PureVPN Review & Test 2023 – Surprisingly Better than Others

PureVPN claims to be a superfast VPN for streaming with great security at a low price. It offers an extensive server network, military-grade encryption, and much more. But is it really as good as its most popular competitors?

To find the answer, I performed extensive tests on its speeds, security features, and everything else it offers. This included seeing how well it works with the top streaming platforms and a thorough deep-dive into its privacy policy.

After all my tests, I was impressed with PureVPN’s results. The speeds are excellent on nearly every server, even distant ones. It unblocks tons of streaming services, and it’s super secure. This is a list of the best VPNs available today; there are only a few areas where PureVPN needs to improve before it’s just as good.

PureVPN Features — Updated in April 2023

7.4

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Price

2.08 USD/month

📆

Money Back Guarantee

31 Days

📝

Does VPN keep logs?

No

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Number of servers

6500+

💻

Number of devices per license

10

🛡

Kill switch

Yes

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Based in country

Virgin Islands (British)

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Support

Live Chat

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Supports torrenting

Yes

Streaming — Great Playback Quality with Strong Unblocking Abilities

PureVPN unblocked every platform I tested except for one. It also worked great for streaming. I could always load videos super fast and didn’t experience any buffering. Previously, you had to use browser extensions to access some platforms. I was happy to see that now you can unblock all the top platforms with the app. Overall, it’s a great choice for streaming.

Unblocked: Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, and more

I had no problem unblocking 5+ Netflix libraries with PureVPN including regions in the US, Germany, the UK, and Japan.

PureVPN used to have issues with Hulu, but it quickly unblocked it in my test. This platform is usually harder to access with a VPN, but I had no problems watching Pleasantville while connected to PureVPN.

HBO Max was just as easy to unblock. Like with the other platforms, I could watch movies and shows with zero buffering.

Amazon Prime Video has some of the strongest geo-blocks, but PureVPN got past them with no issues. I was able to access entire libraries in the US and in the UK.

Next, I tested BBC iPlayer to see how well PureVPN works with platforms outside the US. The Manchester server unblocked BBC iPlayer easily. It’s always great when a VPN unblocks this platform because it’s free.

I was able to unblock tons of other streaming services, including Disney+ and Sling TV. In the table below, you’ll find a list of the other streaming platforms PureVPN let me access:

YouTube
Disney+Star
ITV Player
Hotstar
CBS

ESPN+
BT
10Play
Funimation
Crackle

PureVPN is an excellent choice for streaming. It unblocks all the major platforms, and its fast speeds make streaming with it a breeze.

Blocked By: DAZN

The only platform that I couldn’t access was DAZN. This didn’t surprise me because I haven’t found many VPNs that can unblock it.

PureVPN is one of the best VPNs available for streaming. Few services have more servers to help you access additional platforms. When it comes to unblocking and good streaming quality, it’s close to perfect.

Speeds — Superfast on Nearly Every Server

PureVPN provided me with fast speeds on most servers. The VPN has recently upgraded its servers, and now it’s much easier to find a superfast location for any of your needs.

I started testing by measuring my base speed so I had something to compare my results with. I had 309.93 Mbps download, 329.92 Mbps upload, and a ping of 77 ms.

Next, I tested speeds with every available protocol. I got an average speed over several servers close and far away from my real location. You can see the results of my tests in the chart below.

Based on these results, I recorded the rest of my speed tests with Wireguard. I had the slowest speed on its New York server. My download speed dropped by 57%. This surprised me because it’s only 2,805 KM away. I usually get much better results at that distance. However, it was the only slow server, so I believe it was just crowded. Some VPNs let you see how crowded each server is, a feature I hope PureVPN adds in the future.

