IPv6 is increasingly common as more devices connect to the internet, from mobile phones to Smart TVs. And as more devices go online, there will be a growing demand for the universal adoption of IPv6. Right now, however, there are only a few VPNs with full IPv6 support. In this guide we’ll examine the top IPv6 VPNs and also answer some frequently-asked-questions.
One problem when using a VPN (virtual private network) is IP address leaks. This is especially the case with IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6).
What does that mean for you? Your private information (IPv6 address and location) may be leaking out online while you assume your VPN is keeping you safe. But before we dig into the details of the IPv6 VPN problem, let’s quickly cover some basics.
What is IPv4 and IPv6?
Every device that connects to the internet has a unique IP (Internet Protocol) address. This address can be used to identify your specific device and geographic location. An IPv4 address is an IP address system that utilizes a 32-bit decimal number (like this: 192.0.2.235). But because we’re rapidly running out of IPv4 addresses with more devices connecting to the internet, the transition to IPv6 is getting underway.
An IPv6 address is the updated IP address system, which uses a longer 128-bit version. This significantly increases the number of IP addresses available. An IPv6 address looks like this:
2001:0db8:0000:0042:0000:8a2e:0370:7334
The transition from IPv4 to IPv6 that is currently underway creates a problem for most VPN services.
VPN services with full IPv6 support
Most VPNs have been slow to accommodate this transition to IPv6 and update their server networks accordingly. Of course, upgrading servers to support IPv6 is an expensive and difficult fix. So it’s understandable that it’s not (yet) a top priority.
Right now, we only see a few VPN services offering full IPv6 support, whereby you will receive both an IPv4 and IPv6 address when you connect to the VPN server. So without further delay, let’s examine some IPv6 VPNs.
Here are the best VPNs with IPv6:
1. Perfect Privacy VPN with IPv6
| VPN | Perfect Privacy |
| Based in | Switzerland |
| Logs | No logs |
| Price | $8.95/mo. |
| Support | Email & forum |
| Refund | 7 days |
| Website | Perfect-Privacy.com |
We have been fans of Perfect Privacy VPN for many years, and it is often ahead of the crowd when it comes to VPN features and improvements. For example, it was one of the first VPNs to offer an ad blocking VPN feature with robust filtering capabilities.
Perfect Privacy VPN has supported IPv6 for many years now. You can see this on the Perfect Privacy server status page, which shows:
- All server locations and which servers are online
- Real-time bandwidth statistics
- The VPN servers that support IPv6
Nearly every server in the Perfect Privacy network supports IPv6, as you can see is noted on the right in the image above. One interesting point that we also see is that torrenting is not allowed on US servers, such as in Dallas. Many VPNs block torrenting on servers in countries that have strict copyright regulations. This is discussed more in our torrenting VPN guide.
Perfect Privacy has apps for Windows, Mac OS, Android, and Linux. Other operating systems are supported natively or through third-party apps like Tunnelblick. Regardless of what app or device you are using, Perfect Privacy servers always provide you with a full IPv6 and IPv4 address whenever you are connected.
Overall, Perfect Privacy is a great service for those seeking advanced Privacy and security features, but it does come with a few drawbacks:
- Above-average prices (starting at $8.95 per month)
- Limited support for streaming services (see these other VPNs for streaming)
- No apps for iOS devices
Our Perfect Privacy Review has more info and test results.
2. OVPN – A Swedish IPv6 VPN service
| VPN | OVPN |
| Based in | Sweden |
| Logs | No logs |
| Price | $4.99/mo. |
| Support | Email and chat |
| Refund | 10 days |
| Website | OVPN.com |
OVPN is a VPN service based in Sweden that is heavily focused on privacy. And like Perfect Privacy, OVPN has offered IPv6 support for the past few years. It is also a verified no logs VPN, having had their no-logs policy challenged (and verified) in court.
