ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish – Which Service is Better
Selecting a VPN service has become a difficult task, with a multitude of options available online, all claiming to be the BEST. While there is no doubt some VPNs enjoy a prominent reputation in the marketplace, you also need to be aware of some shady providers. After all, privacy should always be the top priority. If you are contemplating about selecting a service from ExpressVPN vs IPVanish, then fear no more. BestVPN.co performs a thorough analysis of both providers below:
Is IPVanish a Good VPN?
The very first question that pops into the mind of any individual when suggested about a VPN is whether or not the service actually meets all streaming/unblocking/torrenting demands. If we talk about IPVanish solely, users receive fast speeds and good anonymity online, while gaining the ability to leverage discounts as high as 69%. Users enjoy native apps across all devices and access to plenty of helpful features, which boost your overall security and privacy online!
Does ExpressVPN Keep Logs?
Excluding ExpressVPN’s incredibly safe British Virgin Islands location (away from EU and US jurisdictions), the provider has an incredibly strong zero logs policy. Though some account information is recorded like name, email address, and payment information, the VPN does not store session/connection information, timestamps, and IP activity. In fact, even the Turkish authorities could not find anything on ExpressVPN servers, following a seizure after the assassination of the Russian Ambassador of Turkey.
ExpressVPN vs IPVanish Overview
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, ExpressVPN enjoys a competitive advantage over others in the marketplace, due to being away from the Five and Fourteen eyes alliances. The provider is top-rated in terms of privacy/security, offering remarkable unblocking capabilities, cross-platform support, 30-day refund guarantee, 24/7 support team, and a huge list of servers available for connection.
Established in 2012 by Mudhook Media Inc., IPVanish is a US-based provider from Orlando, Florida, which enjoys a solid reputation for being the fastest VPN in the industry. Owning and controlling a network of Tier 1 servers, IPVanish offers the great capability for engaging in P2P/Torrenting, streaming on blocked VoD services, and playing online games lag-free. It offers servers in 60+ countries and imposes a no logs policy!
| ExpressVPN | IPVanish |
| Based in British Virgin Islands | Based in Orlando, Florida, US |
| 1 Year Plan: $8.32/mo. (Billed $99.95) | 2-Year Plan: 3.74/mo. (Billed $89.99) |
| Encryption: AES-256-CBC with HMAC SHA-256 | Encryption: AES-256-Bit with HMAC SHA1 |
| Total Servers: 2,000+ Servers in 94+ Countries | Total Servers: 1,000+ Servers in 60+ Countries |
| Refund Guarantee: 30-Days | Refund Guarantee: 7 Days |
| P2P/Torrenting: Yes | P2P/Torrenting: Yes |
| US Netflix Unblock: Yes | US Netflix Unblock: Yes |
ExpressVPN Vs IPVanish: Connection Speed
For analyzing the speeds of both providers, BestVPN.co conducted a thorough performance analysis, which involved testing the capability ExpressVPN and IPVanish, for streaming content online or engaging in P2P/Torrenting activities. The process took us a good 2 3 hours, as we connected to different servers and performed a multitude of tests on a 50Mbps connection to come up with an average.
If we talk about ExpressVPN, all servers delivered amazing performance, with no buffering/streaming issues whatsoever. Even while torrenting, we were receiving a consistent 45Mbps of speed, which indicates there was only a 4% speed loss overall. Conversely, IPVanish was good for unblocking and all, but while streaming and torrenting, the average speeds were 35Mbps, meaning there was a loss of 12%!
| ExpressVPN | IPVanish |
| 4% Speed Loss | 12% Speed Loss |
| Instant Streaming | Good Unblocking |
ExpressVPN vs IPVanish: Pricing
In terms of pricing, ExpressVPN leans over to the more expensive side, whereas IPVanish tends to be incredibly budget-friendly. If you plan to subscribe to ExpressVPN, you will have three plans available: 1 month, 12-months, and 6-months. Users who go for the monthly package will have to pay $12.95. For those who go for the 6-months plan, you receive a 22% discount.
This lowers the monthly pricing to $9.99, which totals to $59.95 biannually. For the best value, users can go for the yearly package, which gives a massive 35% discount. This reduces the per month pricing to $8.32, which is billed $99.95 every 12-months. IPVanish tends to be cheapest vpn in all durations with their monthly pricing starting at $10.
