Ivacy VPN Overview
The base of Ivacy VPN is Singapore. This city is not a member of Fourteen Eyes, Nine Eyes, or Five Eyes surveillance jurisdictions. Singapore assists the USA and the Five Eyes partners (New Zealand, UK, Canada, and Australia) in conducting surveillance. VPNs do give additional protection levels. It is not a big problem since Ivacy VPN features a strict no information logging policy.
Ivacy VPN features 1,000+ servers in over one hundred locations. If you want to have the fastest VPN speeds, you should connect to the server, which is the closest to you. Ivacy VPN might work on various Internet connection types. For instance, it might be 3G, 4G, LTE, or Wi-Fi connection.
Ivacy features a Kill Switch. It should cut the Internet connection in case there is a leak. It seems to work. However, Ivacy VPN does not also store logs. They say they are keeping track of all login attempts.
You might connect to less than 5 tools at the same time. Ivacy VPN might access Hulu, Netflix, and BBC iPlayer. The speed is not that bad to stream with no buffering or lag. However, as long as the server count is small, it means that it will not be reliable forever.
Additionally, torrents on the dedicated P2P servers are allowed by Ivacy. With the absence of bandwidth restrictions, you might stream and torrent as much as you wish.
Ivacy stands out, thanks to its 24/7 customer service. You might keep in touch with Ivacy in a variety of ways. They might answer all your questions efficiently and fast.
There is a seven-day money-back guarantee if you buy a one-month plan. You might also enjoy a thirty-day money-back guarantee if you buy a 1- or 2-year plan. It is very easy to use and install Ivacy VPN no matter whether you are an experienced user or a novice.
Ivacy is not the worst VPN, but its pricing policy must be more reasonable, and the prices should be more affordable because its speeds and features should be better.
Ivacy Key Summary
Data Cap | Unlimited |
Logging Policy | No Logs |
Data Leaks | No |
Jurisdiction | Singapore |
Servers | 3500+ |
IP Addresses | 3500+ |
Countries | 54 |
US Netflix | Yes |
Torrenting | Permitted |
Works in China | Yes |
Support | 24/7 Live Chat |
Cheapest Price | $1.33/mo over 24 Months |
Official Website | https://www.ivacy.com/ |
What Is a VPN?
Pointing the browser at the website, the request is sent to the server hosting the website. Then, it returns with the kind of content you wish to see. However, it works differently when you utilize the VPN. When you activate your VPN, it generates the encrypted tunnel between the server and your computer that are controlled by a VPN provider. Then, your request is exiting normally into the worldwide Internet, returning via the encrypted tunnel and through the VPN server.
Your web traffic cannot be intercepted by anyone as it is moving from the computer to your VPN server. When you connect to the websites through HTTPS, your information is encrypted for this complete journey, even when it leaves your VPN server. Therefore, you might need a VPN. VPNs are necessary when you utilize unfamiliar networks or public Wi-Fi. In such cases, hackers might lurk on the network and run the network by themselves with a desire to snag your personal data.
However, there are even more threats to your information. Congress has decided to allow ISPs to sell anonymized user information. Your ISP is prevented from snooping on the online activity trying to monetize you by a VPN. As long as the traffic of others and your traffic seems to come from your VPN server, it is very difficult to correlate the online activities to the computer you have. It is perfect if you care about law enforcement and advertisers that try to track the activities you make online.
Your location data is also hidden by VPNs by obscuring the IP address. If anyone tries to find your IP address when you use your VPN, they will see only the VPN’s IP address that might be in another country, state, or city.
Activists and journalists that operate in censored regimes utilize VPNs to tunnel pass the web controls securely and get access freely to the open Internet. Similarly, you might connect to a distant VPN server. You might also make it appear when your traffic comes from another country. If you are willing to stream the video from another country, it might be useful.
Pricing and Features
It is possible to purchase a one-year, one-month, or two-year plan. Purchasing a one-month plan, you might get a refund within seven days. Note that you might get it if you did not run more than thirty sessions and utilized more than seven GB. The users might enjoy this option if they paid extra accidentally since they did not turn off the auto-recurring option. It will take you forty-eight hours to get a refund. However, if the payment was completed with the help of a credit card, you should wait for forty days.
The price for a privacy VPN account is $8.95 per month, which is rather expensive if compared to other similar services. The average month-to-month VPN’s cost is close to $10.50. If you want to use it for one year, you should pay $36.00 and $48.00 if you want to get signed for a two-year subscription.
