Rundown
VPN Service | PureVPN is owned by GZ Systems Ltd. It was founded back in 2007. |
Servers | It has the largest servers’ network of 6,500+ servers. |
Countries | The servers are placed strategically in 140+ countries all across the globe. |
Streaming Sites | Unblocks sites like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disnet+, etc. |
Jurisdiction | Previously the PureVPN headquarters were based in Hong Kong, however they have recently moved their head office to British Virgin Islands. |
Free Version | No |
Unlimited Bandwidth | PureVPN offers unlimited bandwidth for all of their users, unlike some other VPNs who have placed a bandwidth limit for all of their clients. |
Kill Switch | PureVPN comes with a built-in Kill Switch which operates to protect your identity during the times when your VPN connection is down. |
No-Logs | A strict no-logging policy followed by PureVPN where they do not store any form of data of their users. |
Encryption | AES-256 |
Protocols | PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, OpenVPN, IKEv2, IPSec. |
Simultaneous Connections | You can have up to 10 multi-logins with PureVPN. NordVPN & ExpressVPN only allows 5 to 6 multi-logins. |
Price | Starts from $2.88/month |
Free Trial | 7-Day Free Trial |
Benefits
- It unblocks streaming sites very easily (Netflix, Disney Plus, etc).
- Block ads and malware carrying pop-ups very efficiently.
- The no-logging privacy policy is outstanding.
- The no-logging privacy policy is outstanding.
- The list of features is very impressive
- The quantity of servers is geographically distributed.
Drawbacks
- Limited Linux app
- Kill switch doesn't always work
- Connection issues
- No free version
Specifications
Enterprise/Military Grade Security | 5 to 10 Simultaneous Connections |
256-Bit Encryption | VPN KillSwitch |
IP Address Masking | DNS & IPv6 Leak Protection |
PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling) | L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling) |
SSTP (Secure Socket Tunneling) | OpenVPN (Open Source) |
IKEv2 (Internet Key Exchange) | IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) |
24/7 customer support |
A VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, it ensures that your data online is secured, and is hidden from all kinds of tracing activities. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group claims:
“Whoever controls data controls the world.”
So much data is transferred, used, and created daily nowadays that even for a huge organization like Google, it can be overwhelming. We are not just talking about the general form of data present on the internet being available for the general public; a big part of this data is personal data.
Governments, tracking agencies/ad agencies, and hackers infiltrate your devices just to extract your private information and to track your internet activity. This is where VPNs come in.
There are three types of VPNs basically:
- Remote Access VPN: This type of VPN allows you to connect to a home network, or a business from a remote location, where you can access those resources which are present in that location only. This type of VPN is mostly used by remote employees.
- Site-to-Site VPN: Another type of VPN is Site-to-Site VPN. It is also cited as a router-to-router VPN. It functions to connect various offices located in multiple locations securely and safely.
- Client-Based VPN: This is the most popular type of VPN used all around the world by common individual users like us. A client-based VPN establishes a secure connection of private nature between a remote server (of choice) and the end-user. Most of the VPNs provide this service via their custom made applications.
When you use a VPN, your internet traffic travels through a secure encrypted tunnel. Once your web traffic gets encrypted and the layer of security around your device’s internet is established, then your VPN service provider’s server allows that encrypted traffic to go out in the sea of the internet.
Once this happens, anyone who is trying to track your online activity or trying to use spy software to trace your whereabouts on the internet can use that data for malicious purposes.
For instance, if you go to your local coffee shop and connect to the public WiFi available there, you can never be too careful who will use it as a gateway to penetrate your device.
Having a VPN installed in your device will protect you from this kind of malicious activity and hacking attacks. Several big companies and organizations (especially media channels) have VPN integrated into their entire systems to save their sensitive data from getting tracked/exposed.
Moreover, the only reason for using a VPN is not limited to protection, it also allows you to get access to many blocked websites which are not available in your country. It even unblocks the streaming websites like BBC, HBO Now, and Netflix (including all of their libraries).
