IVPN is a VPN service established in 2009 that's independently owned and headquartered in Gibraltar. For more anonymity, you can choose to create an account with a randomly generated account number assigned to you upon registration instead of using an email and password. It also accepts a range of payment options, including cash and cryptocurrencies. It's available for various platforms with open-source applications for all of them, and it has additional features like multi-hop, obfuscation, and ad/tracker blocking.
Our Verdict
IVPN is great for torrenting. It doesn't have data limits or place any restrictions on downloading P2P files. It has acceptable security that mostly keeps your IP address and DNS queries within its tunnel, and it's properly configured to protect you from man-in-the-middle attacks. However, its kill switch doesn't work properly upon rebooting your system, as some unencrypted traffic leaks past the VPN. You can register without providing personal information like an email address or even a password. This is beneficial if the VPN provider experiences a data leak, as there's less recorded information about its users.
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Anonymous registration and payment options.
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Proper TLS implementation doesn't leave you vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.
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Kill switch leaks unencrypted traffic after system reboot.
IVPN has acceptable security. It doesn't leak your IP address or DNS queries while you're connected to it, and it has proper TLS implementation, protecting you from man-in-the-middle attacks. Unfortunately, its kill switch doesn't work as intended, as it leaks some unencrypted traffic upon rebooting your system. This is a concern if you need all your traffic to be encrypted after a system crash.
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Proper TLS implementation doesn't leave you vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.
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Kill switch leaks unencrypted traffic after system reboot.
IVPN has good download and upload speeds that are suitable for regular internet use like video streaming and general browsing. However, its latency occasionally spikes, potentially disrupting gameplay or video calls.
Changelog
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
IVPN has two tiers: Standard and Pro. We bought and tested the Pro version.
| Plan | Simultaneous Devices | Multi-Hop |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 2 | No |
| Pro | 7 | Yes |
Compared To Other VPNs
IVPN stands out from other VPNs on the market for a few reasons. Like Mullvad, you can create an account using a randomly generated account number rather than using an email and password (although you still have the option). It supports various platforms, with all its applications being open source with publicly reviewable code. Unfortunately, it fails the kill switch test like most VPNs we've tested. This is an issue if you're concerned with ensuring that no unencrypted data reaches your ISP if you restart your computer, for example.
It has a favorable reputation in the community for its transparency, responsible marketing, and digital rights advocacy. It publishes informative resources on its website about best privacy practices and how to use the service effectively. Some users, however, miss the fact that it doesn't support port forwarding. Proton VPN is another alternative that offers that feature.
To see which services we recommend, check out our article on the best VPNs.
Test Results
Upon creating your account, you're assigned a randomly generated account number, which is the only identifier required to use the service. However, you can register with an email and password if you prefer.
You can pay with cash, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Lightning, Monero, credit card, and PayPal.
The kill switch doesn't work as intended, as network traffic leaks outside the VPN tunnel after a reboot. This can be problematic if you're concerned with keeping your traffic encrypted at all times, like if your system freezes and you have to restart it.
Like most VPN services, this VPN doesn't implement BGP properly.
IVPN delivers consistent download speeds suitable for relatively quick downloads and 4k video streaming.
IVPN delivers consistent and fast upload speeds suitable for quickly uploading files such as cloud backups or YouTube videos.
This VPN has fairly inconsistent latency that's good at times, but with occasional spikes that could be disruptive for online games or video calls.
IVPN supports many Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, Mint, Fedora, CentOS/Alma/Rocky, Arch Linux, and Fedora Silverblue. You can also configure it manually.
This VPN also has mobile apps for iOS and Android and router support, so all of your network traffic goes through the VPN.
Both IPSec protocols are only supported on iOS devices.
We bought and tested the Pro plan, which has a maximum of seven simultaneous devices, but the Standard plan only allows two device connections at a time.
You can only manually choose individual servers if you enable the option in the settings.
