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Ivacy VPN Review
Virtual private networks (VPNs) have become an appealing solution for accessing the internet without restrictions, securing your browsing data and maintaining your privacy. There are many options to choose from, each with its own advantages and benefits for your specific needs.
Ivacy VPN stands out as a noteworthy platform, offering impressive features at a fair price. Keep reading for a comprehensive Ivacy VPN review, from its subscription plans and pricing to accessibility and customer satisfaction.
Ivacy VPN pros and cons
Ivacy VPN has a niche in the market due to its pricing structure, which is a major draw for users who are on a tight budget but don’t want to compromise on quality. The VPN’s plans — particularly the five-year subscription — are an excellent value for your money, and they’re much more affordable than similar offers from competitors.
However, even the best VPN services have benefits and drawbacks, so it’s important to weigh them carefully. Here are Ivacy VPN’s pros and cons:
- Comprehensive security features
- Wide server selection
- Excellent customer service
- Supports P2P and streaming
- No free trial
- Inconsistent speeds on some servers
- Intermittent problems with streaming services
Pros explained
Comprehensive security features
Ivacy VPN uses 256-bit AES encryption, an industry standard known for its exceptionally strong security properties. It also supports two highly secure protocols, the Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) and Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2). This combination of military-grade encryption and strong protocols provides an almost impenetrable shield for your data.
Wide server selection
Ivacy VPN’s server network is remarkable, boasting almost 6,000 servers across more than 100 different locations around the globe. This wide-ranging selection of servers allows users to connect to the location of their choice and access geo-restricted content from many different regions. It also means users should have a server nearby no matter where they are in the world.
Excellent customer service
Ivacy’s customer service is one of its strongest selling points. The company provides quality and timely support to users through their live chat service 24/7. This ensures that customers can address their problems irrespective of their geographical location or time zone.
Supports P2P and streaming
Peer-to-peer file-sharing and torrenting often require high-speeds, a stable connection and robust security. Ivacy VPN’s optimized P2P servers meet these requirements, ensuring efficient and smooth P2P transactions. Moreover, Ivacy is able to successfully connect to popular streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, for access to geo-blocked content.
Cons explained
No free trial
Ivacy VPN does not offer a free trial — an uncommon sight in the industry. A free trial could serve as a preview, letting users assess the service’s quality and functionality first-hand before deciding on a subscription. Ivacy partially makes up for this by providing a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is effectively a risk-free period for users to test the service.
Inconsistent speed on some servers
Download speeds on Ivacy can fluctuate significantly depending on the server you’re connected to. While many servers provide commendable speeds, users might experience varying performance across different locations. This is especially important for international users who rely on Ivacy to connect from places around the globe.
Intermittent problems with streaming services
Some users report experiencing difficulties in accessing streaming platforms, such as Netflix, while using Ivacy VPN. Since many VPN users often resort to such services to bypass geo-restrictions, this can lead to a subpar user experience, especially for those who rely heavily on their VPN for entertainment.
Ivacy VPN plans
Ivacy VPN has a broader offering of plans than many competitors. Shorter-term offerings are a good choice if you’re wondering if you need a VPN, while the longer plans offer significant discounts.
One-month plan
Ivacy VPN’s base offering at $9.95 comes with all of its features, unblocking Netflix across 16 major regions as well as Hulu, Disney+ and BBC’s iPlayer. While the one-month plan is Ivacy’s most expensive choice from a monthly perspective, it’s more affordable than the base plan of many major competitors.
One-year plan
Ivacy VPN’s pricing strategy is a big part of its draw. Its $3.99 per month, one-year subscription plan presents an enticing reduction in price compared to the base plan. It sits at nearly a 60% discount compared to what you would pay for Ivacy’s services on a month-by-month basis.
Five-year plan
Ivacy VPN’s five-year plan earns its title of the company’s best value proposition. This plan requires an upfront payment of $60 but compensates users with a surprisingly discounted rate — 90%, or $1.00 monthly — compared to Ivacy’s monthly plan.
This is an excellent choice for those eyeing a long-term VPN commitment in search of a good deal.
Ivacy VPN pricing
Ivacy VPN monthly plan costs $9.95 per month, while its annual subscription, billed once per year at $47.76, is only $3.99 per month. Its five-year plan, billed at $60.00 at the beginning of each term, is only $1.00 per month — a savings of $537 over its monthly offering.
Ivacy VPN financial stability
Ivacy VPN has been around since 2007. The company was acquired in 2016 by PMG Pte. Ltd., an IT firm based in Singapore. Though their parent company’s financials appear to be unavailable online, Ivacy VPN’s reported revenue for 2022 was $5.3 million.
Ivacy VPN accessibility
Ivacy VPN’s website is relatively simple and easy to navigate. It could improve its design to better cater to users with visual difficulties, as many of its pages use light-colored text on a light background.
Many of the website’s pages contain duplicate information, which likely has more to do with sales strategy than accessibility concerns. Lastly, though live chat support is available on nearly every page, it isn’t the most robust support option for anyone with motor difficulties.
Availability
In addition to over 100 geographic locations, Ivacy VPN has no restrictions based on country of origin or use. Anyone with uncensored internet access should be able to use its services, though functionality may not be guaranteed in places with stringent internet censorship laws.
Ivacy VPN is available for download for Windows, Linux and Mac desktop computers and on Android, iOS and Huawei mobile devices. Android TV and Amazon’s Fire Stick devices are also supported, as are PlayStation, Xbox and the streaming protocol Kodi. Browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox and Microsoft Edge.
Contact information
In addition to 24/7 live customer support, Ivacy users can contact the company via three different email addresses catering to various issues. There’s also a support form on its contact page, which has links to a broad range of quick-start guides, a fairly comprehensive knowledge base of articles and the option to open a trouble ticket with replies being sent via email.
User experience
Ivacy’s website seems to follow a “more is more” design philosophy, with much of the same information duplicated throughout its site. That said, information is at least readily accessible and complete, with many different routes to support and details about their service.
Ivacy VPN customer satisfaction
Ivacy reviews are chiefly positive. Users often cite prompt responses from customer support with sufficient information to successfully resolve issues, even when those problems are complicated or highly technical.
How we evaluated Ivacy VPN
Our assessment of Ivacy VPN was based on multiple factors, including:
- Encryption algorithms: Measures that primarily determine the security level of the service
- Privacy policies: Zero-log policies and other factors that might impact the service’s users
- Speed: Evaluated against benchmarks set by VPN competitors as well as direct ISP connections
- Pricing: Present market offerings were compared against other commercially accessible VPN services
- Customer support: The ease of contact for technical inquiries or account cancellation
- Overall user experience: Derived mainly from reviews on app stores and consumer review websites
Summary of Money’s Ivacy VPN review
Ivacy VPN is a strong contender in the VPN market thanks to its robust array of security features, industry-standard speeds, widespread server network and exceptional customer service. Its long-term subscriptions offer an excellent value, and its support for P2P activities and streaming services is another strong selling point.
The lack of a free trial may deter some users, but the substantial discounts offered by Ivacy’s long-term plans and a 30-day money-back guarantee make it worth considering. Users should be aware of some intermittent problems with streaming some Netflix titles, which is likely to be an ongoing problem for all VPN providers as Netflix changes its security algorithms.
From a security standpoint, the platform uses state-of-the-art technology to ensure your data stays secure. Despite minor drawbacks, Ivacy VPN delivers consistent, reliable performance and a positive user experience, making it a trusted choice for any VPN user comfortable with a long-term commitment.