IPVanish vs Surfshark
We give IPVanish a 2.6 GPA and Surfshark a 2.8, out of 4.0. Surfshark grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features 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
Surfshark
VPN with no device limit, sold alone or in security bundles
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAIPVanishGood | 2.8GPASurfsharkGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BThe 2-year Starter plan bills $67.23 for the first 27 months, so two years cost about $2.80 a month, inside the cheaper quarter of VPNs. After that it renews at $79 a year, above the middle of the pack. Going monthly is $16.45. |
| 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. | DA 7-day free trial on 1- and 2-year plans bought on the website, but it needs PayPal, Apple Pay or a card and is limited to 3 devices. The money-back guarantee doesn't count. |
| 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. | BUnlimited devices, ad and cookie pop-up blocking, Bypasser, Rotating IP, MultiHop, masked emails with Alternative ID, and antivirus and breach alerts on One. More than 4,500 servers in 100 countries. Nothing in the listing is missing. |
| Ease of use | B4.6 from about 104,000 App Store ratings, just under the 4.7 an A needs. Install, sign in, connect. | A4.7 from about 132,000 App Store ratings. Sign in, hit connect, done. |
| 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. | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android and browser extensions. There's no integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | covering TV boxes as well as phones | covering every device in the house cheaply |
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 Surfshark. 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. Surfshark starts at $6.58 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.3.
Surfshark scores higher and starts $1.75 a month lower. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 1 scores higher than IPVanish for less, and none scores higher than Surfshark 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
- IPVanish starts at $99.99 per year at renewal (Essential), after a first 2 years for $52.56. Surfshark starts at $79 per year at renewal (Starter), after a first 27 months for $67.23.
- Only Surfshark lists a browser extension.
At a glance
| IPVanish | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $99.99 per year at renewal (Essential), after a first 2 years for $52.56 | $79 per year at renewal (Starter), after a first 27 months for $67.23 |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free trial in the iOS and Android apps; IPVanish does not state its length | 7-day free trial of 1- and 2-year plans bought on the website, limited to 3 devices |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | IPVanish | Surfshark B.V. |
| Price read from | ipvanish.com | surfshark.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
IPVanish
- Households with more devices than a capped VPN allows
- Buyers who want antivirus and cloud backup in the same subscription
- People who stream on Apple TV, Fire TV or other TV devices
Surfshark
- Households with more devices than a capped VPN allows
- Buyers who want antivirus and breach alerts in the same subscription
- People who hand out masked email addresses when signing up to sites
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.
Surfshark
- The advertised $2.49 a month covers only the first 27 months of a 2-year plan; after that it renews yearly at $79, $99 or $119 depending on the plan.
- The 30-day money-back guarantee excludes Alternative Number purchases, anonymous dedicated IPs and most reseller or gift-card purchases.
- Identity theft coverage is for US residents outside New York State, and Incogni only serves the US, UK, EU, Switzerland and Canada.
- The free trial needs PayPal, Apple Pay or a credit card and applies only to 1- and 2-year plans bought on the website.
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, kill switch and split tunneling
- Double Hop passes traffic through two VPN servers, the kill switch stops traffic when the VPN drops, and split tunneling lets chosen sites and apps skip the VPN.
- 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.
Surfshark
- Unlimited devices
- One subscription connects as many devices at once as you like. During the free trial the limit is three.
- Ad and cookie pop-up blocking
- The VPN apps include an ad blocker and a blocker for cookie consent pop-ups.
- Bypasser, Rotating IP and MultiHop
- Bypasser lets chosen apps and sites skip the VPN, Rotating IP changes your address during a session, and Dynamic MultiHop routes traffic through two servers.
- Alternative ID
- Generates a masked email address that forwards to your inbox and a made-up persona for sign-ups. A virtual phone number is a paid add-on.
- Antivirus and breach alerts
- The One and One+ plans add real-time and scheduled antivirus scans, webcam protection, and alerts when your email, card or ID details leak.
- Server network
- More than 4,500 servers in 100 countries, which Surfshark says have all been upgraded to 10Gbps.
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.
Surfshark
Starter, 2 years$79
per year at renewal, after a first term of 27 months
VPN and Alternative ID. The first 27 months cost $67.23 ($2.49 a month), then it renews each year at $79.
Starter, 1 year$79
per year at renewal, after a first term of 15 months
VPN and Alternative ID. The first 15 months cost $50.85 ($3.39 a month), then it renews each year at $79.
Starter, 1 month$16.45
per month
VPN and Alternative ID, billed monthly at the same price each month.
One, 2 years$99
per year at renewal, after a first term of 27 months
Adds Antivirus, Alert and Search. First 27 months $67.23, the same as Starter. Also 1 year ($50.85 first 15 months) or $18.95 a month.
One+, 2 years$119
per year at renewal, after a first term of 27 months
Adds Incogni data removal and US identity theft cover. First 27 months $121.23. Also 1 year ($112.35 first 15 months) or $21.85 a month.
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.
Surfshark
- Other savings
First 27 months of a 2-year plan from $67.23
Starter and One cost $67.23 for the first 27 months (24 plus 3 extra) and One+ $121.23. The plans then renew every 12 months at $79, $99 and $119.
- Other savings
First 15 months of a 1-year plan from $50.85
Starter and One cost $50.85 for the first 15 months (12 plus 3 extra) and One+ $112.35, before renewing yearly at the full price.
- Education
Student discount through Student Beans
Students who verify their status with Student Beans get a discount code for checkout. Surfshark's page does not state the size of the discount.
