In the wide world of different VPN services, finding the perfect one that ticks all the boxes is like finding a needle in a haystack! Reviewsed has decided to help you find the best of the best VPN service by comparing two of the leading VPN services – NordVPN and IPVanish.
Both VPN services launched in 2012, and since inception, we have seen both the VPN services evolve with the needs of the time and technology.
It is needless to say that both NordVPN and IPVanish has widespread popularity across the globe. However, when it comes to deciding the king of VPN services, everyone has their options as to why and how one VPN service is better than the other.
As we continue to understand the severity and gravity of online threats and risks to our personal information in the year 2021, the need for the best VPN is now greater than ever. Thankfully there are tons of great options to choose from. We suggest that you choose only the best in the market to ensure a reliable and safe experience, which is why we are comparing two of the best in this article.
Our ultimate VPN comparison will settle this debate for once and for all! Let’s start with a quick overall comparison:
|
NordVPN |
IPVanish | |
|
USABILITY |
Very Easy To use |
Very Easy, Supports All Devices |
|
JURISDICTION |
Panama |
The USA (5-Eyes Alliance) |
|
LOG FILES |
No connection logs |
No connection logs |
|
LOCATIONS |
5800+ servers in 62 countries |
1200+ servers in 60+ countries |
|
PARALLEL CONNECTIONS |
6 |
10 |
|
SUPPORT |
24/7 Live Chat Support |
No Live Chat support |
|
SPEED REDUCTION |
Approx. 35% |
Approx. 38% |
|
TORRENTING |
P2P & Torrenting Allowed |
P2P & Torrenting Allowed, Encouraged |
|
NETFLIX |
Unblocks Netflix USA |
Yes 1/4 |
|
ENCRYPTION/PROTOCOL |
256-bit AES/OpenVPN, IKEv2, IPsec. |
AES 256-bit, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP, SSTP, PPTP. |
|
P2P SUPPORT |
Yes |
Yes |
|
BEST PRICING PLAN |
$3.49/month 3-year plan |
$3.25/month 1-year plan |
|
OFFICIAL WEBSITE LINK |
NordVPN vs IPVanish – Pros and Cons
|
NordVPN |
IPVanish | |
| Pros | ||
|
| Impressively stable speed |
|
|
| Supports a wide range of features |
|
|
| Comes with an Ad-blocker |
|
|
| Double data encryption |
|
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| Cash and Cryptocurrencies accepted as payment |
|
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| 30-day money back guarantee |
|
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| Excellent for Netflix support And Other Streaming Systems |
|
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| No IP or DNS Leaks Found |
|
|
| Overall Impressive Security And Privacy Features |
|
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| Helpful and fast customer service |
|
| Cons | ||
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| Slow app and server connections |
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| OpenVPN configuration isn’t user-friendly |
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| Discount for longer package subscriptions only |
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Detailed NordVPN vs IPVanish Comparison
IPVanish vs NordVPN: Speed
NordVPN Speed Test Scores
To test the speed of NordVPN, I decided to use a 100 Mbps Cable Network internet connection. Without NordVPN, I received the following benchmark scores:
The speed test performance score of NordVPN turned out as:
I also test NordVPN on US, EU, and Asian Servers. The benchmark scores are:
|
US Server |
EU Server |
Asia Server | |
|
Ping |
102ms |
36ms |
212ms |
|
Download |
55 Mbps |
73 Mbps |
13 Mbps |
|
Upload |
28 Mbps |
47 Mbps |
6 Mbps |
IPVanish Speed Test Scores
Similarly, to test the speed of IPVanish, I decided to use a 100 Mbps Cable Network internet connection. The speed test performance score of IPVanish turned out as:
|
US Server |
EU Server |
Asia Server | |
|
Ping |
132ms |
37ms |
340ms |
|
Download |
34 Mbps |
82.60 Mbps |
7.60 Mbps |
|
Upload |
24.73 Mbps |
43.18 Mbps |
5.87 Mbps |
Although, both the VPN services performed well. However, it is evident that NordVPN offers faster speed performance than IPVanish.
Note: VPN speed scores may differ due to factors including users’ location, the VPN servers’ location, and what time of day it is
- Speed Winner: NordVPN
NordVPN vs IPVanish: Pricing
| NordVPN | IPVanish | |
| Subscription Periods | 1 month | 1 month |
| 1 year | 1 year | |
| 2 years | ||
| Best Discount Offer | 68% discount on two-year subscription | Save $58.50 on first year subscription |
| Highest price per month | $12.33 per month on 1-month plan | $3.49 for first month$9.99 per month after first month |
| Lowest price per month | $3.82 per month on 2-year plan | $2.62 per month on first year subscription (of the annual plan) |
| One-year price | $5.08 per month (billed $60.88 for first year only – $147.91 thereafter) | $2.62 per month (Billed $31.49 for first year only – $89.99 thereafter) |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days with Yearly Plan only |
For many VPN users, pricing is the biggest deciding factor. For the past few years, we have observed that NordVPN offered an overall, more affordable pricing plan.
