Summary
Pros:
Prices as low as $4.87/month
Compatible with all the popular devices and operating systems
165+ VPN servers in over 60 countries
Gives you access to more than 25,000+ IP addresses
24/7 Customer Support
Diverse payment options
2 Simultaneous VPN Connections
Unlimited Server Switching
OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP/IPSec protocols support
7-day money back guarantee
Cons:
No live chat
No custom client for Ubuntu
IPVanish Plans and Pricing
There are a lot of things that money can’t buy. However, with IPVanish you can buy one of the most priceless attributes in exchange of affordable price – PRIVACY. IPVanish offers three basic package plans: one month package plan for $7.50 only, 3 months package plan for $20.24/month and yearly package plan for price as low as $4.87/month. Now let’s see what IPVanish has to offer against the market competitive prices illustrated.
Unlike other VPN services, IPVanish does not confine their attractive and most significant features to their 6 month or yearly plan. IPVanish’s VPN service treats all users equally – either you pay for a month or a year.
The image prescribed below reveals the features associated with IPVanish’s VPN service and package plans. One of the most profound features offered by IPVanish is its device compatibility.
You can enjoy VPN service from IPVanish on all leading versions of Windows along with MacOS and Ubuntu. Furthermore, you can also enjoy features of IPVanish VPN on handy devices such as Smartphones, iPads and Tablets supporting different operating systems such as iOS and Android.
Unlike other VPN services, IPVanish has a clear no-logs policy and promises 100% online security. Furthermore, IPVanish does not put a limit cap on the bandwidth offered in order to acknowledge not only customer satisfaction but delight. In addition, IPVanish with its top of the line package plans provide Wi-Fi hotspot protection, VOIP support and 3 days FREE trial to ease your purchase decision.
Servers
While selecting a VPN service provider, one must evaluate all the aspects associated with the service provided and benefits offered. Number of servers provided by a VPN service provider and locations represented by those servers is the key element that derives the purchase decision of most users seeking a VPN.
IPVanish’s servers had to be evaluated in this regard. Therefore, we studied IPVanish’s servers thoroughly in order to present detailed findings that can guide all the VPN seekers out there.
There are diverse reasons for purchasing a VPN. Number of servers located in divergent countries is one of the key aspects that are correlated with almost every purpose for which a VPN is preferred. IPVanish VPN provides an access to more than 160+ servers geographically scattered in 60 countries.
This means that you can connect to almost any server you want – from any country you prefer. This diversity of choice can liberalize you to access different genre of content either restricted for you to access or confined to a particular geographic location. Furthermore, you can access 25,000+ IPs with the value added features provided by IPVanish VPN.
About IPVanish
IPVanish is one of the renowned service providers in the VPN industry. Despite of intense competition and countless new entrants penetrating the market, IPVanish has successfully retained its position in the market. IPVanish is one of the few VPN service providers that actually have substantial history in the industry. Different service providers came and left; but, IPVanish still enjoys its market share since 15 years.
With the promise of unrestricted access to geographically scattered servers, numerous IPs, secure connectivity and optimal customer along with tech-support, IPVanish is reviewed as one the leading user favorites when it comes to a VPN. IPVanish offers diversified features and package plans to choose from in exchange of competitive price.
Furthermore, IPVanish with its geographically scattered servers and numerous IPs offered along with other features facilitating users to stay absolutely anonymous and bypass Internet censorship.
IPVanish Android App
The IPVanish Android App is available on Google Play for free and can be downloaded on any device, provided it has Android version 4.0.3 or up. The IPVanish Android setup is very easy and can be set up within a few minutes on your Android devices.
IPVanish for Android provides great security to all the devices and keep all the data safe from the hackers, snoopers and malware. You can surf and stream the public Wi-Fi networks without the fear of getting your device attacked or spied by online surveillance agencies.
IPVanish Android works great on all the devices and allows you to use VOIP services even on smartphones and tablets. You can make use of IPVanish for Android to make comparatively cheap local and international calls from all the VOIP services.
The app allows you to switch your servers and gives you all the server options to choose from. IPVanish Android App also works best when it comes to accessing the movies and TV shows on Netflix, Hulu and Vudu etc. You can access all the blocked websites in your region on your Android devices with IPVanish.
You will be presented with the following screen, once you have installed the IPVanish Android App successfully in your devices. Enter your username and password and select ‘Sign in’.
Once you have signed in with your IPVanish account, you will be asked to connect to any server of your own choice.
After selecting the server, you can also check the connection speeds and can analyze the upload and download speeds provided by IPVanish Android App.
You can also open the settings to contact the Customer Support or to read FAQs, or to reset your credentials.
You can add extra layer of security to your devices with IPVanish Android App. Because not only does it protect your devices but it gives you unlimited access to all the blocked websites and streaming services from all over the world.
