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PureVPN
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Pros
Tool selects the 'best' server based on multiple factors. Split Tunneling is a unique feature. Impressive selection of servers.Cons
Installation feels longer and requires more steps than competitors. No OpenVPN, despite it being a standard. Encryption settings can be confusing. Restricted to only two logins per account.Bottom Line
PureVPN is a solid performer giving users a nice mix of advanced and newbie-friendly features. It is not packed to the gills with advanced features, but it has just enough unique features to stand out from the rest of the VPN service crowd.
With a VPN, or virtual private network, you can ensure that your data is secure on your network and hidden from prying eyes. PureVPN has a large collection of VPN servers across the world, offering some of the best geographic diversity we've seen. It could use some brushing-up in the UI department, however, and it has a dud of a dedicated streaming server. We recommend Editors' Choice winners NordVPN or Private Internet Access as more full-featured alternatives.
What Is a VPN?
When you use a VPN, your web traffic travels through an encrypted tunnel to the VPN service's secure server before heading out into the wider internet. This means that any bad guys monitoring your network won't be able to see your web traffic or trace your movements on the internet back to you. The next time you use a public Wi-Fi network, such as the one at your local coffee shop, you might want to fire up a VPN to make sure no one is snooping on your movements.
VPNs protect your privacy, but they can also unlock restricted content. In countries with oppressive internet policies, activists and journalists use VPNs to sidestep government censorship and contact the outside world. VPNs can also be used to access region-locked content, such as BBC and Netflix streaming services, though many such companies are starting to fight back against VPN cheats. More on this below.
While using a VPN is a great step toward better security, it's important to know the limitations of VPNs, too. Although VPNs obscure your IP address, the Tor service is far better at providing true anonymization. Also, if the site you're headed to doesn't use HTTPS, your traffic may be intercepted along the way, anyhow. One thing a VPN can do is help secure your data from your ISP, lest it
There's a good chance that you may have never laid hands on a VPN before. If that's the case, don't worry! We've got a whole feature on how to set up and use a VPN.
Pricing and Features
PureVPN currently offers neither a free version nor a free trial of its product. There is, however, a seven-day money-back guarantee. If you're unwilling to plunk down cash for a VPN, consider the numerous excellent free VPN services on the market. TunnelBear and ProtonVPN, for example, have excellent (albeit limited) free products.
PureVPN costs $10.95 per month, though there are usually discounts on offer. You can also opt to pay $59.00 for a one-year subscription. Subscription payments can be made via just about every means you could desire: credit card, Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies), PayPal, and so on. You can even pay with gift cards from popular stores. If you ever dreamed of using your Starbucks gift card to buy a VPN service, this is your chance.
PureVPN has a reasonable monthly
When you go to complete your transaction, PureVPN gives you the chance to purchase add-on services. These include an additional firewall and other extras, which I discuss in detail later.
Whichever plan you choose, you get five licenses to spread across all your devices. PureVPN has clients for Linux, macOS, and Windows, as well as mobile clients for Android and iOS. You can also secure just your browser traffic with the PureVPN Chrome plug-in.
There is also a business version of PureVPN, priced on a per-seat basis. It's $8.00 per person per month, with additional plans that include more features.
PureVPN also offers software for routers and streaming devices, including the Amazon Fire Stick, Android TV boxes, and Kodi-powered systems. TorGuard VPN sells routers and Apple TVs with its software preinstalled, as does Private Internet Access. Running VPN software on your router can be a smart way to extend protection to every device in your house—including smart devices that can't run VPN software, like your fridge or your game console—at no additional cost.
Other benefits include PureVPN's allowing P2P file sharing and BitTorrent traffic on more than 200 of its servers. Its Split Tunneling feature also lets you select specific traffic to go through the VPN, which is excellent. That way, you can keep certain activities secure and allow more>including: IKEv2, L2TP, PPTP, OpenVPN, and SSTP. All of these provide 256-bit encryption, except PPTP, which offers only 128-bit encryption. Generally, I recommend that people use OpenVPN where possible, because of its speed, reliability, and open-source status. I am, however, happy to see that PureVPN offers many choices, from legacy support to the latest standards.
Servers and Server Locations
It's safe to assume that a VPN company will add or remove servers as demand increases or slacks, but the number and location of servers are useful indicators of a VPN service's robustness. The more servers there are, the more bandwidth is available to each user on each server. The more server locations there are, the more likely you are to find a fast and reliable connection when you travel abroad. Numerous server locations also
PureVPN currently offers users some 750 servers across 140 countries in 180 different locations. The list includes servers in Africa, Asia, Australia, Central America, Europe, North America, and South America. In fact, it offers some of the best geographic diversity I have yet seen among VPN companies. Simply having VPN servers in 19 different African nations puts it leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.
