The VPN industry continues to grow each and every day with a bunch of new players sprouting into the scene every now and then. And as with all success stories, they often start from small beginnings.
In the world of VPN, the market is already saturated with all kinds of VPN services, all promising to provide a platform that will help individuals anonymize their online habits. Frankly speaking though, not all VPNs are bound for success. Some will just falter and bow down to the more popular VPNs in the industry.
In terms of overall performance, we reckon that there are only a few VPNs out there that can really deliver high quality services. VPNs need to up their game in order to stay relevant to their user base. Ivacy is one of those providers that aim at becoming a top VPN service. We already reviewed Ivacy before and we concluded that it was a good enough VPN service provider, but not as good as the top VPNs. Today, a revamped Ivacy is at hand. Our first impression with the Ivacy 2.0, is that it’s a better version of the VPN service.
Read along to learn what’s new with Ivacy 2.0.
About Ivacy
The team behind Ivacy started developing the VPN network in 2007. Ivacy’s goal was to engineer the best VPN service there is. It was the first VPN company to ever introduce the feature called Split Tunneling.
Fast forward to the present day, Ivacy has decided to do some major changes with its VPN service in order to be able to provide better and more reliable VPN accesses worldwide. Below is a detailed analysis of what the new Ivacy has to offer.
Ivacy Jurisdiction and Logging Policy
First things first. It is important for any VPN user to know where their VPN service provider is based in so as to determine whether that provider is bound by any data retention laws or the likes. For starters, it is ideal to only subscribe to a VPN service that is not located in Europe or in the UK. The countries in Europe have strict data retention laws that mandate ISPs, VPNs and other telecommunication companies to store user data for the government’s disposal.
Gladly, Ivacy is not located in the UK. As a matter of fact it is currently based in Hong Kong. Doing some research, we found out that Hong Kong does not impose any data retention laws at the moment. Despite being a part of the Republic of China, a country that is known to have some of the most stringent internet laws in the world, Hong Kong isn’t easily intimidated by the mainland and therefore it works as a separate government entity; thereby imposing the laws it believes will protect the country and its people.
In short, Ivacy does not log any user data. Ivacy states in its Privacy Policy that it strictly does not log or monitor online activities of its users. Ivacy only records activity time and the corresponding IPs assigned to the respective users.
Ivacy Setup and Compatibility
Ivacy wants everyone to be able to use their VPN service on any VPN capable device. The VPN service provider is also generous to allow users five devices to simultaneously use one VPN account. Ivacy supports various devices and security protocols. Ivacy will work on Windows, Mac OS X, Ubuntu, Android, iOS, wireless routers and home devices (set top boxes, gaming consoles, smart TV).
Ivacy offers a dedicated client app for Windows machines, Mac, Android and iPhone. If your device does not support the dedicated VPN app, you can still setup Ivacy by manually configuring the VPN service. Don’t worry if you aren’t technically inclined enough, Ivacy provides step-by-step tutorial guides to help users configure their device of choice.
The Hong Kong based VPN service also support multiple protocols like PPTP, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP and SSTP. Ivacy uses a high-graded encryption system to keep its network hack-free. Ivacy offers a 256-bit encryption system that guarantees the privacy and security of the online users remains intact.
Ivacy Product Features
Ivacy is packed with top of the line features that will keep users coming back for more. Ivacy offers 250+ servers located in over 100 countries worldwide. Users will also enjoy unlimited server switching, unlimited data transfer and breathtaking speed when they subscribe to Ivacy.
Ivacy’s servers are strategically located across the globe. Check out the complete server spread over different locations:
- North America: US, Canada, Panama
- South America: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela
- Asia: Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE
- Oceania: Australia, New Zealand
- Europe:Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Lativia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK
- Africa: Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, Seychelles, South Africa
As mentioned earlier, Ivacy allow 5 multi logins simultaneously. You can basically setup one Ivacy account on your desktop, mobile phone, tablet and other home entertainment devices. With the Slit Tunneling feature, you can control your VPN usage.
Another useful Ivacy feature is the Internet Kill Switch which will basically shut down all your online activities in case the VPN fails or if you get disconnected from the secure servers. NAT Firewall will also block malicious traffic that could harm your device. Ivacy also offers support against DDoS attacks so you are assured of the security of your data while connected to the VPN network.
Ivacy Pricing Details
For a limited time only, Ivacy is offering its VPN service for as low as $3.33 per month. You can avail of the massive 72% discount offer by purchasing a 1 year subscription package. The annual Ivacy plan now just costs $40.00 – that’s probably the cheapest 1-year package in the market today. If you prefer a monthly subscription, you can simply buy an Ivacy single-month plan worth $9.95. There is also a 6-month plan that costs $35.94 – that’s 50% discount.
All the subscription plans come with a 7-day money back guarantee. To purchase an Ivacy package, you can use your credit card, Paypal, Bitcoin, Paymentwall, Perfect Money and Web Money to pay for your preferred VPN plan.
Ivacy Aftersales Support
Customer support is probably the area where Ivacy VPN has improved on the most. When we first reviewed Ivacy, customer support was limited to emails only. Today, Ivacy VPN offers various customer support systems including Live Chat, Phone Support, Email, Ticketing system and the VPN’s social channels.
In terms of overall aftersales support, we still think that Ivacy’s support system is nowhere near what top VPNs provide. Live chat experience was a bit disappointing too. It took a while before we were attended to by a live chat agent. Even the response seemed computer generated. Email response time was even longer. In our humble opinion, Ivacy’s support system still isn’t among the most professional in the industry.
Review Conclusion: Is Ivacy 2.0 any better than the previous version?
Taking into consideration all the factors, we can say that Ivacy 2.0 is indeed an improved VPN service. But when we compare the reworked Ivacy service to the more popular VPNs in the market, Ivacy still has a long way to go before it can even become par with the top VPNs today. With all these changes though, we can say that Ivacy is headed in the right direction to success.
Again, all great things start from small beginnings. If Ivacy continues to make progress in the right direction, it’ll reach its main goal in no time – and that is to become the BEST VPN SERVICE in the entire VPN industry.