Surfshark vs IPVanish in 2024

To ensure security and privacy on all of your devices, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a must-have. However, not all providers offer unlimited connections; even then, choosing the right one takes some work. In your searches, you probably stumbled across Surfshark and IPVanish – two excellent multi-device VPNs.

Both of these providers offer solid encryption, reliable privacy policies, and loads of other nifty features. Nevertheless, Surfshark and IPVanish have their differences and some areas where they are lacking.

Therefore, we will see how these providers compare in the Surfshark vs IPVanish battle. We will get into the nitty-gritty and analyze their main features, pricing plans, performance, and other essentials. And undoubtedly, we will help you choose the right provider for all your digital needs.

Surfshark vs IPVanish: specifications

In short, Surfshark VPN is better than IPVanish. It offers lower monthly prices, more servers globally, and better additional features. Not to mention, Surfshark is compatible with more devices and provides more streaming and torrenting possibilities.

Surfshark VPN vs IPVanish: pricing

Both providers offer identical pricing plans. You can choose from cheaper long-term subscriptions or avoid commitments with one-off monthly payments. Nevertheless, unlike Surfshark, IPVanish doesn’t accept cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ripple, or Litecoin.

Sadly, these services don’t have completely free versions. However, you can use a loophole and get the service without paying, as they offer 30-day money-back guarantees and 7-day free trials. You’ll need an Android or iOS device to take advantage of the free trial. But after the installation, you can use it on other devices as well.

Considering everything, Surfshark VPN offers cheaper plans and more ways to pay for a subscription. Not to mention, it gets kudos for accepting crypto. So, Surfshark wins against IPVanish.

Surfshark VPN pricing

Surfshark is one of the cheapest VPN services, and here’s what it offers:

• $2.19/month for a 2-year plan
• $2.99/month for a 1-year plan
• $2.99/month for a 1-year plan

As you can see, getting a long-term subscription is a lot better money-wise. Additionally, you can try the service without paying if you use the 7-day free trial and the 30-day money-back guarantee.

Furthermore, you can get a Surfshark discount coupon for a cheaper 2-year plan. That way, you save 86%. Plus, Surfshark offers more payment methods, including anonymous ones. This provider accepts cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ripple, DogeCoin, etc.

IPVanish pricing

When it comes to IPVanish, here what they have to offer plan and money-wise:

• $2.19/month for a 2-year plan
• $3.33/month for a 1-year plan
• $12.99/month for a 1-month plan

Getting the IPVanish 2-year plan can save you a lot of cash. Nevertheless, the subscription is still a bit more expensive than Surfshark’s. Also you can get a 7-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

You can also use an IPVanish discount coupon to get 83% off when getting a plan. While there are various payment methods, IPVanish doesn’t accept cryptocurrencies. So, it’s a bit of a concern for privacy-focused users.

Speed comparison

Performance-wise, both providers offer similar tunneling protocols, but the speed results differ due to various factors. So, let’s see what Surfshark and IPVanish are hiding under the hood.

IPVanish offers different tunneling protocols, such as OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, and SSTP. However, its main weapon against slow speeds is the WireGuard tunneling protocol. It’s one of the best and fastest protocols that a VPN can have.

When it comes to Surfshark, you won’t face any performance issues. Same as IPVanish, it utilizes WireGuard but has a few more tricks under the sleeve. Its proprietary Nexus technology makes your connection more stable and speeds up the VPN. Moreover, thanks to a broader server network, you can find 10Gbps VPN servers nearby.

Yet again, Surfshark comes on top. It offers better speeds and features that improve overall performance.

Servers locations

While both providers have impressive server fleets, Surfshark has the upper hand in this category. That’s because it covers more countries (100+) and has more servers (3200+) globally. Moreover, all of Surfshark’s pieces of hardware are RAM-only, which improves overall security and privacy. And you’ll find some 10Gbps servers that provide blazing-fast speeds.

Nevertheless, IPVanish owns all of its servers (2200+), which prevents third-party tampering and security breaches. And all of them are physical, which is much safer than Surfshark’s virtual ones.

