IPVanish VPN prioritizes offering customers with strong security and privacy features, ensuring a full defense against online attacks and data breaches. Here is an in-depth examination of the essential parts that characterize IPVanish’s security and privacy framework.

To protect customer’s data while transmission, IPVanish uses cutting-edge encryption standards. IPVanish assures that data transiting via its servers stays unreadable to any prospective eavesdroppers by employing Advanced Encryption Standards (AES), a well recognized and trusted encryption standard. This considerably improves user privacy.

IPVanish’s verified no-logs policy is a remarkable feature. This means that IPVanish does not monitor, record, or keep any information about its users’ activities. This pledge not to store logs of user activity has been independently audited, adding another layer of transparency and confidence. Users may be confident that IPVanish will not trace or retain their online activities, including browsing history and connection timestamps.

With the help of shared IP addresses, IPVanish tries to improve user privacy. This means that several users share the same IP address, making it far more difficult for external entities to track individual users’ online actions. The usage of shared IP addresses provides an additional degree of secrecy and anonymity, strengthening IPVanish’s dedication to user security.

IPVanish supports a number of VPN protocols, including WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and IPSec. This adaptability allows users to select a protocol based on their individual requirements, such as speed, security, or compatibility.

The split tunneling functionality allows users to choose which apps will be routed through the VPN while others will connect straight to the internet. This customisation gives customers more control over their digital traffic, allowing them to route specific programs through the VPN for extra protection while allowing others to operate normally on the internet.

As a failsafe method, IPVanish has a VPN kill switch. If the VPN connection fails suddenly, the kill switch disables all internet traffic, preventing outsiders from exploiting gaps in the user’s security. This function assures ongoing security, which is especially important in cases when a robust VPN connection is required.

Other Features

IPVanish provides consumers with the option of unmetered connections per account. This means that users can connect several devices to the IPVanish VPN network at the same time. IPVanish ensures that users have comprehensive data protection for all of their devices at the same time, whether on computers, mobile devices, tablets, smart TVs, streaming devices, or even VPN routers.

For users who prioritize speed over data encryption, IPVanish offers a SOCKS5 proxy, a more versatile alternative to standard proxies. This feature provides customers with better IP address privacy protection while increasing connection speed, making it an excellent choice in circumstances when speed is critical but security needs are modest.

The automatic startup allows for seamless incorporation into consumers’ online routines. When internet traffic is identified, the VPN connection can be enabled to activate automatically on certain systems, such as iOS. This feature ensures that customers are always secured without the need for manual intervention, which increases the overall convenience of using IPVanish.

VPN Protocols

IPVanish offers a variety of VPN protocols, each with significant advantages in terms of security, speed, and compatibility. WireGuard is the newest VPN protocol in IPVanish’s arsenal, with greater speed, strength, and lightweight performance. WireGuard, as an ongoing open-source project, is already considered as one of the most secure VPN solutions in the world. Its distinguishing characteristics include remarkable speed, solid security, and the collaborative improvement potential enabled by its open-source nature. WireGuard works on a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Fire TV.

IPSec is a protocol suite that encrypts IP packets for transmission and tunneling. While no specific encryption algorithm or authentication mechanism is specified, IPSec provides a foundation for secure transport. IPSec secures application traffic over an IP network and is available on Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux. IKEv2 is unique to IPSec and is used to configure the security association for IP packets encrypted using IPSec. Notable advantages include the ability to seamlessly move between Wi-Fi and cellular networks without disrupting the VPN connection, ensuring a steady and ongoing connection. IKEv2 is compatible with Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Apple TV, and Linux.

OpenVPN, a robust and widely used VPN protocol, allows several authentication methods, giving users flexibility in identity verification. It uses SSL/TLS for key exchange, with the option of using TCP or UDP. OpenVPN works on Windows, Mac, Android, Fire TV, Linux, Chrome OS, and routers. TCP and UDP sub-protocols of OpenVPN provide significant advantages, with TCP providing stability and error correction, excellent for web browsing, and UDP offering quicker speeds, ideal for real-time activities such as VoIP and online gaming.

