PureVPN vs NordVPN (2024): Which VPN Should You Choose?

PureVPN has fairly affordable subscription prices for a paid virtual private network service, which can be appealing to more budget-conscious users or businesses. Meanwhile, NordVPN looks to offer more security and usability features — at a more premium price tag.

SEE: Can a VPN Be Hacked? (TechRepublic)

The question is: Is it worth spending more for NordVPN? Or is PureVPN’s value proposition the better deal?

In this article, we take a look at which VPN service is best for you and your organization.

• PureVPN: Best for small teams looking to access geo-restricted content at an affordable price.
• NordVPN: Best for most businesses looking for a secure, reliable and fast-performing VPN.

PureVPN vs. NordVPN: Comparison

PureVPN vs. NordVPN: Pricing

In terms of subscriptions, PureVPN and NordVPN employ similar subscription tiers. Both VPNs offer three tiers, with more features as you move up in price.

PureVPN pricing

PureVPN offers three subscription tiers: Standard, Plus and Max. If you’re interested in basic VPN functionality, PureVPN’s Standard plan is a cost-effective option.

For free trials, PureVPN offers a seven-day trial via mobile and Windows. When I first tried PureVPN last year, I was only able to access the free trial through the PureVPN mobile application.

SEE: Does a VPN Slow Down Your Internet Speed? (TechRepublic)

This year, however, PC users can access the trial through their desktop machines as well. As someone who primarily uses desktop, I’m glad PureVPN gave us this option on top of the mobile free trial access.

If you want to learn more about my thoughts and experience with PureVPN, check out my full PureVPN review.

NordVPN pricing

NordVPN also has three subscription tiers: Basic, Plus and Ultimate. As you go higher in price, Nord includes more security-focused features like a data breach scanner and encrypted storage.

For people wondering about a free trial, NordVPN has a seven-day free trial that’s only accessible via its Android app. While you can use NordVPN on other platforms after the initial Android sign up, I hope Nord could make access to their VPN trial available to other users as well.

If you want to learn more, you can read my full NordVPN review.

PureVPN vs. NordVPN: Feature comparison

Security protocols and encryption

Winner: Tie

PureVPN and NordVPN offer almost identical VPN protocols with their respective services. PureVPN includes OpenVPN, WireGuard and IPSec/IKEv2. On the other hand, NordVPN offers OpenVPN, IPSec/IKEv2 and NordLynx — their proprietary security protocol based on WireGuard.

SEE: How to Start a Career in Cybersecurity (TechRepublic Premium)

In my opinion, these three protocols offer the best mix of speed, security and stability in the VPN space. With that, I’m happy to see both VPN providers utilizing these protocols in their respective services.

In the same vein, both vendors offer military-grade AES-256 encryption for their VPN software. Once again, this is a win for both sides since AES-256 is the industry standard algorithm we expect out of modern VPN software.

VPN server network and locations

Winner: NordVPN

Looking at their respective server networks, NordVPN wins over PureVPN. At the time of this article’s publication, NordVPN currently offers around 6,400+ servers spread across 111 countries — a healthy server network offering both volume and a broad country spread.

In contrast, PureVPN’s server fleet has around 6,070+ servers from 65+ countries. While both VPNs come with similar server counts, NordVPN’s diverse server network spanning 111 countries gives it the win.

With over double the countries to choose from, users will have more flexibility in location choice with NordVPN than PureVPN. In theory, this can also help users get better performance, as the larger country count gives users a better chance of having servers closer to their actual location, offering better speeds.

That’s not to say that PureVPN is lackluster in the server department. Looking at its server count, PureVPN’s 6,000+ servers are already above the average 3,000-4,000 servers of other VPNs I’ve tested.

But with Nord’s more extensive and diverse server network, I have to give NordVPN the upper hand.

Third-party audits and track record

Winner: NordVPN

For independent test results and company track record, I give the advantage to NordVPN. As of today, the VPN provider has undergone four third-party audits confirming their no-logs policy. Its most recent one was published in January 2024.

I commend NordVPN not only for the number of audits done but also for doing them so often. This helps build customer trust and shows that they’re committed to providing transparent and privacy-centric services.

On the other hand, PureVPN has also undergone a good number of security audits: one in 2019, one in 2021 and another in 2023. All three audits confirmed the company’s no-logs policy, showing it’s a safe VPN to use today.

A noteworthy aspect of PureVPN’s audits is the type of independent testing it undergoes. This is specifically referring to PureVPN’s 2021 evaluation, which is called an “always-on audit.” This type of audit enables the independent auditor to examine PureVPN without prior notice.

As much as I laud PureVPN for its confident approach to independent testing, there is one major hiccup. Back in 2017, PureVPN allegedly handed off logs to the FBI in order to catch a suspected cyberstalker, despite claiming to log zero information on users. PureVPN discussed this matter and gave its version of events in a blog post.

While apprehending these individuals is important, it’s disappointing to know that PureVPN both kept logs and handed them over to authorities, despite their claims of being no-logs during that time.

