Ivacy VPN Review

About Ivacy VPN

Like I mentioned previously, Ivacy VPN is based out of Singapore. Singapore is not a member of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, or Fourteen Eyes surveillance jurisdictions. Time to celebrate, right? Well, not so fast. Thanks to Edward Snowden, we know that Singapore helps the US and their Five Eyes partners (UK, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada) conduct surveillance. VPNs do provide an extra level of protection though and, in reality, this shouldn’t be an issue because Ivacy VPN has a genuinely strict data logging policy. Regardless, it’s better to be informed.

In terms of coverage, Ivacy VPN has almost 6,000 servers in more than 100 locations. That’s not as many as some of the top VPNS like ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but I don’t consider this a drawback. The reason that server numbers are important for VPNs is because your proximity to the server you’re connected to will affect your Internet speed. This is why if you want the fastest VPN speeds, you should normally try to connect with the servers closest to you.

Ivacy VPN Features

These Ivacy VPN features work on any type of internet connection, whether that is a Wi-Fi connection, or an LTE, 4G, or 3G connection from a mobile data carrier.

Will Ivacy VPN Log My Data?

Imagine my surprise when I read the Ivacy VPN’s privacy policy and found out that they don’t log any of your web traffic data. Normally, VPNs say they don’t log your data, and then you go and read the fine print on their privacy policy and find out that yes, they do log at least some data, or they log it and then delete it, etc. You know the drill; the fine print doesn’t always match the marketing claims. However, this is not the case with Ivacy VPN. According to their privacy policy, they don’t log or monitor your:

• Online browsing activities
• Connection logs
• VPN IPs assigned
• Original IP addresses
• Browsing history
• Outgoing traffic
• Connection times
• Data you have accessed, and/or
• DNS queries generated by your end.

There is some basic information that Ivacy VPN, like other VPNs, needs in order to provide their service. So Ivacy VPN only logs the following data:

• Name
• Email address
• Payment method.

I like how you could stay completely anonymous if you wanted to, because of the many different payment methods they offer. You can pay by cryptocurrency, credit card, PayPal, BitPay, AliPay, and many more.

Does Ivacy VPN Have A Kill Switch?

A kill switch, or network lock feature, will automatically cut your internet access if your VPN connection is momentarily lost. So why do I recommend choosing a VPN with a kill switch? Because otherwise, your privacy could be compromised. Without a kill switch, a server resetting or momentary internet loss could cause your public IP address to be leaked. Now, that’s not always the end of the world, but if you have a reason to use a VPN, a kill switch is going to help protect your privacy. Unfortunately, Ivacy VPN only offers a kill switch for Windows and Android, so if you’re in the Apple ecosystem, I can’t recommend it.

What Kind of Tunneling does Ivacy VPN Offer?

I’m also a big fan of split tunneling, so I’m happy to say that Ivacy VPN has split tunneling on Windows and Android. Split tunneling is a feature that creates two tunnels: one encrypted by the VPN and one connected directly to your Internet Service Provider. This way, you can choose which traffic you want to be encrypted by your VPN, a great way to lower bandwidth.

Can I Use Netflix with Ivacy VPN?

Watching Netflix, one of the most popular reasons people get a VPN, is a feature that can be surprisingly difficult to find. If you’ve tried using Netflix on a VPN that lacks this ability, then you’ll be familiar with the dreaded “Whoops, something went wrong…” page. I’m happy to report that Ivacy VPN will let you watch Netflix. This is great for getting around Netflix’s geographical restriction or just seeing what those people over the pond are watching on their version of Netflix. And last but not least, you can also torrent files with Ivacy VPN.

Free Storage

Here’s something you won’t find with every VPN: free cloud storage. Not only does Ivacy VPN offer this little perk, but it offers a whopping 2TB worth of storage. That’s enough to hold up to 500,000 pictures or around 65 full-length movies. All your files are readily available through the Ivacy VPN app, so you can access them no matter where you might be.

