Does having a huge collection of servers equal great services?
PureVPN and PrivateVPN are two vpns where one has 10 times the servers count other one.
But how does their performance compare along the lines of the connection speeds, torrenting support and streaming capabilities?
In this PureVPN vs PrivateVPN comparison in 2021 we are going to compare these two vpns to establish which is the better vpn overall.
I hope that by the end of this PrivateVPN vs PureVPN comparison you’ll be able to choose between either PureVPN or PrivateVPN.
We are going to compare PureVPN with PrivateVPN through other factors including their privacy policies and advanced security features like ad and malware blocking.
So let’s get started.
Here is a quick summary.
PureVPN | PrivateVPN | |
Website | purevpn.com | privatevpn.com |
Servers | 2,000 | 150 |
Jurisdiction | Hong Kong | Sweden |
Streaming | Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, iPlayer | Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, iPlayer |
Speed | 3.8/5 | 4.3/5 |
Torrenting | P2P servers | P2P servers |
Kill Switch | YES | YES |
Works in China? | YES | YES |
Devices | 10 | 6 |
Pricing | $ 3.33/month | $ 2.55/month |
About
PureVPN is a VPN company based in Hong Kong that enables you to access the internet securely and access geo-restricted content on platforms like Netflix.
Here is a detailed review of PureVPN.
PrivateVPN on the other hand is based in Sweden and enables you anonymous internet access and ability to bypass content restrictions in countries like China.
Click here for a detailed PrivateVPN review.
Server Collection
How many servers do PureVPN and PrivateVPN have?
Even though having a large server collection does not necessarily mean that a vpn has better servers…
It means you’ll have more options when choosing a vpn server to connect to.

PureVPN is great example that proves that a huge server collection does not mean you’ll have better connection speeds even if the server load is even distributed.
PureVPN has a collection of 2,000 servers that are based in 140 different countries at the time of writing this PureVPN vs PrivateVPN review.

PrivateVPN, on the other hand, only has a collection of 150 servers that are based in 60 different countries.
It is therefore clear that PureVPN has more than 10x the total server collection that PrivateVPN has in total.
If you are looking for a vpn that has a huge server collection and covers a wider geographical region then I recommend PureVPN.
Streaming
If a vpn is able to unblock more streaming platforms, it will become popular quickly.
This is because streaming geo restricted content on video streaming platforms is a favorite activity of many vpn users according to recent research.

How does PureVPN vs PrivateVPN streaming capabilities compare?
PureVPN is able to unblock content on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and iPlayer.
Even though its ability to unblock content on Netflix for the different countries was rather shaky, switching servers always resolved the proxy server errors that I experienced.
In order to access content on these platforms, all you need to do is connect to a server based in the country whose content you want to stream.
PrivateVPN, on the other side, is also able to unblock a lot of streaming platforms.
You’ll be able to watch your favorite tv series on platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, iPlayer, HBO etc.
However, in order to access content in any of these platforms you first need to connect to a server that is optimized for that particular platform.

In the server list, you’ll find servers that are labelled according to the country and streaming platform that they are able to unblock.
This labelling makes it easier to find a server that will work for your favorite streaming platform.
If you are looking for a vpn that has excellent streaming capabilities then I recommend PrivateVPN.
Speed
At what speeds will you be able to stream?
Having great connection speeds is key to delivering a great streaming experience.
You don’t want to have to wait every few seconds for your video to buffer in order for it to be able to play in HD quality.

How does PureVPN vs PrivateVPN speeds compare?
I tested the connection speeds of PrivateVPN and PureVPN by connecting to three servers based in the US, UK and Hong Kong.
I then used speedtest.net to test for ping, download and upload speed before and after connecting to their servers.
PureVPN delivered an average connection speed that was 76% of my original download speeds.

I focused on download speeds because it is the most important when streaming or downloading content from the internet.
PrivateVPN, on the flip side, has an average download speed that was 86% of my initial speeds before connecting to their servers.
It is therefore clear that, even though it has much fewer servers, PrivateVPN has faster servers than PureVPN.
If you are looking for a vpn with fast internet speeds then I recommend PrivateVPN.
Torrenting
If you don’t want to be followed by a lawsuit, always ensure that you hide your real IP whenever you are downloading a torrent file online.
The best way to hide your IP is to first connect to an anonymous vpn service before you start torrenting.
So how does PrivateVPN vs PureVPN torrenting support compare?

Let’s compare the torrenting support of PrivateVPN and PureVPN in terms of whether they allow torrenting in the first place and then whether torrenting on their servers is really anonymous.
PureVPN has special P2P servers that enable you to download torrent files.

