VPN services provide online privacy and security. Many VPN providers offer users the option of L2TP/IPsec VPN protocol within the VPNs client. L2TP/IPsec protocol has the advantage of being easier to set up manually; which makes it useful for setting up on VPN compatible routers. L2TP/IPsec is sometimes faster than other secure VPN protocols, such as OpenVPN, which can make it a good option for internet users such as gamers.
In this article, we explain what an IPsec VPN actually is and also list the best VPN services that provide IPsec encryption. So, you can get a VPN provider that supports secure L2TP/IPsec implemented with a robust AES cipher.
What are the best VPNs with IPsec?
If you are in a hurry, here is a brief overview of the best VPNs that provide IPsec. Keep scrolling if you want to know more.
- ExpressVPN - The best IPsec VPN client. It provides L2TP/IPsec, is super fast, and has servers everywhere. Try the 30-day money-back guarantee!
- CyberGhost VPN - The best value L2TP/IPsec VPN. With easy-to-use apps for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Routers.
- Surfshark - The cheapest IPsec VPN. It is praised by consumers for its outstanding features and unlimited simultaneous connections.
- Private Internet Access - The best private IPsec VPN with a proven no-logs policy, and L2TP/IPsec and IKEv2 are available via the iOS app.
- VyprVPN - The best budget IPsec VPN. It has handy guides for setting up L2TP/IPsec and plenty of servers to choose from.
What is IPsec VPN encryption?
IPsec stands for Internet Protocol Security. It is a suite of encryption protocols that is commonly used by VPNs to securely transport data between two points. IPsec itself is made up of three primary elements; Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP), Authentication Header (AH), and Security Associations (SAs).
The above mentioned elements of IPsec can be set up in either transport or tunnel mode. VPN services stick to using the tunneling variety of the protocol. This is because it ensures the entire packet is encrypted and authenticated; including the header, which is also securely encapsulated in a data packet to protect its contents.
IPsec is most commonly used by VPN apps in one of two varieties:
- IKEv2/IPsec
- L2TP/IPsec
One drawback is that because L2TP/IPsec only uses a limited number of ports – the protocol can be fairly easy to block by ISPs, local network admins, and governments hostile to VPN use. The benefit of IPsec is that encryption occurs within the kernel with multithreading; which theoretically makes the protocol faster than OpenVPN.
The most important thing to get your head around is that IPsec is the part of the VPN protocol that provides the encryption and authentication (data privacy). Without IPsec; L2TP and IKEv2 would not actually be able to produce a secure tunnel for your data.
It is also important to remember that while some VPN providers refer to this kind of encryption as either L2TP or IPsec, the reality is that all VPNs providing this protocol are actually implementing L2TP/IPsec. VPNs that provide IKEv2/IPsec always refer to the protocol as IKEv2; meaning that there is far less confusion revolving around this particular protocol.
The Best IPsec VPN – In-depth Analysis
To use the L2TP/IPsec protocol securely, it is essential to subscribe to a VPN that implements it with a robust AES cipher. Below you can take a quick look at the best VPNs with L2TP/IPsec support. For more information about these IPsec VPNs, please head over to our VPN reviews.
