Windscribe vs IPVanish

Staying up-to-date with the VPN world can be challenging. Existing providers add new features and there are a constant stream of new arrivals in the market. This can make it difficult to find out which VPN provider is best suited for your needs. We’ve put together a comparison between Windscribe and IPVanish to help you decide.

Windscribe has been around since 2015 and quickly established itself as a popular VPN service due to its high speeds, a large number of servers and locations, as well as a host of other features that make it stand out from the competition. IPVanish is one of the largest VPN providers in the world and has been around since 2012. It’s well known for offering top-notch security and streaming capabilities, as well as having a large network of servers.

Although Windscribe and IPVanish offer a range of impressive features, we’ve found that there are some key differences between the two. Let’s take a closer look at their pricing, customer support, speed, and much more in detail to help you decide which is the best VPN for you.

Windscribe vs. IPVanish pricing

If you only need a month at a time, Windscribe comes out as the more affordable option. IPVanish is relatively expensive at $12.99 for one month, whereas Windscribe’s monthly plan costs $9.00.

For those looking for the more wallet-friendly option for a longer-term commitment, IPVanish steams ahead of Windscribe with a one-year plan working out at the equivalent of $3.59 per month. For comparison, Windscribe’s one-year plan comes in at $5.75 per month, with $69 billed upfront.

However, to unlock the biggest savings, you’ll want IPVanish’s two-year deal. This brings the monthly cost down to the equivalent of $2.50 per month.

It’s worth noting that, unlike IPVanish, Windscribe does offer a free plan. However, this comes with a 10GB data allowance, which will be eaten up pretty quickly if you stream video. Servers are also limited to 11 of the 111 locations available on the pro plan.

Money-back guarantee

Having a period where you can try before you buy is essential with any financial commitment. In this respect, both IPVanish and Windscribe offer a money-back guarantee. IPVanish’s is 30 days, whereas Windscribe offers their users just three days to try the service and request a refund.

IPVanish has our vote here, letting you try their service for a month to see if you like it before being locked in long-term. The three days provided by Windscribe are a little too stringent.

ProtonVPN vs IPVanish features

Apps

Diving into the most important section of VPN features, we have the apps. Windscribe has apps for every device, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices. You can also get browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. IPVanish offers similar support on a wider range of devices and platforms, so it’s difficult to choose between the two in terms of their platform support.

Both VPNs also allow you to set up your Windows or Mac computer as a personal hotspot to share the VPN connection with any device you connect to it.

Simultaneous connections

The number of simultaneous connections allowed on your VPN plan will determine how many devices you can protect at once. IPVanish and Windscribe both offer unlimited connections, which is ideal if you use multiple devices and/ or live in a large household. This is an impressive allowance that puts them both well ahead of the competition.

Privacy and security features

One of the sole purposes of a VPN is to provide a safer online environment for its users. Both Windscribe and IPVanish do a great job of this.

IPVanish includes a robust list of privacy and security features, such as 256-bit encryption, to ensure your data is protected while you browse the web. It also has DNS leak protection and a kill switch, which ensures that your online activity stays private even if you lose your internet connection or a VPN server goes down.

WireGuard is included for ultrafast gaming and streaming speeds alongside a SOCKS5 proxy, which is beneficial for P2P activities. IPVanish also uses solid obfuscation with XOR, helping you to bypass censorship in places like Russia — though not China (see “Which of these VPNs works in China?” section below).

Windscribe’s standout feature is its double-hop VPN. This lets you connect your device to two separate VPN servers at once, which can help to improve your privacy even further.

Both VPNs offer strong security protocols and encryption for top-of-the-line privacy, so it’s difficult to choose between them on this front. Both also include an ad blocker, which is great for stopping intrusive ads in their tracks.

Streaming and unblocking

IPVanish and Windscribe have a divided set of streaming capabilities. They can securely access content from Netflix and some other services. Windscribe has a built-in feature that lets you identify which streaming sites are accessible, whereas IPVanish lets you connect to servers in a range of different locations to access content from the BBC and other streaming services.

During our tests, IPVanish came out on top as the clear winner. It could access Netflix UK and Netflix US, Sky Go, ITV Hub, and HBO Max whereas Windscribe’s access was much more limited. It can switch Netflix regions better than IPVanish but falls short with other streaming providers.

IPVanish is among the fastest VPNs around, and with this in mind, it makes it a popular choice among Kodi users and gamers.

In the end, your choice in this category will come down to which streaming platforms you want to access.

Which of these VPNs works in China?

If you live in China or you’re there for travel, you’ll be looking for a VPN that can bypass the country’s internet restrictions. China’s Great Firewall blocks many VPNs, and it’s important that you find a VPN that can unblock western sites, apps, and services there.

At the time of writing, IPVanish doesn’t have any servers that can bypass censorship in China, but Windscribe does work there. If your sole reason for choosing one of these VPNs is for China, then Windscribe is the better option.

One of the ways that VPNs are identified in China is by using deep packet inspection, which reads information from the packets that pass through your connection to detect VPN activity. Standard VPNs will typically be blocked.

Some VPNs use obfuscation methods to bypass these restrictions. Both IPVanish and Windscribe use obfuscation techniques like XOR encryption to mask traffic as normal HTTPS traffic. Unfortunately, it’s not enough for IPVanish users in China.

Setup and interface

IPVanish and Windscribe are pretty similar in terms of purchasing, downloading, and getting set up with their apps. Both VPNs have excellent interfaces that are easy to navigate, and they’re simple enough for beginners to use.

If you decide to purchase either of these VPNs via this guide, a discount code will be applied automatically, giving you a better price than visiting the provider’s website directly. Apps are available via IPVanish’s and Windscribe’s websites once you’ve signed up, and dedicated apps can be downloaded for Android via Google Play, and iOS via the App Store.

