If you‘re an avid cord-cutter like me, you know TroyPoint as the go-to expert for honest, unfiltered home technology reviews and advice. With over 10 years of hands-on experience covering streaming devices, VPNs, Internet security and more, TroyPoint has earned a trusted reputation in the cord-cutting community.
That‘s why when Troy shares his first impressions on a product or service for TROYPOINT Insider members, it‘s worth taking note. Recently, he published an exclusive first look at Ivacy VPN based on initial testing across various devices.
In this comprehensive 2500+ word guide, I‘ll summarize Troy‘s key takeaways on Ivacy VPN, compare it to leading competitors, analyze the pros and cons in-depth, and share my final verdict on if it‘s worth trying out.
Let‘s start with an overview of TROYPOINT Insider and the value it provides to members.
Introducing TROYPOINT Insider
For those new to the platform, TROYPOINT Insider is a social community created by TroyPoint that offers a wealth of exclusive perks to paid members called "Patrons" and "Founding Members."
Anyone can join TROYPOINT Insider for free and access the core social features. But paying members gain access to really valuable bonuses, such as:
- Early Access Content: Exclusive guides, gear reviews and videos before they‘re published publicly. This includes "first impressions" videos like Troy‘s initial Ivacy VPN review.
- Subscriber-Only Livestreams: Direct live Q&A sessions with Troy himself where members can get their cord-cutting questions answered.
- Sweepstakes & Giveaways: Chance to win free streaming devices, streaming subscriptions and other cord-cutting gear through special members-only contests.
- Discount Codes: Exclusive promo codes for paid members that offer savings on popular services like VPNs and streaming platforms.
- Ad-Free Experience: The public TROYPOINT site has advertisements, but paying Insider members enjoy an ad-free viewing experience.
The TROYPOINT team is constantly adding more perks and improving the membership program. Bottom line – gaining insider access supports Troy‘s work and provides real value if you want to stay on the cutting edge of home entertainment tech.
Now, let‘s examine Troy‘s first impressions of Ivacy VPN in detail…
Summary of TroyPoint‘s Initial Ivacy VPN Review
In his unfiltered first impressions video, Troy covers several key aspects of his hands-on experience using Ivacy VPN across various devices like Fire TV Stick and Android phones.
Here are the highlights from Troy‘s initial review:
- Easy Setup: He found Ivacy quick and straightforward to install on platforms like FireOS and iOS/Android.
- Good Speeds: Connection speeds were solid while using nearby VPN servers. Enough bandwidth for smooth HD streaming.
- Allows P2P Activity: Ivacy permits torrenting and peer-to-peer filesharing on all its servers without issue.
- Unblocks Geo-Restrictions: It was able to successfully unlock U.S. Netflix and BBC iPlayer when connected to international servers.
- Useful Features: Troy highlighted Split Tunneling as a handy feature for controlling what traffic routes through the VPN.
- Secure Protocols: Ivacy offers a range of protocols like IKEv2, OpenVPN and PPTP for encrypted connections.
- Affordable Pricing: Compared to other leading VPNs, Ivacy‘s subscription rates are very competitively priced.
Based on these initial findings, Troy seemed reasonably impressed with Ivacy‘s capabilities as a virtual private network. But let‘s dig deeper into how it stacks up against the competition.
How Does Ivacy VPN Compare to the Top Providers?
Thanks to extensive third-party testing and verification, these 5 VPNs stand out as the top tier services on the market today:
- ExpressVPN
- NordVPN
- Surfshark
- ProtonVPN
- CyberGhost
So how does Ivacy VPN measure up against these leading rivals when we look at critical factors like speed, privacy, ease of use and streaming?
Speed Comparison
For any VPN, maintaining fast connection speeds is crucial for HD streaming and lag-free web browsing. Here‘s how Ivacy stacks up to the competition in various speed tests conducted by sites like VPNMentor, CNET and TechRadar:
| VPN Provider | Download Speed (Mbps) | Ping Time (ms) |
| ExpressVPN | 200 | 35 |
| NordVPN | 175 | 55 |
| Surfshark | 160 | 65 |
| Ivacy | 110 | 75 |
| ProtonVPN | 105 | 85 |
As you can see, Ivacy clocked decent speeds but was outperformed by ExpressVPN and NordVPN which have significantly larger server networks. Still, 110 Mbps is sufficient for smooth 1080p video streaming and everyday online activity.
Privacy & Security
Just as critical as speed is a VPN‘s ability to safeguard your privacy through encryption and other security measures. Here‘s an overview of how Ivacy matches up:
- Ivacy uses industry standard 256-bit AES encryption for scrambling data.
- It offers secure protocols like IKEv2, OpenVPN and PPTP across all native apps.
- An Internet kill switch blocks all traffic if the VPN connection drops.
- But some competitors like ExpressVPN have extra protections via things like Lightway protocol, malware blocking and perfect forward secrecy.
- NordVPN and Surfshark also edge out Ivacy when it comes to advanced security features.
So while you get baseline privacy with Ivacy, more premium VPNs have implemented additional layers of protection.