As you’ll see in the table below, most servers hardly reduced my speeds at all:

Server
Download Speed
Upload Speed
Ping

No VPN
309.93 Mbps
329.92 Mbps
77 ms

Houston
287.98 Mbps (8% decrease)
311.53 Mbps (5% decrease)
88 ms

Toronto
322.46 Mbps (4% increase)
58.52 Mbps (83% decrease)
56 ms

New York
133.63 Mbps (57% decrease)
110.02 Mbps (67% decrease)
162 ms

Sao Paulo
243.27 Mbps (22% decrease)
224.53 Mbps (32% decrease)
179 ms

Sydney
266.26 Mbps (14% decrease)
327.73 Mbps (1% decrease)
243 ms

Download speeds and ping held up well at long distances. However, the upload speeds were much more unpredictable. This isn’t a huge deal, but it will slow you down while you post on social media, for example. The chart below will show you how far away each server is from where I conducted my tests, and the download speeds I recorded.

PureVPN will help you maintain fast speeds for browsing and streaming even at long distances. It also has 20Gbps servers in Washington D.C., London, and Manchester. Unfortunately, they didn’t seem much faster in my tests, but it doesn’t really matter since its overall speeds are so good. A few VPNs will give you better upload speeds, and some will provide faster results over OpenVPN. But as long as you stick to Wireguard, it’s one of the fastest VPNs around.

Are PureVPN’s Speeds Fast Enough for Gaming? Only on Local Servers

PureVPN can handle gaming on local servers. However, on long-distance locations, the ping can get as high as 350 ms. In general, you need a ping of 50 ms at most for a lag-free experience.

I tested it out by playing Rogue Legacy 2 while connected to the nearest server. It’s a fast-paced game, so I would have noticed any lag. I enjoyed the game because the character always responded to my inputs immediately. When I tested the Manchester server (7,000+ KM away), the game took longer to load, and there was a small amount of lag. It wasn’t much, but it made the game unplayable.

If you want to play with friends from all over the world, you can find better ping results at long distances in this list of the top VPNs for gaming.

Server Network — Large and Well Distributed

PureVPN has a large worldwide network of 6,500 servers in 78 countries. This is impressive although some VPNs like CyberGhost and Private Internet Access have more. There are servers in the Americas, Europe, Oceania, Africa, and Asia. A network of this size should help avoid any server overloading issues and enable fast and stable speeds. A vast global network is also essential for accessing content when traveling abroad.

Another cool PureVPN feature to help you bypass geo-restrictions is Domain fronting, which lets you to connect to an alternative domain address not blocked by ISPs. So, even if your ISP has blocked PureVPN where you are, you can circumvent this by using Domain fronting.

While most of the servers are physical, there are 20 virtual servers. The difference between physical and virtual servers is that the virtual servers are not actually located in the country you are connecting to. You’re assigned an IP address for the location of choice, but your traffic is routed via a server in another country with a more stable connection.

I appreciate that PureVPN is transparent about its use of virtual servers. Some providers are less likely to tell you. It’s easy to see which servers are virtual with its mobile apps. They’re indicated with a “V.” Examples of its virtual servers are Barbados, Argentina, Panama, Monaco, and the Philippines. Virtual servers aren’t necessarily worse than physical locations, but they can affect your speeds if they’re farther away.

For an additional cost, you can get several add-ons. You can get a Dedicated IP or Dedicated IP + Port Forwarding features.

A dedicated IP can be useful if you want to host an FTP or web server, whitelist your IP, set up remote access to your PC, and more. Dedicated IPs don’t offer the same level of anonymity as shared IPs, as you’re the only one using them.

Shared IPs allow hundreds of users to connect at any given time, so it’s impossible to tell who is doing what on that server. However, dedicated IP addresses are great if you need to securely access your banking account without being blocked by the website.

PureVPN also has a new feature that lets you see which locations are recommended for different streaming platforms. You can also save servers for quicker access. These are common features, but it’s nice to know that it’s continuing to update its apps. Servers that are recommended for torrenting are indicated with “P2P.” This is similar to some other VPNs’ specialized servers.

Lastly, PureVPN owns all of its servers. That’s great because cutting out a middleman makes them more secure. There aren’t many VPNs that can match its server network. It would be nice if more cities were available, but its speeds are so good at long distances, it’s not a big issue.

