How do you choose the perfect VPN for you? Which features should you consider to end up with the best service for VPN? We will comprehensively show you how to pick an excellent choice between ExpressVPN vs Ipvanish.
Also, if you want to see ExpressVPN reviewed back-to-back against a different software, check our comparison here.
Why should you trust us when there are thousands of other comparison reviews? Also, there are numerous other VPNs for gaming you can look into in this post, or if you are a Mac user, you can check other alternatives to these two here. Windows users, on the other hand, can opt for best free Firefox VPN we also reviewed. Unlike the other reviews, we have put the VPNs in an actual speed test and cross-checked their features, including security, streaming speed, etc. Do you want to find out which one carries the day? And if you still want to look into other alternatives, read our reviews to see what else is out there.
Let’s explore.
ExpressVPN Vs Ipvanish: Time to Decide Which One Is Best for You
In the current world, everything is seemingly digital, and most services are conducted online. You can do a lot while sitting on your comfy couch.
For instance, you can order for an item overseas, conduct bank transfers, attend online classes, establish and conduct a thriving business online, among others.
However, the increased efficiency in online activities also comes with exposure to billions of other online users globally. Among the users include advertisers who track your online activities and start sending you annoying pop-up ads anytime you are online.
Worse, the online world has no shortage of criminals, including hackers who are willing to steal your identity and use it for other fraudulent online activities and cybercrimes.
Do you want to hide your identity and protect yourself from hackers, advertisers, and other online users?
Moreover, you can be in a location where the government restricts the use of some websites or specific content. For instance, your favorite song can be restricted on YouTube in your area of residence. Does that mean you can never dance to your favorite jam? Of course not; you can unblock streaming services and the content using a VPN connection.
The challenge is that there is no shortage of VPN services in the market. Some of them are not effective. You use it once, and within no time, your identity and location are out there at the mercies of hackers. On the other hand, there are other VPN services, like this option here, you can always trust, or Norton VPN service, from the famous internet security name.
Ipvanish VPN and ExpressVPN are some of the most reliable VPN services available. But what do you look out for when you want to choose between the two?
Features
Which one offers more features between the two?
If you opt for ExpressVPN, you'll be free to connect up to five devices simultaneously. This makes it an excellent choice for a household and a small office setup. For example, you can use it on your phone, laptop, and wife’s laptop and phone and one more device.
Additionally, we liked that ExpressVPN is compatible with a wide range of operating systems, including macOS, Windows, Amazon Fire Tv/ Fire Stick, iOS, Android, and Linux. As such, if you decide to go with ExpressVPN, you don’t have to change your operating systems.
Another feature that stands out is the free extras that the VPN offers. You can install it for free as browser extensions for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. It also has manual installation for set-top boxes and routers.
However, ExpressVPN VPNs don’t work by themselves. Instead, they allow you to switch servers without having to open the application. They automatically adjust your geo-location in line with the VPN server that you select.
It also comes with a Media Streamer app that allows you to bypass geo-restrictions, and you don’t have to restrict your vpn traffic.
In terms of unblocking capabilities, we were happy with ExpressVPN’s ability to unblock data from a host of top providers, including Amazon Prime Video, Sky Go, CBS, Channel 4, and ITV.
Note, the VPN only allows split tunneling on its desktop apps.
On the other hand, we have Ipvanish, which allows you to connect up to 10 devices simultaneously. Thus, it would be a better choice for households with more users.
It is also compatible with a wide variety of operating systems, including macOS, Windows, Android, iOS app, and Amazon Fire Tv/ Fire Stick. It allows manual installation of Linux, routers, and set-top boxes. While here, check the best solutions for Windows 10.
One area where ExpressVPN beats Ipvanish offers is the free extras. While you can install ExpressVPN as a browser extension, Ipvanish doesn’t come with any free extras.
It also allows split tunneling but only on Android.
In terms of unblocking capabilities, we liked that Ipvanish unblocks content from various top platforms, including Netflix, Sky Go, NBC. ITV, Channel 4, etc.
In this category, ExpressVPN takes the lead over Ipvanish.
Speed
The online privacy that the VPNs offer is useless if you are stuck browsing at a crawling speed. How well a VPN works in practice is an essential consideration when deciding on which one to use.
While testing the speed of both VPNs, we used different VPN servers from around the world.
