PureVPN user reviews
Are you also fed up with the online Facebook uncles flooding your DMs with “Hi dear!” and fear that they will reach your home just in a bit? Well, if you are on the internet, there are a lot of dangers waiting for you, and to counter these, you must use this digital specie called a VPN.
PureVPN can help you not only to hide your identity but also safely and freely roam the web without getting detected, but it acts as a virtual bodyguard in case any pixelated entity backstabs you.
Needless to say, PureVPN is a reliable VPN; you can just judge its reliability from its arch nemesis, NordVPN. The comparison battle between both tells how popular PureVPN is with its VPN service.
Read further to learn more about PureVPN, in our review we will detail its features, pros and cons with our rating, and a conclusion about why you should use it.
Click on “open” if you want to see exactly what we will talk about in the rest of this article.
Quick Overview
What is PureVPN?
PureVPN is a well-known VPN service made by Uzair Gadit in Pakistan. It is currently owned by the GZ Systems Ltd and is based in the British Virgin Islands.
What’s more, is that PureVPN boasts around high-quality 6,500 servers in approximately 78 countries. With many servers, users can easily choose from which server they want their traffic to be routed.
PureVPN also has got many features; from the eminent kill switch to the profound Split Tunneling, PureVPN has got them all.
Additionally, PureVPN allows torrenting and is estimated to allocate 200 servers mainly for peer-to-peer file sharing. These servers not only provide users with military-grade encryption but also protect the users from ISP throttling.
I know a query just clicked in your brain about logging and stuff. PureVPN has a no-logs policy, which reassures the users that they will not log the essential information from which the user can be located or targeted.
PureVPN specifications
Features | API Security / Affiliate system / Browser history / Chrome extension / Cloud Access / Easy to use / File Transfer / Live chat / Location tracking / Malicious Code Scanning / Mobile app / Online Payments / Personal Information Managment / Shared server |
Best suited for | Individuals, Freelancers, Small businesses |
Website languages | Arabic / Danish / Deutsch / Dutch / English / French / Indian / Italian / Nederlands / Norsk / Portuguese / Turkish |
Website URL | Visit official website |
Support link | Support page |
Live chat | Yes |
Company address | Intershore Chambers P.O Box 4342, Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands |
Year founded | 2007 |
Pricing
PureVPN pricing: How much does PureVPN cost?
PureVPN costs $1.99 per month (27 months) to $10.95 per month (monthly). With the exclusive Summer Deal, you can avail yourself of much from a small price!
Pricing range | PureVPN costs $1.99 per month (27 months) to $10.95 per month (monthly) |
Pricing types | Annual subscription / Monthly subscription |
Free plan | No |
Free trial | Yes, 7 days |
Money back guarantee | Yes, 31 days |
Pricing page link | See plans |
PureVPN pricing plans
Furthermore, there’s not much difference between the plans, but the price is the only factor which differs. Let me lay down all the three plans that PureVPN offers.
- One month: $10.99 per month
- One year: $3.24 per month
- Two years and three months: $1.99 per month
Other than that, PureVPN also gives users a 31-day-money back guarantee. Besides that, PureVPN provides a user-friendly interface mainly for payment methods.
There are also some add-ons that PureVPN offers, but the problem is that to obtain these VPN perks, you have to further pay an extra amount. For instance:
- Dedicated IP costs $2.99 per month
- Port Forwarding costs $0.99 per month
- DDoS Protection costs $3.99 per month
- Dedicated IP + Port Forwarding costs $3.49 per month
Another pleasing thing about PureVPN is that it offers anonymous payments to purchase premium places. And as cryptocurrency is on the rise and many people prefer online paying anonymously without revealing their identity, PureVPN has also got them covered.
PureVPN allows users to pay from credit, debit cards, or PayPal, but the main issue is that to pay with these methods, the user has to give up his identity. To counter this, PureVPN supports crypto payments as well.
PureVPN supports many vital cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum. Therefore, you can easily access the premium features without needing to share your personal details.
Another pleasing thing about PureVPN is its Refunding Policy. If you have bought the subscription but have later changed your mind, you can pretty easily get a refund, but only under 31 days since when the plan was bought.
If you don’t trust me, well, have a look at what management has to say: “If you aren’t satisfied with PureVPN’s service for any reason whatsoever, then you can claim a refund within 31 days of your order date.
Remember, we will first try to resolve your issue successfully before processing the refund request.”
Features
PureVPN features: What can you do with it?
Streaming
It’s an infamous habit of world-renowned streaming platforms to restrict content to certain geographical areas. Because of this, many users around the globe are unable to see or enjoy those movies, TV shows, or documentaries. This is where VPN comes in!
