This Months Best Offers for PureVPN
1 Month
(Max Plan)
$20.95
Per Month
5 Simultaneous Connections
Connect to 140 Countries
500+ Secure Servers
24 Month
(Max Plan)
$3.85
Per Month
5 Simultaneous Connections
Connect to 140 Countries
500+ Secure Servers
24/7 Live Customer Support
12 Months
(Max Plan)
$6.24
Per Month
5 Simultaneous Connections
Connect to 140 Countries
500+ Secure Servers
Our Rating for PureVPN
Privacy
3.0
Speed
7.1
Locations
9.5
Ease
8.2
Support
6.0
Value
8.2
Our Verdict
7.1
CHOOSE FOR
Access to Netflix and BBC iPlayer
Choose servers by purpose & location
Delivers privacy for streamers
24/7 Live Customer Support
IDEAL FOR
Priority
Streaming
Travel
Sports
COMPATIBLE DEVICES
iPhone/iPad/Mac
Windows
Android
Linux
PureVPN Overview
PureVPN is located in Hong Kong far outside the reach of any EU and US data retention laws and offers a feature-rich app that is affordable and can be used almost anywhere on their expansive server network.
It’s a strong choice for streamers with dependable performance on all major streaming platforms including Netflix but sadly not a great option for the privacy-conscious. Performance on the OpenVPN protocol is inconsistent and the app has a tendency to auto-select less robust protocols. And then there’s the fact that PureVPN lied to their customers about just how much metadata they collected.
WHAT ARE THE PROS
Works with major streaming services
Wide range of servers
Best servers are very fast
WHAT ARE THE CONS
Auto mode frequently defaults to less secure protocols
Unable to connect via OpenVPN protocols in our tests
Very inconsistent speeds, ranging from a crawl to blazing fast.
Privacy
Before discussing the many features of the PureVPN app it would be remiss not to draw attention to the misinformation that was fed to PureVPN users in 2017. On their website, PureVPN claimed that they “do not keep any logs that can identify or help in monitoring a user’s activity.” This simply wasn’t true. In 2017 an investigation by the FBI led to the successful conviction of a man guilty of online harassment who had been tracked via his IP address and the PureVPN server that he was connected to. While this is clearly a victory for justice it seriously discredits any claim that PureVPN makes in regard to user privacy.
With that said PureVPN actually has an app full of privacy rich features. It protects against any IPv6 and DNS leaks and a kill switch will block any traffic should the connection drop. Importantly PureVPN run their DNS servers and split tunnelling enables the user to choose which traffic flows through the VPN.
Advanced users will be concerned that PureVPN chooses PPTP protocol as its default. PPTP is widely recognised as one of the most insecure VPN protocols. What will be even more alarming is that the OpenVPN protocols cannot be used at all on PureVPN.
| Features | PureVPN |
|---|---|
| Open VPN (Auto) | |
| Open VPN (UDP/TCP) | |
| PPTP | |
| SSTP | |
| L2TP/IPSec | |
| IKEv2 | |
| Supports TCP Port 443 | |
| Supports Multihop | |
| Permits P2P | |
| Strongest Encryption | AES-256 |
| First Party DNS Servers | |
| DNS Leak Blocking | |
| Killswitch | |
| Accepts Cryptocurrency | |
| Accepts Paypal | |
| Activity Logging | |
| Connection Logging | |
| Tor Over VPN Server |
| Features | PureVPN |
|---|---|
| Avg Global DL Speed | 25.61 |
| Avg Global UL Speed | 35.62 |
| Ping Time | 3ms |
| Unlimited Bandwidth | |
| Average Time to Connect | 10s |
Speed & Performance
PureVPN provides mixed results in terms of speed. Upload speeds are fast across the whole server network but download speeds perform at a snail’s pace compared to the industry-leading VPN apps.
Low latency means that gamers are unlikely to experience any disruption or lag when online.
Speed Breakdown
We continuously test the performance of all our featured VPN providers to ensure you have all the latest information you need to choose.
For this provider, we use our own proprietary speed test tool to track speeds between servers within each location with traffic directed through the VPN provider.
Our tests are intended to give you an idea of the range of connection speeds. The closer the server and faster your connection, the faster your speeds.
| Server Location | Download Speed (Mbps) | Upload Speed (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 88.01 | 101.14 |
| Germany | 40.40 | 79.64 |
| UK | 63.39 | 133.11 |
| USA | 53.35 | 70.05 |
| Singapore | 33.20 | 54.42 |
| Netherlands | 62.52 | 107.63 |
| France | 19.58 | 31.58 |
| Canada | 75.71 | 156.39 |
| Japan | 100.26 | 152.09 |
| Features | PureVPN |
|---|---|
| Server Locations | 180 |
| Servers | 750+ |
| IP Addresses | 88,000+ |
| Dynamic Server Switching |
Locations
This is the area where PureVPN really excels. City-specific servers are easily identified in the app and are available in Australia, Canada, Germany the UK and India.
In total PureVPN have servers in 180 locations with just over 750 servers. Although server depth isn’t as great as some other VPN services the number of locations should ensure that users will never be short of available connections.
Ease of Use
There are some really well thought out user focussed features to the PureVPN app. It allows for users to specify their purpose, whether it be streaming or gaming, and the app will rearrange the interface dependant on that choice. The app optimises in just the same way with regard to server selection too.
At times the main screen has a tendency to become unresponsive which can be frustrating and some simple tasks can take longer than they should. Also, protocol selection within the app is very limited and tricky to manually work around so unless the user is experienced at this auto-mode is probably the safest option.
WHAT ARE THE PROS
Customised dashboards and server groupings based on intended activity
Auto mode is easy and reliable way to connect
Advanced options are comprehensive and well laid-out
WHAT ARE THE CONS
Desktop interface is clunky
Some specialised streaming servers were blocked
Unable to connect to OpenVPN despite multiple attempts
| Features | PureVPN |
|---|---|
| Support Quality | 5.6 |
| 24/7 Support | |
| Live Chat | |
| Knowledge Base | |
| Video Tutorials |
Customer Support
Response times with PureVPN are lightning fast but they fail to deal with individual users on a personal level. The emails have a generic feel to them and are only really useful for solving basic problems. Live chat is available but generally suffers from the same problem as the email support.
The online resources are extensive enough to troubleshoot most issues.
Value for Money
WHAT ARE THE PROS
Very affordable on 12-month plan
Rich suite of privacy features and user settings
No problems with Netflix on desktop
WHAT ARE THE CONS
OpenVPN protocols not working in our tests
Clunky app experience and inconsistent speeds
Poor customer support