A wise decision can change your thoughts about choosing a VPN. It’s always better to know what you are up to with a comparison. So, today here are our champions of the battle ExpressVPN & PureVPN by explaining every feature in detail with comparison to help you out making a perfect decision.
Both ExpressVPN and PureVPN are recognizable VPN services in the market with a great reputation, while more people turning to VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) nowadays to keep themselves safe from surveillance groups. Most other VPN 🌐websites make things complex taking you into the technical part, where you will lose your 🧠mind & forget the feature. Don’t worry we are here to help with a simple explanation with a complete breakdown.
Quick Glance of VPNs
- 3000+ Servers in 160+ locations (94 countries)
- Unblock Amazon Prime, Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, HBO, BBC iPlayer, and more
- Unbeatable Security Encryption with OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), L2TP, IPSec, IKEv2
- Full Torrenting Support (Dedicated P2P Servers) with split tunneling.
- Compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Consoles, routers etc.
- 5 Simultaneous device connections
- Zero Log Policy.
- Reliable kill switch
- 24/7 Customer Support
- 30 Days full refund policy
- 6500+ Servers in 140 countries
- P2P Torrenting with unlimited bandwidth
- Unblocks Netflix, Hulu, Prime, HBO, iPlayer, and other streaming sites
- Military grade security with port forwarding
- 10 Simultaneous device connections
- Zero logging
- Available for Linux, iOS, Android and Windows, browser extensions
- 24/7 customer support
- 31 Days Full Refund Policy
Features
Background & Jurisdiction
VPNs are used to protect your identity & personal information from your ISP. It shouldn’t be the VPN😳 service itself 👀spying on you, so you can’t trust the VPN service. That’s why it’s mandatory to know the VPN company’s background before owning a VPN. We will go through a quick breakdown of each company’s background.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is a solid VPN providing security & protecting its reputation in the market. Recently it has gone through many VPN audits and delivered great quality services without any known issues so far. The third-party audits are discussed in the security section.
ExpressVPN is based on the British Virgin Islands (privacy-focused) and the country’s jurisdiction protects the customer data as it is independent of others.
PureVPN
While ExpressVPN has clean & verified background whereas PureVPN runs by GZ Systems (Hong Kong-based company). So it will fall under Hong Kong jurisdiction. Now Hong Kong is under the pressure from China after passing the National Security Law in 2020.
When we looked at the PureVPN background during our research (it has some data logging issues). In the reports, it’s found that PureVPN is logging the customer’s data for the FBI despite claiming No Log on their website.
ExpressVPN is the clear winner in the company background 🎉
Servers & Speeds
ExpressVPN | PureVPN | |
Number of Servers | 3000+ | 6500+ |
Countries | 94+ | 140+ |
ExpressVPN & PureVPN aren’t 😅satisfied covering small regions they go beyond with😱 huge server networks covering the entire world having servers in many countries. They planned to have multiple servers in high traffic areas (for a better experience) while ExpressVPN streams everything in 4K without any loading🔃 even on multiple devices.
PureVPN still lacks in speed with an average of 59 Mbps though this is sufficient (will not be enough to be used on simultaneous devices). Both VPNs maintain some virtual servers in some locations (where it’s impossible to have physical servers). All these servers are subjected to the privacy laws of VPN claiming “No Log“.
Everyone knows that using a VPN will impact the regular speed of your internet (as they need to encrypt & tunnel). Here is the comparison speed test on connecting to the US server, the base internet speed is 350 Mbps. You can check with the best US VPNs.
On US Server | Download | Upload |
ExpressVPN | 196.38 | 16.79 |
PureVPN | 59.44 | 10.50 |
You can check yourself, ExpressVPN outperformed PureVPN in terms of speeds. This has been the same even when I connect to the UK Server (long distant server) to check will there be any difference.
On UK Server | Download | Upload |
ExpressVPN | 235.95 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
PureVPN | 20 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
This result isn’t bad, in fact, it’s the same signifying ExpressVPN is way faster than PureVPN (Almost 15 times faster). So even if you want to use a VPN on multiple devices simultaneously ExpressVPN is the best.
😍ExpressVPN is the clear winner
📝Note: All the tests ran by connecting to the latest VPN protocol provided by each VPN.
Privacy
ExpressVPN | PureVPN | |
Headquarters | The British Virgin Islands | Hong Kong |
Logs | NA | Logging Data |
Activity Logs | NA | NA |
Details for Sign up | ||
Payment Options | Bitcoin | NA |
ExpressVPN has not logged any of its user data so far & based in the British Virgin Islands which is independent of other country jurisdictions. In fact, running independent audits to prove the flaws in their security system (but there aren’t any).
Despite PureVPN’s claims No logging on their website for their customers, it’s found that they are storing user browser activities behind the screen for the FBI. So, it will be up to you whether to go with an insecure VPN (We don’t recommend using insecure VPN ever )
Streaming
Users these days, unblocking websites at very first glance using VPN. Also, you can unblock the streaming service’s geo-blocked content. Both VPNs work well to unblock streaming services even while ✈ traveling (no one can block you from accessing content or service at any time).
