Surfshark vs IPVanish: unlimited devices on both, so logs, renewals and servers decide
Surfshark scores 5.30 and IPVanish 4.10 out of 10. Surfshark leads overall; the table shows where each one is stronger.
Surfshark vs IPVanish
| What we compare | Surfshark | IPVanish |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 5.30 (better) | 4.10 |
| Privacy and jurisdiction | 4.4 | 5.0 (better) |
| Security and protocols | 6.1 (better) | 4.6 |
| Price and fair terms | 5.7 (better) | 2.5 |
| Censorship bypass | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Network and streaming | 7.2 (better) | 2.0 |
| Platforms and support | 9.0 (better) | 8.1 |
| Cheapest price, € a month | €2.14 | €2.06 (better) |
| Renewal vs first term | — | 3.5× |
| Refund window, days | 30 | 30 |
| Independent no-logs audit | Yes | Yes |
| Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
| WireGuard | Yes | Yes |
| Obfuscation | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto payments | Yes (better) | — |
| Jurisdiction | Netherlands (9 Eyes) | USA (5 Eyes) |
| Platforms supported | 12 (better) | 8 |
Surfshark takes the overall lead at 5.30 against IPVanish's 4.10, winning four of the six rated areas. IPVanish takes only privacy, the bypass column ends level, and its first term is marginally cheaper while its renewal jumps sharply. Since both allow unlimited devices, the choice comes down to logging terms, renewal costs and how much each provider documents.
Unlimited devices on both: the areas each one actually leads
Neither service meters connections, so a household full of gadgets is no reason to pick either. On censored networks the two are equally weak: obfuscation is the only counted bypass feature on each side, and neither publishes VLESS, Trojan, Shadowsocks or Hysteria2.
How a US-owned VPN beats Amsterdam on logging
Ziff Davis, Inc. of New York owns IPVanish, squarely inside the 5 Eyes alliance. Surfshark B.V. operates from Amsterdam under the wider 9 Eyes group and publishes a transparency report; IPVanish does not. The logging terms still flip the result. Surfshark's policy states the connection IP is stored with your user ID and session timestamps, then deleted within 15 minutes after the session ends. IPVanish's policy says it collects no connection IP and no connection timestamps, only aggregated session lengths and server usage. A 15-minute record is still a record, and it costs Surfshark this column. Both claim an independent no-logs audit, but only Surfshark names its auditor: Deloitte. The retention window is stated in Surfshark's privacy policy.
Outside audits and 2FA against a bug bounty
The fundamentals match: kill switch, WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2, RAM-only servers, and multi-hop at no extra charge. Surfshark pulls ahead with the Deloitte audit, a separate Cure53 infrastructure review and two-factor sign-in. IPVanish counters with a Vulnerability Disclosure Program and a SOCKS5 proxy, plus IPSec; IPVanish does not publish a security audit of its servers or two-factor sign-in.
The missing country total behind the network gap
IPVanish lists 3,400 servers across 150 locations and 56,000 IPs, yet never states the country total, and it is silent on 10 Gbps ports, dedicated IPs and torrenting policy. Every unpublished figure costs points, which is how its network score lands at 2.0. Surfshark documents 100 countries, more than 4,500 servers, 10 Gbps capacity, a dedicated IP add-on in 20 locations, plus static IP and P2P servers. Both cover the Middle East and North Africa, and neither names any streaming platform in its claims. The platform count repeats the pattern: 12 supported platforms for Surfshark, including routers and browser extensions, against 8 for IPVanish, which publishes neither.
Lower first bill, steeper second bill: plans and renewals
| Plan | Term | First payment | Per month | Renews at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surfshark Starter | 27 months | $67.23 | $2.49 | not published |
| Surfshark One+ | 27 months | $121.23 | $4.49 | not published |
| IPVanish Essential | 2 years | $57.36 | $2.39 | $99.99 a year |
| IPVanish Complete | 2 years | $74.16 | $3.09 | $109.99 a year |
| IPVanish Advanced | 2 years | $86.16 | $3.59 | $129.99 a year |
IPVanish wins the checkout by roughly ten cents a month, then the Essential renewal lands at $99.99 a year, 3.49 times the intro rate. That jump, with no free trial and no crypto, is why its price-and-terms score sits at 2.5. Surfshark never publishes its renewal amount, so ask what the second bill looks like before 27 months run out. Monthly IPVanish plans renew at the same price. Surfshark also offers Alternative ID and Alternative Number (a virtual phone number), and every IPVanish plan comes with eSIM data (3 GB, or 5 GB on Advanced) and a data breach checker. The tier detail is on the IPVanish pricing breakdown.
Free trial, refund holes and paying with crypto
Surfshark runs a 7-day free trial, but only on 12- and 24-month plans with a card, PayPal or Apple Pay entered; the charge goes through automatically unless you cancel. Its 30-day money-back guarantee excludes recurring payments, gift or prepaid cards, Alternative ID, anonymous dedicated IPs and some resellers, and only one refund per service. The fine print is in the Surfshark refund rules. IPVanish refunds yearly and 2-year plans automatically within 3 business days via the Control Panel, but monthly plans get nothing back, and it publishes no free trial. Surfshark accepts crypto through Coingate plus gift cards; IPVanish takes cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Amazon Pay, but no crypto.
What buyers still ask about these two
Does VPNRadarLab test speed or streaming?
No. The scores reflect what each provider publishes, not measured throughput or unblocking results.
Are devices really unlimited on both?
Yes. Surfshark applies a fair-usage clause and limits the free trial to 3 devices; IPVanish sets no meter.
Who owns IPVanish and Surfshark?
IPVanish belongs to Ziff Davis, Inc., a New York company. VPNRadarLab lists no parent company for Surfshark B.V.
Which one suits which buyer
- The stronger all-rounder with a crypto checkout: Surfshark.
- The strictest logging terms, accepting a 5 Eyes address and a steep renewal: IPVanish on a 2-year plan.
- A long stay past the first term: budget for the $99.99 IPVanish renewal, or get Surfshark's renewal figure in writing.