IVPN

IVPN is a virtual private network service designed for personal use. VPNs use an encrypted connection to increase your security on public or unsecured Wi-Fi and to get around geographic restrictions (for example, if you want to watch content not available in your country). IVPN offers an open-source client and multi-hop connections, and it does not keep logs of your activity.

Pros

Open-source client: IVPN supports OpenVPN, open-source software for creating secure Internet connections. Open source means the code is publicly viewable, which reduces the avenues through which a VPN provider can behave improperly. IVPN also provides an optional proprietary client.

Legal protections: IVPN's company headquarters is in Gibraltar, which is not subject to European Union data-retention laws or US government oversight. This helps increase customer privacy.

No logging: IVPN does not record your activity. So if an IVPN server is ever compromised, no one will be able to detect who has been using it. IVPN servers use full-disk encryption as well.

Varied connection types: IVPN offers many multi-hop connections, which route your traffic through several steps at different locations before connecting you to the Internet. These hops make it difficult for an observer to detect where you are. IVPN also offers TCP connections, which trade lower speed for higher reliability.

Multidevice support: IVPN works on Windows, OS X, Linux, iOS, Android, and a local network router, and you can use it on up to three devices at once.

24/7 live support: Customer service is available every day, at any hour.

7-day trial: You can try IVPN free for one week before deciding whether you want to pay for the service.

Private payment methods: If you'd like to keep your payment details private, IVPN accepts PayPal and BitPay.

Cons

Relatively expensive: A package this nice doesn't come cheap. The $100 annual subscription option works out to $8.33 a month, which is high by VPN standards.

Basic OpenVPN interface: OpenVPN is not a descriptive client, so you may have to Google a few things to understand what its features are. Android and iOS users do not get a proprietary client, only the OpenVPN option.

Bottom Line

You get what you pay for, and IVPN is at the top of the VPN heap, thanks to a feature-rich package of security, privacy, customer support, connection types, and device compatibility.

More Resources

• The Download.com Security and Antivirus Center
• The best paid VPN for Windows
• A buyer's guide to VPNs
• IVPN for Mac OS X