Hide.me vs IPVanish: fixed-price renewals or unlimited devices and 24/7 chat
Hide.me scores 3.97 and IPVanish 4.10 out of 10. IPVanish leads overall; the table shows where each one is stronger.
Hide.me vs IPVanish
| What we compare | Hide.me | IPVanish |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 3.97 | 4.10 (better) |
| Privacy and jurisdiction | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Security and protocols | 2.5 | 4.6 (better) |
| Price and fair terms | 5.4 (better) | 2.5 |
| Censorship bypass | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Network and streaming | 3.1 (better) | 2.0 |
| Platforms and support | 5.7 | 8.1 (better) |
| Cheapest price, € a month | €2.69 | €2.06 (better) |
| Renewal vs first term | 1.0× (better) | 3.5× |
| Refund window, days | 30 | 30 |
| Free plan | Yes (better) | — |
| Independent no-logs audit | Yes | Yes |
| Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
| WireGuard | Yes | Yes |
| Obfuscation | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto payments | Yes (better) | — |
| Jurisdiction | Malaysia | USA (5 Eyes) |
| Platforms supported | 9 (better) | 8 |
IPVanish comes out slightly ahead, 4.10 to 3.97, but the two lead in different places: IPVanish takes security and platforms plus support, Hide.me takes price terms and network, and privacy and censorship bypass end level. Pick IPVanish for hardened infrastructure and unlimited devices; pick Hide.me if you plan to stay for years, want a free tier or prefer paying in coins.
Where IPVanish pulls ahead: server security and round-the-clock help
Three documented features explain the security lead: RAM-only servers, Double Hop multi-hop routing and a public bug bounty programme. Hide.me publishes none of the three, though both ship a kill switch and support WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2. One trap on the Hide.me side: its kill switch arrives switched off, so turn it on manually before your first session; more on what it does publish is on our page about whether Hide.me is safe. Neither provider publishes DNS leak protection or an audit of its apps or servers. Against censors they match at a low bar: obfuscation is the only counted bypass tool on either side.
Support drives the second win. Hide.me covers more platforms, nine against eight, thanks to an Apple TV app and browser extensions for Chrome, Edge and Firefox (proxy only). IPVanish still scores higher because its chat never closes, it bundles a Threat Protection blocker for ads and trackers, and it maintains a public server status page. Hide.me does not publish 24/7 chat hours, an ad blocker or a status page. Both support split tunnelling.
Where Hide.me pulls ahead: renewal terms, a free tier and a fixed IP
The Pricing Guarantee renews every Hide.me plan at the same price and length, the core of its win on fair terms. IPVanish's entry rate looks better at checkout, but its cheapest plan renews at about three and a half times its intro monthly rate, with no free tier and no crypto option. On network, Hide.me wins with fewer servers: Premium includes a fixed (dedicated) IP and dynamic port forwarding, useful if you host a game server or accept inbound connections, and IPVanish publishes neither. Its 3,400 servers across 150 locations (against Hide.me's 2,600) and its SOCKS5 proxy do not offset that.
Plan prices now and at the next bill
| Service and plan | First term | Per month | Renews at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hide.me Premium 24+2 months | €69.99 / 26 months | €2.69 | €69.99 / 26 months |
| Hide.me Premium 12+1 months | €54.99 / 13 months | €4.23 | €54.99 / 13 months |
| Hide.me Premium 1 month | €11.99 | €11.99 | €11.99 |
| IPVanish Essential 2-year | $57.36 | $2.39 | $99.99 / year |
| IPVanish Complete 2-year | $74.16 | $3.09 | $109.99 / year |
| IPVanish Advanced 2-year | $86.16 | $3.59 | $129.99 / year |
Hide.me bills in euros, IPVanish in dollars. Compared directly, €2.06 a month makes IPVanish the cheaper first term, yet its Essential yearly renewal costs more than Hide.me's entire 26-month cycle. Every IPVanish plan includes a 3 GB eSIM data allowance (5 GB on Advanced) and a data breach checker; Complete adds antivirus, and Advanced adds a Secure Browser plus 1 TB of Livedrive backup. Hide.me supports SSTP and SoftEther as extra protocols, and Premium unlocks more locations than the free plan.
Money-back rules and checkout options
Both promise 30 days. IPVanish applies the guarantee to yearly and two-year plans only and refunds automatically within 3 business days once you cancel in the Control Panel; monthly purchases are not covered automatically, as explained on the IPVanish refund page. Hide.me offers a 30-day money-back guarantee without publishing its conditions, and its free plan (unlimited data, 8 locations, 1 device, capped speed) stands in for a missing trial. Hide.me adds SEPA, SOFORT, bank transfer and nine cryptocurrencies; IPVanish has no crypto. Auto-renewal is on by default at both.
Labuan company or Ziff Davis: ownership and what each policy records
Hide.me is operated by eVenture Limited, registration LL09685, based in Labuan, Malaysia; IPVanish belongs to Ziff Davis of New York, which also runs StrongVPN and VIPRE Encrypt.team, and the US is a Five Eyes member. Privacy ends 5.0 to 5.0 because both carry a no-logs policy credited with an independent audit, and neither logs the connection IP or session times. IPVanish's policy does disclose email verification at signup and keeping the signup IP for billing and fraud checks.
Matching each one to a buyer
- Big household with no device limit: IPVanish, unlimited simultaneous connections against Hide.me's ten.
- Budget planner locking a long term: Hide.me Premium on the 26-month plan.
- Someone testing the waters with no card: Hide.me Free.
- Remote worker who needs inbound connections: Hide.me Premium, for the fixed IP and port forwarding.
Hide.me and IPVanish: common questions
Is Hide.me a legitimate VPN service?
Yes. An independently audited no-logs policy and a registered operator, eVenture Limited in Labuan, back it up.
How much does Hide.me cost after the first term?
Unchanged. The Pricing Guarantee renews each plan at its original price and length.
Is IPVanish still a good choice?
For large households and security-focused users, yes. Budget for the renewal, which jumps to $99.99–$129.99 a year.
Does VPNRadarLab rank them by speed?
No. The site scores what providers publish and runs no throughput or blocking tests of its own.
The pick in brief
IPVanish wins on security, support and device freedom; Hide.me answers with fixed renewals, a free plan, crypto payments, a dedicated IP and port forwarding. Let the renewal maths and your device count decide.