Surfshark and IPVanish are premium digital non-public community providers that masks your IP tackle and web exercise so you possibly can browse privately. These VPNs allow you to join by way of servers in different cities and nations, so you possibly can disguise your location from exterior observers or entry region-locked streaming content material. On this evaluate, I examine Surfshark and IPVanish based mostly on pricing, velocity, options, buyer assist and ease-of-use and advocate which service to decide on based mostly in your use case and necessities.
Surfshark: Greatest for many who want as a lot anonymity as potential, resembling journalists, political activists and others residing or working underneath heavy censorship and surveillance.
IPVanish: Greatest for customers searching for most VPN speeds for torrenting and streaming on a neighborhood server, or those that need dwell buyer assist to information them by way of implementation.
1
Semperis
Staff per Firm Measurement
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Massive (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Massive (1,000-4,999 Staff), Enterprise (5,000+ Staff)
Massive, Enterprise
Options
Superior Assaults Detection, Superior Automation, Anyplace Restoration, and extra
2
ESET PROTECT Superior
Staff per Firm Measurement
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Massive (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Any Firm Measurement
Any Firm Measurement
Options
Superior Menace Protection, Full Disk Encryption , Fashionable Endpoint Safety, and extra
3
NordLayer
Staff per Firm Measurement
Micro (0-49), Small (50-249), Medium (250-999), Massive (1,000-4,999), Enterprise (5,000+)
Small (50-249 Staff), Medium (250-999 Staff), Massive (1,000-4,999 Staff), Enterprise (5,000+ Staff)
Small, Medium, Massive, Enterprise
Surfshark vs. IPVanish: Comparability desk
FeaturesSurfsharkIPVanish
Supported devicesWindows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, routers, Apple TV, Hearth TV, PlayStation, XboxWindows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iOS, Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, routers, Apple TV, Hearth TV, NVIDIA Protect, ONN 4k, Google Chromecast, Nokia Streaming Field
Server pool3,200+ RAM-only servers in 107 places in 100 nations; 37 static-IP servers; 12 multihop server duos2,400 servers in 90 cities in 57 nations
Speed76.77 Mbps obtain; 80.53 Mbps add; 2 ms ping180.56 Mbps obtain; 123.36 Mbps add; 8 ms ping
Advert blockingBlocks adverts, cookies, pop-ups and malicious net contentBlocks adverts, cookies, pop-ups and malicious net content material
Cut up tunnelingAllows apps and web sites to bypass the VPN; may also set sure apps and web sites to all the time use the VPN by defaultAllows apps, web sites and whole domains to bypass the VPN
Privateness policiesRAM-only servers don’t retain logs after reboot; permits fee with cryptocurrency for final anonymityOnly collects utilization logs if compelled by legislation enforcement
SupportSelf-help portal, electronic mail ticketing and 24/7 chatbot supportSelf-help portal, electronic mail ticketing, 24/7 chatbot assist, dwell chat assist throughout enterprise hours, cellphone gross sales assist
Beginning worth$2.19/month$2.19/month
For extra info
Surfshark vs. IPVanish: Pricing
Each corporations provide a seven-day free trial of their VPN product in case you obtain the cell app and register your account by way of it.
Surfshark pricing
Surfshark presents three completely different VPN plans (Starter, One and One+), and every plan might be bought as a month-to-month, yearly or two-year subscription.
Surfshark StarterSurfshark OneSurfshark One+
24 months$2.19/month$2.69/month$4.29/month
12 months$2.79/month$3.19/month$5.09/month
1 month$15.45/month$15.95/month$17.95/month
Surfshark’s full VPN characteristic set is included within the Starter Plan. For only a few cents extra per thirty days (for the long-term subscriptions), you may get the One plan with antivirus, identification theft monitoring and webcam safety, which is the most effective worth. The one characteristic you achieve with a One+ plan is an information elimination service for notably privacy-conscious prospects. Surfshark offers important reductions for committing to a one-year or two-year subscription, so I don’t advocate signing up for a pricier month-to-month plan in case you can keep away from it, particularly because you get a 30-day money-back assure on long-term subscriptions.
For extra info, learn our full Surfshark VPN Assessment.
IPVanish pricing
IPVanish has a a lot less complicated pricing construction, in that there’s just one VPN plan that features all of the options. The one distinction is the length of your dedication.
