The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
IVPN is a great option for people who want more control of their VPN settings and want to protect their privacy. It’s not for people who want to get around geo-restrictions so if you want to stream US Netflix outside the US, look elsewhere.What's good
- Multi-hop feature
- Powerful customization options
- Transparent privacy policy
- Live chat
- Bitcoin support
What's bad
- Inconsistent upload speeds
- Doesn’t unblock Netflix, BBC iPlayer
Despite being around since 2009, you’ve probably never heard of IVPN. In terms of scale, they are one of the smaller VPN options on the market. So does it make sense to try out a smaller product versus a more well-known one? Let’s break down what reviewers have to say.
Pricing
IVPN’s month-to-month and yearly subscriptions are more expensive than the bigger names. However, they offer a three-day trial so you can try it out before you buy. IVPN states their higher costs allow them to, “... Provide you with better security, faster services, and awesome support from IT professionals.”
Supported Devices
You can download the app for Windows, iOS, Android, and iPhone. They also have a detailed setup guide if you want to install on Linux and your routers.
Ease of Use
IVPN downloads quickly and reviewers found the various settings and features easy to navigate thanks to an intuitive interface. Servers are sorted by location and you can choose servers using both ping times or location.
It’s very straightforward with The Best VPN stating, “The user interface is among the best I’ve seen in the VPN game. I love the ease of use.”
Simultaneous Connections
Regardless of which subscription you choose, you can connect up to five devices.
Included Features
IVPN might be expensive, but you get a nice selection of useful features for the price, including:
- Multi-hop connections to route traffic through two VPN servers
- Kill switch
- Torrenting/P2P support
- Customized list of trusted/non-trusted networks
- Customizable OpenVPN switches
- Obfsproxy to bypass VPN blocking
These features are great for people looking for more control over their VPN. Though, sadly, while this is a great service to protect your identity, it doesn’t unblock Netflix or BBC iPlayer.
Privacy and Logging
IVPN has a clear and simple logging policy. It will not record:
- Traffic
- DNS requests
- Connection timestamp and duration
- Bandwidth
- IP address
- Account activity
In terms of privacy, they only hold your email address. You can even pay with Bitcoin for added anonymity. Many critics were thrilled with their transparent privacy policy, considering it one of the best in the market for its concise explanations.
Performance
There aren’t a lot of server locations available, but experts connected to them without issue. As expected, servers closer to reviewers’ locations offered the best speeds, with transfers slowing down the further they got from their location. Regardless of location, upload speeds tended to be much slower and inconsistent across the board.
Support
IVPN offers live chat support and email support, FAQs, and a knowledge base. For the most part, critics were very happy with the live chat feature as they could receive helpful responses within a few minutes.
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Summary
IVPN might not be the biggest name in the VPN market, but they know what their customers want and reviews for the service are proof of that.
Technadu states, “... We can easily recommend IVPN. Its primary focus is to keep your Web browsing safe… And even though it comes with some downsides, it does its job admirably well.”
TechRadar adds, “IVPN’s network is relatively small, but the clients are easy to use, with some unusually powerful tweaks and settings… It’s a likeable alternative…”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Aliza Vigderman, Gabe Turner, Security.orgWhile most VPNs encrypt our web traffic just once, IVPN did it multiple times, making our activity more hidden than ever. Plus, they didn't store our activity once we were done, so our browsing was truly private even when on a public Wi-Fi network.
- Ian Paul, Good Gear GuideIVPN is steadily getting better. It has an outstanding approach to providing as much user anonymity as possible with auto-generated account numbers and cash payment options. It’s also using WireGuard, which not only provides good speeds but is very fast to connect. IVPN is pricey, and you can defini...
- Ian Paul, PCWorldGibraltar-based IVPN has a small network of servers, but mostly excellent speeds, and a solid privacy policy. It's pricier than other VPN services, but for those who want a solid set of privacy features including better anonymity than most services it's a good choice.
- Yael Grauer, The WirecutterIVPN may be a better deal if you plan to use it on six or seven devices or if you catch it on sale. In our tests it was almost as fast and consistent as Mullvad, and it’s similarly transparent, trustworthy, and easy to use.
- Max Eddy, PC MagazineIVPN offers strong privacy protections and multihop connections at affordable, flexible prices. Although its collection of servers is small, it's an excellent VPN service.
Details
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Malta |
| Pricing/Sign Up | |
| Starting Price (per Month) | $5.00 |
| Plans and Pricing | Visit Site |
| Free Trial | 3 days |
| Money Back Guarantee | 7 Days |
| Payment Options | Credit Cards, PayPal, Bitcoin |
| ID Required | Valid email address |
| Features | |
| Server Locations (# of Countries) | 32 |
| Number of Servers | 45 + |
| Devices Per License | 5 |
| Simultaneous Connections | 5 |
| Unlimited Bandwidth | Yes |
| Double-Hop / Double VPN | Yes |
| Accesses Netflix | Yes |
| P2P / Torrenting Allowed | Yes |
| Accepts Bitcoin | Yes |
| Non-US Company | Yes |
| Protected | |
| Protocols | IPSec, L2TP, OpenVPN, WireGuard |
| Encryption | AES-256, RSA-4096 |
| No Logs / No Tracking | Yes |
| Dedicated IP Available | No |
| VPN Over Tor | No |
| Wi-Fi Leak Protection | Yes |
| Private DNS Server | Yes |
| DNS Leak Protection | Yes |
| IP Leak Protection | Yes |
| WebRTC Leak Protection | Yes |
| IPv6 Leak Protection | Yes |
| Kill Switch | Yes |
| Supported Platforms | |
| Operating Systems | Windows, Mac OSX, iOS, Linux, Android |
| Mobile App | Yes |
| Router | Yes |
| Browser Extension | No |
| Customer Support | |
| 24/7 Support | Yes |
| Live Chat Support | Yes |
| Telephone Support | No |
| Email Support | |
| More | |
| Additional comments | |
| Terms & Conditions | Official Terms & Conditions |
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