IPVanish is a popular VPN service and has been around longer than most.

We have written more than a few IPVanish reviews over the years and while they were our favourite for several years, in recent times, other services have managed to surpass them.

But they have definitely stepped up their game in the past year or two and are clearly now keen to be compared once more to the big boys.

So, how have they been doing in 2023? What are the IPVanish pros and cons at the moment?

In this IPVanish review, we aimed to find out, so our team of experts have been testing the IPVanish VPN service thoroughly to see how they’re performing, but more importantly, how they compare to our reviews of the competition out there.

Service

Speeds

To start our IPVanish VPN review we ran some speed tests. Download and upload speeds are, after all, one of the most important features of any VPN.

IPVanish has consistently been one of the fastest VPN providers over the years, even when faced with fierce competition. But it is always important to run regular speed tests to ensure these speeds are reliable and constant over time.

In testing their service over several weeks, we found no issues with internet speeds when browsing, sending emails or streaming high-quality video from services such as YouTube and others thanks to impressive download speeds.

• Check out our round-up of the top VPNs for Youtube.

For regular users, there was no noticeable slowdown or issues with the VPN connection speed that we could detect.

Using a regular UK residential internet connection we ran speed tests over a range of servers at random on a Windows client using OpenVPN 256-bit. Our speed achieved without using a VPN was: 207.6 Mbps.

When connecting to IPVanish’s servers in no particular order, we achieved the following download speed during our speed test:

• UK – 148.3 Mbps
• France – 89.9 Mbps
• Netherlands – 66.5 Mbps
• Switzerland – 90.6 Mbps
• Sweden – 51.2 Mbps
• New York, US – 75.4 Mbps
• Australia – 13.7 Mbps

The IPVanish speeds are very useable, however, they’re not the best we’ve seen, especially at distance. But, I had no issues streaming The Mandalorian on Disney Plus in full HD while using the IPVanish Windows app.

The upload speed was great. Download speed test results while using IPVanish are a little mixed but you won’t have any issues carrying out most tasks.

Logging

Next for our IPVanish VPN review, we looked at their logging privacy policy.

IPVanish has a no logs policy. This means IPVanish claims that it does not log usage data from any of its subscribers.

This is information like what websites you visit, what you’re saying to friends when chatting or the videos you’re streaming.

They go one step further and also claim they don’t store metadata.

This is the who and the what including your own IP Address (or any IP addresses you’ve used). For example, metadata isn’t what you say to a friend when chatting but it’s who you’re talking to and the time of the messages.

It’s critical on its own and it can link you to your activity, so it’s a great addition that IPVanish explicitly states they don’t retain this.

The problem with a zero traffic logs policy is that users have to take the VPN on trust with its claims unless they have the tech knowledge to check for themselves or the VPN has put its claim through a third-party audit.

The trend recently has been to have VPNs audited by third party providers to confirm such claims are valid. VPN companies such as ExpressVPN, NordVPN and ProtonVPN have all undertaken these.

The good news is that as of April 2022, IPVanish can be added to that list too.

The no logs claim has been put to the test by the Leviathan Security Group and given a comprehensive thumbs up.

This is something that is long overdue for IPVanish. In early 2018 there was an uproar over a historical criminal case dating back to 2016 in which a child sex offender was caught with the assistance of IPVanish.

It was certainly not against the capture of a clear criminal, but how IPVanish assisted with records that they claimed they didn’t keep.

The company has since been acquired twice over by other organisations and after the incident came to light recommitted themselves to their no-log policy and distanced themselves from prior owners.

With this new independent audit you can now say with confidence that IPVanish is a no logs VPN that you can trust.

Simultaneous Connections

Over the past few years IPVanish has considerably upgraded its simultaneous connections offering.

It is now offering unlimited device connections. Unlimited simultaneous device connections really sets this VPN apart.

That means you can have as many devices as you want connected at the same time with just one account.

I found this upgrade incredibly useful as I can use the IPVanish VPN for streaming while my family can all use the VPN too.

Most other VPN services are still only offering between 5 – 7 so this is a significant statement of intent from IPVanish to offer unlimited simultaneous connections and one that few other VPN providers can match at the moment.

If you’ve got a large family or plenty of internet-connected devices, then this will be a huge advantage and a cost-saver too.

If you want private internet access with unlimited connections, then IPVanish VPN offers a great service.

Jurisdiction

IPVanish is based in the US and therefore is under the jurisdiction of the United States.

