We review vendors based on rigorous testing and research but also take into account your feedback and our affiliate commission with providers. Some providers are owned by our parent company.
Learn more
vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.
Advertising Disclosure

vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

Proton VPN vs PureVPN 2024

Table of Contents
    Our Score: 9.2/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info
    Our Score: 8.0/10
    %s User Reviews
    More Info

    Which VPN is better?

    Author Image Kristina Perunicic
    Kristina Perunicic

    Former Managing Editor

    PureVPN and Proton VPN share many similarities. Both have military-grade encryption, and best-in-class OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols. They’re headquartered in privacy-friendly locations without any invasive data-retention laws. Additionally, each VPN provides apps for all major platforms and a reliable money-back guarantee.

    PureVPN delivers industry-standard security features for a very affordable price. It has a huge server network, with 6,500 servers in 70 countries, including many city-level locations.

    Proton VPN works with most major streaming platforms, and its speeds are good enough to securely watch videos without interruptions. The VPN has good network coverage and includes a selection of safe Secure Core servers. These servers are owned by Proton VPN, avoiding any third-party interference.

    Our Score

    Features 9.2/10
    Pricing 8.6/10
    Ease of Use 9.2/10
    Reliability & Support 9.0/10
    Features 8.0/10
    Pricing 8.0/10
    Ease of Use 9.0/10
    Reliability & Support 8.5/10

    Reviews

    Review by our expert
    Author Image Lawrence Wachira
    Lawrence Wachira

    Editor

    Our Score: 9.2/10

    Proton VPN, from the creators of Proton Mail, claims to prioritize your online privacy, even on its free tier. However, an IP logging controversy with Proton Mail has raised doubts about the company’s overall privacy stance. Given this, can you still trust this VPN to keep you safe online? To determine this, I thoroughly analyzed Proton VPN, exploring its privacy policy, ownership, and secur...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    P
    Peter
    8.0/10
    great but ...

    Recently migrated to ProtonVPN from another VPN provider. Using manual OpenVpn setup 2.6.x with DCO. ... Good service but... ProtonVPN does not allow data cipher AES-128-GCM, only AES-256-GCM. The former cipher is faster, and just as secure as the latter cipher. Using AES-128-GCM for my TLS cipher but would also like it for my data cipher. Would help speed improvements.More

    Latest negative user review
    N
    Network Man
    2.0/10
    Proton Privacy Policy is a JOKE

    REFUSED TO REMOVE MY GMAIL account information after trying their ProtonMail application. After being ... happy as a VPN customer, i tried ProtonMail. I stupidly allowed them to access my Gmail account, then when I was unhappy with the product, I could not get their service to remove my Gmail account, and it continued accessing my account. I was forced to use Google to remove their access because their support organization would not help me. Then, I demanded they close my account and remove my personal data under the Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP) in Switzerland. They have refused thus far with no response. They have thus far still not removed my account.More

    Read the full review
    Review by our expert
    Author Image Lawrence Wachira
    Lawrence Wachira

    Editor

    Our Score: 8.0/10

    PureVPN (which recently purchased Ivacy) is a highly rated and affordable VPN, but it has had its share of controversies. A previous incident involving the FBI severely impacted its reputation. So, has it done enough to rebuild trust since then? To find out, my team and I investigated its privacy policy and everything else it offers. We tested its speeds, streaming performance, security featur...

    Read all
    Latest positive user review
    R
    Rich
    10.0/10
    An excellent value, all things considered

    While they will absolutely throttle p2p in most servers, it's easy to find and log into the p2p server... s. They responded promptly when I had questions (although once it was basically to say "sorry, tough luck"). Overall though, I think I paid something like $20 for a year's subscription - I really can't complain. I'm sold on the service, although I think the fact that it's based out of HK is a bit spooky. 9/10More

    Latest negative user review
    J
    John
    2.0/10
    Not Private! They cooperate with FBI! Application will NOT CLOSE (only minimizes)

    PureVPN COOPERATES WITH FBI INVESTIGATIONS! You can verify this with any search! PureVPN REQUIRES ... USERS TO PROVIDE REAL NAME TO USE THE SERVICE! VPN Does NOT Support Close Application, Against Windows Standards! Close Actually Minimizes and it Keeps Running. Company refuses to change this back (used to operate correctly) A clear violation of your rights as owner of your PC.More

    Read the full review

    Pricing

    Starting price $2.99/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 30 Days
    Number of devices per license 10 devices
    Starting price $2.14/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 31 Days
    Number of devices per license 10 devices

    Best VPN by Category

    Best VPN Overall

    Although PureVPN runs a bigger network of 6,500 servers across 70 countries, Proton VPN is a better choice overall with 9,119 servers in 112 countries. Proton VPN is highly customizable and offers many advanced security features and protocols. Plus, it lets you create custom profiles, which is very convenient and unique.

