Today, we are looking at two popular VPN providers, but which will come out on top: IPVanish or NordVPN? The pair will be going head to head in a long drawn out battle covering numerous categories to discover the overall best provider out of the two. If you are wondering which of the two to choose, we have made things very easy for you, as we have not left any stone unturned. Our thorough check and detailed analysis will leave you in no doubt, as we will proclaim the ultimate winner.
The first thing any reputable VPN provider should offer is a range of apps for different devices and NordVPN does not disappoint.
Along with offering standard apps such as those for Windows PC and macOS, the provider also covers smartphones and tablets running on Android and iOS.
NordVPN also supports router installation, browser add-ons, Android TV, and more.
All apps are easy to download and install with the provider offering tutorials for apps and routers that need manual installation.
Up to six devices can be connected and used at the same time, which is more than enough for all family members!
IPVanish also offers a range of apps for various devices. Standard devices supported by the provider include Windows and macOS.
The provider includes Android and iOS on the list so you can install the VPN service on any tablet or smartphone running either of the operating systems.
IPVanish also supports routers along with apps for Linux, Chromebook, and browsers.
Apps are available to download from the website or links are given and tutorials are available for installation.
A single plan can be used on up to 10 devices at the same time, which comes in useful in multiple device homes.
A good VPN has to be able to offer speed and stability and NordVPN is the one that certainly does, as you can see from the results below.
Without VPN (we were located in London) :
EU Server (Paris) :
US Server (New York) :
Asia Server (Hong Kong) :
The speed of the servers is good enough to stream in HD without buffering and stuttering. Servers are reliable and there are thousands to choose from in all corners of the world.
There is bound to be a slight drop in speed when using a VPN compared to not, so this is expected. However, in testing, the speed of NordVPN was excellent.
NordVPN is among the most stable of providers out there with a 99.9% uptime.
How does IPVanish come out for speed and reliability? Well, this has been examined in our test of IPVanish, check the results below.
Without VPN (we were located in London) :
EU Server (Paris) :
US Server (New York) :
Asia Server (Hong Kong) :
The server speeds are more than enough to stream HD Netflix or download fast. IPVanish does claim to be the fastest and while they are fast, they do fall a little short of this claim, but not by much.
On the plus side, speeds were consistent during our tests. The provider offers the option to connect to the best server chosen by them, but it’s not always the fastest.
We did not notice any downtime while undergoing testing.
If you want to stream Netflix using your VPN, NordVPN is a good choice of provider. Of course, using fast VPN is important if your goal is to watch sport live in streaming, too.
NordVPN offers a SmartPlay feature in plans, allowing users to connect to a range of streaming services using the best servers possible with just a single click. This allows you to bypass blocks and stream even US Netflix. Which is not the case for everyone.
The servers also unblock many other streaming services including BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
IPVanish, on the other hand, is not the best provider if you want to unblock and stream Netflix because it often cannot overcome the anti-VPN tech of the streaming service.
During our test, we could not find a single server that would overcome the blocks allowing users to stream international content from the USA and vice-versa. As US Netflix offers the full catalog of content, we were disappointed.
The news does not get better for other streaming services since you cannot stream BBC iPlayer in the UK either.
If you like to torrent, you are going to want to know whether NordVPN is a good choice of provider, so check out the results below.
NordVPN might not mention anything about torrenting but the provider does state that it is friendly P2P service.
Not only this, but the provider also states it offers many P2P friendly servers from around the globe. NordVPN detects P2P activity and will automatically reroute the connection to one that is friendly.
With unlimited bandwidth and speed, downloading is only limited to the number of people sharing files. Of course, the provider offers numerous security features suitable when torrenting. These include DNS leak protection, Double VPN, and more.
Now, let us take a look into whether torrenting is welcomed when using IPVanish.
IPVanish is not shy about letting people know they support the use of torrents and, in fact, claim that they are the fastest VPN for torrenting.
The provider offers numerous features to protect users who download torrent files so the ISP does not find out. One feature is the Kill Switch. With this in place, if the server disconnects, the internet connection is cut.
IPVanish includes unlimited bandwidth with plans so your downloads will not come to an abrupt halt because you have used up all the bandwidth. Besides, the provider offers leak protection and military-grade encryption for security.
If you want a VPN provider for beating censorship in even the strictest of countries, NordVPN is a good choice. You can follow this guide to understand how to unblock blocked website.
The provider offers servers that even work in countries such as China. With NordVPN, you can unblock websites and apps such as Google, Facebook, and YouTube.
