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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.
| PureVPN | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 8.7 | 8.8 |
| “Best for” winner | ||
| “Best for” nominee | Best overall, Best for torrenting | Best overall |
| Price starts from | $1.32/month | $2.92/month |
| Review | Read PureVPN review | Read IPVanish review |
| Website | purevpn.com | ipvanish.com |
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
| Security | IPVanish | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Encryption | Military-grade | Military-grade |
| Protocols | OpenVPN and IKEv2 | OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, SSTP, IKEv2 |
| Security features | DNS and IP leak protection, kill switch | Split tunneling, dedicated IP addresses, and port forwarding |
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
| Privacy | IPVanish | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | US | Hong Kong |
| Logging | Minimal data collection | Minimal data collection |
| Anonymous payment | No | Yes |
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
| PureVPN | IPVanish | |
|---|---|---|
| USA server | ||
| Download Speed | 64 Mbps | 46 Mbps |
| Upload Speed | 203 Mbps | 84 Mbps |
| UK server | ||
| Download Speed | 74 Mbps | 95 Mbps |
| Upload Speed | 266 Mbps | 275 Mbps |
| Germany server | ||
| Download Speed | 172 Mbps | 134 Mbps |
| Upload Speed | 497 Mbps | 377 Mbps |
Apps and ease of use
Winner: IPVanish
| Apps and ease of use | IPVanish | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Major apps | All | All |
| Other apps | Routers, Amazon Firestick TV, consoles | Routers, Amazon Firestick TV, consoles |
| Browser extensions | No | Chrome, Firefox |
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
| Torrenting and P2P | IPVanish | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Allowed on | All servers | Selected servers |
| Free SOCKS5 proxy | Yes | No |
| Split tunneling | Only for Android | Yes |
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 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
| Streaming | IPVanish | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Netflix US | Yes (using selected servers) | Yes |
| Other Netflix libraries | No | Yes |
| Other platforms | No | Kodi (doesn’t unblock BBC iPlayer, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video) |
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
| Pricing | IPVanish | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|
| One month | $4.49/month | $10.95/month |
| Three months | $4.04/month | N/A |
| Six months | N/A | $8.33/month |
| One year | $2.92/month | $4.16/month |
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
| Criterion | IPVanish | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Wins | Loses |
| Privacy | Tie | Tie |
| Speed | Wins | Loses |
| Apps | Wins | Loses |
| Torrenting | Tie | Tie |
| Streaming | Loses | Wins |
| China | Loses | Loses |
| Prices | Wins | Loses |
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?
Read our full reviews:
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I have to say that PureVPN is not all bad. I have been using it for the past 6 months now; although I agree that I do not use for torrenting, it has been a good choice so far. So, I think it depends on your usage.
The phrase “More or less” concerns me when it comes to a VPN. These are decent alternatives but I can’t envision any time I’d want to use them except if NordVPN and ExpressVPN were to go out of business. Just too many issues here to take either one seriously. Good review and nice point about misleading marketing techniques.
Both of these VPNs offer some outstanding features. But, PureVPN is one step ahead of IPVanish in many aspects.
PureVPN has better customer support, extensive server coverage and more payment methods. The only thing IPVanish has going for itself is speed. However, speed is a big aspect of a VPN’s overall performance.
Both are equally matched when it comes to security features. But all things considered, PureVPN can be declared a winner in a contest of two top class VPNs.
Both VPN are interesting and can meet our service expectations. While I would not prefer PureVPN over IPVanish is because they both share equal set of privacy features. This is what protects our identity when online. While it may be difficult to prefer one over the other, I may skew towards IPVanish
Like Kelly said, I also read some bad reviews about PureVPN on Reddit. But after reading this it turns out that it’s really not that bad. I’ll keep reading more information online in order to make a decision.
Hey, 12345T, thanks for your comment! You don’t have to scour the internet for more info on PureVPN! We have a comprehensive PureVPN review right here – take a look, it might help make your decision easier.
PureVPN has a somewhat confusing reputation on Reddit. What we mean by that is, many Redditors have praised the VPN service, but some have also experienced its downside. Overall, one of the reasons why PureVPN is popular among Redditors is because of the value for money it provides.