One can say, it helps in getting over those barricades set by companies or countries, and delivers complete access to all kinds of restricted content. Internet means freedom, this is why VPN companies give their users complete freedom to browse over the internet without any restrictions and tracking.
Your local ISP (internet service provider) is a liability. If you are not using a VPN, your local ISP keeps track and records all kinds of your internet activity. So, there is a possibility that they might be selling/sharing your personal information to a third party which is a huge breach of your security. A VPN will protect you from threats like these.
Short Review - Is PureVPN Trustworthy?
PureVPN has its jurisdiction based in the British Virgin Islands that operates more than 6500 servers in around 140 locations. This means that since then, it has been integrated with a long list of features.
The location of these self-managed servers is 180+. A long list of specifications include:
- OpenVPN protocol
- IKEv2 protocol
- DDoS protection (Denial-of-Service attack)
- Dedicated IPs
- Port forwarding
- DNS & IPv6 leak protection
- Split tunnelling
- Kill switch
As stated earlier, PureVPN has a huge collection of servers in one of the best geographical locations one can imagine. All of these servers can be accessed via their applications compatible with various platforms for Windows, Mac, Kodi, Android TV, Amazon FireSick TV, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome & Firefox extensions, and you can even set up your routers with PureVPN to access that massive collection of servers.
Furthermore, PureVPN can support 10 devices at the same time. It is much better than a lot of other VPNs if we draw a line of comparison with a few of its competitors. However, VPNs like Surfshark VPN can support an unlimited number of devices at one given time i.e. unlimited simultaneous connections.
Even though PureVPN has a lengthy list of features and specifications, its speed is not that impressive, the app usability is not user-friendly, and the overall quality delivered by the help/support of PureVPN is below par. Let’s discuss all of that in detail starting with its plans and pricing.
Pricing - What are PureVPN's Subscription Plans?
PureVPN offers a 7-day free trial period. However, its competitors like ExpressVPN offer a free 3-months free service at the start of its user’s VPN journey. You can also browse through the list of several other best VPNs available in the market nowadays and check them out by subscribing to their 30-day free trial period and taking them on a spin.
Now coming to PureVPN’s plans and pricing, it costs $10.95/month. PureVPN has a lot of discounts (limited time offers) running all the time, and you can subscribe to them at any given time of the year. You can pay via:
Credit/Debit Card | Yes |
Bitcoin | Yes |
Other Cryptocurrencies | Yes |
PayPal | Yes |
Gift Cards | Yes |
PureVPN has a bit higher price in comparison to its competitors, however, it can be termed as great value to money (because of the number of discounts it has to offer).
During the checking out of your selected subscription plan, there is an additional option where you can purchase several add-ons like:
- Dedicated IP
- Port forwarding
- DDoS protection
After you have made the checkout and become an official subscriber/client of PureVPN, you’ll get at least 5 to 10 licenses which you can utilize to connect five to ten devices simultaneously.
You can connect those devices simultaneously either by setting up your router with PureVPN, or you can use their applications on various platforms to connect your devices individually.
The above-mentioned plans and pricing perspective is limited to individual VPN users. You can also get PureVPN’s business version, where you will be charged in accordance with the number of seats you attain depending upon the number of employees you have. The charges per person are $8.00/month.
The business plan is filled with additional features for which you would have to pay extra if you acquire those features on an individual level.
Let’s dig a little deeper into following what PureVPN has to offer. It offers software custom made to combine your VPN with your router, streaming devices, and gaming consoles.
Most of the VPNs have this software incorporated in their already made applications, and you don’t have to opt for a separate software like what PureVPN is offering. If you run your VPN on your router, every device that will be connected to that router will automatically get protected and untraceable (although there is a limit of devices you can connect to).
