BEST VPN SERVICES
In today’s article, we will attempt to help you reach a solid conclusion by giving a comparison of NordVPN vs PureVPN.
So let’s get into it.
NordVPN vs PureVPN Comparison 2023
Choosing a VPN in this day and age is like choosing an electronic gadget; you need to be very sure about what you want and be certain of your choice.
We agree that for some people, this can be very hard.
Some people do not have the time to research Virtual Private Networks and crack their heads trying to affirm which service provider is better than the rest.
Our job today is to help you get a holistic idea of NordVPN vs PureVPN so that you can peacefully decide which one is the better choice for you or which one suits your needs better than the other.
You should know that all our deductions are based on our personal tests. We have tried both these VPNs and are very well aware of their strong and weak points.
By the end, you will have a clearer idea of what these two VPNs stand for and how they can be of service to you.
Let’s begin!
NordVPN
A few characteristics quickly set NordVPN apart from not just PureVPN but from every other VPN service in the market.
You could say that this element makes this VPN so robust and reliable to all its users. It may also very well be the deciding factor for this NordVPN vs PureVPN comparison
We are talking about the fact that NordVPN is a VPN service created and controlled by a company that works within the security realm.
Needless to say, they are aware of all the latest security hacks, tools, and software they need to keep up with.
This gives them a distinctive edge over other VPNs in the market because one sole purpose of a VPN is to provide unbeatable security.
- NordVPN is the industry leader (by a long way)
- 30-day risk-free trial
- Superfast speeds
- 5,442+ servers in 60+ countries
- Strict no-logs policy
- Next-generation military-grade encryption
- DoubleVPN, double privacy
- 6 simultaneous device connections
- Great for: Safety, security, anonymity & peace of mind
- Compatible with: Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad & iOS, Linux, routers, Apple TV, FireFox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and more
Another reason we know is very useful for NordVPN but is something present in other VPNs is that NordVPN is based in Panama.
As you may already know, Panama does not participate in the fourteen eyes intelligence alliances or any other surveillance jurisdictions; therefore, NordVPN stands beyond the jurisdiction of these intelligence alliances, which means that your data will remain as secure as possible.
Besides this, NordVPN has other elements on its side to increase its functionality as well.
Let us look at some of those aspects to better compare it with PureVPN and know the true champion of NordVPN vs. PureVPN.
Features
NordVPN is well-known for its feature-packed services, which have attracted several customers and users worldwide.
One of these features includes many servers established worldwide.
We call this a “feature” because having several servers worldwide is necessary to provide unblocking services, torrenting abilities, and static IP addresses.
With more than 5,200 servers in 60 different countries, we are confident that you will not have to look too far for server compatibility or connectivity.
This also translates to having fast internet connectivity and speed because the closer you are to a server, the better internet connection you receive.
Having a lot of servers also means having the ability to unblock streaming services that are restricted in your location or region.
NordVPN can easily unblock Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and Disney Plus.
Due to its various servers, you are also eligible to browse through 21 different Netflix libraries, which is sure to keep you entertained for as long as you like.
Moving on, one feature that may seem a little inconvenient but comes in very handy in cases of emergency is the kill switch feature; NordVPN has multiple kill switches if you look into their applications and desktop clients.
A kill switch is one of the essential features in a VPN, which is why the VPN service needs to provide a fantastic kill switch.
You need a kill switch if, for some reason, your connection with the VPN server drops or crashes.
A kill switch will immediately fall into action and terminate your connection with the internet so that your service provider is still unable to track your activity.
In our tests, we discovered that NordVPN has an excellent kill switch feature that works like a charm when it needs to.
NordVPN has a superb no-logs feature in place for its users as well.
A no-logs feature is important because it does not record what you are doing on the internet and what websites you are visiting.
In our tests, we saw that NordVPN did not log our IP address, our online activity, the amount of time we spent on the VPN, and the amount of data we used in single or multiple sittings.
This is excellent considering other VPN services that state that they record some data to make the VPN service better for its users.