In 2019 IPVanish was purchased by J2 Global from StackPath, which are both US-based companies. J2 Global also own similar services like a smart DNS service, so they know their stuff.

You may want to consider the implications of using a VPN service powered by a company in one of the ‘5-eyes’ surveillance countries.

However, there are no logging requirements in the United States at the time of writing and the IPVanish no user logs guarantee has recently been independently verified.

Some users will still not trust a VPN based in the USA. But for most, as long as IPVanish continues to do what it promises and the US law on data retention does not change, there is no reason to be concerned.

Customer Service

IPVanish introduced a new ‘Live Help’ feature to their customer support a few years back which lets you get answers quickly.

We found the 24/7 live chat support to be knowledgeable and able to answer most basic questions although some users may be a little frustrated that they have to go through the hassle of engaging with a bot first before being able to speak with a real human.

But once you do get through to someone, they were pretty decent with more complex technical issues too and if they didn’t know the answer themselves, the support staff were quick to either connect you to another member of the support staff who did or a written resource that could help.

I tested their customer service thoroughly asking multiple questions and wasn’t disappointed with the answer. It’s nice to know they can assist you whether your question is basic (like setting up the app), or more advanced (like switching protocols).

The live chat customer support can help with most problems including with the likes of Billing support, Sales support, and Tech support.

If you prefer to contact them via another method other than live chat support, then you can send them a support ticket – although this is limited to US business hours and has a slightly longer response time (a few hours).

There also used to be a phone support line, which was again limited to US working hours. This now seems to have been withdrawn but with the international nature of VPNs these days and the live chat feature, that is not necessarily a bad thing.

Server Locations

IPVanish server locations are available in over 75 locations across the world with tons of IP Addresses.

The number of locations hasn’t changed since last year but there has been plenty of investment in server quality.

Server location options are now available in every continent with details given on precise VPN server numbers, a level of transparency not every VPN offers.

For example, if you are looking for UK servers, you can easily find out that IPVanish has five UK locations, with 61 servers in London, 4 in Maidenhead, 18 in Manchester, 20 in Birmingham, and 6 in Glasgow. Over 100+ throughout the UK.

IPVanish now operates a broad network with a high number of servers in the high-demand markets like the USA (especially Los Angeles) and Europe.

While some providers offer more, when you discount those that use ‘virtual servers’ it means IPVanish’s offering is pretty decent.

I’ve used servers from LA, Spain, Greece, USA, Thailand, and more; changing is simple.

That said, most typical users will only ever connect to around 1 – 3 different locations in their entire VPN lifetime so with over more than 75+ VPN locations, 40,000+ IP Addresses and 2000+ servers overall, there is more than enough for most people.

The entire server network offers fast and consistent speeds in our tests too and is a rock-solid piece of VPN infrastructure that few other VPN services out there can match.

Does IPVanish use Virtual Locations?

No. We have quizzed IPVanish about this on several occasions.

They are adamant that all of their servers are physically located in the place they claim to be. This is one of the reasons they haven’t expanded their network even more at this stage.

In our assessment, we have found no reason to doubt their claims about virtual VPN servers. For IPVanish users, that is good news.

However, when a VPN uses a virtual server, it is pegged to a server located in a completely different country. As a result, VPN users of that server can suffer from slower speeds as a result.

This means VPNs with a lot of virtual servers can offer an all-around poorer service. Fortunately, IPVanish doesn’t have such issues.

Security and Safety

Protocols & Encryption

IPVanish offers the regular host of VPN protocols which includes PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, OpenVPN protocol and WireGuard

WireGuard is the fast, lightweight VPN protocol that has taken the sector by storm over the past few years. Adoption has been mixed so far, but to their credit, IPVanish have gone the whole hog and added WireGuard to all their major apps and even their Amazon apps too.

If you aren’t keen on WireGuard, and we can’t think why you wouldn’t be, OpenVPN is still there as the default protocol and offers AES 256-bit encryption (more specifically AES-256-GCM).

A 2048-bit RSA key is used for handshaking. You can also customize OpenVPN connections.

IPVanish uses the IKEv2 protocol and it’s common now to see their apps using this by default. They added this as they say it is faster than IPSec and claimed more secure.

IKEv2 also makes use of AES 256-bit encryption which is at the upper end of the scale and one of the most recommended encryption standards currently.

There are however, no extra security features like Tor over VPN and Double Hop IPVanish servers or static IP addresses on any of IPVanish’s apps which is a shame.

