Having in mind the vast VPN marketplace, more often than not, it’s extremely hard to pick a provider that’ll satisfy your needs. You have dozens, if not hundreds of choices, but most likely, you’ll come across names like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and even IPVanish.
NordVPN is surely the most popular provider and is known for offering state-of-the-art encryption, blazing-fast speeds, and a no-logging policy. However, many people think about the NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison and see these two as similar choices.
Interestingly, we’re talking about two very different providers, each boasting a particular set of qualities and features. NordVPN is undoubtedly more popular but IPVanish has a loyal, albeit smaller user base that enjoys this provider daily.
Today, I will talk about a full, in-depth NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison for 2024 and compare these providers side by side. We’ll see which one is faster, more secure, better for torrenting/streaming, and so much more.
Therefore, if you’re in doubt and you don’t know which one to get, I recommend reading further. This article will tell you all you need to know about both providers, allowing you to get a full glimpse of each provider’s quality and capabilities.
NordVPN vs IPVanish: Apps & Ease of Use
This NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison for 2024 will start with the providers’ apps and ease of use. In this regard, there are big differences, especially in the way their applications look and feel. However, device compatibility is far better on NordVPN and that’s very important to mention.
This provider offers native apps for more devices and supports more router models than the American provider. For example, it offers Smart DNS which you can use instead of a VPN on PlayStation 5 or Xbox consoles for streaming and bypassing geo-blocks.
IPVanish has nothing like that and its console support is bare-bones. On the other hand, it’s vital to point out that both providers support platforms like Linux, Windows, iOS, Android, and macOS, so if you’re looking for a VPN for standard desktop and mobile platforms, you’re covered.
One thing where IPVanish beats NordVPN is the number of simultaneous connections. This provider has unlimited connections per account, whereas, NordVPN packs just 6, which is really minuscule compared to a generous offering from IPVanish.
NordVPN
Now, what about the overall user experience? Besides, this is known as a premium provider, so the feeling of using its apps should be… well, premium?! Take a look at the screenshot below and you’ll see that it looks not only modern but also intuitive and beautiful.
The app sports this big world map that you can use to connect to a server of your choice instantaneously. Opening the server list is easy too and by clicking on the arrow pointing down, next to the horizontal row of countries, you can open it up.
From there, connecting to a server location of your choice is one mouse click. In addition, the app works smoothly and has no stuttering issues. NordVPN even lets you customize the app a bit by selecting from two popular themes – dark and light.
The Settings menu of NordVPN is rather simple as well. You click on the gear icon in the bottom-left part of the screen and all VPN-related settings are located in a few simple sub-menus. From here, it’s easy to activate a kill switch, choose a different protocol, or enable/disable split tunneling.
Each important option has a separate menu, making NordVPN extremely intuitive and easy to use. Even advanced features like Meshnet, Threat Protection, and Dark Web Monitor can be opened using the icons on the left side of the app’s screen, so you won’t have any issues accessing them.
Not to mention that NordVPN’s connection times are extremely short, so connecting and disconnecting from a server is literally a 2-second job. All this makes NordVPN an excellent VPN for iPad but also Windows, macOS, Linux devices, and more.
IPVanish
IPVanish decided to say “goodbye!” to its outdated interface and replace it with a new one. In this NordVPN vs IPVanish duel, I was pleasantly surprised at just how good its applications look now. Here’s what you can expect when booting up IPVanish.
On the right side, you get a downgraded version of the world map and on the left, you can see your connection status. By clicking on the “Locations” icon on the left, you can open up a server list and double-click on the server location to connect to a server located there.
IPVanish does that swiftly, although it takes a bit longer to connect compared to NordVPN. Still, this isn’t a VPN that will slow down your internet speed that much. Regardless, the provider is very simple to use and its small number of menus and sub-menus surely gives you a good experience.
