We put these VPNs to the test to find out which is the best!
PureVPN and Astrill are about average in terms of speeds, ranking somewhere in the middle when compared to other services. Even though they are not incredibly fast, you’ll still be able to watch streaming media without any buffering, and larger downloads shouldn’t take much longer than when not using a VPN.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Download speed reduction | 22% (UK) | 40% (UK) |
| Upload speed reduction | 32% (FRA) | 37% (FRA) |
| Ping time to google.com | 23ms | 41ms |
| Average time to connect (sec.) | 9.2ms | 11ms |
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| Visit Site | Visit Site |
Speed determines how fast content uploads, so if you're torrenting or streaming, you want the speed to be somewhat identical to your regular internet speed. Since a VPN encrypts your data, it usually takes a bit longer to send your data back and forth, which can slow down your connection. However, if your ISP deliberately slows down your connection (also known as throttling) a VPN might increase your internet speed. Testing a VPN is somewhat pointless because new servers pop up and affect speed. Your speed can also differ according to your location, so your speed test might not match ours. Having said that, we tested the speed in numerous locations to provide you with the average.
When it comes to overall countries, PureVPN is one of the best, with servers in over 140+ countries, and 180 overall. Astrill VPN is not on this level, but their choice of 49 different countries is better than some, and the 327 total servers is not bad at all.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Server Locations | 300 | 180 |
| Server Countries | 55 | 141 |
| IP Addresses | 324 | 750 |
| Dynamic Server Switching | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
The ratio of servers to countries is an important factor to look at when choosing a VPN. Only paying attention to location or number of servers can get you in trouble. More servers generally means faster speeds, but if VPN X has a few more servers than VPN Y but twice as many users, VPN X will typically have slower speeds. Ideally, you want a VPN that has a lot of servers in every location. This way you won’t have to worry that server/country that you want will be overburdened and running slow.
PureVPN and Astrill are at the top with their levels of customer service. PureVPN offers their users live chat, email ticketing, and plenty of walkthroughs and other info on their website. Astrill offers all of these, and also Skype chat, along with lots of video tutorials on a variety of subjects.
| VPN vendor |
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|---|---|---|
| Email Response Time | 20 | 7 |
| 24/7 Support | ||
| Live Chat | ||
| Knowledge Base | ||
| Video Tutorials | ||
| Visit Site | Visit Site |
We personally test the customer support team of every VPN we review. This means asking technical question through the live chat feature (where applicable) and measuring the response time for email questions. Whether you need to connect to a specific server, change your security protocol, or configure a VPN on your router, finding a VPN with quality customer support should be important to you.
Astrill VPN’s apps for iOS, Android, Mac, Linux, and Windows are very user-friendly, and can be installed and setup in minutes. There are also pretty much no requirements for any configurations before use. Once you log in, server selection is seamless and it’s very straightforward to navigate the app.
The interface itself is very self-explanatory, and any questions new user may have can be quickly addressed on their support page. For streaming, Astrill can unblock content from most of the popular services, such as Netflix, YouTube, BBC Player, and Hulu. The app also offers a video accelerator for better streaming quality.
As for bypassing China’s firewall, Astrill has been one of the best and most reliable for years, and continues to be.
PureVPN app is easy enough to be used by novice VPN users and offers enough settings to appeal to a seasoned player. The basic interface is simple and you just have to select a server and click on Connect. The default protocol is automatic but you can pick another option from the list. There are some tabs that let users change the settings and customize the app according to their needs.
PureVPN has apps for all major platforms, and has browser extensions as well. There is a large selection of servers and special servers for online streaming, sports streaming, anonymous file sharing, and data retention security. Or you can just connect to the fastest server of a particular country.
PureVPN works on mobile devices, and is generally successful accessing Netflix and Hulu, and definitely works in China.
