Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about our technical review methodology, service evaluation process, and how to use our platform.
General Questions
iprates.com is an independent technical review platform dedicated to providing unbiased, in-depth analysis of digital services. We specialize in technical evaluations of hosting providers, VPN services, proxy networks, anti-detection browsers, privacy tools, and related digital infrastructure.
Unlike many review sites, we focus exclusively on technical performance metrics, security analysis, and reliability testing rather than marketing claims. All services are purchased anonymously and tested through our proprietary evaluation methodology to ensure objective results.
We maintain our independence through a combination of business models:
- Premium Subscriptions: Our primary revenue source is our Pro subscription, which provides access to detailed technical data, historical performance trends, and advanced comparison tools.
- Affiliate Relationships: We use affiliate links for some services, but importantly, these relationships have absolutely no influence on our ratings or recommendations. Our technical testing is conducted independently of any business relationships.
- Technical Reports: We produce specialized industry reports for enterprise clients seeking in-depth analysis of specific service categories.
We maintain strict editorial independence with a firewall between our testing team and business operations. All testing methodology decisions are made exclusively by our technical team without input from management regarding business relationships.
We follow a comprehensive update schedule to ensure our reviews remain accurate:
- Major Reviews: Each service undergoes a complete re-evaluation every 6 months with our full testing protocol.
- Spot Checks: We conduct monthly spot checks to verify that key performance metrics remain consistent.
- Feature Updates: Whenever a service announces significant new features or changes, we perform targeted testing of those specific components.
- Security Alerts: If security vulnerabilities are discovered in a service, we immediately test and update our security assessment.
Each review includes a “Last Tested” date so you can see exactly when our most recent evaluation was conducted. For premium subscribers, we provide access to historical testing data to track performance trends over time.
Yes! We welcome service suggestions from our community. You can submit recommendations through our Service Suggestion Form. We evaluate all submissions based on several factors:
- User demand and number of requests
- Relevance to our core technical categories
- Market significance and innovation
- Technical complexity and testing feasibility
While we can’t review every suggestion, we regularly add new services based on community input. Premium subscribers receive priority consideration for their suggestions and can vote on upcoming reviews.
We offer several ways to get in touch with our team:
- General Inquiries: info@iprates.com
- Technical Support: support@iprates.com
- Feedback & Corrections: feedback@iprates.com
- Business Inquiries: business@iprates.com
- Live Chat: Available on our website Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm EST
Our typical response time is within 24 hours for email inquiries. Premium subscribers have access to priority support with faster response times.
Review Methodology
Our testing methodology is built on several key principles to ensure objectivity:
- Anonymous Purchases: We buy all services anonymously using standard payment methods to prevent preferential treatment.
- Standardized Testing: Each service category has a defined testing protocol with specific benchmarks and performance criteria.
- Multiple Testing Locations: We test from various global locations to account for geographic performance differences.
- Repeatable Results: All tests are run multiple times to ensure consistency and eliminate anomalies.
- Blind Analysis: Technical analysts evaluate results without knowing which service they’re from to prevent bias.
- Open Methodology: We publish our testing procedures so you can understand exactly how we arrive at our conclusions.
Our complete testing methodology is available at iprates.com/methodology, where we detail our evaluation criteria, testing tools, and scoring systems.
We maintain dedicated testing infrastructure specifically designed for technical evaluations:
- Testing Lab: Our primary testing facility includes standardized hardware configurations with consistent specifications.
- Global Testing Nodes: We operate testing servers in 47 countries to evaluate regional performance differences.
- Network Monitoring: Enterprise-grade monitoring tools track latency, packet loss, jitter, and throughput.
- Security Analysis Tools: We use professional security auditing software to evaluate encryption implementations and potential vulnerabilities.
- Custom Testing Scripts: Our engineering team develops specialized testing scripts for each service category.
All equipment is calibrated regularly, and we maintain identical testing environments to ensure consistent evaluations across all services. We update our testing infrastructure annually to account for evolving technology standards.
Our rating system is based on a weighted scoring methodology that prioritizes technical performance:
- Category-Specific Factors: Each service type has unique evaluation criteria. For example, VPN services are evaluated on encryption strength, speed impact, DNS leak protection, etc.
- Performance Weight: Objective performance metrics account for 70% of the total score, with subjective factors like interface usability making up the remaining 30%.
- Benchmark Comparisons: Raw performance data is evaluated against category benchmarks to determine relative ratings.
