PureVPN Rating by SecureThoughts.com PureVPN has a wide server network, some really advanced features, and a beautifully designed UI. It falls down a little on the performance of some of those servers and its privacy-guarding practices are not absolute. Overall, however, this is a VPN provider that we would be happy to recommend to almost anybody. PureVPN Review – Pros and Cons PureVPN is a Hong Kong based VPN provider that operates over 750 servers in 141 countries around the world. While its network size is undoubtedly impressive, we tested other features that users have come to rely upon, namely setup, UI, VPN protocols, support, streaming support, price and more. Here’s a quick look what makes PureVPN a good contender and where it could improve. PureVPN stands out for its ease of use including quick set up, smooth user experience, payment methods and highly responsive customer support.
Although it doesn’t support Netflix streaming, there’s alot you can get out of this service with no complications. PureVPN provides an online ‘ section that features setup guides for all the platforms its supports in addition to FAQs and a knowledge base. Online how-to’s are clearly explained and support representative are responsive in helping users resolve queries. Customers requiring more personalized service have two means to get in touch: live chat and email support. The online chat interface is slick and easy to use, showing delivered and read receipts so you’re never left wondering whether your message has been seen or not.
Hand-offs between departments take a matter of seconds to go through. PureVPN bundles some cool features on its large VPN network, but how do those servers stack up in speed and performance compared to the large pool of competition in the VPN market? We fired up a TED Talk and measured the connection speed before and after connecting through a random Pure VPN server (we chose Dublin, Ireland, to test with).
Before connecting, download speed was 40.7s Mbps and ping time was 12ms. After tunneling traffic through Dublin, download speed had fallen to just 2.65 Mbps while ping time had spiraled to 168ms.
VPN users can always expect a connection drop, but a 6.5-fold decrease is certainly a steep overhead to pay for connectivity (admittedly, we chose a random server rather than the one automatically rated by the program). Speed Test Before PureVPN Speed Test With PureVPN A nicely thought out feature for those wanting to choose the best server for their specific need is a “purpose” navigation menu allowing users to state what they are hoping to use the connection for (“watch sport channels,” “VOIP,” “optimized for China” are some options provided.) This improves users’ ability to hone in on just the right server for their needs – including those hoping to gain PureVPN torrent access.
PureVPN to be keep no logs that could help identify a user’s online activity. (Its privacy policy boldly claims that “even we cannot see what you do online.”) Reading deeper into the policy, however, the eagle-eyed will notice that the company does state that its servers “automatically record the time at which you connect” as well as the total bandwidth used during the connection. The company’s default protocol is not disclosed, although users have the option the chose whichever best suits their needs. While PureVPN’s logging practices may seem minimal, its customer Ryan Lin who conducted what authorities described as a “relentless cyber-stalking campaign against a young woman” while using its services. Although the service is based in Hong Kong, a popular location for VPN services, the Special Administrative Region’s freedom from Chinese internet censorship is not absolute.
Users should always remember that achieving total anonymity online is extremely difficult in practice. Getting PureVPN running on a machine is not a complicated endeavor. The company offers apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, and Android in addition to configuration files for Linux and Chromebook users. Unlike some of the providers, the PureVPN free download is available without having to create an account – a plus for the extra privacy-conscious. After installing the PureVPN download, users can begin using the program immediately (if they have a valid license, of course). One area in which this program really shines is its UI. After downloading the program, users simply follow a few short prompts to get the program up and running.
Once they do, they’ll discover the breathtaking UI. We’ll be honest: at times, we felt like we were playing a video game rather than connecting to a VPN (the PureVPN server list is shown in real time on a map display).
Okay, it’s not quite that good, but the company has invested some serious effort in crafting quality visuals for its users and the results are impressive. The main program window uses clean icons to help guide users to the part of the program that will best suit their needs (users can select whether they need the VPN to stream, gain “internet freedom”, obtain security/privacy, or conduct file sharing). One negative here however: the company on the exact difference between Internet Freedom and Security/Privacy mode in the user forums, but we’re going to hazard a guess that the security option would be the better choice for those engaging in e-commerce and online banking. Popups from the notification area are also relatively unobtrusive and do not get in the way of the user experience.
