Proton VPN vs IPVanish

This is not a close comparison on evidence, and it is worth being direct about that before listing what IPVanish does well — because it does do some things well.

Who has looked at the code

Proton VPN's clients are open source, so the behaviour of the software can be verified by somebody who does not work there, and outside auditors have inspected its servers five years running, most recently June 2026. IPVanish's clients are closed, its servers write to disk rather than running from memory, and its no-logs audit by Schellman Compliance in February 2025 sits behind a customer login.

Then there is the record. In 2016, under previous ownership, IPVanish told Homeland Security it kept no usage information and then supplied a subscriber's name, email address, home IP address and connection times. Proton VPN has nothing comparable.

Jurisdiction runs the same way. Switzerland is outside every intelligence-sharing agreement. IPVanish is a Florida company applying California law, inside the five-country one.

The first year price and the second

IPVanish charges a low rate for the first year and far more for every year after it. Proton VPN's advertised rate roughly doubles when the first term ends, which is gentler but the same shape. Proton also has a free plan with no data cap and no expiry, so you can find out whether you like it before any of that applies.

What IPVanish genuinely offers is coverage. No cap on simultaneous devices against Proton's ten, and first-party apps for Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV. Proton VPN has television apps too, but not the unlimited connections. IPVanish also has IPv6 protection, and Proton is the slowest service measured here to start loading a page, which shows on calls.

Which should you choose?

Choose Proton VPN unless you need more than ten simultaneous devices. On source, on audits, on jurisdiction and on history it is ahead on every count that this directory scores.

Choose IPVanish if the device ceiling is the binding constraint and the 2016 affidavit does not trouble you. If it does trouble you and you still need unlimited devices, Windscribe covers that without the history, and Private Internet Access does too if you can live with a United States address.