Comparison

IVPN vs SA_agent

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

IVPN

This app provides a privacy-focused VPN service with advanced features like multi-hop connections and a built-in ad/tracker blocker. It offers secure browsing across multiple devices and emphasizes transparency with open-source apps and no email requirement for account creation.

Highlights
  • WireGuard protocol support
  • Multi-hop connections
  • Built-in ad/tracker blocker
  • Open-source apps
  • No email required for account
  • Automatic Kill Switch
Features
Read full description

IVPN is a privacy-first VPN service that offers WireGuard, multi-hop connections and a built-in ad/tracker blocker. What makes our customers trust us: - Regular third-party audits since 2019. - Open-source apps without trackers. - Privacy friendly account creation - no email address required. - Transparent ownership, team. - Clear privacy policy and strong ethical guidelines. What can you expect when using IVPN for iOS: - Fast servers in more than 50 locations. - OpenVPN, IPSec with IKEv2 and WireGuard protocol support. - Improved security for Wi-Fi/LTE/3G/4G. - Use on up to 7 devices (Pro plan). - AntiTracker to block ads, web and app trackers. - Automatic Kill Switch. - Set trusted networks and use custom DNS. - Multi-hop connections for improved privacy. - 24/7 customer service assistance. What we do differently than other VPNs? - No logs and data collection. - No free tier, data mining and selling of browser history. - No third-party tools in app. - No misleading ads. - No false promises (e.g. full anonymous connection). - Privacy guides to help you improve your privacy. - Civilian grade encryption. Why use a VPN on iOS? - Improve your data privacy with a private connection on your iPhone and iPad. - Secure VPN for browsing at WiFi hotspots, airports and hotels. - Hide your connection and protect your private data from your ISP. - Hide your IP to prevent websites snooping on you. IVPN was founded in 2009 with a mission of protecting individual privacy. Our team includes information security experts and privacy advocates who are working towards a surveillance-free future. We believe that everybody has the right to freedom of opinion and expression online without interference. Review our clear, simple privacy policy: https://www.ivpn.net/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.ivpn.net/tos Privacy guides: https://www.ivpn.net/blog/privacy-guides WireGuard® is a registered trademark of Jason A. Donenfeld.

About

SA_agent

Features
Read full description

SA_agent is a Safari Web Extension for researchers who use Google Scholar on iPhone and iPad. It adds local journal context to supported result pages. A 7-day free trial, then $4.99 per year, unlocks the extension. Summaries use Apple Intelligence on your device. RESEARCH WITH LOCAL JOURNAL CONTEXT • See color-coded SJR quartiles and available JCR, CAS, CiteScore, indexing, and discipline-list fields beside supported Scholar results. • Match journals on device with an ISSN hit, a result cache, a Bloom filter, a sorted prefix index, a token index, and a trigram index that checks plausible titles with a banded edit-distance test. • Search more than 35,000 bundled journals by title or ISSN without contacting a journal-ranking service. • Choose, reorder, and hide ranking badges to match your workflow. • Import a private custom journal list from CSV or JSON and display its ranks alongside bundled data. Custom datasets stay in extension-local storage. OPTIONAL AI RESEARCH TOOLS • Create focused paper summaries from Scholar results. • Choose a 30–1,000-word target and Academic, Formal, or Casual tone. • Regenerate or improve a summary, then copy it or download it as text. • Connect an optional Zotero Web API account, format up to 50 library items in APA, Chicago, MLA, or Harvard style, and generate a downloadable literature-review draft. • Summaries and literature reviews are created with Apple Intelligence on your device. SUBSCRIPTION Start a 7-day free trial in the SA_agent app, then subscribe for $4.99 per year. Apple confirms the price before the trial begins. Cancel during the trial and you will not be charged. An active trial or subscription unlocks Scholar rankings, Journal Search, custom datasets, summaries, and Zotero literature reviews. You do not paste an extension token. Earlier credit packs do not unlock the subscription. PRIVACY BY ACTION Journal matching, ranking lookup, and custom datasets are processed locally. Summaries and literature reviews use Apple Intelligence on your device and are not sent to an SA Agent server. Optional Zotero credentials are used for Zotero API requests. SA_agent does not sell personal information, collect general browsing history, or run advertising analytics. See the Privacy Policy for complete details. GET STARTED 1. Open SA_agent and start the 7-day free trial. After the trial, the subscription is $4.99 per year. 2. Enable the SA_agent extension in Safari and allow access to supported Google Scholar pages. 3. Open the extension Options page to choose badges, search journals, add a custom dataset, or connect Zotero. Availability of optional ranking fields depends on the licensed data included in the installed release. SA_agent is intended for academic research workflows. Google Scholar and Zotero are trademarks of their respective owners. SA_agent is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google Scholar or Zotero. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://swiphtgroup.com/sa-agent/privacy/

Screenshots

IVPN4 screens
SA_agent4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SA_agent at every 3 weeks against IVPN's every 2 months. SA_agent also leads on device support (5 vs 3). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. IVPN sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and SA_agent sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

IVPN ships an update every 2 months, SA_agent every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
IVPN versus SA_agent: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIVPNSA_agent
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (250 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews55.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings250 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIVPN Limited鹏帆 常

Bugs and requests

IVPN

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • iOS app crashing on launch
  • Inability to connect to certain servers
  • Billing and account management issues

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to select specific servers instead of just cities
  • Siri Shortcuts integration
  • Always-on firewall or kill switch on mobile
  • Support for IKEv2 protocol on iOS and macOS

SA_agent

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

IVPN

Subscriptions2
  • 1 month IVPN Standard service3 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • 1 month IVPN Pro service3 Days trial$9.991 Month
One-time8
  • IVPN Standard 1 week$1.99
  • IVPN Pro Suite 1 week$3.99
  • IVPN Standard 1 month$5.99
Show 5 more
  • 1 Month$9.99
  • IVPN Pro Suite 1 month$9.99
  • IVPN Standard 1 year$59.99
  • 12 Months$99.99
  • IVPN Pro Suite 1 year$99.99
4 purchases

SA_agent

Subscriptions1
  • SA_agent Annual7 Days trial$4.991 Year
One-time3
  • SA Agent Credits$0.99
  • SA Agent Credits$4.99
  • SA Agent Credits$19.99

Questions

Is IVPN free?
IVPN is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SA_agent free?
SA_agent is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do IVPN or SA_agent have ads?
Neither IVPN nor SA_agent shows ads.
Which is updated more often, IVPN or SA_agent?
IVPN ships an update every 2 months, and SA_agent every 3 weeks. Most recently, IVPN was updated on October 24, 2026 and SA_agent on October 25, 2026.

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