PureVPN Review 2017 – In-depth Buyer’s Guide & User Reviews
 | Rank #4 in our top list | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rating4.6/5.0Features: 4.4Ease of Use: 4.5Pricing: 4.8 | Number of Servers | 750 | ||
Number of Countries | 141 | |||
Number of IPs | 88000 | |||
Devices per License | 5 | |||
Encryption | 256 bit | |||
Approximate Setup Time | 5 to 10 minutes | |||
Compatible Apps | Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Routers and Linux | |||
Bandwidth Limit | No | |||
Founded | 2006 | |||
Starting Price | $10.95 per month (monthly plan) | |||
Best Price | $2.95 per month (24 month plan) | |||
Current Best Deal | $2.44 per month (24 month plan) – 75% OFF | |||
Money Back Guarantee | 7 Days | |||
Check PureVPN Plans: www.purevpn.com | ||||
PureVPN is one of the best and most affordable VPN with a diverse feature offering for its clients globally. Since its inception in 2006, it has received global acclaim and stellar reviews from numerous sources such as Mashable, CNET and the New York Times. The company is located in Hong Kong thereby leveraging on the advantage of being able to limit access to your activity from the EU and US jurisdictions. It also has high security and privacy features boasting of AES 256-bit military grade data encryptions as well as a 24/7 live customer care support that can be easily accessed by their customers.
For those users who love streaming content online, PureVPN is an incredibly affordable option. Its network of 790+ servers spread all around the world offer outstanding performance when it comes to accessing streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu.
PureVPN Features
PureVPN boasts of a lot of features and add-ons which give it an added advantage over its competitors. Some of its most important features include; secure Wi-Fi, unlimited bandwidth, stealth security protocols, unlimited server switching and an internet kill switch. All of these features can be classified into three categories, namely;
1. Security and privacy
If you are a guru in VPN or a newbie, this is one of the service offerings of any provider that you need to consider. PureVPN uses a military grade 256-bit data encryption in ensuring your security and privacy is safeguarded. Also all data is self-managed by PureVPN thereby meaning that at no point will your data be shared or intercepted by third parties unless PureVPN willingly shares it out. It also has numerous security protocols such as OpenVPN, SSTP, IKEv2, PPTP and L2TP/IPSec which offer added security while browsing. Other notable security features include;
- It has a dedicated IP add-on for its users that is useful in ensuring that their users have complete control of their security and privacy.
- It also has a DDOS feature that is useful in preventing online DDOS attacks and is quite useful for online gamers.
- It has an internet kill-switch, a fail-safe button that enables users to maintain their anonymity online.
2. High speeds
The fact that it has 790+ servers spread out around the world means that it has enough bandwidth to boost browsing speeds. The distribution of servers around the world means that proximity of users to nearby servers is quite short thereby enabling fast speeds. They have also managed to curb the issue of ISP throttling which ensues whenever there is a shortage of servers thereby limiting speeds.
3. Connectivity features
Through PureVPN users can get high uptimes up to a staggering 99.9%. It also has unlimited data transfer for those hoping to use the VPN for file sharing and torrenting. You can also be able to stream online content without any bandwidth caps to your connection. Another major feature of PureVPN is that it allows you to have up to five simultaneous logins across different devices for a single account.
PureVPN Plans & Pricing
PureVPN has a very simple pricing package which is split into three categories; Monthly plan, half-yearly plan or 2-year plan. It is also important to note that unlike other providers, PureVPN does not have a free trial for its customers. However, it does have a 7 day money back guarantee.
- Monthly plan - $10.95/ month
- 6-month plan - $53.70 ($8.95/ month)
- 2- Year plan - $70.80 ($2.95/ month)
Pros
- It offers a wide array of IP addresses that you can choose from, 88,000 to be exact.
- It has the largest range of payment options.
- It has great downloading and uploading speeds as well as unlimited bandwidth
- It is also compatible with routers
- It allows up to 5 devices to use a single account
- Provides military grade encryption using the 256-bit data encryption
Cons
- PureVPN does not have a free trial plan for its customers
- They only have 7 days limited money back guarantee, which is less compared to their competitors
Our Verdict
PureVPN has over the years built a reputation as a trustworthy service provider for its customers and clients. Why is this so? It has some of the best feature offerings in the market and has an intuitive user interface. It also boasts of fast speeds that can only be compared to more expensive counterparts in the market. However, it does have its cons and sadly enough these flaws are huge deal breakers.
How to use PureVPN
1. Sign up
In order for you to sign up for an account with PureVPN, you first have to go to its pricing page.
From there, you can choose the payment plan that is suitable for you, select your payment provider and then enter your payment details.
Once you’ve successfully purchased the plan, you will receive two emails; one with your billing and login info and another with tips on how to use VPN.
2. Login
Getting started with PureVPN is simple due to the software’s intuitive nature. After you’ve logged into your account, there is a download tab located in the top right corner of your browser page. Once you click on it, it will present you with various platforms to choose from. On selection of your desired type, a PureVPN setup wizard will be launched on your desktop.
The wizard only takes a few minutes to complete. Once downloaded, you will be prompted to launch the PureVPN client, enter your login details and you’ll be good to go!
3. Select your mode and start browsing the net
Once you are all set, the PureVPN client will help you navigate towards your desired option i.e. stream, internet freedom, privacy, file-sharing or remote/ DEDI IP. The advantage of this option list is that it does not commit you to only 1 option rather you can select as many as you want. Once you are done, you are all set to go!
PureVPN Apps Overview
A quick look at PureVPN’s apps for their various platforms shows that they have been designed for simplicity i.e. ease of use on the customer’s end. Each app can be easily navigated by novices and is feature full for tech savvy users.