Unlike other famous VPNs that provide quality streaming whilst unrestricting the content, PureVPN is not the ‘Best’ of the VPNs, although It’s pretty decent when it comes to unlocking blocked content as the website itself claims: “Movies, TV shows or sporting events; PureVPN allows you instant and unrestricted access to your favorite content.”
It wholly depends on the server you are connected to. Hit your chances. Connect. See if your streaming content is available or not; if not, repeat.
However, if you want a VPN mainly just for unblocking movies and stuff. Better go for Hotspot Shield, ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, or the best value NordVPN.
PureVPN is also recalled by many famous sources. TechRadar concludes: “With its new 20Gbps server speed upgrades, PureVPN is now 100 percent ready to operate in a 5G world where faster internet speeds have become the norm. “Along with that, Mashable also says, “PureVPN is leading the way when it comes to transparency regarding its operations. It’s the only VPN with an always-on audit, meaning one of the big four security audit firms, KPMG, can audit PureVPN anytime without any prior notice. “
Moreover, streaming with PureVPN gets you many perks; some are:
- Secure streaming: with AES 256-bit encryption, your online connection will be overly protected from any external threats.
- HD no lag streaming: PureVPN has to offer unlimited bandwidth and instant connectivity, giving users the best streaming experience!
- Multiple Connections: With only one PureVPN account, you can sign in to 10 more devices with the same account. Be it a smartphone, tablet, computer, laptop, or extensions; you can pretty much connect PureVPN to anything with this feature.
- Worldwide VPN network: the first thing you look at in a VPN is the location of the servers it provides. In this regard, PureVPN has a wide geographical area under its range. It also offers users a strong network of approximately 6500 servers spread all around 180 locations and placed in fine areas. This lets the user experience an optimal speed and a profound browsing experience.
- Ridicule ISP throttling: when you download something online, the Internet Service Provider throttles the internet connection, and thus, the provider can see the user’s online activity. But if you connect to a PureVPN server, you bypass the internet Service Provider connection, making you inevitable from the throttling.
For a further note, you should know that unblocking a streaming platform is not a walk in the park, but it requires FOCUS, COMMITMENT, and SHEER WILL! Thus, if PureVPN doesn’t meet up your expectations, don’t become a Karen.
Unblocking Netflix
Netflix US has been proclaimed the most diverse and the best catalog one would want to have outside of the US. It has got many movies, serials, and documentaries, that are only exclusive to US citizens.
With PureVPN, you can access many movies and TV shows of your favorite genre. Let me showcase how many movies of different genres get unblocked through PureVPN.
- Canada: 2422 in Comedy, 1328 in Action and Adventure, 888 in Documentary, 737 in Animation, and 432 in Horror.
- Australia:2394 in Comedy, 1181 in Action and Adventure, 856 in Documentary, 679 in Animation, and 300 in Horror.
- Japan: 2140 in Comedy, 1340 in Action and Adventure, 693 in Documentary, 952 in Animation, and 450 in Horror.
- United States: 2237 in Comedy, 1877 in Action and Adventure, 897 in Documentary, 458 in Animation, and 365 in Horror.
- United Kingdom: 2613 in Comedy, 1234 in Action and Adventure, 996 in Documentary, 681 in Animation, and 439 in Horror.
You can also, after unblocking Netflix, watch the regional blocked show, ‘New Girl.’ Don’t judge it by its name; it’s a spectacular show (says audience ratings). Though you may experience some buffering and delay in the episodes whenever you alter the settings, if you are such a drama freak and is not concerned about the quality and stuff, then you are good to go.
Unblocking Disney+
Among the famous streaming platforms comes everyone’s beloved, Disney+. Although, Disney+ is quite difficult to unblock, and many VPNs fail to do so. But actually, for PureVPN, this is not the case.
PureVPN can give you instant access and can allow you to stream movies, TV shows, or any other media in HD.
Unblocking Amazon Prime
This computer-generated jungle of movies is somewhat a drug for movie freaks. Be it a movie watcher or one who binge-watches whole seasons in one night, Amazon Prime serves them the best!
The main dilemma faced by the users is that foreign users can’t get their hands on exclusive streaming content. In this case, PureVPN comes in. Pure VPN effectively unblocks Amazon Prime and allows the users to have a buffer-free and fast streaming experience on Amazon Prime.
Unblocking BBC iPlayer
This English streaming virtual bot is infamous for its geo-restricted content. It is obvious that you have to be in England to use this streaming platform. Why worry if you cannot get an English passport? Just turn on PureVPN, connect to a UK server, and Boom! You are now an unofficial proud citizen –till you turn off the VPN!
Unblocking other streaming platforms
Well, it also quite gets tough for most VPNs to unblock certain countries streaming services. UK-based streaming platforms fall for this.
Many VPNs struggle to unblock video services based mainly in the UK. But that’s not the case for PureVPN. Be it ITV Hub or All4, PureVPN can nearly unblock them all.