For instance, using the best server in the UK, ExpressVPN gives about 147 Mbps compared to the Ipvanish speed at 91 Mbps. ExpressVPN offers 141 Mbps compared to 85 Mbps by Ipvanish in the same server using the New York server.
In terms of connection speed tests for streaming shows and movies, ExpressVPN performs better than Ipvanish.
It is the better option if you are looking for faster speeds and more reliable service.
Note, ExpressVPN has more servers in almost double the number of countries that Ipvanish has. It also features twice the number of overall servers. In terms of networking principles, ExpressVPN has fewer servers in one country but with broader coverage. On the other hand, Ipvanish has server clusters in high-demand areas such as the US, the UK, and Brazil.
When it comes to the speed tests, ExpressVPN beats Ipvanish.
Connections
Before choosing the VPN to use between ExpressVPN and Ipvanish, you need to be sure of how many connections you want.
In this category, Ipvanish VPN performs way better than ExpressVPN.
As mentioned earlier, Ipvanish allows you to have up to 10 simultaneous connections on various devices. If you are working in an office with more devices, Ipvanish will make a better choice. The Ipvanish connection policy is one of the best that you can find anywhere, although some VPNs offer unlimited connections.
On the other hand, ExpressVPN offers fewer connections by allowing five simultaneous connections on different devices. The connections are enough if you are looking for a household setup or to connect a few devices in the office.
If you need more than five simultaneous connections, you would be better off with Ipvanish than ExpressVPN.
In our comparison on connection speeds, Ipvanish comes out as the winner.
Security and Encryption
Isn’t securing your data and identity part of the reason you need a VPN?
We wanted to find out how secure the two VPNs are. What happens if there is a connection drop? Would it leak your data or identity?
After running the test, both the VPNs performed well.
For instance, if you use other VPN service, your IP address may leak if there is a connection drop. However, as for ExpressVPN; It comes with a kill switch, which is known as “Network Lock.” If internet connections drop, the kill switch locks your traffic immediately to ensure that your IP address doesn’t leak.
The kill switch will alert you when the connection is interrupted and notify you when the Network Lock is active.
Additionally, the VPN is famous for identifying and stopping threats to your privacy.
What’s more?
It comes with a Perfect Forward Secrecy feature, which changes your key each time you connect and after every 60 minutes.
The VPN also performs exceptionally in the encryption aspect. It uses AES-256 on every ExpressVPN app to hide your IP address and encrypt your data to guarantee that no one can track your activities online. Plus, they don’t keep any of your activity logs in their servers, making it impossible for anybody to trace back any activity to you.
As such, you are free from advertisers who track people’s activities and begin sending annoying pop-up ads whenever you are online.
The VPN uses a trusted server technology that ensures no trace of your activity is left on their server. The technology ensures that all the servers run in RAM-disk mode, which doesn’t allow the storage of logs on any servers. The technology also protects you if, in the unlikely event, the server is seized.
Ipvanish also performs well in the online security test as no leaks are detected. We run the test using Android, macOS, and Windows, and there are no leaks in any.
It also comes with a kill switch that locks traffic when the internet connection is blocked. However, unlike ExpressVPN, the kill switch in Ipvanish doesn’t notify you when the internet connection is interrupted.
Plus, it also uses AES-256 to encrypt your data and IP address. Therefore, you can surf the internet anonymously with no fear of your identity being stolen.
However, it doesn’t run its servers in RAM-disk mode. Thus, there is a possibility of finding logs of your online activities on their servers.
ExpressVPN is the clear winner in the security test.
Logs and Privacy
Does the VPN you want to use have a “no logs” policy?
Most online VPNs claim to have a no-logs policy. But you must find out and understand what the policy states and means.
Why is a no logs policy essential?
While you are surfing the internet, the last thing you want is for any activity to be traced back to you. It would be more frustrating if the company you choose as a VPN provider goes ahead and sells your data to any third party.
Some VPNs can even release your data and logs to government authorities conducting investigations.
ExpressVPN and Ipvanish both claim to have a no-logs policy.
ExpressVPN server locations are in the British Virgin Islands, which have no mandatory data retention laws. It logs the date you connect to the service, the amount of server you transfer, and the server you are connected to.
However, it doesn’t keep any real IP addresses or timestamps. The VPN even allows you to log in using a throwaway email, and it also accepts cryptocurrency payments.
On the other hand, Ipvanish servers are in the US, one of the Five Eyes Countries. The Five Eyes Countries means that the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada governments can gather intelligence about each other’s citizens and share it.