Ease of use

It’s a tricky one for VPN providers to strike a balance between an app that’s easy enough for beginners and offers enough features for power users. Fortunately, IPVanish does a good job of this, and its excellent interface allows users to quickly switch servers, change protocols and settings, and choose from a range of different connection options.

Windscribe’s strong focus on privacy is also evident in the clear interface design. It’s easy to see the security parameters of a connection at a glance. You can easily switch between the VPN protocol used by Windscribe, as well as toggle its ad blocker and anti-malware features.

There’s not a lot to choose between the two, but IPVanish organizes its advanced features better than Windscribe, which occasionally feels slightly clunky.

Servers and performance

Both VPNs have a decent number of servers between them, but only one VPN can come out on top.

Windscribe servers

Windscribe has around 500 servers in 63 countries, including servers in the US that are ideal for accessing Netflix US.

IPVanish servers

IPVanish pulls in front of Windscribe here. Not only does it operate proprietary servers, meaning that it owns its servers and produces better speeds, but it has over 2,200 servers in 75 countries, meaning you’ll have no trouble finding a server close by wherever you are.

Connection Speeds

IPVanish has drastically improved its connection speeds, making it one of the fastest VPNs on the market at the time of writing. Its average download speed measured 277 Mbps during our tests. This makes it ideal for almost any activity, including streaming in HD and 4K quality, downloading torrents, and uninterrupted online gaming. To get the most out of IPVanish, we’d recommend using the WireGuard protocol, which is faster than OpenVPN.

In comparison, Windscribe came nowhere near as fast as IPVanish with its 55 Mbps. While it’s not to be scoffed at—it’s sufficient for most day-to-day activities—those who want to make the most of their base connections speed will prefer IPVanish.

Security

As we’d expect from any modern VPN, both IPVanish and Windscribe provide 256-bit AES encryption, which is effectively uncrackable. IPVanish uses a weaker RSA-2048 handshake versus Windscribe’s use of RSA-4096, but both key lengths are still considered secure by modern standards.

Both VPNs offer a kill switch and DNS leak protection, which ensure that you’re always secure and protected on the web. Additionally, IPVanish offers more security features, including IPv6 leak protection, which helps protect against DNS leaks when using IPv6 over VPN.

When you sign up for an annual plan with IPVanish, you get VIPRE Antivirus included as standard. VIPRE Antivirus protects you from malware, ransomware, and other viruses that can put your data at risk. Check out our VIPRE review to find out more.

Overall, while both providers are excellent in terms of security, we’d give IPVanish the edge as it offers a greater level of encryption and security features.

Privacy

The operational location of VPN providers is crucial if you are concerned about privacy. This is because the country they are based in can decide whether or not they need to comply with data requests from government agencies and what security mechanisms they have in place to protect your data, such as a no-logging policy.

Windscribe and IPVanish are not equal in terms of their HQ jurisdiction, with IPVanish operating its network from the US, a Five Eyes Alliance country. As a result, governing bodies could approach the VPN providers to demand logs of user data, should they have reason to believe illegal activities are being carried out by its VPN users. Likewise, Windscribe is headquartered in Canada, another Five Eyes member. While laws are slightly less stringent than in the US, Windscribe would be subject to the same log auditing as IPVanish is in the US.

However. although IPVanish is based in the US, it does operate under a strict no-logs policy. Your data is never stored by IPVanish and, therefore, cannot be obtained by any third party. These claims have been verified by independent auditors. 

Windscribe doesn’t maintain any activity logs, so you can have peace of mind that your activities are in safe hands. Windscribe uses RAM-only servers, which cannot store data long-term. Because there’s no data being recorded, there’s nothing to hand to authorities if requested!

Configuration

IPVanish uses a NAT firewall and protects its users from DDoS attacks, while Windscribe has a firewall but does not explicitly offer DDoS protection. DDoS protection ensures that your connection doesn’t get overloaded when connected to the VPN and ensures that it can handle all network traffic effectively. A NAT firewall protects you from external security threats by blocking unrequested traffic.

Both VPNs use shared IP addresses, meaning that many users are connected to the same network and use the same IP address. This can provide extra anonymity and additional security when you’re connected to the VPN and is an excellent option for torrenting.

Unlike IPVanish, Windscribe has the option to use a dedicated IP address. This lets you connect to a single server and retain the same IP address every time you log in. This can be useful if you have a static IP address that you want to use with your VPN or if you require more control over the network traffic of your device.

Customer service

It’s vital to have customer support available whenever you need it to get your query resolved as quickly as possible. This is especially important if you’re a new VPN user so that you can be sure you’re using the VPN correctly and that everything is set up to protect your data.

IPVanish offers a 24/7 live chat system with responses available in a matter of minutes. You can ask questions about the service, and they will be happy to help. IPVanish also has a dedicated knowledge base, support via email, and a ticketing system. The support available with Windscribe is a little underwhelming by comparison. It only offers a ticketing system that can take ages to get a response. It does have FAQs, but this often isn’t enough when you have an urgent query.

The winner: IPVanish

After comparing IPVanish and Windscribe side by side, we came to the conclusion that IPVanish was the clear winner. It came out on top in terms of its long-term pricing being more affordable and it had a better host of features included as standard, like VIPRE Antivirus. While IPVanish doesn’t work in China, it is able to access more streaming services compared to Windscribe. It also provides more customer support options and is one of the fastest VPNs on the planet. Whether you’re streaming, torrenting, online gaming, or browsing the web, IPVanish will have you covered every step of the way.

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See also:

• Windscribe vs CyberGhost
• NordVPN vs Windscribe
• ProtonVPN vs IPVanish
• Avast vs IPVanish