Worried about a VPN app not working on all of your devices? IPVanish doesn't have any device limits, which is helpful for those of us with lots of devices. If that's not enough, the app has expansive global server coverage, high-quality features, and broad platform support, too. It's a little expensive though, as monthly plans start at $12.99.
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Why We Picked ItFeatures and capabilities: Most of IPVanish's offerings are on par with the competition. The VPN app supports double-hop connections, offers an ad/malicious website/tracker blocker, and has a kill switch and split tunneling. If you spring for the higher-priced subscription tier, you can also use the Secure Browser. The browser only exists on IPVanish's cloud servers, so any website traffic (including malware or viruses) never reaches your device.
Privacy and security: We were impressed with IPVanish's privacy policy because it contains clear, easy-to-understand language. There's even a table showing the data types collected by IPVanish and noting why the company collects the data, how long it will be stored, how it's collected, and how long it's retained. Most of your personal data, like your name, address, or email address, is retained for 45 days after you delete your account.
Speed and performance: IPVanish excelled in our speed tests. Results show that IPVanish decreased download speed test scores by 11.5% and decreased upload speed test scores by 13.55%, making it one of the fastest VPNs we've tested. The latency score was a little more sobering, though, as IPVanish increased it by 38.8%.
Streaming: IPVanish is fine for video streaming. We didn't have trouble watching Twitch streams or YouTube videos while connected to the VPN. However, we could only access the complete Netflix library when connected to four of the five servers we tested. When we connected to a server in Australia, Netflix only allowed us to view a limited, region-locked media library.
User experience and ease of use: We didn't have any trouble installing and starting up IPVanish on a Windows desktop, though we found the app's interface, with its graphs and maps, a little confusing. Overall, though, our experience using the app was painless. We quite like that there's a searchable server list with filters for country, latency time, and protocol.
Who It's ForiOS users: Like many VPN apps, IPVanish's features aren't the same on all platforms. Case in point, the company's iOS app has a few interesting tools that aren't available for Android customers. For one, there's the Connect On Demand option, which is helpful when you only want to connect to the VPN in certain circumstances, like when using public WiFi at a coffee shop or an airport. There's also Alternative Connection Mode, which, when turned on, helps you stay connected in places where VPN use is heavily monitored or restricted.
Multi-device households: IPVanish works on a wide range of platforms, which is ideal for someone with a lot of devices. It supports computers, mobile devices, and smart TVs. You can also use the app on streaming devices like Google Chromecast, Nokia Streaming Box, Nvidia Shield, and Onn, which is unique. There's even an app for the Apple Vision Pro! Unlike other VPNs, IPVanish does not offer a VPN browser extension, but the Secure Browser is available as an extension for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.
