IVPN: A review
[Presented by BestCloudBest.com]
Many “Virtual Private Network” (VPN) providers make tall claims about privacy and security, moreover, they promise other interesting features. The promises often vary from reality, though! IVPN is a Gibraltar-based VPN service owned by Privatus Limited. It’s in the operations since 2009 and it claims to offer impressive privacy and security.
Does it work for you, though? If you are shopping around for a VPN, then you are likely looking for privacy and security when browsing the Internet. You might also be looking to unblock geo-restricted streaming services like Netflix and access P2P/torrenting services.
You would likely want an easy-to-use VPN and robust customer support. We have reviewed IVPN against these criteria so that you can make an informed judgment. Read on, and find out whether you should buy IVPN.
The main features of IVPN
When you think of buying a VPN service, you will surely want useful features, wouldn’t you? Well, IVPN indeed offers valuable features, and we will now take a look at them.
Your privacy at IVPN
Privacy is the topmost reason why most VPN users start using a VPN, and you probably consider it very important too. We are happy to inform you that IVPN takes excellent steps to protect your privacy.
This VPN provider implements a robust “no logs” policy. IVPN doesn’t log your Internet traffic, DNS requests, connection timestamp, connection duration, bandwidth used, or IP addresses. It tracks the total number of simultaneous connections for one account, and the company does it to ensure that users don’t go beyond their limits on simultaneous connections.
IVPN provides a detailed privacy policy on its website, which specifies what kind of information they collect and why. Users don’t need to provide any personal information while signing up for IVPN, and the company tracks the email address only.
IVPN tracks your payment transaction information, and it clearly states what it tracks in its policy page. This tracking doesn’t include any personally identifiable information. You can pay by cash or Bitcoin, which helps you to conduct your payment transaction anonymously.
IVPN tracks some information when users visit its website. This information includes the IP address of the visitor, referring website, etc. IVPN processes this data in accordance with the applicable EU laws, and the company is fully transparent about it. Such tracking of information causes no concern for VPN users, and we conclude that IVPN has implemented its “no logs” policy very well!
Cure53, a German cybersecurity company has independently audited the “no logs” policy of IVPN, and the audit report records that IVPN has implemented it effectively. IVPN has its jurisdiction in Gibraltar, which is a British overseas territory. It’s an autonomous territory, and it doesn’t come under the “5 Eyes” or similar alliances of countries that conduct mass surveillance.
The “Why IVPN” page on the IVPN website will impress you with its transparency! IVPN is fully transparent about its team, its standards, and its policies. The company shows a “Warrant Canary” page on its website, which shows that no warrants have ever been served to IVPN or its employees.
IVPN also provides a “Transparency Report” on its website, which shows that it has received requests for information from government and law enforcement agencies. The company makes it clear that it hasn’t provided any data in response to any of these requests since it doesn’t log the activities of its users. We give full marks to IVPN as far as privacy is concerned!
Data security at IVPN
Frequent incidents of data breaches concern you, don’t they? Security is likely a key reason for you to shop around for a VPN, and we have good news for you! We find that IVPN has very strong security features.
This VPN provider supports both OpenVPN and IPSec IKEv2 protocols. These are highly secure VPN protocols, especially OpenVPN, which has no known vulnerabilities.
Additionally, IVPN supports WireGuard, a work-in-progress VPN protocol that uses very strong cryptography. WireGuard promises to deliver high security and speed, however, it’s still under development. IVPN recommends that you use it only on an experimental basis.
This VPN service provider has its own DNS servers, and it maintains no logs on them. IVPN guards against IP, DNS, and WebRTC leaks. Encryption is another strong point of IVPN since the company uses AES-256 encryption with 4096-bit RSA keys. This is military-grade encryption, and you don’t need to worry about your sensitive information when you use IVPN!
Cyber-attackers won’t be able to break this encryption. However, even if they can get hold of your encryption keys, they can only get their hands on very little of your personal data. IVPN employs “Perfect Forward Secrecy” (PFS), which changes your encryption keys every hour, therefore, cyber-attackers can’t cause much damage even if they get your encryption key once.
