Snapshot
PureVPN boasts one of the largest worldwide server networks with 2,000+ located in 140+ countries. It’s also one of the best choices for streaming thanks to decent speeds and its ability to consistently unblock the likes of Netflix, BBC iPlayer and many more. With secure VPN encryption and a whole host of advanced security features, you can stream, torrent (in most countries) and protect your online privacy with an affordable PureVPN.
Compatible with
Rating
Our score:
4.5
★★★★★ 4.5/5
Pricing
Price from:
$6.49
per month
Pros
- Optimised streaming servers for Netflix, BBC iPlayer and more
- Access to over 2,000 servers spanning 140+ countries
- Fast, reliable servers with up to 144Mbps download speed
- Kill switch, DNS leak protection, 256-bit AES encryption
- Multiple VPN protocols including OpenVPN
- Peer-to-peer (P2P) torrenting permitted in most countries
- Protect up to 10 devices with one account
- One of the best VPNs for streaming
Cons
- Previously ousted for supplying user data to the FBI
- Torrenting blocked in the The UK, The US, Canada and Australia
- Still keeps minimal connection logs
Introduction
PureVPN like many others claim to be ‘the world’s fastest VPN service at the best price ever’. They offer a well-rounded product that enables users to access geo-restrict content, torrent and stay safe online whilst being backed up with fast and reliable connection speeds.
Operating one of the largest server networks with 2,000+ located in 140+ countries, users from all parts of the world have local access to a PureVPN connection.
When it comes to streaming, their apps consistently unblock the likes of Netflix, BBC iPlayer and many more thanks to their built in, dedicated streaming servers. And it’s almost the same good news when it comes to torrenting with once again, dedicated servers built for this purpose (in all countries except The UK, The US, Canada and Australia… which we do appreciate are quite major markets!).
Their stripped back and easy to use applications are backed up with some smart security features and also allow the more advanced user to pick and choose how they would like to use the app by selecting VPN protocols or changing further settings should they wish.
PureVPN customers can protect up to 10 devices with one account and their service is backed up with a handy 31-day money back guarantee should it not live up to your expectations.
Pricing
Plans are currently available on 1 month, 6 months or 1 year deals. Their 1 year plan represents the best value for money and is currently on special offer of 40% off when purchased through our website. On top of this, PureVPN offer an up to 31-day money back guarantee on all their plans.
For payment, PureVPN currently accepts a wide range of options including most major debit and credit cards (including American Express) and PayPal. Additional methods include Bitcoin (as well as many other cryptocurrencies), Alipay, DotPay, Neosurf and a whole host of gift cards.
6 month plan
$
8
33
per month -
Billed $49.98 every 6 months
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31-day money back guarantee
SAVE 40%
Features
PureVPN comes with plenty of great features so you won’t be left feeling short changed should you make a purchase. Encryption is delivered by military grade AES-256 to ensure your IP address is kept hidden at all times, and thanks to a range of VPN protocols, your connection always secure.
Additional security features such as a the must have VPN kill switch, split tunnelling and handy automatic wi-fi protection are all built in, with the latter keeping you protected when your device comes into range of public wi-fi.
PureVPN is a favourite of ours for streaming thanks to its dedicated servers, fantastic speeds and its ability to successfully unblock many of the popular streaming services such as US Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu etc. And for those users looking to torrent, PureVPN have exactly the same dedicated servers for you (except for users in The UK, The US, Canada and Australia where torrenting is not permitted).
Inside the apps, there are a whole host of settings users can play with. For example, you can choose which mode you want to be in whether that be streaming, internet freedom, dedicated IP, security/privacy or file sharing, and the app also includes a handy ‘quick connect’ button for those users who just want quick and easy no frills protection.
Platforms and devices
PureVPN allow users to protect up to 10 devices with one account meaning you can cover a huge range of devices ensuring your online activity remains private and protected at home or on the move.
Their user-friendly apps can be installed on macOS, Windows & Linux operating systems as well as iOS and Android mobile devices. If using a Fire TV (Amazon Firestick) or Kodi is your thing… they’ve got you covered too, as well as Chrome, Firefox and Opera browser users. It’s also easy enough to configure your home router and protect your entire wi-fi network with PureVPN.
Streaming
If like us, you want to stream the best content available online, PureVPN is a great VPN to pick. Supported by fast and reliable dedicated servers aimed at doing just that, you can unblock geo-restricted content with ease.
A great deal of Netflix content is geo-restricted to the US and of course BBC iPlayer can only be viewed in the UK. PureVPN will effectively lift any blocks on Netflix, BBC iPlayer, HBO, Hulu, ESPN and many more. All you need to do is select a server from the country’s content you want to view (e.g. US for the US Netflix store and the UK for BBC iPlayer) and you’re all set!
Torrenting
PureVPN allow torrenting and P2P file sharing across all of its servers (except for users in The UK, The US, Canada and Australia where torrenting is not permitted) and just like for streaming, they provide a dedicated file sharing mode which gives users the optimal setup for torrenting. Fantastic download/upload speeds also mean torrenting can be done successfully with the security of a VPN. We are also pleased to see that PureVPN have a VPN kill switch which is essential to ensure your IP address and activity isn’t leaked should your VPN lose connection.
