IPVanish running on Amazon Fire TV Stick recommendedvpn.com

IPVanish is a United States-based VPN provider that emphasizes speed, security, and privacy. What it does, it does well, and it checks all the boxes when it comes to the standard features that are necessary for a modern day VPN. IPVanish is one of the biggest names in the VPN business, but whether its capabilities can extend beyond that of a run-of-the-mill VPN provider is a question we aim to answer in this review.

Prices are firmly in the middle range. A one-month subscription costs $10, three months for $8.99 per month, or a full year for $6.49 per month. All plans come with a seven-day money-back guarantee if you aren't satisfied. Payment can be made with a credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, and through a handful of other payment providers. You only need an email address to sign up.

IPVanish coupon code/discount: IPVanish have offered our readers a 60% discount on the annual plan here or 38% on the monthly plan.

Features

A single subscription allows up to five simultaneous devices to be connected at once, making IPVanish a good value for a small household. Apps are available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, and Android. Other operating systems will have to manually configure a third-party app to connect, or connect to a VPN-enabled router.

IPVanish is a notable favorite among Kodi users. Kodi, a free home theater software that allows for streaming video and other content from multiple sources, is often installed on Android-based devices like the Amazon Fire TV Stick. Unfortunately, many of these devices do not have access to Google Play, and they are operated via remote control instead of a keyboard and mouse or touchscreen. IPVanish allows users to directly download its Android APK directly to their device, and the interface is remote-control friendly. Beyond the initial signin, there is very little typing required to get up and running. Everything can be selected via drop-down menus, and there's no need to struggle with maps or other interfaces that don't gel well with remote controls.

IPVanish running on Amazon Fire TV Stick

IPVanish allows torrenting on all servers. P2P filesharers and frequent streamers will be glad to know that there is no cap on bandwidth or data. The IPVanish apps come with an optional kill switch that halts internet traffic should the VPN connection unexpectedly drop. DNS leak protection is built in, including IPv6 leak protection. The company keeps no traffic or usage logs on its customers. It does not record your source IP or any of your online activity.

Setup and interface

Once you've created an account, setting up IPVanish is a breeze. Just download and install the app for whatever operating system you use and log in with your account credentials. There's no need to validate individual devices or enter a two-step verification PIN, however the desktop version will require a restart after initial installation and major updates to get up and running.

We tested the apps for Windows 10 and Android.

Desktop

The desktop interface opens to a quick connect menu where by default you'll connect to a nearby server using automated selection settings. These can easily be changed to choose a preferred country, city, and even an exact server domain via drop down menus to suit your needs. Once connected, a live readout of upstream and downstream traffic, as well as a couple other handy statistics like protocol and time connected, are displayed.

If you prefer a different method of connecting to a server, IPVanish has you covered. You can search the full server list in the location menu, choose a location from a map, or use advanced filters to narrow down server selection by protocol, country, and latency. Latency loosely corresponds with proximity, and a lower latency often means a faster connection.

Many of the more technical features can be found in the settings menu. These include startup behavior, updates, kill switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation, port number, how often your IP address is changed, DNS configuration, and the local client log (this log is stored on your computer, not on IPVanish's servers).

If you close the IPVanish window, it will continue to run in the system tray. By right clicking the system tray menu, you can connect and disconnect from the VPN, change your IP, bring up the main window, or exit the program.