You probably don’t like ads and trackers, do you? Well, IVPN has a feature named “AntiTracker”, which blocks all ads and trackers.
IVPN doesn’t offer any static IP addresses. It offers shared IP addresses only so that the online activities of any IVPN user can’t be tied to that particular user.
What if the VPN connection terminates unexpectedly? You don’t need to worry even then since IVPN has a feature called “Firewall”. It’s a “kill switch”, which automatically blocks the Internet if the VPN connection drops. IVPN also automatically connects you to its secure network whenever you join a public Wi-Fi hotspot.
In the “PRO” plan of IVPN, you can use its “multi-hop” feature. This allows you to route your traffic through two VPN servers, which helps to make your Internet browsing more secure. We rate IVPN very highly as far as security is concerned, and you can see why!
Where are the servers of IVPN located?
IVPN offers servers in 45 locations across 32 countries at the time of this review. The company has 64 OpenVPN servers and 14 WireGuard servers.
It covers all key locations, e.g., North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Australia. In middle-east, IVPN has a presence in Israel. With its presence in Brazil, the company also covers Latin America.
While IVPN is present in fewer locations than some of the market-leading VPN providers, the company has physical servers in every one of its locations. The company is also regularly adding servers. IVPN invests in high-quality infrastructure, therefore, it offers good speed.
We were impressed with the transparency of IVPN! The company showed a neat map to indicate its server locations, moreover, it shows the status of all its servers.
Devices supported by IVPN
You will surely want your VPN provider to support all kinds of devices you have, wouldn’t you? IVPN scores really well on this front! It supports Windows and Mac with its custom apps. IVPN enables you to use OpenVPN, IPSec IKEv2, and WireGuard on your Linux device, and it provides detailed guides for this.
You can use IVPN on your Android, iPhone, and iPad, and the company offers custom apps for these platforms. IVPN supports a wide range of routers, namely, Vilfo, DD-WRT, OpenWrt, PFSENSE, Tomato, and Asuswrt-Merlin. You can set up IVPN on these routers using its helpful guides.
IVPN also supports “Network-Attached Storage” (NAS) devices like Synology and QNAP, and the company provides useful configuration guides for these. As far as supporting a wide range of platforms is concerned, IVPN has a really strong offering!
Unblocking streaming services using IVPN
IVPN explicitly states in its FAQ that it doesn’t commit to unblocking geo-restricted streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, etc. If you are looking for a VPN only to unblock these streaming services, then you should explore other VPNs. IVPN focuses on privacy and security, and it does very well there!
Torrenting with IVPN
IVPN allows P2P/torrenting on all of its servers, and the company doesn’t impose any bandwidth restriction. However, IVPN states in its FAQ that it receives a large number of DMCA notices in the USA as a result of users trying to access P2P services in that country. This has resulted in the US-based upstream providers of IVPN threatening to disconnect their servers in the USA.
IVPN asks its users to avoid USA-based servers for P2P/torrenting. If users use a USA-based exit server on their multi-hop, then IVPN requests that they avoid using P2P on these servers too.
How much does IVPN cost?
You will surely consider the price before you buy a VPN. How does IVPN fare here? Let’s take a look. IVPN has two pricing plans, namely, “STANDARD” and “PRO”. The company offers two billing options, which are monthly and annual.
In the monthly billing option, the STANDARD plan costs you $6 per month, and you can connect two devices simultaneously. Note that there are leading VPN providers that charge less than IVPN and offer more simultaneous connections.
If you opt for the PRO plan with the monthly billing option, then it will cost you $10 per month, and you can connect 7 devices simultaneously. The PRO plan also includes premium features like port forwarding and multi-hop. All other features are equally available on both plans.
IVPN offers a 20% discount if you opt for annual billing. In the annual billing option, the STANDARD and PRO plans cost you $60 and $100 per year, respectively.
You can pay using cards, and IVPN accepts all major cards like Visa, MasterCard, Discover, etc. IVPN accepts payments via PayPal, moreover, if also accepts Bitcoin payments via its BTCPay server. Finally, you can pay using cash.
