Ivacy VPN Review: We live in an era where two things are common – the Internet and privacy invasion. And that’s exactly why I’m scribbling down this review of Ivacy.
If something is on the internet, it’s meant to be accessed by anyone and everyone. And that’s exactly what Ivacy does. Ivacy VPN makes sure that your anonymity, privacy, or freedom isn’t compromised while browsing the Internet.
However, online anonymity and unrestricted access aren’t the only weapons in the arsenal of Ivacy. If they were, there really wouldn’t be anything “special” about Ivacy and I wouldn’t qualify for a review.
What makes Ivacy special is the plethora of exclusive value-added features that enhance the user experience while promising them unbreakable online security.
Just for the record, I’m not going all out to say that Ivacy is “the best” VPN out there as that would be too sketchy. I will, however, acknowledge that it is certainly one of the best VPNs out there.
You don’t have to take my word for it though. Instead, I’ll walk you through the features and superpowers Ivacy offers and you can then decide for yourself if my claim is superfluous or totally justified.
When And Why Do You Need Ivacy VPN?
Before we go into the nitty-gritties, let me give you a walkthrough on all the things you can do with a VPN:
Most Common and Basic use of a VPN
1). Changing of IP Address
Technically, this is pretty much the only thing a VPN actually does. However, changing your IP address activates nearly 50 additional possibilities. Let’s dig deeper.
2). Be Anonymous
The IP address is the core of your internet browsing. It’s the connecting link between your offline computer and the Internet service provider (ISP).
Your IP address is like a phone number. It’s assigned to you by your ISP and can therefore be traced back to you. It can also be used to monitor your online activities or pin your geo-location.
When you change your IP address, however, the ISP can no longer monitor your new IP address which is assigned to you by your VPN Provider ( Ivacy in this case) . Hence, you can use the internet with complete online anonymity and freedom.
3). Does This Mean Your IP Address Disappears?
This is a common misconception so I’ll address it here. Many people think using a VPN makes their IP address invisible. Well nothing of that sort happens.
In reality, your IP address is still visible but it is changed by your VPN provider . Hence, all others can see is some random IP address doing random stuff on the web. And there’s absolutely no way to track back the activity to you.
So, to be completely honest, a VPN simply “masks” an IP address rather than throwing the invisibility cloak over it.
4). Unrestricted Access to Content
The internet is full of geo-restricted websites like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and many others. Geo-restrictions are a BIG turn off for obvious reasons. After all, why should the internet bar you from accessing content that is available to others?
Ivacy gives you unrestricted access to geo-locked content and this is another feather in its cap.
Geo-restrictions are primarily imposed through location-detection filters that only allow you access to geo-locked content from a specific location, country etc.
Your IP address is responsible for communicating your location to the Internet, meaning that when you change your IP address, the Internet determines your geo-location on the basis of your IP address.
In other words, if you connect to “US Fastest Server” of Ivacy before going to the Netflix website, you’ll be assigned an IP address from its USA region. This way, it would appear to Netflix that a user from within the US is trying to access content and it will allow you access.
So you can be based in China, Brazil or any other country and access geo-restricted content with Ivacy.
This helps you unlock any and every kind of content, be it websites, social-networking sites, or region-locked video content! The possibilities are endless!
5). Prevent Hacking Attempts
Gaining access to your IP address is any hacker’s dream! That’s because it is the easiest way to hack into your system.
Cracking your IP address not only gives hackers remote access to your system but it also spoofs your identity, recreates browser sessions and what not!
So you have good reason to make sure that your IP address does not get public. And that’s exactly what Ivacy does for you. It masks your real IP address from hackers, spammers, and countless other cyber threats, giving you ultimate online security.
6). Browse the Dark Web
The dark web isn’t as bad as the media and the govt. would have you believe. Nevertheless, browsing the dark web is an “illicit” act in many countries if not outright illegal.
However, if you’re connected to Ivacy VPN, you can freely browse the Dark web without getting into any sort of trouble. This is because Ivacy masks your IP address, giving you full anonymity and privacy.
