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Review: IPVanish VPN — Unlimited Network with Consistent Performance
IPVanish is an unlimited VPN service that reportedly has the largest number of unique IP addresses, boasting over 40,000 across more than 2,200 servers in over 75 locations worldwide. What else can you learn from this review? How does IPVanish VPN work, is it safe, can it reliably unblock streaming services, and what should you pay particular attention to? I have tested this service extensively, so I will answer these questions.
If we choose a VPN based on numbers, then IPVanish has over 40,000 reasons to choose it. No other VPN service likely offers as many unique IP addresses worldwide, although PIA (Private Internet Access review) with its over 30,000 IPs tries to keep up.
Reasons to choose IPVanish
- IPVanish has been rated as one of the best VPNs for gamers with stable, fast latency, and transfer speeds confirmed in many independent tests. There is no lack of protection against DDoS attacks either. Playing will be smooth.
- The strong point of this service is the high-quality infrastructure, which supposedly owns over 90% of the servers, while the rest have to rent them.
- IPVanish is an unlimited VPN network. This means that you can use it without restrictions on all devices. There is no limit to the number of devices.
- Security is at the highest level. The VPN supports WireGuard®, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols, as well as military-grade encryption.
- It reliably unlocks streaming servers. However, I have seen in many discussions that there are often issues with Netflix, and you have to try several servers from time to time. During my tests, I did not encounter any problems, so I cannot confirm this. In such cases, the problem usually lies with the user.
Reasons why you might not want to choose IPVanish
Don’t be fooled by marketing gimmicks with the number of servers and IP addresses. Presenting numbers has no significance for end users. I prefer to immediately point out what to watch out for with IPVanish:
- This VPN has about 75 server locations. However, some competing VPNs have well over 85 locations. For example, IPVanish does not have servers in Russia and China. Most users probably don’t care about this since they won’t be connecting there anyway. Some may miss it.
- It is a service based in the USA. Of course, it must comply with local laws. Some users may have concerns about the fact that the United States is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. This essentially means that user data can end up in the hands of countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the USA. As a terrorist, think twice about using this VPN. All other users can use it safely.
In summary
| Number of servers | 2200+ (40,000 IPs) |
| Number of geolocations (countries) | 75+ |
| Number of devices connected at the same time | unlimited |
| Applications | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Fire TV |
| Kill Switch | Yes |
| Split tunneling | Yes |
| Unblocks streaming | Yes |
How fast is the IPVanish VPN network?
Every top VPN I’ve tested boasts about being the fastest. IPVanish is no exception here. Although the data in the table is not dazzling, the speed of IPVanish is comparable to other competitive VPN networks on the market. In fact, thanks to the fast WireGuard® protocol, it probably couldn’t be otherwise, as it is 3 times faster than IKEv2 and 10 times faster than OpenVPN.
I compared IPVanish with the most well-known VPN networks on the market. The results are roughly comparable. The table shows a comparison of average values from multiple speed tests in various geolocations.
| CyberGhost VPN | NordVPN | IPVanish | |
| Download (Mbps) | 23,1 | 29,1 | 24,3 |
| Upload (Mbps) | 16,5 | 15 | 8,2 |
| Ping (ms) | 149,1 | 177 | 177 |
IPVanish – connection speed test
| Location | Download [Mbps] | Upload [Mbps] | Ping [ms] |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA (New York) | 16,91 | 9,59 | 98 |
| EU (Frankfurt) | 45,72 | 9,67 | 18 |
| Australia (Sydney, Melbourne) | 20,67 | 2,21 | 315 |
| United Arab Emirates (Dubai) | 10,62 | 9,59 | 142 |
| Brazil (Sao Paulo) | 28,17 | 4,61 | 231 |
| worldwide (average) | 24,3 | 8,2 | 178 |
IPVanish features
Everyone wonders if this application lacks any important features. It does not. All the security features you need in a VPN are available here. IPVanish impresses me with its greater care for user security and privacy than other services. With this come certain improvements that can be found in their software.
Deep Packet Inspection
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use various methods to monitor what we are interested in on the Internet. They can freely monitor and collect user activity on the Internet — personal data, shopping data, location, or age. All of this can be tracked and sold to third parties. Internet service providers do this. When you connect to a VPN, this function prevents the ISP from tracking your online activity.
Kill switch
I can’t imagine a VPN functioning without this feature. The purpose of the kill switch is to maximize user privacy and data protection. The IPVanish software cuts off the internet connection when the connection to the VPN server is somehow broken. If this were not the case, the user would usually not notice the broken secure connection, which means that they would still be connected to the Internet via an unsecured connection, where secure data transmission could be compromised.
The kill switch should be activated with a single click directly in the IPVanish application. At the same time, you can enable the LAN Block feature to block all traffic on the local network (blocking access to local media servers such as Plex or NAS), as well as all internet traffic after disconnecting from the IPVanish network.
Unlocking streaming and sports platforms
IPVanish does not offer this directly. It does not do this like other VPN networks on the market that outright claim to unlock any streaming server. IPVanish takes this more seriously, which is why you can read on their website how they protect your security and privacy while watching streaming services and sports broadcasts.