If you don’t want your torrent traffic to be blocked, ensure that you first connect to the appropriate torrenting servers before you start P2P file sharing.
Luckily, all the torrenting optimized servers are labelled and you’ll easily identify them in the server list.
PrivateVPN, just like PureVPN, has dedicated torrenting servers for P2P downloads.
In order to find the best torrent servers to connect to, head over to the servers list and click on the torrenting option.
You’ll then get a list of PrivateVPN torrenting servers to choose from.

Since PrivateVPN does not keep logs of your traffic, you’ll be able to enjoy anonymous torrenting on PrivateVPN than on PureVPN that keep a lot of logs of your internet usage.
If you are looking for a vpn that is great for torrenting then I recommend PrivateVPN because you’ll enjoy better download speeds and anonymous torrenting.
Privacy Policy
How does PureVPN vs PrivateVPN privacy policies compare?
Let’s now find the vpn that will deliver better privacy between these two.
In order to compare their privacy, we’ll look at their geographical jurisdiction as well as their user logs policy.

PureVPN is based in Hong Kong which is a great place to base a vpn company because it is far from the 14 eyes countries surveillance alliance.
However, even though PureVPN does not keep logs of your IP address or DNS queries, I found out that they do log your server location, bandwidth usage and ISP.

PrivateVPN, on the other side, is based in Sweden which is not a privacy friendly location.
Sweden forms part of the 14 eyes countries surveillance alliance that spy on their citizens and then share their personal information.
That being said, PrivateVPN is trying really hard to deliver true privacy online because they state in their privacy policy that they keep no traffic logs.
While that might sound good to some people, I find it rather vagues.
In 2021 traffic logs could mean a lot of things. So PrivateVPN should come out and state clearly what exact logs they keep and what they don’t.

We know that vpns need some kind of minimal logs to operate but PrivateVPN would rather just keep us guessing.
If you are looking for a vpn that is great for privacy, PrivateVPN seems a little promising at this time than PureVPN.
Encryption and Data Protection
In order to stay secure, always ensure that your vpn uses the best encryption technology to encrypt your personal information online.
Once properly encrypted using an encryption technology that is impossible to decrypt, your personal information is safe even if it lands into the hands of a malicious hacker.

PureVPN uses AES 256-bit encryption technology to encrypt your data.
It is an encryption that is bullet proof and impossible to crack.
PrivateVPN, on the flip side, lets you choose between 128-bit and 256-bit encryption technologies that you want to use in your apps.
While both encryption technologies are tamper proof, 256-bit offers a stronger encryption while 128-bit offers better speeds.
In addition to these encryption technologies, vpns also use various connection protocols to ensure that your data is securely transmitted until it reaches the destination machine.
PureVPN supports OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP, IPSec, SSTP and PPTP protocols.
PrivateVPN also supports connection protocols like OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP, IPSec and PPTP.

Even though a protocol like PPTP is outdated and insecure, sometimes you need it to be able to bypass China’s firewall.
Overall, both PureVPN and PrivateVPN offer you very secure internet access.
If you are looking for a vpn that will guarantee the security of your data online, then I recommend either PureVPN or PrivateVPN.
Ad Blocker
Do you sometimes wish you were able to block ads on certain websites?
This is a common feeling among many internet users because most websites that get their revenue solely from ads have gotten very aggressive with their advertising.
In fact, these ads have become very intrusive and outright annoying.
Most vpns have inbuilt ad blockers in their apps that come to your rescue.
How does PrivateVPN vs PureVPN ad blockers compare?
PureVPN has an inbuilt ad blocker in its apps that once turned will block ads and ad tracking on most websites that you visit… in order to enjoy an ad free browsing experience.
In addition to that, PureVPN also has a malware blocker in their apps that will protect your devices anytime you visit a known malware infected websites.
PrivateVPN, unfortunately, does not have either an ad blocker or a malware blocker at the time I was writing this PureVPN vs PrivateVPN comparison.
So you won’t be able to block ads and stop companies from following around the web with one particular ad for eternity.
If you are looking for a vpn with an ad and malware blocker then I recommend PureVPN.
Dedicated IPs
Do you need a dedicated IP that you can use to securely access a security sensitive application or network remotely?
This could be your home security camera feed or your work network.
A dedicated IP enables you to access the internet using the same IP address.
You therefore get an IP address that you can whitelist in your application in order to grant you secure remote access.

Always using the same IP will also save you the hassle of having to provide additional verification whenever you try to access your internet banking account using a different IP address.
If connect to the internet the usual way, you’ll get a shared IP address that is also used by other people.
So will either PureVPN or PrivateVPN provide you with a dedicated IP?
PureVPN provides you a dedicated IP that is unique to you and is not shared by anyone.
Since it’s only you who is using this IP it is tied to your account and it saves you from the bad neighbor effect where you are assigned an IP that has been abused by another user.