OVPN performed well in our tests for the OVPN review. We found it to be fast, reliable, and user-friendly. And while it is somewhat limited on streaming support, it is still a VPN that works with Netflix for a select few regions. Below is the OVPN Windows VPN app we tested out. Notice that you can enable/disable IPv6 directly in the settings area:
OVPN also now supports the WireGuard VPN protocol. WireGuard is a newer VPN protocol that delivers excellent performance and upgraded security. In our tests, we have found WireGuard to significantly outperform OpenVPN and other legacy protocols. Similarly, VPNs with WireGuard usually outperform VPNs with (only) OpenVPN by a large margin. You can see this in the NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison.
OVPN also has some great privacy features. First, they offer VPN browser extensions with ad-blocking capability. They also have double-VPN servers that route and encrypt traffic over two hops in the network. OVPN owns all of the servers in their network, giving them full control over all infrastructure hardware (no rental servers). To learn more, check out their website or read our review below.
See our OVPN review for more info and test results.
3. AzireVPN – An IPv6 VPN in Sweden
| VPN | AzireVPN |
| Based in | Sweden |
| Logs | No logs |
| Price | €3.25/mo. |
| Support | |
| Refund | 7 days |
| Website | AzireVPN.com |
AzireVPN is another Swedish VPN service that is heavily focused on privacy and security. Like OVPN, AzireVPN also owns all the hardware in it’s network and has a strict no-logs policy. It supports the WireGuard VPN protocol, but only offers apps for desktop operating systems.
AzireVPN has a very small/limited server network, but this is also to be expected with a smaller niche VPN service. The lack of mobile apps is another big drawback, but you can still use third-party apps with the AzireVPN. Every server in AzireVPN’s network has full IPv6 support.
Is my IPv6 address safe with a VPN?
The short answer is maybe. As we already noted above, most VPNs do not support IPv6. This means that they merely block IPv6 on your devices.
We have tested all of the best VPN services we recommend and found them to not leak IPv6 addresses. However, there are some VPNs that we have found to leak IPv6 address. One such example was noted in our VPN Unlimited review. As you can see below, the VPN app was providing us with an IPv4 address, but our real IPv6 address was leaking out of the tunnel.
Note: These leaks were limited to the Mac OS VPN apps and were related to problems/errors with the kill switch.
Of course, there are also VPN services that effectively block IPv6, thereby preventing any leaks. However, this situation is a reminder that illustrates the importance of testing your VPN. We have a list of VPN tests you can run to verify IPv6, IPv4, DNS, and more.
VPN IPv6 Solutions
In dealing with IPv6 with your VPN, you basically have three options:
- Use a VPN with full IPv6 support
- Disable IPv6 on your device
- Use a VPN that effectively blocks IPv6
The best solution is to utilize a VPN service that supports both IPv4 and IPv6 on their VPN server network. As we’ve already discussed, very few VPNs offer this solution. When you use a VPN with full IPv6 support, you will be broadcasting both an IPv4 and IPv6 address when your device connects to the VPN server.
The second solution is to simply disable IPv6 on your device. This is an easy fix for some operating systems, but not all. For example, you can easily disable IPv6 on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. However, many mobile devices today rely entirely on IPv6, rather than IPv4. The same holds true for “smart” devices that connect to your network.
Of course, the third option is to use a VPN that effectively blocks IPv6 within the VPN client. We see this solution being implemented with most VPNs today. While it’s not perfect, it is probably an adequate solution for the time being.
To conclude, you may also want to check out our roundup of the best VPN services. These are the VPNs that did not have any data leaks and also meet other published criteria.
I just had Comcast break off their deal with Norton/Lifelock and since I wanted to keep Norton and my wife and I discussed Lifelock and decided to take their “special deal” as ex-Comcast users, I found myself with a Norton350/Lifelock/VPN package.
I used whatismyipaddress.com to see what my IP was to the outside world and found to my surprise that the V6 IP is the same for VPN on and VPN off. Only the V4 IP changes.
Then I found your site when I searched for “Does Norton VPN support IPV6.
Norton support says “Norton Core currently does not support IPv6. We have plans to add support for IPv6 in the future. Please revisit this page for updates on Norton Core support for IPv6.”
