What Is a VPN? PureVPN Overview

Using a VPN, the web traffic moves via the encrypted tunnel to the service of a VPN secure server before it heads out into the broader Internet. Meaning, it will be impossible to trace the movements you make on the Internet that are back to you and view your web traffic for bad guys that monitor your network. Using a Wi-Fi network next time at your local coffee shop, you may wish to fire up a VPN to ensure no one snoops on your movements.

VPNs are protecting privacy. However, they also might unlock restricted content. If the country is with an oppressive Internet policy, journalists and activists utilize VPNs to contact the world outside and sidestep government censorship. They might use VPNs to access region-locked content like Netflix and BBC streaming services. However, most of such companies started to fight back against the VPN cheats.

Once utilizing a VPN is a superb step toward proper security, it is essential to be aware of the VPNs limitations as well. Though VPNs might obscure the IP address, you might use the Tor service to provide true anonymization. Suppose the site you are heading to does not utilize HTTPS; the traffic might be intercepted anyhow along the way. So a VPN might assist in securing your information from your ISP.

Pricing and Features

Unfortunately, PureVPN does not offer a free trial and free version of its product. They say that you might get a full refund within seven days, which is too little. If you do not want to plunk down a VPN’s cash, you would better use other, more perfect VPN services available on the market.

The price of PureVPN is $10.95 for a month using. They say that there are some discounts there, but they are very rare. You might also subscribe for one year and pay $59.00, which is too much for such a service. You might proceed with subscription payments through such means as PayPal, Bitcoin, credit card, and so on. If you have a gift card from a popular store, you might pay for it as well. The pricing policy of PureVPN is not reasonable because other services offer a lesser cost for the same level of assistance.

Once completing your transaction with PureVPN, you might buy add-on services. For instance, you might purchase an additional firewall and more extras.

No matter what plan you select, you will get five licenses to spread across each of your tools. PureVPN features customers for Windows, macOS, Linux, IOS, and Android.

You might also buy a PureVPN business version, but its price is $8 per month, which is very expensive. To have more features, you should pay even more.

PureVPN also offers software for streaming tools and routers like Kodi-powered systems, Android TV boxes, and Amazon Fire Stick.

PureVPN allows BitTorrent traffic and P2P file sharing on 200+ of its servers. There is a Split Tunneling feature that enables you to choose specific traffic to move via the VPN. However, the big minus of PureVPN is that it is impossible to do everything. For example, there is no access to the Tor network. The absence of such a feature will not assist in boosting the completion of the profile.

VPN Protocols

VPN technology was used for a long time. There are several ways to generate an encrypted tunnel. PureVPN backs up only a few protocols such as SSTP, OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, and IKEv2. Each of them gives 256-bit encryption. However, PPTP is an exception which is offering 128-bit encryption only. It is recommended to utilize OpenVPN if you can because of its open-source status, reliability, and speed. However, the number of PureVPN choices is not bad, but it is rather limited.

Servers and Server Locations

PureVPN features 750 servers in 180 different locations in 140 countries. There are servers in South America, North America, Europe, Central America, Australia, Asia, and Africa, which is not bad, but its geographic diversity is still not the best one.

Note that 54 of the country locations are just physical servers. The other 87 of them are virtual locations. Virtual servers might be a problem if you wish to be aware of which countries exactly handle your information. It is relatively complicated with PureVPN. There are servers in Turkey, Russia, and China because these countries feature oppressive Internet policies.

Your Privacy With PureVPN

Your privacy might be improved by a VPN, but it will only work when the company giving the service attempts to ensure that your data is safe and secure. To sum up, if the VPN keeps tabs on the things you do, it is like a spy that you should pay for.

The Privacy Policy of PureVPN is not interactive, unlike other companies. According to it, it does not log the DNS requests and your activity. What is more, it is not logging the real VPN’s IP address and your IP address.

Nevertheless, it notes if you connect to the server and also the total bandwidth utilized during the session. The company discloses user data to the federal government, responding to a criminal investigation. This disclosure is in line with the privacy policy of the company. So if you are a concerned reader, you would better consider this case carefully.

