PureVPN vs NordVPN

Winner: PureVPN

PureVPN vs NordVPN: Head to Head

PureVPN is the winner!

PureVPN is the winner on account of the following:

• Diverse Server Spread: 2,000+ servers in 140 countries
• Speed: PureVPN offers faster VPN speeds with an average of 26.01 Mbps on a 30 Mbps connection.
• Lower Price: $2.91/mo

Here’s a brief summary of the key strengths and weaknesses of NordVPN vs PureVPN:

For a detailed evaluation of different providers, see this VPN chart consisting of 60+ providers.

Pricing, payment options, and refund policy

PureVPN costs $2.91/mo whereas NordVPN is priced at $3.49/mo. Both providers are reasonably priced considering the vast range of features they offer.

In terms of payment options, PureVPN accepts a larger variety as compared to NordVPN which only accept Credit cards, Alipay, and cryptocurrencies.

Furthermore, both provider offer similar money-back guarantees with PureVPN’s remaining valid for 31 days while NordVPN’s stays valid for 30 days.

Therefore, PureVPN is the winner in this round due to lower cost.

Privacy & Data Logging

Both of these VPNs have excellent privacy and data logging policies. 

PureVPN is located in Hong Kong, a location that has no mandatory data retention laws for ISPs/VPNs to follow. Nor is Hong Kong a part of the Five Eyes, a group of domestic intelligence-sharing countries. The provider has a good logging policy and keeps no records of user activities or connections:

NordVPN is based in an even safer jurisdiction i.e. Panama. The country has laws that respect individual privacy. Furthermore, the logging policy of NordVPN refrains from storing any personally identifiable information relating to their customers.

Therefore, both NordVPN and PureVPN are good VPNs to have for privacy.

Server Network

NordVPN has 5,000+ servers in 55+ countries whereas PureVPN consists of 2,000+ servers in 140+ countries.

Although NordVPN has a larger cluster of servers, PureVPN holds the advantage of covering significantly more ground in terms of server locations. However, many servers in PureVPN’s network are virtual, whereas NordVPN exclusively uses physical servers (to the best of my knowledge).

On the basis of server count, therefore, NordVPN is above PureVPN. However, for server diversity, it is PureVPN that is the better choice.

NordVPN vs PureVPN: Server Country Checklist

Check out the table below to see server availability of both providers:

Security

Both providers use strong encryption and VPN protocols to guard user privacy/security from online threats.

PureVPN uses AES-256 encryption and OpenVPN, L2TP, PPTP, IKEv2, and SSTP protocols for VPN tunneling. In addition, it utilizes RSA-4096 keys for handshakes. The VPN is also equipped with a killswitch that instantly cuts of your internet connection in case of interruptions in the VPN session.

NordVPN uses only OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols after discontinuing PPTP and L2TP. For encryption, it also uses AES-256 while RSA-4096 is used for handshakes, as in the case of PureVPN. It also offers a killswitch as a protection against accidental identity leaks.

Overall, both providers are quite identical when it comes to security.

Speed

NordVPN and PureVPN deliver almost equal speeds on average. To test the speed of both services, Ookla’s speed test tool was used on a 30 Mbps base internet connection. For each provider, four server locations were chosen. Here are the results of the speed tests:

NordVPN and PureVPN are truly neck-to-neck rivals, as you can see from the table above. PureVPN turned out to be only marginally faster than NordVPN, but considering the variability of VPN speed measurements depending various factors, the difference is completely negligible. The highest speed reached by PureVPN is 29.07 Mbps while NordVPN reached 25.46 Mbps.

Thus, this round is one again a tie between the two VPNs.

Check the article on fastest VPN services of 2020 for more speed test results.

Customer Support

Customer support is an area where both PureVPN and NordVPN have excelled remarkably. Both provides offer support through live chat and have a good response time.

In addition, you can also forward your complaints and queries to the support team of either provider through emails. Their official websites also host a great amount of detailed guides and tutorials for setups and troubleshooting.