- Stability Testing: Consistency of performance is measured over time and impacts the reliability score.
Final ratings are determined through a combination of algorithmic scoring and expert review. At least two technical analysts independently review each service before finalizing scores to ensure accuracy and eliminate potential bias.
Absolutely not. We maintain strict editorial independence and never accept payment for reviews or rating adjustments. Our reputation depends on providing unbiased technical analysis, and we have several policies in place to prevent conflicts of interest:
- All services are purchased anonymously using standard consumer payment methods.
- Our testing team operates independently from our business development department.
- We decline all offers from companies that attempt to influence reviews through payments or perks.
- Our revenue model is built primarily on reader subscriptions rather than vendor relationships.
- We publicly disclose all affiliate relationships and business connections.
If a service receives a positive review, it’s exclusively because it performed well in our technical testing. Companies cannot pay for placement in our rankings or to improve their scores.
Accounts & Subscriptions
iprates.com offers different access levels to meet various user needs:
- Free Access:
- Basic reviews with summary performance data
- General recommendations and top picks
- Limited comparison tools for up to 3 services
- Access to general knowledge base articles
- Premium Subscription:
- Comprehensive technical data with full performance metrics
- Historical performance tracking and trend analysis
- Advanced filtering and comparison tools for all services
- Raw test data export capabilities
- Early access to new reviews and updates
- Priority support and feature requests
- No advertisements
We maintain this model to provide basic information freely while supporting our extensive testing infrastructure through premium subscriptions.
Premium subscription options are designed to fit different needs:
- Monthly Plan: $9.99/month with full access to all premium features
- Annual Plan: $89.99/year ($7.50/month equivalent), saving you 25% compared to monthly billing
- Team Plan: $199.99/year for up to 5 users, ideal for small businesses and technical teams
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing for larger organizations with advanced needs
All plans include the same premium features, with Team and Enterprise plans adding collaborative tools and administrative controls. We offer a 7-day free trial of premium features, and all subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
You can easily cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings:
- Log into your iprates.com account
- Navigate to “Account Settings”
- Select the “Subscription” tab
- Click “Cancel Subscription”
- Confirm your cancellation
When you cancel, you’ll maintain access to premium features until the end of your current billing period. We don’t offer partial refunds for unused subscription time, but you’re welcome to use all premium features until the subscription expires.
If you cancel within the 30-day money-back guarantee period, you can request a full refund by contacting support@iprates.com.
Individual premium accounts are designed for single-user access only and should not be shared. Our subscription terms prohibit account sharing, and our system may detect and restrict access if unusual login patterns are detected.
We offer specific options for legitimate multi-user scenarios:
- Team Plan: Supports up to 5 users with individual logins for $199.99/year
- Enterprise Plan: Custom user counts for larger organizations with centralized billing and administration
These multi-user plans include collaboration features like shared saved comparisons, team notifications for service updates, and centralized billing that aren’t available with individual accounts.
Services Reviewed
We focus on technical digital service categories with the following specializations:
- Hosting Services: Shared hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, cloud hosting, and specialized hosting platforms
- VPN Services: Consumer and business VPN providers, protocol implementations, multi-hop configurations
- Proxy Services: Datacenter proxies, residential proxies, rotating proxies, and specialized proxy infrastructures
- Anti-detection Browsers: Browser fingerprinting protection tools, canvas spoofing solutions, and browser isolation technologies
- IPTV Services: Streaming quality, channel availability, EPG accuracy, and reliability testing
- Privacy Tools: Encrypted messaging, secure storage, tracking prevention, and data anonymization services
- CDN Services: Performance, reliability, security features, and edge computing capabilities
- Email Security: Encryption, spam filtering, authentication protocols, and phishing protection
We regularly expand our coverage based on emerging technologies and user requests. If there’s a service category you’d like us to investigate, you can suggest it through our Category Suggestion Form.
As of May 2025, our database includes:
- 124 actively maintained service reviews across all categories
- 42 hosting providers with detailed server performance metrics
- 37 VPN services with comprehensive security audits
- 28 proxy providers with multi-location performance testing
- 12 anti-detection browser solutions with fingerprinting resistance tests
- 15 IPTV providers with quality and reliability assessments
- 20+ privacy tools across various subcategories
We add approximately 3-5 new service reviews each month while maintaining our existing review database with regular updates. Our focus is on depth and quality rather than quantity, so we thoroughly evaluate each service rather than providing superficial reviews of many options.