Ivacy VPN Encryption

You can think of encryption like a lock. The security of your data is analogous to how hard that lock is to open. Some locks (encryption methods) are harder to pick (decrypt) than others. The level of encryption you get with Ivacy VPN depends on which VPN protocol you choose, ranging from zero encryption to 256-bit encryption. 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard, otherwise known as 256-AES, is modern and widely-used, the industry standard. But first, let’s get into the VPN protocols.

Ivacy VPN Protocols

Internet protocols determine how data packets are dispatched across a network, determining the security of a VPN service and how fast it will be. Some protocols sacrifice security for speed, and vice versa. I like that Ivacy VPN makes it easy for users to switch between protocols depending on whether they prioritize speed or security.

So which protocols can you choose from? On Windows, you can have your pick between OpenVPN (UDP), OpenVPN (TCP), L2TP/IPsec, and IKEv2 protocols. On iOS, you can choose between IKEv2 and IPsec. On Mac, the only available protocol is IKEv1. This protocol is outdated (see below for version 2, IKEv2) and generally considered to be insecure. I’m content with the security of protocols used for every device except Macs.

OpenVPN

OpenVPN is sometimes considered the gold standard of VPN software. Why? Because it offers a great combination of speed, security, and performance. This protocol is open source and supported by a community that improves the code all the time to keep surveillance agencies from tampering with VPN services. OpenVPN is an option with Ivacy VPN, but you have to install it manually.

L2TP/ IPsec

The Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol works with IPsec to create a very secure VPN client. While the L2TP creates the tunnel itself, IPSec handles the encryption and channel security. It also makes sure that the data’s integrity hasn’t been compromised.

IKEv2

Internet Key Exchange version 2 is a widely used VPN protocol that automatically re-establishes your connection with your VPN after you’re disconnected from the Internet. This comes in handy when you would like to switch between Wi-Fi and mobile hotspots, which happens all the time when you’re on a mobile phone.

UDP

UDP, or User Datagram Protocol, sends messages called datagrams that don’t require virtual circuits to transfer data. The advantage of UDP is that it requires lower bandwidth, resulting in less delay. Its disadvantage is that some packets may be lost or out of order.

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol is made up of seven layers that transport data and make sure it gets to the right place by breaking it into smaller packets. It’s an excellent combination with UDP, as it can make sure the data is put back together in the right order.

Ivacy VPN is also compatible with TOR if you really want to even more anonymous on the web.

Testing Ivacy VPN

If your brain is hurting after all that VPN protocol technical jargon, you’re not alone. So let’s take a look now at the other, simpler piece of the puzzle: Is Ivacy VPN fast? And will it leak my IP address? I’m running speed and leak tests to find out.

Speed Test

Whichever VPN you choose, you’ll have to accept the fact that your internet speed will decrease. (Although there are some cases where your ISP is throttling you, in which a VPN could increase your internet speed.) But typically, the extra protection from VPN security protocols comes at a price. As I mentioned when covering the VPN protocols above, whichever VPN protocol you choose will affect your internet speed. I’m testing Ivacy VPN on its default protocol IKEv2 in Windows and the only protocol offered, IKEv1, on my Mac. If you opt for the more secure OpenVPN protocol, you may get different results.

Keep in mind that internet speed is determined by many factors – the time of day, location, internet service provider, software, hardware, VPN server distance, and of course, the VPN service provider. I’m testing Ivacy VPN in Poland on a Macbook Pro running Mac OS Mojave and my trusty Lenovo ThinkPad T430 running Windows 10 Pro.

Download Speed Tests

First, I measured the difference in download speed in megabits per second. As you can see from the above picture, Ivacy VPN decreased my download speeds more on my Mac than on my Windows computers, which the Mac’s download slowed down by about 71% and Windows at about 58%. These are big decreases in speed (and worse than some of Ivacy VPNs competitors for sure), but my internet still stayed fast enough to watch Netflix without buffering, so I will give Ivacy VPN a pass.

