PureVPN vs Proton VPN (2026): One Was Caught, One Never Was
PureVPN costs $92 less across four years and submits to surprise audits Proton does not face. It also handed logs to the FBI in 2017. Both facts are true.
Head-to-head VPN comparisons that go beyond spec sheets. We line up audit records, independent speed results, features, and pricing side by side — and name a winner for your specific needs.
PureVPN costs $92 less across four years and submits to surprise audits Proton does not face. It also handed logs to the FBI in 2017. Both facts are true.
CyberGhost costs about $88 less across four years and refunds for 45 days. Proton audits itself every year and publishes the reports. Both renew at 2.3 times the intro rate.
Sources credit ExpressVPN with anywhere from 18 to 28 audits. Proton VPN has five, and you can count them, because each one is a file you can open.
Their renewal prices differ by under $5 a year. What actually separates them is unlimited devices on one side and five published audits on the other.
NordVPN is faster and unblocks more. Proton VPN publishes every audit report in full, includes a free tier, and renews for $55 a year less.
Both allow unlimited devices. One measured nearly five times the download speed of the other. And sources disagree sharply on Windscribe’s refund window.
NordVPN runs 9,300 servers. Windscribe runs 480. That gap explains most of this comparison — but not the part where Windscribe wins.
Both give you unlimited devices. Both are based inside intelligence-sharing alliances. Where they split is streaming, transparency — and a speed result nobody agrees on.
IPVanish gives you unlimited devices for less money. NordVPN wins nearly every other category — and the gap widens the further you connect.
Two brands, one owner. ExpressVPN costs $43 more a year and loses half as much speed. CyberGhost gives you 45 days to decide and a trial that needs no card.