With its robust browser security that operates entirely in the cloud, 1 complete TB cloud storage powered by Livedrive, and super-fast VPN that allows you to stream content seamlessly, browser extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, file sync, and file sharing, IPVanish Advanced has an EDGE over IPVanish Essential.
The only advantage IPVanish Essential has over IPVanish Advanced is cheaper pricing.
While it costs $12.99 per month, IPVanish Advanced costs $14.99.
I subscribed to IPVanish Essential and used it for one month before upgrading to IPVanish Advanced.
So in this IPVanish Essential vs IPVanish Advanced comparison review, I shared my findings to help you make an informed decision.
IPVanish Essential vs IPVanish Advanced At A Glance
| IPVanish Essential | IPVanish Advanced | |
| 1 Terabyte of cloud storage backup | No | Yes |
| Browser security | No | Yes |
| Extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge | No | Yes |
| VPN Speed | Fast | Super-fast |
| File Synchronization and Share | No | Yes |
| Phone Support | No | Yes |
| Unlimited device support, 2400+ servers in 100+ locations, compatibility with multiple devices | Yes | Yes |
| Netflix, sports, BBC iPlayer, etc., streaming | Yes. Fast and seamlessly | Yes. Super-fast and seamlessly |
| Pricing | $3.33/month for a yearly subscription + 30-day money-back guarantee | $4.49/month for a yearly subscription + 30-day money-back guarantee |
Try IPVanish Advanced and enjoy a 78% discount
Try IPVanish Essential and enjoy a 78% discount
Is IPVanish Essential or Advanced Better?
IPVanish Advanced is far better than IPVanish Essential.
It offers robust browser security with extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
It has a daily cloud backup of up to 1 terabyte, supports you to synchronize and share files across all your devices via end-to-end encryption, and has a super-fast VPN speed which is ideal for streaming on Netflix and other streaming services, browsing, downloading, gaming and torrenting. All these features are missing on IPVanish Essential.
So if money isn’t the issue here, I strongly suggest you subscribe to IPVanish Advanced for a complete and enhanced cybersecurity and better user experience.
What are the differences between IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced?
There are a lot of differences between IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced.
Browser Security: This is a major difference between the two subscription plans. IPVanish Advanced offers this feature, which operates entirely in the cloud to isolate your browsing activities from your device.
The aim is to protect your device from trackers, cookies, and potential threats by using a remote server to route your web traffic. This feature combines the benefits of virus protection, anti-fingerprinting, and VPN in a single browser window.
IPVanish Essential lacks this feature.
Cloud Storage: IPVanish Advanced offers 1 TB cloud storage space, which is necessary to safely store your files, protect them from viruses, ransomware, and spyware, and access them anytime.
It supports and makes file sharing safer and easier and saves you from relying on third-party cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox, which sometimes can spy on data and use them for marketing purposes.
While IPVanish Essential offers 1TB of cloud storage space, my findings show that it isn’t up to that.
And this makes it unreliable for business professionals handling sensitive data, freelancers and remote workers who want more secured and reliable cloud storage space.
Cloud Backup: On IPVanish Advanced, you enjoy cloud backup of up to 1 TB of photos, music, documents, and video from one computer. This ensures your data is protected against accidental deletion or any technical mishap.
IPVanish Essential doesn’t offer this feature.
File Synchronization & Share: IPVanish Advanced supports you to synchronize data across all devices safely and securely, share files with end-to-end encryption. This makes collaboration easier as you can access your data safely anytime, anywhere. IPVanish doesn’t offer this feature.
Browser Extension: IPVanish Advanced supports browser extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
This means you can connect to your VPN using this browser extension while browsing on your computer. I personally tested it on my Windows PC and it worked.
All you do is subscribe to IPVanish Advanced, install the extension for your browser, in my case Google Chrome, and activate and pin it.
That’s all. Anytime you open your browser, the VPN automatically enables.
Unfortunately, IPVanish Essential doesn’t support this feature.