But not everything is
Virtual servers can be an issue if you want to know exactly which countries are handling your data. That's difficult with PureVPN. Although you can find out which servers are virtual, a representative explained to me virtual servers are placed 'in a location nearest to the actual physical location.' That's not an exact
Both NordVPN and Private Internet Access offer well over 3,000 servers. These companies also do not use any virtual locations and own physical hardware in each of the countries they serve.
Note that PureVPN also offers servers in China, Russia, and Turkey. That's particularly notable as these countries have oppressive internet policies. While many VPN companies no longer offer servers in China or Russia in the face of restrictive local laws, PureVPN still does.
In general, I don't think it's possible to make a final judgment about the privacy powers of a given company based solely on the country in which it operates. It is, however, important to know what the policies of the company are and the legal framework they operate within. I suggest would-be consumers consider the facts and go with the company they feel most comfortable about.
Your Privacy With PureVPN
A VPN is intended to improve your privacy, but that only works if the company providing the service takes steps to make sure that your information is secure. After all, if a VPN is keeping tabs on what you do, it's no better than a spy that you're paying for, or an ISP.
PureVPN recently update its privacy policy and the results are good. It's very easy to read and understand. It's not interactive, like TunnelBear's, but its bullet-pointed format makes for breezy reading, if you're into that sort of thing. In the policy, PureVPN says that it does not log your activity or DNS requests. It also does not log your true IP address or the IP adresss of the VPN server you use. This is excellent.
It does, however, note when you connect to a server and the total bandwidth used during your session. This kind of data gathering is not unusual among VPN services. The records that are kept, the company says, could not 'associate any specific activity to a specific user.'
Since we first reviewed PureVPN, the company has come under fire for disclosing user information to the federal government in response to a criminal investigation. While I am far from being an expert in law enforcement, the disclosure seems in line with the company's privacy policy. Concerned readers should consider the case carefully.
A company representative for PureVPN told me that the company only gathers revenue from subscription sales. That's good, as some VPN companies have intercepted user web traffic to insert ads. Still, others have sold anonymized user information, a practice by ISPs that many use a VPN to prevent in the first place.
Note that PureVPN is headquartered in Hong Kong. This is a bit ironic, given how repressive some of China's internet regulations are. Hong Kong doesn't have mandatory within China. As such, a company representative described it as the, 'best place in the world to keep anything hidden.'
I'm not a legal expert, but PureVPN's representatives explained that Hong Kong maintains its own 'legislative, judiciary [...], sets its own rules on immigration, public order, education, civil aviation, and monetary system.' The practical upshot, PureVPN's representatives explained, is that, 'PureVPN does not have to comply with the laws stipulated by [the People's Republic of China], instead, there are no such restrictions on doing a VPN business in the autonomous jurisdiction of Hong Kong.'
As a rule, I don't think it's possible for me to make a judgment on a VPN company's privacy practices based solely on the location of its headquarters. To do so would be xenophobic at the least. What I do know is that PureVPN's legal situation is more complicated than that of the average VPN service. I also know that its privacy policy lays out strong protections for consumers simply by not collecting the most sensitive information. Again, I cannot claim to be a well-versed in the law (especially not international law). My advice, as always, is that consumers consider the facts and make a decision that feels comfortable to them.
Hands On With PureVPN
For this review, I installed PureVPN on a Lenovo ThinkPad T460 running Windows 10. Installation on my test system was quick, but it did require a separate installation of Microsoft Visual C++ 2013.
When you create an account for billing purposes with PureVPN, you enter an email and a password (a mere 12 characters, with no special characters—hardly secure). But this isn't the password or login information you use with the actual PureVPN app. Instead, you receive an email with the password and username in plaintext. Other VPNs also handle user logins this way. The logic is that it separates your usage and payment identities, allowing for greater anonymity. I'd like to see PureVPN handle this more elegantly—and more securely. First-time customers may be confused, wondering why the login credentials they used to purchase a subscription don't work
When you launch PureVPN, a screen prompts you to select one of five options: Stream, Internet Freedom, Security/Privacy, File Sharing, and Dedicated IP. Depending on what you select, PureVPN delivers a customized experience. This is clever since it elevates features users might not be familiar with by presenting situations they probably understand, but I wonder how helpful it will be for someone who just wants to get online. I much prefer the approach of NordVPN or TunnelBear, which have a simple button to activate the VPN under default settings.
Clicking any of these buttons activates the VPN, but the idea is to give you access to the best tools for whatever you're trying to accomplish. Privacy, it turns out, is what I would consider
There are other settings buried within the app. The Protocols pull-down menu lets you choose from the available VPN protocols, as well as PureVPN's custom Stealth protocol. Each option is accompanied by a rating for speed and security, which is certainly helpful. By default, PureVPN is set to Auto and chooses the protocol it thinks best. Many VPN companies are grappling with potential leaks, where your information may be briefly exposed. PureVPN addresses this with its Gravity option, which taps into the company's secure DNS servers.