(Do make sure though that serious crimes committed on the Dark web are punishable by law)
7). Download Torrents, Without Compromising Speed….or Anonymity!
Torrents are gradually being banned in many countries around the world. But with Ivacy’s servers that are specially optimized for sharing large P2P files, you can download torrents both quickly and anonymously.
That’s right, Ivacy doesn’t just let you download Torrents , it does it while making sure that your data transfer speed isn’t compromised. That’s a completely different and exclusive side of the story.
And in addition to all that, your identity remains completely safe! Ivacy is probably one of the most secure torrent download-enabled VPNs that I’ve come across.
8). Security Over Public Wi-Fi
Public Wi-Fi are readily available around cities and they are usually welcomed with open arms. What most people do not know, however, is that Public Wi-Fi are one of the most popular places where hackers are on the prowl.
And that’s where Ivacy swoops in to save the day once again! By masking your IP address, Ivacy shields and anonymizes you when you’re connected to Public Wi-Fi hotspots.
These are some of the basic features you get with Ivacy. I’m sure you’re getting the picture of the endless possibilities that you can unlock with Ivacy.
Now let’s take a deeper look at the features that Ivacy offers!
Ivacy Features – Detailed Insight
a). Simple On/Off Switch
There’s no complex mechanism to using Ivacy. You can connect/disconnect to any remote location with the simple click of a button. The ease of connecting is definitely one of my top of my “pros” for Ivacy.
b). Supports Almost All Digital Platforms
Another amazing superpower of Ivacy is that it is compatible with a wide range of devices and operating systems. Ivacy currently supports:
- Windows
- Mac
- Linux
- Roku
- Raspberry Pi
- Smart TV
- Router
- Blackberry
- Android
- iPhone
- Kodi
- xBox
- PS4
- iPAd
- And couple other platforms!
c). 100+ Locations (50+ countries) to Choose From
What’s the primary use of any VPN? Changing the IP address. Hence, the more available options for you to choose from, the better! Ivacy widens its competitive moat against most other VPNs in the industry by getting you servers in 50+ countries.
Some of the countries include:
- USA
- Canada
- Panama
- Hong Kong
- United Kingdom
- Netherlands
And basically every other country you can think of.
You can choose the fastest servers in the listed countries simply by clicking on the country name under the “Countries” tab.
Apart from “countries”, you even get to select the exact “cities” from the countries where you want to connect from!
Just clicking on the name of the countries brings down a list of the cities available under that country.
d). Purpose Selection
This is the first time I’m getting this feature with any VPN. Ivacy has a dedicated “Purpose selection” tab that allows you to choose the most suitable servers based on what you want to do online.
Every purpose needs a different mix of speed, connection and encryption so Ivacy makes sure you always get the best possible combination.
It offers you:
- TV-Watching
- Unblocking Websites
- Voip services.
- BBC iPlayer
- Torrenting , as well as USA Torrenting, made specifically for the USA!
- And then there’s the ultimate “Maximum anonymity” mode where you can do anything and everything with the maximum possible security to your identity.
Ivacy VPN Review – Advanced Features
There are quite a number of features that can add to the level of security that Ivacy VPN offers you.
1). Internet Kill Switch
In case you lose your VPN connection while browsing the Internet, Ivacy makes sure that you aren’t left unexposed.
When the kill switch is enabled, it automatically disconnects the internet if you’re routed through the VPNs IP addresses!
2). Secure DNS (No DNS Leak)
When this button is checked, all your Internet traffic is routed through a secure Ivacy server. Hence, it acts as an added layer of protection and any chance of a DNS leak is eliminated.
3). Over 8 Different Connection Protocols
This is the best list of connection protocols that I’ve ever seen in a VPN! Where most VPNs offer 3-4 or a maximum of 5 different connection protocols, Ivacy gives you a total of 8 different protocols to choose from.
