IPVanish VPN - review, service reputation and latest 2025 reviews

IPVanish VPN appears in many ratings in the top ten. To be in demand, the service has a sufficient number of advantages, but to become a leader it is hindered by reputational circumstances. Let's understand where the company's employees "sinned", how the VPN works today, review the technical characteristics and see what users say about it on thematic forums. 

What OS is it suitable for?

The service has adapted applications for all popular operating systems: Windows, MacOS, Linux, IOS and Android. In addition, it:

• compatible with Chrome;
• works on routers and Fire TV devices;
• supports P2P;
• uses OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, IKEv2 and other protocols.

Compatibility with all major programs and devices positively influences the popularity of the app.

Advantages of IPVanish VPN

The service is owned by a large holding company J2 Global, which owns several other VPN applications. The weighty position of the company and its approach to the quality of products contributed to the characteristics of IPVanish. Many of them are openly announced on official resources, and they are confirmed during testing by specialists.

 IPVanish does not keep logs

Log collection is a major concern for many VPN users. Data on Internet activity can be shared with third parties, which fundamentally contradicts the principle of a virtual private network. Zero logging is clearly stated in the IPVanish privacy policy - this means that the system does not save any personal information and information about the activity of clients. This position gives confidence in complete anonymity and security, especially since no unauthorized leaks have been recorded in practice. It should be noted that this fact has not been confirmed by independent checks, so we can only take the company at its word.

Security and protocols

Encryption is AES 256 bit - one of the most secure methods, eliminating hacks and leaks, including through DNS and WebRTC. The technology ensures the concealment of information about the location and actions of users. More than 40000 IP addresses are available for the same purposes. The SOCKS5 proxy server used spoofs IP before the request reaches its final destination, which also reduces the risk of interception. The service firewall mixes the traffic of different clients, and this makes it difficult to track the actions of each of them.

The most suitable protocols for working with IPVanish are IKEv2 and OpenVPN. They may have different speeds when working with different applications. In these situations, it is necessary to try switching protocols and select the optimal one. When working with OpenVPN, there is an option to select a port.

Data Transfer Speed

An important characteristic of a VPN is the speed of traffic, which directly affects the ability to view content without delays. It depends on the remoteness of the selected server. So, with initial indicators of 100-200 Mbit/s IPVanish on American points demonstrates up to 60-70, in Europe - about 50, Asian and Australian regions sometimes give up to 80-90 Mbit/s. In general, the downlink does not exceed 40%, more often it is only 10-20%. For a remote connection, these are high results, so the service is good for streaming and torrenting. However, for gaming, difficulties may arise when connecting to servers located at long distances. In these situations, high ping is detected, significantly slowing down the gaming process.

Connecting to 10 devices simultaneously

You can connect up to 10 different devices to the VPN with one account. This is applicable for:

• home use - IPVanish can be installed on smartphones, tablets, laptops and other gadgets belonging to members of the same family;
• corporate application - within the office for work purposes employees can connect to the VPN by one login.

This is quite a competitive advantage, not all VPN providers provide collective surfing.

Convenient and simple functionality

IPVanish has one of the simplest interfaces among many VPNs. The use does not cause difficulties from the very moment of installation and registration. All user actions are accompanied by clear instructions. Many optimal modes are selected automatically, for example, Quick Connect function selects servers with the highest traffic speed. The best of them can be added to favorites. The service has an option of automatic disconnection in case of connection failure with a remote point, which protects personal data and reduces the risk of interception.

For Russian-speaking users, a pleasant bonus will be the presence of native language in the interfaces of applications for Windows and Android.

Large list of countries

The IPVanish access range includes no less than 75 countries, with the option to select by city. The largest concentration of servers is in the USA, Canada, England, Germany and Australia, even Brazilian locations are available. However, the list does not include states with various global and domestic restrictions, such as Russia and China. In total, there are more than 2,000 connection points around the world. An important feature is that all servers are owned, not rented, which adds a plus to security. 

A large selection not only increases the number of available IP addresses, but also reduces the load on the network. This has a direct impact on high connection speeds.

Several tariff plans

Downloading IPVanish VPN and making a long-term purchase is much more favorable than a monthly subscription. The savings can be up to 70%. However, you need to take into account that the maximum discounts are available only in the first year, when prolonging the cost will increase almost twice. As additional services for a fee, the subscription can include VIPRE antivirus or SugarSync cloud storage. Payment is made by card or via PayPal. Autopay is enabled by default, so it's important to keep an eye on deadlines. There are no anonymous payment methods.

