The use of virtual private networks (VPNs) has increased exponentially since Microsoft developed them in 1996, and for good reasons.
No doubt, strong VPNs are designed to preserve your online privacy and security. But what if I told you that your VPN might also be spying on your online activities? Scary, isn’t it? Yes. Some VPNs may keep track of browsing data and sell it to third parties. This is especially true of some free-to-use VPNs.
For this reason, it is crucial to only use VPN services from the best and most trusted providers.
This article will compare PureVPN and ExpressVPN―two of the top VPN services out there―to see how they go neck-to-neck in the best VPN debate.
Major Differences PureVPN vs ExpressVPN Summarized
Although both VPNs have some similarities, they’re not the same in every way. Their major differences include:
| PureVPN | ExpressVPN |
| 6000+ servers located in 78+ countries and 96+ locations | 3000+ servers scattered across 160 locations in 94 countries |
| “Cipher-block chaining” cloaking technology | No cloaking technology defines |
| Has RAM-only servers | No RAM-only servers |
| Supports 10 simultaneous connections | 5 simultaneous connections supported |
| Has Smart DNS (MediaStreamer) | No smart DNS |
PureVPN vs ExpressVPN: Features and Capabilities
Both VPNs come with great features and capabilities. Whether you’re looking for privacy, speed, security and encryption, streaming and torrenting, and customer service and support, both got you covered.
Among some of their best features and capabilities are:
PureVPN Features
PureVPN’s capabilities have increased over the years. Its best features include
- Port Forwarding: gives you an extra layer of security. This stops hackers from exploiting loopholes in your devices.
- VPN Kill Switch: This shuts down all internet traffic if your VPN connection drops unexpectedly.
- AES-256-bit Encryption: protects your data using top-notch military-grade encryption.
- Web RTC Leak Protection: protects your real IP from leaking on websites.
- P2P Protection: helps you share files and enjoy a P2P experience most securely.
ExpressVPN Features
With ExpressVPN come basic, advanced, and educational features that help you get the most out of the VPN’s services. These features include:
- IP address masking: helps you change your IP address using any of ExpressVPN’s servers.
- 24-hour live chat support: for around-the-clock live chat and email support. You get fast, responsive, and professional customer service.
- VPN Split Tunneling: this allows you to route some of your device’s traffic through ExpressVPN. The rest gain direct access to the internet.
- Private DNS: This runs on all of ExpressVPN’s servers, allowing you to have safer and faster connections.
- Network Lock Kill Switch: for app security. This blocks all internet traffic should your VPN connection drop unexpectedly.
- TrustedServe Technology: for maximum data security. It ensures that none of your data can ever be written to a hard drive.
- Threat Manager: prevents your apps and websites from communicating with malicious third parties.
- AES-256 encryption: offers you top-notch data security and protection.
- Cipher-block chaining: this cloaking technology makes it impossible for hackers to decrypt your data.
PureVPN vs Express VPN: Pricing
Both VPNs come with three distinct subscription packages.
PureVPN offers you a 7-day trial that only costs $0.99. ExpressVPN, however, comes with no free trial.
If you seek to use PureVPN’s services, you can choose any of its 3 available plans. There’s the monthly plan, which goes for $10.95 per month. You also have the 12-month plan at $3.24/month (you get 70% off), and the 24-month (+3 months) plan at $1.99/month (you get 82% off) to choose from.
For ExpressVPN, you can opt for its 12-month (+3 free months) plan at $6.67 on average (get 49% off). Users choosing this plan are billed $99.95 for the first 15 months, then every 12 months.
PureVPN offers you a 31-day money-back guarantee upon non-satisfaction, which is 30 days for ExpressVPN.
Reason to Choose PureVPN over ExpressVPN
One major reason you may want to choose PureVPN over ExpressVPN is cost. ExpressVPN is expensive, while PureVPN is reasonably cheaper. If you don’t want to pay so much for a VPN service, then go with PureVPN.
PureVPN gives you access to twice the number of servers that ExpressVPN has. Go for it if you want access to more locations and servers.
Another reason why you should choose PurVPN over ExpressVPN is that it supports 10 simultaneous connections. This means that you can use the service on a greater number of devices at the same time than you would when using ExpressVPN.
Reason to Choose ExpressVPN over Pure VPN
At the time of writing, ExpressVPN is arguably the best VPN service you can use.
Although both VPNs support protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2, WireGuard, L2TP/IPsec, TTPT, etc., PureVPN uses older protocols. You may want to go with ExpressVPN, which offers its Lightsway protocol. This gives you incredible security, speed, and reliability.
ExpressVPN uses RSA-4096 keys for authentication against PureVPN’s older RSA-2048 keys. This gives it the edge. So, if you’re looking for greater security and encryption, go for ExpressVPN.
If you’re looking for speed and streaming capabilities, go with Express VPN. Due to its “MediaStreamer” functionality, ExpressVPN offers a better streaming service. For the most part, it has the better upload and download speeds of the two VPNs.
Express VPN has more device compatibility. If you’re looking for a VPN to use on any of your gadgets (smartphones, computers, consoles, routers, etc), go with ExpressVPN.
The Similarities Between PureVPN vs ExpressVPN
Both are located in the British Virgin Islands. Both employ AES-256 encryption.
Both keep no logs, have a network kill switch, a smart DNS function for unblocking geographically restricted material anywhere in the world, and have a combination of physical and virtual servers.
They support anonymous payment and split tunneling, although only Windows and Android are supported on PureVPN.
You also get 24/7 customer service and support on both VPNs.
PureVPN vs ExpressVPN Alternatives
If you consider both VPNs to be inadequate for your needs, then you may need to switch to other alternatives. If you’re looking to switch to another VPN service, you may need to consider any of these alternatives.
- Private internet Access
- CyberGhost
- NordVPN
- Torguard VPN
- Surfshark
- IPVanish
- Windscribe
- Surfshark
Final Verdict
Winner: ExpressVPN
Both PureVPN and ExpreeVPN are among the best VPN offerings out there. However, there can only be one winner when pitted against each other. While PureVPN is the better option with its cheaper pricing, it just cannot compare to Express VPN in several of the categories we’ve compared both VPN services.
Although more expensive, Express VPN has more security protection and better performance. It also provides better streaming and torrenting services and a more dependable privacy policy.
PureVPN vs ExpressVPN FAQ
Can PureVPN be Trusted?
TrustVPN has most recently proven to be a trustworthy and secure VPN. It provides you with effective tunneling protocols. It also employs AES-256 encryption for top-level data protection.
Is PureVPN a Chinese Company?
No, it’s not. Although it was, for a time, based in Hong Kong, it has since been relocated to the British Virgin Islands. The service is owned by GZ Systems Limited.
Is ExpressVPN Faster than PureVPN?
According to independent speed test results, ExpressVPN has proven to be faster than PureVPN. For the most part, it has faster upload and download speeds across all platforms than PureVPN.
What makes ExpressVPN so costly?
For several reasons, ExpressVPN is expensive. ExpressVPN is a high-end VPN service that offers you a lot in terms of security, features, and customer service.
Because of its top-of-the-line services, ExpressVPN requires you to pay above the rest of the competition for its services. If you have the money to spend, then the VPN is well worth the price.