PPTP stands for Point to Point Tunneling Protocol, it’s best suited when security isn’t a top-priority but speed is.
L2TP even though doesn’t have its own encryption or security, mostly relies on IPSec for the encryption and then it provides for much better security than PPTP.
SSTP stands for Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol, it’s extremely secure however pays for that security with its speed.
TCP and UDP stand for “ Transmission Control Protocol ” and “ User Datagram Protocol ” respectively. TCP employs a “check and confirm” protocol and only sends data after the older packets have been delivered. UDP on the other hand focuses more on speed and less on data integrity.
IKEV is for those who need best of both worlds, i.e. Speed and Security.
So you can be sure that you tweak your online security, speed and accessibility to just the right level to make sure that you have the best experience online.
The best part is that even if you’re not a tech Geek, all you have to do is point and click to choose the protocol that suits your needs best.
4). 256 Bit Encryption
256-bit encryption is the most common and secure type of encryption available around the world. In case you don’t know a lot about Encryption, just know that it’s next to impossible to break into a 256-bit encryption and intercept your connection.
5). Split Tunneling
Split tunneling is another cool feature that got me hooked to Ivacy. This feature is exclusive to Ivacy and allows you to use Ivacy on specific programs (such as Chrome) on your device while other programs remain unaffected.
6). Other Features
That’s not all, apart from the above-mentioned features in this Ivacy VPN review, here are some additional features that Ivacy gives you without any extra charges:
7). Unlimited Server Switching
It lets you switch servers ( countries/cities/locations/Ip addresses) as many times as you want without any restriction.
8). 5 MultiLogins
If you own several devices then you can secure all of them with the same Ivacy account. That’s right! Ivacy allows you to protect as many as 5 different devices with one account.
9). Unlimited Data Transfers
Unlike most other VPNs which have a monthly or weekly data cap, there’s no such restriction with Ivacy. Use Ivacy as much as you need and stream, download, and browse the internet without worrying about how much data you’ve consumed.
10). No Speed Capping
The most-common problem around VPNs? They reduce your speed! Well, Ivacy doesn’t! Ivacy servers are optimized specifically for faster transfer of large P2P ( Peer to Peer) files- to get you the best possible browsing, streaming and downloading speeds!
11). No Logs – The Best Feature
Ivay has a strict “no logs” policy. This means that it neither keeps track of user activity nor stores personal data to sell to third-parties.
12). Dedicated Support
Ivacy has a dedicated customer support team that values its customers. It currently provides prompt response to customer queries through:
- Live chat!
- Tickets
- Social Media
Ivacy VPN Review: Pricing Plans
Since our last update, they’ve updated their pricing plans. The 6-month billing-cycle is gone, rather 1 Month, 1Year and 2 Year plans are available.
- 1Month @$9.95/month.
- 1 Year plan @ $3.33/month (billed annually!)
- 2 Year plan @ $2.25/month (Billed every 24 months!)
I went for the Ivacy 2-year plan which means that I’m paying as little as $2 a month. With the superpowers that Ivacy offers at such a rock-bottom price, it’s literally a steal!
They also EXTENDED their moneyback guarantee from just 7-days, to 30days.
Payment Methods:
Ivacy supports a wide-range of payment options including BITCOINS! What’s more, you can choose to remain completely anonymous even while paying for Ivacy! Ivacy accepts payments through:
- Paypal
- Bitpay
- Over 10 different virtual/digital coins.
- Credit/Debit cards.
- Perfect Money
- Payment Wall
Although not a feature, Ivacy’s payment subscription plans are well-planned as they are pocket-friendly and affordable.
Final Verdict:
So that’s all I had in my arsenal as far as this Ivacy VPN review is concerned. As far as my own personal verdict goes, all I can say is there are some features which are exclusive to Ivacy, which I’ve never seen in any other VPN.
Looking at the wide array of features that Ivacy offers, the pocket-friendly subscriptions plans literally seem like a Godsend! This is exactly why I would recommend Ivacy to you, especially if you want the best value at the lowest price.