When it comes to customer data, you can be sure that NordVPN is entirely safe and secure.
Another critical feature for all VPNs is to have strong encryptions in place.
These encryptions encrypt your data with codes so that third-party organizations, hackers, or government security alliances cannot retrieve your data or track your online activity.
In terms of this, NordVPN has excellent standards that it has maintained throughout the years.
NordVPN has a 256-bit AES encryption protocol in place with IKEv2 and IPSec internet protocol for better and safer internet connectivity.
IKEv2 helps re-establish a lost connection, and IPSec helps encrypt that connection, so it remains anonymous and safe online.
Speaking of which, NordVPN employs a Double VPN feature that re-routes your connection to two separate VPN servers before connecting it with the internet.
This is very good in terms of encryption, data security, and keeping your IP address secure and out of the hands of malicious hackers and organizations.
Usually, VPNs offer a feature called full-tunnel, but NordVPN has a feature called split-tunneling to offer to its users as well.
This feature comes to play when you use an application that demands all the internet speed – like gaming – and you would like other applications to prevent sucking on the speed.
Split-tunneling allows any single application to use the VPN server network while the remaining applications use the regular internet connection.
Speed
Normally, using a VPN reduces your internet speed because you are adding an extra layer on top; this layer will also use internet speed, hence reducing it further.
However, we still expected good internet speed from NordVPN since we had heard so much about it, and we were happy to realize that it did not disappoint.
NordVPN can offer 85 Mbps of regular speed and 300 Mbps burst speed. This is more than enough for online gaming and torrenting.
We noticed the speed decrease a little in the African region, but the speed was at its peak in Europe and Asia.
We recommend connecting to those servers if you wish to play online games or download many torrents.
High speed also means being prone to data leaks. This aspect worried us because we have encountered data leaks in most VPNs.
Thankfully, NordVPN does not exhibit those problems or susceptibility to any form of data leaks, even when using it at its maximum speed.
We tried analyzing how this was possible and learned that NordVPN has used WebRTC protocol and DNS leak servers to prevent your data from leaking through the VPN servers.
These data leak protocols also tune your IP address into different IP addresses so that they don’t match your original point of origin.
Let us suppose that if your data leaks, the kill switch is quickly activated, and your connection with the VPN drops.
This may seem like a hassle, but it is better this way if it protects your security and data.
Pricing
When it comes to choosing a winner for NordVPN vs PureVPN, pricing is crucial. When push comes to shove, the price of a VPN is the real deal breaker.
It can either secure purchase by the customer or secure a hard pass-on. That is why we decided to keep the best for last.
If you like NordVPN a lot and are satisfied with its services, you can commit to its most extended subscription plan, which stands at 2 years.
You can purchase this plan for a nominal fee of $3.29 every month, which is neither too much nor too little. It is just the perfect price to make anyone scratch their head with consideration.
However, if you want to change VPNs in the future and do not want to commit to something so long and permanent, you can always subscribe to NordVPN’s one-year plan, which will cost you $4.99 monthly.
Again, not bad considering all the features and protocols you receive with this VPN.
Judging by this, it seems like NordVPN is the clear winner.
However, let us take a look at PureVPN now so that we know what it has to offer and whether it can compete with NordVPN in this battle or not.
PureVPN
PureVPN has been around in the market since 2006. You could call it a VPN with enough time to season and create a distinct aroma for itself.
With that, it has also attracted a lot of customers and recently re-vamped its security features to compete with the more trending VPNs in 2023.
One way it competes with NordVPN is that PureVPN is based in Hong Kong, which puts it out of intelligence surveillance agencies like fourteen eyes, five eyes, and four eyes.
This gives you better reassurance of your personal data and location safety and security.
Since PureVPN is so old, it has had enough time to grow its VPN-based servers. PureVPN has more than 6,500 servers in 140 countries.
These servers guarantee better internet connection and unblocking capabilities.
You can be confident that PureVPN will unblock Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney plus for you.
However, unlike NordVPN, you will only be able to unlock the U.S and Japanese Netflix libraries using this VPN server.
