IPVanish VPN Review

9 minute read

Posted by: DeepDotWeb

November 17, 2015

In the world of VPN protection, IPVanish has stepped up in the last few years. It has become a world-renowned VPN service provider that comes with a complete solution for all devices. This company has over 367 servers across Europe, North America and Asia, offering encrypted Internet connections for many years.

IPVanish in a Nutshell

With more than 15 years of hard-gained experience in the technology industry, the engineers at IPVanish have managed to design a VPN solution that manages all aspects of a VPN network using in-house software, servers and tools. IPVanish own its own servers, offering high speed at all times. It works on both Windows and Mac.

Their anti-logging policy, special offers, 7-day money back guarantee, speed and the fact that they are one of the only Tier 1 VPN providers on the market prove that IPVanish is serious about delivering the best service possible. A Tier 1 VPN Provider is one that owns and manages all of their VPN servers. Nearly all other VPN providers just rent rack space in server farms around the world and are managed by sub-contractors, this means that they are vulnerable to outside tampering as they are not in physical control of their server network. With IPVanish you do not have this risk.

IPVanish Free Trial

IPVanish offer one of the best guarantees in the business, a 7-day money back guarantee for any reason you don’t like their service. So make sure to give them a good test out for the first week if you choose them and make the most of the trial period.

>> Click HERE to Visit the IPVanish Official Site

Interface and Setup

The interface of IPVanish is user-friendly, very easy to use and quite reliable. Signing up is a simple process and takes only a few minutes. Once you are logged into the platform, you will have the ability to change your current IP address, change the server you want to connect to, and a whole lot more.

IPVanish supports OpenVPN, L2TP and PPTP. While OpenVPN is the best protocol for desktops, L2TP and PPTP are ideal for mobile devices. PPTP is less secure than L2TP, but faster.

The new Windows client is much more reliable than the previous one released in 2012. IPVanish 2.0 enables you to watch Hulu, Netflix, news and sports anywhere in the world while staying protected from ISPs and hackers who might try to hack your computer, both via your personal network or on public Wi-Fi.

The interface for the Windows client is clean and extremely user-friendly.  In the right side you will notice several tabs: Dashboard, Server Selection, IP Settings, Account and Support.

Once you click on the Server Selection tab, the world map opens up in the left side. The map is extremely easy to use. You only need to zoom a location to get a more detailed view of the servers available in that area. Move your mouse over the green and yellow circles to check and select any of the servers available in an area. Remember, the lower the ping, the better your connection. If you are a gamer, aim for the lowest pings.

You can choose a server from the server selection tab. You can also view all the servers and their ping time from the same list.

Below the “Server Selection” tab you have the “IP Settings” tab. Here you can choose your favorite protocol to connect, select the port, chose whether to connect at startup, minimize to tray the UI or choose to save login credentials.

The Mac client is similar to the Windows one, being very easy to use and coming with multiple features. Two features offered to Mac users are the unique ability to change the IP after certain time intervals and the VPN kill switch. Both of these features provide an extra layer of privacy and protection.

You can also connect to the IPVanish servers from your Android or iOS device. You can download the apps for free from Google Play, or Apple App Store.

Security

IPVanish has been created with the purpose of being the safest and most secure VPN in the whole world. With a team of over 200 employees and over 360 servers in more than 60 countries worldwide, IPVanish gives you the necessary ability to surf anonymously and gain access to blocked websites from every corner of the globe.

The standard OpenVPN uses a 256-bit encryption and lets you choose between UDP and TCP connections. The UDP connection is recommended for the best performance and enhanced security.

In terms of security, IPVanish offers a unique feature called NAT firewall. This feature is either unsupported by most providers or is an add-on that costs extra money. Thanks to the NAT firewall, IPVanish helps block inbound traffic from third-party websites in order to give you 24/7 protection against hacks, Trojans and malwares.

Privacy

One of the greatest benefits of IPVanish is that it keeps ZERO logs, meaning it doesn’t record ANY of your usage. You can practically use peer-to-peer tools and torrents together with many other file-storing methods without being sued by the governments of any other company. This is especially important when wanting to use it with Tor to access the Deep Web. The whole point of using a VPN is to increase your level of security and to give you the best possible privacy so no one knows what you are doing. If you are using a VPN the logs usage, then you open yourself up to all types of risks.

IPVanish offers a large selection of over 25,000+ IP’s to choose from. Thanks to the instant kill switch feature, your connection is frozen in case it drops, so that nothing gets exposed. Additionally, you also have the option to use custom DNS settings.