While it’s clear that PureVPN has since implemented good measures to alleviate user concerns, such as their always-on auditing, I have to give NordVPN the win for its lack of any sort of incident regarding user logs or data.

Performance and speed

Winner: NordVPN

Both PureVPN and NordVPN offer consistently fast speeds and reliable connectivity. While using both VPNs, I had no trouble doing my usual workflow of browsing on multiple sites for research, using Google Workspace apps like Docs and Drive and attending online meetings for work.

Stability-wise, I had zero issues for both as well, with no noticeable drops in speed while connected to their respective VPN servers.

NordVPN gains an advantage, however, when it comes to speed tests. During my testing of both products, NordVPN recorded smaller drops in speed for both downloads and uploads. Per my testing, NordVPN recorded a 5.8% drop for downloads and a 16.2% drop for uploads. Meanwhile, PureVPN logged a 5.9% download drop and a 79.9% upload decrease.

If your workflow requires frequent file uploads, PureVPN may struggle based on these results.

That being said, I found both PureVPN and NordVPN to be solid performers in terms of speed and performance.

Standout security features

Winner: NordVPN

For users looking for additional security features with their premium VPN service, NordVPN should be your pick.

It offers a variety of security capabilities, such as its Meshnet encrypted file-sharing system; dedicated Threat Protection against malware, trackers and ads; a built-in dark web monitor; and many more.

It also has a bevy of security-focused VPN server types, such as double VPN servers that swap your IP addresses twice; obfuscated servers, which disguise VPN use; and onion over VPN servers that can route your traffic to the Onion network.

Meanwhile, PureVPN includes decent security tools like split tunneling, a VPN kill switch and DNS leak protection. However, all these features are also available on NordVPN.

If you want a VPN that comes with nifty security capabilities, NordVPN is the no-brainer pick.

Ease of use

Winner: NordVPN

If we look at in-app experience and ease of use, NordVPN takes another round. It offers a nice balance between an intuitive layout, good design and an overall stable application.

I personally like how it neatly organizes all its features without becoming overwhelming for end users. With a modern and easy-to-understand interface, it sets a good benchmark for what a solid VPN user interface should look and feel like.

On the other hand, PureVPN also has a fairly good-looking desktop application. I particularly like its minimalist UI, with clean white spaces and nicely organized menus. If I’m honest, it has a similar look to NordVPN’s equivalent desktop app.

Unfortunately, the difference between the two arises with PureVPN’s in-app performance, particularly with navigation and in-app experience. During my use, I noticed a bit of clunkiness whenever I navigated through menus and certain tabs. I also found switching servers and establishing new connections to be a step slower compared to NordVPN.

To be fair to PureVPN, once the connections were established, they remained stable and connected. That being said, if having a more polished and smoother application is important to you, NordVPN is the better choice.

Simultaneous device connections

Winner: Tie

On device limits and simultaneous connections, we have a tie. Both PureVPN and NordVPN offer a maximum of 10 simultaneous device connections to their VPN service. This means you can connect a maximum of 10 different devices to a VPN server at the same time without needing a second VPN subscription.

While I personally would have preferred unlimited simultaneous device connections, having 10 as a maximum is still on the upper end of device limits compared to other VPNs, which only offer five to eight devices max.

PureVPN pros and cons

Pros

• Fast and reliable real-world speeds.
• 6,050+ servers.
• Less expensive starting plan.

Cons

• 2017 logging incident with FBI.

NordVPN pros and cons

Pros

• Variety of built-in security features.
• Servers across 111 countries.
• Clean security reputation.

Cons

• More expensive.

Should your organization use PureVPN or NordVPN?

In my opinion, NordVPN is clearly the better choice for most businesses. It provides a larger 111-country server network, fast VPN speed and performance, a suite of security capabilities and an overall pleasant user experience.

It also offers the same 10-device limit and a very strong track record, security-wise. For me, the lack of security incidents makes spending a bit more worth its weight in gold.

Unfortunately, PureVPN’s 2017 logging incident really holds it back from becoming a top VPN option today. While it has implemented significant measures to regain user trust, I don’t think it’s worth taking the risk, especially if data privacy is of particular concern.

Otherwise, PureVPN can be a decent choice for small teams or businesses looking for a less expensive VPN to unblock geo-restricted online content.

Methodology

My comparison of PureVPN and NordVPN involved real-world testing of both VPNs and a detailed analysis of each VPN’s features, cost and performance.

To evaluate each product, both VPNs were scored on everything from their pricing to their server networks. In particular, I considered five main pillars, each having corresponding weights:

• Pricing (20%).
• Core VPN features (30%).
• Ease of use (15%).
• Customer support (30%).
• Expert analysis (5%).

I also took into account real-world user feedback and reputable reviews to round out my analysis of both PureVPN and NordVPN. For speed and performance, I tested both services on my personal Windows computer and ran them through Ookla’s public Speedtest. Lastly, I considered which types of businesses or individuals would best benefit from each VPN.