Other than the simple subscription plan that PureVPN has to offer, it offers add-ons that you can integrate with your already standard PureVPN product by paying an additional fee (on monthly basis). This include:
NAFT Firewall | $0.99/month (additional) |
DDoS Protection | $2.25/month (additional) |
Dedicated IP Address | $1.99/month (additional) |
Enterprise-Grade, Privacy & Security | $2.99/month (additional) |
P2P Protection | $1.99/month (additional) |
Note: Prices may change with time, so do check them out by yourself before making a decision.
Two of these add-ons should be explained here, enterprise-grade privacy & security, and P2P protection.
The enterprise-grade security add-on delivered by PureVPN will get you malware protection along with adblocking. But, this is only limited on a network level.
In addition to enterprise-grade security and privacy, P2P protection is not to hide your torrenting activities. It only works as a scanner to check your torrent files for malware and viruses.
Now, if you have been following the VPN industry or have been looking for and reading various reviews of several top VPNs available in the market, then you must be shocked to know why in the world these add-ons are not made available in the entry-level package offered by PureVPN?
Well, you must understand one thing, VPNs available in the market have varying packages and offerings as per the size of their clientele and their jurisdictions. That’s why there is no consistency in comparison to all the VPN products out there. So, it is not something to worry about. Secondly, all of the features offered by these VPNs have their complete details mentioned on their websites, so you can make an informed decision before making a purchase.
Let’s say you make a decision and buy PureVPN’s subscription and you are not happy with what you are getting, you can always send them an email and ask for your money back. However, remember one thing, PureVPN only offers a 31-day money-back guarantee, so you have to ask for your money back within a month or so.
Privacy and Security – Is PureVPN safe?
As discussed earlier, the major reason for having a VPN is to enhance your internet privacy and security. Every other organization is collecting data of its users and keeping tabs on what we are doing, whom we are talking to, and what content we are surfing on the internet.
A VPN or Virtual Private Network serves the purpose of directing your traffic via an encrypted tunnel where your online activity gets hidden and no one (not even the Govt.) can trace your steps or keep tabs on you. If a VPN is not serving that purpose, then what is it good for?
Your local ISP (internet service provider) also keeps a track of your browsing history, thus creating a threat that your internet history might get sold to a third-party buyer, invading your private space.
Keeping all of that in mind, PureVPN’s privacy policy is comprehensive and can be read online without even subscribing to their packages. It’s very interactive, has a great layout, and you can easily read it in one go.
During our reviewing sessions for top VPNs, we have seen that several VPNs in the market are not clear on their privacy policies, and have loopholes in their security plans.
Collected Information
The only information which is collected by PureVPN is:
- Name
- Email ID
- Payment Details
PureVPN uses the above information to maintain and provide a consistent service to its users by identifying them via the above personal elements it stores.
The communication aspect is also kept in the light by PureVPN, thus Email ID is also collected and stored. This generates a smooth line of communication with its customers and clients. Also, this information helps them to update their customers about recent changes, improvements, and promotions to enhance their user’s security and privacy.
Lastly, the payment details are also stored up to the point until you unsubscribe to their services. The financial details are used for the processing of your transactions, and prevent any kind of fraudulent activity.
No-Logs Policy
One of the features that we take very seriously in our VPN reviews is the No-Logs policy claimed by VPNs.
A no-log VPN means that the VPN provider does not keep any kinds of logs, collection of data, and information that leaves and enters your network.
To understand this, PureVPN also keeps a no-logs policy where it provides:
- Protection of your original IP address.
- You will be allocated a separate VPN server with its IP address.
- Your browsing history will not be collected/stored.
- No timestamps of your VPN sessions.
No records of your DNS requests.
Adding to the above-mentioned list, PureVPN is officially certified by KPMG. KPMG is one of the Big Four Auditing Firms in the world, which run all types of audits ranging from financial to technical.