ExpressVPN is the best IPsec VPN. L2TP/IPsec available on Windows and can be set up on VPN routers. IKEv2 available on Windows, Mac, and iOS. 30-Day money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN Demo ExpressVPN is a provider that has apps for all platforms. Those apps provide OpenVPN, which is most people’s preferred protocol. However, L2TP/IPsec is available natively within the Windows app for subscribers who want to use it. In addition, ExpressVPN provides all the data you need to set up an L2TP connection manually. That means you can use it on any device you wish. For users wondering about IKEv2; this is available natively within the Windows, macOS, and iOS app (but not on Android). Again, this gives users plenty of different encryption options if they need them. Express also supports the highly secure OpenVPN protocol, which we recommend over IKEv2 or IPSec, as well as their own implementation of WireGuard, which is quickly becoming a major contender for the top spot in VPN technologies. We love ExpressVPN because it has fast servers all over the world that can unblock highly sought after services like Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, hulu, and YouTube TV. It is also suitable for sensitive tasks thanks to its no logs policy and strong encryption and privacy features, which allow you to control when you're covered by ExpressVPN. Plus, its apps are fully featured! In addition to the previously mentioned kill switch, ExpressVPN also comes with DNS leak protection, and obfuscation tech to hide your VPN usage. Finally, you can use this VPN on up to 5 devices simultaneously. It's an incredibly reliable VPN that is well worth testing using its 30-day money-back guarantee. CyberGhost is the best value IPsec VPN client. IPsec/L2TP can be set up manually and IKEv2 is available on Windows and iOS. Very generous 45-day money-back guarantee. CyberGhost Demo CyberGhost is a secure VPN provider from Romania that has apps for all platforms. Those apps primarily provide OpenVPN encryption, which means that if you want to use L2TP/IPsec you will need to set it up manually. The good news is that CyberGhost VPN provides all the data you need to set up L2TP/IPsec manually, and you get a choice of 7 different server locations that you can connect to. For Windows and iOS users, IKEv2 is available as an alternative within the clients. However, macOS and Android users only get OpenVPN within the clients, which while secure is a problem if you're looking for IPsec support. Overall, we enjoy CyberGhost because of its ease of use. The VPN is highly secure thanks to its advanced privacy features (a kill switch and DNS leak protection) which make it great for torrenting along with P2P support. This VPN can also unblock Netflix US and BBC iPlayer thanks to their geolocated servers. Most households have a variety of devices that benefit from VPN coverage. Desktops and laptops are obvious, but phones, android streaming devices, even IoT devices can all benefit from the security that comes from a VPN. CyberGhost lets users install the VPN on up to 7 devices simultaneously to cover all of your household appliances. Best of all, CyberGhost VPN provides a generous 45-day money-back guarantee - which means you can test the service yourself to check that it works well for your needs. It's a superb all-rounder with a no logs policy. Surfshark is the cheapest IPsec VPN listed. IKEv2/IPsec is available on all apps, L2TP/IPsec can be manually set up, and users get fast speeds and has excellent privacy features. Surfshark Demo Surfshark is a VPN provider that largely considers L2TP/IPsec to be out-of-date and deprecated - this is largely true. For this reason, it does not provide this protocol natively in its clients (Android, iOS, macOS, or Windows). Despite this - for consumers who need to use L2TP/IPsec (to set up their VPN on a router, for example) - Surfshark does provide L2TP/IPsec for manual setup in the members area of its website. This compromise means that power users are able to take advantage of IPsec without exposing potential security flaws to less technically-minded users who just want the privacy afforded by Surfshark. This is great news for Surfshark subscribers who are not left wanting for superior protocol support. Even better news: Surfshark provides both OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec in all of its apps. These two protocols can be toggled manually within its VPN apps depending on your preferences. This is great for people who want to be able to benefit from the better speeds provided by the IKEv2 protocol. Surfshark also now supports WireGuard on Windows, Linux, macOS, and iOS, so users can also take advantage of the superior connection speed and stability afforded by this new protocol. Overall, this is a highly featured and private VPN that can unblock Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, and that is suitable for torrenting. With servers in over 60 countries you can unblock anything. And thanks to its no logs policy, you can always trust this VPN to give you privacy both at home and on public WiFi. Plus, you can install and use this VPN on an unlimited number of devices; which is highly generous. Most VPN vendors do not offer an unlimited device package, and if they do it's an extra fee. Surfshark comes with this by default. It's a superb VPN that is well worth testing using its 30-day money-back guarantee. PIA is the best secure IPsec VPN. L2TP/IPsec can be set up manually, and users get plenty of features and a no-logs policy. PIA Demo Private Internet Access is a VPN provider based in the USA that is known for its highly customizable apps for all platforms. Those apps have advanced VPN features such as a kill switch, DNS leak protection, obfuscation, port