Surfshark vs IPVanish – At a Glance
Surfshark
Surfshark is available at a budget-friendly price. However, its low price doesn’t cause the provider to cut corners when it comes to features and protection. Surfshark has a large server network, excellent app support, and comprehensive online security and privacy features.
IPVanish
IPVanish offers blazing, well-protected connections from a wide-ranging global server network. While the provider offers excellent online protection, its streaming support could be much better.
How to Choose a VPN
When you’re looking for a reliable VPN, you should carefully research each provider that you’re considering.
In this article, I’ll take a look at two quality VPN providers (Surfshark and IPVanish). I’ll compare the two VPN offerings in each category, and declare a winner in each service arena. I’ll then tally the overall scores and declare a grand champion.
By the time you finish reading this article, you’ll have plenty of information to allow you to make an informed decision about which VPN you should subscribe to.
Features of Surfshark and IPVanish
In the following subsections, I’ll take a look at the features you should carefully consider when mulling a VPN purchase.
Connection Speeds
No matter what you enjoy doing online, a fast connection is your friend. Whether it’s streaming video and music, playing games online, or sharing files, a faster connection makes things better.
I perform VPN connection speed tests on a regular basis. I run the tests as follows:
- I use a Windows server with a gigabit Ethernet connection, based in North America.
- I connect to VPN servers in New York City, London, and Hong Kong, at three different times of day over the course of three days.
- The Windows version of the providers’ apps is used for testing, and the app is configured to connect using the OpenVPN protocol over UDP when available.
- The Speedtest.net app is run after connecting to each VPN server location, I shut down the Speedtest app following each test.
Both VPNs performed quite well in my speed tests. That said, one provider outperformed its competitor by a decent margin.
IPVanish’s download speeds averaged a super-impressive 251.6 Mbps.
Meanwhile, Surfshark’s download speeds averaged in at 188.8 Mbps.
Both providers offer more than enough horsepower for streaming, online gaming, and file sharing. However, you’ll likely see slightly better performance when using IPVanish.
It should be noted that your connection speeds will differ from my results, as they’ll depend on your usual ISP-provided connection speeds, your geographic location, and the location of the VPN server you use.
Average Connection Speed Winner: IPVanish
| Provider | Avg. Connection Speed | Link |
| Surfshark | 188.8 Mbps | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | 251.6 Mbps | Visit Site |
Pricing
Inflation is real, it seems like the price of necessities goes up every day. While this is a valid reason to be in search of ways to save a few dollars here and there, you should never subscribe to a VPN based solely on its low price.
At first glance, a low-priced VPN may seem like a bargain but look closer. Bargain basement VPNs may provide slower connections, lack important privacy and security protections, and might not support some popular devices. This means you should always weigh a provider’s performance and features against its price.
Surfshark is a budget-priced provider, charging about the price of a good cup of coffee per month when you sign up for two years. The VPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
IPVanish’s two-year plan is available for the same monthly cost as a double cheeseburger from that same fast food merchant. The provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. (A seven-day free trial is available when you subscribe using the iOS or Android apps.)
You’ll never see exact pricing posted in my articles. This is because VPNs change their pricing and offer special deals on a regular basis. Visit a provider’s website for their most current pricing and deals.
Pricing Winner: Surfshark
| Provider | Money-Back Guarantee Period | Link |
| Surfshark | 30 Days | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | 30 Days, 7 Day free trial on iOS and Android Signups | Visit Site |
Privacy
If you’re online without a VPN, you can be certain that you’re leaving behind evidence of your online antics. This makes a VPN’s privacy-protective features an important way to keep records of your online activities undercover.
Keep the following in mind when researching a VPN’s privacy protections:
- Is the provider located in a privacy-respecting country?
- Does the provider save any type of user activity logs on their servers?
- Does the provider accept Bitcoin and other privacy-protecting types of payment?
British Virgin Islands-based Surfshark takes full advantage of that country’s online privacy-friendly laws, saving no types of user activity logs on its servers. Subscribers can pay using cryptocurrency to keep their payment privacy undercover. Bonus privacy points for using a disposable email address to subscribe.
Surfshark runs all of its servers 100% from RAM, writing no data whatsoever to a physical hard drive or SSD. This means that all data is completely wiped when a server is rebooted, turned off, or even unplugged from the wall.
Unfortunately, Surfshark customer support uses a third-party agent for its live chat feature, which introduces a privacy concern. More about that later.
IPVanish is located in the United States, where VPNs are allowed, some would say encouraged, by the government to save user activity logs. However, this provider follows a self-imposed strict “no logs” policy. The provider does not accept cryptocurrency as a subscription payment.
Privacy Winner: It’s a tie
| Provider | Privacy Ranking | Site |
| Surfshark | 4.5 | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | 4.5 | Visit Site |
Security
If you’re on the internet without using a VPN, there may be nosy folks following you around in real-time. This makes a VPN’s connection protections an important feature to research.
Surfshark protects its users’ connections by using banking-grade encryption and kill switch protection. OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IPSec/IKEv2 are the provider’s available connection protocols. The provider’s “Camouflage Mode” disguises your VPN traffic as normal browser activity.