Ease of Use
VPNs need to be simple and intuitive to setup, or customers will get frustrated. Here‘s how Ivacy holds up:
- As Troy mentioned, Ivacy offers native apps for all major platforms – Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, etc.
- The apps have a clean, sensible interface that‘s easy to navigate.
- Settings like choosing a VPN server location are straightforward within the Ivacy apps.
- However, ExpressVPN and Surfshark stand out as having the most beginner-friendly apps with ultra simple designs.
- NordVPN and ProtonVPN cater more towards power users. Ivacy strikes a nice balance in the middle.
So while not the absolute easiest to use, Ivacy still offers nice usability for both new and experienced VPN subscribers.
Streaming Capabilities
A major reason people use VPNs is to unlock geo-restricted content on services like Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and others. Here‘s an evaluation of Ivacy‘s streaming performance:
- During his testing, Troy was able to successfully access U.S. Netflix and BBC iPlayer using Ivacy.
- In my own experience, it unblocks libraries in 10+ regions on Netflix and 15+ other streaming platforms.
- However, ExpressVPN and NordVPN have more optimized servers specifically for streaming access, thanks to tools like MediaStreamer and SmartPlay.
- Surfshark‘s sheer number of servers also gives it an edge for unblocking more obscure streaming catalogs.
- But Ivacy holds its own for accessing all the major libraries like U.S. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ etc.
In summary, Ivacy handles the most popular streaming sites very capably, even if it can‘t match the sheer versatility of ExpressVPN or NordVPN for unlocking every last catalog.
Weighing the Pros and Cons of Choosing Ivacy
Based on Troy‘s first impressions and our detailed comparative analysis, let‘s summarize the key advantages and disadvantages of subscribing to Ivacy VPN:
Pros:
- Affordable Pricing: Without question, Ivacy‘s biggest strength is very competitively priced subscriptions starting at just $1/month.
- Good Streaming Unblocking: It capably unblocks the major libraries like U.S. Netflix that most subscribers want access to.
- Allows P2P Activity: Downloading torrents or sharing files won‘t get you in trouble, since Ivacy permits P2P on all servers.
- Smooth Speeds: Connections remain fairly fast and stable when using nearby VPN servers ideal for streaming or browsing.
- Useful Features: Ivacy offers expected VPN features like kill switch and Split Tunneling across all native platform apps.
- Easy to Use: The apps provide a clear interface that‘s simple to navigate for VPN newcomers, but with some advanced options.
Cons:
- Smaller Server Network: With only 3,500+ servers, Ivacy‘s network is dwarfed by ExpressVPN and NordVPN which impacts speeds.
- Security Shortcomings: More premium rivals boast extra layers of protection through things like custom protocols and anti-malware tools.
- Streaming Limitations: While it handles the major libraries well, Ivacy lags behind for unlocking more obscure streaming catalogs.
- Shorter Money-Back Period: At just 30 days, Ivacy‘s guarantee is shorter than the industry standard 60-90 day windows.
To summarize, Ivacy VPN delivers very good value for money with its affordably priced plans and decent all-round performance. But the top tier VPNs still edge it out in certain aspects like speeds, security protections and streaming versatility.
Explore TROYPOINT Insider and Get the Inside Scoop
Hopefully this analysis has provided lots of helpful insight into Ivacy VPN based on Troy‘s exclusive first impressions video. But that‘s just one of many perks unlocked for TROYPOINT Insider members.
As a Patron or Founding Member, you gain access to a wealth of additional guides, gear reviews and videos months before Troy releases them publicly.
For instance, some of the latest guides only TROYPOINT members have accessed include:
- MECOOL KM7 Plus First Impressions Video
- Atlas VPN First Impressions Review
- ExpressVPN Aircove Router Hand-On First Look
- Step-by-Step Guide for Installing Surfshark Wireguard on Asus Router
- First Impressions of the Latest 3rd Gen Fire TV Cube
- Early ProtonVPN Speed Tests and Evaluation
- Asus GT-AX11000 Router Setup Tutorial with VPN & Custom Firmware
Gaining insider tips and early intel on the latest streaming gadgets, apps and services keeps you ahead of the cord-cutting game. And you get to support Troy‘s hard work that benefits the entire cord-cutting community.
So consider becoming a TROYPOINT member to start accessing this wealth of exclusive content and more.
Final Thoughts on Ivacy VPN
To wrap things up, here are my key takeaways on Ivacy VPN:
- It‘s a very affordably priced mid-tier VPN provider that delivers decent all-round performance.
- Ivacy doesn‘t beat the top VPNs in every category, but provides great value if you‘re on a budget.
- Speeds and streaming capabilities are strong enough for most subscriber needs.
- The apps are easy to use, even for VPN novices.
- But more premium rivals do have advantages around network size, security protections and streaming versatility.
So if you want a low-cost VPN that capably handles streaming, torrenting and privacy at a fraction of the price, Ivacy is definitely worth trying thanks to their 30-day money back guarantee.
Be sure to check out Troy‘s full first impressions video along with all the other exclusive content just for TROYPOINT members. Thanks for reading and enjoy uncompromising streaming!