All plans and billing options include a 3-days free trial period. IVPN has a refund policy, where it accepts your refund request within 7 days of activating your service. If there are exceptional situations, e.g., you aren’t able to connect to IVPN due to technical issues, the company accepts refund requests made within 30 days of activating your account.
We note that IVPN is more expensive than several market-leading VPN providers. However, we are satisfied with its privacy, transparency, security, speed, ease-of-use, and customer service, therefore, we think its price is justified.
The pros and cons of IVPN
Now that you understand the features and pricing of IVPN, how do you weigh its pros and cons? Let’s see the advantages of IVPN, which are as follows:
· IVPN fares very well vis-à-vis privacy with its “no logs” policy, privacy-friendly jurisdiction, transparency, and anonymous payment options, moreover, it doesn’t collect sensitive personal information.
· Security credentials of IVPN are very strong with secure protocols, excellent encryption, prevention of IP/DNS/WebRTC leaks, “Perfect Forward Secrecy” (PFS), “kill switches”, and an ads/trackers blocker. Its PRO version offers the multi-hop feature.
· IVPN has servers in all key regions, moreover, it invests in high-quality infrastructure and offers very good speed.
· It supports all key platforms and routers.
· IVPN allows P2P/torrenting without any bandwidth restrictions.
· The IVPN website and its apps are very user-friendly.
· IVPN offers excellent guides, a comprehensive and searchable knowledge base, and robust customer support.
· Its pricing is justifiable even if slightly expensive, moreover, IVPN offers a free trial. The company has a transparent refund policy.
There are a few disadvantages too, which are as follows:
· On most occasions, IVPN can’t unblock geo-restricted streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, etc.
· IVPN doesn’t have a custom app for Linux.
· Its STANDARD plan allows only 2 simultaneous connections.
A few quick facts about IVPN
Let’s quickly summarize a few key facts about IVPN, which are as follows:
· IVPN is in operations since 2009, and this Gibraltar-based VPN is owned by Privatus Limited.
· IVPN offers strong privacy and security features, and it’s a highly transparent VPN provider.
· It supports all key platforms, offers great speed, provides comprehensive documentation, and offers robust customer support.
· IVPN can’t consistently unblock geo-restricted streaming services like Netflix.
· This VPN provider allows P2P/torrenting, however, it asks users to refrain from using its US-based servers for this purpose.
· IVPN has servers in 45 locations across 32 countries.
Is IVPN user friendly?
Everyone likes user-friendly products. You would want a VPN that’s easy to use, wouldn’t you? IVPN is indeed easy to use, and you get this sense as soon as you visit its website. The website is very user-friendly, and you can easily navigate to all key menu options like “Pricing”, “Sign up”, “Help”, etc. IVPN prominently displays its free trial option, policy page, knowledgebase, etc.
You will find that the process to buy IVPN is very easy. This process consists of a few intuitive steps, e.g., creating an account with an email address and password, choosing a plan, selecting a payment method, etc.
The website prominently displays the options to download IVPN custom apps. You can view all the set-up guides in the IVPN “Help” page, moreover, IVPN also provides privacy guides on its website.
Its custom apps are user-friendly, moreover, they offer useful configuration options. IVPN provides comprehensive guides where they don’t offer a custom app, e.g., Linux.
About the customer service of IVPN
You would like your VPN provider to offer great customer service, wouldn’t you? We have reviewed how IVPN does on this count, and we are very satisfied.
Remember that IVPN custom apps are easy to use, therefore, you won’t need much customer support. On top of it, IVPN offers detailed guides for its apps, moreover, it provides excellent instructions where it doesn’t offer custom apps.
IVPN offers live chat support, however, it isn’t available 24x7. You can email the IVPN customer support team, and you will get a response within a few hours. Users can submit a ticket from their client area, moreover, they can also reach the IVPN support team via Twitter.
The IVPN website has a comprehensive FAQ section, moreover, it features a searchable knowledge base. We conclude that customer service is a strong point of IVPN!
What's the jurisdiction of IVPN?