Regardless of Hulu being available only in the US. You might find some error connecting even with a US server. The browser extension wouldn’t also work for Hulu. Therefore, in this regard, go for other VPNs like NordVPN.
Nevertheless, when trying to unblock streaming platforms through PureVPN, at first, you may find some problems with getting blocked. This can be countered by trying out a browser extension of PureVPN. Connect the VPN through the extension and pray for your hundred-to-one shot.
Port Forwarding
Port Forwarding is a profound technique used to allow users on a remote network to connect with a device on a local network. In simple words, a user would be able to run various types of services and create dedicated IP without having restrictions on anything. This will happen as the user would be able to reroute the traffic through the router to a particular device.
To simplify Port Forwarding more, a user can choose which instructions or data can go to a specified device. Nonetheless, Port Forwarding is a lot complicated and requires special expertise to set this all up.
Furthermore, there are different types of Port Forwarding:
Remote Port Forwarding
By Remote Port Forwarding, via the SSH client, the connections from a server of SSH are forwarded to a destination server.
Local Port Forwarding
Local Port Forwarding is the complete opposite of Remote Port Forwarding, which is essential when the user connects his computer to a P2P server or a game. And as for downloading games online, third-party websites are vital to use; Local Port Forwarding allows the user to go past the internet firewall to prevent any blocking by websites or webpages.
If we look at it by its definition, it states: that the connections are forwarded from an SSH client to a destination server through the SSH server.
Dynamic Port Forwarding
When connected to a network that isn’t reliable, Dynamic Port Forwarding provides extra protection to the user. For example, imagine you are in a coffee shop where the Wi-Fi you are connected to is a public network. Chances of your data being breached increase. But if you use Dynamic Port Forwarding, you can protect and secure your data and information. Additionally, it can also be used to bypass firewalls that restrict access to particular websites.
Nevertheless, the main objective of Port Forwarding is not to provide the user with fast speed and great performance, but the sole aim of Port Forwarding is to help the user with reliable and stable access. In gaming terminology, Port Forwarding will help you reduce lags in your online games. This happens as it creates a straightforward connection with the game server; this runs the game as smoothly as Shroud’s headshots.
There are three main uses of Port Forwarding:
- Gaming
- Server Selection
- P2P file sharing
Open ports on your router through PureVPN
The steps are simple:
- Type your router’s IP address on your browser
- If asked, enter admin credentials
- Look for Port Forwarding or Forwarding section
- Select Configure Port Forwarding
- Enter the name of the game or the service you need Port Forwarding for
- Type particular port numbers for specific ports
- Enter the IP address of your device and then click OK
Obfuscation
Many countries are trying their hardest to disregard the usage of VPNs to not let people go anonymous. And on the internet, the main concern is all about the survival of your personal data.
You might say this is a digital war of information where VPNs work as arsenals, and their features act as weaponry. Among these virtual weapons is a feature called Obfuscation that is quite useful when it comes counter VPN blocking.
Obfuscation, famously known as StealthVPN, is a renowned feature of VPNs that lets users bypass VPN blocking. Obfuscation mainly operates in deciphering a complicated, complex code into a simple, understandable scripture by using various technologies.
In contrast, many services use Obfuscation to secure their intellectual property from online predators. However, the process of Obfuscation could be quite complicated to understand how variable names are altered into meaningless codes. But here, the concern of us that how Obfuscation helps VPN users.
Consequently, through Obfuscation. A user can easily hide its VPN traffic by bypassing VPN blocks. That being the case, Obfuscation turns complex-looking encrypted traffic into regular traffic. It’s done by hiding the outgoing and incoming traffic behind HTTPS. Quite A personality changer, Obfuscation is.
Since not only internet users are preyed upon by government agencies or cybercriminals, VPNs themselves do so as well. Many countries use Deep Packet Inspection for targeting VPNs and protocols.
Subsequently, through Deep Packet Inspection, there’s no firm protection against its destructive bans, but only through Obfuscation. Many VPNs use OpenVPN Scramble, also known as XOR Obfuscation, as the best counter for Deep Packet Inspection. Besides that, XOR Encryption Algorithm is also used effectively to unblock VPN blocks used by governments.
Over and above that, when a user connects to a server that uses XOR obfuscation, it makes it pretty difficult for Deep Packet Inspection and The Great Firewall to know the user.
Bear in mind that many people are using Obfuscation for illegal purposes, like developing malware or virus so that they can’t be detected by anti-malware detectors.
You can also test out how unique and, well, Obfuscation is. Turn on a standard VPN and test it with Wireshark. Afterward, activate the Obfuscation feature and then retry. You will see that Wireshark can’t detect the traffic.