Learn how to use IPVanish Browser Extension in the video below:
Phone Support: IPVanish Advanced offers direct phone support. You can call the technical team via a phone number, and they will help you resolve any issues you face.
Again, IPVanish Essential doesn’t offer this feature.
IPVanish Essential vs IPVanish Advanced: Pricing & Cost
Both have monthly, 1-year, and 2-year plans.
IPVanish Essential costs $12.99 per month, $3.33 per month for a yearly subscription, and $2.19 per month for a 2-year subscription.
IPVanish Advanced costs $14.99 per month, $4.49 per month for a yearly subscription, and $3.29 per month for a 2-year subscription.
They offer up to 78% discount for yearly and 2-year subscriptions, and there is also a 30-day money-back guarantee.
You can see that it saves you the cost to subscribe to the yearly or 2-year plan, since you will enjoy a massive discount.
However, note that this discount applies to the first-year or 2-year subscription. You will pay the regular amount when you want to renew your subscription.
If within 30 days of subscribing to any of the plans and don’t find them reliable or suitable for your VPN needs, just contact the sales team and they will refund your money. No questions asked.
IPVanish has different payment methods which are safe and secure. You can pay with PayPal, Credit or Debit card, or Google Pay.
Similarities Between IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced
There are a lot of similarities between IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced, which I shared with you below.
Multiple Servers: IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced have over 2400 VPN servers in 140 locations around the world.
So you are sure of accessing content from plenty of locations around the world while keeping your internet traffic secured and encrypted.
Fast Connection: You enjoy fast connections thanks to IPVanish upgraded server that is paired with WireGuard. While on IPVanish Essential, I often noticed a low VPN connection, but that has improved.
Fast Streaming: Both plans support fast streaming on Netflix, ESPN+ and Hulu. You can stream content fast and seamlessly.
Even though Netflix and other streaming platforms have measures to detect VPN traffic, IPVanish continues to maneuver it, allowing you to enjoy the content you love irrespective of where you are.
Unlimited Devices: Either of the plans protect unlimited devices from a single account. Be it a smartphone, desktop, smart TV, Apple Tv tablet, or router, IPVanish will protect your IP address, and encrypt your internet traffic.
Watch the video below to learn how to use IPVanish on Apple TV:
Advanced Privacy Features: There are advanced privacy features on both plans which include SOCKS5 proxy for IP address anonymity, Kill Switch feature that protects against data leak in the event your VPN connection drops and Split Tunnelling ensures there is optimal balance between your internet security and performance.
Compatible With Multiple Operating Systems: The two plans are compatible with Android, Windows, macOS, and iOS operating systems.
Thread Protection: This feature is available on IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced.
It eliminates intrusive and harmful ads, shields you and your device from third-party tracking, and protects you from harmful websites.
While testing both plans, I enabled this feature and my browsing experience was faster and safer.
I never experienced those annoying and unsolicited ads.
Double Hop VPN: This is an advanced privacy feature that serves as an extra layer of security.
It is designed to strengthen your online security by routing your traffic through two VPN servers in different locations.
DNS Leak Protection: This feature is available on both plans. It seals your digital footprint, so your online activities remain private in case of a DNS leak.
This dual layer makes it hard for internet service providers, hackers, or third parties to trace your online activities, and digital footprint or even uncover your IP address.
Apple TV VPN App: On IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced, you enjoy the Apple TV VPN app which offers advanced security, enhanced user experience, and increased privacy protection while streaming content on your Apple TV.
IPVanish Essential Review
This is the basic plan IPVanish as a VPN offers. It has basic security features you need to stay safe and protect yourself and your devices while browsing, downloading, gaming, streaming, and torrenting.
It costs $2.19 per month, offers up to 78% discount, and has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Key Features of IPVanish Essential
Has 2000+ servers in 100+ locations around the world including Europe, the US, Canada, and Asia
Has a SOCKS5 proxy, which hides your IP address so hackers and even ISPs don’t see or track it.