However, IPVanish’s pricing plans can be a little misleading/confusing. So, we would recommend you to understand and compare the prices closely before selecting the best alternative.
- Pricing Winner: IPVanish
NordVPN vs IPVanish: Logs And Privacy
Customer data logging is a major factor that determines how trustable the VPN service is. Although, both NordVPN and IPVanish claim to have a strict “Zero Log Policy”; however, only NordVPN has lived up to its claims.
Unfortunately, during the final quarter of 2018, IPVanish was caught into a major “Customer Logging Controversy.” IPVanish was caught red-handed, providing FBI their customers’ data. Since then, users are hesitant to trust IPVanish with their data fully.
On the other hand, NordVPN is amongst the very few verified ‘No Logs’ VPN providers. Thus, NordVPN is has a more trustable reputation when it comes to privacy and data protection.
- Logs and Privacy Winner: NordVPN – a clear winner!
IPVanish vs NordVPN: Encryption And Security
If we talk about encryption specifically, then you will surely be impressed to know that both NodrVPN and IPVanish user 256-bit AES encryption. In addition to that, both the VPNs also offer a kill switch and DNS servers for additional security.
NordVPN users are connected using IKEv and OpenVPN; whereas, IPVanish users are connected via IKEv2, OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP protocols.
But the real question is: do both NordVPN and IPVanish offer the same level of security? Unfortunately, no! NordVPN is based in Panama; whereas, IPVanish is based in the US.
The United States is a ‘Five Eye Country’ – which means that your activity data may be shared between the Five Eyes countries that include the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. On the other hand, Panama has no mandatory data retention laws, so you can be worry-free with using NordVPN.
NordVPN has a trusted ‘no logs policy’; whereas, IPVanish provided logs to Homeland Security for an investigation that makes IPVanish’s security questionable.
- Encryption and Security Winner: NordVPN
Nord vs IPVanish: Multi-Platform Support and Configuration
When it comes to multi-platform support, NordVPN wins by a huge margin as it offers the best overall VPN support. No matter if it is Torrent support, Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS – NordVPN is the most widely user-friendly platform. Although IPVanish comes also provides supports multi-platforms, nothing close to NordVPN.
- Multi-Platform Support and Configuration Winner: NordVPN
IPVanish Vs NordVPN: Unblocking capabilities (Netflix)
NordVPN is widely famous for its ability to bypass stubborn geographic network blocking. Although, IPVanish also does a fantastic job of unlocking a range of regional streaming platforms. But can we say that it also performs well at bypassing stringent geo-restriction to unblock popular streaming platforms? Well, no!
Even when it comes to bypassing the ‘recently updated’ China’s Great Firewall, NordVPN is amongst the very few (if not the only) VPNs that can bypass China’s restrictions against VPN services. However, keep in mind that there are certain apps and websites in China that most VPNs, including NordVPN, cannot unblock.
- Unblocking capabilities (Netflix) Winner: NordVPN
NordVPN vs IPVanish: Customer Support
Having prompt customer support service is always a plus. Although both NordVPN and IPVanish claims to provide exceptional customer support 24/7.
However, when we tested out the customer service of NordVPN and IPVanish, and to no surprise, NordVPN had a faster service. The customer service of NordVPN was not only prompt, but they were able to handle our queries efficiently and provided an adequate response.
All-in-all, NordVPN has an in-house live chat service that greatly improves the overall quality of their response and duration. Hence, NordVPN hands down have a better Customer service than IPVanish.
|
NordVPN |
IPVanish | |
|
Live chat |
Yes (in-house) |
Yes (outsourced) |
|
Average email response time |
2 hours, 47 minutes |
4 hours, 27 minutes |
|
Email support |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Ticket support |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Phone support |
No |
No |
|
Video guides |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Searchable knowledgebase |
Yes |
Yes |
Customer Support Winner: NordVPN
FINAL VERDICT: NordVPN Wins!
After thoroughly testing out both NordVPN and IPVanish, It is fairly easy to conclude that NordVPN is a definite winner. There is no doubt in the fact that both the VPNs offer impeccable security and have a network of thousands of servers in more than 60 countries across the globe.
 |
| Winner! |
Nonetheless, NordVPN impresses us with its fantastic range of features, responsive customer service, user-friendly interface, uncompromised security, and privacy, remarkable 30-day money-back guarantees, and the astonishing unblocking capabilities.
IPVanish only stands out for its affordable price plans. On the other hand, NordVPN proves to offer an overall impressive VPN service with reasonable pricing plans.
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Markhascole
Mark is a cyber security enthusiast. He loves to spread knowledge about cybersecurity with his peers. He also loves to travel and writing his travel diaries.
