NordVPN vs. PureVPN: which VPN is best for you?

Comparing NordVPN to PureVPN is like comparing a famous pop music artist to a niche indie singer. Both have their fanbases, but the former is known even by those who don’t listen to music at all.

Even though both are among the best VPN services, in this NordVPN vs PureVPN comparison, I’ll contrast the two in terms of speed, security, functionality, and compatibility with streaming services. Let’s see if NordVPN truly deserves its popularity, and whether PureVPN should have more fans than it currently has.

NordVPN vs PureVPN

	NordVPN	PureVPN
⭐ Rating:	4.9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★	4.2 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
🥇 Overall rank:	#1 out of #41	#8 out of #41
🖥️ Servers:	6,800 + servers in 111 countries	6,000 + servers in 65 countries
📖 No logs policy:	No logs	No logs
💵 Price:	From $2.99/month	From $2.14/month
🔥 Coupons:	NordVPN coupon 74% OFF	PureVPN coupon 83% OFF
🔒 VPN protocols:	OpenVPN, WireGuard (NordLynx), IKEv2/IPsec	WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, SSTP, L2TP/IPSec
🍿 Streaming services:	Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more	Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube
🖥️ Platforms:	Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
📥 Simultaneous connections:	10	10
💁🏻 Support:	Knowledge base, FAQs, email, 24/7 live chat	Knowledge base, tickets, live chat

Speed and performance: NordVPN vs PureVPN

In terms of speed, NordVPN doesn’t disappoint. With its in-house NordLynx protocol, your speed will decrease by only 20% or even less, allowing you to enjoy your browsing as if you’re not using a VPN at all.

Fortunately, PureVPN has recently added WireGuard to their collection, allowing you to reach great speeds. However, this protocol is available only on Windows and Android applications and isn't compatible with some of the app's features.

• Baseline: 1 ms/300 Mbps download/300 Mbps upload

NordLynx/WireGuard	NordVPN	PureVPN
Download average	248 Mbps	200 Mbps
Upload average	126 Mbps	210 Mbps

It's interesting that in terms of the fastest protocol available on each VPN, no one's a winner. NordVPN offers better download speeds, while PureVPN gave us better upload speed results.

In any case, your internet speed will stay quite good, no matter which VPN you choose.

OpenVPN UDP	NordVPN	PureVPN
Download average	197.2 Mbps	145.4 Mbps
Upload average	68.4 Mbps	141.2 Mbps

Between the two versions of OpenVPN, the UDP variation is the faster one (and a bit less stable). This time, NordVPN triumphed in this VPN speed race.

OpenVPN TCP	NordVPN	PureVPN
Download average	32.5 Mbps	36.7 Mbps
Upload average	27.5 Mbps	14.3 Mbps

Lastly, when it comes to the stable but not as fast OpenVPN TCP protocol, the results of both VPNs are quite disappointing.

Overall, both VPNs have their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to different tunneling protocols, so I declare a draw.

Netflix and streaming performance

If you’re not a privacy geek, chances are that you want to get a VPN to access movies and shows not available in your country. However, you probably know that the struggle is real: streaming platforms and VPNs are in a constant cat-and-mouse game, making it a real headache to choose a VPN that won’t get blocked the very next day.

Luckily, NordVPN has quite a long history of unblocking various streaming sites. It didn’t fail our tests, allowing us to watch the US content on Netflix. It also unblocked BBC iPlayer and the geo-restricted videos on Youtube. NordVPN also offers the SmartPlay technology that allows you to watch geo-blocked movies on various devices that don’t support VPNs.

On a similar note, using PureVPN on Netflix was quite a smooth experience: we successfully managed to unblock the US Netflix library. Just like its competitor, PureVPN also unblocked BBC iPlayer, Youtube, and more.

However, PureVPN doesn’t offer a SmartDNS feature. Also, some users report that the Netflix page sometimes doesn’t load at all when this VPN is in use. Even though these details are minute, they slightly tip the scales in NordVPN’s favor.

Torrenting

When it comes to torrenting, both NordVPN and PureVPN are good choices, as they offer unlimited bandwidth and allow P2P connections. However, NordVPN also offers dedicated servers for torrenting.

In addition, NordVPN has a free SOCKS5 proxy – you can set it up on your favorite torrenting client. However, keep in mind that when using a proxy, your connection isn’t encrypted (of course, your IP remains hidden). On the other hand, it allows you to torrent at a much higher speed.

Features overview

While the lack of special features doesn’t deem a VPN unworthy of love, having a lot of freedom to set up your connection can become the main selling point to an advanced user.

In this regard, both privacy tools have something to offer. For example, PureVPN supports port forwarding while NordVPN has SmartDNS, special servers, and protection against malware-ridden websites. However, the latter is a bit more feature-rich of the two, and thus becomes the winner in this category.

Split tunneling

Even though split tunneling might sound like some kind of advanced feature, it actually isn’t. It simply helps you choose the programs and websites that use the VPN if you don’t want all your traffic to be secured.