Anyhow, XOR Obfuscation has been a topic of some heated arguments. As the XOR Obfuscation is renowned for its power to enhance the anonymity and security of the users. On the flip side, it is mostly believed that the feature doesn’t always operate with such efficacy. But the Tunnelblick goes, supporting the feature. It says, “Simply apply the patch to both the OpenVPN server and the OpenVPN client and add a single, identical option to the configuration files for each. Using Obfsproxy is more complicated because it involves running another, separate program on both the server and the client.”
Let me further lay down, in a nutshell, why you would want to prefer Obfuscation.
- Bypass network blocks
- Access streaming content that is geo-restricted
- Prevent ISP throttling
- Enhance security and privacy
- Evade government data retention laws
Split Tunneling
To be honest, Split Tunneling is the preferable feature one would want to have. Luckily, many VPNs support it.
The thing that makes it unique and stands out from others is giving the wheel in the hands of the user to drive the traffic. Just wherever the user wants the traffic to go, it would go. Likewise, Split Tunneling lets you decide which of the internet traffic should be encrypted by your VPN and which should go to the Internet Service Provider without encryption.
Split Tunneling is what makes the change in this VPN game. Without Split Tunneling, your VPN can only act two ways. Either be on, and all the traffic goes through the VPN, encrypted, or the VPN should be off, and the traffic goes directly to the internet service provider openly and unencrypted.
It’s an obligation to ask why would Split Tunneling matters in any way. For instance, you are at your home and want to play an online game with your identity on but still want to browse the web securely and with utmost anonymity. In this regard, Split Tunneling comes in to help.
Split Tunneling basically allows multitasking in terms of cybersecurity. You can either watch or play online without having the need for a VPN and meanwhile, can also surf the internet without giving a damn about your identity. That’s how simple things should be.
Well, I’m pretty amused to tell you that PureVPN provides Split Tunneling on both Windows and Android. macOS and IOS users’ cries intensify.
If you are a proud office worker and want to maintain your innocence and charm from the outside, you also avail of Split Tunneling quite a lot. For torrenting, encrypt your traffic so no one identifies you that a man in a suit is downloading Pokémon episodes illegally and can use your emails and stuff on your regular network.
Nonetheless, Split Tunneling can be turned on quite simply:
- Open PureVPN application
- Click on Settings on the left panel
- Go to the Split Tunneling tab
- Turn on the Split Tunneling
- Click the + icon and choose default applications, any application you want
- You can also select from your installed applications by clicking on Browse
- Connect to the PureVPN app
- Open the internet browser; the browser will run under a VPN
So wear your Hackerman glasses and turn your hacker mode on!
Kill Switch
As I have talked about earlier, this Deadshot of a feature literally saves lives. You are comfortably surfing online with a VPN on, and suddenly your VPN connection goes off. Kill Switch saves you from attackers who are just waiting at your doorstep.
Additionally, the famous Kill Switch has quite gained fame in the VPN world. Not many VPNs provide users with this gem of a feature but though, but this is a pretty important feature that one should have by his side whenever he goes into the dark loophole of the internet with the VPN.
True to its name, Kill Switch kills your internet connection whenever your VPN connection goes off. This not only helps you to sustain your anonymity but also secures you from online attackers who are just an inch away from preying on you.
To be honest, this feature is a sidekick (sidekick who always saves the hero) to activists and journalists. These people are on a target list, whether of the governments or any criminals. Suppose their location or identity on the internet is detected. Their existence will be no more.
Luckily, PureVPN is one of those precious VPNs that provide Kill Switch. And I’m pleased to tell you that this feature is available by PureVPN for Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux users.
All I would request is that all the VPNs out there should implement this feature in their system as this is a potential base that makes a VPN a perfect module to be a wall against online attacks.
Having said that, let me lay down some steps which you can follow to activate the Kill Switch feature on PureVPN.
- Run PureVPN as an administrator
- Click on the icon of the settings at the top right corner
- Afterward, following selecting ‘Advanced Options’, select ‘Activate Internet Kill Switch
Always-On Audit
The always-On audit is a policy that allows KPMG –one of the four major auditing firms– to conduct a thorough audit of PureVPN’s processes, servers, and operations without giving prior notice at any time.
Be that as it may, the company recalls itself as a proud VPN that is the first and the only one to allow the Always-On Audit policy to be implemented.
In 2021, after monitoring and auditing PureVPN, the auditor was able to certify PureVPN about its true claim of being a No-Logging VPN. KPMG also verified in 2020 that PureVPN does not store any kind of information or data related to the user, which could risk the user’s privacy.
VPN on Demand
VPN on Demand is none other than for those lazy users who also want utmost protection online and don’t want to do many steps to set up the VPN.
Moreover, with VPN on Demand, all you have to do is to enter the specific URL on which you always want a VPN on the IOS application of PureVPN. Afterward, whenever you would open that particular URL, the desired website would open, but the cool thing is that the VPN would be on for that specific website.
