PureVPN is a VPN provider many people rely on for torrent downloads. They recently updated their software with new tools and an improved interface. To keep our PureVPN review updated, we tested it again. As always, torrenting and P2P were our priority factors.
It’s hard to beat PureVPN in terms of price-quality ratio. It has all the features needed to torrent anonymously at a great price, including P2P dedicated servers.
- Allows torrenting and P2P
- It doesn't save user logs
- Located in the British Virgin Islands (privacy friendly)
- Servers with fast download speeds
- Port Forwarding option (a rare feature)
- Modern and strong encryption
- Port forwarding is available as an add-on
- The IKEv2 protocol could be faster
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What is PureVPN’s Stance on Torrenting?
PureVPN allows users to use their VPN to download torrent files. The company has been very active in this area since its inception. In fact, it is one of the few companies with no problems stating that it allows and supports file sharing.
One of the main indicators that they support BitTorrent is the fact that they discuss it openly on their website. For example, the following page is entirely dedicated to P2P.
The dedicated P2P servers in the VPN app also show the company’s attitude towards file sharing.
How to Torrent With PureVPN
You do not need to set up the software in a particular way to download torrents. However, you should take some steps to ensure you are always protected.
This is how you make the most of PureVPN for torrenting:
- Get a PureVPN subscription that suits you.
On PureVPN’s site, head over to the checkout page and choose a VPN plan that suits you.
- Install the app and use the login data sent to your email
Download the app from their website. Go to your e-mail to copy your login details.
- Turn the kill switch on
Activate the kill switch feature to increase your protection.
- Connect to a server that allows torrenting
Remember that the servers that allow torrent traffic have a P2P symbol in front of them.
- Start downloading
You are now protected, and you can start your P2P downloads.
Security Features
When it comes to features, PureVPN has the necessary tools to provide a safe torrenting experience. The software has plenty of tools, but we will only examine the ones that impact torrenting.
Internet Kill Switch
The Kill Switch is a fundamental tool for those who want anonymity for their downloads. If the VPN connection drops, this feature will kill the Internet connection before your real IP is visible.
This is a general kill switch, meaning that you cannot select which programs are turned off. The app will shut down the entire internet connection to ensure you remain protected in case of a disconnection.
Currently, there is no application kill switch that can stop specific programs previously selected by the user.
DNS Leak Protection
The DNS leak protection is another mandatory feature for P2P file sharing. PureVPN routes all VPN requests through its own encrypted tunnel. This tool prevents DNS requests from being performed on the ISP side, making it impossible for them to identify you.
It’s impossible to activate or deactivate it; this protection is always on.
Protocols and Encryption
The software allows connecting through different protocols. We liked that they removed outdated and unsafe protocols. Currently, they have OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), IKEv2, and Wireguard.
The connection is made through a 256-bit AES encryption cipher, which is considered the strongest at the moment.
IP Addresses
As with most VPNs, PureVPN uses shared IPs. This means that users share the same IP addresses. This makes it very difficult for an entity to track the activity of a specific person, as they wouldn’t be able to assign one IP to a single user.
PureVPN has an extra add-on that allows you to use a dedicated IP. If your goal is to download torrents, we do not recommend getting that additional add-on. As we just mentioned, a shared IP is the way to go when using a VPN with the BitTorrent protocol.
Port Forwarding
PureVPN is one of the few VPNs that offer port forwarding. This option allows torrent users to connect to more peers and achieve higher torrent download speeds.
However, keep in mind that port forwarding is not included in the standard package. It’s an extra add-on that you can buy in the checkout process.
PureVPN P2P Servers
PureVPN has over 6500 servers spread across 78 countries but does not allow torrent downloads on every server. However, that is not a disadvantage. Actually, many torrent users consider this an advantage.
What I mean is that PureVPN developed special servers for P2P. They have created such servers to support higher download speeds and user load. Torrent-optimized servers are one of the things that many torrenters look for in a VNP.
To determine if a server allows BitTorrent traffic, just check if it has a P2P tag.
Current servers that allow P2P
These are all the server locations where you can connect to download torrent files.