NordVPN offers split tunneling on its Windows and Android devices, while only the Android app of PureVPN lets you use this feature.

Port forwarding

Port forwarding is a feature offered only by PureVPN. However, it’s not included in the main subscription: you have to buy it for a dollar a month. This is not a feature for beginners, as configuring it requires some technical knowledge.

However, it can be quite useful because it allows you to remotely access a device connected to your network, be it a computer or a security camera. Port forwarding also comes in handy when you want to host a website or set up a gaming server.

SmartDNS

NordVPN’s SmartDNS is a feature that allows you to watch Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, and other streaming services on devices that don’t support VPNs. You may encounter this feature on some other VPN services – it’s usually called SmartPlay. Keep in mind that SmartDNS will not encrypt your traffic, as it allows you to access geo-blocked content in a different way to VPN.

Specialty servers

NordVPN offers a few categories of specialty servers for particular uses:

• Double VPN servers that offer the protection of two VPN connections
• Onion over VPN servers that reroute your connection through the Tor network
• Obfuscated servers that make the VPN traffic look like regular traffic, which can be useful in countries with a high level of censorship (like China)
• P2P servers that are best used for torrenting

You can also buy a dedicated IP so that your spoofed IP address would always remain the same.

Now, while PureVPN doesn’t have a selection of specialty servers like NordVPN, it offers four modes with different levels of security and speed: Stream, Internet Freedom, Security/Privacy, and File Sharing.

Threat Protection

This is a feature of NordVPN that you would expect to find on your antivirus program. It prevents you from accessing blacklisted malware-infected websites. Once you try to access such a page, NordVPN will notify you and prevent you from opening it. It also works as an ad blocker.

You can disable this feature whenever you want.

PureVPN vs NordVPN: which is more secure?

	NordVPN	PureVPN
Encryption	AES-256, ChaCha20	AES-256
Hash	SHA-512	SHA-384
RAM servers	Yes	No
Based in	Panama	British Virgin Islands
No-logs policy	Audited	Audited

While some of the security aspects of NordVPN and PureVPN are the same (like the choice of encryption and tunneling protocols), NordVPN is a better choice for those who value security and privacy over everything else.

Among other reasons, that’s because its privacy policy was already audited twice and it hasn't been involved in any security scandals.

Encryption and protocols

In terms of encryption, NordVPN and PureVPN are equal. Both programs use AES-256, a.k.a. military-grade encryption that can’t possibly be taken down by brute force.

However, there’s a difference when it comes to tunneling protocols, and NordVPN has a slight edge on PureVPN here. That’s because it offers NordLynx, a fast and secure custom modification of WireGuard that offers a combination of speed and security. Aside from NordLynx, NordVPN also has OpenVPN (UDP and TCP) and IKEv2/IPsec.

Meanwhile, PureVPN offers the standard variant of WireGuard (which is also really great). Also, PureVPN's selection of protocols is even wider, however, some of the protocols themselves are not that great. So, the program allows you to choose from WireGuard, OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), IKEv2/IPsec, SSTP, and L2TP/IPSec.

While SSTP is great as it might be able to bypass China’s restriction, L2TP/IPSec is pretty outdated.

Jurisdiction

NordVPN is based in Panama, a privacy-friendly country that doesn’t have any data retention laws and doesn’t belong to the infamous 14-Eyes intelligence alliance.

Meanwhile, PureVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands. It used to be located in Hong Kong – but with this change, PureVPN users now benefit from the same level of data retention laws as NordVPN users. We can call it evens.

Logging

In its privacy policy, NordVPN states that it doesn’t keep logs on its users. The VPN has also been independently audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) in 2018 and 2020. NordVPN only collects crash reports and application diagnostics data, but you can easily opt-out of this.

It’s also worthwhile to mention that most of NordVPN’s regular servers are run on RAM, which means that the info they store gets wiped out every time a server is rebooted.

PureVPN also claims to not collect any personal information or logs. Also, its privacy policy has been audited by Altius IT in 2019. It's also the very first VPN to have an Always-On Audit, which means that it can be checked at any time.

However, in 2017, PureVPN was involved with the FBI, providing the logs (email accounts and the real IP address) of an alleged cyberstalker. This might be the reason for the subsequent auditing, which was probably done to regain users’ trust.

Kill switch

Every decent VPN should have a good kill switch. This feature prevents your real IP address from being exposed, because it shuts down your internet as soon as the VPN connection gets compromised.

Luckily, both NordVPN and PureVPN have a kill switch that you can choose to enable or disable (it’s enabled by default). NordVPN also lets you enable it for specific applications.

Servers and locations

	NordVPN	PureVPN
Countries	111	65
Servers	6800	6000

In terms of country selection, PureVPN’s offering is much more impressive than the one of NordVPN. With PureVPN, you can connect to more than 140 different countries and you get such rare server choices like Morocco or Kyrgyzstan. With that said, a large chunk of these servers are virtual (i.e. based in locations other than the country on the label, but spoofing an IP address of said location).

