IVPN Review

IVPN Review Table of Contents

• Background Check on IVPN
• Features and Compatibility
• Cost and Plans
• IVPN Pros
• IVPN Cons
• Review Conclusion

IVPN was founded in 2009 in Gibraltar. The full company name is Privatus Limited.

IVPN seems to have a reputation for really valuing privacy, so I was eager to find out if they actually are a secure VPN provider.

Most VPN providers claim they “don’t log” your data. Only to turn around and log it for their own personal reasons.

Sometimes, they even go so far as to sell your data to third-party advertisers.

Not cool.

In this review of IVPN, I’ll be uncovering the answers to these questions and more.

I’ll also be defining the pros and cons of this VPN service, letting you know whether they’re worth the investment.

But first — who is IVPN as a company, anyway?

IVPN Overview

OVERALL RANK:	#16 out of 78 VPNs
USABILITY:	Very Easy, Supports All Devices
LOG FILES:	No Logging Policy
LOCATIONS:	13 countries, 37 servers
SUPPORT:	Live Chat, Fast and friendly
TORRENTING:	Torrenting Allowed
NETFLIX:	No 0/5
ENCRYPTION/PROTOCOL:	AES 256-bit, OpenVPN
COST:	$8.33/mo for annual package
OFFICIAL WEBSITE:	www.ivpn.net

Quick Background Check on IVPN

The overall look and feel of the IVPN website looks legitimate.

Their color theme appears to be based around a clean white shade with red accents, which really caught my eye.

The homepage of their site also showed an illustration of what appeared to be an octopus coming out of a laptop.

I assume that this creative cartoon is meant to show that anyone can swipe your data if you’re browsing without a VPN.

Here’s what the homepage of IVPN looks like:

It’s got some awesome design. It seems like IVPN really values their overall brand appearance.

Here’s what the company says about themselves on their website:

I really love that IVPN says they don’t require any personal information from users to sign up for their service.

But this statement doesn’t give me the full scope of their services.

Do they keep logs on users? Is torrenting allowed?

Before we get to that, let’s discuss IVPN’s overall reputation across the world wide web.

I wasn’t able to find many negative statements about IVPN online, to be honest.

In fact, BGR praised the company in 2014 for the interactive map they created as a visual for global Internet censorship.

The article commends IVPN for bringing attention to global cyber-oppression.

According to the post:

“The map uses a variety of criteria to distinguish the level of censorship that affects a particular nation, and issues are split up into four main categories: “human rights violations,” “freedom on the Net,” “obstacles to access” and “limits to content.”

Here’s what IVPN’s map looks like:

I really love this creation from the company, because it shows how committed they really are to fighting for internet freedom and privacy. They’re more than just a VPN provider.

And it looks tons of people recommend IVPN for users who want to remain anonymous.

A WilderSecurity.com user named “Lockdown” said:

“If you want reliably encryption then NordVPN will be fine. If you want reliable anonymity then Mullvad or IVPN. If you want full-featured, then IVPN. Pick the one you like best.”

One reason that IVPN can be so private with user information is probably because of the reason that the company is located in Gibraltar.

The Data Protection Act of 2004 keeps the private information of Gibraltar citizens safe and forces businesses to respect user information.

It also allows people to request the data collected about them. According to the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority,

“The law applies whenever an organization processes (e.g., stores, collects, transmits, uses, etc.) information that relates to a person such as a person’s name, DOB, their hobbies, comments about their performance, location, etc.”

This makes the area a great location for a VPN company since the country really values protecting the data of its citizens.

Before we talk about pricing and speeds for IVPN, let’s discuss features of the service.

IVPN Features and Compatibility

IVPN boasts about no logs, no leaks, fast multihop servers, and more, right on their homepage.

The company also has apps for tons of different devices.

The VPN service supports the following devices and operating systems:

• PC
• Mac
• Linux/GNU
• iPad
• iPhone
• Android
• TOR
• NAS
• Routers

IVPN works simultaneously on as many as five devices. That’s a pretty awesome feature of their service, especially in comparison to some competitors who might only give you two or three at the most.