Features
PureVPN has a lot of features compared to NordVPN as well.
It is important to have a look at these features so that we can understand at what level it competes with NordVPN and whether it is a formidable competitor or not.
This will help you choose which VPN to decide towards the end of the NordVPN vs PureVPN comparison.
For starters, PureVPN has a good kill switch but is not as good as NordVPN.
We say this because, in our test, we wanted to know whether PureVPN could keep up with its competitors or not. So we decided to use another VPN while using PureVPN.
Usually, this should result in PureVPN’s kill switch activating and killing our connection with the internet.
That didn’t happen.
In fact, when we looked at what IP address PureVPN provided us with, we discovered that it was flashing our original IP address.
This shows that PureVPN’s kill switch is only suitable for nominal use, unlike NordVPN’s kill switch.
On the contrary, PureVPN has a good split-tunneling feature that is straightforward to use.
The only problem with it is that it is only available with their android software for now, and we hope that it soon becomes available with other software as well.
While using the split-tunneling feature, PureVPN allows you to select which applications you want to allow to access the bandwidth of the VPN and which applications you want to refrain from using the VPN’s internet connection.
Split tunneling is an exciting feature, and we are glad that PureVPN makes good use of this feature.
Another feature that PureVPN has recently incorporated is the Obfuscation feature.
This feature is very beneficial for those who live in countries with high VPN censorship or countries that restrict VPN use.
An Obfuscation feature hides your VPN traffic, making it appear that you are browsing the internet without using a VPN.
You can do everything with a VPN without being discovered or identified by government security.
The only drawback of using this feature is that you will be compromising on your speed.
Speaking of compromising, PureVPN seems to compromise on its technical security features, in our opinion.
We say this because while PureVPN has the standard 256-bit AES encryption, it lacks WireGuard protocol adapted by almost every other VPN service to keep user data well-encrypted and safe.
PureVPN also lacks IKEv2 protocol and only makes use of IKEv6 protocol. This may perhaps be a reason why we found data leaks while using PureVPN.
This is synonymous with their logging policy which we do not trust either.
While PureVPN claims to not log any user information, it had previously released user information to the FBI for personal reasons.
However, after that, they immediately re-issued their privacy policy to regain their users’ trust.
While we haven’t noticed PureVPN do something like this again, this incident makes us skeptical about trusting PureVPN with our sensitive data.
Speed
You might have noticed that your internet speed slows down every time you switch to a VPN.
This is not just your imagination; VPN is a middleman between you and your ISP, which is why it results in a drag on your initial internet speed.
However, to what extent this effect takes place varies from one VPN to another.
PureVPN does not offer the best speed; neither does it offer the worst of speed.
In our test, we noticed that PureVPN offers a good enough speed for browsing online and downloading torrents.
However, if you plan on playing high-intensity games, you may want to revert to another VPN service.
Pricing
Let’s talk about the price of this VPN now.
Like all other VPNs, PureVPN offers you three different subscription plans, out of which it is cheaper to opt for the 2-year subscript plan, which will cost you $2.04 every month.
While we think this is a reasonable price, we cannot ignore the fact that better VPNs with lower prices are available in the VPN market.
Final Verdict
We are sure that you have understood that NordVPN is the unprecedented winner of this NordVPN vs PureVPN battle royale.
PureVPN is a good VPN; however, it cannot keep up with NordVPN’s speed, kill switch functionality, and encryption protocols.
Considering all these essential elements, we suggest you go for NordVPN as it overcomes as the better VPN from this NordVPN vs PureVPN comparison.
FAQs
What Makes a VPN Good?
There are a lot of factors that make a VPN good.
Some of which include having a reasonable price, excellent security features, and robust encryption.
These elements make a VPN stand out amongst the rest.
Which VPN Should I Buy?
This depends on what you want to use the VPN for.
We suggest that you purchase NordVPN if you want to unblock geo-restricted applications, want high-speed internet, and formidable security features to protect your data and location.