So, Surfshark strikes again and wins against IPVanish. Simply because its server fleet is bigger, faster, and more private than its counterparts.

IPVanish vs Surfshark: which is more secure?

The primary objective of a VPN is to protect you and keep you private. Thus, it’s mandatory to look at the safety features that the providers have to offer. IPVanish and Surfshark have AES-256 encryption which only the best VPNs use. Moreover, both offer solid kill switches and leak protection. But Surfshark has RAM-only servers which boost your overall safety.

Overall, IPVanish can’t live up to Surfshark. The latter has features that can ensure your security and privacy better. Plus, Surfshark was audited recently, while IPVanish didn’t have any check in a while.

Privacy

What raises some concerns are the countries that Surfshark and IPVanish are based in. Both the Netherlands and the US are members of the Five Eyes and Nine Eyes alliance. These countries have strict data retention laws, which is, of course, a red flag for privacy-focused users.

Luckily, things like privacy-friendly logging policies and other features outweigh non-ideal jurisdiction. For example, Surfshark’s RAM-only servers flush your information as soon as you terminate your operations. Plus, unlike IPVanish, Surfshark offers anonymous payment methods, making you harder to track.

Logging

Another thing that saves you from the watchful eyes of the government is the no-logs policy. A provider shouldn’t collect or store information about you or your online activities. Both Surfshark and IPVanish state that they have zero-logs policies, and they proved it with independent audits. Nevertheless, IPVanish has a bit of a shady past, as it once gave information about their user to the FBI.

Features comparison

Most providers offer nifty add-ons that can improve your experience online. Our competitors are no expectation. In this Surfshark vs IPVanish match, we’ll see which service offers more and better additional features.

At first glimpse, it’s evident that Surfshark has a broader range of tools, making it a better choice than IPVanish.

Smart DNS

Smart DNS is a feature that helps you bypass geo-blocks, as it alters the DNS resolution process. That way, you can circumvent various streaming service restrictions without a full VPN connection. It’s ideal for smart TVs, streaming devices, and consoles.

While Surfshark offers Smart DNS, IPVanish lacks this wonderful feature. That means the former provider is a better fit for streaming.

Ad & malware blocker

To prevent digital threats, Surfshark offers the CleanWeb feature, eliminating annoying ads and preventing you from accessing malicious sites. Moreover, you can grab the Surfshark One package if you need some extra protection. It includes antivirus software, an unbiased search engine, a data breach detector, and a proxy email with a unique identity.

While IPVanish is a secure VPN, it doesn’t offer additional malware or ad blockers. Nevertheless, if you grab a long-term subscription, you can get critically-acclaimed VIPRE antivirus for a year, safeguarding your data.

Split tunneling

With split tunneling, you can manage which sites and apps go through regular traffic and which head through the VPN. This can help you optimize bandwidth and reduce latency. Both providers offer it, but Surfshark does it better.

With IPVanish, you can only use this feature on Android and FireOS devices, which limits you quite a bit. Surfshark calls this feature Bypasser, which works on Windows and Android devices. And while Windows devices are the most popular globally, it makes Surfshark a more convenient choice.

Extra features

Regarding useful extras, IPVanish offers 500GB of Cloud storage. There’s also the SOCKS5 proxy that we will discuss in the torrenting section.

As for Surfshark VPN, it offers MultiHop, which routes your traffic through multiple servers, doubling your security and privacy. Additionally, GPS Spoofing will prevent GPS tracking and let you reliably change your location. Lastly, Camouflage mode will help you bypass firewalls and strict restrictions in countries or places under heavy censorship.

Netflix and streaming comparison

With the best streaming VPN, you should be able to avoid geo-blocks and access any streaming platform on the list. We shall see if these two providers can do that.

With Surfshark VPN, you won’t have any problems bypassing geo-restrictions on all major streaming platforms. You can easily hop through regions and change location on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or HBO. Not to mention, you’ll unlock BBC iPlayer, Hulu, or Youtube TV, which are only available in certain locations.

IPVanish, on the other hand, does an okay job, but it can live up to Surfshark. You can watch Netflix US, UK, and other libraries. And you shouldn’t have any issues with accessing BBC iPlayer or Disney+.

