ExpressVPN vs IPVanish 2020: Comparison of Features & Results

last updated: 17 December 2019 written by: Sebastian Petrosi

ExpressVPN vs IPVanish is one of the most sought out and anticipated comparison; with the amount of talk around it it can be easy to decipher which one is better through a simple comparison analysis. Everyone who has been in touch with VPN services definitely knows that these are two of the biggest names in the VPN industry today. However, we will present a head to head comparison of these two titans and there will be only one winner to make it easier for you to.

In this battle of IPVanish VPN and ExpressVPN, we will include Performance and Speed, Streaming and Unblocking, P2P and Torrenting, Price and Features, Apps and Functionality, Security and Protocols and Servers and Locations. On these basis, we will score IPvanish and ExpressVPN and in the end it is either gonna be ExpressVPN or IPVanish VPN.

So, without further ado, let’s get it started!

Related: How to Install ExpressVPN on Firestick

Expressvpn vs IPVanish: Performance and Speed

We tested ExpressVPN and IPVanish VPN to know which gives better speed. Both of them certainly are above average in terms of performance and speed, but there must be one which is better than the other. The following are the results of our tests.

VPNNo VPNUSUK
ExpressVPNUpload: 9.52 MbpsUpload: 8.62 MbpsUpload: 6.34 Mbps
Download: 58.62 MbpsDownload: 51.91 MbpsDownload: 39.21 Mbps
Ping: 15 msPing: 59 msPing: 174 ms
IPVanishUpload: 9.35 MbpsUpload: 7.23 MbpsUpload: 5.12 Mbps
Download: 57.77 MbpsDownload: 48.92 MbpsDownload: 29.87 Mbps
Ping: 15 msPing: 63 msPing: 202 ms

This table clearly shows that ExpressVPN offers better speed than IPVanish VPN. The difference in the speed is not too significant and neither had we faced any connection or performance issues while testing. So, our scores in this rounds would be:

ExpressVPN: 10
IPVanish: 8

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Expressvpn vs IPVanish: Streaming and Unblocking

Using VPN for unblocking various sites and services, especially for streaming, is one of the most common and important use. So, we are going to analyze the unblocking powers of these two VPNs along with the streaming experience these services offer. We are only going to test the US Netflix as it is the toughest and most popular blocked streaming service.

Firstly, we tested ExpressVPN and it was extremely easy to unblock US Netflix using ExpressVPN. The streaming experience was always very smooth mainly because of the speed ExpressVPN offers. On the other hand, IPVanish was unable to unblock US Netflix for us, so tested other services to find out about the streaming experience. Although IPVanish had limitation sin unblocking, the streaming experience of the sites it unblocked was definitely above average as we did not face any buffering issues. So, in this round, the scores are:

ExpressVPN: 10
IPVanish: 7

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P2P and Torrenting

VPN is also very important when someone decides to use peer to peer file sharing or download torrents. It requires privacy and security, but most importantly the VPN provider must be supportive and well equipped for torrenting. So, here let’s find out if ExpressVPN or IPVanish is better at supporting torrents.

Let’s come to ExpressVPN first. It openly and extensively supports torrenting and encourages users to safely and anonymously download torrents. It does not put any limitations or restrictions in terms of bandwidth or server choice.

Similarly, IPVanish also is a very torrents friendly VPN service and it also supports torrenting on all the servers. However, the total number of servers IPVanish offers are less than ExpressVPN (which we will discuss further later). So, this makes the performance of ExpressVPN better than IPVanish as ExpressVPN has optimized servers which support torrenting to an extensive level.In this round, the scores are:

ExpressVPN: 10
IPVanish: 9

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Price and Features

The affordability of a VPN service, especially for personal use, is extremely important. So, let’s find out the comparison of pricing in ExpressVPN vs IPVanish in the table below.

IPVanishExpressVPN
Highest Price
$10.00/Mo$12.95/Mo
Lowest Price
$6.49/Mo$8.32/Mo
1-Year Price
$77.99$99.95
Money-Back Guarantee
7 days30 days

It is apparent that both the services are actually more expensive than most of the other cheap VPN providers. In comparison, IPVanish is less expensive than ExpressVPN, but the money back guarantee by ExpressVPN is better. Now let’s look at the comparison of prominent features and offerings.

IPVanishExpressVPN
Simultaneous Connections
103
Apps
Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, RouterWindows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Tomato routers, Amazon Fire
Manual Setup
Set-top boxesSet-top boxes
Extras
No Browser ExtensionsFree Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari

In terms of features, ExpressVPN certainly is way better than IPVanish. This can make the high cost of ExpressVPN justified. Our scores in this round are:

ExpressVPN: 9
IPVanish: 8

Get ExpressVPN

Apps and Functionality

In order to be among the best VPN services, it is essential for the brand to offer VPN apps with brilliant design, options, features and functionality. Both, ExpressVPN and IPVanish, offer standalone VPN apps for all the major platforms including Mac, OSX, iOS, Android and Windows. We analyzed all the apps by both providers.

ExpressVPN’s apps are unmatched in terms of performance and functionality. It is really nice in design and exceptional in performance. Additionally, the features are brilliantly integrated and it is airtight. When it comes to IPVanish, it offers great VPN apps with very good functionality and options. But there are some limitations. Additionally, ExpressVPN offers more features than IPVanish. So this round is close and the scores are:

ExpressVPN: 10
IPVanish: 9

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Security and Protocols

The toughest round in ExpressVPN vs IPVanish is this one, where we are going to analyze the encryption, security and protocols offered by the two giants. These two services are known to be quite secure as both of them offer the best in class encryption. Additionally, ExpressVPN offers OpenVPN, L2TP, SSTP, and PPTP VPN protocols. IPVanish offers IKEv2, OpenVPN, L2TP, IPSec, SSTP, and PPTP protocols. Both have OpenVPN which is our favorite and highly recommended. So, our scores are:

ExpressVPN: 10
IPVanish: 10

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Servers and Locations

The level of freedom a VPN can give to a user totally depends of how vast and powerful the network of server it offers. Additionally, how many countries does this network of servers cover determine the level of online freedom it can offer. So, let’s find out about the servers and locations of IPVanish and ExpressVPN.

VPNServersCountries
IPVanish1000+60
ExpressVPN3,000+94

In terms of servers and in terms of countries, ExpressVPN is victorious. There is a reason why ExpressVPN is the best all-around VPN service. However if we compare Nordvpn in terms of server list then then both of them are way behind from Nordvpn. So, our scores in this round are:

ExpressVPN: 9
IPVanish: 7

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Final Words

First, let’s look at all the scores and the total in the following table.

CategoriesExpressVPNIPVanish
Performance and Speed108
Streaming and Unblocking107
P2P and Torrenting109
Price and Features97
Apps and Functionality109
Security and Protocols1010
Servers and Locations97
Total (70)6857

So, here’s the summarized picture of ExpressVPN vs IPVanish VPN, in which ExpressVPN has won. ExpressVPN is at the top of the industry, which is one of the reasons why people prefer it even though it is also the most expensive VPN service.

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published on: 05 December 2018