IPVanish Review
Unlimited connections. WireGuard speeds. US jurisdiction.
IPVanish is a fast, capable VPN that competes well on speed and device count — but carries a piece of history that matters. In 2016, under previous ownership by Highwinds Network Group, the company provided user logs to the US Department of Homeland Security despite its no-logs marketing. The company has since been acquired by Ziff Davis and claims to have rebuilt its logging policy. New users deserve to know this context.
Our scores
IPVanish
Overall score — April 2026
IPVanish delivers fast WireGuard speeds with unlimited simultaneous connections. The US jurisdiction and a 2016 incident where they logged user data (under previous ownership) are real concerns — disqualifying for high-stakes privacy, acceptable for everyday use.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unlimited simultaneous connections — covers every device in your home
- Fast WireGuard speeds — 88% retention in testing
- 2,400+ servers in 90+ countries
- SOCKS5 proxy included — useful for torrent clients without full VPN overhead
- Clean, intuitive apps across all platforms
Cons
- US jurisdiction (5 Eyes member) — highest legal exposure of any VPN
- 2016 controversy: logged and shared user data with FBI under previous ownership despite claiming no-logs
- No multi-hop or double-VPN routing
- No independent no-logs audit — policy is claimed, not externally verified
- Less transparent about ownership than privacy-first competitors
Speed
670 Mbps
Download
430 Mbps
Upload
9 ms
Latency
88%
Speed kept
670 Mbps average — 88% speed retention. WireGuard performance is among the better results we've measured, behind only ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Consistent speeds across US, European, and Asian servers. Latency overhead is just 9ms on nearby servers — competitive with NordLynx.
Tested: . 1 Gbps base connection.
Privacy & Security
US jurisdiction is the worst possible location for a VPN from a legal exposure standpoint. The 2016 logging incident — regardless of ownership change — sets a precedent that cannot be fully erased. For everyday privacy protection (ISP tracking, public Wi-Fi), IPVanish is adequate. For high-stakes privacy — journalism, activism, legal matters — the jurisdiction and history are disqualifying.
Streaming
Reliable on Netflix US and UK in testing. BBC iPlayer and Disney+ work most of the time (85% success rate). Amazon Prime was consistent. Not the most specialized streaming VPN, but performs well for general use.
Pricing
$10.99/mo
Monthly
$3.99/mo
Annual plan
billed annually
At $3.99/month on the annual plan with unlimited connections, the value is strong for households or power users. The SOCKS5 proxy included in the plan adds value for torrent users who want speed without routing all traffic through the VPN tunnel.
User Ratings
4.2/5
Trustpilot
7k reviews
4.1/5
Google Play
50k ratings
4.5/5
App Store
30k ratings
55%
Community
Reddit sentiment
Ratings sourced from Trustpilot, Google Play Store, and Apple App Store. Community score is derived from Reddit/r/VPN sentiment analysis. Scores are aggregated periodically and may not reflect real-time data.
Verdict
IPVanish is a solid choice for speed and streaming if US jurisdiction doesn't concern you. For privacy-sensitive use cases, the location and 2016 history make it inappropriate. If you're comparing to Surfshark (both unlimited connections, both under $4/month annual), Surfshark's European base gives it a meaningful edge.
IPVanish vs. Alternatives
| Feature | IPVanish8.2/10 | NordVPN9.2/10 | ExpressVPN8.6/10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our Score | 8.2 | 9.2 | 8.6 |
| Monthly Price | $3.99/mo | $3.39/mo | $8.32/mo |
| Servers | 2,400+ | 6,400+ | 3,000+ |
| Countries | 90 | 111 | 105 |
| Simultaneous Devices | Unlimited | 10 | 8 |
| Speed (tested) | 670 Mbps (88%) | 730 Mbps (96%) | 755 Mbps (98%) |
| No-Logs Policy | |||
| Independently Audited | |||
| Kill Switch | |||
| Ad Blocker | |||
| Streaming | |||
| Torrenting / P2P | |||
| Port Forwarding | |||
| Obfuscation | |||
| Double VPN | |||
| RAM-Only Servers | |||
| Jurisdiction | USA (5 Eyes member) | Panama (outside 5/9/14 Eyes) | British Virgin Islands |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days | 30 days |
All data verified April 2026.