The Global Map tab on the left lets you bypass PureVPN's recommendations and simply select one of the company's servers. Personally, I prefer this kind of interface, and I wonder why PureVPN decided not to use it as the centerpiece of its app.
The PureVPN client feels much zippier since the last time I used it. While it is bright, the use of colorful photos sometimes makes it difficult to read. Once connected, you see your connection status, your current IP address, and your session duration in the lower half of the interface. There's also a traffic chart, showing how much bandwidth you have consumed during in your session. It's a good way to be aware of internet usage. PureVPN doesn't have bandwidth caps, though, so it's mostly window dressing unless you have some other need to meter your usage.
PureVPN and Netflix
There are still borders in cyberspace, particularly when it comes to streaming video online. Services offer differing content based on customers' locations. Because you can use a VPN to hide or spoof your location, many streaming services attempt to block VPN traffic.
One thing to note is that if you plan on watching Netflix, PureVPN won't be much help, as mentioned above. In my testing, I found that Netflix detected that I was using a VPN and blocked streaming. I had the same issue even when I was using PureVPN's streaming mode. That's doubly disappointing.
It's not surprising that Netflix blocks access from PureVPN servers, as it has done the same for most VPNs, but it is eyebrow-raising, considering the hoopla that PureVPN makes about being to stream content from anywhere. What's the point in having a streaming server if you can't, well, stream? Some VPNs are able to work with Netflix, although it can vary from day to day as Netflix fights back against them.
Note that although Netflix does not explicitly ban the use of VPNs, it takes a dim view of their use. Section 6c of Netflix's terms of use outlines the company's right to use technology to verify your location and that content will only be available in the primary country of the customer.
Beyond VPN
If you're itching to get a little more out of your PureVPN subscription, the company offers add-ons for additional monthly fees. An additional 99 cents per month gets you a NAT Firewall, and $1.99 per month buys you a dedicated IP address. You can also tack on DDoS protection for a dedicated IP address for $2.25 per month.
You can spring for the P2P protection for $1.99 a month, but don't expect it to hide your torrenting. PureVPN explains that this is actually intended to scan torrent files for malware. TorGuard VPN offers some more robust options specifically for heavy BitTorrent users.
Similarly, $2.99 a month will get you what PureVPN describes as
full-featured antivirus app on your computer.
While it's great to see PureVPN offering more features for customers, I am confused by the difference between some of them. Moreover, several VPN companies offer ad blocking or network malware protection with their entry-level pricing, which makes me question the value these features really offer. One thing I do like, however, is that PureVPN includes thorough explanations for each of these features, so at least you can make an informed decision.
Speed and Performance
Regardless of what VPN you use, your speed performance will likely take a hit as a result of the extra security measures. Most of the time this is just a mild annoyance; it's hardly like going back to the days of modem screeches and dial-up performance.
To measure a VPN's impact on web browsing, I compare the average results from Ookla's speedtest.net (which is owned by PCMag's publisher, Ziff Davis) on domestic servers both with and without the VPN active. I then find a percent change
In the latency tests, PureVPN increased ping time by 200 percent domestically and 287.2 percent internationally. TorGuard VPN actually reduced latency by 6.7 percent in my domestic tests, and TunnelBear had the smallest impact on international latency results, increasing ping time by only 270.3 percent.
Crack Apk Market
PureVPN used to rule the roost in my speed tests, but that's no longer the case. I found that it reduced download speeds by 5.1 percent domestically and 55.7 percent internationally. Those are respectable results in this all-important test, but not the best. TorGuard VPN decreased domestic download speeds by only 3.7 percent, and AnchorFree Hotspot Shield Elite increased international download speeds by 39.9 percent.
In the upload tests, PureVPN reduced speeds by 6.2 percent domestically and 97.6 percent internationally. Again, these are good results, but not the best. IPVanish increased domestic upload speeds by only 2.9 percent and Private Internet Access increased international uploads by only 97.3 percent.
For the first two years of testing, I found that PureVPN actually improved download speeds by a large margin—between 300 and 400 percent. That is to say, that downloads and uploads were faster with PureVPN than they were without, which flew in the face of all conventional wisdom. Nevertheless, this was consistent over the course of several rounds of testing over several
The practical upshot is that PureVPN is no longer the fastest VPN, and its score has been adjusted to reflect this. While we at PCMag do not consider speed to be a major variable when choosing a VPN, we did think it important to recognize PureVPN's speed test results. As it stands, TorGuard VPN has the least significant impact on download speeds and a reasonably small impact on uploads. It's now our pick for the fastest VPN.
