This article has been just updated:
It’s very likely that there are thousands of VPN service providers offering their services to customers around the globe. But only a small handful of them can be described as popular, and even fewer are as popular as NordVPN, Avast SecureLine VPN, and PureVPN.
That’s why we’ve decided to put these three VPN services against one another to see which one of them deserves your money the most.
Security
Let’s kick off this three-way comparison with the most important aspect of a VPN service: security.
Many people don’t realize that a VPN service can be truly secure only if it’s based in a country that has no mandatory data retention laws and does not participate in the Five Eyes or Fourteen Eyes alliances. One such country is Panama, which is where you can find the company behind NordVPN, Tefinkom & Co., S.A.
PureVPN is based in Hong Kong, which also doesn’t have mandatory data retention laws, but it’s important to keep in mind that the country is falling under greater and greater influence of China. It’s quite possible that China is already monitoring all ISPs in Hong Kong in secret, and there’s very little the Hong Kong government could do about it even if they knew.
Avast SecureLine VPN is based in the Czech Republic, which is a member of the European Union. The Czech Republic has “focused cooperation” on computer network exploitation with the Five Eyes, along with Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungry, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey.
Winner: NordVPN
Features
Because all VPN services work more or less the same, they try to stand out by offering various features, starting with multi-platform support. These days, most VPN users expect to securely connect to the internet not just from their computers but also from their mobile devices.
With NordVPN, you can establish up to 6 simultaneous connections, and the NordVPN app works on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Android TV, Linux, Chrome, and Firefox. It’s also possible to get NordVPN working on Tomato and DD-WRT-flashed routers, but don’t expect it to be as easy as installing an app.
PureVPN also offers apps for all popular platforms, including Windows, Android, Android TV, macOS, iOS, Kodi, and Amazon Fire TV. An applet for DD-WRT routers is available as well, and so are browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.
Avast SecureLine VPN has by far the worst platform coverage, offering apps only for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. Hopefully, Avast will add support for other platforms in the near future because it’s really lagging behind NordVPN and PureVPN.
Winner: NordVPN and PureVPN
Speed
What good is a VPN service if it makes your internet unusable? If you’re an online gamer, streamer, content creator, freelancer, or just someone who doesn’t enjoy waiting for websites to load, you should choose a VPN service with an excellent global coverage so you’re always close to a fast VPN server and your latency doesn’t hit three-digit numbers.
NordVPN obliterates both PureVPN and Avast Secureline VPN when it comes to coverage, allowing you to choose from over 5,100 NordVPN servers in 62 countries to enjoy the fastest VPN experience possible. During our testing, we’ve been able to nearly max out our 100 Mbps connection.
PureVPN has around 2000 servers in over 140 countries. The number of servers doesn’t sound like much compared with NordVPN, but that’s only because NordVPN is one of the largest VPN service providers out there. However, PureVPN makes up for it with its fantastic coverage.
Avast Secureline VPN doesn’t share their actual server numbers, but we’ve estimated that it has less than 100 servers in around 30 countries. That’s not too bad, but it’s safe to say that Avast Secureline VPN is a different league compared with NordVPN and PureVPN, and we don’t mean it in a good way.
Winner: NordVPN
Pricing
NordVPN has a reputation for providing an affordable VPN service with state-of-the-art features and near-flawless reliability. Its prices start at just $2.99 a month with a 3-year contract, and a 1-month plan costs $11.95 per month.
All new NordVPN customers receive a 30-day money-back guarantee and can connect up to 6 devices at the same time with a single subscription.
PureVPN is also very affordable, with prices starting at $3.33 per month with a 1-year contract. If you decide to pay on a monthly basis, the price goes up to $10.95.
It looks like PureVPN wants to one-up NordVPN because it offers a 31-day money-back guarantee. We don’t think the extra day matters very much, but it’s a nice bonus regardless. However, one PureVPN account can be used only on 5 devices at the same time.
Avast Secureline VPN costs only $19.99 a year for a single mobile device, but the price becomes much less pleasant once you move beyond mobile VPN. It costs $59.99 to secure a single PC or Mac, and a family plan that lets you secure up to 5 devices costs $79.99 a year, which is approximately $6.66 a month.
Winner: NordVPN
Customer Support
NordVPN offers basic customer support. You get email support and a fairly comprehensive support library. There’s also a live chat, which comes in handy when you don’t have time to wait for NordVPN to answer support emails, which usually happens within 24 hours.
PureVPN is comparable to NordVPN when it comes to customer support, offering a trouble ticket system, a searchable knowledge base, as well as 24/7 live support chat. That’s also a reason why it has five stars on Trustpilot.
What may surprise you then is that Avast Secureline VPN offers even better customer support then PureVPN. It’s one of only a few VPN providers we know that can be reached via a phone support number (844-340-9251). In addition to the phone support number, Avast Secureline VPN also offers a comprehensive support library, a user forum, and a support ticket system, making it a clear winner in this category.
Winner: Avast Secureline VPN
Verdict
NordVPN emerged as a clear winner of this three-way comparison, beating both PureVPN and Avast Secureline VPN with its excellent global coverage, fantastic speeds, and extremely affordable prices. PureVPN has ended up in the second place, leaving the last place to Avast Secureline VPN, which impressed us only with its customer support.
