VPNs are complex pieces of software; they have to be in order to bypass state censorship, grant you access to home services abroad, and keep your traffic safe from attacks. They are so complex at times, that it can be hard for users to make an informed decision about which is the best service for them. Surfshark and IPVanish are two market-leading VPNs, so where do you start?
Don’t worry, we’re here to help. We’ve created a comprehensive list of every feature that Surfshark and IPVanish offer. We’ve also explained what they do in plain English to give you a better understanding of what you’re paying for.
Surfshark vs IPVanish: An Overview
Here’s a brief overview of both services and their features:
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Affordability and pricing
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
| Subscription periods | One month | One month |
| Six months | One year | |
| One year | ||
| Special offer | Get two years of coverage for under $60 (81% off) | Save 65% by choosing the one-year plan |
| Highest price per month | $12.95 | $10.99 |
| Lowest price per month | $2.49 | $3.75 |
| One-year price | $59.76 | $44.99 |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
If you’re only looking for short-term coverage, IPVanish is the cheaper option at $10.99 USD per month. However, while Surfshark costs more month-to-month (at $12.95), it offers a six-month subscription plan too, which means you won’t have to commit to a year upfront. In fact, this option effectively halves the price to just $6.49 per month.
Surfshark is less expensive in the long term as well. In fact, over a year, it actually ends up being about $20 cheaper than IPVanish. Further, if you sign up now, you’ll even get an extra year of coverage for free, which means you’d effectively only be paying $2.49 per month. To its credit, IPVanish isn’t too far behind, at $44.99 per year. This service offers a 65 percent discount in the first year, too, which cuts the cost to just $3.75 per month.
Whichever of these providers you choose, you’ll have access to a 30-day money-back guarantee. As such, you’ll be able to test either service out, free from any restrictions, and can simply cancel if it fails to meet your expectations. As long as you do this within the first 30 days of signing up, you’ll receive a full refund, so there’s absolutely no risk.
BEST DEAL FOR SURFSHARK:Get a whole extra year of coverage for free with Surfshark’s annual plan.
BEST DEAL FOR IPVANISH:Sign up for IPVanish’s annual plan to get a 65% discount on an already affordable service.
Surfshark vs IPVanish features
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous connections | No limit | No limit |
| Operating system apps | Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Amazon Firestick/Fire TV | Windows, Android, MacOS, iOS, Amazon Fire TV/ Firestick |
| Manual install devices | Select routers | Linux systems, supported routers |
| Split tunneling | Yes | Android only |
| Free extras | Automatic wifi protection, ad-blocking, and malware-scanning. Extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Stealth mode. | None |
Surfshark and IPVanish both allow you to browse safely anywhere, thanks to their strong multi-platform support. In fact, they’re each represented in the Amazon app store, so you won’t even have to sideload your VPN onto your Fire TV. Surfshark even has extensions for Firefox and Chrome that allow you to quickly secure your browser traffic (although it’s worth mentioning that your other traffic will remain unprotected unless you use the full Surfshark app).
IPVanish and Surfshark are two of the only major VPNs to have removed connection limits entirely. This is good news for users with large families or lots of devices since you can connect any number of devices simultaneously. This is normally only possible if you install a VPN directly on your router.
There are a few differences between these VPNs though. First, Surfshark has a command line-based installer for Linux, whereas IPVanish users will have to configure their connections manually. Additionally, although both providers allow split tunneling (specifying certain apps or websites to bypass the VPN), this functionality is only available in IPVanish’s Android version.
Finally, Surfshark offers a selection of advanced features that IPVanish doesn’t. There’s ad-blocking and malware-scanning, for instance, as well as a stealth mode and feature that activates the VPN automatically whenever you use a public wifi network.