As I use my VPN mainly for streaming and privacy, I’ve never felt the need to use a double hop server, but it could be something you’re looking for.

Has IPVanish suffered any security incidents?

In 2016, IPVanish was owned by a company called Highwinds, a company that also ran cloud storage, CDN, and colocation operation.

A Special Agent with the Department of Homeland Security traced a user spreading child pornography to an IP Address owned by Highwinds. They subsequently admitted the IP Address belonged to their VPN.

Upon a formal request for user information, Highwinds provided the Department of Homeland Security with the user’s name, email address, and real IP Address.

This is despite the fact that IPVanish claimed at the time to be a no-logs VPN provider.

IPVanish has changed ownership twice since the incident and is adamant no user logs are kept these days.

Their third-party independent audit has now confirmed that this is the case and unless there are further lapses, our judgement is that this issue is one that should now be confined to the history books and that the IPVanish no logs policy stands up to scrutiny.

Is IPVanish safe for Torrenting?

IPVanish does not just permit torrenting, it actively encourages it in a way that few others do.

On their website, they stress that using their service allows you to torrent anonymously and without fear of your web traffic being spotted.

They note that you can torrent “freely and privately” with IPVanish. We have seen nothing in our tests to contradict this.

Apps

Mobile Apps

IPVanish offers support for all the most popular mobile devices. This includes the IPVanish Android apps, which can be used on just about every Android device you can think of.

I found this pretty useful, so I can binge my favourite TV shows on my phone instead of being stuck behind my computer screen. I also found it handy when using public Wi-Fi networks.

There is also the IPVanish iOS app which you can use on any iPhone or iPad.

As VPN apps go, these ones are simple but well-designed and very user-friendly. The iOS app came in handy on my iPad, as I was streaming Jack Reacher on Amazon Prime Video whilst on the train.

We’ve retested the Android application over the past few months, and not much has changed since last years review.

You’ll find that all IPVanish apps look pretty similar which makes them easy to use.

Connection and server selection can be made from the main Android app screen, which is an elegant feature if you simply want to use the quick connect option and forget about the VPN.

Behind the scenes of the Android application, there aren’t too many options for Android users to play with.

Mostly they concern choosing between the TCP and UDP protocol and setting the app up to connect automatically if needed.

We like the ‘Split Tunneling’ option that allows you to select apps that fall outside of the VPN connection (a separate VPN tunnel).

If you wanted the entire connection to use the VPN but simply have your banking app use your regular Wi-Fi or mobile data connection, then this is possible with split tunneling. It’s an ingenious feature and a massive bonus to the Android app.

I enjoyed this feature while using the IPVanish mobile apps to stream Amazon Prime Video and accessing my online banking using a local server.

Server switching is simple and takes just a couple of clicks and a few seconds to switch IPVanish servers. There is an Android OS kill switch options now too and one or two other interesting features as well.

You can grab the mobile apps from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.

Desktop Apps

IPVanish’s desktop VPN client is available for major operating systems like Windows and Mac OS.

The Windows app in particular is neat and boasts simple features that are popular with users including split tunneling. It has changed somewhat in design since our last review but overall it retains a similar feeling.

The desktop client apps function well and connection along with city and specific server selection can all be made from the main screen using their “Quick Connect” option that will connect you to a nearby server.

If you need more of a server selection then behind the scenes you get the following views to help you find the correct server:

• Map
• List
• Filter

There’s a wealth of options in the ‘Settings’ area which includes all the essential requirements such as

• IPv6 Leak Protection
• DNS Leak Protection
• Kill Switch
• Protocol and Port selection
• Obfuscate OpenVPN traffic which IPVanish call ‘Scramble’

It’s user-friendly to be able to connect and disconnect on every screen of the IPVanish app so whether you’re in the Settings area or browsing your Account Information you can connect or disconnect at will.

Overall the desktop apps are very well rounded and include all the essential features you will need (such as DNS leak protection to protect your DNS requests, which we ran a DNS leak test on and can vouch for).

We weren’t a fan of the IPVanish app’s aesthetics for a long time and while it’s still not perfect it has been updated recently which makes it appear much more modern in design.

As an IPVanish user, if you require support while using the desktop app, the IPVanish customer service will be able to assist you.

Other Apps

There was a time when, across the entire VPN industry, the VPN company with the most comprehensive range of apps was IPVanish. These days others have caught up, but that’s not to say IPVanish doesn’t still offer many VPN apps.