This helps users stay anonymous and secure on the internet whenever they open that particular website, even if they forget to turn on the VPN.
Torrenting
When it comes to supporting P2P connections, PureVPN has a much better amount of servers than other VPNs in order to do so. Nevertheless, there are some areas that are not in P2P coverage, such as Asia, as it doesn’t have any nearby P2P servers available.
These VPN servers are profound in security as they can give you utmost protection through military-grade encryption and data leak protection. As a result, this helps the users to torrent securely whilst keeping your actual location hidden and yourself anonymous.
Besides that, these servers also protect you from ISP throttling. What these servers actually do is encrypt the outgoing and incoming traffic whilst hiding it from the internet service provider. This prevents these selfish providers from making up excuses that you are using too much bandwidth and your connection should be slowed down.
Over and above that, these are the features that make PureVPN among the most suitable when it comes to downloading files from torrents.
File Sharing Mode
Everyone needs a fast and torrent-supported server when they connect to a VPN. By activating the file-sharing mode, the PureVPN will become robust for certain activities like torrenting or VoIP.
Besides this, the file-sharing mode is quite convenient for users who want the best out of PureVPN. This mode allows users to find the best servers available not only in terms of torrenting but also as fast as a cheetah. These servers will provide good performance as well as will be extremely reliable as users can easily rely on them.
Wide Area Coverage by P2P servers
When you connect to a VPN, you want the servers to be spread all across the world as a blanket. Many VPNs fail to provide P2P servers laid worldwide or cover a wide range. On the other hand, PureVPN has numerous P2P servers that totally support torrents. Some of which are:
- Pakistan
- Oman
- Afghanistan
- Denmark
- Lebanon
- Myanmar
- Madagascar
- Kenya
- Saudi Arabia
- Sweden
- Chile
- Colombia
- Denmark
- Bangladesh
- Portugal
- Puerto Rico
- Sri Lanka
- Turkey
And many more.
Also, I have deliberately mentioned some remote countries which are not big of a concern for those big tech VPN companies, and mostly, the users in these countries are ignored. Many users in this country failed to access such servers. At last, PureVPN makes the unexpected possible!
Seeing the many countries up on the list just gives a hint of how vast an area PureVPN covers for its P2P file sharing.
It’s my duty to tell you that there are some countries and locations where strict anti-torrenting laws are implemented. Some of which countries that block torrenting traffic of PureVPN are Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and much more.
As myself living in a developing country, seeing my country on the list makes me feel a bit pleased. At least I can download the Pokémon episodes now.
No-logging policy
Another vital reason to use PureVPN for torrenting is its fine no-logs policy. When it comes to surfing online, each and every activity of yours is monitored either by the ISP (if you are not using a VPN) or by the VPN (if you are using a VPN). However, there are many VPNs which does provide this kind of policy but are not efficient enough to be relied on. But the case is different for PureVPN.
PureVPN gives a no-logging policy that prevents any logs from being shared by PureVPN. Any user-related information, be it an IP address, browsing history, DNS request, or any other thing, some VPNs have a pure track of all of them. But with PureVPN, these essential data of the users won’t be stored by the VPN. Thus, PureVPN is a safe choice for P2P file sharing.
We’ll further elaborate on the no-logging policy below the review.
Furthermore, PureVPN claims that the major activities of the user wouldn’t be logged along with:
- DNS queries
- Actual IP address
- Connection logs
- Browsing history and activities
- VPN session timestamp
Security and Protocols
Just as you have read above, PureVPN uses the outstanding AES-256 encryption; the same encryption is famously known for being military-grade and used by financial institutions. In short, this encryption system is so much advanced that it is believed that it would take many years for someone to come up with some hacks to decode the encryption.
Besides that, PureVPN has to offer effective protocols such as OpenVPN TCP, OpenVPN UDP, WireGuard, IKEv2, L2TP, and PPTP protocols. Although, each protocol has its own perks to offer. Let’s have a look.
OpenVPN TCP
OpenVPN TCP, also known as Transmission Control Protocol, makes a connection between two devices. Data transmission is full-duplex: data can be sent and received simultaneously.
Furthermore, TCP is quite reasonable in static uses, for instance, emailing, transferring files, and surfing the web.
OpenVPN TCP is much more securer as it transfers data in the correct order and tracks all the data packets being sent.
Nevertheless, TCP is slow but is glitch-free as the receiver sends an acknowledgment that the data is received correctly. This makes it more efficient and reliable.
By opening the SSL library, OpenVPN supports 256-bit encryption along with many other good protocols like SSTP, PPTP, L2TP, and many more.
OpenVPN UDP
OpenVPN UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol and is a connectionless protocol. To make it simpler, in UDP, data is sent, but no acknowledgment gets received from the receiver whether the data has been transmitted correctly or not.