Estonia, Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Latvia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Sweden, Norway, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Denmark, Monaco, Serbia, Turkey, Portugal.
Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Brunei Darussalam.
Algeria, Angola, Nigeria.
The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bolivia, Cayman Islands, The British Virgin Islands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Chile.
Security Tests
We performed dozens of tests to verify if the safety tools we just discussed worked without any flaws. These are three of the tests we performed when connected to a server in Luxembourg:
IP detection
DSN leaks
Torrent IP address detection
Obviously, these were not the only tests we performed. We conducted tests for many days on different servers and every possible protocol. We didn’t register a single leak during our tests with PureVPN.
Speed Test
As you may know, a VPN impacts your Internet speed. That’s because the VPN’s encryption consumes resources, and the connection speed is where that impact is the most noticeable. A speed reduction is unavoidable for every VPN.
That’s why it’s so important to test each VPN; to verify if the speed impact is so high that it makes using it unbearable. Here is one of the tests we performed when connected to PureVPN.
I maintained around 73% of my regular connection speed when connected to PureVPN. I have seen faster and slower results with other VPNs, but this is a good speed reduction that should not impact your torrenting experience too much.
Also, remember that this was not the fastest result I saw during my PureVPN testing. Other protocols are faster but have drawbacks; they are less secure than OpenVPN. To get a better idea, check our post with PureVPN’s speed tests when connected to other protocols.
Compatibility
Pure VPN is compatible with popular platforms like Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and more.
Another interesting update from the last version is the number of connections. They increased the simultaneous connections to 10 (it used to be 5). That means a single user can simultaneously protect up to 10 devices with the same account.
The Company Behind PureVPN
When reviewing a VPN, one of the main things we do is to make sure the company behind it follows the best safety practices.
Company Location
PureVPN was created in 2006 by Uzair and Aaqib Gadit. The company was based in Hong Kong, but in 2021 it moved to the British Virgin Islands (BVI). That was a strategic move to increase the safety of PureVPN’s users.
Unlike the US and most EU countries, the BVI is free from data retention laws. This means that the company does not have to save any activity from its users. They also don’t have to cooperate with domestic or foreign government agencies that may request data.
To put it in PureVPN’s own words:
Because of British Virgin Island’s privacy-friendly data retention policies (where companies are not required to obey information requests from foreign courts), we believe it’s the best place for us to be.
Is PureVPN a no-logging VPN?
When it comes to torrenting, one of the most critical things in a VPN is its logging policy. PureVPN’s privacy policy claims not to save any logs that could identify a user. To prove that they are a no-logging VPN, they have hired world-renowned auditing companies to perform independent audits.
That is a much more reliable way of showing that they are a no-logging VPN than just claiming it.
Logging audits
In a logging audit, the VPN grants access to their infrastructure and server network and lets these auditing companies share their results with the public.
- The first audit was performed by Altius IT. They confirmed that PureVPN does not log user info that could help identify them.
- In 2020, PureVPN was awarded a KPMG certification. KPMG is a neutral auditing company known as one of the big four.
- In 2021, PureVPN became the first “VPN with Always-on Audit, “granting KPMG authorization for a surprise audit without notice. You can read more about it here.
Pros and Cons
Just like every software we test, there are positive and negative aspects that are important to mention.
What we liked about PureVPN
What could be improved
Price
As usually happens with VPNs, the longer the subscription, the bigger the discount. That is the case with PureVPN. They offer a very affordable two-year plan, at a total of $49.95 for two years, equivalent to $2.08 per month.
It’s one of the most affordable of our recommended VPNs at the moment. Also, users who decide not to continue using the service are covered by a 31-day money-back guarantee.
Should You Torrent With PureVPN?
We were pleased to see that PureVPN has improved its product since our last review. They moved their company to the BVI, which allows them to increase their users’ privacy. They also increased the number of P2P servers and have been improving their speed.
PureVPN provided a very enjoyable torrenting experience, free of headaches. In other words, the speed was good, and there were no identity and P2P activity leaks.
Naturally, there are things to improve, but we like the direction they are taking. Many VPNs stop developing whenever they become popular, but it’s good to know that’s not the case with PureVPN.