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Streaming service | ||
| Netflix | Multiple libraries including US, UK, Australia, Canada, India, and Japan | Netflix US and Japan |
| Hulu | US, Japan | No |
| Sky Go | Yes | Yes |
| Amazon Prime Video | US, UK | No |
| BBC iPlayer | Yes | No |
| ABC | Yes | No |
| CBS | Yes | Yes |
| NBC | Yes | Yes |
| ITV | Yes | Yes |
| Disney+ | Yes | Yes |
| Channel 4 | Yes | Yes |
As you can see in the table above, both of these VPNs are adept at accessing geo-restricted streaming platforms from abroad. However, Surfshark performed better in our tests, working great with every service we tried. In fact, it was even able to access at least half a dozen Netflix libraries – something that most of its rivals can only dream of doing.
IPVanish didn’t do quite as well. Although it worked with a number of services (including the highly sought-after Japanese Netflix library), it struggled when put against other platforms. There is a built-in traffic scrambling feature that could theoretically bypass VPN-detection measures, but unfortunately, in this instance, it didn’t help.
Which works best in China?
Chinese internet restrictions are some of the strictest in the world. In fact, due to how advanced the country’s web-filtering tools (sometimes called the Great Firewall) are, most VPNs that aren’t sanctioned by the government just won’t work.
Unfortunately, the Chinese government blocks IPVanish outright. On the plus side, Surfshark works in China, although its website is inaccessible and you’ll need to install the app before your arrival in China. Further, users will have to activate the NoBorders mode by navigating to Settings > Advanced > NoBorders in order to browse freely.
Desktop and mobile apps
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic setup wizard | Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, MacOS | Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS |
| Main location selection | List-based | List-based/ map-based |
| Extra settings pages | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile-friendly | Yes | Yes |
Both providers offer easy-to-use desktop apps. Surfshark features a button that automatically connects you to the fastest available server, plus a list of servers you’ve used recently. The server selection screen neatly categorizes servers into three groups: general-purpose, static IP, or multi-hop. Further, it’s easy to find specific options thanks to the neat settings menu.
IPVanish’s desktop app is actually quite similar, but it lets users quickly select their desired location from the main page, rather than having them navigate to the full server list. You can choose to view servers in list or map forms. Additionally, there are two separate headings for options, which helps keep things neat. There’s also a panel with information including your current protocol, server, and data usage.
The Surfshark mobile app is almost identical to the desktop versions. There are a few small changes, such as the sidebar being shifted to the bottom of the screen, but otherwise, everything is the same. Importantly, all security features have been maintained, and there are even two new ones specifically for mobile connections (Android only): the option to use small packets (to use less data) and override your GPS location data automatically.
It might not look much different, but IPVanish’s mobile app has a few functional changes from the desktop version. First, users can only connect via OpenVPN or IKEv2. This isn’t a deal-breaker, since these are the most commonly-used protocols anyway. There’s also the option to use smaller data packets and, if you’re on Android, choose certain apps to bypass the VPN entirely.
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Server countries | 65 | 60+ |
| Total number of servers | 3,200+ | 1600 |
Both of these providers have a sizable network, although, in this instance, Surfshark comes out on top. In fact, it has double the number of servers IPVanish does, while covering a similar number of countries.
Surfshark is faster too, with an average download speed of around 70 Mbps. IPVanish, on the other hand, averages roughly 55 Mbps. This is still pretty impressive, and more than enough for most day-to-day situations. However, you may notice issues when several people in your household all try to perform data-intensive tasks like streaming at the same time.