The company says that it only collects revenue from subscription sales—some of the VPN companies sold anonymized user data, unfortunately. Summing up, the legal situation of PureVPN is more difficult if compared to other average VPN services.

Hands On With PureVPN

Creating the account for billing targets with PureVPN supposes you to enter the password and email. However, you should not use the login data and password with the actual PureVPN application. You will receive the email with your username and password in plain text instead. Other VPNs might handle user logins the same way. So your payment identities and usage are separated, letting you have more anonymity. However, PureVPN should be more secure and elegant because first-time users might be confused with it when they wonder why the login data they utilized to buy the subscription is not working for the customer.

Launching PureVPN, there is a screen prompting you to choose one out of five options such as Dedicated IP, File Sharing, Security/Privacy, Internet Freedom, and Stream. Depending on the one you choose, PureVPN would deliver a customized experience. So the features customers may not be familiar with when presenting the situations that they perhaps understand are elevated. Unfortunately, there is no button to activate a VPN simply with PureVPN.

With PureVPN, there is a Protocols pull-down menu letting you select from the available VPN protocols. They set a PureVPN to auto, and it selects the protocol it thinks is the most appropriate. Most VPN companies grapple with the potential leaks where your data might be exposed briefly. PureVPN features a Gravity option to address this issue. However, it is not quite clear about the results of its operation.

With the Global Map tab, which is on the left, you might bypass the recommendations of PureVPN and choose one of the servers of the company. So the customer of PureVPN feels much zippier compared to other services. Some colorful photos are difficult to read. When you are connected, you might see your session duration, current IP address, and connection status in the interface’s lower half. There are no bandwidth caps in PureVPN. Therefore, it is window dressing mostly unless you feature some other need to meter your usage.

PureVPN and Netflix

The vast majority of VPNs like PureVPN state they enable you to access various geo-blocked content from every place in the world. The applications state they feature built-in support for various platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, BBC, Amazon Prime Video, and more. However, this option is rather complicated to find. You should select the “Popular Websites” option, push the drop-down list to see the website names. As soon as you find your way, it is simple to use.

However, it is impossible to get access to BBC iPlayer with PureVPN. However, it works much better with Netflix. No odd error messages are popping up. So you might browse and stream whatever content you like. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get to Amazon Prime Video with PureVPN. However, you might succeed in unblocking Disney+.

If we speak about streaming video online, there are many borders in cyberspace. Based on users’ locations, services offer various content. Since you might utilize a VPN to spoof or hide your location, many streaming services would try to block VPN traffic.

If you plan to watch Netflix, PureVPN will not assist you. Netflix will detect that you use a VPN and will block streaming. The access from PureVPN servers is blocked by Netflix because it does the same for the vast majority of VPNs. It is rather weird and contradicts PureVPn’s hoopla that it might stream content from anywhere.

Keep in mind that Netflix is not explicitly banning the VPNs’ use, but it takes a specific view of their usage. The Netflix company utilizes technology to verify your location. According to its Terms of Use, it makes the content available in the customer’s primary country.

Beyond VPN

If you want to take more advantage of your PureVPN, you might use add-ons, but you will have to pay extra fees. For instance, with 99 cents per month, you will get a NAT Firewall. If you pay $1.99 per month, you will get a dedicated IP address. You might also tack additionally on DDoS protection for your dedicated IP address if you pay $2.25 per month, which is such a rip-off.

Paying $1.99 a month, you might get the P2P protection, however, note that it will not hide your torrenting. They explain that they do it only to scan some torrent files for the presence of malware.

Pay $2.99 per month to get Enterprise-Grade Privacy and Security. With it, you might get ad blocking and malware protection on the network level, which is given by PureVPN. However, all these things will never replace the full-featured antivirus application on your device.

There are many PureVPN features, but there is no big difference between them. What is more, some VPN companies offer network malware protection and ad blocking with entry-level pricing. Therefore, it is questionable why PureVPN values these features so much.

Speed Tests

You might have noticed that your Internet connection was rather slow when you used your VPN for the first time. The degree of slowing down, however, differs from one VPN to another one.