ExpressVPN is 🥇superior VPN in the market when it comes to unblocking streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and all other streaming services. There aren’t any issues during my stream. Here I am streaming US Netflix with ExpressVPN.
Streaming quality is great without any buffers In fact ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs for Netflix supporting different regional libraries (a good tool to access more content).
PureVPN also connects with Netflix’s US server but the video quality is 🤧poor and the video 🥺buffers here &there. This made my experience bad even having great internet speeds. Apart from the buffering, there are some screen freezes too, Streaming Netflix with PureVPN will look like this.
Streaming Services | ExpressVPN | PureVPN |
Netflix | Yes | Yes |
Amazon Prime | Yes | Yes |
Hulu | Yes | Yes |
BBC iPlayer | No | Yes |
Sky Go | Yes | No |
ABC | Yes | Yes |
I really don’t know why this happens during my test. There are huge drops in my internet speeds when I am using PureVPN, think about 🤔yourself once. Above it is the sample of what both VPNs can unblock, but ExpressVPN comes with great speed & extra abilities utilizing unblocking well.
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😍ExpressVPN is the clear winner.
Torrenting
Torrenting is a great feature for every user (peer-to-peer sharing), you are always free to check the best VPNs for torrenting. Unlimited bandwidth is a must for torrenting (as files will be large). For secure torrenting, you need to meet some requirements.
- Speeds
- VPN without any Leaks
Considering the first one ExpressVPN is ⏩faster than PureVPN. Both VPNs are secure but there are some DNS leaks found for PureVPN (they will be covered in the security section). ExpressVPN can handle anything you throw at it safely. So we are moving with a clear winner here.
😎ExpressVPN is the clear winner in torrenting
Security
ExpressVPN | PureVPN | |
Protocols | IKEv2, OpenVPN, L2TP, Lightway | IKEv2, OpenVPN, L2TP, Lightway, PPTP, SSTP |
Encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 |
Encryption control channel | RSA-4096 | RSA-2048 |
Leak Security | Kill Switch | Kill Switch |
DNS | Private DNS | Private DNS |
Both VPNs offer various protocols to choose from, while PureVPN still features some older VPN protocols that give you more flexibility. There is some reason behind VPNs delisted PPTP, SSTP protocols as they are considered as not secure. ExpressVPN maintains the latest protocols (ensuring security).
Though both VPNs use AES 256 bit encryption (toughest one) but 🧐look at the ExpressVPN RSA keys (🤞twice longer than PureVPN). You will get a kill switch on both VPNs to protect your identity when your VPN connection drops. On the other hand, ExpressVPN supports VPN chaining for maximum privacy.
To keep the DNS request safe ExpressVPN keeps its own DNS along with maintaining the entire Network on RAM servers (Trustworthy) for a high level of security. All these servers will be rebooted every 2 weeks, even in extreme cases your data will be safe (even the server seize). Also, NordVPN and Surfshark running on RAM Servers.
Recently ExpressVPN ran two security audits (Cure53 and PwC) to find out their security system working as advertised or not. Everything is working 🤗perfectly fine.
Though PureVPN claims it’s secure and trusted, it’s proven that their apps leak data & log data for the FBI. When we ran DNS Test it was found that it exposes the user browsing activities to 😳third parties. But in the PureVPN audit reports, there are no logs against this VPN.
📝Note: PureVPN Audit is done remotely without any inspection.
🎉ExpressVPN is the clear winner
App Interface & Usability
ExpressVPN | PureVPN | |
Quick Installation | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS |
Configuration Support | Available | Available |
Overall usability | Easy | Hard |
Browser Extensions | App Level | Independent |
When it comes to the app interface ExpressVPN is simple & effective compared to PureVPN. ExpressVPN home screen is minimalistic and elegant with all the necessary features embedded in the settings icon. Most of the smart features are available on the home screen itself like Location, Recent Location, Connect, etc. Just look at once below.
When it comes to PureVPN, it’s bulky with features on its Windows App (a little clumsy). For instance, there are multiple sub-menus to tweak around the settings icon & feels more sluggish than ExpressVPN. But the iOS version of PureVPN is clean with minimal. You can see yourself
But the best thing about both VPNs is that they are offering applications to install on your routers. So, you don’t need to set up on individual devices every time. You can either install these on your personal devices like iOS, Android, Windows, macOS along with on routers.
It’s a tie 🙌
Compatibility
After looking at the impressive features of both VPNs, let’s move on to something interesting like Kill Switch, Split tunneling, Simultaneous device connections (pretty useful features).
ExpressVPN | PureVPN | |
Kill Switch | Yes | Yes |
Split Tunneling | Yes | Yes |
Simultaneous device connections | 5 | 10 |
Additional features | MeidaStreamer, Gaming Consoles | Ad-blocker, Malware detector, Kodi Addons, Gaming console |
Browser Extensions | Chrome, Firefox, and Safari | Chrome and Firefox |
OS Support | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Firestick, Routers | Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Firestick |
Both VPNs are compatible with a wide variety of operating systems with an internet kill switch to protect your IP Address (if your internet connection drops accidentally. They come with AES 256 bit encryption to prevent your data from stealing.