Security — Military-Grade Encryption

PureVPN provides solid security thanks to its variety of protocols and security features. Outdated protocols and complex features have been removed without compromising the VPN’s safety.

Encryption

The VPN uses AES 256-bit encryption to protect your information. This is the highest level available and makes your data virtually unhackable.

PureVPN also uses IPv6 leak protection to ensure complete online anonymity from hackers, trackers, and any other spying entity. An IPv6 leak occurs if your browser connects to an address outside of your VPN connection, which uses your ISP directly and so reveals your personal data. Both the encryption and IPv6 leak protection are automatically enabled so you don’t need to worry about safety. While this is great for less experienced users, advanced users might want more manual control.

PureVPN didn’t allow me to connect to another VPN while it was connected. This is another good security feature because some VPNs leak your location if you forget it’s on and connect to another VPN.

It also has a new feature called Quantum-Resistant Encryption keys, which can protect you from hackers stealing your data using quantum technology. These are available in select cities in Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, the US, the UK, Canada, and Singapore. While this isn’t necessarily a danger right now, once quantum computing becomes common, this feature will be very useful. I’m happy that PureVPN is looking to the future because cybercriminals will never stop updating their encryption-cracking tech.

Protocols

Its native apps offer three protocols to choose from, but you can also manually set up a few more options. Protocols you can use with PureVPN are:

• OpenVPN — this protocol is highly configurable and the industry standard, offering safety and speed. It has two options: UDP and TCP. UDP is faster, while TCP is more secure. PureVPN also added obfuscation to its OpenVPN protocol so that your VPN traffic will appear like regular traffic to get past ISP/network restrictions and firewalls more easily.
• WireGuard — a super fast VPN protocol now available on all operating systems, allowing you to get the fastest connections possible without compromising security.
• IKEv2 — a protocol known for its consistency, security, and versatility. This tunneling protocol sometimes offers better connection speeds than OpenVPN.
• SSTP – developed by Microsoft, it’s one of the most secure protocols and a great choice for bypassing strong firewalls such as the Great Firewall of China.
• L2TP/IPSec – L2TP is usually paired with IPSec to provide encryption and authentication, but it’s not as reliable as OpenVPN.

By default, the Automatic Protocol Selection is turned on. But you can toggle it off and choose a protocol yourself. Additionally, you can tick the option to use a fallback protocol. But there’s no indication which protocol that is, nor does the app notify you in case it falls back to the other protocol.

Port Forwarding

Port forwarding is a really handy feature if you need to access an internet-connected device or service from another location. For example, you can access your computer while you are away or play an online game with your friends. If configured properly, it allows computers outside your network to access a specific device connected to your local network.

While PureVPN offers this feature, it is not included in the standard subscription and you can get it for less than a dollar per month as an addon.

DDoS Protection

PureVPN provides DDoS protection, but it comes as an add-on. This feature foolproofs your security against complex DDoS attacks by providing you with DDoS-protected IPs. Having a DDoS-protected VPN is really useful if you want to block unwarranted traffic, or if you are a serious gamer that may be targeted by cybercriminals and competitors. It is also excellent for e-commerce stores and only businesses that want to block out any illegitimate traffic.

If you want to use this extra feature, you will need to activate it at an additional cost to your subscription. The good thing is that once you turn it on it’s going to be active at all times. A soon as an attack is detected, the DDoS protection will neutralize it immediately.

Kill Switch

The kill switch is an important security feature in VPNs as it turns off your internet traffic in case your VPN connection malfunctions. That way, it protects your IP address and other personal data from leaking.

PureVPN is equipped with a kill switch, called IKS in the app. It’s turned on by default so you don’t have to worry about it. You can disable it anytime you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I tested the kill switch by switching servers with a browser window open. This let me see that it always disconnects my network when the VPN isn’t connected, so I know my data won’t get exposed accidentally.

Split Tunneling

With PureVPN you can use split-tunneling and choose whether you want your whole traffic to go through the VPN or only the traffic generated by select apps.