I’ll break down pricing below so that you know exactly how each plan works.

When it comes to routers, you want a VPN that can connect seamlessly. This forms an umbrella of protection around your entire house. Instead of having to worry about setting up IVPN on every device in your home, configuring a router to run along with the VPN ensures that every device connected to the wireless network has protection. That means your computers, phones, gaming systems, smart TVs, and anything else connected to the home WIFI is anonymous and safe.

You can connect IVPN to the following kinds of routers:

• DD-WRT
• PFSENSE
• Tomato
• OpenWrt
• Asuswrt-Merlin

The Vilfo router runs with IVPN pre-installed and configured. Alfter setting up the router, enter your IVPN username and password to browse anonymously.

For more information on how Vilfo and IVPN work together, click here. 

IVPN offers set up guides for each kind of router (and device or operating system).

This VPN only provides 39 servers which span only 28 countries.

That’s among the lowest I’ve seen across all VPN providers, and it means they’ve only added one server and one country in the last six months. The only country that has more than one server is the U.S. It has 12 different servers spread across the country. Every other nation listed only has one, which is disappointing.

You want multiple servers in many of the larger countries like the U.K., Canada, China, and Russia. If you only have one server in these high-traffic areas, you will see a lot of disruption if that server goes down. Instead of forcing users to pick a server in another part of the U.K., the country will be unavailable if something were to happen to their single London server.

IVPN has been around for a full 10 years, so I expected more.

Check out their complete list of servers for more.

The company offers an integrated firewall that acts as a “kill switch.” They even claim that it’s more secure than a traditional one.

Kill switches are essential for keeping your information private and secure while you’re browsing online.

Kill switches quite literally kill your browsing session if your internet becomes disconnected, keeping your activity completely private.

I’m pleased that IVPN offers an integrated firewall to act as a kill switch – especially when some providers don’t offer one at all.

IVPN also offers IPv6 and DNS leak protection.

Right now, they only offer OpenVPN and IPSec/IKEv2 support.

That’s both good and bad. It’s good because they’re the latest-and-greatest security protocols, offering state-of-the-art AES-256 encryption. Generally speaking, you only want to use these options if you have the choice. But it’s bad because they don’t offer older methods like PPTP or L2TP, making this VPN virtually incompatible with old devices or sluggish networks.

Now, let’s go over how much this VPN is going to set you back.

IVPN Cost & Plans (not the cheapest)

IVPN offers a 7-day money-back guarantee right out of the gates.

This is great if you purchase a plan and decide that it isn’t for you. You can try out their service, knowing in the back of your mind that there’s still a way to get your money back if things don’t work out.

Even better, they offer a free three-day trial (similarly to VyprVPN). That way, you can try out the service without fully committing to the company, too.

So there are two ways to do a test drive without losing your money.

IVPN offers a monthly, quarterly, and annual package.

When I checked their plans and pricing, the company was also offering a 40% anniversary discount.

Here’s how each package is broken down:

The monthly package is $15 per month.

This comes out to be $180 per year. This planned is billed monthly. Choose this option if you’re testing them out. But long-term, you’ll want to switch to a different one to save more.

The quarterly package is $13.33 per month.

This comes out to $160 per year. This plan is billed as one payment of $40 every quarter.

The annual package is $8.33 per month.

This comes out to only $100 per year, so it’s clearly the best-priced plan. This package is billed as one payment of $100 every 12 months. That’s a great deal.

Payment methods include credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, and cash payments. I really love the cash payment option.

However, IVPN does not accept American Express or any type of prepaid card.

I would recommend trying out the free trial of IVPN first. If you find that you really love the service, commit to the annual plan to get the most bang for your buck.

IVPN is very competitively priced, and I think it’s priced well considering all of the features you’ll gain access to.

Plus, the company offers a seven-day money back guarantee AND three-day free trial, so you’ve got nothing to lose.

Now that you know all about the features, plans, and pricing of IVPN, I’m going to outline the pros and cons of their service.

Pros of using IVPN

IVPN has some wonderful features. I was really pleased to find out that their claims of valuing privacy are actually true.