PureVPN for Android
The PureVPN app for Android is available from the Google Play store for free, but it requires a subscription to use. The app brings a lot of familiar design elements from the Windows client, but with a few changes. A Material Design button in the lower right corner pulls up a list of servers to which you can connect.
But while the app blends in on Android, it's not a straightforward experience. As with the desktop versions, there's no obvious way to get online immediately. And the five modes the app presents are broken down further, which might confuse an inexperienced user simply looking to get online quickly. Also, the Material Design button uses an AC power plug as an icon, which is a bit bewildering, considering that it has nothing to do with electrical power.
Unfortunately, my problems with the Android app were more than just aesthetic. When I tested the app, it often crashed. I could even cause a crash by taking specific options, and reproduce it consistently. The app also yielded poor speed test scores with its default settings. A company representative advised me to enable the Multi Port option from the Protocol section, which solved the problem.
Speaking of speeds, even when it was working, PureVPN yielded a mixed bag of speed scores. The app racked up a disappointing speed test score, a below average upload score, and a blessedly average download score. It's disappointing that PureVPN, which performs so well on Windows, can't repeat the feat with its Android VPN client.
PureVPN for Mac
When I last reviewed the PureVPN Mac app, I discovered I had to download the client from the PureVPN website—it's not available from the official Mac App Store.
The layout is broadly similar to that of the Windows version, with its five modes that connect you to the best server for your current situation. That said, I find this approach overly complicated. It would be handy to also have a button that simply connects you to the nearest server, in addition to this step-by-step approach.
The PureVPN client looks quite at home on macOS—one of the few Mac VPN apps that
PureVPN for iPhone
The PureVPN iPhone app looks similar to the Android app. It's a strong design, but I am disappointed that the company doesn't keep its app more in line with the iOS design aesthetic. The app also lacks the map view and the status information, such as session length and bandwidth, found in the desktop version of the app. Instead, the iPhone app uses pretty (if dubiously useful) pictures of different locales. In our testing, we found that PureVPN had strong speed test scores, ranging from acceptable to excellent.
As with the other PureVPN apps, there's no obvious way to get online quickly in its iPhone VPN app. Instead, you have to navigate through a series of pages designed to connect you with the best server for whatever you're trying to do right now. Out of the box, you can connect via IPSec or IKEv2 VPN protocols with the PureVPN iPhone app. There's an option to manually configure an L2TP connection, but no option to connect via our preferred option, OpenVPN. KeepSolid VPN Unlimited, by contrast, does support OpenVPN on iPhone.
The PureVPN iPhone app includes a host of content blocking and control features called Ozone and Gravity. It's a bit of a grab bag, ranging from blocking apps to blocking sexual content online. In our testing, we found that many of the Gravity and Ozone features either did not work as we expected, or didn't work at all. Our review of the iPhone app explored these features in depth.
While these features are extras that don't really affect the app's VPN functionality, we do feel that it's better to not include features that don't work. We hope that PureVPN will revisit its Ozone and Gravity offerings on iPhone and either fix them or remove them all together.
PureVPN for Chrome and Firefox Browsers
If you're looking to keep a small footprint, PureVPN offers plug-ins for both Firefox and Chrome browsers. The advantage of a plug-in is that it's lightweight and can be installed anywhere you have access to a browser. The downside is that it only encrypts your browser traffic, leaving other applications to make use of greater bandwidth, albeit on an unencrypted basis. If you're a gamer but want to encrypt your online activities, this could be handy.
I have looked at the Chrome plug-in previously, but was unable to log in and test it this time around. That's disappointing. I will continue to try to get it running, however, and will update this review if and when I succeed.
One notable aspect is that the Chrome plug-in also blocks some WebRTC elements. These allow websites to use certain elements of your computer—your webcam, for example. Not everyone is a fan of WebRTC because of this, and blocking tools like those included in PureVPN have begun popping.
The Times Have Changed
In the past, we gave PureVPN an Editors' Choice and a boost to its score based on its unprecedented speed test results. But with those no longer in play, we had to return to our core criteria when it comes to evaluating a VPN: value, security, and flexibility.
In most of these areas, PureVPN succeeds but does not excel. It has numerous add-ons, but their value is questionable and is included in the price of other, more robust services. We are also disappointed that its Chrome plug-in and streaming servers did not perform as expected. Its privacy policy is excellent, and while it is based in Hong Kong we wouldn't blink if we saw these policies in other VPN services.
PureVPN is not a bad service by any measure, but it's not the best. Editors' Choice winner Private Internet Access offers a spartan experience at an unbeatable price, while its companion winner NordVPN costs slightly more than average but packs excellent features into an excellent interface. Consider those before looking to PureVPN.
Bottom Line: PureVPN boasts an outstanding network of international VPN servers, but its user experience leaves something to be desired, and some features didn't work in testing.
