ExpressVPN vs ibVPN Comparison (2019) — Head-to-Head Comparison!

If you set out to compare different VPNs, you will see that doing a direct comparison can be very hard. That’s because VPNs are often marketed quite aggressively and reading those marketing messages usually leads to wrong conclusions. The only way this is done is by reading the expert opinion, which is what you’ll find here. After having tested both ExpressVPN and ibVPN and spent quite some time using both of these, it’s now time to do a direct comparison. So, welcome to our hands-on ExpressVPN vs ibVPN comparison!

As you probably know, ExpressVPN comes with quite a reputation. This long-standing VPN is known for providing reliable service to millions of its customers. Our ExpressVPN review mentions this VPN’s secure servers, advanced protocols, and high-end encryption. Then, we have not-as-popular ibVPN, which can be seen as an underdog in this fight. However, while writing our ibVPN review, we felt quite surprised by this VPN’s capabilities. Furthermore, we strongly believe that there’s a wide range of users who would be perfectly happy with this pick. Considering that both of these are among the best VPNs overall, it’s time to compare them thoroughly.

First, let’s compare some of the most important features of these VPNs. For this purpose, we’ve created the following table, giving you a quick glimpse into various aspects.

Via the following table, we present the scores of individual aspects of ExpressVPN and ibVPN. The purpose of this is to show you the strong and weak sides of these two VPNs.

This is where we end our introduction. If you decide to join us, you will learn all the ins and outs of these VPNs, helping you decide which one to pick. So, let’s continue, shall we?

ExpressVPN vs ibVPN — Which One’s Better?

To help you conclude which of these VPNs is better based on your needs, we’ll be doing direct comparisons of individual aspects. We begin with their background checks, and then we’ll continue with their features, server networks, media streaming capabilities, and more.

Background, Jurisdiction & Reputation

Not many individuals take their time to do a background check before choosing a VPN. However, this step is crucial if you want the best protection for your private data. So, here’s what you need to know about ExpressVPN and ibVPN.

• ExpressVPN: One of the selling points of this VPN is the privacy it gives to its users. And most importantly, this starts with this VPN’s country of origin. Coming from the British Virgin Islands, you’ll be away from the 5/9/14-Eyes Alliance and other major intelligence networks. Since there are no mandatory data retention laws in its country of origin, ExpressVPN provides you with a no-logs policy, which means that it doesn’t collect a single file about your Web browsing. All of this is confirmed by a recent audit, which proved that ExpressVPN is a true no-logs VPN.
• ibVPN: This VPN comes from Romania, a country that’s a member of the European Union. However, that doesn’t automatically mean that you shouldn’t use it. Romania has refused the EU’s Data Retention Directive and has its own privacy-protecting laws. This is also why other hugely popular VPNs have decided to pick this country, such as CyberGhost VPN.

Winner: Both ExpressVPN and ibVPN seem like trustworthy VPN services. However, ExpressVPN has gone through an independent audit, which is definitely a good thing to know. Therefore, we think this VPN wins the first round.

Supported Platforms & Devices

As you can imagine, knowing which platforms are covered by your chosen VPN is crucial. You need to keep in mind that today’s VPNs come with apps for both desktop and mobile platforms, as well as routers.

Winner: It’s clear that both of these are very similar in terms of their platform compatibility. However, ExpressVPN wins this round by offering even a native Linux app, which is something that ibVPN doesn’t offer at the moment.

Installation & Initial Configuration

So, how easy it is to install these VPNs? Well, considering that they bring a host of native apps, you can assume that the installation process is simple. However, let’s dive into the details.

Winner: Considering that both ExpressVPN and ibVPN come with simple installation methods, there’s no clear winner here. So, when it comes to this round, we’ll call it a tie.

Prominent Features

In this round of our ExpressVPN and ibVPN comparison, we’ll check what kinds of features you can expect. More precisely, we’ll see if these VPNs are made for beginners or more advanced users.

Winner: In terms of the number of available features, ibVPN comes out on top. Since it includes ad-blocking as well, it’s designed to cater to the needs of a broader group of users.