There is no biannual deal, but users can opt for the 1-year package, which gives you the ability to leverage an amazing 46% discount on the monthly pricing, reducing the costs to $6.49, billed $77.99. If you want to receive the best value from IPVanish, then you can go for their most popular, 2-year package, which gives users a 69% discount (totaling to $89.99).
| ExpressVPN | IPVanish |
| Monthly Pricing: $12.95 | Monthly Pricing: $10 |
| Biannual Costs: $59.95 | Yearly Costs: $77.99 |
| 1-Year Plan: $99.95 | 2-Year Plan: $89.99 |
| 30-Days Money Back Guarantee | 7-Day Money Back Guarantee |
ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish VPN: Privacy
When analyzing the privacy/anonymity offered by a provider, users need to learn about the encryption and protocols supported by a provider, along with any advanced features. IPVanish typically supports OpenVPN, L2TP, and PPTP. For security, users receive protection via AES-256-bit ciphers with HMAC SHA1 Handshake (one of the weakest in the industry currently).
For users who sign up with ExpressVPN, you can feel assured to receive better than IPVanish. The VPN supports OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP/IPSec, and PPTP protocols. For security, you receive protection via AES-256-CBC and AES-256-GCM ciphers. The difference between the two is of something called “chosen ciphertext attacks”. AES-256-CBC uses a secure Message Authentication Code (MAC), along with AES.
Conversely, AES-256-GCM has built-in authentication codes, which makes the process a whole lot faster! For added security, ExpressVPN utilizes Perfect Forward secrecy via the DH-2048 Diffie-Hellman key exchange. Added features include “Stealth Servers” from the provider located in Hong Kong, which allow for defeating censorship and geo-restrictions in mainland China!
| ExpressVPN | IPVanish |
| Data encryption: AES-256-CBC | Data encryption: AES-256 |
| Data authentication: HMAC SHA-256 | Data authentication: HMAC SHA1 |
| Handshake: RSA-384 | Handshake: RSA-2048 |
| SSTP Protocol | Port Forwarding |
| Tor Over VPN | Disconnect Protection |
| Network Lock | Alternate Configurations |
| DNS Leak Protection | US-Based (Part of 14-Eyes Alliance) |
| British Virgin Islands (Strategic Location) |
ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish VPN: Features
Upon reviewing both ExpressVPN and IPVanish, it was not that difficult to determine the winner in terms of overall features offered. IPVanish has a lot to work on, since it still offers a few generic features for users to receive security from. ExpressVPN users, on the other hand, have a lot of features at the back end, which protect users and their identity online. You can take a look at a summary of the features offered by both providers in the comparison table below:
| ExpressVPN | IPVanish |
| Automatic Kill Switch | DNS Leak Protection |
| Anti-DDoS Attacks | IPV6 Leak Protection |
| DNS Leak Protection | Port Forwarding |
| Manual/Auto Server Connect | PIA Mace (For blocking ads/malware) |
| SOCKS5 Proxy Available | 5 Simultaneous Connections |
| Browser Extensions Available | Disconnect Protection |
ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish VPN: Torrenting and P2P
ExpressVPN tends to be quite cooperative, when it comes to engaging in P2P/Torrenting. Adding to its exceptional online security and privacy tools/features, the provider offers Split Tunneling and SOCKS5 proxy, which boosts your P2P/Torrenting speeds and overall digital anonymity. The VPN even offers a Network Lock feature for boosting your anonymity online.
This acts like an automatic kill switch for your internet connection, in the unfortunate circumstances of the connection to a secure server dropping. IPVanish, on the other hand, does not fail to impress either. It offers all the basic tools for protecting your identity when indulging in P2P/Torrenting, which include Port Forwarding and a SOCKS5 Proxy.
| ExpressVPN | IPVanish |
| Port Forwarding | Port Forwarding |
| Port Selection | SOCKS5 Proxy |
| SOCKS5 Proxy | Multiple Gateways |
| P2P Friendly Servers (36 Countries) | P2P Friendly Servers (28 Countries) |
ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish: Netflix and China
When it comes to unblocking Netflix and bypassing the “Great Firewall”, you need a strong provider that does not skimp on security. The VoD service now implements algorithms which instantly block repeat IP addresses that are suspected to be part of a VPN provider, while the “Great Firewall” disables the connection to any device that tries accessing content outside China or vice versa.
ExpressVPN for the most part proved incredibly successful in overcoming all challenges set by Netflix and the “Great Firewall”. It easily managed to unblock American Netflix while bypassing the geo-restrictions in China using their Stealth Servers. IPVanish too worked smoothly, but both providers were lacking in one area: Dedicated/Static IPs. To access Netflix specifically, you cannot rely on dynamic IPs.
| ExpressVPN | IPVanish |
| Stealth Servers (Bypass the Great Firewall) | Strong IKEv2 Connection |
| Split Tunneling Available | Unblocks US Netflix |
| Unblocks American Netflix |
ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish VPN: Conclusion
At first, when we decided to review ExpressVPN and IPVanish, we thought it would be difficult to determine a winner. However, as we got into testing and analyzing both providers, while writing this comparison piece – it became clear that ExpressVPN holds an obvious advantage (despite the high pricing). If there is one thing in common among both providers though, it is the lacking of dedicated IPs.
