Head to head · Updated August 13, 2026
ExpressVPN vs PureVPN
ExpressVPN takes it by 5 points, 74.0 against 69.0. That margin is worth reading past — PureVPN wins 2 of the seven criteria outright.
ExpressVPN
74.0Polished software and a genuine router firmware, at a price the rest of the market has moved away from.
- From
- $4.99/mo
- Based in
- British Virgin Islands
- Devices
- 8
- Audits
- 2
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PureVPN
69.0Cheap and broadly capable, carrying a documented 2017 logging incident that the current audit arrangement is designed to answer.
- From
- $2.11/mo
- Based in
- British Virgin Islands
- Devices
- 10
- Audits
- 1
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Criterion by criterion
ExpressVPN wins 5, PureVPN wins 2. Each row shows the raw score out of ten and the weighted contribution to the total.
| Criterion | Weight | ExpressVPN | PureVPN | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent audit | 20 | 9/10 (18.0) | 7/10 (14.0) | ExpressVPN |
| Jurisdiction and ownership | 15 | 7/10 (10.5) | 6/10 (9.0) | ExpressVPN |
| Protocol and crypto stack | 15 | 7/10 (10.5) | 9/10 (13.5) | PureVPN |
| Leak protection | 15 | 9/10 (13.5) | 7/10 (10.5) | ExpressVPN |
| Transparency | 15 | 5/10 (7.5) | 4/10 (6.0) | ExpressVPN |
| Price and refund terms | 10 | 5/10 (5.0) | 9/10 (9.0) | PureVPN |
| Platform coverage | 10 | 9/10 (9.0) | 7/10 (7.0) | ExpressVPN |
| Total | 100 | 74.0 | 69.0 | ExpressVPN |
Where each one actually wins
ExpressVPN is ahead on
- Independent audit. KPMG assured the no-logs claim and Cure53 audited the Lightway protocol source, both with public summaries.
- Jurisdiction and ownership. British Virgin Islands sits outside the Fourteen Eyes agreement, but ownership sits with Kape Technologies, which also owns three competitors.
- Leak protection. Network Lock kill switch on desktop, DNS run on the same servers, and a RAM-only fleet under TrustedServer.
- Transparency. Closed-source clients apart from Lightway, email signup required, with a published transparency report.
- Platform coverage. Apps across all major platforms plus purpose-built router firmware, with 8 simultaneous connections.
PureVPN is ahead on
- Protocol and crypto stack. WireGuard and OpenVPN both available across platforms.
- Price and refund terms. Effective $2.11/month on a two-year term with a 31-day refund window.
Choose ExpressVPN if
Readers who want a router-level install with vendor-supported firmware.
Choose PureVPN if
Readers who want a low price and are satisfied by the current audit arrangement.
Reasons to pick neither
Skip ExpressVPN if: You are price-sensitive, or you want your provider to be independent of a group that owns several apparent competitors.
Skip PureVPN if: Past conduct matters to you. The 2017 incident is a matter of public court record, and no later audit erases it.
Questions
- Is ExpressVPN or PureVPN better?
- ExpressVPN scores higher overall, 74.0 against 69.0, a gap of 5 points out of 100. Polished software and a genuine router firmware, at a price the rest of the market has moved away from.
- Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or PureVPN?
- PureVPN, at $2.11/mo against $4.99/mo. Both rates require committing to the provider’s longest term; the monthly rates are considerably higher.
- Which one has been audited more recently?
- Both published audits in 2023.
- Does jurisdiction differ between them?
- No. Both operate from British Virgin Islands.
Related comparisons
Comparison generated from the same dataset as the ranking. Emphasis criterion definitions are on the rubric page. Criterion labels: Independent audit, Jurisdiction and ownership, Protocol and crypto stack, Leak protection, Transparency, Price and refund terms, Platform coverage.