The connection button is visible at all times, no matter which part of the app you’re using. This allows you to connect to a server without much thinking and establish an encrypted tunnel in no time. Also, the Settings menu is intuitive, as the provider scatters all of its relevant features in a few menus.
Activating a kill switch is a piece of cake and changing to another protocol is done with a single click of a mouse – much like with NordVPN. In fact, you can turn on the kill switch from the home screen and that’s great because the provider values the importance of this feature.
Overall, in this NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison, the latter holds its ground well and offers an app that can stand proudly alongside NordVPN’s apps. However, keep in mind that, compared to NordVPN, it’s a bit outdated still, which, at least for me, is all but an issue.
Who Wins?
While IPVanish offers unlimited simultaneous connections, NordVPN offers a better user experience and supports more devices and platforms. As you can see, it’s pretty balanced in the first comparison, as each provider offers some great qualities. Needless to say, this first part of the NordVPN or IPVanish comparison ends in a DRAW.
Security & Privacy: Which One Is Safer to Use?
With a solid start from both providers and the result of 1:1 so far, I think it’s time to talk about security and privacy in this IPVanish vs NordVPN comparison. Let’s see which provider is safer to use and which one offers more security features.
Security Features
When browsing through different VPNs online, you will see that they promise, more or less, similar or the same things. That’s because the definition of a VPN lies in its ability to protect your online privacy by encrypting your connection and making you anonymous online.
Thus, these providers have a fair share of features that they share. For example, 256-bit encryption is used by both providers and they both have features like a kill switch, split tunneling, and support for different protocols.
In terms of protocols, both of them let you use OpenVPN but they have additional options which I’ll talk about in a minute. Important to mention is that both providers offer IP and DNS leak protection, which is very important for keeping away potential leaks that could compromise your privacy.
What Are the Differences?
That’s pretty much all when it comes to the features these two providers share. In this NordVPN vs IPVanish duel, you will find out that NordVPN is a lot more feature-rich. For example, IPVanish offers split tunneling only for Android, which I found a bit lacking and disappointing.
On the other hand, NordVPN offers this feature for every device – that’s how you should do things. Next, NordVPN has more advanced protocols to choose from. Aside from OpenVPN, IPVanish offers WireGuard support and that’s great because this protocol is really safe and secure.
However, NordVPN offers something called NordLynx. This protocol uses WireGuard as a base, and with NordVPN’s tweaks and upgrades to it, the company created an in-house protocol that’s far better than anything we’ve seen on the market. Except for Lightway from ExpressVPN.
IPVanish is a pretty basic provider so it has nothing to counter this brutal attack from NordVPN. It doesn’t have an ad blocker, whereas, its rival offers it on every device. Then, NordVPN has Threat Protection, which includes malware protection, antivirus, and the aforementioned ad blocker.
Even better, there’s something called Dark Web Monitor which detects your leaked information online and lets you take immediate action. For gamers, the provider offers Meshnet, a feature for joining and hosting safe and secure LAN parties, making it among the best VPNs for gaming in 2024.
On top of everything, this provider offers Private DNS, which prevents 3rd party DNS services from tracking your activities. Instead, every bit of traffic goes through NordVPN’s DNS, making sure you’re completely anonymous while browsing the web.
The presence of Double VPN servers is another great thing. Connecting to them grants you a double layer of encryption, preventing your ISP or hackers from ever intercepting your connection. IPVanish offers nothing similar, so don’t expect any advanced features from this provider, except for its SOCKS5 proxy.
Speaking of advanced features, NordVPN’s Meshnet deserves more attention. It’s great not only for gaming but also for remote control, file sharing, and remote access. Meshnet lets you even route your traffic through another device, and henceforth, use its IP address to go online.
RAM-only servers are another essential feature. Based on RAM, these servers lose their data with each reset, which ensures that no logging will take place. Hackers who try to compromise this server also won’t find anything, as NordVPN can simply reset it and wipe all information.
