Founded in London and registered in Gibraltar, IVPN provides a robust and reliable VPN service characterized by fast servers and a strict no-logging policy. It offers a user-friendly native client and operates 28 data centers across 13 countries, primarily covering North America and Europe, with additional locations in Australia and Hong Kong.
Features
IVPN has been a solid presence in the VPN market since 2009. It supports a wide range of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, NAS, and routers. Each client comes with detailed setup guides, and the Windows desktop client installs within seconds. The provider conveniently emails a unique VPN username, separate from your website login credentials.
The desktop application is lightweight, intuitive, and user-friendly, making navigation straightforward even for beginners. While a few advanced settings are available, the default configuration is secure and reliable, allowing you to get started without needing to adjust every option.
Customer support is available via tickets and live chat. However, despite the website’s claim of 24/7 availability, my experience with live chat was less than satisfactory. On two separate occasions at 9 PM on a Sunday and Friday, I found the chat support unavailable, which detracted from an otherwise positive experience with IVPN.
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing is permitted, provided you avoid servers in countries where torrenting is heavily regulated, such as the USA, UK, Germany, and Australia.
One standout feature of IVPN is its Multi Hop functionality, which routes your VPN connection through an additional VPN server, providing an extra layer of security. This feature is particularly useful when connecting from regions with intrusive privacy laws.
IVPN also supports multiple protocols, including L2TP/IPSec, OpenVPN UDP, and TCP, and includes a firewall that can block all connections outside the VPN or activate only when connected to the VPN.
Pricing
IVPN offers a three-day free trial upon subscribing to one of their plans, although you must provide billing details to claim it. The service is available in two tiers: IVPN Standard at $6 per month and IVPN Pro at $15 per month. Both plans also offer 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year options.
The Standard plan is priced at $60 for one year, $100 for two years, and $140 for three years. The Pro plan is $100 for one year, $160 for two years, and $220 for three years. Although these rates are not the cheapest on the market, they include a 7-day unconditional money-back guarantee, 24/7 support, a cross-platform client, unlimited bandwidth, and robust security features like 256-bit AES and 4096-bit RSA encryption, along with OpenVPN. IVPN also operates its own logless DNS servers.
A single license allows you to connect up to five devices simultaneously, with the flexibility to install IVPN on as many devices as you need, making it suitable for both household and travel use.
If you decide to cancel, obtaining a refund within the first seven days is straightforward. IVPN accepts payments via major credit cards, cash, Bitcoin, and PayPal.
Performance Tests
In speed tests, IVPN demonstrated solid performance.
Starting with an initial speed of 37-40 Mbps,
I recorded 17 Mbps on a US server and 23 Mbps on a UK server.
Security tests revealed no DNS, WebRTC, or IPv6 leaks, which is commendable.
While IVPN excels in general productivity, those prioritizing video streaming should be cautious. The service did not bypass Netflix US’s VPN restrictions, nor did it unblock BBC iPlayer, which is disappointing given that some less capable providers can access BBC iPlayer.
Therefore, it’s advisable to test all necessary channels and streaming services within the three-day trial period to ensure compatibility.
Privacy and Security
IVPN establishes a robust foundation in privacy and security by employing high-end 256-bit AES encryption combined with 4096-bit RSA encryption via OpenVPN. It also features self-managed DNS servers, a firewall, and a Multi-Hop protocol for enhanced security.
Gibraltar, where IVPN is based, does not have data retention laws, which is a positive aspect for users concerned with privacy. However, it’s important to note that Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory. Despite this, the jurisdiction allows IVPN to maintain a strict no-logs policy.
The company’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service are transparent. They collect your email address solely for password resets and security updates, and you are free to use any email address you prefer. If you pay via PayPal, a transaction ID will be associated with your account.
IVPN takes a firm stance on privacy by not placing servers in countries that could compel them to violate compliance with the EU Data Protection Directive, soon to be replaced by the GDPR.
Notably, IVPN does not store connection logs, bandwidth usage, session data, or DNS queries. They also do not collect any usage data, and they delete your account information from their servers when you unsubscribe—an uncommon practice in today’s industry.
In the event of a court order, IVPN would comply but has no logs to provide. They will also notify the user of such an event. For maximum privacy, it’s advisable to use a non-identifiable email address and avoid using PayPal.
IVPN has gone so far as to state that if user privacy were ever compromised by mass surveillance agencies, they would consider changing jurisdictions or shutting down the service entirely. While this sounds reassuring, it’s always wise to remain vigilant. For example, there was a Reddit thread that pointed out IVPN’s desktop client previously mentioned US jurisdiction in its EULA. Although it has since changed to Gibraltar, this serves as a reminder to thoroughly read EULAs before agreeing.
While IVPN is excellent for productivity, its performance with video streaming may require a closer look. It failed to bypass Netflix US VPN restrictions and could not unblock BBC iPlayer, which is disappointing given that other providers with slower speeds manage to unblock BBC iPlayer without issues.
It is highly recommended to test all channels or streaming services you intend to access within the first three days of your trial period
