IPVanish Review: How Does the VPN Perform in 2024?

We all know protecting our internet activity is important, but with so many good VPNs on the market, it’s tough to know what to choose. Today I got hands-on with IPVanish. In this IPVanish review, I explore many of its improvements since I last used it in 2022. But is it right for you?

What is IPVanish?

IPVanish is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that encrypts your internet connection in real-time to prevent hackers, other snoopers, and even your ISP from accessing your activity.

It allows you to change your visible IP address and spoof your location to virtually anywhere in the world. This protects your identity but also allows you to bypass geo-restricted content, unlock overseas streaming services, and cover your internet tracks.

Its multi-language apps are available on desktop, mobile, and streaming devices.

IPVanish Review – Key Features

IPVanish is packed with features. As well as standard settings found with most VPN providers, there are tons of extras, and it continues to add new functionality. If you want the best features and fastest servers it’s better to use a premium service over free VPNs.

Encryption and Security

Encryption is at the core of IPVanish and it no longer uses less secure protocols like PPTP, L2TP, and SSTP.

In place is the faster and more secure WireGuard protocol, which I personally use when streaming and gaming.

Nonetheless, the apps still give you the freedom to choose from other protocols, including IKEv2 (best for mobile), and OpenVPN, which is a good option for routers and experienced users looking to set up a connection on a device themselves.

Overall, it uses AES 256-bit encryption. This is the industry standard and is often called military-grade because it’s essentially impossible to crack.

Servers, Speed, and Unlimited Connections

With over 2,400 individual servers, spanning countries as far as Hong Kong, the UAE, South Africa, and Ukraine, you can securely travel the globe and access the web from restrictive countries.

And, of course, unblock overseas content from home. It also helps bypass firewalls and content filtering, so your ISP, school, or government cannot block what you access.

Many of its servers are now running at 25Gbps, which is the top end when it comes to VPNs. I had no trouble streaming in 4K, downloading torrents, and gaming lag-free.

Its apps automatically connect you to the fastest server based on your location settings and I like that it lists the current server load and ping, so there’s always a fast server to connect to that isn’t congested by other users.

Even better, it offers unlimited use. That means you can make as many connections, with as many devices, and different users as you want.

In comparison, ExpressVPN has an 8-device limit, while NordVPN maxes out at 10.

So, if you have many devices, a large household, or want to share your account, there are no restrictions. You could even use it to protect a small office.

Access All Major Streaming Services

A big selling point for VPNs is their ability to access different streaming services across the world. Unfortunately, many platforms have put measures in place to recognize VPN activity and suspicious IP addresses.

I found that IPVanish still performs excellently for all major streaming services, including Netflix. It also has optimized servers for many popular streaming services in the US, UK, Denmark, France, and Japan.

When compared to ExpressVPN, which applies a blanket approach, I found IPVanish to be more successful and consistent in 2024. From the UK, I was able to access US versions of Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ without any restrictions or performance issues.

Cross-Device Support

IPVanish has comprehensive support for all common desktop, mobile, and streaming devices. This includes:

• Desktop: Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS
• Mobile: Android, iOS, Apple Vision Pro
• Streaming: Apple TV, Fire TV, NVIDIA SHEILD, ONN4K, Chromecast, Nokia Streaming Box

It also has settings and guidelines to set it up on your entire network with a VPN compatible router.

Kill Switch

A kill switch is a vital feature for VPNs because it pauses all internet activity in the rare chance that the encrypted connection drops. IPVanish keeps you hidden until a connection is reestablished.

Like most VPNs, this is available on all common devices, but IPVanish goes a step further and has since implemented it on FireStick. This is perfect when using Amazon Fire TV to unblock geo-restricted content because it stops the service from ever knowing you were using a VPN and finding your real IP address.

Split Tunneling for Apps and Domains

I don’t always want to encrypt everything when using a VPN, especially when it is high-bandwidth and I’m at home. For that, IPVanish offers advanced split tunneling.

This lets you pick and choose the precise apps and websites you do and don’t want protected while the VPN is running on your device.

Other providers often restrict this feature to certain devices or only support app-based split tunneling. I was pleased to find full split tunneling is now available on Windows, Android, and iOS.

Privacy and No Logs Policies

A VPN is only as good as its own privacy policies. IPVanish employs a strict no-logs policy, which means it doesn’t log the access of its users. I.e., there are no meaningful records of your VPN usage, even if they were requested by law enforcement.

This is certified by third-party firm Leviathan Security.

Its privacy policy page is clear to understand, stating it: “Does not collect, monitor, or log your browsing activity.”

And only collects: “…aggregated and anonymous performance data to improve functionality and product performance,” without collecting IP addresses.

However, as is standard with most VPNs, it still holds your billing records, but does not sell or share any of this info.

Threat Protection

A VPN is just one aspect of protecting yourself online, so it’s good to see IPVanish has additional threat protection features.

This includes blocking intrusive ads, tracking cookies, and malicious sites. What’s more, this feature isn’t limited to just desktop or mobile.

As well as Windows, it protects you on macOS, iOS, Android mobile, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple Vision Pro.

While ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and other VPNs have similar features, IPVanish threat protection is available on more apps. This is ideal for those with many different devices. Moreover, there’s no extra cost to get this feature.

Multi-Language Support

Non-English speakers will be happy to know you can use its apps in different languages.

On Windows, Mobile, and Streaming Devices, it supports Polish, Italian, and Portuguese.

On macOS, it supports German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, and Italian.

Desktop and Mobile Interfaces

Modern and intuitive interfaces are available across the board and have a nice consistent look.

All beginners have to do is click or tap connect to connect to the fastest server based on their current location. Alternatively, you can hit the list of locations and choose a country and city.

I especially like the ability to choose individual servers, which show the load and ping, as well as the favorite feature to easily reconnect to my chosen server.

The apps are fast and lightweight. I really didn’t notice it working in the background and even its animated map didn’t slow things down, which I’ve experienced with Surfshark and NordVPN.

Most users will be good to go with the default settings, but you’ll have no trouble navigating to the split tunneling, protocol selection, or threat protection features.

IPVanish Customer Support

I had no trouble contacting IPVanish support. It has 24/7 live chat, email, and even phone support (9 am – 5 pm CT, Monday-Friday).

It can take a few minutes to reach a real person, but support staff are knowledgeable and helpful.

The site itself also has an extensive knowledge base if you’re struggling to understand some of its features or how to set things up on more complex devices.

IPVanish Pricing

IPVanish pricing is comparable to most of the leading VPNs on a monthly basis, but it does offer exceptional discounts if you commit to a longer period upfront.

The main drawback is its 7-day free trial is only available on mobile and you must cancel it before being billed. Here’s how its plans currently stack up:

• $12.99 per Month
• Yearly 78% off – ($2.79/mo; $33.48)
• Two Years 83% off – ($2.19/mo; $52.56)

IPVanish offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

IPVanish Review – Verdict

To conclude this IPVanish review, there isn’t much not to like. Get unlimited connections, a very fast network, advanced split tunneling, and access to geo-restricted streaming services. Threat protection at no extra cost is the icing on the cake.

Although other VPNs might have more servers or locations, most users don’t need these, and IPVanish performs exceptionally well across a comprehensive range of devices.

Try the free trial yourself on mobile and if you like it, go premium to experience it on all your computers and devices.

I can say that since I last used it in 2022, IPVanish is now my go to VPN.