I’m going to start out by outlining what I think the company is doing well.

1. Good Encryption and Security

IVPN may not have many servers. But you can rest assured that the servers they do offer are extremely secure and private.

Is it Well Encrypted?

According to IVPN’s website, they use AES-256 encryption with 4096-bit RSA keys.

“New encryption keys are generated every hour providing perfect forward secrecy.”

This is top-of-the-line security that is literally military-grade. No one can crack it. And no one has been able to use a brute-force attack to defeat it, either.

You can definitely trust your data to IVPN.

Is Torrenting Allowed?

Torrenting is allowed with IVPN. That’s good news for those looking to download or stream large data files.

Logging Policy

IVPN claims to keep absolutely no logs of your data.

But most say that. How can you be sure?

I dug into their privacy policy to figure out if this is true or not.

The good news is that it looks like they don’t even collect cookies. So they also won’t sell your information to any third parties.

“We do not store any connection logs whatsoever. In addition, we do not log bandwidth usage, session data or requests to our DNS servers.”

The only thing they will store is your user name, password, and payment information (on their encrypted servers).

But this is pretty standard, to be honest.

I was really pleased to see that IVPN has a transparent privacy policy with no hidden tricks and clauses.

2. IVPN is easy to use and install

Downloading IVPN takes a matter of minutes. The site claims that a Windows client installation will take three minutes, but honestly I don’t think it took that long once that actual download started.

Finding the download, however, was difficult.

After signing up for my free trial, it sent me to a setup page where I had to choose which devices I would be using.

I selected Windows and expected a download to begin. That’s not what happened. Instead, it linked to a broken page with no content. I went to the Help section and searched for installing IVPN for Windows.

This sent me to an information page that also had no download link. It took a few minutes of clicking around the site before I finally found the Windows IVPN client. I clicked the download button, and it started right up.

I agreed to the User License Agreement and the actual installation clocked in at 21 seconds.  The VPN client opened right up.

I mistakenly thought my email address used at sign up would be my username, so I could not understand why my login information was not working. I then realized a randomly generated username had been emailed to me. I entered that information and could log in with the password I initially created.

Once I logged in, the client dashboard pleasantly surprised me. It was strikingly simple in its design with a big button right in the center that could connect to the service.

I automatically connected to a server in New Jersey. It was the fastest server running at the time. Switching between servers was easy once it connected me. It lists the server you are connected to at the bottom of the IVPN client. Click on it and that will bring up the full server list.

Select your new server and IVPN will connect you. It’s a simple and effective process.

There is a settings area in the bottom lefthand corner where you can select your preferences.

There’s even a way to enable logging, which is not recommended if you’re trying to remain anonymous.

Overall, I’d give it an 8/10 for usability.

The user interface is among the best I’ve seen in the VPN game. I love the ease of use. I just wish it had been easier to find the Windows client download.

3. Fast, friendly customer support

IVPN offers live chat customer support. To access it, just click on the bottom right-hand online support section of their website.

Then, once the window pops up, just type out your message. You’ll receive the name of your customer service representative, along with their email. Here’s the one I sent.

John answered my question in just three minutes. He was friendly and quick to respond to each question I threw at him.

I love that their live chat feature offers a real human to speak to.

Plus, they have an amazing knowledgebase where you can search through frequently asked questions.

4. U.S. Servers Worked With Netflix

When it comes to Netflix, VPNs walk a virtual tightrope. Netflix hates VPN use and works diligently to block access to its expansive video library for anyone connected to a VPN.

Originally, Netflix and VPNs were a match made in heaven. Since all Netflix content is geo-blocked, different countries have access to different programming. For example, Netflix users in the U.K. have access to The Fresh Prince of Belair and The Big Bang Theory. Someone watching Netflix in the U.S. cannot access those shows.

Back in the day, this was a simple matter. You connect to a VPN, you fire up a server in the U.K., and you’d be watching Will Smith engage in delightful hijinks in Uncle Phil’s Belair Mansion.