Take a look below for a full list of every country where Surfshark and IPVanish have servers:
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Albania |  |
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| Argentina | |
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| Australia | |
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| Austria | |
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| Azerbaijan | |
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| Belgium | |
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| Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
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| Brazil | |
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| Bulgaria | |
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| Canada | |
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| Chile | |
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| Colombia | |
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| Costa Rica | |
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| Croatia | |
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| Czech Republic | |
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| Cyprus | |
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| Czech Republic | |
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| Denmark | |
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| Estonia | |
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| Finland | |
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| France | |
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| Germany | |
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| Greece | |
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| Hong Kong | |
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| Hungary | |
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| Iceland | |
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| India | |
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| Indonesia | |
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| Ireland | |
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| Israel | |
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| Italy | |
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| Japan | |
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| Kazakhstan | |
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| Latvia | |
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| Libya | |
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| Luxembourg | |
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| Macedonia | |
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| Malaysia | |
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| Mexico | |
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| Moldova | |
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| Netherlands | |
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| New Zealand | |
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| Nigeria | |
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| Norway | |
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| Paraguay | |
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| Peru | |
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| Philippines | |
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| Poland | |
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| Portugal | |
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| Romania | |
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| Russia | |
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| Serbia | |
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| Singapore | |
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| Slovakia | |
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| Slovenia | |
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| South Africa | |
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| South Korea | |
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| Spain | |
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| Sweden | |
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| Switzerland | |
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| Taiwan | |
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| Thailand | |
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| Turkey | |
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| United Arab Emirates | |
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| United Kingdom | |
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| United States | |
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| Ukraine | |
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| Vietnam | |
Surfshark offers access to servers in more locations than IPVanish, with a particularly strong presence in Europe. It’s worth noting that the server list on IPVanish’s website updates frequently. As such, it may not show every available location; for this, you’ll have to look in the app itself.
You may have noticed that Surfshark has servers in Russia, but this isn’t a cause for concern. While it’s true that the Russian government recently introduced legislation requiring VPNs to provide access to their servers, this actually has very little impact as Surfshark doesn’t keep any logs. As such, users can’t be identified even if the servers are inspected or seized.
Which is the most secure?
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| VPN protocols | OpenVPN, IKEv2, Shadowsocks, Wireguard | OpenVPN, IKEv2, SSTP, PPTP, L2TP |
| OpenVPN data encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| OpenVPN control channel encryption | RSA-2048 | RSA-2048 |
| Cloaking technology | NoBorders obfuscation | OpenVPN scrambling |
| App security | Kill switch (all platforms) | Kill switch (desktop versions) |
| DNS status | Private DNS | Private DNS |
Both of these VPNs support a wide range of different connection protocols. Of these, OpenVPN and IKEv2 are the most commonly used, but there are a couple of other options too, depending on which service you picked.
IPVanish users can use L2TP, SSTP, and PPTP protocols, for instance. However, we’d advise against it, since these have limited use outside of specific circumstances. Surfshark, on the other hand, works with Shadowsocks, which is known for its ability to get around the China Firewall. Further, it supports WireGuard, a faster, security-focused protocol that’s expected to become the next industry standard.
Whichever VPN you choose, your data will be secured with 256-bit encryption and 2048-bit RSA keys. Without getting too technical, this makes it effectively impossible for anyone to see what you get up to online. Surfshark and IPVanish both come with a kill switch as well; this stops sending data the moment your connection to the VPN drops. Although IPVanish doesn’t include this feature in its mobile apps, the functionality can be replicated using Android’s built-in network options. Unfortunately, there’s no way to use a kill switch with IPVanish’s iOS app yet.
Surfshark’s NoBorders mode lets you slip past online censorship and country-wide firewalls. We don’t know exactly how this works, but it likely reshapes your data to resemble standard HTTP traffic. IPVanish does something similar, scrambling your OpenVPN data in the hopes of bypassing systems that check for the telltale signs of a VPN connection.
Privacy tools and features
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| HQ base | British Virgin Islands | United States |
| Connection logs | Some but no identifiable data | None |
| Activity logs | None | None |
| User details for signup | Email address | Email address |
| Anonymous payment options | Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple | None |
IPVanish is based in the United States, which is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance. This allows member countries (the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) to freely share information. For instance, although the US isn’t supposed to spy on its own citizens, it could ask Australia to do so, and simply have it pass any resulting data to the US authorities. Surfshark, however, is based in the British Virgin Islands, which doesn’t have any mandatory data retention laws.