Overall, Surfshark reigns supreme in the streaming category.

Device compatibility

To start, both have dedicated apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. For your streaming needs, you can easily get both providers’ apps for Android TV and FireOS. Both VPNs can be used to secure an unlimited number of devices, allowing you to share one account with your friends and family. And for more safety on your home network, you can set up the VPNs on your router.

Nevertheless, Surfshark takes the lead in this category too. That’s because it offers exceptional Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Brave, and Edge browser extensions.

All in all, Surfshark wins by a slim margin. That’s because it offers better compatibility compared to IPVanish.

Desktop applications

You don’t need a degree in rocket science to use Surfshark. The desktop app is quite minimalistic; you can pick from a list of countries to change your IP address and location. You can find other features and settings on the left side of the app. Plus, unlike many other providers, Surfshark has a dedicated app for Linux computers.

On the other hand, IPVanish offers a map in its interface. So you navigate and find a location of your choice. Same as Surfshark, it has extras and settings on the left side of the screen.

Mobile applications

Both providers offer mobile apps that look identical to their desktop counterparts. Nevertheless, you might see fewer features depending on whether you use Android or iOS devices.

For example, both apps lack split tunneling for iOS devices. You might find a few more missing things compared to dektop apps. Nevertheless, these things won’t make the apps less secure or private.

Torrenting

Both providers allow P2P traffic on all of their servers. In a surprising twist, IPVanish offers a SOCKS5 proxy, while Surfshark lacks that feature. However, it makes up for it by providing split tunneling on Windows and Android – platforms that are used by a large audience.

Considering everything, this round is a tie. Both providers are excellent for P2P file sharing and are viewed as the best torrenting VPNs. When it comes to torrenting, the differences between Surfshark vs IPVanish aren’t as extreme as before.

China

When facing off against online censorship, Surfshark is the better choice. The main reason is that it offers many more alternatives for dealing with obstacles and strict restrictions. You can choose between NoBorders And Camouflage modes to punch through censorship.

Meanwhile, IPVanish can only scramble your OpenVPN traffic in the hopes of getting around DPI. While it can be effective, the situation in China is constantly in flux, so it’s better to have more options at your disposal.

Customer support

Finally, we’ve reached a category where IPVanish earns a definitive victory. While both VPNs have 24/7 live chat and other means of troubleshooting, only IPVanish has the option to call a customer service agent by phone. This option is available for users in the United States of America, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Spain, Australia, Brazil, and Germany.

Surfshark vs IPVanish – which is better?

It’s clear that Surfshark is the better VPN in most categories. It offers better security & privacy, more servers, and a comprehensive selection of features. Not to mention, streaming, torrenting, and browsing in China are much easier with this provider.

But that doesn’t make IPVanish a terrible choice. What ultimately matters is your priorities and the exact features that you’re looking for in a VPN. So, it’s time to decide and choose between Surfshark and IPVanish!

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You may also like to read:
Surfshark vs NordVPN
Surfshark vs ExpressVPN
NordVPN vs Surfshark vs ExpressVPN
IPVanish vs ExpressVPN
IPVanish vs NordVPN

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FAQ

Is Surfshark better than IPVanish?

Yes, Surfshark VPN is better than IPVanish. That’s because it offers more streaming possibilities, better device compatibility, and better security & privacy features. Not to mention, Surfshark offers better prices compared to IPVanish.

How much is Surfshark VPN?

The best price that Surfshark VPN offers is $2.19/month. Alternatively, there are other plans, as 1-year subscription costs $2.99/month. Or, if you don’t want long-term plans, you can pay $15.49/month every 30 days.

How much is IPVanish?

You can get IPVanish for $2.19/month if you get a 2-year subscription. There’s also a 1-year plan for $3.33/month. Or you can pay $12.99/month every month.

Which is faster – Surfshark or IPVanish?

According to our tests, Surfshark VPN is a lot faster compared to IPVanish. That is due to a more extensive server network, WireGuard tunneling protocol, and Surfshark’s Nexus feature.