- Pros
Geographically diverse servers. Add-on features like Firewall and dedicated IP. Allows P2P and BitTorrent. Blocks adds. Strong privacy policy.
- Cons
Tedious to get online. Comparatively few servers. Unclear where virtual servers are located. Unfamiliar legal situation. Some features didn't work in testing.
- Bottom Line
PureVPN boasts an outstanding network of international VPN servers, but its user experience leaves something to be desired, and some features didn't work in testing.
With a VPN, or virtual private network, you can ensure that your data is secure on your network and hidden from prying eyes. PureVPN has a large collection of VPN servers across the world, offering some of the best geographic diversity we've seen. It could use some brushing-up in the UI department, however, and it has a dud of a dedicated streaming server. We recommend Editors' Choice winners NordVPN or Private Internet Access as more full-featured alternatives.
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What Is a VPN?
When you use a VPN, your web traffic travels through an encrypted tunnel to the VPN service's secure server before heading out into the wider internet. This means that any bad guys monitoring your network won't be able to see your web traffic or trace your movements on the internet back to you. The next time you use a public Wi-Fi network, such as the one at your local coffee shop, you might want to fire up a VPN to make sure no one is snooping on your movements.
VPNs protect your privacy, but they can also unlock restricted content. In countries with oppressive internet policies, activists and journalists use VPNs to sidestep government censorship and contact the outside world. VPNs can also be used to access region-locked content, such as BBC and Netflix streaming services, though many such companies are starting to fight back against VPN cheats. More on this below.
While using a VPN is a great step toward better security, it's important to know the limitations of VPNs, too. Although VPNs obscure your IP address, the Tor service is far better at providing true anonymization. Also, if the site you're headed to doesn't use HTTPS, your traffic may be intercepted along the way, anyhow. One thing a VPN can do is help secure your data from your ISP, lest it
There's a good chance that you may have never laid hands on a VPN before. If that's the case, don't worry! We've got a whole feature on how to set up and use a VPN.
Pricing and Features
PureVPN currently offers neither a free version nor a free trial of its product. There is, however, a seven-day money-back guarantee. If you're unwilling to plunk down cash for a VPN, consider the numerous excellent free VPN services on the market. TunnelBear and ProtonVPN, for example, have excellent (albeit limited) free products.
PureVPN costs $10.95 per month, though there are usually discounts on offer. You can also opt to pay $59.00 for a one-year subscription. Subscription payments can be made via just about every means you could desire: credit card, Bitcoin (and other cryptocurrencies), PayPal, and so on. You can even pay with gift cards from popular stores. If you ever dreamed of using your Starbucks gift card to buy a VPN service, this is your chance.
PureVPN has a reasonable monthly
When you go to complete your transaction, PureVPN gives you the chance to purchase add-on services. These include an additional firewall and other extras, which I discuss in detail later.
Whichever plan you choose, you get five licenses to spread across all your devices. PureVPN has clients for Linux, macOS, and Windows, as well as mobile clients for Android and iOS. You can also secure just your browser traffic with the PureVPN Chrome plug-in.
There is also a business version of PureVPN, priced on a per-seat basis. It's $8.00 per person per month, with additional plans that include more features.
PureVPN also offers software for routers and streaming devices, including the Amazon Fire Stick, Android TV boxes, and Kodi-powered systems. TorGuard VPN sells routers and Apple TVs with its software preinstalled, as does Private Internet Access. Running VPN software on your router can be a smart way to extend protection to every device in your house—including smart devices that can't run VPN software, like your fridge or your game console—at no additional cost.
Other benefits include PureVPN's allowing P2P file sharing and BitTorrent traffic on more than 200 of its servers. Its Split Tunneling feature also lets you select specific traffic to go through the VPN, which is excellent. That way, you can keep certain activities secure and allow more>including: IKEv2, L2TP, PPTP, OpenVPN, and SSTP. All of these provide 256-bit encryption, except PPTP, which offers only 128-bit encryption. Generally, I recommend that people use OpenVPN where possible, because of its speed, reliability, and open-source status. I am, however, happy to see that PureVPN offers many choices, from legacy support to the latest standards.
Servers and Server Locations
It's safe to assume that a VPN company will add or remove servers as demand increases or slacks, but the number and location of servers are useful indicators of a VPN service's robustness. The more servers there are, the more bandwidth is available to each user on each server. The more server locations there are, the more likely you are to find a fast and reliable connection when you travel abroad. Numerous server locations also
PureVPN currently offers users some 750 servers across 140 countries in 180 different locations. The list includes servers in Africa, Asia, Australia, Central America, Europe, North America, and South America. In fact, it offers some of the best geographic diversity I have yet seen among VPN companies. Simply having VPN servers in 19 different African nations puts it leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.