IPVanish’s location isn’t a cause for concern. This is because it doesn’t keep any logs, so there’d be no data for intelligence services to share in the first place. Surfshark keeps some information, including failed login attempts, but none of this is linked to individual users.
If you’d like to register anonymously, Surfshark is the better option. That’s because it accepts three separate cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple. At the moment, IPVanish doesn’t support any anonymous payment methods.
Surfshark vs IPVanish Configuration
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Address allocation | Shared | Shared |
| Dedicated IP address possible | No, although static IP servers are available | No |
| NAT firewall | No | Yes |
When you connect to either service, you’ll be sharing an IP address with everyone else who’s using the same server. This helps keep you anonymous and untraceable since it muddies the waters and makes it all but impossible to tell which user accessed a given website. As such, even if traffic logs were available (which they aren’t), you still couldn’t be identified.
Neither Surfshark nor IPVanish allows you to pay extra for your own personal IP address. However, Surfshark offers static IP servers (which will always have the same IP address) at no extra cost. IPVanish’s website states that “IPVanish does not provide static IPs at this time”. While this feature currently isn’t available, it may arrive at some point in the future.
IPVanish uses a NAT firewall to decrypt incoming data packets and send them wherever they need to go, automatically filtering out any that seem suspicious. Surfshark, however, doesn’t use a firewall, instead choosing to reject all incoming packets outright. This feature can protect you against some more advanced hacking attempts but you’re unlikely to notice a difference.
Which has the best customer service?
| Surfshark | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Live chat | Yes (Zendesk) | Yes (outsourced) |
| Ticket support | Yes | Yes |
| Email support | Yes | Yes |
| Average email response time | 1 hour, 22 minutes | 1 hour, 40 minutes |
| Phone support | No | No |
| Searchable knowledge base | Yes | Yes |
| Video guides | Yes | Yes |
IPVanish and Surfshark both provide around-the-clock support over email and live chat. They also have expansive, searchable knowledge bases providing setup guides and answers to commonly-asked questions. There are also short video guides on the Surfshark and IPVanish YouTube channels.
The easiest way to reach customer support is usually live chat. That said, this service might face outages at some point and is unavailable in China. With this in mind, we sent out three questions to each provider via email. Below, you’ll see how long they took to reply, as well as whether or not they actually answered our question:
| Surfshark | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Question | Initial response time | Number of emails | Question answered |
| What kind of speed reduction can I expect while connected? | 2 hours, 15 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Which of the supported protocols is most secure? | 59 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Is there a specific server for unblocking Netflix or will any work? | 53 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| IPVanish | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Question | Initial response time | Number of emails | Question answered |
| What kind of speed reduction can I expect while connected? | 1 hour, 16 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Which of the supported protocols is most secure? | 24 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Is there a specific server for unblocking Netflix or will any work? | 3 hours, 20 minutes | 1 | Yes |
You’ll notice that both providers replied quite quickly to email inquiries. In fact, neither made us wait more than a few hours for support. This is very impressive considering some of their rivals regularly take eight hours or more to respond.
Surfshark and IPVanish both answered our questions fully. They also encouraged us to contact them again if there was anything we were unclear about. Both providers appeared to use a mixture of pre-written and customized text in their replies and included links to relevant help articles where appropriate.
Surfshark vs IPVanish conclusion: Which is better?
The winner: Surfshark
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Website: www.Surfshark.com
Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS
To be clear, either of these providers would be an excellent choice. IPVanish is a quick and reliable service that boasts powerful security features, a true no-logs policy, and a particularly responsive support team. It even lets you connect an unlimited number of devices, which is very rare.
However, Surfshark is the better choice for most people. Like IPVanish, it has no connection limit. However, it also offers higher overall speeds, better network coverage, and stronger privacy protections. It’s more versatile too, with static IP servers and the ability to unblock a wider range of region-locked services. Simply, whether you’re looking to stream foreign content abroad, torrent anonymously, or browse privately in China, Surfshark has you covered.
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