IPVanish is a VPN app. Once you connect, it encrypts everything your device sends and routes it through an IPVanish server, which fetches the page or file you asked for and sends it back through the same encrypted tunnel. Your internet provider and anyone on the same Wi-Fi can see that you are connected to IPVanish, but they cannot read your traffic. Websites see the server's IP address and location instead of yours. The details below come from IPVanish's own site, as checked on November 4, 2026.
What happens when you press connect
The app opens on a server list that shows each location's current ping and load. You can pick a server yourself, sort the list by ping, city or country, or leave it on Default Location, which chooses a nearby server based on your real IP address and how busy each server is. The list also marks which locations are physical and which are virtual, so you can see where your traffic really goes.
When you press connect, the app and the server agree on encryption keys and open a tunnel using the protocol in your settings. From then on, your device encrypts each packet before it leaves. The IPVanish server decrypts it, makes the request to the website for you and encrypts the reply on the way back. The site never talks to your device directly, so the address it records is the server's.
WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2
A protocol is the set of rules the app and the server use to build and run the tunnel. IPVanish has three.
WireGuard is the default and the one most people should leave on. It connects quickly and holds speed well, which matters for video calls and large downloads.
OpenVPN runs over TCP or UDP and is the fallback for networks that block WireGuard. It comes with a Scramble option that disguises VPN traffic so it is harder to spot. IPVanish recommends OpenVPN with Scramble when a network uses deep packet inspection to find and block VPNs, which you may meet on hotel and office Wi-Fi and in some countries.
IKEv2 is the third choice, and it suits phones that keep switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data. IPVanish has dropped the older PPTP, L2TP and IPSec protocols, so ignore any guide that tells you to set those up.
How IPVanish changes your IP address and location
Your internet provider gives your connection an IP address that points back to your home or phone network. While IPVanish is on, every site sees the address of the IPVanish server instead. Pick a server in Canada and you appear to be in Canada.
IPVanish lists more than 3,650 servers and more than 56,000 shared IP addresses in more than 150 locations. North America has the most, with more than 1,440 servers, followed by Europe with more than 690. Coverage is thinner elsewhere, and Africa has seven cities. Sharing addresses among many users makes it harder to tell people apart, although some banks and shops send shared VPN addresses through extra checks.
The kill switch, split tunneling and Double Hop
If the tunnel drops for a moment, your device would normally carry on over your normal connection and expose your real address. IPVanish's kill switch blocks all internet traffic on your device until the VPN is back. It is built into the Windows, macOS, Android and iOS apps. On Fire TV you install a separate Kill Switch companion app.
Split tunneling lets you pick apps, websites or both that skip the VPN. A common setup sends a banking app and a local TV service around the tunnel while everything else goes through it. It works on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Fire TV and Apple Vision Pro.
Double Hop sends your traffic through two IPVanish servers you choose, for example one in Canada and one in Switzerland. The site you visit sees only the second server, and the first server only sees you. It is on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, and it costs some speed, so turn it on when you want the extra distance and off the rest of the time.
Threat Protection and the SOCKS5 proxy
Every plan includes Threat Protection, which blocks ads, trackers and known malware and phishing domains at the DNS level. It works only while the VPN is connected.
Every plan also includes a SOCKS5 proxy. A proxy changes the IP address an app shows but does not encrypt its traffic, which is why some people use it in a torrent client to keep speeds up. Use the VPN itself when you need the encryption.
What IPVanish says it keeps
IPVanish says it does not log the sites you visit, the content or destination of your traffic, your DNS requests, connection time stamps or the IP addresses it assigns you. Schellman audited that policy in April 2025 and Leviathan Security in April 2022, and customers can download the audit report from their account.
IPVanish is open about what it does keep. Because it sets no device limit, it uses your username, the IP address you start from, and each session's start time, length and traffic volume to stop account sharing and account hacking. It does not say how long it keeps that data. It also keeps your email address and payment details.
Every quarter, IPVanish publishes a transparency report on the legal requests it receives. From July to September 2026, it received 7 government, police and civil requests and 6,436 copyright notices, and it says it handed over data for none of them.
Not every server runs from RAM yet. IPVanish uses a mix of disk-based and RAM-only hardware, gives you an app filter to pick RAM-only servers and plans to finish the move in 2027. IPVanish is owned by Ziff Davis and based in the United States, with a contact address in New York. It points out that US law does not require VPN providers to keep data, although US courts can still send legal requests.
What a VPN does not do
The tunnel moves trust from your internet provider to IPVanish, because IPVanish's servers now carry your traffic. Sites you sign in to still know who you are, and cookies can still follow you around the web. A VPN does not protect files already on your computer from malware either. IPVanish sells antivirus for that on its Complete plan, and its Advanced plan adds 1TB of Livedrive cloud backup.
Streaming services and some governments also block VPN addresses they spot. A server that reaches a service today may not tomorrow, and some countries restrict VPN use by law, so check before you travel.
Devices, apps and refunds
IPVanish sets no limit on how many devices you connect at the same time. It has apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS, Android and Apple Vision Pro, and TV apps for Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, NVIDIA SHIELD, Google Chromecast, onn 4K and Nokia Streaming Box. For a games console or smart TV without an app, set the VPN up on your router.
IPVanish says its iOS and Android apps include a 7-day free trial. If you buy a yearly or 2-year plan on the website, you get a 30-day money-back guarantee instead. The monthly plan has no money-back guarantee.
Is IPVanish the right VPN for you
IPVanish suits households that want one account on every phone, laptop and TV box, with a kill switch and split tunneling on most of them. Privacy-minded buyers who want a provider outside the US, or servers that are all RAM-only today, may prefer Surfshark or ExpressVPN. You can see plans and prices on our IPVanish listing, or compare it with Private Internet Access, which also sets no device limit.