But not everything is
Virtual servers can be an issue if you want to know exactly which countries are handling your data. That's difficult with PureVPN. Although you can find out which servers are virtual, a representative explained to me virtual servers are placed 'in a location nearest to the actual physical location.' That's not an exact
Both NordVPN and Private Internet Access offer well over 3,000 servers. These companies also do not use any virtual locations and own physical hardware in each of the countries they serve.
Note that PureVPN also offers servers in China, Russia, and Turkey. That's particularly notable as these countries have oppressive internet policies. While many VPN companies no longer offer servers in China or Russia in the face of restrictive local laws, PureVPN still does.
In general, I don't think it's possible to make a final judgment about the privacy powers of a given company based solely on the country in which it operates. It is, however, important to know what the policies of the company are and the legal framework they operate within. I suggest would-be consumers consider the facts and go with the company they feel most comfortable about.
Your Privacy With PureVPN
A VPN is intended to improve your privacy, but that only works if the company providing the service takes steps to make sure that your information is secure. After all, if a VPN is keeping tabs on what you do, it's no better than a spy that you're paying for, or an ISP.
PureVPN recently update its privacy policy and the results are good. It's very easy to read and understand. It's not interactive, like TunnelBear's, but its bullet-pointed format makes for breezy reading, if you're into that sort of thing. In the policy, PureVPN says that it does not log your activity or DNS requests. It also does not log your true IP address or the IP adresss of the VPN server you use. This is excellent.
It does, however, note when you connect to a server and the total bandwidth used during your session. This kind of data gathering is not unusual among VPN services. The records that are kept, the company says, could not 'associate any specific activity to a specific user.'
Since we first reviewed PureVPN, the company has come under fire for disclosing user information to the federal government in response to a criminal investigation. While I am far from being an expert in law enforcement, the disclosure seems in line with the company's privacy policy. Concerned readers should consider the case carefully.
A company representative for PureVPN told me that the company only gathers revenue from subscription sales. That's good, as some VPN companies have intercepted user web traffic to insert ads. Still, others have sold anonymized user information, a practice by ISPs that many use a VPN to prevent in the first place.
Note that PureVPN is headquartered in Hong Kong. This is a bit ironic, given how repressive some of China's internet regulations are. Hong Kong doesn't have mandatory within China. As such, a company representative described it as the, 'best place in the world to keep anything hidden.'
I'm not a legal expert, but PureVPN's representatives explained that Hong Kong maintains its own 'legislative, judiciary [...], sets its own rules on immigration, public order, education, civil aviation, and monetary system.' The practical upshot, PureVPN's representatives explained, is that, 'PureVPN does not have to comply with the laws stipulated by [the People's Republic of China], instead, there are no such restrictions on doing a VPN business in the autonomous jurisdiction of Hong Kong.'
As a rule, I don't think it's possible for me to make a judgment on a VPN company's privacy practices based solely on the location of its headquarters. To do so would be xenophobic at the least. What I do know is that PureVPN's legal situation is more complicated than that of the average VPN service. I also know that its privacy policy lays out strong protections for consumers simply by not collecting the most sensitive information. Again, I cannot claim to be a well-versed in the law (especially not international law). My advice, as always, is that consumers consider the facts and make a decision that feels comfortable to them.
See How We Test VPNs
Hands On With PureVPN
For this review, I installed PureVPN on a Lenovo ThinkPad T460 running Windows 10. Installation on my test system was quick, but it did require a separate installation of Microsoft Visual C++ 2013.
When you create an account for billing purposes with PureVPN, you enter an email and a password (a mere 12 characters, with no special characters—hardly secure). But this isn't the password or login information you use with the actual PureVPN app. Instead, you receive an email with the password and username in plaintext. Other VPNs also handle user logins this way. The logic is that it separates your usage and payment identities, allowing for greater anonymity. I'd like to see PureVPN handle this more elegantly—and more securely. First-time customers may be confused, wondering why the login credentials they used to purchase a subscription don't work
When you launch PureVPN, a screen prompts you to select one of five options: Stream, Internet Freedom, Security/Privacy, File Sharing, and Dedicated IP. Depending on what you select, PureVPN delivers a customized experience. This is clever since it elevates features users might not be familiar with by presenting situations they probably understand, but I wonder how helpful it will be for someone who just wants to get online. I much prefer the approach of NordVPN or TunnelBear, which have a simple button to activate the VPN under default settings.
Clicking any of these buttons activates the VPN, but the idea is to give you access to the best tools for whatever you're trying to accomplish. Privacy, it turns out, is what I would consider
There are other settings buried within the app. The Protocols pull-down menu lets you choose from the available VPN protocols, as well as PureVPN's custom Stealth protocol. Each option is accompanied by a rating for speed and security, which is certainly helpful. By default, PureVPN is set to Auto and chooses the protocol it thinks best. Many VPN companies are grappling with potential leaks, where your information may be briefly exposed. PureVPN addresses this with its Gravity option, which taps into the company's secure DNS servers.