Although OpenVPN UDP and TCP are somewhat brothers, UDP is more preferred than TCP and is mostly installed as a default protocol in most VPNs.
OpenVPN UDP is great for gaming and video streaming. If you use OpenVPN TCP instead of OpenVPN UDP, you might face lag. But with using the TCP protocol, you might just face a little drop in a connection as a data packet might get disordered, but overall the quality would be considerable.
Moreover, OpenVPN UDP is much faster and more effective as, comparatively, it uses fewer data for the same action as the OpenVPN TCP.
Needless to say, many people worldwide consider OpenVPN as a golden standard for providing a fine balance of speed and encryption.
WireGuard
This virtual Superman is renowned for its prominence and dominance in encryption services. WireGuard mainly supports UDP; because of this, it is so faster than the other protocols.
A fine thing about WireGuard is that it doesn’t leave your back easily. Sometimes, when other VPN protocols fail to provide the user enough protection, WireGuard stays with the user till the end!
More and above that, the WireGuard protocol uses cryptography code that is fast. And it’s component under the Linux kernel make’s it faster than VPNs that are under space.
Additionally, if I talk about security, WireGuard gives futuristic cryptographic primitives along with protected defaults that make it stand out from other VPN software. As it is easier and simple to understand, researchers can easily audit WireGuard.
However, for deep-packet inspection, WireGuard’s company doesn’t have any intentions of making a VPN countering it.
Beyond that, for WireGuard to run, extra software is needed; otherwise, WireGuard won’t work except for Linux distros.
Lastly, besides WireGuard’s drawbacks, the perks it has to offer are immense! WIreGuard is indeed one of the secured VPN protocols in the market which will do its utmost not to compromise the user’s data to be taken by an outsider. PureVPN also has fewer lines of code, making it less complicated, easier to understand, and less prone to mistakes and errors.
IKEv2
IKEv2 (Internet Key Exchange version 2), famous for being the fastest VPN protocol and used along with IPSec, is a tunneling protocol that is required to set up Security Association between VPN users and the VPN servers.
To further simplify it, IKEv2 sets a secure tunnel by validating the security association and allowing secured encrypted communication between two peers. Simply, when you get disconnected from the internet, IKEv2 reconnects your connection with VPN; in general, it acts like a kill switch: preventing any external source from interfering in the online traffic.
However, in a kill switch, the connection drops automatically, whereas IKEv2 re-establishes connection when you manually switch your internet connection like connecting hotspot or to other Wi-Fi.
Moreover, IKEv2 uses none other than the strong 256-bit encryption and can also use VPN encryption ciphers, for instance, CHaCHa20, Camellia, and AES. Besides this, to allow the exchange of private keys, the IKEv2 VPN protocol also uses the Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange algorithm to ensure that the private keys are securely sent or received.
Nevertheless, the IKEv2 VPN protocol also supports many platforms such as Windows, macOS, Android, Linux, routers, and IOS.
As many VPN protocols fail to provide sufficient features to Mac users, IKEv2 is proclaimed the best for a mac VPN.
In a nutshell, IKEv2 provides users with a robust level of encryption along with many up-to-date ciphers to give the user the best security. It also offers users with auto-reconnect feature to prevent any types of security or privacy dropping by letting the user switch between networks.
PPTP
PPTP’s literal meaning is Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol and has existed for a long time. Although it’s an old protocol and thus, it is not quite efficient if we compare it to other protocols. Some also say PPTP is outdated and has little security to this day.
PPTP acts as a protocol and secures your VPN connection by creating tunnels and encapsulating PPP frames in IP packets. The data is then thoroughly encrypted and transmitted over the internet.
L2TP
Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) makes a highly protective VPN client by combining with IPSec. This happens as L2TP creates the VPN tunnel, whereas IPSec channels security and data integrity and manages encryption.
L2TP being a fine protocol, sometimes fails when it comes to bypassing firewalls and is still slower than IKEv2 and OpenVPN.
To further satisfy you with the dynamic security that PureVPN has to offer, PureVPN headquarters were shifted to the British Virgin Islands from Hong Kong. You might ask what the switching of places has to do with security. Then it would be quite a proud thing to say that the British Virgin Island’s second name is the Privacy Haven.
It’s not only called Privacy Haven just because some dude from West Virginia came looking for privacy but it’s recalled because other top-tier VPN headquarters live here. What makes the British Virgin Islands a Privacy Haven is that it doesn’t lie in any jurisdiction of any data pickpocketing alliances, and along with that, it also has strict data privacy laws. So if your privacy isn’t also acknowledged in your Desi household, you should also shift to the Privacy Haven.
Although you may also ask that Hong Kong also lies outside those jurisdictions, why did the need to shift arise? The company feared that if China interfered in their matters, it would be deadly for the company. And to further assure the users about their privacy and security, the company had to take some steps to gain the users’ trust.
