Many of us spend several hours a day using an internet-connected device. We use it to work, shop, and stay in touch with friends and family, especially during the pandemic. This is why confidentiality in line This should be one of our priorities, but it is not always the case.
Your Internet Service Provider (ISP), government, and any website where you accept the cookies they can follow you. As if that weren’t enough, using less secure connections such as a public Wi-Fi network could allow even the most sophisticated cybercriminals to steal your data.
The most effective protection against this is a VPN, which encrypts the connection between your device and an internet server. The VPN gives you a new IP address that can’t be associated with you, but it doesn’t give you complete anonymity: if you connect to Google or Amazon, they can track you.
You may also have heard of using VPNs to unblock content. Netflix’s catalog varies from country to country and the BBC iPlayer platform is only available in the UK, but with a VPN you will be able to access it all.
Free VPNs can be a big temptation, but they all have their limits. Whether it’s speeds, security, or location servers you want to use. That’s why it’s worth investing in a paid VPN.
Ivacy is one of the most affordable VPNs around, but are you giving up too much to get that low price?
Features and Apps
At the time of writing this review, Ivacy has over 3,500 servers in over 100 countries around the world that you can connect to. This means that it operates almost everywhere on the planet and on all continents. We found all the major locations including Europe, UK and USA.
Almost all servers are physical, which means that Ivacy has a real presence in the city in question. Others are virtual and the company rents them from a data center. This gives Ivacy a little less control, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s less secure.
Speeds may vary depending on the physical server the connection is hosted on.
Each virtual server is indicated by a “V”, which is easy to use in the Mac application. The main screen is known as “Smart Connect” and was designed to get you connected as quickly as possible. You can filter the drop-down menu by country or city, or mark the star to add a location as a favourite.
Ivacy has a separate tab for secure downloads, but it only starts when you turn on the Switch. This limits you to a few European countries, but location surely won’t matter if your priority is downloads.
The next section focuses on the Diffusion, something in which Ivacy shines. You can connect in countries around the world or just choose one of the listed services that you want to access. When testing from the UK, I was able to access the HBO Max and Hulu servers just fine, but not Netflix US using this method.
If you want to watch local versions of Netflix, your best option is the following section: “Unblock”. Servers in various countries unblock the service of Diffusion no problem, as well as other types of content restricted by geolocation.
The “My Account” section offers an overview of your subscription, while you can also contact technical support and recommend the service to your friends via the application.
However, I was disappointed with the settings menu. Instead of being able to control everything Ivacy offers, there are only basic options.
This testifies that the Mac application is inferior to other platforms. Your only option will be the IPsec protocol, while TCP, UPC, and IKEv2 are offered for Windows. There is no WireGuard protocol and it remains an Android-only feature.
Both platforms also benefit from split tunneling and immobilizer. These are two key features of a VPN, and for no apparent reason Ivacy decided not to include them in the Mac app, I don’t understand why.
The Dedicated IP feature is available on all major platforms, but you’ll need to pay an additional $1.99 (same price in all countries) per month if you want to use it. For the most part, connecting to the same IP address every time is not important.
You’ll probably be using Ivacy on one of the major platforms mentioned above (Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS), but it’s compatible with other devices as well. You can use it on Huawei AppGallery, Linux, Android TV, Fire TV Stick Kodi and on your router.
There are even extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge, but these are proxies, so that they do not encrypt your information.
Each account can be used on up to 10 different devices, with support for five simultaneous connections. Makes it easier for families to share a single subscription.
Ivacy also shines when it comes to offering technical support. On their website, you will see a wide variety of articles and guides. If that doesn’t solve your problem, you can submit a form or use their 24/7 live chat.
I tried both options when testing the service and they responded quickly: within hours via email and minutes over live chat. The people I spoke to were very nice and gave me all the information.
Performance
Unlike other paid VPNs, Ivacy is not compatible with WireGuard. Interestingly, this protocol is only available in the Android app. It’s unclear when it will come to other platforms (if at all).
Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice of which protocol the VPN uses on Mac, your only option is IPsec, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the performance it offers.
It’s worth checking out the speed difference when you’re connected to the VPN or not. At 11:00 a.m. and without the VPN connected, a speed of 37 Mbps for downloads and 9 Mbps for uploads was recorded using Ookla’s popular tool.
The UK server is in London, about 60km from my home. Speeds remained roughly the same: 35 Mbps and 8 Mbps. When the automatic settings were changed for the US, specifically in Ashburn, VA, I recorded 34 Mbps and 8 Mbps and was able to watch the US version of Netflix.
The US server specifically designed to watch Netflix is not working. The HBO Max and Hulu servers worked better, allowing me to access often blocked sites.
An Australian server in Melbourne maintained downloads at 29 Mbps, but uploads suffered a bit and dropped to 2 Mbps. Something similar happened in Tokyo, with speeds of 34 Mbps and 2 Mbps. Both unblocked the local version of Netflix, although Japan’s server loaded content much slower than expected.
The closest you will find to China is Hong Kong, where Ivacy has a physical presence. I got about 26 Mbps downloads, similar to others, but 6 Mbps downloads were better than expected. It also unblocks the Hong Kong version of Netflix.
Chile is one of the places limited to a virtual server. Speeds dropped significantly when I connected to Santiago, dropping to 8Mbps and 2Mbps. It is still possible to access the Chilean version of Netflix, but the connection is very slow.
However, it works well for displaying services on Diffusion from abroad, which is not always the case with all VPNs.
security and privacy
Ivacy is established in Singapore. This meets one of the main requirements of any modern VPN: to be located outside the so-called “14 eyes” zone. It is an alliance between Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States and 11 other countries to share security information between them.
Considering that one of the main reasons for using a VPN is privacy, it’s easy to see why Ivacy decided to move to another country. Singapore also has no data retention laws, meaning it’s virtually impossible for Ivacy to have to hand over their users’ data.
Even if this happens, the company has a policy of “no logs” (no connection), which means that your activity in line and bank details are not tracked. It works with the company’s privacy policy, which is GDPR compliant.
It collects very little data about your activity while you are online, but can never be traced back to you.
However, unlike many other VPNs, Ivacy has never been independently audited by a third-party security company. This means you’ll have to trust the company, although there’s no telling you not to.
What resembles him the most is review from Security.org, which gave it a rating of 7.4/10 for privacy.
Ivacy is also part of the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI). Along with 13 other companies, it aims to promote privacy and security through VPNs. VTI also requires each member to adhere to best practices in publicity, disclosure, transparency and social accountability.
Rates and packages
One of Ivacy’s big draws is its price. Paying $8.99 for a single month doesn’t make much sense, but the one-year plan ($2.08 per month) is much more affordable.
You can see the full breakdown of pricing and plans on Ivacy’s website.
You can choose between several payment methods: credit card, debit card and PayPal, as well as cryptocurrencies, among others.
Whichever method you choose, it’s one of the cheapest Mac VPNs out there, but the experience on Mac computers leaves a lot to be desired. For the most part, it’ll be worth spending a bit more for a better experience.
Verdict
Ivacy is a very compelling VPN service, unless you’re using an Apple device. For some reason, the company decided not to include some of its best features in the Mac app.
This means you won’t be able to use WireGuard (or even choose between multiple protocols), split tunneling, or immobilizer. Ivacy offers all these features in other words, which makes it even more incomprehensible.
That’s not to say Ivacy for Mac doesn’t have its strengths. The IPsec protocol offers impressive speeds, while it is good to have servers specially designed to unblock services on Diffusion. Technical support is also one of its advantages.
But at the end of the day, you’ll be giving up a lot of features if you use it on a Mac at such a low price. Unless you’re using the VPN for very basic tasks, you’ll find better value for money if you pay a little more to use another service.
Original article published in igamesnews UK.
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