IPVanish’s banking-grade encryption, kill switch protection, IPv6 leak, and DNS leak protection features team up to protect its users’ connections. Available connection protocols include WireGuard, OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec. A proprietary “scramble” option disguises your VPN traffic as normal internet activity.
Security Winner: It’s a tie
| Provider | Overall Security Score | Link |
| Surfshark | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | 5.0 | Visit Site |
Simultaneous Connections
Do you use more than one connected device? I myself use tablets, smartphones, computers, streaming, and gaming devices, most of them on a daily basis and at the same time. This is why a VPN provider’s simultaneous connections allowance is an important consideration.
Surfshark allows users to simultaneously connect an unlimited number of devices to its servers.
IPVanish limits simultaneous connections to its servers to 10 connections.
Simultaneous Connections Winner: Surfshark
| Provider | Simultaneous Connections Allowed | Link |
| Surfshark | Unlimited | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | 10 | Visit Site |
Streaming Support
While there are numerous streaming services available around the globe, many of those services are either available only in certain countries or they limit a lot of their content to certain areas of the globe.
Happily, you can still watch your favorite streaming services, even when you’re traveling or working abroad. This is because a VPN temporarily assigns a fresh IP address to your connected device, making it appear as if you are connecting to the internet from another part of the globe. This opens access to streaming content that might normally only be available in another country.
Surfshark provides access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, ITV Hub, All 4, Hotstar, HBO, Sky, and other streaming services.
Meanwhile, connecting to a U.S.-based IPVanish server allowed me to watch Netflix and HBO Max content. However, I was unable to access BBC iPlayer or Netflix UK content when connected to a UK server.
Streaming Support Winner: Surfshark
| Provider | # of U.S. Streaming Services VPN Unblocks | # of International Services VPN Unblocks | Link |
| Surfshark | 10+ | 8+ | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | 2 | 0 | Visit Site |
BitTorrent Support
BitTorrent is an excellent way to share files with other users. While P2P file sharing is not illegal, it is illegal to share copyrighted materials, including movies and music.
The entertainment industry puts pressure on ISPs to throttle or block your internet connection if you engage in file sharing activity, no matter what type of files you’re sharing.
Enter the VPN, which keeps your file sharing undercover by encrypting your internet connection and temporarily assigning a new IP address to your sharing device.
Surfshark allows P2P file sharing on its entire server network.
IPVanish also allows file sharing on its entire server network.
BitTorrenting Winner: Tied
| Provider | # of Countries Where VPN Allows BitTorrents | Link |
| Surfshark | All of them | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | All of them | Visit Site |
Global Server Coverage
The larger a VPN’s server network, the better access you’ll likely have to geo-controlled content in other regions of the world.
Surfshark has 3,200+ servers located in 100+ countries around the globe.
IPVanish has over 2,000 servers located in more than 75+ countries around the globe.
Global Server Coverage Winner: Surfshark
| Provider | Server Count | Countries | Link |
| Surfshark | 3,200+ | 100 | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | 2,000+ | 75+ | Visit Site |
Multi-Platform Support
Since many of my readers use more than one connected device, and those devices likely use different operating systems, a VPN provider’s app selection is an important thing to keep in mind.
Surfshark native app support is available for iOS, macOS (with native M1/M2 app support), Android, Android TV, Windows, Linux, and Amazon Fire TV devices. Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browser extensions are also available. The VPN’s router support options include pre-configured routers through Flashrouters.com.
IPVanish’s native app options include offerings for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Amazon Fire TV devices. Manual set up options are available for Linux and Chrome OS machines, as well as select routers. (Pre-configured routers through Flashrouters.com.)
Multi-Platform Support Winner: Surfshark
| Provider | Platforms Supported | Browser Extensions? | Router Support? |
Link |
| Surfshark | 7 | Yes (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) | Yes – Manual setup. Also includes Flashrouter options. | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | 7 | No | Yes – Manual setup, routers available through Flashrouters | Visit Site |
Customer Support
While Surfshark and IPVanish are both easy to use, and provide reliable protection, you may still have an occasional question about either VPN.
Surfshark’s 24/7 support includes live chat, email support, and a support library. Surfshark uses an outside contractor (Zendesk) for its live agent chat feature. Any time a company uses a third party for things like customer support there is an increased privacy risk.
IPVanish offers an online trouble ticket submission form and a searchable support library. A system status page lets you know if there are any system issues, while a support “bot” chat feature does its best to answer your questions. If it can’t, it passes you on to a live support agent.
Customer Support Winner: IPVanish
| Provider | Customer Support Rating | Link |
| Surfshark | 4.5 | Visit Site |
| IPVanish | 5.0 | Visit Site |
And The Winner Is…
While both providers provide quality internet protection and enhancement, only one VPN can be named the overall champion.
Surfshark is the overall winner this time around, thanks to its performance in the Pricing, Simultaneous Connections, Streaming Support, Global Server Coverage, and Multi-Platform Support service arenas.
IPVanish won in just two columns, Connection Speeds and Customer Support.
The providers tied in the Privacy, Security, and BitTorrent Support departments.
For more information or to purchase a subscription, visit Surfshark.
