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 đwebsites make things complex taking you into the technical part, where you will lose your đ§ mind & forget the feature. Donât worry we are here to help with a simple explanation with a complete breakdown.
Quick Glance of VPNs
Features
Background & Jurisdiction
VPNs are used to protect your identity & personal information from your ISP. It shouldnât be the VPNđł service itself đspying on you, so you canât trust the VPN service. Thatâs why itâs mandatory to know the VPN companyâs background before owning a VPN. We will go through a quick breakdown of each companyâs 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 countryâs 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, itâs found that PureVPN is logging the customerâs data for the FBI despite claiming No Log on their website. ExpressVPN is the clear winner in the company background đ
Servers & Speeds
ExpressVPN & PureVPN arenât đ satisfied covering small regions they go beyond withđ± 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 loadingđ 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 itâs impossible to have physical servers). All these servers are subjected to the privacy laws of VPN claiming âNo Logâ. 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. 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. This result isnât bad, in fact, itâs 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. đExpressVPN is the clear winner đNote: All the tests ran by connecting to the latest VPN protocol provided by each VPN.
Privacy
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 arenât any). Despite PureVPNâs claims No logging on their website for their customers, itâs 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 donât recommend using insecure VPN ever )
Streaming
Users these days, unblocking websites at very first glance using VPN. Also, you can unblock the streaming serviceâs geo-blocked content. Both VPNs work well to unblock streaming services even while â traveling (no one can block you from accessing content or service at any time). 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 Netflixâs US server but the video quality is đ€§poor and the video đ„șbuffers 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. I really donât know why this happens during my test. There are huge drops in my internet speeds when I am using PureVPN, think about đ€yourself once. Above it is the sample of what both VPNs can unblock, but ExpressVPN comes with great speed & extra abilities utilizing unblocking well. đExpressVPN 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.
SpeedsVPN without any Leaks
Considering the first one ExpressVPN is â©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. đExpressVPN is the clear winner in torrenting
Security
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 đ§look at the ExpressVPN RSA keys (đ€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 đ€perfectly fine. Though PureVPN claims itâs secure and trusted, itâs 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 đłthird parties. But in the PureVPN audit reports, there are no logs against this VPN. đNote: PureVPN Audit is done remotely without any inspection. đExpressVPN is the clear winner
App Interface & Usability
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, itâs 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 donât 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. Itâs a tie đ
Compatibility
After looking at the impressive features of both VPNs, letâs move on to something interesting like Kill Switch, Split tunneling, Simultaneous device connections (pretty useful features). 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. Itâs a tieđ
Customer Support
ExpressVPN
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 đhigh 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. Itâs a tieđ 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 đ§look at the features and privacy itâsâ offering. For every VPN the longer the subscription plan is the more you đČgain. 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 đ€50% on what you are paying for the ExpressVPN plan. Even I too feelđ¶ sometimes that ExpressVPN should do something to reduce their plan price to stand in tough competition. 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 đPureVPN
Conclusion
If you are more concerned about đprivacy, 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
