IPVanish Review

IPVanish is a top VPN service known for its commitment to user safety and privacy. Yet doubters abound due to its location being the United States, a known member of the Five Eyes intelligence network.

How then can a supposed VPN for privacy reassure its users? To paint a clearer picture, we examined the ins and outs of IPVanish.

IPVanish is a secure VPN service known for its commitment to user safety and privacy. Yet doubters abound due to its location being the United States, a known member of the Five Eyes intelligence network.

How then can a supposed VPN for privacy reassure its users? To paint a clearer picture, we examined the ins and outs of IPVanish.

Summary

Now under new management, IPVanish is setting things straight. We can only hope it will stand by its no-logs policy this time, but its other developments should ease user worries. Its 24/7 support is well worth praising, and IPVanish can have renewed success by supporting even more emerging platforms.

Privacy and Security

No-Logs Policy

IPVanish is in the US, which raises red flags since the country is a member of the Five Eyes and Fourteen Eyes surveillance alliance. To retain user trust, it must provide clear-cut terms and conditions.

The anonymous VPN has a zero-logs policy, which means it doesn’t store activity or connection logs that could compromise user privacy. 

IPVanish only collects the email address (for account creation) and payment details. Thus, we suggest a payment method that requires minimal personal information.

• History and New Company

A crucial piece of information to remember is that IPVanish previously lied about its zero-logs policy:

In 2016, the Department of Homeland Security approached the secure VPN provider with a warrant. Instead of having no sensitive information to provide, IPVanish gave data that led to an arrest.

There’s no issue with the arrest itself — it was good the culprit was put behind bars. Still, the incident revealed that the VPN service did store information specific enough to lead to an individual.

Thankfully, StackPath acquired the parent company of IPVanish in 2017 and has vowed to ensure user privacy (i.e. a genuine no-logs policy) under its new management. 

Encryption

IPVanish uses 256-bit AES, the standard for secure VPN services today. No computing power today can decrypt AES-25 by brute force.

Also, users need not question AES — it’s the only public cipher to get NSA approval for securing highly confidential data.

VPN Protocols

IPVanish lists five supported VPN protocols:

• IKEv2
• OpenVPN (TCP and UDP)
• L2TP
• IPSec
• PPTP

It would’ve been better to not include the obsolete PPTP anymore since it’s filled with security flaws.

Likewise, IPSec and IKEv2 aren’t mutually exclusive protocols: The two are used together to efficiently secure mobile devices.

Then again, what matters most is the open-source and highly secure OpenVPN protocol.

Kill Switch

A kill switch blocks incoming traffic if the VPN connection stops or is unstable. The feature ensures users don’t compromise their privacy even if they don’t realize the internet connection is no longer encrypted.

IPVanish only has a kill switch for three platforms:

• Windows
• Android (Android 8 or higher)
• macOS

Its unavailability for iOS is concerning since it leaves out the iPhone and iPad user demographic, putting their privacy at risk — and no one wants to be part of another iCloud leak.

On the flip side, the kill switch on Windows is ideal. Users can choose to block just local network traffic or all internet traffic. 

Servers

Over 1,400 IPVanish VPN servers are divided into six regions:

• North America (825)
• Europe (499)
• Asia (59)
• Oceania (83)
• South America (39)
• Africa (10)

Around half of the servers are in the US, but it’s commendable that the African region has two locations: Nigeria-Laos (4) and South Africa-Johannesburg (6). Many VPN providers only have servers for the latter.

Ease of Use

We had no trouble installing and using the service, even on devices requiring manual configuration. Up to 10 simultaneous connections are allowed — and all devices had encrypted traffic and had access to geo-restricted content.

Moreover, the IPVanish app provides real-time server capacities, helping users pick optimal VPN servers. It has unlimited bandwidth, and the speed reduction due to the VPN connection is negligible.

Supported Devices

The VPN for privacy has official apps for the following:

• Windows (7 and higher)
• macOS (OS X 10.10 and higher)
• Android
• iOS
• Fire TV (except for 1st Gen Fire Stick)
• Linux

IPVanish also works on Kodi media players (using OpenELEC 6 and 7), smart TVs, and DD-WRT routers, but the process can get complicated.

On the other hand, IPVanish outdoes even the best VPN providers with its Chrome OS support. No app download is necessary. Instead, users begin the setup with a download of the IPVanish certificate file.

Pricing

IPVanish has three premium VPN plans:

• 1 Month ($10/mo)
• 3 Months ($8.99/mo)
• 1 Year ($6.49/mo)

It’s unusual to have a three-month offering while not having two-year or three-year plans. Granted, the plans aren’t steep, but many of the best VPN providers have long-term plans equal to less than $4/mo.

IPVanish includes 250GB of SugarSync, but it’s not a huge selling point. SugarSync isn’t the only cloud storage service with 256-bit AES encryption and secure protocols. 

Trial Period and Money-Back Guarantee

IPVanish has no free trial. Like other VPN services, it redirects anyone looking for a trial to its 30-day money-back guarantee — but the two are different.

A free trial doesn’t require a user to pay anything while the latter does. We did get a complete refund three days after canceling the subscription, but only because we paid through the website.

People who bought IPVanish via the iOS App Store or through any non-refundable method can’t avail of the 30-day guarantee. 

The VPN service does indicate the issue on its website, but it only highlights why free trial periods are better options.

Payment Options

The VPN for privacy is lacking in its payment methods. 

It accepts credit cards and PayPal, but the latter is a double-edged sword: PayPal is convenient but adds security risks for being a third-party system.

Second, IPVanish doesn’t have any anonymous options like Bitcoin, gift cards, or physical devices.

Support

IPVanish has a support center, complete with a convenient search bar at the top. Right below it is a link to the server status page, indicating if everything is operational or some areas are under maintenance.

The anonymous VPN has articles divided into six categories:

• FAQ
• Setup
• Billing
• Troubleshooting
• Announcements
• About IPVanish

The setup and troubleshooting sections have the most content, with many articles having screenshots and videos.

Chat, Phone, and Email Support

IPVanish excels in customer support, offering 24/7 assistance through live chat, phone, and email.

Users should try the chat feature first since email responses can take up to 48 hours. But if they prefer to directly talk about the issue, contacts numbers are available in six locations:

• US
• Mexico
• UK
• Spain
• Australia
• Brazil

Overall

IPVanish had its momentum ruined after the 2016 controversy, but StackPath has since taken over — and it’s steering the VPN provider to the right path. Sure, IPVanish lacks free trial periods and doesn’t have a kill switch for all platforms, but its security and user support can compete with the best VPN services.

Its decision to provide phone support is commendable, especially since it’s not exclusive to the US and the UK, arguably two of its biggest markets. Similarly, it’s rare for a top VPN provider to have Chrome OS support. Clearly, IPVanish knows how to maintain its edge in the saturated VPN market.