IPVanish vs StrongVPN (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, IPVanish grades higher than StrongVPN: 2.6 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 2, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
IPVanish grades higher on value for money, the free plan and features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
IPVanish
Ziff Davis-owned VPN with no device cap and antivirus on higher plans
StrongVPN
VPN with a StrongDNS smart DNS proxy and 3GB of eSIM data
Which one is for you
Pick IPVanish if
- Fits if your household has more devices than a capped VPN allows
- Works for putting the VPN on an Apple TV or Fire TV
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you stay past the first term, as Essential renews at $99.99 a year after $52.56 for two years
- Watch out: the homepage says Complete renews at $109.99, but the renewal page lists $57.48 or $66.96
- Skip it if you want a browser extension, as IPVanish doesn't make one
- Not for you if you want to try it on a computer, as the free trial is in the phone apps only, length not stated
- Tight if you pay monthly, at $14.99, as cancelling a monthly plan gets no refund
Pick StrongVPN if
- Fits if you want a smart DNS proxy for devices that can't run a VPN app
- Works for households that want 12 connections on one account
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Linux, as no app is listed
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $11.99
- Watch out: the first-year price has no stated renewal figure
- Watch out: the 30-day refund doesn't cover the monthly plan, and App Store purchases follow Apple's rules
- Not for you if you want to try it free, as there's no trial
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAIPVanishGood | 2.0GPAStrongVPNFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BEssential bills $52.56 for the first 2 years, about $2.19 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of VPNs. But it then renews at $99.99 a year, in the dearest tenth, so the third year costs nearly twice the first two. Monthly is $14.99. | C$3.97 a month, billed $47.69, for the first year only, and the renewal isn't stated. Monthly is $11.99, in the dearest tenth. |
| Free plan and trial | DA free trial, but only inside the iPhone and Android apps, and IPVanish doesn't say how long it lasts. No free plan, nothing to try on a computer, and the money-back guarantee isn't a trial. | FNo free plan or trial. The 30-day money-back guarantee isn't a trial and covers the annual plan only. |
| Features | BUnlimited devices, Threat Protection against ads, trackers and bad sites, Double Hop, a kill switch, split tunneling, WireGuard and OpenVPN, with antivirus on Complete and 1TB of backup on Advanced. It covers the whole job. | C12 connections, WireGuard, OpenVPN, IPSec and IKEv2, StrongDNS and 950+ servers in 30 countries. The gap: the pages read listed no Linux app. |
| Ease of use | B4.6 from about 104,000 App Store ratings, just under the 4.7 an A needs. Install, sign in, connect. | BNo store rating on record. Install an app and connect. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, Mac, Linux, ChromeOS, iPhone, Android, Apple TV and Fire TV, but no browser extension. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. | BiOS, Android, Mac and Windows, with Fire TV and routers named. No Linux app listed, and no API. |
| Best for | covering TV boxes as well as phones | a VPN with a smart DNS proxy for streaming |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: IPVanish and StrongVPN. How we grade
Price against what you get
IPVanish starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. StrongVPN starts at $11.99 a month and scores 2.7.
IPVanish scores higher and starts $3.66 a month lower. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 2 score higher than IPVanish for less, and 13 score higher than StrongVPN for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- StrongVPN is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- IPVanish also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| IPVanish | StrongVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $99.99 per year at renewal (Essential), after a first 2 years for $52.56 | $11.99 per month ($47.69 first year if annual, renewal not stated) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial in the iOS and Android apps; IPVanish does not state its length | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | IPVanish | Strong Technology, LLC |
| Price read from | ipvanish.com | strongvpn.com |
| Checked | Nov 2, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
IPVanish
- Advertised prices cover the first term only; per the homepage, plans renew yearly at $99.99, $109.99 or $129.99.
- IPVanish's renewal price page lists Complete at $57.48 or $66.96 a year, matching its first-term prices and not the homepage's $109.99.
- The 30-day money-back guarantee covers yearly and 2-year plans; cancelling a monthly plan does not start a refund.
- There is no browser extension; the free trial is offered only in the mobile apps.
StrongVPN
- The annual price is for the first year; the plans page does not state what the plan renews at.