Upon evaluating the DCMA policy and its privacy policy, we have concluded that IPVanish rightfully claims to have a zero log policy. Because they are a Tier 1 VPN provider they are one of the few companies that can truly guarantee that no logs are kept.

IPVanish Privacy Policy: https://www.ipvanish.com/privacy-policy.php

IPVanish Terms Of Service: https://www.ipvanish.com/tos.php

IPVanish DCMA Policy: https://www.ipvanish.com/dmca-policy.php

Speed

With any VPN service speed is a very important factor especially if you are using it for streaming, downloading big files, P2P Torrents or using it along with Tor. We all know that when you use Tor it slows the speed down quite a lot so you really want a VPN that will not slow it down too much more.

Well IPVanish performs extremely well in the speed department. We were able to stream movies with no problem at all while using the VPN, Tor performed as usual and the speed tests all performed reasonably well. You do get a drop in download and upload speed but it is not a lot and this is the same with all VPN providers. The cost of having increased security and privacy by encrypting all your information is a reduced internet speed.

Usability

When it comes to usability, IPVanish exceeds all expectations. If you have used VPNs for a while, you have definitely noticed that annoying reconnecting message popping once in a while. IPVanish has an automatic VPN reconnect feature that helps you have a flawless video streaming and VOIP experience.

IPVanish also have one of the best Mobile apps on the market. You don’t have to manually configure the VPN in the setting of your phone like so many other VPN’s. With their app you just launch it and then select your server location, protocol and then connect. You are then protected by IPVanish VPN no matter where you are, this is awesome for when on public Wi-Fi as this is an easy spot for hackers to get into your phone or computer and steal your details.

Features

IPVanish offer some of the best features when compared to other VPN’s and they continue to roll out new features and updates continuously. All of these updates come free to you as the customer. Some of their best features are:

  • ZERO Logs (No Information Recorded).
  • Tier 1 VPN Provider.
  • Unlimited Bandwidth.
  • Excellent Speed.
  • Free VPN Software.
  • Allows P2P Torrent Traffic Unthrottled.
  • Servers in Over 60 Countries.
  • Use Custom DNS Settings.
  • NAT Firewall for Added Security.
  • Kill Switch Feature to Stop Leaks.
  • Lightweight Software.
  • 24/7 365 Support.
  • Bitcoin Accepted.
  • 7 Day Trial.

Compatibility

IPVanish is compatible with the following:

  • Computer
    • Microsoft Windows
    • Apple Mac OSX
    • Ubuntu
    • Linux
    • Chromebook
  • Mobile
    • Apple iPhone iOS
    • Windows Phone
    • Android
  • Routers
    • Tomato Routers
    • DD-WRT Router

IPVanish’s mobile app works great with VoIP apps such as Skype and Viber to keep your conversations to yourself.

It is also worth noting that IPVanish works great with Tor browser which is great for all of the users that want to get the very best security, anonymity and privacy while searching around the Deep Web. The last thing you want is to just rely on Tor to be your only source of anonymity while on the Deep Web, if your ISP is on to you then they can be logging all of your Tor sessions and making a profile of your usage to find connections, or even worse is if the Tor entry or exit node has been compromised and Law Enforcement have it. Without a VPN you are screwed really.

Pricing and Checkout

IPVanish have 3 different packages to choose from.

In all 3 packages you get the same service, nothing is different except the discount. The yearly package is the best value with a 46% discount at $77.99 which works out to $6.49 per month. Then you have the 3 month plan for $26.99 where you get a 25% discount which works out to $8.99 per month. Lastly there is the monthly plan at $10 per month.

Once your payment has been accepted, go here and download the software you need. Once installed on your computer or mobile device, you will be able to log in using your details and start navigating safely online.

>> Click HERE to Visit the IPVanish Official Site

The whole checkout process is very simple and straight forward. There are no “Extras” or “Add-ons” they try and upsell to you which is quite refreshing. You just enter in the info for payment and you get access to their Virtual Private Network and then download the free VPN Software to run it.

 Support

Even though IPVanish does not have 24/7 live support, the support FAQ is very well designed to answer all of your questions. In case you don’t find your answer on their support page, email them, browse the forums or simply send them a message on Facebook. You will get a reply faster than you’ll expect.

Conclusion

If privacy is of paramount importance to you when navigating online and you need a reliable, secure and feature-rich VPN provider, there is probably no better option than IPVanish. Even though it has a few minor flaws like no kill switch on the Windows version yet, this service has a zero-log policy and added security features that make it very reliable, providing a satisfactory experience to privacy focused users.

>> Click HERE to Visit the IPVanish Official Site

Updated: 2015-11-17

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