IPVanish Apps for iPhone and iPad
You can increase the online security of your iPhones and iPads by installing IPVanish. The IPVanish apps are easily available on the iTunes store and you can download it for free. Setting up IPVanish app on iPads and iPhones does not take more than 5 minutes and can be done by following these easy steps.
Go to ‘Settings’
You will be redirected to your ‘General’ profile, where you will see the option ‘Network’
Tap on ‘Network’ and create a new VPN profile
Now you will see ‘Add VPN Configuration’, tap on it to continue
Once you have tapped on it, you will be asked to enter the details
Fill in the details assigned to you by IPVanish and select the desired protocol to connect
You can also read in detail about configuring the IPVanish App on your iPads and iPhones. The IPVanish app does not only provide you the best online protection but it also provides access to the streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and blocked websites on your iPhones and iPads.
Compatibility
We nowadays have become slaves of technology. Every task we accomplish is executed directly or indirectly via a tech-device. In order to cope with our busy schedule and stay connected to our social circle, we often carry devices such as laptops, tablets and other smart-devices. In this digital universe, you can now find open access Wi-Fi networks at every corner along with the cyber-goons waiting for a chance to access our confidential data.
IPVanish provides an optimal remedy for all these hassles. IPVanish VPN is compatible with readily adopted versions of Windows, MacOS and Ubuntu. Furthermore, IPVanish supports all the devices you carry on-the-go such as Smartphones, Tablets and iPads. However, the operating systems currently supported are Android and iOS only.
Protocols and Encryption
The variety of protocols offered by a VPN service provider is also one of the key ingredients to strengthen your security and privacy. The sophistication of a protocol and encryption preferred by you would enhance your anonymity and security. The protocols supporting IPVanish VPN are PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) and L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) along with a cherry on the top – OpenVPN.
PPTP is the most commonly preferred protocol by VPN users to access all the restricted content. Being a little bit less secure as compared to L2TP, PPTP enables a VPN user to access any content restricted to a particular geographic region simply by connecting to that server.
With IPVanish VPN, say goodbye to all the geo-restrictions. Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol is usually preferred by privacy concerned individuals or the ones worried about their security. L2TP as compared to the preceding protocol is more secure; however, it will affect your Internet connection speed once connected.
IPVanish Customer Support
Customer support is one of the most important aspects to be evaluated before purchasing a VPN – that’s what I believe. You may find different VPN service providers bragging about their live and timely support. I consider it just a showoff because for me – seeing is believing. Every VPN service you opt claims to offer 24/7/365 customer and tech-support. However, you won’t find them when you need them the most.
While reviewing IPVanish’s website, I found similar claim. IPVanish claimed that they offer 24/7/365 customer and tech-support. However, I could not access live chat feature. It was like a shock for me; because, a service provider claiming 24/7/365 availability must have a live chat features – that’s what I believe. Anyways, it was time to evaluate IPVanish’s claims so I dropped an email for their customer support.
And guess what! I received a reply within 8 minutes. In my email, I wrote that I was facing a connectivity concern. I also inquired about the protocol that will be appropriate for me to connect if I don’t want to compromise on my Internet speed. Below mentioned image is the response I received from IPVanish’s customer support.
The customer service response was not only prompt but the representative also answered my query with all significant details. Furthermore, he also provided recommendations about the protocol to which I should connect as per my preference. So, YES! IPVanish VPN does provide 24/7/365 customer and tech-support and I give them a big thumbs-up for this.
Unique Selling Proposition
Despite of all the attractive features and benefits that represent IPVanish VPN, we find device compatibility as its unique selling proposition.
Payment Methods
Usually VPN service providers offer diverse payment methods to choose from. The reason behind offering diversity in payment is to ease the transaction process for users. It can be said that variety of payment modes often contribute in enhancing customer satisfaction when it comes to VPN industry; especially, when a VPN service provider accepts payment through Bitcoin.
Bitcoin as we all know is a digital currency which facilitates anonymous transactions. Hence, it best serves the purpose while making a transaction with a VPN service provider. In this scenario, you can be anonymous even for the VPN service provider. IPVanish VPN offers three different payment modes. It accepts payments either via a Credit Card, PayPal or WorldPay. They also accept payment via Bitcoin.
Kill Switch
IPVanish takes your online privacy very seriously. It makes sure that all your data is tunneled and safe with excellent encryption support. Unlike many other VPN providers, it offers its users the “Kill Switch” as well. With the “Kill Switch” option available to you, you can select to turn off all your network activities, in case your VPN connection drops.
Kill Switch is a great tool that is used to further enhance your security. You actually get the liberty to turn off all your online activities, until your VPN connects again. IPVanish’s Kill Switch lets you turn off and connect the internet again with a single click.
Switch Your IPs at Your Own Will
This unique option in IPVanish VPN lets the users decide to randomly switch their IP addresses after a pre-selected time interval. If you are concerned about your online privacy the most, you should make the most of this option. Switching the IP address, without having much impact on the performance of your VPN and the speed of your internet is definitely a good way to hide from surveillance agencies and hackers.