Therefore, when it comes to the sheer volume and quality of features and functionalities, NordVPN bludgeons IPVanish, leaving it to bite the dust. Good job.
Is There a No-Logs Policy?
Perhaps, IPVanish can redeem itself by offering a no-logging policy. Let’s see that in this part of the NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison for 2024. It’s crucial to point out that both providers indeed have a no-logging policy, but there are some crucial differences.
You see, NordVPN is based in Panama, an off-shore location with no data-retention laws and government surveillance. IPVanish, however, is in the heart of the United States, a country from the 5 Eyes with stringent surveillance and data-retention laws.
In addition, IPVanish went through several ownership changes, and at one point, it even cooperated with the authorities to help them arrest a suspect by providing particular connection information. This data leak surely alarmed a lot of its users who thought that IPVanish was a good VPN for privacy.
In 2024, IPVanish offers a no-logging policy, this time audited by Leviathan Security. This means it won’t store any logs like browsing history, traffic destination, DNS requests, download/upload activity, or any other sensitive information.
However, I think you should still keep in mind its US jurisdiction which is all but great for a VPN service. NordVPN, on the other hand, had a different past than IPVanish. During the entirety of its existence, it’s been an established product of Nord Security.
Furthermore, since its inception, this provider operated as a no-log service, with no privacy policy violations, data leaks, or anything similar. A few years ago, NordVPN received its third audit from Deloitte, and instead of two, it has THREE audits on its privacy policy and security features.
This makes the provider much more trustworthy and its no-logging promises are much more genuine. Much like IPVanish, it stores no information related to your browsing activities, IP addresses, DNS requests, geolocation, and other crucial data.
In terms of the information they store, we’re looking at basic data such as payment info, email addresses, and anonymous aggregated data for troubleshooting purposes. As such, this NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison sees both providers as satisfactory in this regard.
Who Wins?
In this part of the IPVanish vs NordVPN duel, NordVPN WINS. It offers far more security features and its no-logging policy has two security audits. It’s also based in Panama and not the US like IPVanish, making it a clear winner regarding overall security and privacy.
NordVPN vs IPVanish Streaming Test
Despite their ability to provide additional online security, many people are enjoying another huge benefit of VPNs – streaming geo-restricted online content. That’s completely fine but just know that not every provider is capable of streaming, especially free providers that won’t work at all.
Today, we’re comparing two premium providers and we’re expecting awesome performance from both of them. But, as always, we’ll have to test them thoroughly to be able to tell you which one is a better choice for streaming.
Netflix Test
Starting with Netflix, I think this is the most important streaming platform in the world. Recently, we talked about how to watch Japanese Netflix abroad but the reality is that all of its catalogs are hard to unblock if you’re using a low-quality VPN.
Therefore, this test will see us try to unblock several popular libraries, such as Netflix US, Canada, and Japan, to see if the providers will work properly. Mind you, I’m located in Europe, so I’m far away from any of these countries, making the test even more realistic.
In the results below, you can see how well both providers did in my tests, and it’s clear that NordVPN takes a win here as it works with every library I threw at it.
NordVPN
- Netflix US (Grey’s Anatomy): OK
- Netflix Japan (Naruto Shippuden): OK
- Netflix Canada (Midnight in the Switchgrass): OK
IPVanish
- Netflix US: OK
- Netflix Canada: NOT WORKING
- Netflix Japan: NOT WORKING
Other Streaming Platforms
If you’re not planning on watching anything on Netflix and you’d rather watch other platforms, how well are these providers going to do? This time, we’re testing BBC iPlayer and Hotstar – two free streaming platforms – to see if these providers can unblock them.
NordVPN
- BBC iPlayer: OK
- Hotstar: NOT WORKING (no servers in India)
IPVanish
- BBC iPlayer: OK
- Hotstar: OK
Who Wins?