There is a Kill Switch that prevents your data from leaking in the event of a VPN connection drop.
Has a Split Funnelling that ensures a balance between optimal performance and security
Safe and fast streaming that allows you to access your favorite media, app, and content safely while maintaining privacy. You can stream content on Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and other streaming platforms without them blocking or flagging your traffic.
Support unlimited device protection. This ensures all devices you own are connected to a single VPN account and protected against all forms of security threats.
Compatible with multiple operating systems and devices. It runs seamlessly on your Android, Windows, macOS, and iOS devices plus smart TV, router, and Apple TV.
Threat protection that blocks all unsolicited ads when browsing the web. It also prevents third-party tracking and prevents you from browsing harmful sites or downloading malicious apps.
Unmetered bandwidth that allows you to browse the web without limits
Public Wi-Fi protection ensures hackers don’t intercept your personal details while browsing. IPVanish Essential ensures all your traffic while using public Wi-Fi is channeled through an encrypted tunnel, ultimately shielding you from any form of spying on public Wi-Fi.
Pros of IPVanish Essential
- Has no-traffic-log policy
- Offers up to 78% discount on yearly and 2-year plans
- There is a 30-day money-back guarantee
- Supports unlimited device protection
- It’s compatible with multiple devices
- Offers 24/7 customer support
Cons of IPVanish Essential
- Has no browser extension
- No cloud storage backup
- Doesn’t support secure browsing
IPVanish Advanced Review
This is the best plan IPVanish offers. Its features are advanced, robust, and sophisticated, and it suits businesses and small businesses that want an extra layer of security.
It costs $3.29 per month and offers up to 78% discount and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Key Features of IPVanish Advanced
Offers robust browser security that operates entirely in the cloud to isolate your browsing activities from your device. The aim is to protect you and your devices from cyberattacks, potential risks, and other security threats.
Just like IPVanish Essential, it offers high-speed VPN and, 2400 servers in 140 locations.
Has a cloud backup that easily backs up 1TB of photos, documents, music, and videos from 1 computer, ensuring your data is safe and protected against technical mishaps.
Supports you to synchronize and share data across all the devices via end-to-end encryption. This ensures your data and files are safe irrespective of where you want to access them from.
You enjoy phone support during business hours. A technical assistant is happy to help you via phone to resolve all the issues you face. In addition, there is also 24/7 live chat and email you can use to seek technical assistance.
Compatible with macOS, iOS, Windows, and Android devices. Supports unlimited devices which means you can connect all devices you own including smart TV, router, and Apple TV to your IPVanish Advanced account.
Fast streaming on platforms like Netflix, ESPN, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, etc. IPVanish also has a technology that continues to maneuver all tactics these streaming services put in place to check and block VPN traffic.
There are advanced security features like SOCKS5 proxy that protect your IP address and keep it anonymous so that even your ISP doesn’t see it. There is also a Kill Switch feature that ensures your data doesn’t leak when your VPN connection drops. Plus, the Split Tunnelling ensures an optimal balance between performance and device security.
Threat protection eliminates all malicious and intrusive ads aimed at stealing your personal data and creating a poor user experience while browsing the web.
Pros of IPVanish Advanced
- Doesn’t keep your VPN log traffic
- Supports unmetered device connection
- Has multiple connection protocols
- Offers advanced security features that are missing on IPVanish Essential
- User interface is beginner-friendly
- You enjoy 24/7 customer support, including phone support
- Offers up to 78% discount and a 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons of IPVanish Advanced
- Expensive monthly, yearly, and 2-year subscription compared to IPVanish Essential
- You renew at the regular price, since the discount you enjoyed in your first-year subscription won’t apply again.
IPVanish Essential vs IPVanish Advanced: What Users Say On Reddit
I jumped on Reddit to get a feel of what IPVanish users have to say about the two pricing plans – IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced.
From over 15 comments I read, it appears that people like the two plans based on their needs.
