Which VPN Should You Choose?

Surfshark and IPVanish are premium digital non-public community providers that masks your IP handle and web exercise so you’ll be able to browse privately. These VPNs allow you to join by way of servers in different cities and nations, so you’ll be able to disguise your location from exterior observers or entry region-locked streaming content material. On this assessment, I examine Surfshark and IPVanish primarily based on pricing, velocity, options, buyer assist and ease-of-use and advocate which service to decide on primarily based in your use case and necessities.

• Surfshark: Greatest for individuals who want as a lot anonymity as potential, resembling journalists, political activists and others dwelling or working underneath heavy censorship and surveillance.
• IPVanish: Greatest for customers on the lookout for most VPN speeds for torrenting and streaming on an area server, or those that need reside buyer assist to information them by means of implementation.

Surfshark vs. IPVanish: Comparability desk

Surfshark vs. IPVanish: Pricing

Each corporations supply a seven-day free trial of their VPN product in the event you obtain the cellular app and register your account by means of it.

Surfshark pricing

Surfshark affords three totally different VPN plans (Starter, One and One+), and every plan might be bought as a month-to-month, yearly or two-year subscription.

Surfshark’s full VPN function set is included within the Starter Plan. For just some cents extra monthly (for the long-term subscriptions), you will get the One plan with antivirus, identification theft monitoring and webcam safety, which is the perfect worth. The one function you achieve with a One+ plan is a knowledge elimination service for significantly privacy-conscious clients. Surfshark supplies important reductions for committing to a one-year or two-year subscription, so I don’t advocate signing up for a pricier month-to-month plan in the event you can keep away from it, particularly because you get a 30-day money-back assure on long-term subscriptions.

For extra info, learn our full Surfshark VPN Overview.

IPVanish pricing

IPVanish has a a lot less complicated pricing construction, in that there’s just one VPN plan that features all of the options. The one distinction is the length of your dedication.

Like Surfshark, IPVanish pushes clients in the direction of one- or two-year plans by providing steep reductions; additionally they add-on three free months of service to those plans. IPVanish affords a 30-day assure for long-term subscriptions as properly, so I like to recommend profiting from the commitment-based low cost until you solely want short-term safety. Month-to-month plans usually price $12.99, however IPVanish robotically applies a 15% low cost at checkout, bringing the worth right down to $10.99 for the primary month.

For extra info, learn our full IPVanish VPN Overview.

Surfshark vs. IPVanish: Characteristic comparability

Supported gadgets

Winner: Tie

Each Surfshark and IPVanish enable limitless app installations per account with no visitors limits.

Surfshark supplies apps for Home windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, routers, Hearth TV, Apple TV, PlayStation and Xbox.

Need assistance configuring Surfshark in your machine? Learn our Surfshark VPN information.

IPVanish affords apps for Home windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iOS, Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, routers, Apple TV, Hearth TV, NVIDIA Protect, ONN 4k, Google Chromecast and Nokia Streaming Field.

Determine A

Server pool

Winner: Surfshark

Surfshark has 3,200+ RAM-only servers in 107 areas in 100 nations; 37 of those servers supply static IP addresses for IP-sensitive purposes. Surfshark additionally affords 12 multihop VPN duos that mean you can route VPN visitors by means of two servers in several areas for better anonymity, as proven beneath.

Determine B

IPVanish has 2,400 servers in 90 cities in 57 nations. It doesn’t supply multihop (a.ok.a. double-VPN), so if it’s a must have function, I like to recommend going with Surfshark.

Pace

Winner: IPVanish

My baseline stats with out a VPN have been as follows: Obtain velocity was 271.32 Mbps, add velocity was 239.99 Mbps and latency (ping) was 10 ms.

Whereas utilizing Surfshark linked to the quickest server choice, I measured a median obtain velocity of 76.77 Mbps and an add velocity of 80.53 Mbps with 2 ms of latency. Related to a much less ultimate server in Singapore, my obtain velocity was 24.85 Mbps, add was 15.52 Mbps and ping was 34 ms.

With IPVanish linked to the optimum location, I measured a extremely spectacular obtain velocity of 180.56 Mbps and add velocity of 123.36 Mbps, with 8 ms of latency, as proven beneath.

Determine C

After I linked by way of Singapore, my obtain velocity dropped to 21.38 Mbps, add velocity was 12.88 Mbps and ping jumped approach as much as 241 ms. So, IPVanish affords higher speeds in the event you let it hook up with your optimum server location, however Surfshark performs barely higher when utilizing servers additional away.

Advert blocking

Winner: Tie

Surfshark VPN consists of the CleanWeb function for each browsers and apps that blocks adverts, cookies and pop-ups. CleanWeb additionally detects malware in internet content material and supplies alerts when your credentials are present in a recognized knowledge breach.

SEE: Surfshark vs. NordVPN: Which VPN Is Higher in 2024? (TechRepublic)

IPVanish affords the Menace Safety function, which incorporates advert, cookie, tracker and malicious web site blocking for browsers and apps.

As of the time of this writing, each VPNs efficiently blocked YouTube adverts (with out disrupting the content material) within the YouTube app and all browsers.

Cut up tunneling

Winner: Tie

Each VPNs embody a break up tunneling function that permits trusted apps and web sites to bypass the VPN and join over the unprotected Web. Surfshark’s model (known as Bypasser) additionally has a Route by way of VPN function for some platforms, so you’ll be able to guarantee riskier apps and web sites are protected by default.