That shouldn’t be an issue if your VPN company has a robust no logs policy.
Ipvanish claims to have a no-logs policy. However, that was put in doubt when Homeland Security made an information request for a suspect. The company provided the suspect’s account status, email address, date and time when the suspected connected, and the source IP address.
In its defense, the company claims that it happened under the previous management, but today it is under new management.
Unlike ExpressVPN, Ipvanish doesn’t allow you to log in using a throwaway email address for anonymity purposes.
Netflix and Streaming
Apart from protecting you from hackers, VPN comes in handy in helping you access restricted content. If your choice of VPN comes with unblocking capabilities, then it is a significant selling point.
Sometimes you might find yourself in a place where the government restricts some content on YouTube or other platforms. You may also get restrictions on some social media platforms such as Facebook, Whatsapp, etc.
Does it mean you’ll have to wait until you are back on the country with no restrictions?
Your VPN should allow you to go around the restrictions and enjoy the content.
So, how do ExpressVPN and Ipvanish perform with Netflix?
With Netflix, there is a VPN that works, and one that doesn’t. If you are looking for a VPN that will work seamlessly with Netflix, ExpressVPN is the perfect pick.
It allows you to access Netflix and ensures you have the perfect speed for HD streaming, irrespective of your whereabouts.
For instance, if you are in Europe, ExpressVPN allows you to access American Netflix using the Washington server. It also allows you to access Netflix from multiple locations globally. Plus, it also allows you to access other platforms such as Hulu, BBC iPlayers, etc.
On the other hand, you have Ipvanish that doesn’t perform well in Netflix streaming. The VPN admits that they have challenges with accessing Netflix.
Ipvanish connections are also blocked on BBC iPlayer.
In this category, ExpressVPN comes out as the best in terms of other streaming services like Netflix and other services worldwide.
Reliability and Support
In determining which VPN between the two is more reliable, we looked at different aspects, including streaming speed, dns leak protection, jurisdiction, etc.
Both VPNs are big names in the VPN industry as they are useful in ensuring you surf the internet anonymously and protect you from identity theft.
However, ExpressVPN stands out as more reliable in several aspects.
First, it allows you to find your way around Netflix restrictions, letting you enjoy fast HD streaming irrespective of your whereabouts. On the other hand, Ipvanish has a difficult time accessing Netflix.
Secondly, as you choose a VPN, you need to be sure that it protects your online activities from being traced back to you. Both VPNs have a no-logs policy that ensures that the company cannot share your online activities with any third party.
However, the no-logs policy is greatly affected by the jurisdiction of the VPN. For example, ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, which doesn’t have copyright laws. Thus, you are sure that your logs are safe from access by any third party.
But Ipvanish is based in the United States that has strict copyright laws. As such, it can be forced by the authorities to comply with strict copyright laws.
In terms of leak protection, both VPNs perform well in protecting your IPs from leaking when there is an internet drop. ExpressVPN goes the extra mile to alert you when there is a connections drop.
Note, it’s not always that the VPN will work as expected. When you have an issue with the VPN, it would be helpful to get help from the support team with minimum fuss.
ExpressVPN has one of the best support teams that offer an excellent live chat to deal with any issue that you might have. Additionally, it has lots of written guides that will help you through any problem that you may have.
Ipvanish customer support offers phone support to deal with your issues, and you can also have a live chat. Their guides are useful, but they aren’t as good as for ExpressVPN. Some of them aren’t as polished, and they take too long to get to the point.
Ease of Use
Both the apps stand out for their ease of use.
First, you won’t have a challenge downloading the IPvanish vpn apps and the expressvpn on your device, whether it is a smartphone or PC. With a few clicks, you’ll be done with the installation process.
In terms of ease of use, both Expressvpn and ipvanish come with an intuitive interface that makes it easy and enjoyable to use.
On the ExpressVPN interface, you’ll get a large “On” button at the center. When the VPN is connected, the button will turn green.
There is also a “choose location” button that opens to a new window to help you choose your server. The open window shows you a list of available servers so that you can choose one. There is not so much you can do at the interface. However, if you want to do more, you can go to the “Settings” by clicking on the “three-dash” button at the interface’s top-left.
After that, go to the “Options” item. Here, you can select how you want your VPN to behave when your device starts up. You can also fire up split tunneling and enable/disable the kill switch.
For the Ipvanish VPN, you’ll access most of the options on the interface.
