IVPN Review: Pricing, Features, Pros, and Cons

IVPN’s fast facts Our rating: 3.4 out of 5 Starting price: $6 per user per month Key features: Killswitch Anti-tracking and ad blocking Mobile app for Android and iOS Multihop VPN

IVPN is a VPN solution for consumers and entrepreneurs, also offering a Teams solution if you’re looking for an option for your business. Its main features include a killswitch, multihop, ad and website blocking, and schedules for IP address rotation. IVPN is a good choice for users who need basic VPN features, particularly those looking for an open-source solution. It’s also available as a mobile app if that’s a priority for you.

IVPN’s pricing

IVPN offers two VPN plans, Standard and Pro. IVPN doesn’t offer a free trial for either of its plans, but if you’re not pleased with the solution, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

	IVPN Standard	IVPN Pro
Free trial	❌	❌
Number of devices	2	7
Anti-tracking	✔️	✔️
Killswitch	✔️	✔️
Multihop	❌	✔️

IVPN Standard

The Standard plan starts at $6 per user per month but costs $5 when billed annually. It protects up to two devices. If you want to select bi-annual or tri-annual billing, there are subsequent discounts. If you only want to purchase IVPN Standard by month or by week, you can do that too, but it’s more expensive. I recommend the yearly billing option.

SEE: Everything You Need to Know about the Malvertising Cybersecurity Threat (TechRepublic Premium)

The Standard plan supports all VPN protocols. Its main additional feature is anti-tracking. IVPN Standard is a good choice if you only use a few devices and want the simplest possible VPN.

IVPN Pro

The Pro plan costs $8.33 per user per month when billed annually and protects up to seven devices. Like the Standard plan, two- and three-year plans kick the price down further.

IVPN Pro also supports all VPN protocols, and its features include anti-tracking and multi-hop. I recommend the Pro plan if you’re a home office user or freelancer with more than two devices.

IVPN’s key features

I looked at five of IVPN’s most useful features, including a killswitch, anti-tracking technology, WireGuard IP address rotation schedules, multihop, and a mobile application for phone users.

SEE: How Much Does a VPN Cost? + Savings Tips (TechRepublic)

Killswitch

IVPN’s killswitch is available for macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS if you use the built-in on-demand feature. A killswitch shuts down your internet connection if the VPN connection drops. This helps protect DNS and IPv6 leaks so your data isn’t exposed if the VPN momentarily fails. Killswitches are an essential VPN feature, one of the most basic capabilities you need to protect your internet sessions.

SEE: 6 Best Anonymous (No-Log) VPNs for 2024 (TechRepublic)

Anti-tracker

IVPN’s anti-tracking feature blocks ads and adware on customer devices. It also blocks data harvesters and malicious websites. Anti-tracking is a useful feature often found in top antivirus tools and VPNs, and it’s one of IVPN’s key capabilities. Aside from the added privacy of anti-tracking, I recommend IVPN for users who commonly perform extensive research on the internet and want to avoid ad clutter.

SEE: Does a VPN Slow Down Your Internet Speed? (TechRepublic)

WireGuard controls

IVPN allows users to create their own custom schedules for rotating keys and IP addresses. They can define the frequency of IP address shuffling based on their security needs. I find this particularly helpful if you’re a contractor or home office worker in a security-heavy industry and need frequent key and IP address changes.

Multihop VPN

Multihop allows VPN users to connect to servers in different locations sequentially. The VPN is “hopping” from one server to another, which adds privacy — if someone somehow manages to trace your internet activity despite the VPN, they’ll have a very limited time frame in which to snoop.

Mobile app

IVPN’s mobile app for Android supports Android operating systems 7.1 and higher. The iOS app supports iOS and iPadOS 15.0 and higher. The source code for both apps is available on GitHub, if you’re a developer and want to check out the app’s programming. Both mobile apps provide multi-hop VPN routes, WireGuard privacy controls, and anti-tracking technology. If you use your phone frequently for work or sensitive online connections, I recommend IVPN’s mobile app.

IVPN pros

IVPN has a few advantages for potential buyers:

• It has anti-tracking and ad-blocking features.
• Applications on all platforms are open source.
• IVPN doesn’t store logs of customer browsing data.

I suggest trying IVPN if you want to avoid being tracked by online services. Also, if you’re a developer or just interested in checking out the source code, IVPN makes that code available.