Speed
PureVPNs claim of being ‘the world’s fastest VPN service’ is perhaps a little ambitious as it’s certainly not the quickest VPN we have come across during our testing. However, this being said, it’s by no means slow!
Speeds of up to 144Mbps were recorded on local connections during testing which is on the upper end of our overall results, but when connecting to the USA from the UK we did find performance to drop far more than many of the other premium providers we’ve compared on this site.
Security
PureVPN has a solid privacy setup and it’s clear that user security is well thought out and respected. Whilst the app is running, your IP address is hidden by unbreakable AES-256 encryption which is used by all the top VPN providers.
Additionally, VPN protocols include our favoured OpenVPN as well as IKEv2, L2TP, PPTP & SSTP. PureVPN also offer a good selection of advanced privacy features such as the must have VPN kill switch which keeps you hidden even in the event your VPN connection drops. There is also DNS leak protection, first party DNS, IPV6 leak blocking and WebRTC leak blocking.
Users also benefit from the option of using their handy split tunnelling feature which allows you to encrypt your connection and set it to another location (such as the US from the UK), whilst still keeping the ability to connect to local devices on your home network such as your printer etc.
It’s also a smart choice as a VPN provider for those travelling to or living in highly censored jurisdictions such as China, the UAE and India etc with its fantastic ability to overcome strong censorship barriers.
Applications
The PureVPN applications are stripped back so you can quickly connect to the fastest servers with ease. They provide the traditional server lists which allows users choose at either country or city level, plus provide a ‘favourites’ section so you can save your favourites servers. Great if you use your VPN for a multitude of reasons. It also come with a built in ‘quick connect’ option which is perfect for those looking for total simplicity paired with strong security.
Apps are user-friendly and very easy to get to grips with suiting both beginners and advanced users who like to play around with a multitude of different settings.
Customer service
PureVPN offer really good levels of customer service which places them among our best rated providers. They operate both 24/7 live chat support as well as an email service, and users will also find an online support centre full of useful set up guides, troubleshooting and device specific information so you can get the best from your VPN.
Log policy
PureVPN have recently stepped up its ‘no logs VPN’ policy and wish to highlight their transparency and trustworthiness which is great to hear. In September 2019 the company published a report conducted by Altius IT, an independent third-party security audit and risk management service, who have put Pure VPNs no logs claims to test. PureVPN tasked Alitus IT to verify and test their VPN servers, server configurations and system logs to gain assurance regarding the VPN services no log claims.
Altius IT concluded that PureVPNs no log claims more than stack up and confirm that absolutely no information is stored that could be deemed personally identifiable information. They also conform that no technical data is stored which is great to here (this included: browsing activities, connection logs, VPN IPs/original IPs, connection time, history of browsing, sites visited and outgoing traffic).
We are confident that this audit will help PureVPN with its reputation for privacy and fully put behind any previous concerns following the company being found to supply the FBI with information that lead to an individual being identified in a harassment case.
We are delighted to endorse this new approach from PureVPN and fully recommend them to our users looking for a strict no logs VPN provider.
Jurisdiction
Based in Hong Kong, which does not enforce mandatory or legal requirements to store user data, PureVPN are well out reach of the US and EU privacy laws, and have no connection to any government or international data sharing schemes either. They are well and truly safe when it comes down to their location.
The verdict
As a service, PureVPN is pretty good but we don’t fully agree with its bold claims about being the world’s fastest VPN. Whilst it does indeed deliver impressive local speeds, we did find on longer connections that speeds did drop significantly. Not only this, other providers found on this site did come out with better speeds on like-for-like tests.
The main attraction for our readers to PureVPN is likely to come from those wanting to unblock geo-restricted content and access popular streaming channels such as US Netflix, BBC iPlayer and many more.
For Kodi users and those who like file sharing and torrenting, it’s a mixed bag of news. PureVPN with its strong security protection and fantastic speeds would be a great choice for users outside of The UK, The US, Canada and Australia. However, for those living or travelling in those countries just listed, you’re just not going to be able to torrent or file share so you’re best looking elsewhere.
Despite having some previous data logging issues, we are pleased to see that they have recently gone ‘zero logs’. However, as mentioned above in our security section, they do still keep some connection data so it’s difficult to say whether that are a true 100% no logs provider or not.
Their apps are super easy to use and are packed with some great security features so we can’t recommend these highly enough, and they offer users pretty good 24/7 support in the form of email and live chat.
When it comes to pricing, they are pretty competitive, but if money is your main sticking point, there are cheaper options out there. Maybe take a read of some of our other reviews before determining which is the best provider for you. That being said, they are no means the most expensive VPN out there at $6.49 per month (when purchased on a yearly deal), and all subscriptions come with a risk free 31-day month back guarantee.
If it wasn’t for their hiccup regarding handing over user data or the fact users in some major countries such as The UK and The US are not currently blocked from torrenting, we’d have PureVPN scoring higher sitewide. But… over time, we’re confident they’ll earn back credibility and will no doubt work their way up our rankings.
Melvyn and the team at comparemyvpn.com happily recommend PureVPN to our readers, but particularly those requiring a VPN for accessing geo-restricted content (for streaming) and unblocking government censorship.