Ivacy is a Singapore-based virtual private network (VPN) service. The company offers some of the best prices on the market, as well as above-average global server allocation and dedicated streaming and P2P sharing hardware.
This VPN has earned the respect of tech experts after winning the 2019 ProPrivacy Award for Best Speed and coming in second for Best Value and Best Overall. Apart from being the inventor of split tunneling, Ivacy has a clear privacy policy that explains what data is and isn’t collected.
Other Ivacy VPN reviews have questioned who is behind the curtain of this mid-sized operation. To this day, the true owner of Ivacy VPN is unknown. However, we discovered that it is linked to the Pakistani organization Gaditek, whose co-founder is PureVPN’s CEO.
The company’s CEO was introduced as Mr. Saad at one point, which could be PureVPN’s Growth Marketing Strategist. There is currently no mention of this executive or any other members of the management team on the company’s website.
What matters is how it promotes internet freedom and keeps its users’ sensitive data private, regardless of why it hasn’t been forthcoming about its structure. That’s what this Ivacy VPN review will be about.
Ivacy VPN Features
Ivacy VPN comes with the following basic features.
Unlimited Bandwidth
There are no restrictions on how long you can use this VPN. It allows you to stream videos, download torrents, access blocked websites in your country, and safely use unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
Ten Multi Logins
You can connect up to ten devices with one Ivacy subscription. Unfortunately, there is no way to increase this limit, and there is no option for a family plan.
Internet Kill Switch
To protect your privacy, the Internet Kill Switch disconnects your internet connection when your VPN service goes down. According to another user-written Ivacy VPN review, this functionality has significantly improved over time.
In our Ivacy VPN review, we discovered that this feature was only activated automatically on the Android and Windows apps.
Split Tunneling
You can limit the use of your VPN to specific apps. This way, you can simultaneously enjoy both accessible and locally restricted content. Split tunneling also helps to reduce latency by reducing the amount of data that must be sent to a remote server for encryption.
Smart Purpose Connection
For optimal performance, selecting the right service is critical. Smart Purpose Connection categorizes VPN servers into three categories: streaming, downloading, and unblocking, making it simple to find the right one.
Auto Connect
When your device restarts, your VPN will automatically start. It’s primarily available in the Ivacy mobile app, but it can also be enabled on your computer.
Multi-Port
Multi-port scans for open ports and connects to the fastest while avoiding those that may slow down your internet connection.
Bypass Proxy
This feature is available in the Ivacy Chrome extension and prevents you from connecting to proxy servers. You can use a proxy to access proxy-blocked websites and avoid having your traffic redirected to malicious URLs.
TV Login
The Ivacy VPN TV app can only be opened with this QR code scanner. It allows you to access content from major streaming services that would otherwise be restricted.
Ivacy VPN Advanced Features
Ivacy offers two add-ons to enhance your digital experience in addition to its basic features.
Dedicated IP
Ivacy can provide you with a dedicated static IP address that is more secure and reliable than shared IP addresses. For $1.99 per month, you can get an Ivacy VPN dedicated IP address in the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, or Singapore.
Port Forwarding
Ivacy VPN Port Forwarding is available to power users for only $1 per month. It enables you to remotely access your computer, speed up downloads, monitor security cameras, and strengthen your defense against Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks.
Ivacy VPN Servers and Locations
The number of Ivacy servers is not consistently reported. While the company claims to have a global fleet of over 3,500 ships, that number unexpectedly doubles when you check out.
Ivacy VPN servers can be found in over 100 locations across 77 countries, which is 156 percent more than the industry average of 30. This network is well distributed, covering 34 countries in Europe, 20 in Asia and the Pacific, 11 in the Americas, and 7 in Africa. Virtual servers account for about a quarter of the service’s fleet.
The issue is that you can’t connect to all VPN servers because only 34 countries and territories are consistently available. With 66 countries and territories, Ivacy for mobile has the most extensive Ivacy server list, followed by the Windows 10 app (53) and the browser extension (48).
The Ivacy server list by city (available only on the Ivacy Chrome Extension) does not include all towns in every country.
Ivacy VPN Speed
In terms of speed, we have to agree with almost every other Ivacy review: this VPN isn’t going to be able to compete with the industry leaders anytime soon. Nonetheless, it’s quick enough for basic online browsing.
From our Central European headquarters, we were able to connect to Ivacy’s UK and US servers at speeds of around 70Mbps. We tried the Australia servers in our third speed test, and the average speed dropped to 15Mbps.
Ivacy VPN Privacy and Jurisdiction
Ivacy is based in Singapore and is one of the Fourteen Eyes Alliance’s four prominent collaborators. As a result, the Singaporean government has shared intelligence with the following countries in the past:
- US
- UK
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Denmark
- France
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Germany
- Belgium
- Italy
- Sweden
- Spain
Although VPN use is not illegal in Singapore, the authorities closely monitor the internet and are not afraid to shut down websites when necessary.
Ivacy, fortunately, has a no-log policy. Connection logs and times, online browsing activities, originating IP addresses, IP assignment histories, traffic data, and DNS queries are not monitored or recorded by this VPN.
For account creation and customer outreach, Ivacy collects user names, email addresses, and payment credentials. The company keeps track of chat and email correspondence, but inactive users’ data is deleted every 12 months.