NordVPN and PureVPN are tied once again in the contest of customer support.

App Usability and Interface

Both providers offer appealing and smoothly functioning apps for desktop and mobile phones. 

NordVPN’s desktop app is a pleasure to use. You can choose your preferred server from a map of all the available locations, or simply use the scrolling list tucked in the sidebar to make your selection. The settings tab allows users to tinker around with a few things such as VPN protocols and killswitch in a way that is quite straight-forward.

The mobile app is even more simplistic and intuitive with slightly fewer features and options. For server selection, you can navigate through the map of available servers, as there is no list-based view in the mobile app. This is actually quite convenient on smartphones. However, it lacks the killswitch which is available in the desktop app, though you can still configure it to turn on automatically when connected to wireless networks and also enable ad/malware blocker.

PureVPN has a slightly clunky desktop app that can be a little confusing to use at first. The homescreen displays a list of available servers which also consists of a search field for instant searching. There are dozens of options to choose from and the app is very configurable. For instance, there are different modes to choose from including internet freedom, privacy, streaming etc. as well as some advanced configurable settings involving encryption and other protocols.

PureVPN’s mobile app is much more neat. It allows users to choose a server from the homescreen based on the task you want to perform or your preference. There are fewer advanced options in the mobile app – as is the general rule – but it is pretty much the same as the desktop version with better design and functionality.

In this department, NordVPN has outdone PureVPN with smoother apps.

Features & Compatibility

Both providers offer excellent compatibility and advanced features to strengthen online privacy. 

PureVPN consists of some important advanced features such as ad-blocker, split-tunneling, and killswitch. Furthermore, it offers dedicated apps for all popular operating systems and platforms. With a single PureVPN subscription, you can connect up to 5 different devices. The service supports Kodi and offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

NordVPN, for its part, offers excellent advanced features which include Onion over VPN, DoubleVPN, CyberSec (ad-blocker), and killswitch. However, it lacks split-tunneling which is a part of PureVPN’s desktop app. The provider supports common OSs and devices as well as others including Fire TV and Linux. A single NordVPN subscription allows 6 multi-logins on different devices. You can also use its Chrome and Firefox extensions.

Once again, both providers are equally capable in the features and compatibility department.

Unblocking Strength

Both PureVPN and NordVPN are efficient VPNs for unblocking popular SVoD services around the world.

NordVPN can unblock multiple Netflix content libraries including US, UK, and more. In addition, it efficiently bypasses geo-restrictions on Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video.

PureVPN itself is one of the best services for efficient unblocking of popular streaming services and works with Netflix US, Germany as well as other streaming platforms.

Thus, both VPNs are reliable for streaming enthusiasts.

Availability in China

Both providers have wavering availability in China. Although PureVPN and NordVPN used to work well in China, the Great Firewall has affected the functionality of almost every VPN out there.

The official websites of both providers are inaccessible from China, but these VPNs still work – albeit inconsistently – if you have them installed in your system. 

Therefore, both providers are only moderately reliable for China.

Torrenting / P2P

Both providers offer many p2p-optimized servers. Coupled with the fact that PureVPN and NordVPN are based in safe jurisdictions with good logging polices and fast download speeds, both of these VPNs can be trusted to offer secure torrenting sessions.

If you need extra protection, you can utilize killswitch that is featured in NordVPN and PureVPN apps. This will ensure that your identity remains hidden and doesn’t leak through the private tunnel in case a connection drop occurs.

Therefore, both VPNs are excellent for torrenting.

Final Verdict: PureVPN is the Winner

PureVPN is the winner in this comparison. This was an extremely intense competition and both providers are equally effective in most departments. However, it is the lower cost of PureVPN that ultimately gives it an edge over NordVPN.

But make no mistake, NordVPN is every bit as good as PureVPN, even more so if you fancy cool features like Onion over VPN and DoubleVPN.

Nonetheless, if your decision hinges on the factor of pricing, then PureVPN is winner of the day.

For more information about each of these VPNs, you can consult PureVPN review and NordVPN review.

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