Servers
The power of a VPN solely depends on the number of servers it possesses. The more servers there would be, the faster you would find a reliable connection. Servers are vital in many prospects of a VPN; for instance, take unblocking streaming platforms. There would be numerous servers, so the probability of connecting to fast and well-performing servers will increase. And with many server locations, you can easily avail yourself of many VPN features more effectively.
Needless to say, PureVPN outperforms ExpressVPN when it comes to server locations. PureVPN servers are laid across many various locations, which are mostly disregarded by many VPNs.
Moreover, PureVPN proffers users with servers across 139 countries, covering North America and Europe, six locations in Africa, and some locations in Central and South America.
Unfortunately, there are no servers provided by PureVPN in China, Hong Kong, and Russia. But PureVPN doesn’t rest here. It also gives users servers lying in locations that have notably internet policies, like Türkiye and Vietnam.
To precisely say, PureVPN boasts around 6500 servers in more than 78 countries, giving tough competition to CyberGhost’s 7300 servers.
Furthermore, it is believed that PureVPN achieves the milestone of covering a wide range of areas with VPN networks by the use of virtual networks. Many servers are appeared to be somewhere else than their physical location: their physical location may differ from the server location.
PureVPN states that the virtual servers are only 21, which helps the company to provide a VPN network to those unsafe places while their server stays at a safer and secure place.
Regardless, to further state that the rivals of PureVPN (NordVPN and ExpressVPN, respectively) have transferred their servers to RAM-only servers. This enhances users’ anonymity. Although PureVPN hasn’t done this kind of thing, it has taken some steps in improving its infrastructure and securing it from any attacks.
Additionally, with extra payment, you can get an add-on such as a dedicated IP or port forwarding features. To further simplify what the dedicated IP will do, well, you can use it to host a web server or an FTP. However, the anonymity of the user decreases when the dedicated IP is being used, as it is DEDICATED to you, meaning that you are the only one using it. Though, dedicated IPs are great when you want to access bank accounts without getting blocked by their website.
Customer Support
PureVPN Customer Support has been quite improved than it was before. It now has many guides, especially for new people who have no idea what PureVPN is about. It also has articles instructing users on performing or activating various features. In addition to that, PureVPN has also provided many articles covering a wide array of topics like accessing Netflix, operating systems, etc.
When you open the PureVPN support site, you can easily see tutorials and guides. On the main page, you can also see Troubleshoot, FAQ, Account and Billing, and Setup Guides. The good thing about these articles is that you can download a PDF of them to read them when your area’s under load shedding.
Correspondingly, you can also raise a ticket for customer support from the application. And it will take at least 30 minutes to hit you up. Nevertheless, PureVPN’s customer support fails when the user wants an in-depth detail of a feature or anything, as it mostly covers basic problems and concerns and isn’t much up to date.
Identically, if still, your queries are unanswered, you can use the 24/7 live chat function to directly land in the company’s DMs. But the dilemma that arose is that you can access the live chat through the Windows app; however, you can’t benefit much from this function as this option isn’t available on mobile. Though the services are not that efficient still, they are enough to do your work.
DNS Leak Problem
DNS (Domain Name System) is none other than a virtual phone book where it matches the entered domain name with the corresponding required IP address.
Let me lay down the problem in simple words. When you enter the URL of a website you want to surf on Google, the browser sends the URL to the DNS. The DNS then checks the domain name with its IP address and then sends back the IP address. In this all, your computer connects with the DNS servers and shares your actual IP, which could quite bring up big trouble.
The dilemma comes in when many VPNs don’t act much, and your real IP address is shared over the internet with the VPN on. Nothing of this sort goes with PureVPN. PureVPN is systematic enough to prevent any kinds of DNS leaks.
WebRTC Leak Problem
Similarly, WebRTC, which refers to Web Real-Time Communication, is an open source project which allows browsers to transmit and receive data with each other directly without having the need for a server.
With this, browsers are able to provide the users with fast speeds for file transfer and live and video streaming.
The problem comes in that the two browsers share each other’s public IP addresses. And just with this, the third-party website can easily access with the user’s browser.
Well, if you have PureVPN, then you don’t have to worry. PureVPN is quite proficient enough to prevent any kinds of leaks and totally blocks WebRTC leaks.
No-Logs policy
When it comes to being present online, we all know how much your data matters. With a single click, your data could be lost. Even though, if you use VPN, your data is still sensitive to external threats. This problem occurs when the VPN-providing company stores logs and the online activity of the users.
With this data and information, government agencies can easily track you. And along with that, cybercriminals can also feasibly target you.