Server Count

Now, it’s time to check the size of these VPNs’ server networks. If you want to unblock websites from various parts of the world or get an IP address of different countries, pay special attention to this segment.

Winner: ExpressVPN has more than 3,000 servers while ibVPN currently offers around 180. Therefore, we don’t have to think hard about which VPN wins this round, right?

Ease of Use

Today’s VPNs are usually highly polished, suitable for both beginners and advanced users. However, there are always some deviations to this rule, so let’s check the situation with ExpressVPN and ibVPN.

Winner: We believe that you’re going to love ExpressVPN and the visual style of its applications. They are really easy to use, and they look great across different platforms and devices. Therefore, ExpressVPN wins this round, for sure.

Media Streaming & Torrenting Support

Do you want to use media streaming services while using a VPN at the same time? Do you want to unblock new types of websites or download torrent files? If your answer is — ‘Yes’ to any of these questions, keep on reading.

• ExpressVPN: No matter which media streaming platform you use, ExpressVPN will be able to unblock it. This applies to Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and a huge number of other popular media streaming websites. No matter what kind of challenge you have for ExpressVPN, we’re 100% sure that you’ll be impressed by its capabilities. And also, this VPN supports torrenting via all of its servers.
• ibVPN: We have another interesting VPN for media streaming. For the most part, ibVPN can unblock a healthy number of media streaming services. However, when it comes to challenging ones (like Hulu, for example), you’ll be left wanting for more. It’s also worth noting that ibVPN comes with several P2P servers across Europe, Canada, and Hong Kong. Unless you’re near these regions/countries, you will most probably experience heavy throttling.

Winner: Considering that it unblocks even the toughest of websites, ExpressVPN wins this round. So, no matter if you’re a media streaming or torrenting fan, this VPN should be your first pick.

Security & Privacy

We’ll continue our ExpressVPN vs ibVPN comparison by talking about encryption, VPN protocols, and these VPN’s privacy policies.

Winner: In terms of their security, ExpressVPN and ibVPN are very similar. Both of them come with secure VPN protocols capable of safeguarding your privacy in the best way possible.

Speed & Performance

Having all those high-end features is great, as long as that doesn’t mean that you’ll experience throttling. So, here’s what kind of performance you can expect.

Winner: ExpressVPN comes with a set of amazing features — but these won’t impact the speed of your Web connection in a dramatic way. Therefore, we recommend ExpressVPN if you care about maintaining the fastest possible speed.

Customer Support

You’ll want to have a team of helpful customer support agents, waiting on your questions. In general, VPNs come without too many complications for their users, but things can go wrong from time to time. This is why checking what kind of customer support you’ll be getting seems crucial.

Winner: Both of these VPNs will be able to help in times of crisis. They have helpful customer support agents who know how to do their job, so you’ll get your answer in a timely manner.

Pricing

In the final segment of this ExpressVPN vs ibVPN comparison, we’ll talk about their pricing. Let’s see which one of these is more affordable, as well as which one brings more value for their price.

Winner: ExpressVPN is slightly more expensive than ibVPN. However, this difference isn’t that drastic. Therefore, after everything said in this article, we conclude that ExpressVPN brings more value for its price.

ExpressVPN vs ibVPN — Which One Should You Pick?

It’s true that ibVPN seems like a very interesting solution, and we believe that there’s a sizeable group of users who’d find this VPN to meet their needs. However, after comparing various aspects of these VPNs, we conclude that ExpressVPN sounds like a better deal overall.

ExpressVPN offers the best of what you can get from today’s VPN world. It has the power to safeguard your privacy in the best possible way, without any fear of your private data leaking at any moment. This VPN also unblocks websites with ease, gets you IP addresses of over 90+ countries, and it’s a joy to use. Therefore, you won’t make a mistake if you decide to get an ExpressVPN subscription.

Dear readers, this is where we conclude our ExpressVPN vs ibVPN comparison. If you found this article to be helpful, we’d like to ask you to share it online. You can also follow us via our social media profiles, on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks!

Originally published at https://www.technadu.com on October 24, 2019.