The service simply does not fear that users will complain about the inability to unlock copyrighted content. It simply does not offer this. More experienced VPN users know that to access blocked content, you just need to connect to a VPN server. The purpose of a VPN is to bypass geolocation. If streaming is blocked for users from another country, as a VPN user, you can bypass it by connecting to a server in the country where the streaming is available.
As an example, I will show you the BBC website and their iPlayer. Local programs are blocked for viewers from other countries, as shown in the image below.
By using IPVanish and connecting to one of the servers in the UK, the protection in the browser cannot recognize that I am not a UK viewer. This way, the program is unblocked, and I can watch it. IPVanish VPN works excellently in this case, as shown in the next image.
I think you won’t have any trouble unblocking any streaming. However, it should be noted that sometimes the IP address can be recognized by the streaming service as a VPN IP address. Such an IP address will not allow you to unblock content. You can easily resolve this – connect to a different server, which will change the IP address to one that is not yet known to the streaming service.
IPVanish VPN Price
I can’t skip this and must compare the price of IPVanish with other VPNs. It is slightly higher, but again, here you have an unrivaled number of unique IP addresses and the assurance that this VPN is among the secure services with a consistent quality of connection.
The cheapest plan is the one with a 24-month subscription. Although you have to pay more upfront, it turns out to be cheaper than the annual subscription. Another tip on how to save money on a VPN is VPN discount coupons. If you manage to catch a promotion, you can get a VPN for over 80% cheaper. This is usually conditioned by the purchase of a long-term subscription.
Is IPVanish free?
IPVanish is not free, but it offers a trial version for mobile devices with Android and iOS. I also can’t skip the 30-day money-back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with IPVanish. You won’t get this VPN for free, but at least you won’t be buying a pig in a poke. For the frugal, I have a separate comparison where you can find the best free VPNs. However, I must warn you — free VPNs come with certain limitations and security risks.
How does the IPVanish app for Windows work?
Over the past few years, well-constructed VPN programs have transformed into minimalist applications that are a pleasure to use. Developers are finally thinking about users and their needs. We don’t want to tediously configure a VPN; we want to use it. The most important security features must be set by default as soon as the application is installed. IPVanish has this solution in place. Just install the app, log in with your user credentials, and you can immediately connect to the virtual private network.
The IPVanish app for Windows is essentially the same as apps from other VPN services – minimalist and easy to use. You can easily find the server location you want to connect to and navigate the settings, which include all the necessary features, without any problems.
I had no issues using the Windows app. I don’t really like the dark appearance of IPVanish, so I appreciated the option to change to a light theme.
How does the IPVanish app for Android work?
If the Windows app is minimalist and simple, then the Android app must be even more so. There’s no room for unnecessary things on a phone, and I’m glad that the IPVanish VPN app adheres to this principle.
This is probably just a subjective feeling, but I find the Android app to be a bit nicer than the Windows app. It probably doesn’t matter, because in the VPN application, you really just need to click a button to connect to the server, and for the rest of the time, it runs in the background.
The Android app has a solid rating in the Google Play store, where it received 4.3 stars. Like any application, IPVanish also loses points mainly due to users not understanding how the application works. I understand that if there were no user errors, the app would achieve a much better rating.
Pros and Cons of IPVanish
| Pros (+) | Cons (-) |
|---|---|
| + Usage on an unlimited number of devices simultaneously | - Lacks locations like Russia or China |
| + Huge number of unique IPs | |
| + Applications probably for any device and OS | |
| + 30-day money-back guarantee |
Summary
In my review, I wrote that I have the impression that IPVanish is aimed at users who are concerned about their privacy, but the company’s headquarters are in the USA, under whose jurisdiction it falls. In particular, there is the specter of the Five Eyes Alliance, which might want your data. This is the biggest concern of VPN users. Should you be afraid of this? Most likely not. That is, assuming you are not doing anything wrong. Unlocking streaming content is definitely not a very bad thing. No fear.
What I like about IPVanish is the support for the WireGuard®, OpenVPN, and IKEv2 protocols, where the application can automatically choose the best protocol at any given moment, but the user can decide which one they want to prioritize using. This might be useful to someone.
This VPN network offers everything you might need. It has a split tunneling feature, a kill switch, deep packet inspection, LAN traffic blocking, DNS leak protection, and much more. IPVanish has everything you need to feel secure.
When choosing a service, you definitely google its reviews right away, and bad reviews on the Google Play market and the like make your previously right decision uncertain. Applications available for various operating systems certainly have a few minor bugs, but generally work reliably and correctly. I always check the complaints I encounter in user reviews, but I wasn’t able to identify any of them in IPVanish.
If, for some reason, IPVanish convinces you, don’t be afraid of the service and give it a try. It is reliable. Moreover, you have a 30-day money-back guarantee if the product doesn’t meet your expectations.
Also, read our regularly updated comparison of fast VPN networks.