Servers and Speed

IPVanish VPN prioritizes providing users with a large and optimized server network to assure privacy and performance. Speaking of network, IPVanish has a large network of over 2,200 servers spread over 75 different countries. Users can choose from a wide range of server options, optimizing their connection based on factors like as location, regional content access, and server load. IPVanish’s focus to providing high-speed connections is a standout feature.

The VPN service was designed to promote speed without sacrificing security. This commitment to excellence is highlighted further by the adoption of the WireGuard VPN protocol, a cutting-edge and efficient protocol designed to improve speed and reliability. IPVanish gives users the ability to customize their VPN and firewall settings. Users can personalize their VPN connection based on their preferences thanks to support for many VPN protocols, including the commonly used OpenVPN. The firewall setup, which includes the usage of specific ports for various protocols, gives an added degree of customization to the user experience.

We performed a baseline speed test with a 300Mbps Internet Service Provider (ISP) plan to set a benchmark. Without connecting to IPVanish VPN Service, the download speed was roughly 288Mbps, with upload rates exceeding 280Mbps. Ping times of only 3 milliseconds demonstrated the low latency.

When we connected to IPVanish VPN with OpenVPN protocol, the average download rates were around 172Mbps, which is roughly 60% of the baseline speed. One of the most striking features was the considerable increase in download speeds when using the WireGuard VPN protocol. We got around 230Mbps download speed which is approximately 80% of the baseline speed.

Upload speeds followed a similar pattern. Upload speeds were around 85Mbps while using the OpenVPN protocol. This translates to roughly 30% of the base speed. With WireGuard protocol, upload speeds increased substantially. We got around 165Mbps upload speeds which is roughly 60% of the base speed. This highlights the WireGuard protocol’s efficiency and speed benefits, making it an excellent solution for consumers who prioritize quick and reliable connections.

Ping times, crucial for real-time activities such as online gaming and video conferencing, remained decent. After connecting to IPVanish VPN, the average ping times ranged from 60-80 milliseconds.

Price

IPVanish offers a variety of pricing plans, catering to users with different needs and preferences. There are three time-based plans and all the three have identical features.

The Monthly Plan, which costs $12.99 per month, gives users full access to IPVanish VPN services, including advanced encryption for secure browsing, increased anonymity through shared IP addresses, unmetered device connections, 24/7 customer support, verified no-traffic logs for heightened privacy, flexibility with multiple connection protocols, and global accessibility with servers in 75+ countries for unrestricted online experience and secure access to media.

For $2.99 per month (billed annually at $35.99), the Yearly Plan encompasses all features of the Monthly Plan. The 2-year plan is prices at $2.49 per month (billed biennially at $59.99). Both the 1-year and 2-year plans have 30-day money-back guarantee. At the time of reviewing, users who choose 1-year or 2-year subscriptions get additional three months free.

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Final Verdict

In the crowded field of virtual private network (VPN) services, IPVanish stands out as a strong and versatile option that meets the different needs of customers seeking privacy, security, and an unrestricted online experience. IPVanish’s dedication to sophisticated encryption standards is a pillar of its popularity. The availability of a secure tunnel for internet traffic ensures that users can navigate the online world with confidence, safe from potential risks such as snoopers, Man-in-the-Middle attacks, and intrusive advertisements. The usage of shared IP addresses provides an additional degree of anonymity, reinforcing the company’s commitment to user privacy.

While IPVanish does not provide a free version, its price levels are designed to satisfy a variety of customer requirements. The tiered approach, which includes Monthly, Yearly, and 2-Year plans, enables customers to select a membership period that corresponds to their commitment and economic constraints. The speed test results highlight IPVanish’s performance, with download and upload speeds displaying efficiency, especially when the WireGuard protocol is used. Low ping times lead to a responsive and smooth user experience, which is essential for online gaming and video streaming.