In this NordVPN vs IPVanish streaming test, we can see that NordVPN unblocked every Netflix library and only failed to unblock Hotstar due to the lack of Indian servers. IPVanish works with Hotstar but unblocks only Netflix US, so NordVPN WINS this round, as it’s a much better VPN for Netflix.
Bear in mind that NordVPN works with around 20, and sometimes more libraries of Netflix. Compared to IPVanish that unblocked just ONE in this test, it’s obvious why the Panamanian service took the win and the US service took a massive L.
NordVPN vs IPVanish Speed Comparison: Which One Is Faster?
The performance of a Virtual Private Network service is also crucial for the overall experience you’re going to get. Slow providers are obnoxious and they tend to make your browsing and streaming activities tedious and unenjoyable.
If you’re thinking about which provider to get out of these two, I think it’s time to do a speed comparison since this is one of the most important aspects. The speed tests I do with every provider are done 3 days in a row where I test each provider 3 times a day.
I also use 4 server locations, such as the UK, the US, Australia, and Japan, making sure I include both close and distant locations for the most authentic results. Also, I set the protocol selection to Automatic in both providers, so we’re comparing them in a way that most people will use them.
Before I provide you with my speed test results, I just want to mention again that I’m in Eastern Europe and show you my native internet speeds.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at just how fast NordVPN and IPVanish are.
NordVPN
UK:
US:
Australia:
Japan:
IPVanish
UK:
US:
Australia:
Japan:
Who Wins?
Judging by the speed tests above, we can see that NordVPN WINS this round. It’s faster on all tested servers, providing better upload/download speeds while keeping the ping lower in every instance. Thus, this is a far better provider if you’re seeking maximum performance.
Torrenting: Are NordVPN and IPVanish P2P-Friendly?
Many people want to use NordVPN with uTorrent or any other torrent client to anonymize their P2P activities. Conversely, being a premium provider, IPVanish is also a popular choice for torrenting due to its security features and somewhat decent performance.
It’s clear that both providers are P2P-friendly but NordVPN goes a step further to make this possible. It includes special P2P servers optimized for fast speeds, stable performance, and rock-solid security which makes the entire torrenting experience 100% anonymous.
IPVanish offers no specialty servers, which means you can connect to one of the servers and start downloading right away. Either way, both providers will work for this purpose, although I’m leaning more toward NordVPN from a security and privacy standpoint just because it’s based in Panama.
The US, on the other hand, is a big opponent of torrenting and is known for notorious DMCA notices and copyright trolls. However, I have many friends who use this provider for torrenting, and I’ll be honest – none of them complained about the level of privacy they get.
Torrenting performance is excellent in both providers when you connect to the closest possible server. If you connect to a server overseas, NordVPN will be much faster, but generally speaking, torrenting performance is neck-to-neck here.
Besides, this isn’t the most demanding test, and as long as you stick to nearby servers, you should have no problems. Even far worse VPNs perform decently here, albeit, you’ll find that free providers usually forbid P2P, such as TunnelBear or ProtonVPN.
Who Wins?
While both providers can be used for torrenting, NordVPN WINS this round again due to faster speeds that will produce shorter download times. It’s also more trustworthy and offers dedicated P2P servers that are optimized for this activity.
Are NordVPN and IPVanish Working in China?
Bypassing censorship is one of the hardest things to do for a VPN nowadays. That especially rings true in China, where its Great Firewall blocks thousands of websites each day, including numerous VPN services. In this NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison for 2024, I’ll tell you how well they work in China.
NordVPN comes with obfuscated servers that apply obfuscation to your connection and make it look like ordinary traffic. In return, you can bypass firewall restrictions and make it work in even the most censored countries. To put it simply, yes, NordVPN indeed works in China!
Not only that, but we also managed to use it in the UAE, Turkey, Iran, and Russia thanks to our acquaintances in these countries. IPVanish, on the other hand, has no signs of advanced obfuscation technology, which puts it at a disadvantage.
