We put these VPNs to the test to find out which is the best!
Editor's Note: We value our relationship with our readers, and we strive to earn your trust through transparency and integrity. We are in the same ownership group as some of the industry-leading products reviewed on this site: ExpressVPN, Cyberghost, Private Internet Access, and Intego. However, this does not affect our review process, as we adhere to a strict testing methodology.
It’s no surprise that CyberGhost is one of the top 3 VPNs that we’ve reviewed while IPVanish has been dropping in our ranking over the past year. After putting both these VPNs through a rigorous test you can clearly see that CyberGhost was able to edge out IPVanish in every major category.
We ran speed tests while connected with both VPNs at various times throughout the day. CyberGhost outperformed IPVanish is every time slot. This is very important for users who are using a VPN for watching US Netflix, which isn’t a factor with IPVanish since they are currently blocked by Netflix.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Download speed reduction | 36% (UK) | 37% (UK) |
| Upload speed reduction | 22% (FRA) | 30% (FRA) |
| Ping time to google.com | 309.29ms | 363.25ms |
| Average time to connect (sec.) | 13ms | 10ms |
| Unblock successful for |
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| Visit Site | Visit Site |
Speed determines how fast content uploads, so if you're torrenting or streaming, you want the speed to be somewhat identical to your regular internet speed. Since a VPN encrypts your data, it usually takes a bit longer to send your data back and forth, which can slow down your connection. However, if your ISP deliberately slows down your connection (also known as throttling) a VPN might increase your internet speed. Testing a VPN is somewhat pointless because new servers pop up and affect speed. Your speed can also differ according to your location, so your speed test might not match ours. Having said that, we tested the speed in numerous locations to provide you with the average.
In terms of pure numbers IPVanish has over 1,100 servers in 60 countries and CyberGhost has around 2,200 servers in 60 countries. Of course, there is more than just pure numbers when comparing servers. While CyberGhost has divided their servers by usage, best for streaming and best for torrenting, IPVanish allows you to filter by speed, usage percentage and latency.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Server Locations | 11670 | 1000 |
| Server Countries | 100 | 55 |
| IP Addresses | 1,300+ | 40,000 |
| Dynamic Server Switching | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
The ratio of servers to countries is an important factor to look at when choosing a VPN. Only paying attention to location or number of servers can get you in trouble. More servers generally means faster speeds, but if VPN X has a few more servers than VPN Y but twice as many users, VPN X will typically have slower speeds. Ideally, you want a VPN that has a lot of servers in every location. This way you won’t have to worry that server/country that you want will be overburdened and running slow.
Both CyberGhost and IPVanish do a good job when it comes to customer support. They both have 24/7 Live Chat as well as an extensive knowledgebase and FAQ section. We’ll give CyberGhost the nod here because they offer their customers a 45-day money back guarantee compared to IPVanish’s 7-day return policy.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Email Response Time | 14 | 0.2 |
| 24/7 Support | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| Knowledge Base | ||
| Video Tutorials | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
We personally test the customer support team of every VPN we review. This means asking technical question through the live chat feature (where applicable) and measuring the response time for email questions. Whether you need to connect to a specific server, change your security protocol, or configure a VPN on your router, finding a VPN with quality customer support should be important to you.
CyberGhost has a very easy to use VPN client. Not only are the servers divided into best for torrenting and best for streaming, the streaming ones also indicate which platforms they work with. This means if you want to watch US Netflix or Hulu you can find the servers optimized specifically for those sites. You can also mark servers as “Favorites” which makes it easy to find what you like the next time.
There are some great features that are in included in every package of CyberGhost. You can set exceptions for certain websites if you want to access them without a VPN. There is also a built-in ad blocked and malicious website blocker to keep all your data secure.
You can easily setup CyberGhost across most major platforms, including Linux and routers. The setup instructions are easy to follow, just login to your account and follow the on-screen instructions.
IPVanish is a very easy-to-use VPN. When it loads up you have the option to connect with the best possible server. Typically, the closest server to your current geographic location is selected by default. However, you do have the flexibility to choose the specific server you wish to connect to. For each country, you have the opportunity to select the optimal server available in that particular location.
The settings are very easy to manage. Just click on the “Settings” button and you’ll have the option to change the security protocol, activate IPv6 and DNS Leak protection as well as turn on a kill switch and auto reconnect.
IPVanish does excel when it comes to using with third party applications like the Amazon Fire Stick, Kodi, and IPTV. It also has apps available across all major platforms, including iOS, Android, and Linux.
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