Just like all other fantasies you have imagined using a VPN, well, the somewhat same thing happened with PureVPN as well. PureVPN helped the keen fox FBI to catch a particular person on the basis of his activity on PureVPN. Well, digital vigilante, no need to worry anymore because, in 2018, PureVPN came to realize its main objective (to not give up users’ online rights) and, fortunately, introduced its no-data-logging policy. If it hadn’t done so, it didn’t stand a chance of being called a VPN.
Following the virtual cat and mouse game, PureVPN altered its privacy policy and got itself an INDEPENDENT security firm.
Well, I don’t think users would be pretty satisfied after the incident; thus, PureVPN had to verify their current security, and Altius IT came in for it.
Altius IT said, and I quote: “…did not find any 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.”
Afterward, PureVPN was also audited by a renowned auditing firm, KPMG, and was confirmed about the no data-log policy.
In a nutshell, it’d be an honor for me to state that, after the 2018 policy, PureVPN is now officially secured. Yes, OFFICIALLY.
Supported Browsers
Regarding the compatibility of VPNs on browsers, many VPNs function effectively in fewer browsers as it does not have that many extensions for various browsers. But for PureVPN, the case is different. PureVPN has extensions on nearly all most-used browsers. For instance:
- Chrome
- Brave
- Opera
- Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- UC
- Yandex
- Waterfox
And many more.
How Does It Perform?
How Does PureVPN Perform?
If we talk about speeds, You can get a pretty decent result, just like other VPNs. Likewise, you would get approximately 180Mbps in United States locations and around 250 Mbps in the United Kingdom.
Besides that, you can yourself test the speeds of PureVPN by connecting to an appropriate server and checking speed on Speed Tests websites such as TestMy.net and Netflix’s Fast.com.
By the way, you should know that speeds mainly depend on the location and setup. So try out the different locations and see from which server you get the best result.
Although, as you know, how efficient WireGuard is, skyrockets VPN connection speeds. The same goes for PureVPN as well. If you use PureVPN’s WireGuard connection, you’ll get a wholly different result. You can get around 780 Mbps in the United States and 460 Mbps in the United Kingdom. Hence, this speed boost gives PureVPN a chance to be mentioned in the list of best-performing VPNs charts of famous other review websites.
Nevertheless, speeds with WireGuard give you the best results than the other protocols. Though IKEv2 could give better download speeds than OpenVPN UDP, but still no match with WireGuard. And beware, you can also get some connectivity issues when using IKEv2.
Also worth a mention is that with the OpenVPN feature, you can easily jump through servers without the need to disconnect and reconnect from the VPN to switch them.
Who Should Use It?
Who Should Use PureVPN?
A VPN is basically a general system that can be used by literally anyone. Anyone who has some issues with their privacy. Is anyone having trouble over the internet? Not only that but anyone who fears cyber bullying can also use it. Well, in a nutshell, countless people can use PureVPN.
PureVPN is further quite suitable for a businessman who wants to surf the web with utmost security without revealing their identity or without having a fear of online attackers.
It can also be used by none other than politicians, activists, and journalists who are targeted by nearly anyone all around the globe. PureVPN can help them use encryption and protocols to secure their data and information.
Above that, gamers. I can relate that gamers feel the most annoyed when it comes to playing online games. Their internet speed would lose faith in the middle of the game, or their ping would increase like it is some kind of rocket or what. Well, these problems are easily encountered by our beloved PureVPN. Gamers can connect to any server all over the world from the list of numerous servers. They can also switch to any server at any time without having a millisecond break between as with the OpenVPN feature; gamers can easily choose the best server out there by trial and error and without having the need to connect or disconnect the VPN manually.
And lastly, the most important use of PureVPN is through file sharing mode. Simple people like me can enjoy Pokémon episodes.
Conclusion
PureVPN review: Why you should use it?
Conclusively, PureVPN boasts an outstanding number of servers all around the globe, giving users a lot of options for a VPN connection.
Alongside that, PureVPN also offers prominent features that are famous in the VPN world, like kill Switch, Split Tunneling, VPN on Demand, Port Forwarding, and Obfuscation. With PureVPN, you can pretty much unblock many streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and many more.
It would be a disgrace to PureVPN if I didn’t mention PureVPN’s security and protocols. PureVPN uses the military-grade WireGuard protocol, which is enough to conclude that how much privacy of users is precious to the company. Along with that,
Regardless, PureVPN also allows ten simultaneous connections and comes with decent pricing plans with pleasing discounts.
PureVPN is also the only VPN that has implemented the always-on audit policy, which is verified by major auditors who have further concluded that PureVPN is safe and does not store any kind of data or information of the users. Therefore, you can say that PureVPN’s claims are as valid as Stalin being a preacher.
Alternatives
PureVPN Alternatives
Before subscribing to PureVPN, it’s always a good idea to check out the competition and find the best VPN software for your needs. You can find the PureVPN alternatives here.
Here are some versus to compare PureVPN with its competitors:
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