Enhanced Mac VPN App
IPVanish has always emphasized on making things easier for its users. The Mac users can rejoice using the updated VPN app for Mac. The new version now lets the users “select” servers as “favorites” if they are fully satisfied with the performance of the servers. They can personalize the app to facilitate the user regarding selecting the IPVanish’s own DNS service or a third-party DNS of their own choice.
Software and Tutorials Provided
IPVanish provides detailed tutorials which can easily be accessed from the official website. Besides the free software for Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android, IPVanish provides detailed tutorials and visual guides for dummies. However, IPVanish offers manual setup only for configuring a VPN on Ubuntu, Chromebook, DD-WRT and Tomato Routers.
By evaluating the details and instructions given in the tutorials, it can be said that one can easily establish a VPN connection manually on their operating system by reviewing the tutorials and visual guides prescribed.
Log and Privacy Policy
You might be wondering what I have to say with respect to the log and privacy policy of IPVanish VPN. However, I know what you all are thinking right now. Privacy policy, terms and conditions, agreement details….. Blah Blah Blah – who reads this kind of silly stuff – right? Well if you are concerned about your privacy then you MUST read this so-called silly stuff; especially, when you are going to purchase a VPN.
The core reasons behind purchasing a VPN is anonymity, privacy and enhanced security. However, some prefer a VPN only to bypass geo-restrictions. Anyways, no matter what your motive is behind the purchase decision, you should always read the clauses in privacy policy. IPVanish unlike other VPN service providers has clearly listed and described log and privacy policy.
The image prescribed below provides some glimpse of the policy. There are very few VPN service providers who have such clear and concrete log and privacy policy. Despite of making shallow claims, IPVanish VPN does not keep any logs and has clearly listed the data that it will need from you. I really appreciate IPVanish for this substantial dose of honesty here.
IPVanish Free Trial
Nothing in this world is for FREE – is it? Then how can you expect a service that promises to make you anonymous, fade your online existence, make your data secure and even allows you to bypass or access any geo-restricted content you wish to. Yet, IPVanish VPN offers a 3 days FREE trial because they know that you are fascinated with the word ‘FREE’.
IPVanish offers a free trial through which you get to use and benefit from every feature representing IPVanish. Somehow if the service and features offered aren’t as per your needs or expectations, you can claim for a no-questions-asked refund. However, this is quite hard to acknowledge because only a fool can deny such beneficial features.
IPVanish Speed Test
Despite of all the features and cost effective package plans offered, a VPN service provider cannot be considered as a viable optional unless it provides prompt connectivity and Internet speed. We all know that a VPN disrupts actual Internet speed – the question is how much? This actually makes a VPN service provider shine among hundred trading in the market.
In order to check connectivity speed of IPVanish VPN, we performed several tests. These tests were performed via speedtest.net. The objective behind the tests was to evaluate the propensity by which IPVanish VPN disrupts actual Internet speed. IPVanish offers PPTP, L2TP and OpenVPN protocols. We considered L2TP protocol as a benchmark while conducting the speed test. We chose L2TP as benchmark because it is more secure as compared to other two protocols.
Hence, theoretically L2TP should also disrupt actual Internet speed more than PPTP and OpenVPN.
Anyways, let’s begin with the test. The snapshot given below represents was taken while testing the actual Internet speed of a 100 Mbps Internet connection.
After connecting IPVanish with L2TP protocol, we discovered following results. These results were obtained when we tried to connect to IPVanish’s server in Manchester UK. As you can see that the ping has enhanced from 1 to 17 ms and download speed has decreased from 88.83 to 44.54 Mbps. However, the upload speed hasn’t been affected.
The results obtained were satisfactory; however, we had to test IPVanish VPN on another server in order to ensure reliability of the results. This time we used Internet connection of 200 Mbps to test IPVanish. The screen shot prescribed below reveals the statistics before connecting to a VPN.
After connecting to IPVanish’s server following results were obtained. The ping increased again; however, this time with considerably lesser propensity (15 ms – 17 ms). Internet’s download speed dropped from 151.41 Mbps to 72.31 Mbps. Upload speed wasn’t much affected this time also.
This proves that IPVanish VPN does not influence ping and upload speed much; however, download speed is reduced by almost 50%. Nevertheless, you don’t have to worry about this if you own a speedy Internet connection; because, with L2TP protocol, the results are extraordinary – I believe.
Conclusion
After detailed analysis and testing of the VPN, the concluding remarks of this IPVanish review about the VPN service provider are significantly positive. With its tempting features and market competitive pricing plans, IPVanish is a VPN that you must add to you bucket of alternatives. IPVanish is compatible with different devices and offers FREE software for Windows, MacOS, Android and iOS.
Furthermore, detailed tutorials are provided to configure the VPN manually on other devices which is like a piece of cake. IPVanish offers 165+ servers in 60 countries along with 25,000+ that you can connect to. With 7 days money back guarantee, VPN Ranks strongly recommends its trial.
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