PureVPN also had its security audit run by KPMG, and they validated that PureVPN does not keep any kinds of logs of:
- Connection Logs
- Original IP addresses/Assigned VPN IPs
- Browsing history/activities
- Timestamps of login sessions
A VPN company that does not collect any kind of information from its users/clients means there is no data to be transferred, sold, and exposed to any third parties.
Furthermore, PureVPN does not know what kind of content you are accessing, browsing, uploading, or downloading. They cannot identify when you connected to a VPN, from what IP address, and which VPN server you used to access.
Since they do not track your activity and no logs are kept, thus there is no threat regarding your personal information getting leaked to a third-party buyer.
The only information on which logs are kept (as described earlier) is for the mere reason of communication with clients for the resolution of technical issues/assistance, problem-solving, and guided help.
Unlimited Bandwidth
In contrast to PureVPN’s no-logging policy, the company keeps track of how much bandwidth data you have consumed. This policy is for all the paid users of PureVPN.
As told by PureVPN, the reason is to deliver the highest quality in speed and experience to its users. Furthermore, PureVPN has improved its server speed to 20Gbps. So that users can enjoy a speed booster of 2X and a stable network connection. Thus, they keep track of each user’s total bandwidth consumption to pinpoint who is using an extra and abnormal amount of bandwidth. They want to determine a fair usage of their total bandwidth.
This is such a vague statement. Huge VPNs like ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark VPN, also provide unlimited bandwidth but they do not keep track of the fact that how much bandwidth is used by each user. This is where PureVPN’s privacy policy does not create any kind of sense.
If you go on the internet to look for PureVPN’s people’s remarks on this particular subject, you’ll find that Hong Kong is an autonomous territory within China. This makes Hong Kong one of the best areas in the world to protect and hide your identity.
If you study the laws and legislations applicable in Hong Kong and the difference of laws application in the rest of China, it’s very complicated. However, if PureVPN has claimed that there is no breach in users privacy while using their services, then we must look at any major upsets that might have happened or took place during the operations of PureVPN. Fortunately, no such claims of ‘data breach’ have come forward to this day.
Also, if PureVPN has an official security audit done by KPMG (which is an international-based firm), then they also looked at the legal policies held by the company.
Softwares used by PureVPN
This is where confusion with PureVPN’s privacy policy starts. On one hand, it says that it has a complete no-logging policy, whereas, on the other hand, it says that it does collect a minimal amount of connection statistics and reports.
They say the data collected from their clients is not enough to identify any user’s data, internet behaviour, traffic details, DNS requests, and IP addresses. They conduct VPN diagnostics, whose main purpose is to generate crash reports of failed connection attempts, the performance of data, average usage of the PureVPN’s application. And all of this is done to establish the smooth functioning of their apps, and extensions.
To achieve this, they have a few tools integrated into their client software. That software is:
Google Analytics | Privacy Policy |
Crashlytics | Privacy Policy |
New Relic | Privacy Policy |
MixPanel | Privacy Policy |
Apptentive | Privacy Policy |
Firebase | Privacy Policy |
iTunes | Privacy Policy |
Facebook Pixel | Privacy Policy |
PureVPN says on their privacy policy page, to imply a smooth performance of all of the above-mentioned software, then all the above software/applications should be completely updated and functioning all the time.
We have never found such a privacy policy in any of the top VPNs we have reviewed so far. This makes PureVPN very unique and makes it stand out from the rest of the VPN products.
Protection of Information
PureVPN uses state of the art strong cryptographic algorithms to secure your personal information, passwords, and public & private keys.
Leak Protection
PureVPN has a privacy-centric service where there are is:
- DNS leak protection
- IPv6 leak protection
- WebRTC leak protection
This generates 24/7 protection by developing a security layer around your devices integrated with PureVPN.
PureVPN also offers a DNS test on their official website to assure that it protects all your internet activities with the highest grade encryption.
Speed and Performance – Is PureVPN good for online browsing?
