IVPN Review 2024: Can It Stand Its Ground Against the Competition?

IVPN offers a safe way to browse the internet while being a company you can trust. Its virtual private network (VPN) uses various encryption and protocols to ensure privacy. IVPN's website is brimming with helpful information, which reinforces its dedication to ethical practices and transparency. IVPN strives to be accountable, both through third-party audits and by adhering to the principles outlined in its manifesto.

IVPN believes doing this sets itself apart from other recognized VPN brands. Those are big shoes to fill, but luckily the product does stand on its own. The VPN service is built with an AntiTracker, a kill switch, and servers in places where privacy is key. These factors make it a reliable VPN that hides your personal information and protects against leaks; although, there are some discrepancies that are worth taking a deeper look at. Let's dive in.

IVPN review at a glance

Who is IVPN best for?

• Recommended for people looking for realistic anonymity on the internet.

Realistic anonymity is IVPN's way of saying to not bet on a VPN to be the be-all-end-all in security. Sure, its manifesto may make the team seem like renegades on a mission to protect your personal information that’s floating in cyberspace. However, the service attempts to rectify the abilities of a VPN by debunking myths that other brands may use to sell them: myths like defending against threats and identity theft. Instead, IVPN clarifies what a VPN actually achieves. It is to allow you to feel secure with a masked IP address and that your activity isn't logged or monitored by your ISP.

It’s no surprise then that we loved seeing that IVPN sports a strict no-logs policy and that it doesn’t even need your email address or credit card information. But the best part, and IVPN’s biggest advantage, is its commitment to total transparency. We believe that this promise to let customers know when their service is going to be impacted builds trust. And we like companies we can trust.

IVPN pros and cons

IVPN features

IVPN’s approach to features differs from those of NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or Surfshark. Its website strips away the colorful marketing present on other VPN websites. Buying IVPN means you’re concerned with the security performance of a VPN, not with the possibility of streaming Netflix on international servers. If that’s what you’re looking for, then this may not be the service for you. The features are sparse, but we don’t see that as a negative. With fewer features, more attention can be put toward encryption.

Server count and countries

• 88 servers in 36 countries

VPNs like Surfshark and NordVPN offer connectable VPN servers by the thousands. IVPN has a much more modest server network of 88 servers, a majority of which are in Europe and the U.K. A high server count is nice for testing connections in a foreign country. However, countries and territories with compromised privacy laws can be unsafe. This is something that IVPN is trying to combat against.

No-logs policy and headquarters

• IVPN logs policy: No logs
• IVPN headquarters: Gibraltar

The last thing you want is a digital paper trail with info about who you are. Websites you interact with are gathering information on you, including your regional location, interaction data, and DNS server with a log of the websites you frequent. But an encrypted VPN that sports a no-logs policy blocks this data collection. IVPN claims it doesn’t log your internet traffic or make a record of when you connected to the VPN, user internet bandwidth, or customer IP addresses. IVPN’s privacy policy details how “zero user information” is achieved.

There are some caveats to these claims. Instead of using your email address, IVPN generates a unique account number during sign-up. This number is saved by IVPN with the date and time of creation, the plan you picked, and the maximum number of potential devices IVPN may be on.

IVPN also has to collect some payment information. It saves a transaction ID for PayPal or debit or credit card payments and a subscription ID for auto-renew payments. For extra anonymity, IVPN suggests using cash or cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin. All things considered, IVPN stores very little payment data.

Also, note that IVPN collects some data analytics through Matomo. Matomo is an open-source data-collection software that European governments trust. IVPN uses these web analytics to improve user experience for company growth purposes.

You can also feel safe in the fact that legislation is in place to aid in the safety of your information. IVPN is based in Gibraltar and follows EU privacy legislation GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). Currently, the service cannot transfer any data to jurisdictions with weaker privacy laws. This means IVPN doesn't have servers in those locations. These laws are in place to keep your information from getting into the wrong hands or local governments. Should laws in Gibraltar change, IVPN feels that you have the right to know. These levels of transparency make IVPN a great choice for a secure and trustworthy VPN.

Security features

IVPN sports a limited amount of features, sticking to its privacy-first manifesto. But we wouldn’t base performance on its beliefs. The manifest itself has a very scare-tactic feel to it, and honestly is not enough to justify its limited features in the name of security.

IVPN does have the following features that are pretty commonplace for VPNs anyway, so they don’t come off as special.

• Split tunneling
• Kill switch
• OpenVPN, Wireguard, and IPSec with IKEv2 VPN protocols

IVPN prices and subscriptions

IVPN has two tiers of subscription plans, Standard and Pro. Standard comes with all VPN protocols and AntiTracker, and covers up to two devices. The Standard plan costs more than similar plans from other VPN providers, like CyberGhost and Private Internet Access.

IVPN Pro has the same encryption protocols but covers seven devices and adds multi-hop. Multi-hop routes your traffic over two servers, adding an extra layer of protection. One year of Pro costs $100, and up to $220 for three years. That’s not the best deal out there. If you’re looking for a better all-in-one VPN, Surfshark One gives you that plus Antivirus for less. That seems like a greater bargain, and it opens up region-locked content on streaming services.

IVPN cost

IVPN plan comparison

Our experience with IVPN

We had a smooth experience testing IVPN, with some things to look out for if you want the best performance. After choosing a plan, IVPN sent us an account number to log in to the service. This meant we didn’t need to set a password. No password means no forgetting a password either.