In numerous tests we conducted in China (see our IPVanish review), it simply wouldn’t work, always ending up blocked by the Great Firewall. No matter which protocols we used, or which servers we tried connecting to, we always ended up with the same bad and disappointing result.
Who Wins?
It’s easy to see that NordVPN WINS this round of comparison. It works in China properly and can be used in any censored country with no issues, unlike IPVanish which won’t work for this purpose.
NordVPN vs IPVanish Server Fleets: Which One Is Bigger?
Having a provider with lots of servers is crucial for ensuring no overcrowding or performance slowdowns. However, it’s also important for every provider to cover enough countries to be able to bypass geo-restrictions efficiently and provide a substantial number of IP addresses.
NordVPN (5,500+ servers in 60 countries)
Starting with NordVPN, this enormous provider packs 5,400+ servers in around 60 countries. These are very impressive numbers, to say the least, although I’d like it to include a bit more countries in total. Compared to CyberGhost with 100 countries, NordVPN is a bit lacking.
Where it isn’t lacking is the server distribution. Although it has no servers in India, the provider offers servers in the UAE, the US, Europe, and other popular locations. It even has a lot of servers in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, which is great for people who need an IP from Asian countries.
Perhaps the best thing about its server distribution is server variety. I already mentioned Double VPN, Obfuscated, and P2P servers, but there’s more. NordVPN has Onion Over VPN servers as well, and they’re great if you’re looking to get on the dark web safely and anonymously.
The provider even offers Dedicated IP addresses, and although this feature is paid additionally, it’s still a welcome addition that IPVanish doesn’t have.
IPVanish (2,200 servers in 49 countries)
Speaking of IPVanish, this provider isn’t particularly small but it isn’t large either. I mean, its 2,000 or so servers surely sound a lot smaller compared to 5,500+ servers in NordVPN. Plus, it advertises 75 server locations, which is true, but there are multiple locations in some countries.
To translate, it boils down to just 49 countries around the world, which isn’t all that much for a premium provider. The server distribution is somewhat basic too, although you still get servers in the UAE, Turkey, Taiwan, and India, where NordVPN has zero servers at the moment.
The majority of IPVanish’s servers are scattered across the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK. However, you do get a lot of servers in France, Spain, and a few other locations. Vital to mention is that it has no specialty servers like its rival.
Thus, in this NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison, we can say its servers are less varied. At least the server list looks great and the provider shows you basic information for each server, letting you determine the best one for the maximum performance.
Who Wins?
It’s clear as day that NordVPN WINS this round of comparison simply because it offers more servers in more countries, plus specialty servers. Despite having no presence in India, it still offers far more locations and servers, making it a clear winner in this case.
Customer Support: NordVPN vs IPVanish
Customer support is yet another important aspect of this duel. Thankfully, I found both providers to be great in this regard, as they both have live chat support available 24/7. Interestingly, they both follow the same principle by using a chatbot initially.
However, you can immediately request it to transfer you to a support agent and engage in a live chat session to fix the potential issues. Both providers are very quick to respond and their support teams were more than helpful on several occasions.
Moreover, both services have email support if you’re too shy to chat. However, response times are a bit longer in this case, although I found NordVPN to be a bit faster on average. Nothing too serious, though, because IPVanish still does an excellent job of providing professional support for its users.
Next, we should mention self-help methods. NordVPN and IPVanish have Help Centers where you can find answers to frequently asked questions, which I found extremely useful. Blog sections of both providers are active too and articles are pumped out frequently.
NordVPN has a relatively active YouTube channel which IPVanish doesn’t have. But it’s not a big deal because other means of support are already active and helpful enough, so a YouTube channel isn’t mandatory.
Who Wins?
Having in mind that both providers offer great 24/7 customer support via live chat and both of them are fast to respond, this round is a DRAW. You won’t have a negative experience with either of them.
Pricing Comparison: How Cheap NordVPN and IPVanish Are?
