IPVanish Review 2024: Tested Speed, Streaming, & Security

Speed — IPVanish Has Amazing Speeds on All of Its Servers

IPVanish is one of the fastest VPNs I’ve tested. With baseline speeds around 400 Mbps, I recorded a 15-20% drop on local servers, while the speed on distance servers fell by 25-40%.

In my tests, I focused on 3 key aspects of VPN performance:

• Download speed: This measures how fast data comes to your device, affecting how quickly websites load and videos stream.
• Upload speed: The speed at which you send data from your device, like when you’re uploading videos, sending emails, or sharing files.
• Ping: The time it takes for data to travel to and from a server, which is important for real-time online activities like gaming. A lower ping means a more responsive and smoother connection.

Speed Test Results

IPVanish’s UK and Germany servers slowed down my connection by 15%, while the US server decreased my speeds by 21%. The Australian server was even slower, with a speed drop of around 55%.

Regardless of whether I connected to a local or distant server, my connection was fast. I was also impressed at the small drops in ping on most of the servers I tried.

Next, I tested the speeds of IPVanish’s various protocols — IKEv2, L2TP, PPTP, and OpenVPN — against its default WireGuard protocol. WireGuard proved to be the best, with optimal speed and security balance. OpenVPN was a close second.

PPTP offered the highest speeds, near to my 398 Mbps baseline, but has weaker encryption so it may not be the best choice if you’re safety conscious. L2TP was the slowest, with a 60% drop from my baseline.

Gaming Speed — Nearby Servers Had Low Ping and Fast Speeds for Lag-Free Gaming

Even though IPVanish offers fast speeds on nearby and distant servers, you’ll always have an increased ping rate on faraway servers. That’s why I recommend connecting to the server nearest to your location to enjoy secure and lag-free gaming.

On servers near my location, I played Dota 2 with no noticeable lag. My speeds were consistently high, and my ping was between 50-100 ms most of the time.

To find IPVanish servers with the lowest ping and user load, go to the “Quick Connect” tab. Then use the dropdowns to select your home country and choose “Best Available Server.” The client will then find the fastest server in your area for you.

IPVanish also protects your gaming sessions from DDoS attacks for uninterrupted play. DDoS attacks can disrupt online gaming by overloading your network.

For gaming consoles, the best VPN setup is usually via a router. However, IPVanish requires manual router configuration (unlike ExpressVPN, which provides router firmware). Plus, IPVanish is compatible with cloud gaming platforms like GeForce.

Considering its low price, I was blown away by IPVanish’s server network since it has 2,400+ servers in 55 countries with 40,000+ IP addresses.

Server Network — Self-Owned Network With Impressive Global Coverage (But No Specialized Servers)

Most of IPVanish’s servers are located in the US, the UK, and Australia. However, it also has significant coverage in Africa, the Middle East, and South America, which is rare even among the best VPNs. With so many options, it’s easy to find a nearby low-load server in any country.

IPVanish’s “Optimal Location” feature quickly finds the best server based on your location — I was always able to connect in just 2-4 seconds without any issues. If you have a specific country in mind, enter it into the search box and select your preferred server location.

The drop-down menu lets you sort by ping, country, or load. You can also sort by favorites (to mark a server as a favorite, just click the star next to it).

Another big bonus is that IPVanish owns its servers rather than renting them, so your data is more secure. This is because IPVanish has much more control over how its servers are run and accessed.

Unfortunately, IPVanish doesn’t have any optimized servers for gaming, streaming, or torrenting. If this is something you look for in a VPN, I suggest you try CyberGhost.

Torrenting — Supports Torrenting, but Doesn’t Offer Optimized Servers

IPVanish supports torrenting on its entire server network. Though it doesn’t have optimized servers for P2P file transfer, I found the speeds really fast for torrenting. I downloaded a 2-hour public domain documentary, and even with only 5 peers, it finished in less than 20 minutes.

There are no server or data restrictions. You just have to make sure DNS and IPv6 Leak Protection are both turned on to ensure your downloads and uploads stay anonymous.

Adhering to a DMCA notice on its website, IPVanish commits to comply with copyright requests. It’s important to remember that while IPVanish protects your privacy while torrenting, you should always use a VPN responsibly. Make sure you aren’t infringing on copyright or breaking any other laws.