When we compare both VPNs (ExpressVPN and PureVPN) they performed equally in terms of compatibility.
It’s a tie🙌
Customer Support
We 😅can’t expect everything to work perfectly as expected, so it’s necessary to have 🤞great customer support to solve all the issues. There is a saying “Support can make or break the service“. Oftentimes like when you couldn’t connect to Netflix, Amazon Prime, or connecting to a server.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN offers 24/7 live customer support through chat or email. I have personally tested their responsiveness and their knowledge of the issue. Well, honestly I am impressed with their quick service through any medium. They have guides, tutorials, FAQ sections on their site, I recommend going through them once before reaching their customer support to solve yourself 🤗quickly.
PureVPN
Like ExpressVPN, PureVPN also offers 24/7 customer support on its website. Their chat support team is very responsive & helpful, but the response time is 😐high when I reach them through email. So, better to go with live chat always (It might take some time to solve through email).
Both VPNs make it quite easy & simple to reach them at any time. Also, there are many youtube channels full of video guides. When live chat is not available in the countries like China, you can always welcome to use email support.
ExpressVPN | PureVPN | |
Live Chat | Available | Available |
Ticket Support | Available | Available |
Email Support | Available | Available |
Phone Support | No | No |
Tutorials | Available | Available |
Knowledgeable persons | Yes | Yes |
It’s a tie🙌 for both VPNs in support.
Pricing & Refund
ExpressVPN indeed is one of the most expensive VPNs available in the market but also we need to 🧐look at the features and privacy it’s’ offering. For every VPN the longer the subscription plan is the more you 💲gain. When you are after a one-month subscription it will cost you around $12.95/ month whereas taking a 1-year plan will cost you $6.67/ Month nearly half the price.
Of course, PureVPN is cheaper than ExpressVPN but you will save only $2 for a one-month subscription. But if you opt for a 1-year plan you can save more than 🤑50% on what you are paying for the ExpressVPN plan. Even I too feel😶 sometimes that ExpressVPN should do something to reduce their plan price to stand in tough competition.
ExpressVPN | PureVPN | |
Per Month | $12.95 | $10.95 |
Per Year | $80 | $44.88 |
You can check the numbers for yourself. Also, both VPNs offer a refund policy of 30 days so you can try out their services hassle-free.
The clear winner in the pricing segment is 🎉PureVPN
Conclusion
ExpressVPN | PureVPN | |
Background | Winner🎉 | Runner |
Servers & Speeds | Winner🎉 | Runner |
Streaming | Winner🎉 | Runner |
Security | Winner🎉 | Runner |
App Interface & Usability | Tie | Tie |
Compatibility | Tie | Tie |
Torrenting | Tie | Tie |
Customer Support | Tie | Tie |
Pricing & Refund | Runner | Winner🎉 |
If you are more concerned about 💭privacy, I recommend going with ExpressVPN as PureVPN is based on surveillance countries and spotted on logging user data for the FBI. ExpressVPN performs very well against PureVPN in every segment like Speed, Streaming, Torrenting. This is what you will likely pay the $2 additional cost compared to PureVPN.
The Only Advantage of PureVPN is 5 additional device connections and less price. Apart from that everything will be on ExpressVPN make it reliable.
Also check out ExpressVPN vs PIA
FAQs Related to ExpressVPN vs PureVPN
Is ExpressVPN better than PureVPN?
ExpressVPN is better compared with PIA, they are privacy, speeds, server location, streaming unblocking, and compatibility. Though it makes tie in some departments. PIA lost in being a US-based VPN (couldn’t keep your data secure).
Which is the fastest VPN among ExpressVPN vs PureVPN?
ExpressVPN is the fastest VPN between these two, whereas for PureVPN it didn’t even touch 50 Mbps (even if you have a good internet connection with a 350 Mbps baseline). But you can boost your VPN slowing down your speeds. But, it’s quite common that your internet connection speeds drop.
What is a VPN?
A VPN (Virtual Private Network in short) that assigns you a new IP to keep your online activities private & Hidden from ISP, Government. Helps in unblocking Streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Prime, Hotstar, and Disney+. You can also torrent with a VPN to get what you desire.
Are VPNs Legal to use?
Using VPNs to protect your personal information is completely legal anywhere in the world. But some countries impose restrictions on using VPNs like United Arabs, Russia, Iran, Iraq, etc.
Can I get ExpressVPN or PureVPN for Free?
No, you can’t. But you can try paid VPNs like ExpressVPN money-back guarantee program and claim your refund (So that you can enjoy premium services for free).
Do I need a VPN at home?
They are not dedicatedly designed to protect you from public networks. They also ensure the same security even for your home network using which you can unblock websites, torrent safely, unblock streaming services and prevent ISP or others tracking your data.
Should I use VPN all the time?
Its recommended to use VPN all the time and it depends on the need why you are using the VPN for. If you want to stay secure without any leaks or if you take your device to public places regularly, then keep the VPN turned on all the time.