For instance, a travel blogger whose audiences are in the US says she prefers IPVanish Essential because it is more affordable and can do the only thing she needs a VPN for, which is to keep her browser history private and search for keywords on Google using US servers.
According to her, there is no need to upgrade to the Advanced Plan since she doesn’t have a need for robust and sophisticated security features.
A small business owner who used Surfshark VPN before switching to IPVanish says that he subscribed to IPVanish Advanced 15 months ago and doesn’t think he can stop using it because of robust security features like browser security, browser extensions, cloud backup, and most importantly file synchronization and file sharing.
A digital marketer who used IPVanish Essential before upgrading to IPVanish Advanced said that he enjoys faster VPN speed, especially for streaming and downloading on IPVanish Advanced compared to IPVanish Essential.
According to him, the phone support and 1 TB cloud storage backup give him peace of mind that all his personal data are safe and that he can access them safely from anywhere.
IPVanish Alternatives
While IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced are reliable VPN subscription plans, there are alternative VPNs that offer plans with advanced features.
For example, Surfshark VPN has the Surfshark Starter, Surfshark One, and Surfshark One+ plans.
Each of these plans protects unlimited devices, has over 2000 servers in 100 countries, supports fast streaming, torrenting, gaming, and torrenting, plus other security features that ensure you remain safe online.
The Surfshark One+ plan is the most advanced plan that offers additional features like scheduled antivirus scan, webcam protection, data removal from people’s search websites, etc.
Surfshark Starter costs $1.99 per month, Surfshark One costs $2.49 per month while Surfshark One+ costs $3.99 per month.
Read this article where I compared Surfshark VPN Pricing
There is also NordVPN which has NordVPN Basic, NordVPN Plus, and Complete plans.
Just like IPVanish and Surfshark plans, they offer unlimited VPN traffic, offer 1 TB of encrypted, advanced browsing protection, high-speed VPN, data breach scanner, etc.
The Complete plan is the highest plan, and it offers more robust and sophisticated features that are missing on Basic and Plus plans.
NordVPN Basic costs $12.99 per month, NordVPN Plus costs $13.99 per month, while the Complete plan costs $14.99 per month.
Check out this detailed post where I reviewed and compared NordVPN pricing plans
You can also consider Proton VPN. It has more security features compared to other VPN services I have used.
It has the Pro and Unlimited plans. The Pro plan costs €9.99 per month, while the Unlimited plan costs €12.99 per month.
Is IPVanish blocked by Netflix?
No, Netflix doesn’t block IPVanish. I have used it to stream content on Netflix many times, and it was seamless. Even when I have issues, a technical assistant is always available to help me fix them.
What VPN is better than IPVanish?
It depends on what you want. For faster streaming on Netflix, sports streaming services, and torrenting, ExpressVPN is better.
For more VPN servers in different locations even where internet service is censored, NordVPN is better.
Can you leave IPVanish on all the time?
Yes, you can leave IPVanish on all the time. It offers unlimited bandwidth and so you do not worry about exceeding a daily bandwidth. However, I recommend you switch off your IPVanish VPN connection when not in use for optimal performance.
Does IPVanish stop hackers?
Yes, it keeps your browsing history private, encrypts the data and files you share, and keeps no log of your VPN traffic. So it’s hard for hackers to attack your device and get access to sensitive data and files.
Can you be tracked using IPVanish?
IPVanish has a threat protection feature that makes it impossible for anyone to track you, be it your internet service provider or even hackers. This is one of the advanced features many small businesses and entrepreneurs like about it.
Final thoughts on IPVanish Essential vs IPVanish Advanced
Now you know the differences between IPVanish Essential and IPVanish Advanced, it’s up to you to choose the one that meets your requirements and budget.
The bottom here remains that IPVanish Advanced is more robust and sophisticated thanks to extra layers of security like browser security, file synchronization, and sharing, 1 TB cloud storage, a browser extension for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, and super-fast VPN.
