PureVPN vs NordVPN in 2020

Both NordVPN and PureVPN are among the most recognized and used VPN providers worldwide. If you look at performance alone, the fight is more than fair, but you have to consider PureVPN’s career-breaking collaboration with US security agencies before you cast the final verdict.

TL;DR? No worries – in the table below you’ll find both providers compared side by side in some of the most important categories:

NordVPN does look a lot better, and it’s way more affordable. But how about other features?

Read on to learn more about both of these services and how they stack up against one another in all things VPN.

NordVPN vs PureVPN security

Winner: NordVPN

Both providers look great in terms of security. Both use foolproof military-grade encryption, a powerful kill switch, and have a great set of protocols.

Speaking of protocols, although both PureVPN and NordVPN have the default secure option in OpenVPN, NordVPN has one advantage. They offer their proprietary version of the WireGuard protocol called NordLynx, which ensures a faster and more secure browsing experience.

To see how both providers do in terms of IP and DNS leaks, I ran some online tests, connecting to Sweden with NordVPN and Honduras with PureVPN.

As you can see, both NordVPN and PureVPN worked great at hiding my true IP address and providing a new one.

When it comes to other security features, I appreciate that PureVPN has the split tunneling feature that works on all major apps, and not only on Android as is the case with NordVPN.

However, NordVPN wins by offering Onion over VPN, Double VPN, and a free SOCKS5 proxy, which PurePVN does not have. Hence, the winner of this round is clear – it’s NordVPN.

NordVPN vs PureVPN privacy

Winner: NordVPN

Both VPNs have an independently-audited no-logs policy, as well as an option to pay anonymously, with cryptocurrencies. Does that mean this round should end with a tie?

Unfortunately, no, due to the privacy scandal surrounding PureVPN. Back in 2017, the FBI accidentally let slip how PureVPN’s strict “no logs” policy was basically bogus. A US-based cyberstalker harassing his old roommate was apprehended by the FBI, but the greatest cost was paid by the VPN provider. All of a sudden, in spite of loud “no logs” advertisements, PureVPN became the VPN provider that had logs and was willing to share them with state agencies.

With that said, PureVPN’s independent privacy audit came after this incident – in 2019. This serves as a big step towards cleaning house on PureVPN’s part, but NordVPN clearly wins the privacy battle.

PureVPN vs NordVPN speed and performance

Winner: NordVPN

PureVPN is certainly marketed as one of the fastest services of its kind. However, our tests have indicated an average 60 Mbps download/upload speed in Europe, and 32 Mbps in the US. The speeds are not bad unless you compare them to NordVPN speeds.

NordVPN boasts over 5700+ servers in 59+ countries around the world. Moreover, after introducing the NordLynx feature, NordVPN speeds increased even more, reaching a 170 Mbps average in Germany and 151 Mbps in the US.

Somewhat surprisingly, PureVPN demonstrated slightly better latency (ping) scores in both locations.

In short, NordVPN is much faster than PureVPN.

NordVPN vs PureVPN: apps and ease of use

Winner: NordVPN

Just by looking at the table, you can tell that both providers do an excellent job when it comes to app support. Both NordVPN and PureVPN have apps for major platforms, apps for Android TV and Fire TV, as well as browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

Both can be manually set up on routers, firewalls, and NAS.

PureVPN offers 10 simultaneous connections, while NordVPN offers 6. This may seem like a huge difference but as a matter of fact, most users do just great with 6 connections.

When it comes to Customer support, it’s not that PureVPN doesn’t provide quick customer support – it does. But can you actually get what you need when you contact PureVPN?

Many customers are inclined to say “not really” and some of them have altogether given up on live support.

This is not at all the case with NordVPN’s 24/7 live chat support. They claim to serve over 3,000 user inquiries each day and, from our experience with them, at least, they seem in no way overcrowded or rushed. Additionally, NordVPN has recently launched a very useful chatbot, which can solve many of the more common issues.

Torrenting and P2P with NordVPN vs PureVPN

Winner: NordVPN

Both NordVPN and PureVPN allow torrenting on selected servers and have a kill switch feature, which is essential when it comes to P2P. Both providers have a split tunneling feature, however, it’s worth mentioning that currently NordVPN only offers it on Android.

Speaking of PureVPN, it will only allow P2P file sharing on specific servers in Kazakhstan, Kenya, and a few others, and the service is not the fastest for P2P file sharing to begin with.

NordVPN, on the other hand, is one of the best services for torrenting. With optimized P2P servers, unlimited bandwidth, excellent encryption, and a free SOCKS5 proxy, this service puts at your disposal all the tools you need to torrent safely.

Netflix and other streaming platforms

Winner: NordVPN

Customer reviews regarding their use of PureVPN to bypass Netflix’s geo-blocking are inconclusive. Some users say they could access Netflix using PureVPN, while others say they could not. We’ve tried PureVPN ourselves and while we could access the American Netflix and use PureVPN for Kodi, we could not unblock Hulu, BBC iPlayer, or Amazon Prime.

Overall, NordVPN is once again much more reliable. Using NordVPN, we’ve accessed several US servers for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Kodi.

China and other restricted countries

Winner: NordVPN

The features speak for themselves – as NordVPN has both Stealth VPN and Onion over VPN, and PureVPN has none of these, the former provider is the true winner of this round. While on NordVPN you can turn Obfuscated servers on. They will slow down your connection, but you’ll be able to use the VPN in restricted countries like China.

Perhaps even more importantly, PureVPN is based in Hong Kong. With the current uncertain political situation, it’s best not to rely on a VPN provider that may be susceptible to Chinese power.

Pricing: NordVPN vs PureVPN

Winner: NordVPN

When it comes to pricing, I love that NordVPN offers longer-term plans. Once you subscribe to it, you can stay calm knowing that your online activities are protected for two or even three years.

PureVPN currently offers three different plans with the longest lasting 1 year. I understand that some users might want to test the product before investing long-term, however, I’d rather go for a longer-term plan, especially if the VPN is as powerful as NordVPN is.

PureVPN also has a money-back guarantee that is one day longer than NordVPN’s. However, considering more user-friendly pricing options, NordVPN wins this round.

NordVPN vs PureVPN – which is the winner?

NordVPN wins by a landslide in pretty much every respect. While the word of the day for PureVPN is “controversial” or “uncertain,” NordVPN sets the industry standard for reliability and support.

With NordVPN not only will you stay safe and private while online, but you will also access more geo-blocked content, enjoy great streaming speeds, and smooth torrenting. On top of that, it’s prices are great, especially when you consider the features you get.

Recommended reads

NordVPN review

PureVPN review