IPVanish VPN Worth
24 months + 3 free months$2.19/month
12 months + 3 free months$2.79/month
1 month$10.99 for the primary month; $12.99 for every renewal
Like Surfshark, IPVanish pushes prospects in direction of one- or two-year plans by providing steep reductions; in addition they add-on three free months of service to those plans. IPVanish presents a 30-day assure for long-term subscriptions as effectively, so I like to recommend making the most of the commitment-based low cost until you solely want short-term safety. Month-to-month plans usually value $12.99, however IPVanish mechanically applies a 15% low cost at checkout, bringing the value right down to $10.99 for the primary month.
For extra info, learn our full IPVanish VPN Assessment.
Surfshark vs. IPVanish: Characteristic comparability
Supported gadgets
Winner: Tie
Each Surfshark and IPVanish enable limitless app installations per account with no visitors limits.
Surfshark offers apps for Home windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, routers, Hearth TV, Apple TV, PlayStation and Xbox.
Need assistance configuring Surfshark in your machine? Learn our Surfshark VPN information.
IPVanish presents apps for Home windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome OS, Android, iOS, Apple Imaginative and prescient Professional, routers, Apple TV, Hearth TV, NVIDIA Protect, ONN 4k, Google Chromecast and Nokia Streaming Field.
Determine A
Server pool
Winner: Surfshark
Surfshark has 3,200+ RAM-only servers in 107 places in 100 nations; 37 of those servers provide static IP addresses for IP-sensitive functions. Surfshark additionally presents 12 multihop VPN duos that permit you to route VPN visitors by way of two servers in several places for larger anonymity, as proven under.
Determine B
IPVanish has 2,400 servers in 90 cities in 57 nations. It doesn’t provide multihop (a.okay.a. double-VPN), so if it’s essential characteristic, I like to recommend going with Surfshark.
Velocity
Winner: IPVanish
My baseline stats and not using a VPN had been as follows: Obtain velocity was 271.32 Mbps, add velocity was 239.99 Mbps and latency (ping) was 10 ms.
Whereas utilizing Surfshark related to the quickest server choice, I measured a median obtain velocity of 76.77 Mbps and an add velocity of 80.53 Mbps with 2 ms of latency. Linked to a much less superb server in Singapore, my obtain velocity was 24.85 Mbps, add was 15.52 Mbps and ping was 34 ms.
With IPVanish related to the optimum location, I measured a extremely spectacular obtain velocity of 180.56 Mbps and add velocity of 123.36 Mbps, with 8 ms of latency, as proven under.
Determine C
Once I related by way of Singapore, my obtain velocity dropped to 21.38 Mbps, add velocity was 12.88 Mbps and ping jumped manner as much as 241 ms. So, IPVanish presents higher speeds in case you let it connect with your optimum server location, however Surfshark performs barely higher when utilizing servers additional away.
Advert blocking
Winner: Tie
Surfshark VPN consists of the CleanWeb characteristic for each browsers and apps that blocks adverts, cookies and pop-ups. CleanWeb additionally detects malware in net content material and offers alerts when your credentials are present in a identified knowledge breach.
SEE: Surfshark vs. NordVPN: Which VPN Is Higher in 2024? (TechRepublic)
IPVanish presents the Menace Safety characteristic, which incorporates advert, cookie, tracker and malicious web site blocking for browsers and apps.
As of the time of this writing, each VPNs efficiently blocked YouTube adverts (with out disrupting the content material) within the YouTube app and all browsers.
Cut up tunneling
Winner: Tie
Each VPNs embrace a break up tunneling characteristic that permits trusted apps and web sites to bypass the VPN and join over the unprotected Web. Surfshark’s model (referred to as Bypasser) additionally has a Route by way of VPN characteristic for some platforms, so you possibly can guarantee riskier apps and web sites are protected by default.
Determine D
IPVanish, then again, permits you to add web sites on the area degree, which you would possibly discover extra handy in case you’re an online developer or in any other case working with lots of subdomains.
Privateness insurance policies
Winner: Surfshark
Each Surfshark VPN and IPVanish have no-logs insurance policies, which means they don’t retain logs regarding your Web actions whereas related to their providers. Nonetheless, each corporations function in jurisdictions that would legally require them to supply this info to legislation enforcement.
Surfshark’s VPN servers are 100% RAM-only, which means they can’t retain any utilization knowledge after being rebooted. Moreover, Surfshark permits you to pay with cryptocurrency to stay fully nameless.
Determine E
IPVanish, then again, doesn’t gather exercise knowledge in any respect until compelled by legislation. Nonetheless, it doesn’t provide nameless fee choices.
Help
Winner: IPVanish
Surfshark has a strong self-help heart, electronic mail ticketing assist and 24/7 dwell chat. The chat characteristic requires fairly a little bit of interplay with an automatic chatbot earlier than you possibly can communicate to a human agent, nevertheless.
