With numerous VPN services available, there should be a lot of scrutinies to find the perfect one based on your demands. In this TorGuard Vs IPVanish comparison review, we’re going to compare these two VPN services based on factors such as pricing, security, speed and performance, availability of Netflix, ease of use, and support.
Read our full TorGuard review
Read our full IPVanish review
TorGuard does not derive its name from The Onion Router (Tor). However, the VPN service prides itself as one of the best and secure torrenting services, this is where it got its name. Furthermore, TorGuard offers good support for Netflix streaming. TorGuard, therefore, ranks relatively high on our list of top VPN services.
On the other hand, IPVanish, which is also a good service, nevertheless doesn’t match up to TorGuard. IPVanish has had several name tarnishing scandals over the years and as a result, is seemingly losing its reputation as a trusted VPN service.
Security and privacy
In terms of security, both services provide top-notch features such as 256-AES encryption, a kill switch feature, and a variety of VPN protocols: OpenVPN, SSTP, IKEv2, L2TP/IPsec. However, there are certain characteristics of both that make users a bit vulnerable to security risks.
For instance, TorGuard uses Gmail as its mail service putting its uses at risk considering Gmail has security issues: Gmail has been accused of providing third-party developers access to private user emails.
IPVanish also faces one major security drawback in its US location. Moreover, IPVanish does not have support for anonymous payment methods of cryptocurrency that are considered more secure.
Overall, TorGuard is better when it comes to security and privacy. One major factor that contributes to IPVanish predicaments in terms of security is its location. The US is not a very privacy-friendly location.
Speed and performance
TorGuard delivers above average speeds because of over 5000 servers spread across 50 countries.
IPVanish also provides above average speeds. However, the service has fewer servers. The service only boasts of over 1100 servers across over 60 countries. This factor makes it lag behind other VPNs such as TorGuard and ExpressVPN.
On the upside, IPVanish has a large pool of IP addresses, more than 44000 to be exact putting it ahead of all the other services. From the speed tests we have conducted, IPVanish had average download speeds of 44 Mbps and upload speeds of 6 Mbps in New York, while TorGuard reached download speeds of 89 Mbps and upload speeds of 32 Mbps in the same locations.
As a result, TorGuard carries the day once again when it comes to speed and performance.
Ease of use and customer support
This factor takes into consideration how easy it is for the users of the service to interact with the client application as well as the web interface.
Both VPNs support all the major platforms from Windows to macOS and iOS. Furthermore, you can also use both the services on your router either as a preinstalled service or manual installation.
For TorGuard, installation is quite straightforward in all these platforms. However, usability may be a challenge to some. This is because the client interface has not been optimized for user-friendliness. However, it can be good for more advanced users because of the numerous tweaking options.
IPVanish supports up to 10 devices with one subscription. The interface is also quite accommodating to those who are not experts. It provides an excellent interface for novice users. According to this TorGuard vs IPVanish comparison, IPVanish is better in terms of use and support because of the better app design as well as the availability of support features.
Torrenting and P2P
IPVanish is one of the best VPN services for torrenting because of the strong encryptions standards and the protocols being used. However, its location in the US becomes a hindrance because of the strict copyright laws of the country.
It’s this fact that makes TorGuard outshine IPVanish once again. TorGuard offers a safe and fast environment for P2P file sharing and torrenting. So for all those leechers and seeders out there, TorGuard is one of your best options. In addition, the service offers a cheaper option known as an anonymous proxy for uTorrent file sharing tasks.
Unblocking Netflix and other entertainment platforms
As for entertainment platforms such as Netflix, TorGuard is not the best option since most of their servers are already blocked out. Other services like BBC iPlayer don’t work either with TorGuard. To get around this problem, users are forced to get a dedicated IP address which may be quite a costly venture.
Similarly, IPVanish does not get the job done optimally when it comes to streaming geo-blocked services. This is because some of its servers are blocked as well. Furthermore, the speeds are not that impressive for those servers that are not blocked. On a positive note, the service seems to bypass blocking of NBC and CBS networks.
Does it work in China and other restricted countries?
Governments in countries like China regulate internet access to its citizens. Therefore, subscribing to a VPN that bypasses these restrictions is paramount.
TorGuard does a fine job at this by allowing users in China access the internet just like the rest of the world. Even though their main website is blocked in China, TorGuard still provides features that allow China’s users to access the web via servers located in Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam. These servers provide good speeds to Asian users.
IPVanish, however, is not the best option for censorship-heavy countries like China. China has managed to blacklist their IP addresses and servers, making it nearly impossible to obtain a connection. Therefore, IPVanish cannot be used to bypass China’s Great Firewall.
TorGuard vs IPVanish: bottom line
IPVanish does pretty well in terms of security and user friendliness. However, being US-based makes the service unfriendly to privacy.
Furthermore, the service has previously been caught logging user activity details to some extent. IPVanish is also not that great for Netflix and does not support anonymous cryptocurrency payment options.
On the other hand, we consider TorGuard the better of the two because it’s great for heavily restricted countries like China, it supports Netflix to some extent and has a no-logging policy.
I’ve tried both and ipvanish seems faster and more stable but connection restriction really gets annoying. I know use a combo of pia and ipvanish.
Really don’t know why it’s a demerit if VPN services are based out of the United States. I think the issue about the authorities having access to personal information is not as bad as people think. Several other countries I think also have issues with the release of personal information, so I think that shouldn’t be a demerit for IPVanish. Nice post actually.
No doubt about it, Torguard VPN is one of the best and most secured VPN for torrenting. If you love movies and entertainment, this VPN will certainly offer what you need.