Ivacy VPN Security and Protocols
Ivacy uses the following security measures to prevent data leaks and cyber-attacks.
Military-Grade Encryption
Ivacy employs 256-bit encryption, which is one of the most secure encryption methods available. It protects your information in the same way that classified government documents are protected.
Multiple Protocols
OpenVPN (TCP or UDP), L2TP, IKEv2, PTP, and SSTP are all supported by Ivacy. These protocols are in charge of establishing secure tunnels for the transmission of sensitive data. The company claims to use a Stealth protocol, but Ivacy VPN WireGuard isn’t mentioned.
Having a variety of options can improve your streaming, torrenting, and browsing experience because each protocol offers a unique combination of speed, encryption level, stability, and device compatibility.
Virus and Malware Protection
When downloading files, Ivacy employs cutting-edge technology to detect and remove malicious code.
IPv6 Leak Protection
This feature helps keep third parties from spying on your online activities by preventing your IP information from leaking.
DNS Security
Ivacy encrypts your DNS requests and routes them through its own DNS servers to conceal your ISP (ISP).
DDoS Protection
Ivacy’s cutting-edge infrastructure can protect you from cyber attacks that aim to stifle your online activity by disrupting your internet traffic.
Prevent WebRTC Leak
This feature is available on the Ivacy VPN extension and hides your real IP address.
Ivacy VPN Leak Test Results
We discovered no IP, DNS, or WebRTC leaks during our tests, indicating that Ivacy was trustworthy in protecting our data.
Ivacy VPN and Streaming Services
It goes without saying in any Ivacy VPN review that this service is designed for streaming. And we couldn’t be more in agreement. Ivacy has a large network of streaming-optimized VPN servers that can unblock a wide range of streaming services.
You can connect to a server by channel or country when you click Start Streaming. If you choose the first option, this VPN will automatically hide your IP address and allow you to use your streaming app or website.
How Good Is Ivacy VPN for Torrenting?
Ivacy provides sophisticated layers of security to detect and remove threats in downloaded data, in addition to having servers designed for P2P sharing.
Additionally, this VPN prevents bandwidth throttling. You can choose virus and malware protection, use P2P-optimized VPN servers, and use your favorite torrent sites without fear of being tracked.
Can Ivacy VPN Bypass geo-blocks?
Getting around geo-restrictions is one of the best uses for Ivacy VPN. China, Oman, Russia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates are among the countries that offer the service, accounting for half of the countries that currently prohibit or heavily regulate VPN use.
If the regular app can’t get past China’s Great Firewall, try Ivacy Prime instead. This alternative app, which is compatible with Android and Windows, has limited functionality and requires a paid subscription. Smart Connect allows for instant server connection, Social Connect allows for access to non-Chinese social media, and Channels allows for streaming.
Only active multi-port, changing server locations, and adjusting the language settings are available on Ivacy Prime.
Ease of Use
VPN Ivacy The look and feel of Windows 10, mobile apps, and browser extensions are similar to that of leading VPNs. On the main screen, you can easily navigate and find the main features. By default, the setting is set to Automatic, which connects you to the nearest server with the fastest speed.
Three categories (Start Streaming, Secure Downloading, and Start Unblocking) are available on the Purposes tab to help you narrow down your server options based on your goals. You can search for servers and add them to your favorites in the Locations lab.
Clicking the triple bar in the top right corner of the screen reveals all features, including Internet Kill Switch and Split Tunneling.
The Windows app has the same features as the mobile app, albeit with a slightly different design. On the main screen, there’s a left-hand toolbar with icons for Smart Connect, the Purposes trio, Dedicated IP, My Account, Settings, and Help.
We doubt that new VPN users will have trouble navigating any of the three versions of Ivacy.
Customer Service
Ivacy provides a variety of support options, including live chat, email, and a knowledge base.
The live chat service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and provides immediate responses. Email is less responsive, but it will provide long-form responses within 30 minutes to three hours.
The Ivacy Support Center provides answers to the most common questions about the software and its features. This ever-expanding knowledge base includes video tutorial links.
Ivacy VPN Price
Because of its extremely low prices, this VPN never fails to attract attention. Ivacy’s subscription options are listed below.
- One month – $9.95/month
- One year – $3.99/month
- Five years – $1.19/month
To put things in perspective, a five-year Ivacy subscription is less expensive than one-year plans from top VPNs like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, and SurfShark. Student Beans and Youth Discount offer additional savings to students and apprentices.
You can get a one-day free trial of the VPN if you want to try it out first. We recommend signing up for a paid seven-day trial ($0.99) if you need more time to experiment. This trial unlocks all premium features, is non-refundable, and if not canceled, will automatically renew to an annual plan.
Ivacy offers a money-back guarantee of 30 days. Other subscriptions are refundable within seven days, with the exception of the one-month plan.
Ivacy VPN Review – Final Thoughts
While Ivacy is secure, it isn’t particularly fast, according to our Ivacy VPN review. However, you are unlikely to be dissatisfied because it seamlessly integrates with streaming platforms.
We appreciate that this VPN showed no signs of data leakage, but the leak protection tools should have been enabled by default.
Ivacy’s insanely cheap five-year plan is a steal if you don’t mind using a VPN company that values privacy. This service may not be for you if you are uncomfortable with the brand’s secretive management.
Ivacy, whether you fear it or trust it, does exactly what it’s supposed to do—and it does it well.