PureVPN for Windows
The windows app is supported across all devices running the windows operating system. It has a fluid UI design, five different modes for selection, manual and auto protocol selection, an internet Kill Switch, dedicated IP and top grade 256-bit encryption for enhanced security.
PureVPN for Mac
This app comes with the same features as its windows counterpart and also has support for the IP Sec protocol as well.
PureVPN for Android
The android app has just as much functionalities as its desktop counterparts. However, its functionality is way better given that all support features are integrated into it thereby making it easy and convenient for users to communicate with customer care.
PureVPN for IOS
Just like the Mac and Windows app, the IOS app has similar functionalities to its android counterpart.
Speed & Reliability
PureVPN has some of the fastest speeds given that they have servers all around the globe. However, there is one major issue; speed can be quite inconsistent while using the software. By this we mean that whenever the speeds are fast, they remain consistently fast; but if the speeds become slow, there’s barely anything that you’ll do online with the VPN. We always recommend that users purchase the VPN and test it for themselves before the lapse of the 7 day money back period.
Security & Privacy
When it comes to security and privacy, even PureVPN's claims of having the best security protocols can’t escape the mere fact that it has some major security concerns. We found out that it has an unstable StealthVPN, has its defaults set to PPTP (one of the most vulnerable protocols) and has DNS, IP and WebTRC leaks as well. However, the app has a long list of privacy features available such as kill switch, options around encryption and split tunneling (a feature that allows users to specify which traffic they want channeled through VPN and ISP). You can also get a dedicated IP address at an additional fee as well.
So what is our take? Well, if all you need to do is access restricted content or secure public Wi-Fi, then PureVPN is the best app out there for those needs. However, if you are looking for some bit of more protection and solid anonymity online that can’t be compromised, then it would be best if you considered another VPN client.
PureVPN Server Locations
More Reason to Choose PureVPN
Here are some added benefits that you might get by choosing PureVPN.
- Fastest VPN - PureVPN has its own Gigabit network which is boosted by the presence of more than 750 servers situated all around the world. It also has unlimited bandwidth and data transfer and is a great choice for movie streaming.
- Optimized Data Encryption for devices - PureVPN's 256-bit security is not only a feature of the desktop VPN clients. The company has also extended its security features to its mobile applications in order to protect your important data like credit/debit card information from being intercepted by hackers.
- Supports a variety of devices - Apart from desktop computers and mobile phones, the service is also compatible with other devices such as gaming consoles, smart TVs and other routers.
- Simultaneous connections - Through a new feature, one can be able to raise the number of devices that can be connected to one account simultaneously from 5-10. This is by turning your windows based desktop into a virtual router.
- Dedicated streaming - Given its fast nature, PureVPN also has a dedicated streaming feature for its users that boosts speeds up to 20 Mbps. This enables users to watch videos online without suffering from buffering or slow streaming.
PureVPN for Gaming
If you are or have ever been an online gaming player, then you might understand the frustrations that come when you have to deal with lags and high latencies. There is also the case of DDOS attacks which give unfair advantage to opponents who initiate such (especially in MMO games). We suggest the use of PureVPN in order to prevent lags and also through the use of DDOS protected IPs that the app has to offer.
PureVPN for torrenting
Apart from gaming, we also had to test out its torrenting features. When it comes to torrent downloading speed, PureVPN competes well with other providers in the market. It also allows you to download unlimited torrent files as well as use their servers to access and operate P2P file sharing sites.
Customer Support
PureVPN has an active customer care service that is open 24/7. You can simply access them through live chat on their website, phone or email. If you have any problems, users can also type their queries through the site’s knowledge base search engine that has access to tons of frequently asked questions.
FAQs & Additional Tips
1. What system requirements do I need in order to run PureVPN?
You don’t need a high end system in order for you to run PureVPN. The app comes with a one click installation setup that can work on any machine.
2. Is there a cap on my bandwidth usage?
PureVPN does not have any bandwidth limitation or caps on data usage. However, it has a fair usage policy that limits users from exerting excessive loads on the network that may interfere with other user’s connections. It reserves the right to suspend or terminate users involved in unfair usage of their accounts. If you want to get the best out of your plan, steer clear of creating sessions that may impersonate a bot or exert excessive loads on the network.
3. How can I check the number of connections that I am using?
For now, you can’t check on the number of connections that you are using.
4. Which payment options does PureVPN support?
PureVPN supports a wide range of payment options. They include; Paypal, Bitpay, PaymentWall, CoinPayments, PaySafeCard, Debit/credit cards, Alipay, Skrill, Payza, giftcards Western Union and Bank transfer.
5. What is a NAT Firewall and how can it help me?
A NAT Firewall prevents unrequested inbound traffic from reaching your computer or device. It filters your connections only allowing those that you want to receive. However, it is a paid add-on.
6. Does PureVPN offer multi-account support?
Yes, PureVPN has a maximum of 5 simultaneous device logins through one account. However, it's important to note that the devices should be in the same country.
7. Is Customer support for PureVPN paid for?
PureVPN has a free support desk. However, due to the ineffectiveness of some of the live chat responses from their customer care agents, we would suggest contacting them via email or opening up a support ticket for more complex issues. By doing so, your issue can be assigned to a more competent customer care agent who can help you out.
Conclusion
One issue worth noting with PureVPN is its 7 day money back policy which comes with a download limit of 3GB during that time period (extending the download limit voids the money back guarantee).
Other than that, given the ease of use of their VPN client, PureVPN has been able to offer a great solution for both newbies in VPN as well as sophisticated tools for the hardcore veterans. Also the fact that it is one of the cheapest VPN options in the market and that it boasts of such features as kill switch and split-tunneling among others makes it a great option for people who are looking for an affordable VPN client.