Keep in mind that many factors determine your VPN Internet speed. It might be factors such as service provider, VPN server distance, Internet Service Provider, location, and time of the day.

In our download speed test, the performance of PureVPN was better on Mac if compared to Windows. The speed was eliminated by 44% on Windows and by 26% on Mac. For upload speeds, the results were the opposite. The upload speed on Windows was significantly higher if compared to Mac. It dropped by 11% only on Windows and 48% on Mac.

If you are a gamer, we guess you might be interested in the latency metric. On the Macbook Pro, the ping boosted by 118%, and on the Lenovo laptop, it increased by 380%. Meaning, if you have Windows, you would better choose another VPN service, but not PureVPN.

The overall performance of PureVPN is good on Mac but terrible on other laptops. Note that if you need higher speeds, you might select the “No Encryption” or PPTP encryption option, even though it reduces the vast majority of security advantages.

No matter what VPN you utilize, speed performance is very important. In the latency tests, the ping time of PureVPN was increased domestically by 200 percent and internationally by 287.2 percent, which is not bad. However, it eliminated download speeds domestically by 5.1 percent and internationally by 55.7 percent. These results are worth attention and respect, but they are not the best ones if compared to other VPN services on the market.

If it comes to upload tests, PureVPN eliminated speeds domestically by 6.2 percent and internationally by 97.6 percent. These results are average, but not the best ones.

PureVPN has improved download speeds for the initial two years of testing by a large margin (to be more precise, by 300-400 percent). So with PureVPN, the uploads and downloads were rather fast. However, it was not only one service offering good results. So PureVPN is not the fastest VPN if compared to other competitors.

PureVPN on Other Platforms

You might download the PureVPN application for Android from the Google Play store. However, you should subscribe to utilize it. There are many familiar design elements for Windows customers, but there are a few modifications. For instance, the Material Design button, which is in the lower right corner, is pulling up the servers’ list to which you might connect. There, you might not get online immediately. The five modes presented with the application are broken down. So inexperienced customers might be confused when they look to get online fast. Material Design button utilizes the AC power plug as the icon that is relatively bewildering to keep in mind that there is nothing to do with the electrical power. The speed test scores are poor and even below average if compared to other ones. Unfortunately, the PureVPN that is performing well on Windows features terrible results with Android VPN customers.

If speaking about PureVPN for Mac, you should download the customer from the official PureVPN website. You cannot download it from the official Mac Application Store. The layout is rather similar to Windows’ version. Five modes are connecting you to the most appropriate server for your specific situation. This approach is rather complicated, though. There must be a button connecting you to the nearest server, additionally to this approach. The Mac VPN app provides you with basic data like server ping time. However, if you want more information, you might visit the Menu Bar icon, revealing the connection status, the VPN server’s location, current IP address, the received and sent information rates.

The PureVPN application for iPhone is similar to the Android application. Although the design is strong, it cannot be combined with the iOS design aesthetic. There is no status data and map view like session bandwidth and length that you might find in the app’s desktop version. This app utilizes pretty images of various locales, instead. The speed test scores are average. It is difficult to get online fast with the iPhone PureVPN app. You should navigate via some pages that should connect you with the most appropriate server. You might also connect through IKEv2 VPN or IPSec protocols with this app. However, there is no option to connect via OpenVPN. There are control and content blocking features that are called Gravity and Ozone. However, most of them do not work at all, which is sad.

With PureVPN, there are plug-ins for both Chrome and Firefox browsers. The plug-in only encrypts the browser traffic. It leaves other apps to make usage of better bandwidth, however, on an unencrypted basis. You might use it if you are a gamer. The Chrome plug-in is blocking some WebRTC elements. It lets websites utilize specific computer elements, for instance, your webcam.