Determine F
IPVanish additionally presents a self-help portal and electronic mail ticketing assist. There’s a 24/7 chatbot, and two simple clicks join you to a human agent inside “customary enterprise hours.” Moreover, in case you click on the Get Began button within the web site’s navigation menu, you possibly can see a listing of cellphone numbers to name for gross sales assist.
Further free options
Winner: Surfshark
Further options included with all Surfshark VPN plans:
Static IP addresses: Offers you an identical IP tackle each time you connect with the identical server.
Different ID: Generates a pretend title, tackle and electronic mail to make use of on-line, masking your actual information to scale back spam and identification theft.
Determine G
Auto-connect: Mechanically reconnects the VPN while you change networks or restart your machine.
VPN kill change: Disables all web entry when the VPN connection is interrupted or turned off.
Uncover on LAN: Lets you entry different gadgets on the native community whereas related to the VPN.
Override GPS location: Matches your machine’s GPS location to the VPN server location.
Rotating IP: Mechanically rotates your IP tackle over the course of your session to extend your anonymity.
Further options included with all IPVanish plans:
LAN entry: Permits native community visitors to be routed exterior the VPN.
Join on Startup: Prompts the VPN as quickly as Web visitors is detected in your machine.
Kill change: Disables your web connection when your VPN isn’t lively.
Surfshark’s Alt ID, GPS override and rotating IP options provide a a lot larger diploma of privateness, making it the superior selection for journalists, political activists and others who want to cover their exercise from state surveillance.
SEE: Cloud Safety Coverage (TechRepublic Premium)
IPVanish’s web site does provide some free instruments, although, resembling an IP tackle checker, a hyperlink security verifier and a safe password generator.
Determine H
Further paid options
Winner: Surfshark
Surfshark presents a number of extra safety and privateness merchandise for a further value. These embrace antivirus software program; a non-public, localized search engine; and knowledge breach monitoring that notifies you when your private info is leaked (which is included within the One+ VPN plan).
IPVanish doesn’t provide any add-on merchandise.
Extra cloud safety protection
Surfshark execs and cons
Professionals of Surfshark
Provides apps for PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles.
Has a bigger server pool, together with 37 with static IPs and 12 multihop (double-VPN) server duos.
The Route by way of VPN characteristic allows the VPN by default for sure apps and web sites.
Makes use of 100% RAM-only servers that don’t retain utilization logs after reboot.
Helps nameless cryptocurrency funds.
Offers many extra free and paid options for larger privateness.
Cons of Surfshark
I skilled slower speeds with Surfshark than with IPVanish when related to my optimum server.
Doesn’t assist break up tunneling for a whole area.
Collects and briefly retains utilization logs that may very well be turned over to legislation enforcement.
Automated chatbot assist might be irritating to navigate.
IPVanish execs and cons
Professionals of IPVanish
Its month-to-month plan is rather less costly than Surfshark’s.
Offered superior speeds when related to my optimum server.
Its break up tunneling permits total domains to bypass the VPN.
Solely collects utilization logs if compelled by legislation enforcement.
Provides an intuitive assist expertise with dwell chat and cellphone choices.
Cons of IPVanish
Doesn’t present static IP addresses or double-VPN capabilities.
Area-level break up tunneling isn’t accessible for all platforms.
Doesn’t enable nameless cryptocurrency funds.
Lacks most of the options and add-on merchandise provided by Surfshark.
Ought to your group use Surfshark or IPVanish?
Select Surfshark if:
You’re a journalist, political activist or in any other case want as a lot anonymity as potential.
You want a static IP tackle to keep away from blocklists and captchas.
You’re searching for extra safety and privateness capabilities, like a pretend persona generator or anti-malware software program.
Select IPVanish if:
You’re a house or enterprise consumer searching for added privateness or a strategy to entry streaming content material from one other area.
You want the utmost VPN speeds and don’t thoughts utilizing a neighborhood server.
You need entry to dwell buyer assist.
Assessment methodology
I evaluated Surfshark VPN and IPVanish based mostly on 5 classes: pricing, core VPN options, ease of use, buyer assist and hands-on evaluation. I used seven-day free trials of Surfshark Starter and IPVanish to check their efficiency, capabilities, usability and buyer assist expertise. I validated velocity and efficiency utilizing an impartial testing web site and used each VPNs with all kinds of apps, browsers and web sites. I additionally in contrast my experiences with actual buyer opinions from web sites like Trustpilot.
Study extra about TechRepublic’s evaluate methodology for VPNs.