Wow, that’s really bad. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. This means that the VPN is basically useless with your IPv6 addressed exposed with everything you do online. Most VPNs either block IPv6 or support it, not just leave it exposed like Norton.
Hi Sven,
I’m shopping for a new VPN and noting areas to pay attention of today. One area that can’t be to far off as in finding some future-proofing going on is with the IPv6 addresses. Excerpts as you’ve stated here and there on your site:
–
IPv6 support: Perfect Privacy is one of the few VPNs offering full IPv6 support (you get both an IPv4 and IPv6 address) – The best solution is to utilize a VPN service that supports both IPv4 and IPv6 on their VPN server network, very few VPNs offer this solution.
To see a list of VPNs that were tested and found to keep both IPv4 and IPv6 secure (no IP address leaks), see the Best VPN List.
Passed all tests with no leaks found whatsoever (no IP address leaks or DNS leaks)(no IP address leaks)
https://restoreprivacy.com/vpn/best/
–
Ranking criteria – 2. Passed all tests with no leaks found whatsoever (no IP address leaks or DNS leaks).
– I don’t see any VPN being specifically called out for this IPv6 secure feature (IPv6 support) other than Perfect Privacy.
So without IPv6 support offered how does the 6 listed of this seven pass the IPv6 leakage tests…
So is Perfect Privacy the only one to offer IPv6 support?
–
Being a bit picky (so forgive me), the prices stated on your site for what I’ve noticed in ‘Secure Email’ and ‘VPN’s’ are seemingly special and/or in ways not associated with the everyday price one will find in their pricing schedule.
Meaning – minimum account storage allotments or multiple year subscription terms – as a few points reflecting lower monthly pricing.
Wouldn’t it be better to add something such ‘as low as’ or other disclaimers that the prices stated here are for a (low tier) bare account’s setup.
EX: on Tutanota you have (Storage Up to 20 GB) with the pricing shown as (Price/Month €1.00*) *Free tier: Up to 1GB
*** NO understanding of the 20GB relationship to the Price/Month of €1.00*, or what the Price/Month €1.00* gets you in meaningful account storage.
Thank you – Sir
PS:
It’s interesting, you can bring the cost within $0.63 a month of each others service (Perfect Privacy – ExpressVPN).
Granted – – one is a 12 month ExpressVPN term and the other needs to be a 24 month Perfect Privacy term – to close the cost gap within $0.63 a month of each VPN service.
With price, I show the cheapest paid plan, but with email storage, I list the max possible, so they are not correlated with each other.
Thank you, That sounds promising.
It is exactly the problem they write about, (although they emphasize more the problem of inbound traffic, btw. that’s also an issue for me). So I’ll give it a try with them.
My provider’s NAT server (even without the bottleneck) inserts its delay anyyway into all my IPv4 traffic, so the overall compare regarding the speed might have a little less handicap for the VPN solution.
I will have it at least as a backup for the congested periods, and also on the plus-side is the extra privacy of course.
Thank you again.
Hi Sven,
Could you please clarify if the ‘IPv6 service’ of these providers concerns their outgoing traffic only, or the connection between my machine and the VPN server can also be forced to use IPv6 only?
The problem I would like to solve is not just concerning the IPv6 leaks but the following:
Some months ago my Internet provider moved me to a so-called DS-Lite (Dualstack-Lite) service. This means I have a quasi-permanent public IPv6 address now, but I have no own public IPv4 address any more.
When I visit IPv4 sites (and most of the websites are still IPv4) all my traffic goes thru the provider’s NAT Server that apparently gets congested very often, so sometimes I get very poor IPv4 service (up to total packet losts). There is no problem with the IPv6 traffic at the same time which is apparently not routed thru their NAT Servers.
My plan is to connect to the VPN server via IPv6 (to avoid my provider’s NAT Server) and from there have a more reliable IPv4 service (and IPv6 also).
Hi Bela. I found this on the Perfect Privacy IPv6 page:
So if you were connected to a Perfect Privacy VPN server, your traffic would be fully encrypted between your computer and the VPN server, and therefore bypass the NAT processing completely (congestion problems). This should improve speed and reliability – but I can’t say for certain.