IVPN is based in Gibraltar, and the company is subject to the jurisdiction of this British overseas territory. Gibraltar is autonomous, and the territory has its own parliament, legislation, governance, and judiciary.
Unlike the UK, Gibraltar isn’t a part of the “5 Eyes” countries that conduct mass surveillance. Companies operating in Gibraltar aren’t subject to the data retention laws that are operative in the “5 Eyes” alliance countries.
Gibraltar offers the right legislative framework that the privacy-focused VPN providers need. Coupled with the “no logs” policy of IVPN, its favorable jurisdiction works well for privacy-focused Internet users.
Does IVPN keep any log?
A key advantage of IVPN is its “no logs” policy. The company explicitly states on its “Privacy Policy” page that it doesn’t log any Internet activity of its users. IVPN doesn’t log Internet traffic, DNS requests, connection timestamp, connection duration, bandwidth used, or IP addresses.
This provider logs the total number of simultaneous connections using one account, however, it doesn’t track any other account activity. Since users don’t need to provide any personal information while signing up for IVPN, the company tracks the email address only. Depending on the payment mode you use, IVPN tracks the applicable transaction information.
When you visit the IVPN website, the company tracks your IP address, referring website, etc. IVPN complies with the applicable EU laws for processing this data, and you as a VPN user have no reason to worry about it.
IVPN clearly demonstrates in its warrant canary and transparency reports that it has not provided users data to any government agencies, moreover, there are no warrants served to it. In summary, IVPN implements and practices a clear “no logs” policy. Cure53, a German cybersecurity company has independently audited how IVPN implements its “no logs” policy and found it satisfactory.
What protocols and encryption are used by IVPN?
IVPN certainly features strong security solutions, which is one of its key advantages. It supports OpenVPN and IPSec IKEv2 protocols, and both are well-known as highly secure protocols. OpenVPN has no known vulnerabilities.
IVPN also supports WireGuard, which is a highly promising protocol based on strong cryptography. However, WireGuard is still under development, and IVPN recommends that you use it only as an experiment. WireGuard promises high speed and strong security.
You can’t get a static IP address if you use IVPN. The company states in its FAQ page that it provides only shared IP addresses, which prevents anyone from associating any online activity to any particular user of IVPN.
IVPN operates its own log-less DNS servers, and you don’t need to worry about IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks. With AES-256 encryption and 4096-bit RSA keys, you can be sure that IVPN offers the strongest encryption that you can get in the market.
IVPN uses “Perfect Forward Secrecy” (PFS), which generates new encryption keys every hour for you. Even if cyber-attackers manage to get your encryption key, they won’t be able to get your sensitive data for your substantial duration.
IVPN offers its “AntiTracker”, which blocks all ads and trackers. With this VPN, you don’t need to worry if your VPN connection drops unexpectedly. IVPN offers a “kill switch”, which blocks your Internet connection as soon as the VPN connection drops, and it’s called “Firewall”. If you connect your device to a public Wi-Fi hotspot, IVPN automatically detects it and connects you to its secure network.
The “PRO” plan of IVPN offers the multi-hop feature, which allows you to route your traffic through two VPN servers. This adds to your security. With all these security features, we can certainly say that IVPN has very strong security credentials.
Our short conclusion of IVPN
Some VPN providers make tall claims, however, the reality of their products and services often vary from those claims. IVPN focuses on privacy, security, ease of use, speed, transparency, and customer support. We found that IVPN fares very well in all of these areas.
IVPN can’t consistently unblock Netflix and other geo-restricted streaming services, however, the company never claims that it will do so. It offers P2P/torrenting on all its servers, however, it asks users to not access P2P services from its US-based servers. The company demonstrates transparency here too, just as it does vis-à-vis its privacy and security features.
It’s a bit expensive. However, IVPN demonstrates excellent privacy and security track record and we find that its pricing is justified. While it doesn’t offer a custom client for Linux, it offers excellent guides on how to configure IVPN on this platform.
We believe that IVPN is an excellent buy! We recommend that you try it out using its free trial period so that you can make a decision.