One of the biggest issues that VPN users face all the time is the aspects of speed and performance of their chosen VPNs. There is no doubt about this fact, you will get a slow speed internet connection once you log on to the internet via a VPN.
So, why does a VPN slow down your internet connection? The reason for your slow internet connection with a VPN is because a VPN encrypts your internet traffic and data to provide safety and security. All of that encryption slows down your internet connection.
The speed and performance of PureVPN can be easily tested by using the following speed test tools:
- speedtest.net
- fast.com (Netflix’)
- testmy.net
By testing the speed of the internet with faraway servers and then comparing them delivers us the data which we can use to determine the speed of PureVPN.
Huge companies like TechRadar and PCMag conduct thorough tests on various VPNs from time to time and generate very detailed results. We’ll combine their results and our results to give you a detailed understanding of what PureVPN has to offer in the speed and performance department.
If you use a locally based server, your downloading speed will slow down by 7%, however, if you connect to an internationally based server, your downloading speed will boost to more than 50%. Even though these results are marvellous, still if we draw a line of comparison with ExpressVPN’s downloading speed, you’ll find that it’s not that impressive.
PureVPN used to rule the market as one of the best VPNs in the speed category, but the world has brought modern competition to the doors of PureVPN who has a much better performance than the VPN under discussion.
Now, let’s take a look at the uploading speed delivered by PureVPN. If you have connected to a local server, then your uploading speed will reduce to almost 8%, and with an international server, the uploading speed soars to almost 90%. Again, there is no doubt about these impressive results, however, if we draw a comparison with its competitors, then PureVPN gets beaten by a long shot.
You might be thinking that if PureVPN is not as impressive as it should be in the speed department, then why shouldn’t I go for a much speedy VPN? Well, the answer is fairly simple to this question. You see, the speed of a VPN does not matter when choosing a VPN as its main function is not to deliver speed, but privacy.
This is where the performance factor comes in. The performance is tested by using all of the major security protocols installed into PureVPN. Once the tests were run by using OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols both in the morning and evening sessions to get a contrast of results.
Connecting to the UK servers with OpenVPN protocol delivered poor results of 50Mbps to 75Mbps with a 1Gbps connection. However, when the security protocol was switched to IKEv2, the speed jumped to 127Mbps. This was also good, although better options are available in the market.
With the USA server test location with OpenVPN security protocol; the results were better than UK servers as we got 80Mbps to 100Mbps. But once the protocol was switched to IKEv2, the speed rose from 120Mbps to 150Mbps.
Although these results are good enough for someone who wants to use a beginner level VPN for their internet protection requirements, yet, there are better VPNs accessible to the general public which you can use.
However, you can always run the tests on your own by getting a 7-day free trial of PureVPN. We do recommend this to all of our readers as the VPN under discussion might function a bit differently based on your location and your overall set-up.
Streaming – Can you watch Netflix with PureVPN?
PureVPN as mentioned above offers an unlimited data bandwidth to all of its users. You can use it to download movies, TV shows, seasons, songs, etc. Also, you can stream videos online on platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Firestick, Roku, Peacock, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Sling TV, and more.
Moreover, VPNs are famous for unblocking sites that otherwise are not available in your region. The majority of the VPNs fail in unblocking these restricted sites as the practice of VPN Blocking is now utilized by some major streaming sites like Netflix. For instance, Avast VPN has been blacklisted by Netflix and one cannot access Netflix via Avast VPN.
PureVPN stands out in this regard as it is capable of not only unblocking huge streaming sites like Netflix, but also it can unblock all of its major libraries.
Netflix UK | Canadian Netflix |
Canadian Netflix | French Netflix |
Australian Netflix | Japanese Netflix |
PureVPN also works on boosting your video experience by avoiding practices like dropping down the quality of your videos and making them blurry because of the drop in bandwidth. You can stream HD quality videos when PureVPN is enabled.
