PureVPN vs IPVanish

PureVPN and IPVanish, two market leader wannabes, have some serious claims about their product on their official websites. However, when choosing the VPN for you, looking at the specifics is the way to go. So, allow us to uncover some quick facts about the competitors.

Both VPNs have excellent security features, enough servers, and they both do a good job when it comes to streaming and P2P sharing. They are similarly-priced, so let’s find out which one gives you more bang for your buck!

Security

Winner: IPVanish and PureVPN

In terms of security, both IPVanish and PureVPN have essentially the same level of security – military-grade encryption and reliable protocols. PureVPN also offers Split Tunneling, dedicated IP addresses, and port forwarding.

It would also seem that PureVPN is one step ahead with its L2TP/IPsec and PPTP protocols. However, these protocols are rather irrelevant, and we celebrate IPVanish for ditching them.

Hence, we believe that PureVPN vs IPVanish comparison battle is rather balanced at this point. Both competitors are armored with the latest VPN protocols and security features that are just enough for the general user to stay safe online.

Privacy

Winner: IPVanish

Speaking of privacy, there are some not-so-good and some bad things we can say about both providers.

For starters, anonymous payment is not an option for IPVanish users. That is quite disappointing, especially, given the fact that in the past this provider supported anonymous payment methods like cryptocurrencies. Luckily, PureVPN offers a lot in this department. If you want to, you can pay anonymously by cryptocurrencies, gift cards, and PaymentWall.

When it comes to logging policy, neither is completely saint. In the past, PureVPN, despite promoting no logs heavily, helped the FBI identify one person. That left a lot of people heavily disappointed. Later PureVPN has revised its Privacy Policy and removed the excessive no logs promotions. However, this act surely left a stain on its reputation, and it is not that easy to regain.

As for IPVanish, it is based in the US, the most eager Five Eyes country. However, so far there has been no instance for this provider to share identifiable information with any government agencies.

Hence, we think it’s only fair to consider IPVanish the winner of this round.

Speed and performance

In terms of speed and performance, we have quite an interesting case. While PureVPN has performed an insane VPN server fleet growth in 2019 by almost quadrupling its server list, it didn’t help to improve its speeds all that much. Moreover, many of the servers are actually virtual locations, which have their own risks when users are not aware of this.

IPVanish, despite having fewer servers in fewer countries, manages to deliver similar speeds. In fact, those speeds are more than enough to stream geo-blocked HD videos, as well as play games online. As you can see from the table below, the download speeds are pretty even, but PureVPN is better at uploading.

PureVPN vs IPVanish: 14-Day Speed Average

Apps and ease of use

Winner: IPVanish

When it comes to compatibility, both support basically the same platforms, including Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, routers, Amazon Firestick TV, consoles, and browsers. Both competitors offer plenty of security settings to play around with. But, if we have to choose, IPVanish seems more intuitive and easy to use, too.

IPVanish is one of the most professional-looking, clean-cut, and intuitive VPN apps. All in all, it is the winner of the round with its tasteful design and user-friendly apps.

Torrenting and P2P

Winner: IPVanish

When it comes to P2P sharing, great speeds and foolproof security are not enough. To decide, you have to consider features such as SOCKS5 proxy and split tunneling. As well as the fact how many servers work when torrenting.

Despite not having a split tunneling feature for all of its apps, IPVanish for torrenting is a clear leader of this round. With all the servers working for P2P, and a free SOCKS5 proxy it’s way ahead PureVPN which allows P2P only with the selected servers, and does not have a free SOCKS5 feature.

Netflix and other streaming platforms

Winner: PureVPN

This is time the victory cup goes to PureVPN. It unblocks Netflix US and other Netflix libraries with no trouble. However, accessing other platforms, except for Kodi, would not be possible.

On the other hand, IPVanish would only allow you to stream Netflix US in three of its US servers (Las Vegas, Dallas, or Chicago). Forget about other Netflix libraries, and other streaming platforms – you won’t access them with this provider.

China and other restricted countries

Winner: Neither

As for China, both services claim to work in Censorship Land; however, you need to configure your app manually and even then it is not too likely that you will be able to slip through the Great Firewall of China.

This is definitely not a positive round for these VPN leader wannabes because both fall flat in this field since we don’t really count “maybe”-s or “might work”-s.

Pricing

Winner: IPVanish

In this round, the numbers speak for themselves. Clearly, IPVanish is yet again a winner, offering more user-friendly prices.

IPVanish vs PureVPN – which is better?

Winner: IPVanish

All things considered, we would easily choose IPVanish as the winner of this battle.

We do appreciate all the great effort PureVPN has been putting in its privacy tool to catch up with the leaders. However, today IPVanish is simply a few steps further.

Do you need further information to assist with your decision?

Recommended reads:

PureVPN Review
IPVanish Review
PureVPN vs NordVPN
PureVPN vs VyprVPN
IPvanish vs CyberGhost