However, you’ll need to pay extra for this dedicated IP because it is a premium addon.
PrivateVPN also provides you a free dedicated IP.
In order to access this dedicated IP, head over to the server list and click on the torrenting/dedicated ip options.
You’ll then be present with a list of servers that will enable you to connect to the internet using the same IP.
Remember that the dedicated IP by PrivateVPN is just a static IP that enables you to always connect with the same IP as long as you connect with the same server.
It could still be shared by others.
If you want a dedicated IP that only available to you then I recommend the dedicated IPs by PureVPN.
Kill Switch
Most anonymous internet users usually get caught during a few seconds when they let their guard down and their real IP is exposed.
This could happen when you are switching servers or when your internet connection drops.
If you want to ensure that you are always protected, then you should ensure that your device only access the internet through your vpn tunnel.

So when your vpn app disconnects from the server, internet access should be cut off for your entire device until it reconnects.
A kill ensures that anytime your vpn app disconnects from the server then your internet access for your whole device is blocked.

This ensure that those few seconds when your real IP would be exposed to not occur.
PureVPN and PrivateVPN both have an inbuilt kill switch in their applications that enables you to force all your internet traffic through your vpn tunnel.
This way all your internet traffic in encrypted and your IP is never revealed.
Split Tunnelling
There are times when you need to exclude certain applications from your vpn.
For example, if your vpn is causing huge drops in speeds, you might want to exempt certain applications for which speeds is critical from having their traffic channelled through your vpn tunnel.
It could be your application that runs your backups that you don’t want slowed down by these speed drops.
A split tunnel enables you to whitelist certain applications and have their traffic channelled normally through your ISP instead of through your vpn tunnel.
PureVPN has a split tunnel that enables to whitelist applications whereas PrivateVPN does not have a split tunnelling capability in any of their apps.
You should also know that application in your split tunnel do not have the protection that your vpn provides.
The traffic on these applications is transparent to your ISP and government.
If you are looking for a vpn that has a split tunnel then I recommend PureVPN instead of PrivateVPN.
Works in China?
Not all vpns will be able to work inside China.
How does PrivateVPN vs PureVPN compare in terms of their ability to bypass China’s firewall?
For either PureVPN or PrivateVPN to be able to work in China, it needs to make its traffic look like normal https traffic.
It is the only way for it to bypass the deep packet inspection technology of the great firewall of China.
Once your vpn successfully bypasses China’s firewall, you’ll be able to access censored content in China without being detected and blocked by the firewall.
PureVPN and PrivateVPN, luckily, are able to work flawlessly in China.
PureVPN even has servers that are based in China’s Shanghai and Beijing cities.
If you need to access content content that is restricted to the Chinese audience then you should connect to these servers.

In order for you to be able to access internet in China using PrivateVPN you first need to activate the stealth vpn mode.
In this mode, PrivateVPN is able to obfuscated your vpn that make it undetectable by the DPI technology on China’s firewall.
If you are looking for a vpn that will work in China then I recommend either PureVPN or PrivateVPN.
Pricing
How much does it cost to buy either PrivateVPN or PureVPN?
As we near the end of this PureVPN vs PrivateVPN comparison, let’s now compare their pricing plans to see which is the cheaper vpn.

PureVPN has a 2 year plan that costs $ 3.33/month while PrivateVPN has a 2 year plan that goes for $ 2.55/month.

As you can see PrivateVPN is a cheaper vpn than PureVPN.
If you are looking for a vpn that will shave off a couple backs in their 2 year subscription then I recommend PrivateVPN.
Payment Options
What payment methods does PrivateVPN and PureVPN provide?
Let’s finish this PureVPN vs PrivateVPN comparison in 2021 by looking at the various payments options that they support.

PureVPN and PrivateVPN both accept payments through PayPal, all major credit card and cryptocurrency payments.
In fact, PureVPN supports the largest collection of crypto payments that include Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum.
Since crypto payments do not require your billing address, they enable you to give no identifying information about you.

If you sign up with a fake email address and pay with some Bitcoins, nobody will get to know who you are.
If you are looking for a vpn that support crypto payments then either PrivateVPN or PureVPN is a great option.
In Conclusion
I hope this PureVPN vs PrivateVPN comparison has helped you learn about the pros and cons of these two vpns.
Are you now ready to make a choice between either PrivateVPN or PureVPN?
If you are looking for a cheap vpn that has excellent connection speeds, great streaming support and enables anonymous torrenting then I recommend PrivateVPN.
However, if you are willing to pay a few more bucks for a vpn with a very wide geographical coverage, has servers in China and supports crypto payments then I recommend PureVPN.
Have you used either PureVPN or PrivateVPN before?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.