With Ivacy, you might use several payment options such as Credit Card, PayPal, Coin payments, Bitpay, and more. However, the refund policy cannot be applied to Paymentwall and BitCoin. If you want to save money, Ivacy VPN offers you to use special coupons to get a discount. However, the discount is not very big if compared to bonuses and discounts offered by other VPN services.
With Ivacy VPN, you might connect from less than five tools at the same time, which is average if compared to other VPNs in the industry. With Ivacy, you might enjoy a split-tunneling feature. You might decide which applications must send their traffic via the encrypted tunnel of the Ivacy VPN as long as you might avoid the VPN’s latency effects and the detrimental speed on the game when remaining otherwise protected.
Earlier, it was rather difficult to use and set up the VPN. However, now it is not a big deal because most companies give first-party customer applications on various platforms. For instance, Ivacy VPN offers applications for the Chrome browser, Android, the Firefox browser, macOS, iOS, and Windows, which is not bad.
VPN Protocols
Internet protocols determine the way information packets are dispatched within a network. They determine the VPN’s service security and its speed. Some protocols might sacrifice security for speed. With Ivacy VPN, the customers might switch between protocols. It depends on whether they need more security or speed.
You should decide which protocols you want to select. On Windows, you might have OpenVPN (TCP), OpenVPN (UDP), IKEv2, and L2TP/IPsec protocols. On iOS, you might select between IPsec and IKEv2. On Mac, you might only utilize the IKEv1 protocol. However, note that it is rather insecure and outdated.
You might take advantage of a few flavors with this VPN to protect your information. For instance, you might use OpenVPN, which is open-source, new, and known for its speed. The Windows application supports OpenVPN in UDP and TCP flavors like newer IKEv2 and older L2TP. Ivacy VPN features good and contemporary technology.
Servers and Server Locations
When you compare VPN companies, it will be handy to look at the number of servers offered by the company and the location of those servers. Your performance is the best when the server is situated the closest to you. If there are servers in various places, it means that you will have a more appropriate experience.
With Ivacy VPN, you might use 459 servers, which are relatively low if compared to other VPNs. Although the numbers are low, the servers feature a good distribution. There are one hundred server locations in Ivacy VPN.
Ivacy features strategically positioned servers. For instance, there are six locations in Africa. Once Central and South America are passed over with the vast majority of VPN servers, Ivacy VPN is an exception to this rule. There are servers in China, Turkey, and Russia as well.
It is worth mentioning that the number of servers is a bit deceiving, unfortunately. There are physical servers that are meant to behave like they are a few servers in various locations. It might be a problem for anyone concerned about their precise information path. You may be miffed to figure out that by choosing a server in the information haven of Iceland, you might be routed via a Shanghai virtual server. For that, Ivacy VPN utilizes 26 virtual servers only.
Your Privacy With Ivacy VPN
You should utilize a VPN to protect your information from such spies as three-letter government agencies, hackers, and ISPs. There is rather no point in using a service that might spy on you.
The Privacy Policy of Ivacy VPN is readable but a bit too long and less clear. They say that they do not monitor or log connection logs, online browsing activities, original IP addresses, VPN IPs assigned, outgoing traffic, connection times, browsing history, information accessed by you, and DNS queries created by you.
They promise they will not rent, sell, or share the customer’s personal data given during the process of registration. The ads are also not injected into the users’ traffic. The company claims that it retains the name, email address, and payment method only to make billing and more functions. They claim that they remove the information regarding inactive users every twelve months.
It is necessary to be aware of where the VPN company’s location is because the legal jurisdiction is dictated under which it works. Depending on the location, some companies might be supposed to hold on to specific information for set periods or need to work with various law enforcement bodies. If it comes to Ivacy VPN, its location is in Singapore. It works under this legal jurisdiction.
Hands On With Ivacy VPN
There might be some troubles when signing up for Ivacy VPN. The site returns the mistake message when the payment data is incorrect. It claims to accepts various credit cards and sundry cryptocurrencies, PayPal, Bitty, and Alipay.
The design of Ivacy VPN is not very good. It blends with Windows 10 and is slick and fussy. There is a Streaming option serving as fast links to the servers if you want to watch TV in the USA and the BBC iPlayer. You might also use the “Channels” option.