forwarding, split tunneling, and a SOCKS5 proxy. The apps come with OpenVPN by default - which is most people’s preferred protocol. PIA now also supports WireGuard for enhanced security and connectivity, significantly reducing connection times. For users who want to connect using L2TP/IPsec, this protocol is available in the iOS app. Users on other platforms will need to set up L2TP/IPsec manually. However, this will allow you to use the protocol if you need it on a router or elsewhere. Although PIA only has servers in 33 countries; those servers are extremely fast, which makes this VPN good for streaming and torrenting. It is also a no logs VPN, which means it is strong on privacy. If you're worried about taking PIA at their word, don't worry: they've been taken to court multiple times and have refused to release details on their users every single time. For users looking for the fastest speeds possible, IKEv2 encryption is available on iOS (it is not available in any of the other clients). Overall, this VPN is a pleasure to use, and we found their live chat agents to be very helpful in the cases where we couldn't find what we needed to know through PIA's knowledge base. Their VPN services are fantastic for torrenting regardless of which country you connect from, and you can access Netflix US in addition to a range of foreign streaming services thanks to PIA's geolocation capabilities and wide server range. A great all rounder that will let you set up L2TP/IPsec manually on any platform. You can test it risk-free thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. VyprVPN is the best budget IPsec VPN. A fully audited provider from Switzerland that provides L2TP/IPsec for manual setup. IKEv2 is available on Windows, iOS, and Mac. VYPR Demo VyprVPN is a provider from Switzerland; a location that is fantastic for a privacy service to be based. While L2TP/IPsec is not available within VyprVPN’s apps, it provides guides for setting it up manually on all platforms. In addition, this VPN provides a strong no logs policy and strong OpenVPN encryption, as well as fully featured apps that make it suitable for torrenting and streaming in HD. Admittedly, VyprVPN isn't as fast as the other providers in this guide. However, it is fast enough for streaming in HD. For those looking for the fastest speeds possible, IKEv2 is available on Windows, iOS and macOS. Plus, this VPN has servers in over 70 countries and can unblock Netflix US, iPlayer, and other sought after international services. VyprVPN also offers Chameleon by default, their proprietary obfuscation technology for hiding the fact you're using a VPN from any interested snoopers who want to profile you via Deep Packet Inspection. While this is great for accessing geo-locked content, it's also massively important if you're browsing from a regime where freedom of speech may be somewhat restricted. We enjoy using this VPN across all platforms and think it well worth testing using its 30-day money-back guarantee. It's a great all-rounder that has excellent setup guides to help you on your way to getting IPsec up and running on your home devices, and you can be confident VyprVPN will preserve your privacy while browsing, torrenting, or streaming. 1. ExpressVPN
Pricing
Pros
Cons
Available on
Unblocks
Website
Native IPSec support
Strong privacy
Stream wherever
Pricing
Pros
Cons
Available on
Unblocks
Website
Stay secure with CyberGhost
High security
Great coverage
Pricing
Pros
Cons
Available on
Unblocks
Website
In-Depth support guides
WireGuard capability
Unlimited devices
Pricing
Pros
Cons
Available on
Unblocks
Website
Advanced Feature Set
IPsec Built Into iOS
Privacy Preserving
5. VyprVPN
www.vyprvpn.com
Pricing
Pros
Cons
Available on
Unblocks
Manual Setup Guides
Strong Streaming Credentials
Money-Back Guarantee
Is IPsec secure?
L2TP/IPsec and IKEv2/IPsec are usually implemented by VPNs using the AES cipher. This implementation is generally considered secure. As a result, most people agree that you are free to use L2TP/IPsec or IKEv2/IPsec for data privacy purposes.
On the other hand, the Edward Snowden revelations did suggest that the NSA has managed to crack L2TP/IPsec (potentially even when it uses an AES cipher). This means that anybody looking for watertight data security may prefer to stick to OpenVPN or IKEv2.
In addition, it is worth noting that L2TP/IPsec can also be implemented using the 3DES cipher. This cipher is vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MITM) Attacks and the Sweet32 vulnerability. For this reason, trustworthy and reliable VPN providers do not use this particular cipher.
Despite this, it is possible that some outdated VPN clients may implement this insecure version of L2TP/IPsec; which is why we recommend that you subscribe only to the recommended IPsec VPNs in this article.
Why use IPsec encryption?
Most cybersecurity experts agree that OpenVPN and IKeV2 are much better option than L2TP/IPsec. This is because there are some concerns surrounding IPsec's use of pre-shared keys (PSKs) and the potential that the NSA can crack the cipher.
Under the worst circumstances, a PSK could theoretically be used by an attacker to impersonate a VPN server; which would allow the hacker to eavesdrop on the encrypted traffic. This is problematic, and means that people who require watertight privacy levels (political dissidents, journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, etc) should probably opt for a more secure VPN protocol.
However, many internet users are simply looking for added privacy from their ISP, or local network administrator. For these internet users, the use of a VPN is often primarily for geo-spoofing purposes. And, under these circumstances, it is considered safe to use L2TP/IPsec without any real concerns.