IPVanish also provides SOCKS5 proxies in over 20 locations, which is useful for hiding your IP in BitTorrent clients. This proxy doesn’t encrypt traffic, so downloads are a bit faster. For example, I found London’s proxy address 5% faster than the regular VPN connection in the same location.

Keep in mind that the SOCKS5 proxy is less secure than a VPN since there’s no encryption. You can find the proxy addresses and setup guides in your IPVanish dashboard.

Does IPVanish Work in China? No

IPVanish doesn’t work in China. Bypassing firewalls requires advanced obfuscation technology to make traffic appear normal, which IPVanish lacks. My team tested ExpressVPN in China, and it’s one of the very few VPNs that work successfully there.

Chinese authorities prohibit and regulate the use of VPNs. Their approach typically involves blocking VPN technology rather than targeting individual users. However, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with local regulations before using a VPN in China. I strongly advocate for legal and responsible VPN use and do not endorse violating laws.

Security Features

IPVanish has top-of-the-range security, offering standout features like military-grade encryption, “Scramble” obfuscation, split-tunneling, and a kill switch, securing your data from hackers and other third parties.

Encryption — Strong Encryption to Keep Your Data Hidden

IPVanish secures your data with military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, which is the same level of encryption used by banks and the military. This encryption uses a 256-bit key, making it virtually unbreakable, even by the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

Furthermore, it incorporates SHA512 for authentication and DHE-RSA 2048 key exchange, ensuring perfect forward secrecy. Your data remains unreadable, even if a decryption key is compromised.

VPN Protocols — WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and IPSec

IPVanish offers various VPN protocols, each with specific characteristics and suitable for different needs:

• WireGuard — a newer, faster protocol that uses less of your device’s resources. However, it’s still under development and may not bypass every firewall.
• OpenVPN (UDP & TCP) — highly secure, OpenVPN offers two types — UDP prioritizes speed, while TCP is more reliable but slower.
• IKEv2 — fast and secure, particularly for mobile devices, as it seamlessly switches from WiFi to cellular data without dropping the VPN connection.
• IPSec — provides basic encryption and is often used alongside other protocols for an extra layer of security.

SOCKS5 Proxy — Boosts Speeds, but Requires Technical Knowledge to Set Up

The SOCKS5 Proxy offered by IPVanish can increase your speeds significantly, but it does require some technical know-how to set up. This proxy can also help navigate internet restrictions. It’s a powerful tool for enhancing performance, especially for activities like streaming and torrenting.

The SOCKS5 proxy does not encrypt your data. While it may improve speed, using it alone isn’t recommended for secure browsing or activities where privacy is a concern. Also, it’s not designed to overcome robust firewalls.

Kill Switch — Works Flawlessly if Your Connection Drops

IPVanish has a kill switch to protect your data if you lose your VPN connection. When I intentionally crashed the app by overloading my PC with background processes, my internet shut off instantly, and none of my data was revealed. You’ll need to turn the kill switch on manually (it’s turned off by default).

It isn’t included in the iOS version, which is a problem if you lose your VPN connection. It would also be nice if the desktop versions had a notification when the kill switch is tripped (like ExpressVPN has), but even without this it is a solid feature.

Leak Protection — No DNS, IPv6, or WebRTC Leaks

I ran IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leak tests — my IP address, location, and browsing activities stayed completely hidden with IPVanish.

This ensures that your online activity can’t be linked to your true identity.

Scramble Obfuscation — Helps You Bypass VPN Blocks

When you connect using the OpenVPN protocol, you can turn on a feature called Scramble. According to IPVanish, Scramble can help you access the internet in high-censorship countries. This is because it hides the fact that you’re using a VPN.

Our research team, who are based in regions with high internet censorship, tested IPVanish in their respective countries. They discovered that it worked effectively in some places, like Turkey, but wasn’t strong enough to bypass the stringent controls in China.

Split Tunneling — Available for Windows, Android, and Amazon Fire TV/Stick (Limited on iOS)

IPVanish’s Android, Amazon Fire TV, and Fire Stick apps offer split tunneling, letting you choose which apps use the VPN connection. Its iOS app offers only domain-based split tunneling, which means you can include or exempt certain website domains from the VPN connection but not mobile apps.