You might need the add-on purchase for your Dedicated IP option. If you want to access the websites that are blocked by your government, you might use the Unblocking option.
Unfortunately, the Ivacy VPN does not work well as it is advertised. For instance, it cannot connect to any of the Australian VPN servers. The issue is similar when testing Chrome and Firefox browser extensions, which is disappointing.
With Ivacy VPN, there are also such settings as IPv6 leak protection, a protocol selector, and a Kill Switch. They prevent your computer from using an unencrypted channel suppose Ivacy VPN becomes temporarily disconnected. There is also a split tunneling option, letting you decide which applications must deliver their traffic via the VPN tunnel.
Ivacy VPN and Netflix
The Ivacy VPN website is praised for being possible to stream anytime and anything. The applications include specific streaming locations, targeting to unblock other streaming platforms, as well as Netflix.
Ivacy also gives browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge. Similar to applications, these also back up different streaming platforms. The Ivacy seems to get into Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and US YouTube.
The unblocking performance of Ivacy VPN is not a perfect one since it provides its customers only with the beginning of the VPN capabilities. The customer Streaming panel is supporting unblocking various platforms such as BT Sport, ABC, Fox Sports Now, CBS, Hulu, HBO Now, NBC, and more.
The VPN might make it seem you are in a specific location as long as it routes your traffic via a different country server. Nevertheless, many streaming services tend to frown on such behavior. For instance, Netflix blocks most VPNs. However, it is not a big deal with Ivacy on Windows. Nevertheless, your mileage might vary.
Beyond VPN
Additionally to generating encrypted tunnels for the web traffic, most VPNs pack in additional options to assist in standing out in such a crowded space. It is a norm to see network-based phishing protection, ad-blocking, and more security features to be included in your VPN.
With Ivacy VPN, you may use a NAT firewall if you pay $1 additionally per month. However, most of the companies will do it for free. You might also dedicate your IP addresses in Canada, Australia, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, as well as the USA and the UK for $1.99 monthly. It will not be blocked because it will not be recognized immediately as a VPN's IP block’s part.
Some servers are earmarked specifically for Netflix and are streaming for various countries. P2P file sharing and BitTorrent are allowed on its network. However, there is no ad-blocking feature.
Speed Tests
No matter what VPN you might select, you should be ready for your Internet speed to eliminate. In most cases, additional VPN security protection might be pricey. Note that many factors influence Internet speed. For instance, it might be the location, time of day, VPN server distance, software, internet service provider, hardware, and the VPN service provider.
When you use a VPN, you will lose some Internet speed since your information is taking a more circuitous, longer path than usual. Using a VPN, you should expect a boost in latency and a reduction in upload and download speeds.
If it comes to latency tests, the Ivacy VPN performed rather poorly and boosted latency by 2,360%. This is a rather worse score to be recorded when compared to other competitors on the market.
The domestic download performance of Ivacy VPN was lackluster, eliminating download speeds by 19.1%, which is such a terrible result. If it comes to upload tests, its results are eliminated by 31.9%.
If we speak about domestic tests, the Ivacy VPN performs remarkably poorly because there is a small pool of servers. Speaking about international performance, it is possible to conclude that it performs better. To sum up, Ivacy VPN slows down both Windows and Mac computers. However, the Internet speed might still be fast to stream. Anyway, other VPN services show much better results if compared to Ivacy VPN.
Ivacy VPN on Other Platforms
Ivacy VPN company offers 3 Android applications such as Ivacy Lite, Ivacy VPN TV, and Ivacy VPN. In the Android application, it generates a VPN connection with the OpenVPN protocol, which is not bad.
The mode of Ivacy VPN for distribution on the iPhone is rather similar to the Android strategy. There is a free version (Ivacy Lite) and the main application (Ivacy VPN). With iOS, it utilizes a less-secure and older IPSec and better and newer IKEv2 protocol. It is not supporting OpenVPN in iPhone applications.
Ivacy VPN offers just one application for the Mac, which is impossible to find in the official Mac Application Store. So you will have to use the Ivacy website to download it. Note that the macOS application supports only the IPSec protocol, which is a big minus.
The Chrome Ivacy extension offers just a few settings. It gives simple access to the servers’ pool of Ivacy. It also offers a search box, making connecting a breeze. You might also utilize a Purposes tab that gives quick access to other server types and streaming. However, the Ivacy Chrome plug-in might break your Internet connection.
