Without a doubt, NordVPN sits firmly at the top of the best VPN providers worldwide, so what are the odds that PureVPN will come out on top of this comparison? 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.
Read on to learn more about both of these services and how they stack up against one another in all things VPN.
A landslide in security and privacy
Winner: NordVPN
There are a number of things that PureVPN excels at in terms of online security and privacy. The service features a virtually impenetrable AES-256-CBC encryption with an RSA-2048 handshake and SHA-1 hash authenticator. It boasts more than 2000 servers across more than 140 countries worldwide, port forwarding, and great Wi-Fi security, and it supports several VPN protocols, including OpenVPN and IPSec (Internet Protocol Security).
The big no-no is the controversial fall 2017 FBI case that accidentally let slip how PureVPN’s strict “no logs” policy was basically bogus. Yes, the US-based cyberstalker harassing his old roommate was apprehended by the FBI, but this took place at a great cost to the VPN provider. All of a sudden, in spite of loud “no logs” advertisements, PureVPN became that VPN provider that obviously kept logs and was willing to share them with state agencies when illegal activities were routed through their service.
Add to this that PureVPN was reported to leak IPv4, IPv6, and DNS requests, and that their kill switch was sometimes faulty, and you’ll immediately understand why the PureVPN vs NordVPN contest in online security is easily judged in favor of NordVPN.
In fact, strong security is one of the things that NordVPN does best, with its 2048-bit handshake and 256-bit data encryption, as well as several available security protocols and a kill switch that actually works flawlessly. We also know that, at least so far, NordVPN has only kept enough logs to run smoothly, which means that unlike PureVPN, this service does what it is intended to do, first and foremost – it keeps your online activity private.
Speed, speed, speed
Winner: PureVPN
PureVPN might not be the best out there in terms of online security, but not all VPN users are actually interested in that. In fact, many people around the world use a VPN for much lighter applications, such as getting past Netflix’s geo-blocking. As such, speed and compatibility are the top features they prioritize. Does the PureVPN vs NordVPN comparison change much in this respect?
To be frank, it does change quite a bit. PureVPN is certainly marketed as one of the fastest services of its kind, and while some outrageously slow connections have been signaled by a number of users, our tests have indicated an average 200 Mbps download/upload speed in Europe, 150 Mbps in the US, and 60 Mbps in Japan.
Meanwhile, although NordVPN boasts over 5,100+ servers in 62 countries around the world, their service is also much more secure, which comes with the downside of lower speeds. While testing NordVPN, we achieved average download/upload speeds of 140 Mbps in Europe, 80 Mbps in the US, and 40 Mbps in Singapore.
To put it briefly, if speed is your priority when you choose a VPN provider, then the PureVPN vs NordVPN comparison definitely leans in favor of PureVPN. On the other hand, this is probably the only category where PureVPN can make it on top.
Netflix and torrenting
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 US library for 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.
The situation looks familiar when it comes to torrenting. PureVPN will only allow P2P file sharing on specific servers in Kazakhstan, Kenya, and a few others, and the service is not the most trustworthy in terms of OpenVPN either, which is the fastest and most secure VPN protocol for P2P file sharing.
NordVPN, on the other hand, is one of the best services for torrenting. With optimized P2P servers, decent speeds, an unlimited bandwidth, excellent encryption, and a free SOCKS5 proxy, this service puts at your disposal all the tools you need to torrent safely. As such, for Netflix, other entertainment platforms and torrenting, PureVPN vs NordVPN once again results in a clear winner.
Customer support
Winner: NordVPN
In terms of customer support, PureVPN vs NordVPN is a “maybe” vs 24/7 live chat support service. It’s not that PureVPN doesn’t provide quick customer support – it does. But can you actually get what you need to fix your issue 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, which offers 24/7 live chat support with people who will solve your problem. 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.
And the winner is… NordVPN
PureVPN vs NordVPN is a not-even-close comparison that doesn’t offer much food for thought. Both services come with equally tempting prices well under market averages, but 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.
Sure, PureVPN has its own uses, if you only want to use a VPN service to bypass Netflix geo-fencing, but overall, NordVPN will serve you better. After all, you trust your VPN provider with your online security and privacy. Is PureVPN still worthy of this trust at this point in time? We think not. But NordVPN certainly is.