Yes, we conduct global service testing across 47 countries to provide region-specific performance data.
Our testing infrastructure includes nodes in:
- North America: United States (multiple locations), Canada, Mexico
- Europe: UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Poland, and 10+ other countries
- Asia-Pacific: Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, India, Hong Kong, and others
- South America: Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia
- Middle East & Africa: UAE, South Africa, Israel, Egypt
This global testing approach allows us to identify regional performance variations and provide location-specific recommendations. Premium subscribers can filter performance data by region to find services that work best in their specific location.
We welcome submissions from service providers who want their products evaluated. Here’s our process:
- Initial Qualification: Complete our Provider Submission Form with details about your service category, features, and technical specifications.
- Review Selection: Our editorial team evaluates submissions based on reader interest, market significance, and technical innovation.
- Anonymous Purchase: If selected, we’ll purchase your service anonymously through standard channels like any other customer.
- Standard Testing: Your service undergoes the same rigorous testing as all other reviewed services in your category.
- Editorial Review: Our technical team evaluates the results and prepares an unbiased review.
Important: We do not accept payment for reviews or rating adjustments. All services are evaluated objectively based on their technical performance. We also don’t accept free accounts or special access as this would compromise our testing methodology.
Technical Questions
Our performance testing uses standardized benchmarks specific to each service category:
- Hosting Services:
- Page load time (TTFB, FCP, LCP)
- Server response under load (concurrent connection handling)
- Database query performance (MySQL/PostgreSQL benchmarks)
- File I/O operations and storage performance
- VPN Services:
- Connection speeds across multiple protocols
- Latency impact and jitter measurements
- DNS resolution time and reliability
- Connection establishment duration
- Proxy Services:
- Request throughput and concurrency handling
- IP rotation consistency and uniqueness
- Geographic accuracy of proxy locations
- Session stability under sustained use
All benchmarks are run on standardized hardware using automated testing scripts to ensure consistency. Premium subscribers can access the complete benchmark results including raw performance data.
Our security testing methodology combines automated scanning with manual verification:
- Protocol Analysis: We verify encryption implementations, key exchange methods, and cipher suites using specialized protocol analyzers.
- Leak Testing: Services are evaluated for DNS leaks, WebRTC leaks, IPv6 leaks, and other information exposure vectors.
- Authentication Security: We assess password policies, MFA implementation, and session management security.
- Configuration Auditing: Default configurations are analyzed for potential security weaknesses or misconfigurations.
- Update Verification: We check that services run current versions of software without known vulnerabilities.
Important: Our security testing is non-invasive and focuses on identifying misconfigurations and implementation weaknesses rather than attempting to exploit vulnerabilities. We follow responsible disclosure practices for any security issues discovered during testing.
Yes, we conduct comprehensive mobile testing as part of our evaluation process:
- Mobile App Testing: For services with dedicated mobile apps, we test on both iOS and Android platforms using standardized device profiles.
- Mobile Web Compatibility: Services with web interfaces are tested on mobile browsers for responsiveness and functionality.
- Battery Impact: We measure the power consumption impact of services, particularly relevant for VPNs and security tools.
- Data Usage: Background data consumption and efficiency are evaluated for mobile-specific concerns.
- Platform-Specific Features: We verify that platform-specific capabilities (like iOS Network Extensions or Android VPN APIs) are properly implemented.
Our standard testing protocol includes iPhone 13/14/15 models running current iOS versions and Samsung Galaxy S22/S23/S24 devices running current Android versions. Additional devices are used when testing indicates platform-specific concerns.
Yes, premium subscribers have access to our raw testing data with several options:
- Interactive Dashboards: Explore performance metrics through our web interface with filtering and visualization tools.
- CSV Exports: Download complete datasets for custom analysis in your preferred tools.
- API Access: Enterprise subscribers can access testing data programmatically through our REST API.
- Historical Data: Access performance trends with up to 24 months of historical testing results.
Raw data includes all performance metrics, reliability statistics, security assessment scores, and feature verification results. This level of transparency allows technical users to conduct their own analysis beyond our standard evaluations.
Free users receive summarized results and key performance indicators but don’t have access to the complete testing datasets.
Still Have Questions?
Our support team is ready to help you with any additional questions about our technical reviews, testing methodology, or platform features.