The Global Map tab on the left lets you bypass PureVPN's recommendations and simply select one of the company's servers. Personally, I prefer this kind of interface, and I wonder why PureVPN decided not to use it as the centerpiece of its app.
The PureVPN client feels much zippier since the last time I used it. While it is bright, the use of colorful photos sometimes makes it difficult to read. Once connected, you see your connection status, your current IP address, and your session duration in the lower half of the interface. There's also a traffic chart, showing how much bandwidth you have consumed during in your session. It's a good way to be aware of internet usage. PureVPN doesn't have bandwidth caps, though, so it's mostly window dressing unless you have some other need to meter your usage.
PureVPN and Netflix
There are still borders in cyberspace, particularly when it comes to streaming video online. Services offer differing content based on customers' locations. Because you can use a VPN to hide or spoof your location, many streaming services attempt to block VPN traffic.
One thing to note is that if you plan on watching Netflix, PureVPN won't be much help, as mentioned above. In my testing, I found that Netflix detected that I was using a VPN and blocked streaming. I had the same issue even when I was using PureVPN's streaming mode. That's doubly disappointing.
It's not surprising that Netflix blocks access from PureVPN servers, as it has done the same for most VPNs, but it is eyebrow-raising, considering the hoopla that PureVPN makes about being to stream content from anywhere. What's the point in having a streaming server if you can't, well, stream? Some VPNs are able to work with Netflix, although it can vary from day to day as Netflix fights back against them.
Note that although Netflix does not explicitly ban the use of VPNs, it takes a dim view of their use. Section 6c of Netflix's terms of use outlines the company's right to use technology to verify your location and that content will only be available in the primary country of the customer.
Beyond VPN
If you're itching to get a little more out of your PureVPN subscription, the company offers add-ons for additional monthly fees. An additional 99 cents per month gets you a NAT Firewall, and $1.99 per month buys you a dedicated IP address. You can also tack on DDoS protection for a dedicated IP address for $2.25 per month.
You can spring for the P2P protection for $1.99 a month, but don't expect it to hide your torrenting. PureVPN explains that this is actually intended to scan torrent files for malware. TorGuard VPN offers some more robust options specifically for heavy BitTorrent users.
Similarly, $2.99 a month will get you what PureVPN describes as
full-featured antivirus app on your computer.
While it's great to see PureVPN offering more features for customers, I am confused by the difference between some of them. Moreover, several VPN companies offer ad blocking or network malware protection with their entry-level pricing, which makes me question the value these features really offer. One thing I do like, however, is that PureVPN includes thorough explanations for each of these features, so at least you can make an informed decision.
Speed and Performance
Regardless of what VPN you use, your speed performance will likely take a hit as a result of the extra security measures. Most of the time this is just a mild annoyance; it's hardly like going back to the days of modem screeches and dial-up performance.
To measure a VPN's impact on web browsing, I compare the average results from Ookla's speedtest.net (which is owned by PCMag's publisher, Ziff Davis) on domestic servers both with and without the VPN active. I then find a percent change
In the latency tests, PureVPN increased ping time by 200 percent domestically and 287.2 percent internationally. TorGuard VPN actually reduced latency by 6.7 percent in my domestic tests, and TunnelBear had the smallest impact on international latency results, increasing ping time by only 270.3 percent.
PureVPN used to rule the roost in my speed tests, but that's no longer the case. I found that it reduced download speeds by 5.1 percent domestically and 55.7 percent internationally. Those are respectable results in this all-important test, but not the best. TorGuard VPN decreased domestic download speeds by only 3.7 percent, and AnchorFree Hotspot Shield Elite increased international download speeds by 39.9 percent.
In the upload tests, PureVPN reduced speeds by 6.2 percent domestically and 97.6 percent internationally. Again, these are good results, but not the best. IPVanish increased domestic upload speeds by only 2.9 percent and Private Internet Access increased international uploads by only 97.3 percent.
For the first two years of testing, I found that PureVPN actually improved download speeds by a large margin—between 300 and 400 percent. That is to say, that downloads and uploads were faster with PureVPN than they were without, which flew in the face of all conventional wisdom. Nevertheless, this was consistent over the course of several rounds of testing over several
The practical upshot is that PureVPN is no longer the fastest VPN, and its score has been adjusted to reflect this. While we at PCMag do not consider speed to be a major variable when choosing a VPN, we did think it important to recognize PureVPN's speed test results. As it stands, TorGuard VPN has the least significant impact on download speeds and a reasonably small impact on uploads. It's now our pick for the fastest VPN.
