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ExpressVPN vs IPVanish head to head comparison

Mitch Avatar By: Mitch | Last updated October 10, 2021

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Introduction

Virtual private networks are services that you can use to make yourself anonymous while browsing online. This service lets you choose a server to connect to. These servers may either be digital or physical. It also has a country of origin. Whenever you visit websites, the location of your server will be the one shown instead of your actual location. This ensures your anonymity. Aside from this, VPNs also encrypt the data that you upload online. Third parties which may get hold of your information will not be able to read these as long as the encryption of your VPN is strong. In this comparison guide we pit Express VPN VS. IPVanish VPN to see who is the best for you.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPN choices that is known for the high speeds it provides its users, its abundance of features, and its geo-restriction unblocking capabilities. The service, released back in 2009, is available for multiple platforms including PC, Mac, Linux, Mobile phones, and routers. The application is based in the Virgin Islands. The service is good for streaming, downloading, and torrenting. The service has more than 3000 servers that are located in 146 locations all around the world. This makes it easier for users to unblock geo-restrictions and look for the server with the best speeds.

IPvanish

IPVanish is a VPN service that is based in the United States. It is also a popular choice because of its good network encryption services along with its abundance of features. The service is also available for a lot of platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, and more. The service has a 30-day money back guarantee for users who may want to test the features of the application. The service has more than 1,500 servers that are located in 75 locations all around the world. 

Testing the two services

To see the difference between the two VPNs, let us review their differences in terms of the speeds they offer, the security protocols they use, and their logging policies. This is to gain a holistic view of their differences and to be able to compare them fairly.

Speeds

The  . This is because it will need to send the data that you upload online first to the server that you are connected to, after which it can send it to the websites that you are visiting. It also needs to encrypt your information. In reviewing the two services, we will look for the one that has the least decrease in terms of speed. We will use the Speedtest.net test results to see our upload and download speeds.

ExpressVPN

The VPN was able to provide us with amazing speeds. First, we used it to connect to the server that is closest to our actual location.  This is usually the case for users who want to use a VPN service just for the sake of anonymity but are content with the content available in their countries. Upon testing, ExpressVPN only decreased our speed by 1/5 of our original speed which is impressive for a VPN. This means that users can easily download, stream, and play online games while having anonymity. 

Next, we connected to a server on the opposite end of the globe to ensure that it will be the furthest away from us. Upon testing, we found out that ExpressVPN only decreased our original speed by only 1/2. Although this may sound bad, for a VPN, this is still good. This means that even with the great distance, the service can allow torrenting and video streaming. 

IPVanish

We also did the same test for IPVanish, testing their local servers and then connecting to a server that is very far away from us. 

On the local servers, we were happy to see that our connection speeds were barely affected, also suffering only with a loss of about 1/5 of our original speed. Like with ExpressVPN, the worst connection speeds only took a half of our speed. This is when it was connected to a server on the opposite end of the globe. 

WINNER: Tie – both VPNs are reliable in terms of internet speed. So right now the battle between IPVanish and Express VPN is pretty close!

Security Protocols

The security protocols of the VPN ensure that your IP address is always hidden and that your information is always secure. Currently, the security protocol that is most used is the OpenVPN protocol because it has a reliable connection along with tested security. The AES 256-bit encryption is also one of the best choices as it offers military-grade security for its users.

ExpressVPN

Upon checking, ExpressVPN offers both. It also offers PPTP and L2TP/IPsec protocols. It automatically chooses the best one for the user depending on the most reliable connection. ExpressVPN also has a perfect forward secrecy tool which changes the key of the encryption for every internet session which ensures that hackers will not be able to get hold of your info.

IPVanish

Upon checking, IPVanish also uses the mentioned protocols, along with multiple others for options. IPVanish also uses a kill-switch feature that can automatically disconnect the device of the user in case their security protocols fail to work, therefore avoiding their real IP to be accidentally exposed online.

WINNER: Tie – both VPNs use the same security protocol

Logging policy

The logging policy of the VPN services pertains to their rules regarding collecting the data of their users Usually, most companies only collect technical information of their applications, ensuring that the data privacy of their users is always a priority. 

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is one of the best in terms of logging standards. They are one of the few to offer maximum anonymity for its users given their logging policies along with the fact that they are headquartered in the Virgin Islands. This is because the country is not included in the list of those that require its companies to upload their user’s data to the government’s database.

IPVanish

One of the controversies of IPVanish was that back in 2018, they were able to provide full online activity information for the court documents of one of its users. Because of this, concerns about the validity of their no-logging policy were raised. The fact that they are also based in the United States also raises concerns as it is part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance which requires the companies under their domain to upload information about their users if required. 

Who wins?

In the end, both VPNs excel in terms of speed and security. However, the difference comes from their logging policies given that IPVanish have suffered from allegations of having an unreliable one. However, in case that it is not a big deal for you, both VPNs are both recommended for you. If you want more info on the best vpns on the market right now, please check out our full reviews.

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