Below, we have included a list of reasons why you might consider using L2TP/IPsec rather than OpenVPN. However, if faster speeds are what you are after, we generally recommend going for IKEv2 over L2TP/IPsec because this has been proven to be the fastest of the three protocols.
- Online gaming
- Streaming HD video (Netflix, YouTube, etc)
- Listening to music (Spotify, SoundCloud, etc)
- Making video conferencing calls
- Downloading torrents
What are the alternatives to IPsec encryption?
VPNs tend to provide more than one encryption protocol. The most common encryption protocols you are likely to find inside a VPN app are as follows:
- OpenVPN (UDP and TCP)
- IKEv2
- L2TP/IPsec
- PPTP
Of these protocols, we always recommend that you stick to OpenVPN or IKEv2 wherever possible. If faster speeds are necessary, try to stick to OpenVPN UDP or IKEv2. If for some reason you need to set up a device that does not support OpenVPN or IKEv2, then you can opt for L2TP/IPsec if you wish (this is commonly used to set up VPN routers manually, for example).
The only protocol that we don't recommend is PPTP. PPTP is completely deprecated for security and privacy purposes and should never be used for anything but geo-spoofing; because it can be cracked. Thus, if your options are to use either L2TP/IPsec or PPTP, then we strongly urge you to stick to L2TP/IPsec.
Is L2TP secure?
L2TP alone is not secure because it does not provide any encryption or authorization. That is why L2TP is always implemented with IPsec. However, it is worth noting that IPsec connections require a pre-shared key (PSK) to function on both the client and server side – to successfully encrypt and tunnel traffic to one another.
The exchange of the PSK creates the opportunity for hackers to intercept that key, which is why IPsec is generally considered less secure than the SSL security used by OpenVPN (which employs public key cryptography).
Should I use L2TP/IPsec for streaming?
If you are using your VPN to access a foreign streaming service, or to watch home TV services on vacation L2TP is a decent option.
This kind of VPN use case is not particularly sensitive, meaning that you do not necessarily require high levels of privacy for your data. Instead, you are primarily interested in the VPN's location spoofing capacity, in order to access a foreign IP and stream a region-locked streaming provider.
If this is your requirement, then you can try using L2TP as this may be able to provide you with a faster connection for streaming in HD without any buffering. The important thing to remember is that leading VPNs often provide a choice of protocols.
In addition to L2TP, your VPN may also provide protocols such as OpenVPN UDP, IKEv2, and WireGuard. All of these protocols offer decent speeds for streaming, so it is worth trying all of them to see which works best for you.
Generally speaking, we recommend that you try WireGuard as this is a newer protocols that was specifically designed to give you the best speeds. However, it is also worth remembering that some providers have a proprietary protocol that is better for getting high speeds.
If you want to test a different protocol, open your VPN app's settings, find the protocol options, and switch to each protocol until you find the best one for streaming without lag and buffering.
Conclusion
L2TP/IPsec is a popular VPN protocol with many uses. It combines the best features of the IPsec protocol and L2TP protocol, so it's both secure and flexible. Depending on your needs, good alternatives to L2TP/IPsec are OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols, as they are more lightweight and faster. But overall, L2TP/IPsec is a reliable and secure VPN protocol worth considering for protecting your data and ensuring great levels of privacy online.
The VPNs in this table have a stellar choice of VPN protocols, including L2TP/IPsec.
From $6.67/month
The best IPsec VPN client. It provides L2TP/IPsec, is super fast, and has servers everywhere. Try the 30-day money-back guarantee!
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 10 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- 5
- Server locations
- 160
- Free trial
- No
From $2.11/month
The best value L2TP/IPsec VPN. With easy-to-use apps for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Routers.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.9 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- 7
- Server locations
- 117
- Free trial
- Yes
From $2.30/month
The cheapest IPsec VPN. It is praised by consumers for its outstanding features and unlimited simultaneous connections.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.8 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- Unlimited
- Server locations
- 100
- Free trial
- Yes
From $2.19/month
The best private IPsec VPN with a proven no-logs policy, and L2TP/IPsec and IKEv2 are available via the iOS app.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.7 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- Unlimited
- Server locations
- 84
- Free trial
- No
From $5.00/month
The best budget IPsec VPN. It has handy guides for setting up L2TP/IPsec and plenty of servers to choose from.
- ProPrivacy TrustScore:
- 9.6 out of 10
- Simultaneous connections
- 10
- Server locations
- 70
- Free trial
- No
IPsec VPN FAQs