Our thoughts: nothing complicated about the process at all and a delightful UI. But despite the pretty graphics, how well does it actually work? After passing through the PureVPN login screen, users can gain access to a decent welt of fairly sophisticated options simply by perusing the system settings windows and editing the settings on their PureVPN account. Feature 1: Startup pinging PureVPN facilitates pinging servers on startup which is a useful way to test latency before choosing which server to connect to and see whether any packet losses occur during the process. The Speed Test Tool serves as a useful adjunct to the purpose menu to help users select the most efficient server for their browsing needs. Feature 2: Automatic launch PureVPN can be set to launch automatically with Windows and connect to a pre-defined server upon launch. While such a setup can also be configured manually, the fact that it is included in the program can save users’ time and effort.
This feature is particularly useful for those needing a VPN connection to run on their machines all the time. Feature 3: Wide protocol selection with StealthVPN support PureVPN supports a decent variety of protocols for connecting to its servers including IKEV, PPTP, and StealthVPN (a protocol that, like its name suggests, disguises VPN traffic as regular traffic and can even pass below the radar of deep packet inspection tools.) These granular options are good news for users with slightly unusual VPN-ing requirements (such as connecting from older hardware). Feature 4: Multi Port Support Multi Port support is available on the Windows version.
This feature automatically scans systems’ open ports in addition to closed or regulated ones and intelligently selects the best one to establish a connection with. This allows users to further improve connection reliability. Feature 5: Split Tunneling Split tunneling is available on both the Windows version and PureVPN Android. Incidentally, the company also provides a PureVPN APK file in addition to making the app available through the Play Store. Split tunneling lets users separate their outbound traffic between VPN traffic and untunnelled regular traffic depending on configurable rules. The latter makes it a perfect choice for users that want to, say, force Netflix to connect through US servers but keep regular traffic behaving conventionally.
Rating: 5/5: Advanced features and an easy UI are a winning combination! Can PureVPN Unblock Netflix?
You’ve subscribed to your flashy new VPN and the first thing you want to do with it is break open the six pack and prepare to Netflix and chill. Netflix and VPN providers have been engaged in a game of cat and mouse since the dawn of time (okay, not quite for that long) and PureVPN seems to be coming out on the winning side of the battle. How do we know? There’s been a lot of to-do regarding if PureVPN works with Netflix. It’s large server network, kill switch feature, and split tunneling functionalities make it an optimal choice to stream this popular channel. Some say it does, some say it doesn’t – we opted to go straight to the source. According to PureVPN, their service DOES support Netflix. PureVPN’s large server network, kill switch, and split tunneling functionalities make it perfectly primed to be a great choice to PureVPN Netflix.
We believe users are making a good choice when choosing PureVPN as their VPN service choice to stream Netflix. PureVPN will be kind on your ability to connect to overseas websites, but what about on your wallet?
For those wanting to take it for a test ride, the company offers a 3 day PureVPN trial subscription for just $2.50. (In our opinion, this is almost a better try it out option than a 30 day money back guarantee, as there are no potential squabbles with customer service departments to deal with.) The regular pricing is $10.95 for one month only, $5.41/month for a 1 year subscription, and just $3.54 when two year subscriptions are taken out – a whopping 68% saving. All plans include a 7 day money back guarantee. Not sure whether you want to pay by credit card, Paypal, AliPay, or Cashu? We have to point out that PureVPN also offers possibly the longest list of payment gateway options that we have ever seen on a website.
The ability to pay by cryptocurrency is, of course, also provided. There is no PureVPN Free version as all plans are premium. PureVPN lifetime subscriptions have been offered in the past through some third-party affiliate sources such as StackSocial, but at the time of writing were not being offered through the company’s website.
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In the short term, pricing is about average. When two year subscriptions are taken out, however, the price is very competitive.
Thanks for the great question! Netflix doesn’t always know exactly where a source of traffic is coming from, so it may simply look like a regular user is connecting from the US. The company doesn’t block VPNs entirely (i.e. They don’t place a blanket block on all ExpressVPN servers). Instead, the company looks for sources of traffic that seem suspicious (for example, if thousands of people are connecting from the exact same location), and block them. This means that VPNs aren’t themselves blocked, but rather the specific servers users are connecting through.
