Ivacy is a very affordable VPN in the market today. Because of its low price, it has drawn the attention of budget-conscious users. However, little is known about this VPN provider, so it begs the question of reliability. In this Ivacy review, we will take a look at whether this VPN stacks up. Read on to examine its security features, speeds, streaming, torrenting, ease of use, and other elements in detail.
Not all Reliable VPNs for your online security aren't expensive. If you're budget- and security-conscious, Ivacy VPN is your match.
Is Ivacy a good VPN?
Ivacy is a VPN provider based in Singapore, and they started the service in 2007. Thirteen years into the business, though, and still not a lot is known about it or its parent company PMG private limited. Singapore also has its own set of censorship laws, which makes Ivacy a bit iffy on the privacy aspect. However, you’ll be glad to know that Ivacy isn’t a shady VPN. Even with the relatively low prices, it still provides adequate features, which you will see later.
The speeds are also not bad for the price. VPN Ivacy reviews have shown download speeds averaging at about 50 Mbps, while upload speeds are more variable at 25-40 Mbps. Ping is often high, though, ranging from 50 ms to a whopping 250 ms. With these numbers, Ivacy is not the best VPN for gaming and broadcasting live streams.
In the next part of this VPN Ivacy review, let’s take a look at the pricing structure.
VPN Ivacy Review: Plans and prices
Ivacy makes its mark because of how budget-friendly its plans are. The cheapest the VPN goes for is just a little over $1 a month. Even the costliest subscription is only $10 per month. Unfortunately, an Ivacy VPN free version does not exist.
They also accept a variety of payment methods, from PayPal and credit cards to Bitcoin.
While Ivacy does have a 30-day money-back guarantee (7 days for the 1-month plan), its terms and conditions are a downer. If you have exceeded 30 logins or 500MB of bandwidth used, you are no longer eligible for a refund. They also state that you must not have violated any terms of use. Also, you can’t get your money back if you paid through Bitcoin.
Ivacy Review: Summary sheet
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| No logs? | Yes, this provider has a no-log policy |
| Can use it for Torrenting? | Yes, it works fine with torrents |
| What kind of Netflix does it work with? | US, FR, JP, UK, AU, DE, CA |
| Simultaneous connections | 5 |
| What countries does it cover? | 56 |
| What Operating Systems does it support? | Android, iOS, Windows, MacOs, Linux, Chrome, Raspberry pi, Kodi, Kindle, Windows Phone |
| Money-back guarantee policy | 30 |
| What protocols does it offer? | TCP, UDP, L2TP, IKEV |
| Does it offer unlimited traffic data? | Yes, it does |
| Cipher | Most secure encryption: Military AES 256 bits |
| Number of IP Addresses | |
| Number of Servers? | 1000 |
VPN Ivacy Review: Using the VPN
Ivacy VPN for Netflix
While the Ivacy app can unblock Netflix, results tend to be mixed. Some reviews state that Ivacy Netflix is banned from the streaming service, while others mention it works fine. When it does work, speeds are more than adequate for streaming. Ivacy also unblocks geo-restrictions reasonably well. As a result, you can then enjoy your favorite shows and movies comfortably from anywhere in the world.
Ivacy app also works with other streaming providers like BBC iPlayer and Hulu. Similarly, you can experience smooth, buffer-free watching.
Ivacy VPN for Torrenting
Ivacy features optimized servers for torrent downloads. Selecting them grants you excellent speeds for torrenting. Ivacy VPN torrenting gives you unlimited bandwidth and speed, so you can download freely. Remember that there is no Ivacy VPN free trial, so you really can’t take the VPN for a test drive as far as torrenting is concerned.
Another critical point for VPNs is their no-logging policy. Ivacy does have one, and it is surprisingly stringent. They state that the only data they keep is the email address connected to your account. With that, you can be more sure that everything you do on the Internet remains completely hidden.
VPN Features
Protocols
Is Ivacy VPN safe? Although Ivacy comes in at a lower cost compared to other VPNs, it does not skimp on security features. For one, it has the gold standard 256-bit AES encryption used in other popular VPNs. This algorithm is military-grade; in other words, hackers would take forever to crack it.
The Ivacy app also supports a wide variety of VPN protocols such as OpenVPN, L2TP, SSTP, and IKEv2. OpenVPN is the most common and the most secure protocol used by many VPNs, so this is enabled by default. The other protocols are used if ever OpenVPN fails.
DNS Leak Protection
Another key element in any good VPN is the ability to mask your IP and DNS addresses. Ivacy is perfectly capable of this, and it even has a feature that protects against IP and DNS ‘leaking.’ In other words, outsiders will only see the VPN-provided IP address, never the actual one. These protocols, combined with robust encryption, ensure that your online activity remains invisible to sketchy entities.
Kill switch
Ivacy also employs a kill switch for an extra layer of security. If the VPN link is severed, Ivacy immediately shuts down your Internet connection. In turn, it prevents your real IP address and other data from being captured in that time frame.
Smart Purpose Selection
The Ivacy app also has a function unique to itself, which they call Smart Purpose Selection. With this, you can pick what you want the VPN to do: torrent anonymously, stream content, prevent tracking, and general online security. Ivacy then configures itself automatically.
Multiport
This is a feature that automatically scans the ports to find the ones that are not blocked or restricted. And it’s very useful in bypassing censorship when standard ports are blocked by a firewall.
NAT firewall
They have implemented a NAT firewall on their servers as part of their security measures.
Split tunneling
Additionally, Ivacy allows split tunneling. With this feature, you can select which programs and apps go through the VPN and which ones bypass it entirely. Split tunneling is useful if you have apps that require the best connection quality but not too much with security.
Reportedly, you can also use Ivacy VPN China. It unblocks most sites, but browsing is not as fast. You probably won’t get usable speeds there for streaming and torrenting.
Now let’s move on to ease of use.
Ivacy Review: Windows client
Interface
The main window has a simple dashboard that shows the status of the VPN connection. This dashboard is where you can connect and disconnect from iVacy’s servers. You can also use Smart Purpose Selection for a faster setup.
Overall, the Windows UI is designed to be friendly to end-users.
Settings
On the left side of the Ivacy app, there are other tabs labeled Personalization, Split Tunneling, and Settings. Under Personalization, you can select servers and the VPN protocol to be used, though the latter is set to automatic by default. You can then control split tunneling and other advanced settings through two separate tabs.
Other applications
Ivacy also works with macOS, mobile devices (Android, iOS, and Blackberry), as well as game consoles and smart TVs. The Roku streaming box is also supported. You can install Ivacy directly on some routers as well.
Ivacy Review: Customer service
Ivacy’s support lines are also better than you would expect. They have live chat agents who are available 24/7. The agents are also very knowledgeable about their product, and they are always ready to address any issues you might have. Their social media support channels are also highly active, and they respond to queries promptly.
Conclusion
Ivacy is a VPN provider that has been around for more than a decade. Despite being not well-known, it packs features similar to more expensive VPNs, but at a very affordable price. Given its low cost, an Ivacy VPN free version is not available. While Ivacy may not be the best VPN for bandwidth-intensive activities like streaming and gaming, it still is a decent VPN.
Based on this VPN Ivacy review, if you want a VPN that offers good security but you don’t want to spend much, it’s is worth a shot.