A Fine Line

If it comes to flexibility, security, and value, PureVPN is not the most excellent. There are many add-ons. However, it is questionable whether their value is good. Also, the streaming servers and Chrome plug-in do not perform as they are expected. To sum up, PureVPN is a rather satisfactory, if not worse, VPN service on the market because of its biting pricing policy. To sum up, PureVPN might be praised for being a good network for many international VPN servers. However, its user experience is not a very outstanding one, and some of its features do not work while being tested.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Geographically diverse servers.
• Allows BitTorrent and P2P.
• Add-on features such as dedicated IP and Firewall.
• Strong privacy policy.
• Blocks adds.
• No data logging policy.
• Feature-packed.
• Rather speedy.
• Loads of features.
• Unblocks Netflix, Disney+.
• Decent value.
• Wide platform support.

Cons

• Mixed customer support reviews.
• Tedious to get online.
• Only five simultaneous connections.
• Apps feature many issues.
• Terrible encryption concern with the Windows application.
• Below-par support site.
• Unfamiliar legal situation.
• Comparatively few servers.
• Some features do not work when testing.
• Unclear where the virtual servers’ location is.

PureVPN VPN Specs

PureVPN provides you with much functionality and is quite good enough value because there is a wide variety of supported platforms. Nevertheless, customer support is rather unprofessional. Many worrying problems are making it be a below average one. There are many features there, but if you look into the detail, you will find out that the app’s usability is not the best one. The service is not professional and capable enough to be even called a good one.

PureVPN stands out thanks to its perfect value, ultra-long-term plans, large server network, wide device support. In other words, the applications on the vast majority of operating systems have a solid amount of functionality. Nevertheless, there are still connectivity problems and terrible switch performance that are rather big problems affecting every serious client. This is the main reason why PureVPN cannot compete with other VPN services.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Is PureVPN a good VPN?

PureVPN is a normal VPN, but it would be unfair to call it a good one. There are such features as split tunneling and kill switch. Moreover, it features special servers for you to watch torrent files and Netflix securely. However, there are such serious drawbacks as many issues with the application’s features, and it is tedious to get online. What is more, PureVPN is rather a mediocre VPN, according to customers' reviews available online.

Can I get PureVPN free of charge?

It is impossible to get PureVPN for free. However, they offer you to take a risk for 31 days. They say they will provide you with a money-back guarantee for this period. You may also use PureVPN for $2.50 per three days. Anyway, we do not recommend you use PureVPN because many customers say that it is such a rip-off because they charge too much if compared to services that are even better than this one. You would rather think twice before buying such a VPN service.

What is the price of PureVPN?

The price of PureVPN is $3.33 - $10.95. It depends on the length of time you are going to use the service. For example, you might commit to a two-year subscription and pay $3.33. If you wish to pay every month, the cost will be $10.95. We do not recommend using this VPN service because of its unfamiliar legal situation. There are many more VPN services that are more reliable and trustworthy. Moreover, their pricing policy is more acceptable and reasonable.

Is PureVPN service a legal one?

For the vast majority of parts, it is a legal one. Most VPNs like PureVPN are legal in most countries of the world. Nevertheless, in some countries like Turkey, China, and Russia, VPNs might be restricted or even illegal.

How can I get PureVPN customer service?

First of all, you might use a Live Chat option on its website. You may also get to the Contact us page and submit your Email address, Name, and message. There is no need to add any further details, just send a message at [email protected]. The website claims that you might ask whatever question you have, but if you check out the feedback section, you will find out that the customer support is rather unfriendly, unprofessional, and even rude.

Is it possible to use Netflix with PureVPN?

Many VPNs do not work with Netflix. Nevertheless, PureVPN features a way to bypass all the filters. So you can watch Netflix with its help. Even if you do not stream shows all the time, it features this option.

Is it possible to use Torrent with PureVPN?

Yes, you can do it. However, you will need to ensure you are connected to their specific servers that are set up for P2P (peer-to-peer) file transfers. Note that there are no P2P servers in such countries as Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States. It means that you will have a slow torrenting experience there.

Does PureVPN feature a Kill Switch?

This feature “kills” the Internet in case your VPN connection is going down. If you do not have this feature, your IP address will be exposed to specific websites you are on and your ISP. This feature is good if you want to download some content that might be copyrighted or if you are a journalist. PureVPN offers this feature on Linux, Android, Mac, and Windows only.