IVPN vs NordVPN

Comparing: two VPNs
Decided by: Independent no-logs audits
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26

IVPNTakes bitcoin

Eight straight years of Cure53 security audits, cash or Monero accepted, and a company that publicly refuses to commission another no-logs audit.

NordVPNTakes bitcoin

Six independent no-logs assurance engagements, more than anyone else here, and crypto refunds that are actually paid out.

Verdict: NordVPN

NordVPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 6 against 3 for IVPN. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides.

Criterion: Independent no-logs audits
IVPN: 3
NordVPN: 6

IVPN and NordVPN, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

IVPN and NordVPN compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	IVPN	NordVPN
Independent audits	3, latest 2026	6, latest 2025 (favoured on this row)
Real-world tests	0	0
Incidents on record	0	1
Market exits	0	1
Owner	IVPN Limited	Nord Security
Jurisdiction	Gibraltar	Panama
Eyes alliance	Outside	Outside
Price	From $60/yr on Standard	From $3.39/mo on the 2yr plan
Money-back	30 days	30 days
Crypto accepted	bitcoin, monero	bitcoin, ethereum
Anonymous signup	Yes	No
Free tier	None	None
Servers	Vendor runs a deliberately small network, in the low tens of countries, rather than competing on server counts	Vendor states thousands of RAM-only servers across roughly 125 countries
Last reviewed	2026-08-26	2026-08-26

No-logs evidence, side by side

Dated audits and real-world tests from each review. An empty column is a finding: the claim has not been independently checked.

IVPN

2026Audit by Cure53: eighth annual security audit, covering the cryptography and privacy model of the Unlinked Access system
2023Audit by Cure53: penetration test and configuration review of the new VPN gateway infrastructure, report published in full
2019Audit by Cure53: the no-logs audit of the VPN gateway and authentication servers, which IVPN says was its first and only audit of that format

NordVPN

2025Audit by Deloitte Lithuania: sixth no-logs assurance engagement under ISAE 3000 (Revised), covering standard, Double VPN, obfuscated and Onion Over VPN servers
2024Audit by Deloitte: fifth no-logs assurance engagement
2023Audit by Deloitte: fourth no-logs assurance engagement
2022Audit by Deloitte: third no-logs assurance engagement, the first conducted by Deloitte rather than PwC
2020Audit by PwC Switzerland: second and broader assurance engagement on the no-logs claim, reported 28 May 2020
2018Audit by PwC Switzerland: first independent assurance engagement on the no-logs claim

Frequently asked questions

Is IVPN or NordVPN better for privacy?

NordVPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 6 against 3 for IVPN. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay IVPN or NordVPN with bitcoin?

IVPN takes bitcoin and monero (processor: In-house). NordVPN takes bitcoin and ethereum (processor: CoinGate). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, IVPN or NordVPN?

IVPN: From $60/yr on Standard. NordVPN: From $3.39/mo on the 2yr plan. Money-back: IVPN 30 days, NordVPN 30 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are IVPN and NordVPN based?

IVPN: Gibraltar (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). NordVPN: Panama (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). A jurisdiction matters less than a court record showing what the provider could hand over; the reviews carry those where they exist.

The full reviews: IVPN and NordVPN, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

More comparisons

Every other head-to-head IVPN or NordVPN appears in.