This feature is useful for location-sensitive apps like banking or weather. For instance, if you’re in the US, accessing a bank account through a Turkish server might trigger fraud alerts. Exempting banking apps from VPN usage prevents such issues, keeping your accounts accessible.

Threat Protection — Available on Fire TV, Android, and iOS Devices

IPVanish’s Threat Protection, available on Android, iOS, and Fire TV, elevates your online safety by blocking ads, trackers, and malicious content. This is a pioneering feature for Fire Stick and Fire TV. It operates discreetly in the background, ensuring a safer, ad-free online experience. Soon, IPVanish will extend this enhanced protection to Windows and Mac users, too.

VIPRE Antivirus — Protects From Malware and Ransomware

VIPRE Antivirus offers robust protection against a wide range of cyber threats, including malware and ransomware. Its advanced security features are designed to detect and neutralize these threats effectively, safeguarding your system from malicious attacks.

Extra Features — SugarSync Is a Great Deal if You Need File Storage

For an additional couple of dollars per month, you can add SugarSync cloud storage to your yearly subscription. This gets you file storage that is secured with AES-256 encryption and it’s a lot cheaper than paying for the service separately.

Privacy Features

IPVanish is a no-logs VPN, but it is based in the US (5 Eyes alliance member), which could be a privacy concern. However, since IPVanish keeps no logs, it should have no information to give, even if subpoenaed to court.

To register, you’ll need to provide an email and payment information. However, IPVanish’s privacy policy assures that this information is used solely for processing payments and providing email support.

No-Logs Policy — Independently-Audited Zero-Logs Policy

IPVanish once faced a situation where, despite being a no-logs VPN, it provided user log information to the US government during a 2016 court case. This included details like login times, which raised concerns about its privacy claims. However, IPVanish has since undergone significant changes and is now under new ownership.

Since then, IPVanish’s privacy practices have been assessed by Leviathan Security Group, an independent third-party auditor. The results proved that IPVanish fully conforms to its no-logs policy, meaning that it doesn’t store any information on users’ traffic or specific usage. This provides you the comfort of a tried and tested policy which is especially important given the previous privacy incident.

Company Jurisdiction — Inside the 5 Eyes Alliance

Headquartered in the US, IPVanish falls under 5 Eyes jurisdiction. The US collects data on web users and shares it with other countries as part of an intelligence-gathering agreement, which is terrible for your privacy. Thankfully, IPVanish is truly a zero-logs VPN, so surveilling its servers wouldn’t provide anything useful to investigators.

If you have any problems you can get answers through 24/7 chat, email, phone, or the extensive online knowledge base. Support is also available directly from the mobile apps in case, you need to share diagnostic files for troubleshooting. Live chat was the fastest, so that’s the option I’d recommend.

24/7 Live Chat — Bot Answers Instantly, an Agent Replies in 2 Minutes

If you want to chat with a live agent, click the “live chat icon” in the bottom-right corner of the website, and you’ll be prompted to pick a department. Then, input your subject line and question. I occasionally had to wait for a representative to get to my place in the queue, but it never took more than 2 minutes.

I found IPVanish’s AI chatbot surprisingly helpful on its own, providing links to knowledge base articles that answered many of my questions about setting up apps, connecting to servers, and security features. I got answers to basic inquiries using the AI bot faster than with a live agent.

Phone Support — Not as Reliable as 24/7 Live Chat

IPVanish offers phone support for 7 different countries, but it’s usually too busy to be immediately helpful. I asked a live chat rep what IPVanish’s hours were, and he said phone support is available 7am – 7pm CST (UTC -6). Unfortunately, both times I called the US number, I was put on hold for 5 minutes before being prompted to leave a message and hang up.

Email Support — Fast Email Replies Within an Hour

You can opt to leave a message for support to get further information emailed to you. The agent who replied to my email responded quickly and answered my question within an hour.

Online Resources & FAQs — Extensive Knowledge Base and Simple FAQ

I was most impressed by IPVanish’s online knowledge base. You can find a ton of information, including general FAQ documents along with detailed setup guides and in-depth articles.