A further IPVanish app is available for Amazon Fire TV devices. It works with Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Cube devices.

Having an Amazon app is a massive advantage because it allows you to protect your privacy while streaming on your TV.

You can also install the IPVanish Linux app on any Linux device too. It performs well and will keep your internet traffic private and secure.

There is no VPN router app but you can install on VPN-enabled routers. You will have to do this manually using one of their guides on the IPVanish website.

Streaming

Does IPVanish work with Netflix?

IPVanish hasn’t been the best for unblocking streaming sites like Netflix in recent years.

Unfortunately, if you want to access Netflix, the streaming service is still inaccessible across the majority of the IPVanish server network.

While you may get lucky and find one or two IPVanish VPN servers that do work with Netflix, it’s extremely hit and miss and there are more reliable services for Netflix if you want to connect straightaway and get streaming Netflix (check out Surfshark for example and see the reviews).

When you ask about using IPVanish, they keep talking about split tunneling but while this lets you watch your own country’s Netflix, it means you are not protected when doing so, leaving you open to security vulnerabilities.

Plus, it doesn’t help with unblocking Netflix libraries from elsewhere which is what most Netflix users want a VPN for.

Does IPVanish work with BBC iPlayer?

As with Netflix, the BBC iPlayer streaming sites also aren’t readily accessible when using IPVanish’s UK server range. You might get lucky, but in our testing, this was not common.

If it’s streaming services you’re after accessing, again you’ll need to look to other reliable VPN services like ExpressVPN or NordVPN that do allow access to iPlayer.

Does it work with Amazon Prime Video?

IPVanish can work with Amazon Prime video, but probably not in the way you’re wanting.

They have created a special feature known as split tunneling which allows you to watch Amazon Prime video while connected to the VPN like normal – but IPVanish is not able to unblock it.

If you want to watch US Amazon Prime or other regions in other countries, you will have to try another VPN such as ExpressVPN that can unblock certain regions.

Price

Lastly, our VPN review took a look at the price.

IPVanish has added one more package to its streamlined offerings from last year so you now have three choices; monthly, quarterly, or annually:

The current package prices at the time of writing are:

• Monthly: $11.99 per month (~£9.95)
• Yearly: $3.99 per month (~£3.31)
• 2-Yearly: $3.33 per month (~£2.76)

When it comes to the IPVanish cost, the new pricing ranges are on the pricey side for the shorter tems.

In the past there was also an offer to sign up for the SugarSync® file storage service but this seems to have been quietly dropped now.

The payment methods accepted are limited to Credit Cards, Paypal, Amazon Pay, and Google Pay. While this should suit most, you’re out of luck if you want to use Bitcoin or any other payment types.

Thankfully they’ve not changed their 30-day money-back guarantee which is a bonus.

I’d like to see some great IPVanish deals in the future and the price lowering which at the moment appears to be continually going up; it’s increased for the last two years now.

While the price might not prevent some of you using their VPN, it would be nice to see IPVanish fall in line with other VPN provider’s pricing.

Verdict

IPVanish has been one of our favourite VPN services in recent years and in our latest tests we’ve found they still offer the robust and reliable service we’ve come to expect.

The most significant change in recent times has been that IPVanish was acquired by J2 Global and it has now undertaken a third-party audit of its no user logs promise which is welcome and long overdue.

Speeds are good and VPN connections stable, encryption remains robust with OpenVPN connections and WireGuard a new and welcome addition. And their no user logs guarantee appears to be reaffirmed. Customer service is impressive too with excellent live chat support, if a little sales-oriented.

On the downside, it is still not able to work inside China and we’re disappointed to see that many of the most popular streaming services such as Netflix and BBC iPlayer still don’t work since our last IPVanish review either.

This has been the case for the past few years and it limits the usefulness of the service if you’re after it specifically for streaming things like Netflix.

For this reason, we do not recommend IPVanish VPN if you’re a heavy streamer. This view won’t change until IPVanish supports more streaming services.

With privacy features such as 256-bit Encryption, IP leak protection, port forwarding, and DNS leak protection, your data is in safe hands with IPVanish.

They offer apps for most popular devices such as Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Fire TV and others.

IPVanish has only a handful of payment options, while their payment plans are still limited and expensive.

Overall we still really like IPVanish if you’re after protecting your privacy. They’re not the best, but they’re very good.

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