When you launch the VPN, it takes you to the “Quick Connect” tab and the recommended servers. The server will show other relevant information, such as the IPs and openvpn protocol.
At the top-right corner is the “On” button. Most of the interface is taken by a graph that shows the speed. Apart from selecting the servers manually, you can go to “Settings” and tweak configurations such as kill switch, IP verification, and protocol.
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is a significant factor to consider while choosing a VPN as it determines if your data is accessible to third parties or not.
ExpressVPN has its jurisdiction in the British Virgin Island that is an independent country in the Caribbean. The country doesn’t have copyright laws, and it is famous for its secrecy and privacy. The independence ensures that ExpressVPN cannot be forced by any government to give any data, ensuring your data is secure.
On the other hand, Ipvanish is based in the US, one of the Five Eyes surveillance alliances. The VPN is under the US copyright laws, and it can be forced by authorities to log and hand over data. Thus, your data is not secure from third parties.
Price and Value
The two VPNs offer you a variety of payment plans to choose from. The shortest plans are monthly, and they are the most expensive.
For ExpressVPN, the monthly plan comes at $12,95. The next tier is the six-month subscription plans which come at $9.99 a month.
The one-year option is the cheapest and will cost you $6.67 a month. The one-year plan also includes three free months.
Ipvanish, on the other hand, will cost you $10 for the monthly plan. The next option is the one-year subscription plans, which costs $6.49 a month. The most extended plans also include free 250GB of encrypted SugarSync storage.
Combine that with the fact that the Ipvanish VPN allows you to connect up to 10 devices simultaneously.
Payments and Refunds
ExpressVPN allows you to make payments through all major payment options, including PayPal, Credit Cards, Bitcoin, among others.
Plus, you can enjoy the ExpressVPN money back guarantee policy. The policy is straightforward, and it doesn’t come with any hidden clauses. You only need to cancel the subscription and request a refund within 30 days, and you’ll get all our money back.
Ipvanish also offers a variety of payment options, including PayPal and Credit Cards. Unlike ExpressVPN, Ipvanish doesn’t have any cryptocurrency payment method. The company stopped payment using Bitcoin due to the high transaction fees and the fluctuating cryptocurrency prices.
The VPN also offers you a seven day money-back guarantee. Seven days is the standard refund window for subscriptions, but it is not so much compared to the 30 days offered by ExpressVPN.
When we compare the two VPNs in terms of payment options, money-back guarantee, and support, ExpressVPN carries the day.
Conclusion
In the battle between ExpressVPN vs Ipvanish, ExpressVPN comes out as the best option. It beats Ipvanish in so many aspects, including the security features. The VPN comes with the trusted server technology, ensuring no trace of your online activities is left on their server. Plus, their no logs policy stands out as the best. It also offers more payment options. However, Ipvanish beats the ExpressVPN rating by offering more affordable payment plans and the ability to connect up to 10 devices simultaneously.
FAQs
1. Is ExpressVPN better than IPVanish?
In the ExpressVPN vs Ipvanish comparison, ExpressVPN comes out on top. It outperforms Ipvanish in a variety of ways, including security. The VPN utilizes trusted server technology, which ensures that no traces of your online activity are stored on their server.
2. Is IPVanish a good VPN?
IPVanish is a simple-to-use service with incredible security features. It's a dependable, secure VPN that's ideal for security-conscious browsing. However, it is unable to compete in the streaming services and online entertainment markets.
3. Is ExpressVPN worth the money?
Without a doubt. It is an excellent selection and one of the best VPN on the market. If cost is not an issue, you will not find a better all-around VPN. ExpressVPN excels on all fronts, including speed, security, unblocking region-restricted content, circumventing censorship, and customer support.
It is worth noting that while you can use ExpressVPN with as many devices as you like, only five can be connected concurrently.
4. Who owns IPVanish?
Mudhook Media, Inc.
IPVanish was founded in 2012 in Orlando, Florida by Mudhook Media Inc., an independent subsidiary of Highwinds Network Group. The VPN service began with 32 servers and a Windows client. Later years saw the addition of IPvanish mobile apps like macOS, iOS, Android apps, and Fire TV for Smart TVs to the list of supported operating systems.
5. Who owns ExpressVPN?
ExpressVPN is owned and operated by Express VPN International Limited, a British Virgin Islands-based private company. The leadership team and owners of ExpressVPN are not affiliated with any other VPN company/brand or business.