We hope this helps answer your question! This is an awful service. I signed up towards the beginning of last year after reading countless glowing reviews, while foolishly ignoring the more critical reviews. The unparalleled speeds they boasted were probably the primary draw, and those definitely did not disappoint. The client GUI is very clean and easy to navigate, and there are plenty of servers to choose from.
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Until a few months back, the service worked fine, more or less. I’d get occasional DNS leaks on some servers, and would have to trial/error my way through the list before finding a good one, but the servers always seemed to correct themselves after a few days. Being a fairly patient person, I wasn’t too bothered by the inconvenience of bouncing between servers, so long as I eventually found one that was secure.
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As of today, I have officially abandoned PureVPN in favor of NordVPN. Over the last few weeks, I have been having DNS leaks on pretty much every server I test, and all of my favorite go-to servers have become unusable. While connection speeds have remained consistently well above average, I’ve started having issues with my connection “stalling” — that is, I’ll lose connectivity to the internet and have to disconnect from the server. The issue is not my internet (I know that user-error is the prime suspect in these cases), as disconnecting immediately restored full connectivity. For whatever reason, their server decided to take a nap, forcing me to abruptly expose myself in order to change servers. Go with NordVPN.
They’re not much more expensive, and their speeds are not much slower. I started using it about an hour ago, and I already feel much more secure. I’m thinking that the people posting positive reviews either don’t regularly test the security of the servers they connect to, or they’re shills. Note: On the rating scales, I only went as low as one star because it really was a fantastic service in the beginning. Also, I rated Usability on how easy to use the client is, not on functionality.
I rated Features with a median score, as they do boast a lot of attractive features, but few of them work correctly.
PureVPN, the industry's top VPN service offers state-of-the-art encryption, complete anonymity and dozens of features. PureVPNs VPN client for Mac offers premium encryption to enhance your online privacy and security. Recent changes: - Integration of Stealth VPN protocol - New protocol: IPsec - OSX Sierra compatibility - Improved UI - Connect/Disconnect directly from status bar - Logout functionality - Now features a new and far effective support system Multilingual: PureVPN's VPN app for Mac has gone multilingual. Users can now use PureVPNs Mac VPN client in English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Turkish, and French languages and enjoy the best VPN service. Auto-Reconnect Option PureVPNs best VPN services' Mac VPN app comes with auto-reconnect feature which quickly reconnects the client if the VPN connection drops. This keeps PureVPN users secure at all times.
Improved UI: The updated UI for best VPN for Mac allows users to connect/disconnect via status bar menu and navigate to modes via dashboard. UI of the app's settings have also been updated and improved. Purpose Selection: The best VPN Mac client helps users select the best settings via a single click for a particular purpose. For example, if a user wants to un-throttle their bandwidth while staying secure on the internet, they simply have to choose I want to stream and the best VPN service will instantly connect with the most suitable configuration.
Wi-Fi Security: Users are neither safe on private, nor on public Wi-Fi. This is why PureVPNs best VPN services' Mac VPN client encrypts all user data to secure their privacy and data, allowing them to be safe on all wireless connections. Full Specifications What's new in version 6.2.0 We have added automatic protocol selection for a steady/speedy VPN connection. We've streamlined the user feedback process.
Removed cities from streaming mode and added Port Forwarding screen under settings. Introduced Ozone, Gravity, Port-forwarding, Dedicated IP and P2P protection as Add-ons. General Publisher Publisher web site Release Date September 06, 2018 Date Added September 23, 2018 Version 6.2.0 Category Category Subcategory Operating Systems Operating Systems Mac Additional Requirements. macOS High Sierra. macOS Sierra.
OS X El Capitan. OS X Yosemite Download Information File Size 21.15MB File Name purevpnsetup.dmg Popularity Total Downloads 7,212 Downloads Last Week 51 Pricing License Model Free to try Limitations User will need an active PureVPN account with Credentials Price $9.95.