    Best VPN for Torrents

    Proton VPN is better for torrenting as it offers P2P-optimized servers but you can use the other Plus servers too for torrenting. PureVPN limits torrenting and it blocks P2P on some of its servers, including the UK and US ones.

    Best VPN for Windows

    Proton VPN is the clear winner for Windows. Its app offers many customizable settings and lets you create custom profiles for different activities, but yet it's still very well-designed and intuitive to use. It offers secure protocols including Smart and Stealth, IP/DNS leak protection, and split tunneling. PureVPN doesn't offer as many features but still has the basics like the kill switch and the OpenVPN protocol.

    Best VPN for Android

    Proton VPN comes forward with a lot of advanced security features on Android, including a kill switch, NetShield ad blocker, Secure Core servers, and a wide selection of protocols. PureVPN offers an intuitive Android app that comes with split tunneling but no kill switch.

    Best VPN for Mac

    Proton VPN takes the lead for macOS. It's much more customizable than PureVPN and includes more protocol options. It also comes with the VPN Accelerator, which is designed to improve your speeds.

    Best VPN for iOS

    Proton VPN is better for iOS as it offers a kill switch, which PureVPN lacks. It also offers good protocols like OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, Stealth, and the anti-censorship Smart option. Additional features include an ad and malware blocked called NetShield and the option to create custom profiles to quickly connect for different activities.

    Best VPN for USA

    PureVPN takes the lead with more US servers. Both VPNs work with most major streaming platforms, like Hulu and Netflix. Additionally, both are headquartered in privacy-friendly locations, outside of any data-sharing alliances.

    The Bottom Line

    See Plans & Pricing

    Both VPNs offer intuitive apps and are easy to use. However, PureVPN can't really compete with Proton VPN's array of features. These include the VPN Accelerator, advanced protocols (Smart, Stealth, WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2), custom profiles, split tunneling, kill switches, and the list goes on. It's also quite affordable although its lowest price is a bit higher than PureVPN's. However, it offers great value for money with all the features that it comes with. Both VPNs have privacy-friendly headquarters and both offer money-back guarantees.

    Time to decide which one is best for you

    Go with Proton VPN
    Go with PureVPN
    Or click here to check best VPNs, rated by {{review_count}} users

    FAQ

    Is Proton VPN better than PureVPN?

    Yes, Proton VPN is better overall than PureVPN. It has 8795 servers in 112 countries, fast speeds, and impressive security features.

    Best of all, you can take advantage of its latest discount and get it for only $2.99 a month.

    What should I keep in mind when choosing between Proton VPN and PureVPN?

    When choosing a VPN, you want to pay close attention to its number of servers, overall speed score, pricing, and the number of simultaneous device connections it offers. While some VPNs provide a flawless online experience, others will really slow you down.

    If you’re ready to commit, then Proton VPN may be perfect for you due to its performance during the tests .

    Is Proton VPN faster than PureVPN?

    Yes, Proton VPN is faster than PureVPN. Since your VPN is your computer’s main connection to the internet, you need to use a service that won’t slow you down by more than 20%.

    If speeds are important to you, then I recommend you take a look at ExpressVPN. It’s the fastest service out there, provides unlimited bandwidth, and you won’t experience any slowdowns even when you connect to the other side of the planet. You can try it out risk-free. It’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund if you don’t like it.

    Do Proton VPN or PureVPN offer any deals?

    Both Proton VPN and PureVPN offer deals on occasion. You can check out the current coupons and discounts here. However, ExpressVPN has the best deals. Right now, you can get a 82% discount and up to 3 months for free with a new subscription.

    We review vendors based on rigorous testing and research but also take into account your feedback and our affiliate commission with providers. Some providers are owned by our parent company.
    Learn more
    vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

    About the Author

    Kristina Perunicic is a former editor for vpnMentor. She’s a cybersecurity expert with an interest in VPNs and their importance in the digital privacy landscape.