Once logged in, you’ll see a world map with all the VPN’s servers. On the left, you can connect to a server, enable a firewall and AntiTracker, and switch the encryption protocol.

Click the VPN protocol to navigate to the settings. Here you can customize your connection settings to suit your preferences. You can also upgrade your plan, change DNS servers, and select your firewall settings.

We found the server selection interface a bit tedious.The list has all 88 servers. Servers are organized in alphabetical lists by city name. The search bar doesn’t let you isolate regions. But it does recognize country names and lists them in the drop-down menu.

All-in-all, the app’s interface is robust and user-friendly, and there’s not much configuring you need to do. The app does a great job of explaining its options in blue-printed text.

IVPN test results

We ran an internet speed test to see whether IVPN slows down your internet connection. The quick answer is, yes it does slow down, but there’s more to the story.

Speed tests

• IVPN speed test results: IVPN slows down internet speeds.

We tested the internet connection with and without IVPN turned on. For the control test, our speeds were 408 Mbps for download and 39 Mbps for upload. With IVPN connected to a local server, our speeds slowed a little but not enough to make a difference, especially if you use split-tunneling to stream movies and television.

Typically, VPNs run faster when you’re connected to a server closer to your physical location. This is true of IVPN. On a U.K. server, the download speed dropped even further. The lag experienced was noticeable but didn’t take away from the overall experience of using IVPN.

IVPN speed test results

IVPN Netflix tests

• IVPN Netflix test results: IVPN failed at streaming Netflix because of VPN blocks on the site.

One of the major selling points of a VPN is the ability to access region-locked content on Netflix or Disney+. While that may be the case for other VPN services, Netflix is able to detect and block IVPN. IVPN acknowledges this itself in its Help Center and says streaming services are using a VPN block that’s “quickly becoming impossible” for IVPN to get around. This includes local and international streaming services.

IVPN Netflix test results

DNS and WebRTC leak tests

• IVPN DNS leak test results: IVPN passed the DNS leak test
• IVPN WebRTC leak test results: IVPN passed the WebRTC test

Another way IVPN strives to protect you is by protecting the information logged by your DNS. A DNS server takes your IP address and connects it to the website you’re trying to reach. Sheathing your IP address while it's traveling through the DNS server is the goal, and luckily Browserleaks reported back no leaks.

We also ran a test for any WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) leaks. These leaks can expose your IP address when making voice or video calls in a browser. WebRTC tests came back clean without any leaks. If a leak does happen, running IVPN’s firewall inside the app interface will also stop any leaks.

IVPN compatibility

When picking a VPN, it’s essential to consider which devices you will install it on. IVPN is compatible with several operating systems as well as routers and centralized file servers that allow multiple users to store and share files. It does not offer browser support, nor does it work with streaming devices. Instead, IVPN's focus is on encrypting your IP address and data at a more base level. The devices IVPN can cover are:

• Windows (8/10/11)
• Mac (macOS 10.4+)
• Linux (64bit Linux 3.10+ OS’)
• iOS (Full support on iPhone and iPad, iOS 14.0+)
• Android (Android 5.0+)
• Routers
• Network-attached storage (NAS) device servers (Synology v.6.1, QNAP)

IVPN customer support

Customer service is a significant topic in cybersecurity. Time is precious in a situation where there has been a malfunction or an info leak has occurred, which is why most VPN providers offer 24/7 customer service. IVPN handles support requests via email, and you can get a reply within a few hours. IVPN does not support phone or live chat, but the articles in the Help Center are a very helpful customer resource.

IVPN alternatives

It’s possible that IVPN’s features may not satisfy what you’re after. And that’s okay. Maybe you're looking for the best international streaming VPN, or one with incoming threat protection. If that’s the case, maybe consider any of the following VPNs.

• ExpressVPN: ExpressVPN is a fast VPN that works across many different operating systems, browsers, and streaming devices.
  
  Get ExpressVPN | Read ExpressVPN Review
• NordVPN: We named NordVPN the number one VPN of 2023 because it’s fast, reliable, unblocks every streaming service you could want, and is extremely user-friendly.
  
  Get NordVPN | Read NordVPN Review
• Surfshark: You’ll love Surfshark if you want to connect lots of devices to your VPN. It’s also great for streaming and torrenting.

  Get Surfshark | Read Surfshark VPN Review

IVPN FAQs

Bottom line: Is IVPN good?

The features that IVPN provides, it provides well. It focuses on bettering encryption protocols and it gives you transparent information at your fingertips. Your information isn’t routed through a compromisable server, and safety is king — its lack of features doesn’t make it any less safe than other VPNs. 

However, IVPN offers fewer servers than other brands, internet speeds slow down due to ping latency, and streaming only works through split tunneling, which has the potential of leaking IP information. All in all, IVPN is a good and recommendable service, but I don’t think we’re ready to jump ship from brands like NordVPN or SurfShark just yet.

3.4

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

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On IVPN's website

VPN

IVPN

• Privacy-focused VPN with multiple encryption protocols
• Strict no-logs policy
• Can’t unblock streaming services

Author Details

Sameer Narain

About the Author

Sameer M. Narain is a freelance writer with a foundation in systems, software, and hardware. With over 10 years of experience in testing various antivirus programs, data encryption programs, VPNs, and drive defragmentation software, he is adept at synthesizing information for the everyday reader and tech enthusiast. He has a special interest in staying secure for big team-related projects where confidentiality is king, therefore his writing often attempts to solve the bigger picture with easily accessible programs.