Before finishing off our IPVanish vs NordVPN comparison, I think it’s time to compare their prices. After all, users on a limited budget will most likely determine their choice based on the pricing alone. Let me start with NordVPN, so take a look at its prices.
NordVPN
At the time of writing, NordVPN’s pricing looks like this.
As you can see, its cheapest 2-year plan costs under $4 a month, and depending on the presence of special deals, you might get some free months on top of that. Each plan includes bonus features like Threat Protection, ad blocker, and others.
At the time of writing, all plans come with 3 free months, which is handy for extending your subscription a bit more. We like that even the Complete plan with all the bells and whistles has 3 extra months because it’s pretty expensive in the 2-year variant.
By all “bells and whistles”, we think about Nord Security’s products like NordLocker and NordPass. You won’t get any of them in the Standard plan, while the Plus plan gives you only Nordpass.
NordVPN’s annual pricing looks like the one above. The Standard plan is now cheaper than $4.5 while the Complete plan at over $6.4 looks a bit opulent. The Plus plan’s price now goes over $5.4 but you still have 3 free months for all of them.
Finally, the monthly plans are the most expensive but not as you’d expect them to be. For instance, Surfshark’s monthly plans are way more pricey. Here, the most expensive Complete plan is at $15 or so, making it very interesting if you need NordPass and NordLocker.
In fact, why don’t you see our NordLocker review here? Getting back to NordVPN, all plans are equipped with a 30-day refund policy and you get all popular payment vendors like PayPal, crypto, credit/debit cards, and Google Pay.
IPVanish
Next, we have IPVanish and its pricing:
Its cheapest plan is the two-year plan at around $2.5 a month or under $68 for the first two years + 3 free months. If we take into account NordVPN’s two-year plan at under $4 a month, this provider is definitely more expensive at first. However, both providers have similar renewal prices, which changes things a little.
You see, once your first 2 years expire with NordVPN, the renewal price, according to its site, is around $99.5 each year, which is a bit over $8 a month. IPVanish renews your annual and two-year subscriptions at the price of approximately $7.5 a month (the price of the monthly plan), which ends up being around $180.
This is a very slight difference between the two providers – just around $10 a year. Of course, it still makes IPVanish a cheap provider in its annual plan, but having in mind just how better NordVPN is, I see no point in going for its rival for a difference so small.
Except if you want to use this VPN for personal reasons and you don’t mind that IPVanish supports no crypto payment methods. Also, IPVanish offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for all plans except the monthly plan, where you can’t get a refund.
Keep in mind that NordVPN still offers a 2-year plan with a cheaper monthly price, so if you want to pay more upfront, you can save a lot of money compared to the annual plan of IPVanish plus its higher renewal price.
Who Wins?
In this round of comparison, we say that NordVPN WINS as well. Its annual plan is a bit more expensive than IPVanish’s annual plan but having in mind a 2-year plan with great savings, it ends up being a lot cheaper in the long run.
Conclusion: NordVPN Wins!
To finish off this IPVanish vs NordVPN comparison for 2024, all we need is to do some math. In the end, it’s 9:2 for NordVPN, which wipes the floor with its rival and wins by a huge margin. No doubt, we’re talking about a much better provider with much more to offer.
Above all, its similar, if not cheaper price (2-year plan) is an even bigger incentive to get it instead of this US-based provider. NordVPN is faster, it offers better device compatibility, it’s better for streaming, and it works in China.
Moreover, this provider offers significantly more servers and server locations and it allows for bigger savings in the long run. IPVanish does offer unlimited simultaneous connections and its customer support is on par with today’s rival.
However, these are only minor advantages, or should I say similarities, making this provider not worth your money. So, in the end, should you buy IPVanish at all? At this price, definitely no. Should you buy NordVPN instead? Yes, absolutely, and I’m sure you’ll have zero regrets! You can find more information about its service by reading the NordVPN review.
