IPVanish and NordVPN are VPN solutions that offer customers multiple pricing options, a mobile VPN, and various privacy features. IPVanish is an affordable VPN with multiple support channels, including phone. NordVPN is a popular solution with four plans and many features.
I’ve compared both VPNs, including their plans and features, to help you decide which is better for you.
- IPVanish: Better for pricing and customer support (pricing starts at $3.33 per month billed annually)
- NordVPN: Better overall for features and administration (pricing starts at $4.99 per month billed annually)
IPVanish vs NordVPN at a glance
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing (Billed Annually) | • Essential: $3.33/month • Advanced: $4.49/month | • Basic: $4.99/month • Plus: $5.99/month • Complete: $6.99/month • Prime: $9.99/month |
| Free Trial | 7 days on mobile | 7 days on mobile (Android) |
| Supported Operating Systems | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android | Windows, Mac, Linux iOS, Android |
| Mobile Version of VPN | Yes | Yes |
| Encryption Used | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| Visit IPVanish | Visit NordVPN |
IPVanish and NordVPN both scored well in my evaluation, with NordVPN fractionally winning because of its product capabilities, administrative features, and security audits.
IPVanish also has its pros, including pricing and customer support, where it outperformed NordVPN. To read how I compared IPVanish and NordVPN, skip down, or continue reading to learn more about plans and features.
IPVanish overview
Better for pricing and customer support
Overall rating: 4/5
- Pricing: 4.7/5
- Features: 3.6/5
- Usability and administration: 4.6/5
- Customer support: 3.9/5
- Security and privacy: 3.6/5
IPVanish is a slightly lesser-known VPN solution that nevertheless offers multiple privacy features, comparable to its more popular competitors. While it doesn’t have quite as many extras as NordVPN, some highlights include its reasonable pricing and features like DNS leak protection and ad blocking.
NordVPN overview
Better overall for features and administration
Overall rating: 4.1/5
- Pricing: 3.9/5
- Features: 4.2/5
- Usability and administration: 4.8/5
- Customer support: 3.5/5
- Security and privacy: 4.3/5
NordVPN is one of the most popular VPN solutions. It offers basic VPN functionality along with advanced features like data breach scanning and password manager integrations. NordVPN is available on Linux, Windows, and Mac computers, and it’s undergone multiple security audits from third-party testing firms.
VPNs are a great choice for protecting your internet browsing, but they’re just a starting point for security. To learn more about protecting your home or business network, read our guide to network security.
Better for pricing: IPVanish
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Least Expensive Plan | Essential: $3.33/month billed annually | Basic: $4.99/month billed annually |
| Mid-Range Plan | Advanced: $4.49/month billed annually | • Plus: $5.99/month billed annually • Complete: $6.99/month billed annually |
| Most Expensive Plan | Same as above; only two plans available | Prime: $9.99/month billed annually |
| Free Trial | 7 days on mobile | 7 days on Android phones |
| Visit IPVanish | Visit NordVPN |
Winner: IPVanish
IPVanish’s two plans are on the lower end of VPN pricing. The Essential plan, which costs $3.33 per month, offers features like a kill switch, double hop, and ad and tracking prevention. The Advanced plan offers a little more, including one terabyte of cloud backup, syncing data across devices, and phone support during business hours. It costs $4.49 per month.
NordVPN offers four VPN plans, starting with the Basic plan at $4.99 monthly. The Basic plan is a good choice if you mainly need a VPN and ad blocking. Plus, at $5.99 per month, and Complete, at $6.99 per month, add features like data breach scanning and browsing protection. The Prime plan is NordVPN’s most expensive, offering identity and credit monitoring.
Better for features: NordVPN
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Kill Switch | Yes | Yes |
| Split Tunneling | Yes | Yes |
| Dark Web Monitoring | No | Yes |
| Anti-Tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Identity/Credit Monitoring | No | Yes |
| Data Breach Scanning | No | Yes |
| Visit IPVanish | Visit NordVPN |
Winner: NordVPN
Aside from standard VPN functionality, IPVanish offers common features like double-hop, split tunneling, and a kill switch. Its Advanced plan also has a terabyte of cloud backup and file syncing across devices. While it doesn’t offer as many advanced features as NordVPN, IPVanish has plenty to recommend, including ad blocking and DNS leak protection.
NordVPN is one of the most popular consumer and business VPN products — for good reason. Its hefty features include ad blocking, anti-malware, data breach scanning, and password manager functionality. If you want to go all out, the Prime plan adds NordProtect, with dark web monitoring, credit monitoring, and identity theft insurance.
Learn more about virtual private networks in our guide to how a VPN works.
Better for usability & administration features: NordVPN
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Product Documentation | Yes | Yes |
| Training Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Supported Operating Systems | Windows, Mac, Android, iOS | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS |
| Supported Browsers | Firefox, Edge, Chrome | Firefox, Edge, Chrome |
| Mobile Version of VPN | Yes | Yes |
| Visit IPVanish | Visit NordVPN |
Winner: NordVPN
IPVanish has product documentation, how-to-install guides for customers, and a set of training videos on YouTube if you’d prefer to watch a demonstration. It supports Windows and Mac devices, Androids, and iPhones for mobile use. IPVanish also has a browser extension for three major browsers (Firefox, Edge, and Chrome).