Upload Speed Tests

Next, I tested the difference in upload speeds with and without the VPN. This time, Ivacy VPN performed better on the Mac with only a decrease of about 5% compared to 29% on the Windows computer.

Ping Speed Tests

Finally, I tested the ping, or latency in milliseconds. For this category, the Mac computer actually performed better than the Windows, but not by much, as you can see. Overall, I can conclude that Ivacy VPN slowed down my Mac and my Windows computer, but my internet speed was still fast enough to stream so I’m alright with the loss in speed.

DNS Leak Test

DNS leak tests are important to do because a device might either send DNS traffic outside of the VPN’s tunnel, or it might use the VPN tunnel but connect to a third-party server. Luckily for us, Ivacy VPN offers DNS leak protection. They have an option in their settings called “IP/DNS Leak Protection”, although the default is for it to be unchecked, strangely.

As you can see above, the IP address detected from my connection is French. Since I’m not eating a baguette while I write this, that means my real IP address wasn’t leaked. To cut to the chase, Ivacy VPN passes DNS leak tests, although I’m a bit surprised that this isn’t the default setting.

WebRTC Leak Test

Are you going to use your VPN with a web browser like Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Opera? Then something known as a WebRTC leak may be leaking your IP address. WebRTC, otherwise known as Web Real-Time Communication Test, is a collection of standardized technologies that allows web browsers to communicate directly with each other rather than going through an intermediate server. WebRTC allows for faster speeds for video chat, live streaming, and file transfers. Wait, so what’s bad about that?

Well, the way WebRTC was created, any two devices that are communicating with WebRTC need to know each other’s private IP addresses. So theoretically,  websites or third party trackers could use WebRTC to detect your private IP address, which could defeat the point of having a VPN in the first place. After thorough testing, I found that Ivacy VPN protected me from WebRTC leaks.

Ivacy VPN Subscriptions

One of the biggest reasons I recommend Ivacy is that it’s one of the most affordable VPNs out there. I have more in my Ivacy pricing breakdown, but here’s a quick look at what you can expect:

One thing that’s a little disappointing is that Ivacy got rid of its one-year subscription, but with prices this low, it sort of makes sense to go ahead and sign up for a longer subscription. The total cost is about the same as some of the shorter terms from bigger providers out there.

Manual Configurations

You can manually configure Ivacy VPN on just about any device. The list includes Linux, game systems (like Xbox One and Playstation 4), routers, smart TVs, and Blackberry. Ivacy even has instructions on their website for how to use their VPN on Apple TVs.

Browser Extensions

If you prefer connecting through your browser, you’ll be able to enter an Ivacy VPN network using their Chrome and Firefox browser extensions.

The Ivacy VPN App

Of course, most of your interactions with Ivacy VPN will be through their apps. So let’s take a look at them— what devices are compatible, the user experience they offer, and what kind of functionality they have.

Ivacy VPN has apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android. Ivacy VPN focuses their app’s user experience around why you are using a VPN in the first place. In every app, you can choose to connect for “Streaming”, “Secure Downloading”, or “Unblocking”. In “Streaming”, you can select options like “Amazon Prime US” or “BBC (UK)” and Ivacy VPN will find the best server for streaming in that country and redirect you to the streaming website. For users new to VPNs and unsure about their potential, I think this feature will be really convenient. The latter two features, “Secure Downloading” and “Unblocking“, let you choose a country to get around government censorship or to hide your IP address so you can download content.

Overall, people are happy with Ivacy VPN’s apps. The iOS app has an impressive 4.3 rating from the Apple store and the Android app has a solid 4.0 rating from the Google Play store. One recent Japanese Android user かみたきはるみ wrote this in a five-star review:

“The smart purpose selection feature makes it easier to connect to a VPN server.”

Recap of Ivacy VPN

Overall, I would recommend Ivacy VPN as a good option for Windows users, but not to Mac users. The subscriptions are low in price and for Windows, it has all the features I’m looking for like a kill switch and Netflix access. If you want to dive deeper into costs, read about Ivacy’s prices. But since everyone has different priorities, I’ll break it down even further.