PureVPN for Android
The PureVPN app for Android is available from the Google Play store for free, but it requires a subscription to use. The app brings a lot of familiar design elements from the Windows client, but with a few changes. A Material Design button in the lower right corner pulls up a list of servers to which you can connect.
But while the app blends in on Android, it's not a straightforward experience. As with the desktop versions, there's no obvious way to get online immediately. And the five modes the app presents are broken down further, which might confuse an inexperienced user simply looking to get online quickly. Also, the Material Design button uses an AC power plug as an icon, which is a bit bewildering, considering that it has nothing to do with electrical power.
Unfortunately, my problems with the Android app were more than just aesthetic. When I tested the app, it often crashed. I could even cause a crash by taking specific options, and reproduce it consistently. The app also yielded poor speed test scores with its default settings. A company representative advised me to enable the Multi Port option from the Protocol section, which solved the problem.
Speaking of speeds, even when it was working, PureVPN yielded a mixed bag of speed scores. The app racked up a disappointing speed test score, a below average upload score, and a blessedly average download score. It's disappointing that PureVPN, which performs so well on Windows, can't repeat the feat with its Android VPN client.
PureVPN for Mac
When I last reviewed the PureVPN Mac app, I discovered I had to download the client from the PureVPN website—it's not available from the official Mac App Store.
The layout is broadly similar to that of the Windows version, with its five modes that connect you to the best server for your current situation. That said, I find this approach overly complicated. It would be handy to also have a button that simply connects you to the nearest server, in addition to this step-by-step approach.
The PureVPN client looks quite at home on macOS—one of the few Mac VPN apps that
Android Market
PureVPN for iPhone
The PureVPN iPhone app looks similar to the Android app. It's a strong design, but I am disappointed that the company doesn't keep its app more in line with the iOS design aesthetic. The app also lacks the map view and the status information, such as session length and bandwidth, found in the desktop version of the app. Instead, the iPhone app uses pretty (if dubiously useful) pictures of different locales. In our testing, we found that PureVPN had strong speed test scores, ranging from acceptable to excellent.
As with the other PureVPN apps, there's no obvious way to get online quickly in its iPhone VPN app. Instead, you have to navigate through a series of pages designed to connect you with the best server for whatever you're trying to do right now. Out of the box, you can connect via IPSec or IKEv2 VPN protocols with the PureVPN iPhone app. There's an option to manually configure an L2TP connection, but no option to connect via our preferred option, OpenVPN. KeepSolid VPN Unlimited, by contrast, does support OpenVPN on iPhone.
The PureVPN iPhone app includes a host of content blocking and control features called Ozone and Gravity. It's a bit of a grab bag, ranging from blocking apps to blocking sexual content online. In our testing, we found that many of the Gravity and Ozone features either did not work as we expected, or didn't work at all. Our review of the iPhone app explored these features in depth.
While these features are extras that don't really affect the app's VPN functionality, we do feel that it's better to not include features that don't work. We hope that PureVPN will revisit its Ozone and Gravity offerings on iPhone and either fix them or remove them all together.
PureVPN for Chrome and Firefox Browsers
Purevpn Download Apk
If you're looking to keep a small footprint, PureVPN offers plug-ins for both Firefox and Chrome browsers. The advantage of a plug-in is that it's lightweight and can be installed anywhere you have access to a browser. The downside is that it only encrypts your browser traffic, leaving other applications to make use of greater bandwidth, albeit on an unencrypted basis. If you're a gamer but want to encrypt your online activities, this could be handy.
I have looked at the Chrome plug-in previously, but was unable to log in and test it this time around. That's disappointing. I will continue to try to get it running, however, and will update this review if and when I succeed.
One notable aspect is that the Chrome plug-in also blocks some WebRTC elements. These allow websites to use certain elements of your computer—your webcam, for example. Not everyone is a fan of WebRTC because of this, and blocking tools like those included in PureVPN have begun popping.
The Times Have Changed
In the past, we gave PureVPN an Editors' Choice and a boost to its score based on its unprecedented speed test results. But with those no longer in play, we had to return to our core criteria when it comes to evaluating a VPN: value, security, and flexibility.
In most of these areas, PureVPN succeeds but does not excel. It has numerous add-ons, but their value is questionable and is included in the price of other, more robust services. We are also disappointed that its Chrome plug-in and streaming servers did not perform as expected. Its privacy policy is excellent, and while it is based in Hong Kong we wouldn't blink if we saw these policies in other VPN services.
PureVPN is not a bad service by any measure, but it's not the best. Editors' Choice winner Private Internet Access offers a spartan experience at an unbeatable price, while its companion winner NordVPN costs slightly more than average but packs excellent features into an excellent interface. Consider those before looking to PureVPN.
Bottom Line: PureVPN boasts an outstanding network of international VPN servers, but its user experience leaves something to be desired, and some features didn't work in testing.
- $10.95
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