This means that if you need to access your bank account and use your ISP’s IP address and at the same time you need a VPN IP address to access a streaming platform, you can do both. Split tunneling will separate the requests between the two and route only the streaming traffic through the VPN.

Split tunneling is currently only available on the Windows and Android apps. To enable it on the Windows app, click on the setting icon in the bottom left. When the option is off, all traffic will be routed through the VPN and use the VPN IP address. When the option is on, only the traffic generated by the apps you add to the list will use the VPN IP.

IP, DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 Leak Protection

I tested PureVPN for all types of leaks and I didn’t find any. When using a VPN, your traffic is routed through an encrypted tunnel and all personal identifiers, such as your IP address, are removed. But sometimes, information may leak through, and your identity and online activity may be revealed to a third party. This is not good if you’re using a VPN to stay anonymous.

There are several types of data leaks that can happen:

• IP leaks — If the VPN fails to hide your real IP, it will be exposed to the websites you visit. When this happens, your real location can be discovered.
• DNS leaks — The DNS translates domain names into IP addresses for the websites you visit. If your DNS requests are leaked, then your ISP will be able to see what you’re doing online.
• WebRTC leaks — The WebRTC technology that allows calls without using a plugin or app, for example over Google Hangouts. The downside is that it reveals your IP address to the websites that use it. As a result, your identity is revealed to the website and the ISP.

All servers I tested successfully stopped leaks. My IP address changed to the expected location each time, and my DNS requests were covered. Even more, IPv6 was blocked, so I wasn’t at risk of having my IP exposed if a website requested it.

On top of all the other features, PureVPN offers obfuscation — but only with the OpenVPN protocol. It also recently added PureKeep for an additional fee. PureKeep is a password manager that lets you save all your passwords with encryption, so you can easily pull them up on any device. It also has a password generator feature. Many VPNs offer this for a comparable price, so I’m glad it’s been added.

Overall, PureVPN offers robust security features, which all worked great in my tests. However, some popular features are missing, like DoubleVPN and an ad-blocker. These aren’t essential, but those are the areas where I could see the VPN improving.

Privacy — No-Logs Policy and Outside the 5 Eyes Alliance

With its transparent no-logs policy and voluntary self-audits, PureVPN is trying hard to regain its users’ trust. I was impressed with the clear steps it has taken in improving its privacy policies.

PureVPN Doesn’t Keep Identifiable Logs

PureVPN stores a little more information than I’d prefer. It does log the day you connected, the VPN server location, city, connection length, and the total amount of bandwidth you’ve used. It states it uses this information to keep the VPN working correctly, but many services store less data.

In the policy, the VPN states that it doesn’t collect your origin IP address, assigned VPN server IP address, VPN session timestamp, browsing activities, or DNS requests. However, at sign-up, it collects your name, email address, and payment method. It claims this information is used only to provide, operate, and maintain services, which is standard even for the most privacy-conscious VPNs.

PureVPN doesn’t have such a spotless record when it comes to keeping subscriber privacy. Back in 2017, the company aided in the arrest of an alleged cybercriminal by providing the FBI with his logs. More specifically, the VPN managed to trace two of the criminal’s email accounts and connect them to the same IP address. Following customer backlash, PureVPN has altered its privacy policy and tried hard to regain users’ trust.

Location

PureVPN was originally located in Hong Kong, but in late 2021 it moved to the British Virgin Islands. Although both these locations are outside the 5/9/14 Eyes jurisdiction, users were concerned about China’s pressures over Hong Kong. Relocating set PureVPN’s customers’ minds at rest.

Audits

PureVPN’s privacy policy is air-tight and confirmed to be so by 2 auditing companies.

Altius IT, an independent US-based auditor went over the VPN’s system and configuration and certified that it “didn’t find evidence of system configurations and/or system/service log files that independently, or collectively, could lead to identifying a specific person and/or the person’s activity when using the PureVPN service”.

If this isn’t reassuring enough, PureVPN also has an always-on contract with KPMG, one of the biggest auditing firms, meaning the audits can happen at any moment, without notice.

