StrongVPN vs IPVanish: Same Parent Company, Different VPN?

Same parent company, genuinely different privacy track record. StrongVPN and IPVanish are both owned by Ziff Davis, priced similarly, and aimed at a similar audience — but only one of them has ever been independently audited.

Privacy & Audits

This is the whole comparison. IPVanish has been independently audited twice (Leviathan Security Group 2022, Schellman Compliance 2025), both confirming its current no-logs architecture despite a real 2016 incident under prior ownership. StrongVPN has never been independently audited at all — its no-logs claim rests entirely on policy language.

Devices & Features

IPVanish offers unlimited simultaneous device connections and an included SOCKS5 proxy for torrenting; StrongVPN caps at 12 devices and offers a simpler feature set overall, including its own StrongDNS smart-DNS tool.

Price & Streaming

Pricing is broadly similar between the two sister brands. Both unblock major US streaming platforms reasonably well, though neither is best-in-class for international libraries like BBC iPlayer.

Our Verdict

Between two VPNs from the same parent company, this is a straightforward call: IPVanish's two independent audits make it the more verifiable, more defensible choice at a similar price. Choose StrongVPN only if its specific server list or interface style genuinely suits you better.

Why This Comparison Matters More Than It Looks

When two products share a parent company, it's tempting to assume they're functionally identical with different branding. That's not the case here: Ziff Davis has invested in independent verification for IPVanish specifically (two audits, a 2025 Trust Center with quarterly transparency reports) without extending the same investment to StrongVPN. That's a meaningful, measurable difference in how much scrutiny each product has actually received, not just a marketing distinction.

Practically, this means StrongVPN's no-logs claim is exactly as trustworthy as the company's word, while IPVanish's claim has been checked against its actual server configurations by two outside firms. For most buyers choosing between sister products at a similar price, that gap is the deciding factor.

Which Should You Actually Choose?

Unless you have a specific reason to prefer StrongVPN's particular server list, interface, or a promotional price you've found, IPVanish is the more defensible choice between these two sister products at a similar cost. The audit gap is real, measurable, and directly relevant to the one thing a VPN's no-logs claim is supposed to protect.

Customer Support Comparison

IPVanish's 2025 Trust Center initiative includes quarterly transparency reporting alongside its standard support channels. StrongVPN's support relies on live chat and email without an equivalent transparency-reporting program, reflecting the broader pattern seen throughout this comparison: Ziff Davis has simply invested more in IPVanish's verification and transparency infrastructure than in StrongVPN's.

Payment options differ slightly: both accept standard cards and PayPal, but neither offers cryptocurrency payment, unlike some of the more privacy-focused independents covered elsewhere on this site. Refund policy is another real difference — IPVanish offers a 30-day guarantee across its website plans plus a 7-day trial through mobile app stores, while StrongVPN's guarantee applies only to annual plans, not monthly subscriptions.

Streaming access is broadly comparable between the two sister brands, with both reliably unblocking major US platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, though neither is best-in-class for consistent BBC iPlayer or non-US Netflix library access compared to dedicated streaming-focused competitors covered elsewhere on this site.

It's also worth noting that Ziff Davis itself is a large, diversified media and technology company that also owns PCMag, meaning neither StrongVPN nor IPVanish is the parent's sole focus. Still, the gap in audit investment between the two sister products is real and measurable, and it's the single clearest, most objective way to differentiate between two otherwise similar VPNs from the same owner.

If you've already found a promotional StrongVPN price that beats IPVanish significantly, that may still be a reasonable trade-off for casual, low-risk use — but go in knowing exactly what you're giving up in verification terms.

When in doubt between two sister products at a similar price, defaulting to the one with independent verification is almost always the safer call.

Take the time to compare current promotional pricing on both before making your final decision either way.

Keep an eye on whether StrongVPN eventually commissions its own independent audit, which would meaningfully change this comparison going forward.

Read the full individual reviews of both on this site before making your final call.

Whichever one you pick, verify current promotional pricing directly before subscribing to either.

Frequently Asked Questions