Determine D

IPVanish, then again, helps you to add web sites on the area stage, which you may discover extra handy in the event you’re an online developer or in any other case working with a whole lot of subdomains.

Privateness insurance policies

Winner: Surfshark

Each Surfshark VPN and IPVanish have no-logs insurance policies, which means they don’t retain logs regarding your Web actions whereas linked to their providers. Nevertheless, each corporations function in jurisdictions that might legally require them to offer this info to legislation enforcement.

Surfshark’s VPN servers are 100% RAM-only, which means they can’t retain any utilization knowledge after being rebooted. Moreover, Surfshark helps you to pay with cryptocurrency to stay fully nameless.

Determine E

IPVanish, then again, doesn’t gather exercise knowledge in any respect until compelled by legislation. Nevertheless, it doesn’t supply nameless fee choices.

Help

Winner: IPVanish

Surfshark has a strong self-help middle, electronic mail ticketing assist and 24/7 reside chat. The chat function requires fairly a little bit of interplay with an automatic chatbot earlier than you’ll be able to converse to a human agent, nevertheless.

Determine F

IPVanish additionally affords a self-help portal and electronic mail ticketing assist. There’s a 24/7 chatbot, and two straightforward clicks join you to a human agent inside “customary enterprise hours.” Moreover, in the event you click on the Get Began button within the web site’s navigation menu, you’ll be able to see a listing of telephone numbers to name for gross sales assist.

Further free options

Winner: Surfshark

Further options included with all Surfshark VPN plans:

• Static IP addresses: Provides you a similar IP handle each time you hook up with the identical server.
• Different ID: Generates a pretend title, handle and electronic mail to make use of on-line, masking your actual information to cut back spam and identification theft.

Determine G

• Auto-connect: Routinely reconnects the VPN if you change networks or restart your machine.
• VPN kill change: Disables all web entry when the VPN connection is interrupted or turned off.
• Uncover on LAN: Lets you entry different gadgets on the native community whereas linked to the VPN.
• Override GPS location: Matches your machine’s GPS location to the VPN server location.
• Rotating IP: Routinely rotates your IP handle over the course of your session to extend your anonymity.

Further options included with all IPVanish plans:

• LAN entry: Permits native community visitors to be routed exterior the VPN.
• Join on Startup: Prompts the VPN as quickly as Web visitors is detected in your machine.
• Kill change: Disables your web connection when your VPN isn’t lively.

Surfshark’s Alt ID, GPS override and rotating IP options supply a a lot better diploma of privateness, making it the superior selection for journalists, political activists and others who want to cover their exercise from state surveillance.

SEE: Cloud Safety Coverage (TechRepublic Premium)

IPVanish’s web site does supply some free instruments, although, resembling an IP handle checker, a hyperlink security verifier and a safe password generator.

Determine H

Further paid options

Winner: Surfshark

Surfshark affords a number of extra safety and privateness merchandise for a further price. These embody antivirus software program; a non-public, localized search engine; and knowledge breach monitoring that notifies you when your private info is leaked (which is included within the One+ VPN plan).

IPVanish doesn’t supply any add-on merchandise.

Surfshark execs and cons

Professionals of Surfshark

• Affords apps for PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles.
• Has a bigger server pool, together with 37 with static IPs and 12 multihop (double-VPN) server duos.
• The Route by way of VPN function allows the VPN by default for sure apps and web sites.
• Makes use of 100% RAM-only servers that don’t retain utilization logs after reboot.
• Helps nameless cryptocurrency funds.
• Supplies many extra free and paid options for better privateness.

Cons of Surfshark

• I skilled slower speeds with Surfshark than with IPVanish when linked to my optimum server.
• Doesn’t assist break up tunneling for a complete area.
• Collects and quickly retains utilization logs that may very well be turned over to legislation enforcement.
• Automated chatbot assist might be irritating to navigate.

IPVanish execs and cons

Professionals of IPVanish

• Its month-to-month plan is rather less costly than Surfshark’s.
• Offered superior speeds when linked to my optimum server.
• Its break up tunneling permits whole domains to bypass the VPN.
• Solely collects utilization logs if compelled by legislation enforcement.
• Affords an intuitive assist expertise with reside chat and telephone choices.

Cons of IPVanish

• Doesn’t present static IP addresses or double-VPN capabilities.
• Area-level break up tunneling isn’t out there for all platforms.
• Doesn’t enable nameless cryptocurrency funds.
• Lacks most of the options and add-on merchandise supplied by Surfshark.

Ought to your group use Surfshark or IPVanish?

Select Surfshark if:

• You’re a journalist, political activist or in any other case want as a lot anonymity as potential.
• You want a static IP handle to keep away from blocklists and captchas.
• You’re on the lookout for extra safety and privateness capabilities, like a pretend persona generator or anti-malware software program.

Select IPVanish if:

• You’re a house or enterprise person on the lookout for added privateness or a option to entry streaming content material from one other area.
• You want the utmost VPN speeds and don’t thoughts utilizing an area server.
• You need entry to reside buyer assist.

Overview methodology

I evaluated Surfshark VPN and IPVanish primarily based on 5 classes: pricing, core VPN options, ease of use, buyer assist and hands-on evaluation. I used seven-day free trials of Surfshark Starter and IPVanish to check their efficiency, capabilities, usability and buyer assist expertise. I validated velocity and efficiency utilizing an unbiased testing web site and used each VPNs with all kinds of apps, browsers and web sites. I additionally in contrast my experiences with actual buyer critiques from web sites like Trustpilot.

Study extra about TechRepublic’s assessment methodology for VPNs.