Whichever country you visit and want to beat censorship, NordVPN offers servers that can do so easily and quickly, thanks to military-grade encryption and other security features.
Unlike NordVPN, if you want to use the IPVanish to beat strict censorship in countries such as China, you are out of luck.
IPVanish states that the servers offered will not be able to unblock websites and apps in China. In fact, the provider goes one step further and they actually list countries where you cannot use the service.
If you only want to use the service to beat censorship in schools or the workplace, you will have better luck. Using military-grade encryption and a server close to you, you can beat this type of local censorship.
There are many reasons to choose NordVPN if security is one of your main concerns.
The provider is based outside of the intelligence agencies jurisdictions – in Panama. This means the provider does not have to share intelligence about how you use the service, or perhaps, your personal information.
Along with this, NordVPN has a strict no-logging policy in place. so it doesn’t collect any information about users. With no logging, they have no information to give.
NordVPN finally offers military-grade encryption for security, using the OpenVPN or NordLynx protocol. These are the best protocols currently available. DNS leak protection is an added security measure.
IPVanish is located in the United States, which is not good news.
This means the provider falls under the Five Eyes jurisdiction, which shares intelligence with other countries. This does bring into question the fact that, if asked, the provider is obliged to share information.
On a more positive note, IPVanish does have a no-logs policy in place. However, you may be taking a risk as the honesty of the policy was questioned.
The provider offers military-grade encryption for security, using OpenVPN, along with leak protection and additional security measures.
NordVPN offers a huge number of servers spread out around the globe. The provider has over 5,400 servers in 60 countries, which means you should have no issues finding one suitable for your needs.
In Europe, supported countries include the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Italy, and many more.
There are servers in the Americas in countries that include the USA, Canada, Brazil, and Costa Rica. Finally, there are some servers in Africa and Asia, including South Africa, Turkey, India, Israel, United Arab Emirates, and others.
You can go to their website to find out more about all countries covered.
IPVanish offers over 1,500 servers in 75 different locations around the world. This includes some of the biggest countries in the world, like the UK, USA, and Canada.
A large number of servers are located in the United States on the West and East coast making it a great choice for the USA. The provider offers servers in locations including Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
Africa, South America, South Africa and Brazil have not been left out, with a few servers offered.
The level of customer support offered by NordVPN is extremely good. There are many ways to receive help and advice.
The provider offers help through live chat and they are very fast at replying. If the person chatting cannot help, your query is forwarded to technical support and you receive an email back within just a couple of hours.
The provider also offers numerous tutorials and a detailed FAQ page, which includes manually setting up a range of devices.
Social media tools can also be used for getting help, along with email and support tickets.
IPVanish also offers live chat support, so help is available if you need it fast, which takes from seconds to minutes.
You can also contact help through email. However, this is not the best way to get help if you need it then and there, as you do have to wait for someone to get back to you. This could take up to one working day.
Note that IPVanish also offers a helpline on the website by filling in a form. But again, this is not the fastest way to obtain help. Finally, help can be found on social media and a FAQ page is available on the website, with some tutorials.
At the time of conducting this battle, NordVPN is offering some great savings on plans, as you can see below.
The biggest savings of 68% are with a 2-year plan for $89, which is the equivalent of $3.71 per month. The provider offers a 6-month plan for $54, the equivalent of $9 per month, which saves you 24%.
And to finish, you should know that there is a 1-month plan available for $11.95. A monthly plan is fairly expensive, although a bit cheaper than what ExpressVPN offers.
IPVanish offers three different plans, all of which come with good savings, including the monthly plan.
The best value plan is the annual one, billed each year at $39, the equivalent of $3.25 per month, with 76% savings. Sadly, you don’t get anything free. IPVanish offers a 3-month plan billed every three-month at $13.50, which comes with savings of 63%.
A 1-month plan is also offered and this is billed each month at $5, with savings of 59% on the regular price.
It is nice to see a provider offering savings on a monthly plan. But to be perfectly honest with you, prices are on the more expensive side, considering what IPVanish has… or has NOT to offer.
NordVPN wins by knockout as this popular VPN provider has taken every round.
The provider is one of the best on the market, so in the IPVanish or NordVPN battle, it was always going to be tough on the former to come out on top.
While NordVPN is victorious, its competitor does put up a good fight, but the winner offers a better deal for the money.
Sign up with our winner NordVPN now >
A professional writer with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since his youngest age, he loves everything related to internet, technology, fitness, games, and dogs! He joined our team in order to bring his deep knowledge in security services, among which VPN is of course a key component.