Refund policy after 30 days of testing

If you sign up for an annual subscription to the service, all users have the option of a full refund within the first 30 days of use. There is no need to explain your decision. It is enough to click the cancel subscription button in your personal cabinet, and the company will refund the money without any explanation. On average, it takes 3-5 days for the funds to reach the user's account.

Technical support

The main advantage of feedback in the service is its availability in almost all languages thanks to automatic translators in chat. There are three ways to contact support:

• on the phone;
• through e-mail;
• in a 24-hour online chat room.

The fastest and most convenient option is to communicate with an employee in chat. After writing a question, the bot will offer ready-made answer options. If no solution is found, it will switch to live communication with a tech support specialist. The service is competent and polite, detailed answers come quickly and help in questions of application customization. 

Streaming and torrents

IPVanish reliably masks the user's location at good speeds. This allows unhindered access to resources that have certain restrictions in different countries. However, not all servers are suitable for this, and it is necessary to choose the one that works by experience. Thus, some points in the United States, for example, Miami and Chicago, allow you to freely watch Netflix content almost without buffering. Libraries in other countries are unavailable, which is officially confirmed by the support team of the VPN service. Such platforms as HBO Max, Hulu, Disney+ and others cannot be unblocked via IPVanish.

The service opens up unlimited opportunities to use torrents, including such resources as Kodi. High speed, smooth downloading is characteristic of all available servers and makes this VPN stand out among others. Safe downloading is ensured by IPv6 protection, DNS leak blocking and zero logs policy. When working with P2P files, you should not forget about copyright and compliance with legislation in this area.

Disadvantages of IPVanish VPN

The minuses of the service are mostly related to facts from the history of its existence. Specialists refer to a number of technical shortcomings, which are largely subjective. Everything depends on the purposes for which the VPN is used, as well as on the personal preferences of the user.

 Reputation problems

In 2016, there was an incident that became a "black mark" for the service. At the request of special services, the company gave out information about a specific user who was suspected of illegal actions. Given the gravity of the charges, from the moral side the act was understandable to the public. But it became obvious that the privacy policy was not up to par. IPVanish lost credibility, but after its next resale in 2019, the situation began to straighten out. No evidence of log collection and logging has been uncovered in the last three years.

Some experts are confused by the American jurisdiction of the service: this country has always had problems with data security and its accessibility to intelligence services. In the absence of illegal activity, these concerns are not justified.

Inconvenient "Problem Solving Form" section

Ready-made answers to questions in the support section are often of a generalized informational nature and do not fully answer the question posed. In any case, you have to contact a specialist directly, although the situation in this area has improved recently.

Is there a trial version?

Test use is possible within 30 warranty days, when a refund is possible. It is assumed that during this time the user will be able to evaluate the capabilities of the service and make a decision on further use. Other trial periods are not provided for by the VPN owner's policy.

Expert reviews of IPVanish VPN

On forums and IT-themed sites there are reviews about IPVanish VPN of the following content:

• "Good VPN for the price of a cup of coffee. It copes with the tasks, I watch Netflix without delays, but when opening it there is a small wait for loading";
• "The abundance of servers means that everyone won't be sitting on one at once, overloading it. In addition, the cross-platform nature of the VPN makes it great - it works with almost anything;
• "Bought it to watch shows on Netflix. Basically got what I wanted. Everything works clearly."
• "America is by default the absence of a No Log policy. The experts there won't allow it. Any, even minimal, suspicious actions towards the US will be detected and stopped."
• "I could be wrong, but I tested IPVanish a couple or three years ago and gave up on it because I couldn't find the important KillSwitch feature. Now there's an option to enable it, and that's great. It's not secure without it.

In general, the impression from using the program is positive, but many people say that the service has room to grow.

Let's summarize: is it worth paying for an IPVanish VPN subscription?

The app is firmly ranked among the leaders in terms of feature set:

• speeds are cut moderately, allowing you to browse content, share files and play online games in real time;
• safety policy is confirmed in practice, experts have not identified any serious deficiencies;
• technical support is constantly improving and users find it easier to solve problems;
• A large selection of servers expands the possibilities of use - if one server is not suitable for some purpose, you can choose another one;
• With fast, hassle-free refunds, it's easy to test the VPN and determine if it meets your personal needs;
• the service is convenient for group use - it saves money when there is a need for secure anonymous surfing in the network from several devices at once;
• proprietary applications for different platforms and operating systems make IPVanish versatile.

The subscription cost is adequate for the functionality offered, so many users actively use this tool for personal purposes.