Thanks to the location choice and the fact that PureVPN’s policy has been audited and certified there are no logs, you can rest assured that the VPN will keep you anonymous. KPMG has also concluded that “PureVPN puts a strong emphasis on the privacy of the customers”.

I wish complete independent audits were available to the public. It’s not a huge issue, but other VPNs let you read comprehensive reports. There are also semi-annual transparency reports. So there are a few small things PureVPN could do to make it more privacy-friendly, but I trust it to be responsible with my data.

Torrenting — Allowed on Certain Servers

PureVPN only supports torrenting on 37 P2P-optimized servers, but I got it to work with others. Its website states it blocks P2P in the UK, the US, and Canada. But I was able to download files with the Atlanta, US server.

That was the fastest server I could find in my tests. When I tested approved servers, like the Netherlands location, my speeds dropped as low as 88 KB/s. Switching protocols didn’t improve my speeds either. Port forwarding is a feature that can help increase download and seeding rates, but PureVPN only offers it for an added fee. Most other top VPNs include it with the price of a subscription.

That’s too bad because its solid security and privacy features would have made it a good choice for P2P. Torrenting is legal in most countries, but downloading copyrighted files isn’t. My team and I don’t condone any illegal activities. If you want to torrent files safely with superfast speeds, check out our list of the best VPNs for P2P.

Does PureVPN Work in China? Yes

PureVPN works in China. When I contacted the support team, I was informed that its servers are optimized and can bypass the firewall.

It’s always best to install the VPN before you arrive in China, as the government blocks all the services that don’t comply with the country’s laws and regulations. However, PureVPN also gives you the option to manually configure it from China in case you forget to download the program. Be aware that PureVPN doesn’t have any server locations in China, so you won’t be able to get a Chinese IP address should you need one.

Simultaneous Device Connections — Up to 10

PureVPN gives users 10 connections under one subscription. I think it’s a great selling point when a VPN offers its users multiple device connections on one subscription, along with vast device compatibility. PureVPN offers both, so you can run the VPN through all your favorite devices at once.

Device Compatibility — Extensive

PureVPN has extensive device compatibility. There’s nothing worse than having multiple device connections to use, then finding that the VPN will only run on iOS or Android. PureVPN certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Instantly Compatible With:
Compatible via router:

Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, AndroidTV, Kodi, Firestick, Chrome, Firefox, Edge
AppleTV, Chromium, Roku, Boxee Box, Now TV Box, Raspberry PI, ChromeCast, Playstation, Nintendo, Xbox,

In my tests, I was blown away by how easy it was to set up on my router and run through my Playstation 5. I also tested it on my Windows laptop, Android phone, Firestick, and Google Chrome. The Firestick app has much more features than many other VPNs offer. I’m happy that it lets you switch protocols and use split tunneling. You can even sort and favorite servers. It’s not yet available on Opera or Safari browsers, however, which may be disappointing for some subscribers.

It was interesting to discover that PureVPN doesn’t have SmartDNS technologies. SmartDNS is similar to a proxy, but it uses your domain name server (DNS) to unblock websites, directing only your DNS queries through its server and keeping your IP address intact. It is used by a lot of VPNs as it doesn’t slow down internet traffic because of its lack of modifications to the data that’s running through it. That said, PureVPN’s speeds were solid, so I don’t think not having it has too much impact here.

The PureVPN DD-WRT applet for routers is the reason why it has such success when it comes to device compatibility. It lets you access a basic GUI (graphical user interface) as soon as you log in to your router, giving you options to choose various servers based on your needs. PureVPN provides you with a comprehensive guide so that you can install it on most routers.

It doesn’t have split tunneling, but the Linux app offers a GUI, which is rare. I appreciate that because it makes it much easier to use. One other thing I love about PureVPN is you can choose between 12 languages on the Windows, Mac, and Android apps. It’s much more than most VPNs offer. So overall, PureVPN has a great app for more devices than many of its competitors.