ExpressVPN vs. PureVPN 2024: Do You Value Speed or Affordability? (2024)

Are you in the market for a virtual private network (VPN) but stuck between ExpressVPN and PureVPN?ExpressVPNis the better overall option, offering excellent performance, servers in 105 countries, and good customer service. However, it’s one of the pricier options on the market. So if you're looking to save some money, PureVPN is more affordable, but the experience suffers a bit compared to ExpressVPN.

In this review, we’ll compare ExpressVPN vs. PureVPN for pricing, features, speed, and more.

ExpressVPN vs. PureVPN at a glance

On the surface, ExpressVPN and PureVPN are relatively similar. In fact, looking at the table below, the biggest difference would seem to be the price — PureVPN is quite a bit more affordable (or it can be, depending on the plan you choose).

• ExpressVPN: Best for speedy performance
• PureVPN: Best for the budget-conscious

How do ExpressVPN and PureVPN compare?

Overall, both VPN providers are quite good, so the choice likely comes down to how important the price is. If you need the cheapest option, go for PureVPN. If you can pay a little more each month, though, you may have a better experience with ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN pros and cons

ExpressVPN differentiates itself in a few key areas: namely, performance, ease of use, and customer service.

The main place you'll see it lose out against PureVPN and other VPN services is in price, but its features can definitely make up for the premium price if you're looking for overall reliability. And with a max price of$12.95/mo, it's not like it's an eye-popping price either.

Though ExpressVPN doesn't list the exact number of servers it offers, it does have options in 105 countries, which gives you a lot of flexibility. You'll also be well taken care of with access to a 24/7 live chat, a proprietary protocol, and an audited no logs policy.

PureVPN pros and cons

For the starting plans, PureVPN runs several dollars cheaper than ExpressVPN and also works on more simultaneous devices — 10, compared to eight for ExpressVPN.

But don't worry — having affordable prices doesn't mean you need to skimp out on the features. PureVPN also gives you access to a industry-leading 6,500+ servers, kill switch and split tunnelling functionality, and more.

That said, we did have some issues with speed when we tested PureVPN, so try out a month first before committing to the longer plans to make sure it jives well with your needs.

Which VPN is the better value?

PureVPN offers the cheapest plans overall, with lots of options to further customize your subscription if you'd like.

ExpressVPN prices range from $6.67–$12.95/mo, with the best deal being the 12-month plan for $6.67/mo (billed annually). This is definitely not the most affordable VPN on the market, but you do get a lot for your money. Whether it’s enough to be worth the increased price, of course, is up to you.

Compared to ExpressVPN, PureVPN is much more affordable, with prices dipping as low as $2.03/mo (billed biannually) for the first 27 months. Granted, this does require a two-year plan, but many people won’t have an issue with that. This makes PureVPN a great option if you’re looking to save money on a VPN.

It’s worth noting that PureVPN has multiple tiers of plans in addition to multiple subscription lengths — if you want a password manager, end-to-end file encryption, and a personal privacy manager, you’ll need to pay a bit more. PureVPN also offers add-ons for port forwarding and dedicated IP, so there are several ways you can customize your subscription.

While neither VPN offers a free plan, ExpressVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee, while PureVPN one-ups with a 31-day money-back guarantee. This gives you ample time to test out the VPN and decide if it’ll work for you.

Which VPN is faster?

ExpressVPN is the clear winner here, with noticeably better performance. ExpressVPN's slowest speeds on the U.S. server may have been a fluke, considering that the U.S. server was much closer to our location. That's the one area where PureVPN outperformed ExpressVPN.

Because of how VPNs work (routing your traffic through extra servers, potentially far from your physical location), they tend to impact your internet performance. This generally takes the form of reduced speeds, and the difference can range from barely noticeable to dramatic.

For these reasons, we put every VPN we review through a series of performance tests to check how it affects internet speed. This consists of running a speed test on our plain, unsecured connection and then running the same test connected to various VPN servers in different locations.

Which VPN is more secure?

ExpressVPN offers the better overall security features when compared to PureVPN.

Both providers offer a similar security feature set. Each has strong AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, and split tunneling. They even have their headquarters in the same country — the British Virgin Islands.

Finally, each provider has a no-logs policy that’s been audited by independent companies. Neither provider showed any WebRTC leaks, and each successfully masked our IP address during DNS leak testing.

One of the most notable differences is their server networks. PureVPN boasts over 6,000 servers in over 65+ countries. ExpressVPN doesn’t advertise how many servers it has, but it has them in 105 countries — significantly more than PureVPN. This could be important if you need to make it look like you’re in a specific country.

The VPN protocols are the other major difference. As mentioned, ExpressVPN performs quite a bit better than PureVPN in our speed tests, and some of this performance may be due to its custom Lightway protocol. Lightway was created for a faster and more secure experience. PureVPN offers OpenVPN, IPsec/IKEv2, and WireGuard, which are all still strong protocols.

Which VPN has the better compatibility and customer service?

Both VPNs offer impressive levels of compatibility and customer service, but ExpressVPN comes out on top in terms of payment methods and overall experience.

Compatibility

ExpressVPN and PureVPN both support basically every device and operating system you can imagine, from basic Windows computers and Chromebooks, to mobile apps for iOS and Android, to routers and a slew of smart devices. If you have a device, we’re confident you’ll be able to use one of these VPNs on it.

As for ease of use, we didn’t have major problems with either provider. They both feature clean interfaces and clearly indicate whether the VPN is connected or not. Of course, nothing is perfect — although we had a handful of relatively minor issues with each provider, we did find that ExpressVPN offered a smoother overall experience.

In particular, we had issues with PureVPN’s account creation, which required us to reset our password multiple times. We also found that pricing pages were confusingly inconsistent during signup.

Customer support

As far as customer support, both providers offer a similar experience. This includes 24/7 live chat and email but no phone support — unfortunately, par for the course with VPNs. That said, we tried the live chats for both providers in our testing and found them to be helpful, if a little slow.

Both providers also have comprehensive knowledge bases where you can find articles and guides on nearly any topic. Of the two, we find ExpressVPN’s site a little friendlier and more modern-looking, but either one will get the job done.

Payment options

The way you pay for your VPN subscription matters more than you might think. Since these services are all about preserving privacy online, using a method that can be easily tied back to you may defeat the purpose. This is especially true in regions where using a VPN is frowned upon or banned.

Both ExpressVPN and PureVPN offer multiple ways to pay for their service, including standards like debit, major credit cards, PayPal, and cryptocurrency. However, ExpressVPN accepts a lot more methods overall, including a ton of niche credit cards and direct debit options, which may be handy for some users.

ExpressVPN payment options

• Prepaid/debit cards
• Credit cards
• PayPal
• Apple Pay
• Klarna
• Cryptocurrency
• Many more

PureVPN payment options

• Debit card
• Credit card
• PayPal
• Paymentwall
• Coingate (and other electronic wallets)

ExpressVPN vs. PureVPN FAQs

ExpressVPN vs. PureVPN: Which is better?

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs available. It offers a fantastic experience with great performance, servers in a ton of countries, and solid customer service. Ultimately, though, we have to give the nod to ExpressVPN as the better of the two. The faster performance and other niceties add up to a great VPN experience.

However, PureVPN is quite a bit more affordable, which may be appealing to some. If you want to see even more VPNs that are worth your time, check out our full list of the best VPNs.

ExpressVPN and PureVPN alternatives

If neither of these providers does it for you, don’t worry — there are plenty of alternatives on the market. Some of our favorite VPN services are CyberGhost, NordVPN, and Surfshark.