Platforms, interface, and ease of use

	NordVPN	PureVPN
Supported OS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Other software and devices	Kodi, Android TV, Amazon Fire devices	Kodi, Amazon Fire Stick, Android TV, etc.
Browser extensions	Chrome, Firefox	Chrome, Firefox, Edge
Simultaneous connections	6	10

Desktop apps

When it comes to NordVPN, its Windows app lets you experience it in full glory thanks to an abundance of features that include a highly-customizable implementation of split tunneling and auto-connect. It also supports the fast and secure NordLynx protocol.

Now, there are two Mac apps for NordVPN. One is available on the App Store (it’s the only macOS version that supports NordLynx), while you can download the other from the official site of NordVPN.

Both the Windows and Mac versions of the VPN have a really nice design with a huge map that helps you choose a desired location. There’s also a Linux app but it doesn’t have a graphic interface.

It’s quite interesting that currently, you can only download the new beta version of PureVPN. In turn, its design seems a bit lacking: the whiteness of the window is livened only by the lonely connect button. Right now, the Windows and Mac versions of PureVPN lack certain features available on the previous, non-beta version, but this should be fixed in the future.

Just like NordVPN, PureVPN doesn’t have a graphically-designed app for Linux – it simply functions through the Command Line Interface.

Mobile apps

Design-wise, the Android and iOS applications of NordVPN are identical. However, there are a few differences in terms of features. For example, the Android app offers split tunneling and a configurable kill switch, while the iOS version has dark web monitoring and a favorites tab.

As for PureVPN, its iOS app is nearly identical to the Windows one, while its Android application offers the most features, including split tunneling and the choice between NAT and non-NAT networks.

Plans and pricing

Plan	NordVPN	PureVPN
Monthly	$12.99	$12.95
1-year	$4.49/month	$3.99/month
2-year	$2.99/month	$2.14/month
	Check out latest discounts	Check out latest discounts

In terms of pricing, both NordVPN and PureVPN have the same plan duration options. In this way, it’s really easy to compare the prices, and you can clearly see that PureVPN is the (slightly) more budget-friendly VPN from the two.

In addition, PureVPN allows you to have 10 simultaneous connections while NordVPN offers only six. Sorry, NordVPN – you’re the loser in this category.

Pricing of NordVPN

The pricing system of NordVPN is very simplistic. You get three subscription plans that differ only in duration and price, as all the users get the same set of features. It’s cheapest to buy its two-year plan: you will only spend $2.99 a month.

Or, if you want to find NordVPN for the lower price, check out our page for NordVPN coupons – there might be some additional discounts.

There’s no shortage of payment methods NordVPN offers.You can pay with credit cards, e-wallets (like PayPal), cryptocurrencies, and even options like prepaid cards, Google Pay, or iTunes. There’s also the 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind.

Pricing of PureVPN

When you visit the official page of PureVPN, the way the prices are displayed might confuse you a bit. That’s because there’s a huge $0.99 price tag at the very center of the screen.

However, that’s not a monthly price. This is the price for a 7-day trial period that you get when you buy a one-year subscription. PureVPN prices actually range from $2.14 a month to more expensive, depending on how long you purchase the product for.

You can pay with a credit card or PayPal. PureVPN also offers a 31-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the service.

• PureVPN can also be cheaper – check out our post for PureVPN coupon codes to see if there are any special discounts available.

Customer support

	NordVPN	PureVPN
24/7 live chat	✔️	✔️
Email	✔️	✔️
Phone line	❌	❌
Guides or articles	✔️	✔️
FAQs	✔️	✔️

Both PureVPN and NordVPN have similar customer support options. If you’re at least a bit tech-savvy, you can check out their extensive support bases (which include FAQs, setup guides, troubleshooting, etc.).

When it comes to more advanced support options, NordVPN doesn’t disappoint. It offers a chatbot, live 24/7 chat, and email support. It’s especially helpful that you can use their live chat even without registration.

Now, the support options of PureVPN are similar: you can either use the 24/7 live chat or send an email ticket (there’s no support chatbot available, though). Also, you have to enter your username and email address if you want to use the chat.

All in all, the customer support options of both programs are pretty similar, so I declare a tie.

NordVPN or PureVPN – which is better?

Category	NordVPN	PureVPN
Speed	✅	✅
Features	✅	❌
Privacy	✅	❌
Streaming	✅	❌
Torrenting	✅	❌
Price	❌	✅
Server locations	❌	✅
Ease of use	✅	❌
Customer support	✅	✅

PureVPN vs NordVPN fight ends in NordVPN’s victory. It's just miles ahead of PureVPN: a better torrenting experience, a bigger selection of features, and wider streaming possibilities. All of this makes NordVPN the superior service that delivers no matter how high your expectations for a secure VPN service are.

However, we shouldn’t look down on PureVPN too much, as it offers better prices and supports port forwarding. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to fairly compete with such an industry giant as NordVPN.

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