If we speak about Firefox, it is important to say that it is identical to Chrome in function and form. However, it might be difficult to find the Firefox plug-in.
A Fine Line
You might use the same features set as other VPN companies offer with Ivacy VPN. However, its price is not a very affordable one. It features a few noteworthy additions. However, this is it. The issue is that this service features fewer servers if compared to competitors. Also, it is impossible to utilize Ivacy's browser extensions. Moreover, some of the VPN servers just do not work. You might get a lot of jobs to be done with Ivacy, but many other VPN services on the market are much better. To sum up, your information is safe and secure with the Ivacy VPN, but there are huge drawbacks if it comes to the servers’ underwhelming collection and testing. So there are too many red flags regarding this VPN service, making it disappointing to use the Ivacy VPN.
Pros and Cons
Pros:- No logging.
- Good app ratings.
- Split tunneling on Windows.
- Lots of features.
- Great at unblocking Netflix.
- Diverse server locations.
- Specialized servers..
- Good privacy policy.
- App-specific tunneling.
- Data retention laws.
- Mixed reviews for customer support.
- Mac app is lacking.
- Various Windows client issues.
- No security/privacy audit.
- Not affordable.
- No WireGuard. /li>
- No ad-blocking.
- Few servers.
- Lackluster speed test scores.
- Problem connecting to some servers.
- Nonfunctioning browser extensions.
Ivacy VPN Specs
Ivacy VPN offers a bundle of features, but the speeds are not very good. Also, there are huge problems with Windows customers. Truly, this virtual private network will keep your information secure. However, you should keep in mind such serious drawbacks of it such as underwhelming servers’ collection and poor testing. It is not good for Mac users.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Internet Kill Switch & why is it necessary?
It is a free add-on that is available when you subscribe to Ivacy. With it, you will have “Leak Proof” encryption and security for its customers. VPN might encrypt your information and secure you because you are connected to this server. However, when you are disconnected from the servers, VPN will reconnect it in a few seconds, which is crucial. With Kill Switch, this vulnerability might be overcome.
Why do I need Ivacy VPN?
Ivacy VPN features access to more than 1000 servers in one hundred various locations. You might enjoy its Internet freedom without being compromised through such security features as Public Wi-Fi Security, Military Grade Encryption, Internet Kill Switch, and more. Note that other VPN services will provide you with the same or even more number features for a more affordable price.
How to utilize Ivacy VPN in China?
Ivacy VPN team claims to be working on ensuring you have no problems when utilizing Ivacy VPN in China. They say they update their systems regularly to make sure there is optimal connectivity. If you want to have the best results, you should ensure you utilize the latest Ivacy Prime version and connect to the specific VPN servers. However, Ivacy does not specify clearly which ones exactly, which is rather disappointing.
Can I use Kill Switch on all tools?
You might utilize Internet Kill Switch for the Ivacy VPN on both Windows and Android. Nevertheless, it is impossible to use it on iOS and Mac.
Which Ivacy VPN servers are the most speedy?
With Ivacy VPN, you might utilize servers that are speeding up to 1Gbps. Nevertheless, the speeds might vary. They depend on your ISP and geographical location. The application is created to connect you to the quickest possible server through its Smart Purpose Selection option. If you want to get connected to the quickest available server, you should select from the following options: Unblocking, Streaming, Secure Download, and smart connect. However, it is not always clear how to do it correctly.
What encryption level does Ivacy VPN give?
They say they would support various encryption levels, starting with zero encryption and finishing with AES 256-bit and the highest SSL encryption. The protocol you have chosen with the Ivacy VPN application defines the encryption level. However, the process of changing protocols might be rather complicated with Ivacy VPN, which is sad.
Is Ivacy VPN a safe VPN?
There is no information logging policy. So you might feel comfy that all your personal data is safe and secure and will not be given to any third party.
How to utilize Ivacy VPN?
First of all, you will need to sign up. Select between the paid payment plan and the free trial. Then, you might install this VPN application for iOS, Android, Windows, or Mac.
Alternatives to Ivacy VPN
CyberGhost
CyberGhost - one of the best VPN services globally that is trusted by millions. Offers around 7000 servers in nearly 70 countries.
Read CyberGhost reviewWindScribe
WindScribe - a free VPN and adblock. This is a very lightweight app that allows you to browse any Internet page absolutely securely.
Read WindScribe review