Netflix caught onto this faster than anyone would have liked. In response to these attempts to undermine its strict geo-blocking, the streaming giant hit the field with some of the most advanced VPN detection software on the planet. Mostly it works like a charm.

Many of the VPN’s we come across have next to no luck in unblocking Netflix. In fact, when we first tested IVPN, we looked at five different servers in the following areas:

• United States: New York
• United States: California
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Hong Kong

None of them had any success in playing Netflix content. But then, fast-forward to July 2019 when I rechecked all of them. I fully expected to be met with failure, but when I connected to the New York Server, something amazing happened.

It worked!

Parks and Recreation fired right up, and I was staring in disbelief at Deputy Parks Director Leslie Knope talking to one of the citizens of fictional Pawnee Indiana.

I connected to the California server.

Another rousing success!

I connected to the server located in Canada.

My luck ended there.

Netflix blocked all the other servers, but being able to play U.S. Netflix content is a huge win.

Netflix Worked With:

• United States: New York
• United States: California

Netflix Did Not Work With:

• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Hong Kong

IVPN can now join our elite list of the best VPNs that work with Netflix.

5. No Leaks Detected

DNS leaks and WebRTC leaks can sink a VPN. Even a VPN service with no logging, no questionable district policy, and lightning fast speeds can be rendered useless if leaks are present.

A WebRTC leak occurs when the open-sourced Web Real Time Communication tool bypasses your encrypted tunnel. It was developed to facilitate better real time peer-to-peer connections, but it poses a security risk for VPN users.

When a DNS leak occurs, your original IP is revealed to your internet service provider through a security flaw that uncovers DNS requests.

That’s why we make sure that all of the VPNs we review go through an extensive testing process. Every single one of them undergoes a series of five tests meant to weed out any problematic leaks.

IVPN passed with flying colors, earning a perfect score in every test we put it through. You can rest easy knowing that this is a leak free system that can back up its safety claims.

Cons of using IVPN

IVPN is private and secure.

They’ve got an amazing “no logging” policy, and their encryption is military-grade.

But no VPN provider is perfect.

Here are a few of the biggest drawbacks to using their service.

1. Slow Upload Speed

Privacy and security are obviously the biggest concerns with a VPN provider.

However, you also have to take performance into account.

What good is a rock-solid encryption if your connection becomes too slow to use?

I put IVPN’s speeds to the test to find out if their speeds are actually up to par.

I ran speed tests on IVPN’s US, Netherlands, and Hong Kong servers to see how they compare to competitors.

Here are my results:

US Server

• Ping: 178 ms
• Download: 32.20 Mbps
• Upload: 18.66 Mbps

Netherlands Server

• Ping: 38 ms
• Download: 63.89 Mbps
• Upload: 17.66 Mbps

Hong Kong Server

• Ping: 341 ms
• Download: 17.66 Mbps
• Upload: 0.94 Mbps

Some of those speeds are pretty decent. However, this last one is among the slowest I’ve tested.

Overall, the performance was too hit-or-miss to recommend.

Conclusion – Recommended or not?

Unfortunately, I don’t recommend using iVPN. IVPN isn’t terrible, per se. However, it’s not great, either. Here’s a quick recap:

What’s good about IVPN?

• IVPN has a strong encryption, a firewall that acts as a kill switch, and leak protection.
• They keep absolutely no logs, other than what is necessary to keep the service operational, like account passwords. I loved this fact.
• You can use as many as five devices simultaneously without having to pay more for a plan, and the features are the same across all plans.
• Plus, the company offers a seven-day money back guarantee along with a free trial option. Torrent downloads are also allowed on IVPN servers.
• The quality of IVPN’s customer service is decent.
• U.S. servers unblocked Netflix.
• There were no DNS leaks or WebRTC leaks present.

What’s bad about IVPN?

• Too few servers
• Performance was rather slow
• Non U.S. servers did not work with Netflix. That was a bummer.
• It was difficult to find a download link once I had purchased the service.

Overall, IVPN gets a 70/100. That’s pretty good, to be honest. However, it’s not the best I’ve seen. If you’re looking for a better performing VPN, take a look at our best VPNs here.

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