Further, PureVPN does not offer you unlimited simultaneous connections like Surfshark, however, you can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously and allow your entire family to watch the shows which you love. If we draw a line of comparison of PureVPN with NordVPN or ExpressVPN, these VPN companies only allow 5 to 6 simultaneous connections at one given time. So, PureVPN beats them in this aspect of their service.
Netflix libraries are divided into catalogues based on the country from which you are logged in. Netflix will only show you the content which is available in your region and will hide everything else because of the licensing contracts and rights agreements.
Security Protocols – What is the security integration of PureVPN?
The technology adopted and used by VPN service providers is to develop an encrypted tunnel via which the user’s traffic will be redirected to avoid tracking and tracing. To achieve this target, VPN service providers integrate their VPN applications with various security protocols.
PureVPN uses several VPN security protocols. These protocols are:
PPTP | Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol |
L2TP | Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol |
SSTP | Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol |
OpenVPN | Open-Source Protocol |
IKEv2 | IKEv2 |
IPSec | Internet Protocol Security |
In addition to the above-mentioned security protocols, PureVPN comes with 256-bit encryption. It is military-grade encryption used by the best of the best VPNs in the market.
The most reliable protocol out of these security protocols is OpenVPN as per its reliability, open-source modification status, and the speed that it generally delivers. However, you can choose the VPN protocol of your choice depending upon your requirements.
User Interface – Is PureVPN easy to use?
The interface of PureVPN is easy to use and works seamlessly without any hurdles. Construction of the app has been done while keeping the user intent in mind. One can easily navigate to the options, functions, icons, and features without needing help from a professional or the customer support helpline.
All the applications have been kept lightweight and will not take up or bog down any storage space on your device.
Further, the servers are listed and sorted by countries, cities, and streaming services. Users can easily find the server which they are looking for and connect to it just by simply clicking it once.
The mode selection feature of PureVPN is also amazing and adds great value to their VPN product. The five modes are:
- Dedicated IP
- Stream Mode
- Privacy/Security
- Internet Freedom
- File Sharing
If the user opts for any of the above-mentioned modes, the application will automatically optimize its settings and launch the mode of your selection.
Customer Support – How reliable is PureVPN’s service?
One of the major aspects of the VPN industry that we here at TechNinjaPRO take very seriously is the performance of the support system each VPN service provider has to offer.
If you roll onto PureVPN’s support site, you’ll find that it has a wide variety of tutorials ranging from How to Set Up a VPN? to troubleshooting guides. It also has FAQs handle where they have already collected and stored a huge amount of literature covering all the topics related to PureVPN and is available for presentation to the general public.
The Support Site guides you on how you can set up your VPN on 15 various platforms, and how you can customize that set-up following your needs and requirements.
Other than that, they also offer detailed PDF files which you can download at any given time and read once you are offline to educate yourself regarding PureVPN and its services (if you are serious about protecting your online internet activity).
One thing that we want to highlight here is, PureVPN’s literature present on their support site is not updated regularly. This depicts that they are lazy in maintaining the content published on their support site, thus, a proactive attitude is required by PureVPN to capture the present gap.
For instance, PureVPN’s support site is still pitching the usage of protocols like PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) which is an outdated protocol and can be easily hacked by anyone who is looking for phishing attempts.
From within the app of PureVPN, you can raise a support ticket and send your query directly to PureVPN’s support team. Their average response time is somewhere between 30-40 minutes.
Also, PureVPN offers live chat on their website. You can go to their support site and go directly to their live chat support. Once you drop the query in their live chat, you’ll be directed to an agent instantly who will try solving your requested problem.
Overall, one can say that PureVPN’s contact support is average and can be improved.
Final Verdict
If you look at what PureVPN has to offer in the field of value, security, and flexibility, we can see that it is an all-inclusive VPN that has ruled the VPN industry in the past and is still going strong. The streaming servers set by PureVPN showed great promise once we connected to them.
PureVPN is not a bad service by a long shot, and is a top contender without a shadow of a doubt.