- The 30-day money-back guarantee covers the annual plan only, not the monthly plan.
- The homepage names iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Amazon Fire TV apps; a Linux app was not listed on the pages read.
- Subscriptions bought through the App Store follow Apple's refund policy.
Key features
IPVanish
- Unmetered devices
- IPVanish does not count simultaneous connections or installs, so one account can cover every device in a household.
- Threat Protection
- Blocks ads, trackers and malicious websites while the VPN is connected. Included on every plan.
- Double Hop, split tunneling and Dedicated IP
- Double Hop passes traffic through two VPN servers, and split tunneling lets chosen sites and apps skip the VPN. A Dedicated IP add-on gives a fixed address in New York, London, Paris, Frankfurt or Tokyo.
- WireGuard and OpenVPN
- The apps connect over WireGuard or OpenVPN, under a no-traffic-logs policy that IPVanish says is independently verified.
- Antivirus on Complete and Advanced
- Real-time scanning for malware and phishing sites with background checks for suspicious activity, sold as IPVanish Antivirus.
- Cloud backup and Secure Browser
- Advanced adds 1TB of encrypted cloud backup with automatic syncing, and a sandboxed browser that deletes session data when closed.
StrongVPN
- Up to 12 connections
- One subscription connects up to 12 devices at once, and a VPN router can cover more.
- Protocols
- WireGuard, OpenVPN, IPSec and IKEv2 are listed on the plans page.
- StrongDNS
- A smart DNS proxy included with every account, for streaming on devices that cannot run a VPN app. The site says it supports 140+ services.
- Server network
- The plans page lists 950+ servers in 30 countries and 59 cities, and 59,500 VPN IPs.
- eSIM data
- Plans include 3GB of global eSIM data.
- No-logs policy
- StrongVPN says it does not track, store or sell user data.
Plans
IPVanish
Essential, 2 years$99.99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 2 years
VPN, Threat Protection and 3GB of eSIM data on unlimited devices. The first 2 years cost $52.56 ($2.19 a month), then it renews each year at $99.99.
Essential, 1 year$99.99
per year at renewal, after a first year for $46.68
The same Essential plan. The first year costs $46.68 ($3.89 a month), then it renews each year at $99.99.
Essential, 1 month$14.99
per month
The same Essential plan, renewing monthly at $14.99.
Complete, 2 years$109.99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 2 years
Adds antivirus and phone support. First 2 years $66.96 ($2.79 a month). Also $57.48 for a first year, or $15.99 a month.
Advanced, 2 years$129.99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 2 years
Adds 1TB of cloud backup, the Secure Browser and 2GB more eSIM data. First 2 years $78.96. Also $64.68 for a first year, or $17.99 a month.
StrongVPN
Monthly Plan$11.99
per month, billed monthly
Same features as the annual plan. The 30-day money-back guarantee applies to the annual plan only.
Annual Plan$47.69
first year; renewal price not stated
Advertised as $3.97 a month, with 66% off, billed $47.69 for the first year. Includes the 30-day money-back guarantee.
Ways to pay less
IPVanish
- Other savings
First 2 years of a 2-year plan from $52.56
Essential costs $52.56, Complete $66.96 and Advanced $78.96 for the first 2 years. The plans then renew every 12 months at $99.99, $109.99 and $129.99.
- Other savings
First year of a 1-year plan from $46.68
Essential costs $46.68, Complete $57.48 and Advanced $64.68 for the first year, before renewing yearly at the regular price.
StrongVPN
- Other savings
Annual plan, 66% off the first year
The annual plan is billed $47.69 for the first year, shown as $3.97 a month. The page does not say what it renews at.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, IPVanish or StrongVPN?
As of Nov 12, 2026, IPVanish is cheaper to start with: $8.33 a month when paid by the year, against $11.99 a month for StrongVPN. IPVanish starts at $99.99 per year at renewal (Essential), after a first 2 years for $52.56, and StrongVPN starts at $11.99 per month ($47.69 first year if annual, renewal not stated).
Which has a free plan, IPVanish or StrongVPN?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither IPVanish nor StrongVPN has a free plan. IPVanish has a free trial.
Which platforms do IPVanish and StrongVPN run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only IPVanish lists a Linux app. Both list macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.