Head to head · Updated August 13, 2026
IVPN vs PureVPN
IVPN takes it by 13.5 points, 82.5 against 69.0. That margin is worth reading past — PureVPN wins 2 of the seven criteria outright.
IVPN
82.5A deliberately small, transparent operation that costs more than the market and makes no attempt to hide it.
- From
- $6.00/mo
- Based in
- Gibraltar
- Devices
- 7
- Audits
- 1
We earn nothing from IVPN. This link is included because the ranking says it belongs here.
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
IVPN wins 4, PureVPN wins 2, 1 tied. Each row shows the raw score out of ten and the weighted contribution to the total.
| Criterion | Weight | IVPN | PureVPN | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent audit | 20 | 8/10 (16.0) | 7/10 (14.0) | IVPN |
| Jurisdiction and ownership | 15 | 9/10 (13.5) | 6/10 (9.0) | IVPN |
| Protocol and crypto stack | 15 | 9/10 (13.5) | 9/10 (13.5) | Tied |
| Leak protection | 15 | 9/10 (13.5) | 7/10 (10.5) | IVPN |
| Transparency | 15 | 10/10 (15.0) | 4/10 (6.0) | IVPN |
| Price and refund terms | 10 | 5/10 (5.0) | 9/10 (9.0) | PureVPN |
| Platform coverage | 10 | 6/10 (6.0) | 7/10 (7.0) | PureVPN |
| Total | 100 | 82.5 | 69.0 | IVPN |
Where each one actually wins
IVPN is ahead on
- Independent audit. Cure53 audited apps, infrastructure and the no-logs claim, though the most recent published report is older than two years.
- Jurisdiction and ownership. Gibraltar sits outside the Fourteen Eyes agreement and the operating company is named publicly.
- Leak protection. Firewall-based kill switch that blocks traffic outside the tunnel by default on desktop.
- Transparency. Open-source apps, anonymous account IDs, cash accepted, and the affiliate programme was closed to remove reviewer incentives.
PureVPN is ahead on
- Price and refund terms. Effective $2.11/month on a two-year term with a 31-day refund window.
- Platform coverage. Desktop, mobile, Android TV and router with 10 simultaneous connections; no Apple TV app.
Choose IVPN if
Readers who value published reasoning and anonymous signup over network size.
Choose PureVPN if
Readers who want a low price and are satisfied by the current audit arrangement.
Reasons to pick neither
Skip IVPN if: You want a large server network or the lowest possible price. IVPN is explicitly not competing on either.
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 IVPN or PureVPN better?
- IVPN scores higher overall, 82.5 against 69.0, a gap of 13.5 points out of 100. A deliberately small, transparent operation that costs more than the market and makes no attempt to hide it.
- Which is cheaper, IVPN or PureVPN?
- PureVPN, at $2.11/mo against $6.00/mo. Both rates require committing to the provider’s longest term; the monthly rates are considerably higher.
- Which one has been audited more recently?
- PureVPN, most recently in 2023 against IVPN’s 2022.
- Does jurisdiction differ between them?
- Yes. IVPN operates from Gibraltar and PureVPN from British Virgin Islands. Both sit in the same position relative to the Fourteen Eyes agreement.
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.