Like IPVanish, NordVPN gives its customers plenty of how-to guides online and training videos on its YouTube channel. It supports the same operating systems as IPVanish but adds support for Linux computers, giving it a slight advantage here. NordVPN is also compatible with Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
To learn more about using a VPN, check out our guide, which shows you how to install NordVPN on Windows and macOS.
Better for customer support options: IPVanish
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Support | Yes | No |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Live Chat | Yes | Yes |
| Customer Community/Support Forum | Unclear | Official Reddit |
| Support Hours | 24/7 | 24/7 |
| Visit IPVanish | Visit NordVPN |
Winner: IPVanish
IPVanish wins this category because it offers its customers a phone support option. If you’d rather use email or live chat, that’s also available. IPVanish’s customer support is available 24/7. However, it doesn’t have a community forum for customers to share questions and answers with each other.
Like IPVanish, NordVPN has email and live chat support options but no phone channel. Its support team is also available 24/7 for customers. NordVPN doesn’t have a community forum on its website, either, but it does have an official Reddit, which functions similarly.
Better for security & audits: NordVPN
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| Logging Policies | No customer logs stored | No customer logs stored |
| Vendor Audits | One in 2022 | A few from 2020-2024 |
| Security/Privacy Reports for Customers | Unclear | Unclear |
| Visit IPVanish | Visit NordVPN |
Winner: NordVPN
IPVanish uses 256-bit AES encryption to protect customers’ internet usage data. It has a no-logs policy, meaning it doesn’t store logs of its customers’ browsing history. IPVanish underwent an audit in 2022 from a third-party firm called Leviathan, but it’s unclear whether they’ve done more recent audits.
When it comes to company security policies and audits, NordVPN has the edge—the vendor has undergone a couple more audits than IPVanish. However, it doesn’t publish its full results. Security firm Cure53 recently audited NordVPN, and Deloitte regularly assesses NordVPN’s infrastructure. Like IPVanish, NordVPN uses 256-bit AES encryption and has a strict no-logs policy.
Top 2 alternatives to IPVanish & NordVPN
IPVanish and NordVPN are good choices if you’re looking for a VPN product with various security features, but they may not be the best pick for you. If neither option sounds like a fit, consider Surfshark or ExpressVPN.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | 7 days | 30 days |
| Mobile VPN | Yes | Yes |
| Type of Encryption Used | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| Supported Operating Systems | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS |
| Visit Surfshark | Visit ExpressVPN |
Surfshark
Surfshark is one of the best VPNs for personal use, with affordable plans and plenty of features. It’s comparable to NordVPN in its selection of security capabilities, while its pricing is similar to IPVanish’s plans. If you’re looking for the best of both worlds, Surfshark is a great choice.
Its features include breach alerts, ad blocking, and camouflage mode. Surfshark’s pricing starts at $3.19 per month for the Starter plan for basic VPN functionality. Its most expensive plan, Surfshark One+, costs $6.09 per month.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a full-featured VPN for users who are particularly concerned about privacy. Like Surfshark, it has a no-logs policy. It also integrates with password manager products, a connection that sends customers breach alerts when a privacy breach is detected.
Some of ExpressVPN’s features include anti-tracking technology, DNS leak protection, and dynamically signed IP addresses. Although ExpressVPN is more expensive than some competitors — it has only one plan for all features, costing $6.67 per month when billed annually — it’s still a good option for that strong set of features.
To learn more about these two products, read our comparison of Surfshark and ExpressVPN.
How I compared IPVanish & NordVPN
To evaluate IPVanish and NordVPN, individually and against each other, I used a product scoring rubric with five major categories that VPN buyers consider. Each category, like features or customer support, had its own weighting based on importance, and each contained multiple subcriteria with their own individual weighting.
The extent to which IPVanish and NordVPN met my subcriteria determined their total scores. IPVanish scored 4/5 stars, and NordVPN scored 4.1/5 stars.
Pricing — 20%
I compared IPVanish’s two plans against NordVPN’s four, evaluating their prices given common VPN costs. I also looked at free trials and money-back guarantees, which VPN vendors often present as the same thing (because you can cancel before 30 days if it doesn’t work for you, even if it’s not an official free trial).
Features — 30%
I considered the core features of VPN products, such as split tunneling, double hop, and a kill switch. I also looked at more advanced features, such as DNS leak protection, identity monitoring, and anti-tracking technology.
Usability & administration — 20%
When I looked at IPVanish and NordVPN, I evaluated their administrative features, like ample product documentation and training videos. I also considered how many operating systems the VPNs run on and their web browser compatibility.
Customer support — 15%
To compare customer support, I evaluated phone, email, and live chat support options. Then, I looked at 24/7 support availability and the option for customers to post in an online community forum.
Security & privacy — 15%
When comparing IPVanish and NordVPN, I checked for a no-logging policy. I also checked what type of encryption each uses to protect customers’ internet connections and considered whether each vendor undergoes third-party security audits.
Bottom line: IPVanish vs NordVPN
Both IPVanish and NordVPN are solid options if you’re looking for a VPN product with plenty of features and decent pricing. If lower costs are particularly important to you, or you’d really like phone support, consider IPVanish. If you want more features or need a VPN on your Linux computer, look at NordVPN.
If your business is looking for enterprise-focused VPN products instead of consumer ones, check out our guide to the best enterprise VPN solutions next.