SEE: Can a VPN Be Hacked? (TechRepublic)

IVPN cons

IVPN also has a few disadvantages:

• It has email support but no phone or live chat.
• No integrations with password managers available.
• Lacks training videos.

If you’re new to VPNs and are looking for service setup videos, IVPN doesn’t offer much. While email support may be sufficient for many users, I’d recommend looking elsewhere if you want chat or phone options, too.

Alternatives to IVPN

	IVPN	Surfshark VPN	NordVPN	Hotspot Shield
Starting price (billed annually)	$5 per user per month	$2.99 per user per month	$4.59 per user per month	Free
Killswitch	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Multihop	✔️	✔️	Double VPN	❌
Anti-tracking	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌

Surfshark VPN

Surfshark VPN is one of the best consumer private networking products on the current market. Its features include IP address rotation, unlimited VPN connections, and camouflage mode, which helps you hide that you’re using a VPN by obfuscating any appearance of a VPN connection. Surfshark offers more features than IVPN and is less expensive. I recommend it to any customer looking to purchase a VPN. It’s an exceptional product.

SEE: Is a VPN Really Worth It in 2024? (TechRepublic)

Surfshark Starter, the basic plan, starts at $2.99 per user per month when billed annually. Surfshark One+, which offers the most features, costs $5.99 per user per month with annual billing. Surfshark also offers a Teams plan, which starts at $5.90 per user per month.

NordVPN

NordVPN is a popular VPN and internet security solution for both individual users and small businesses. Its features include ad and domain blocking, browsing protection, and dark web monitoring. NordVPN also has an app for Android TV and tvOS, which is particularly helpful if you plan to use your TV for work in any way. The VPN is available for up to 10 devices.

At $4.59 per user per month for the Basic plan, it’s more expensive than Surfshark Starter but is comparable to IVPN’s pricing. The Ultimate plan, also comparable to IVPN at $7.49 per user per month, adds features like identity theft recovery and cyber extortion protection.

Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield is a VPN solution for consumers that can protect up to 10 devices. Its features include IP leak protection, VPN traffic obfuscation, and DNS filtering. However, Hotspot Shield doesn’t offer multihop functionality or ad blocking, which IVPN offers.

Hotspot Shield’s Basic plan is free and comes with anti-phishing protection, a kill switch, and DNS leak protection for a single device. The Premium subscription, at $6.66 per month when billed annually, adds gaming and streaming capabilities and supports up to 10 devices. If you want to try Premium first, Hotspot Shield offers a 45-day free trial.

Methodology

To score IVPN, I created a rubric with five major categories that VPN buyers commonly look for. Each category represented a major criterion, like pricing or customer support, and each contained multiple subcriteria: specific features, pricing plans, or support channels. The main criteria and subcriteria all received a specific weight based on their importance. IVPN’s final score was based on how well it met the sub-criteria I set.

The five criteria I selected were pricing, features, usability and administration, security and privacy, and customer support.

• Pricing (20%): I looked at both IVPN’s pricing plans and the availability of a free trial.
• Features (25%): This category included the most important VPN features, such as a kill switch and IP address shuffle, and also nice-to-haves like NAS support.
• Usability and administration (20%): I considered factors that make products easier to use, like documentation and OS support.
• Security and privacy (20%): I evaluated IVPN based on its transparency around encryption and logging policies, as well as potential membership in Nine or Fourteen Eyes.
• Customer support (15%): I looked at the availability of support channels like phone and email, as well as the hours customer support is available.

Frequently asked questions

What encryption does IVPN use?

IVPN uses AES-256-GCM for OpenVPN 2.4 or later, and for OpenVPN versions prior to 2.4, IVPN uses AES-256-CBC. You also have the option to use ChaCha20-Poly1305 for versions 2.5 and up. If you’re using the WireGuard protocol, ChaCha20 can encapsulate packets, according to IVPN.

Can IVPN unblock streaming services?

IVPN’s features don’t include unblocking streaming services like Netflix or Disney+. If you’re looking for more flexibility for your streaming services, check out ExpressVPN, Surfshark VPN, or NordVPN, which all support streaming.

What operating systems does IVPN support?

IVPN supports macOS, Windows, and Linux computers. If you’re a mobile user, there are also apps for Android and iOS phones, and you can protect your iPads, too. Remember that only recent iOS versions — 15.0 and up — are supported, so IVPN may not work on all older phones.