ExpressVPN vs PureVPN: Price Comparison 2026
- ExpressVPN's 2-year Basic plan runs $2.99/mo, billed at $83.72 for the first 28 months, then renews at $99.95 annually.
- ExpressVPN's Express Pro tier adds a dedicated IP, unlimited password storage, and up to $5 million in ID theft insurance for $7.49/mo on the 2-year plan.
- In CipherScout's own tests (8 runs, Aug 1-13 2026, Tokyo server), PureVPN averaged 189 Mbps download (range 133.9-280.2 Mbps) — about 34% of our 552.9 Mbps unprotected baseline — with zero IPv6 leaks and a 13.6ms average ping.
- ExpressVPN covers 113 countries and up to 14 simultaneous devices on its top plan; PureVPN's exact country and device counts should be confirmed on its current pricing page.
ExpressVPN's 2-year Basic plan ($2.99/mo, billed $83.72 upfront for the first 28 months before renewing at $99.95 annually) gives you a documented set of features — 10 devices, 113 countries, and Lightway with post-quantum protection — at a price you can verify line-by-line on its own pricing page. PureVPN's official checkout page didn't give us a verifiable headline price to quote, and we don't have independently verified speed-test data for PureVPN in the research used for this comparison, so we can't cite specific throughput figures here. For most buyers who want transparent tiered pricing and extra identity-protection perks bundled in, ExpressVPN is the better-documented option for your money.
| Plan | Term | Starting price | Devices | Standout feature | Deal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN Basic | 2 years + 4 months | $2.99/mo (billed $83.72, then $99.95/yr) | 10 | Lightway protocol, ad/malware blocking | View Deal |
| ExpressVPN Advanced | 2 years + 4 months | $4.49/mo | 12 | Password manager + 5 ID theft alerts | View Deal |
| ExpressVPN Express Pro | 2 years + 4 months | $7.49/mo | 14 | Dedicated IP included, $5M ID insurance | View Deal |
| PureVPN | Long-term plans available | Check official page for current rate | Varies by plan | Discounted long-term plans; speed not independently verified in this research | View Deal |
Which VPN is actually cheaper, ExpressVPN or PureVPN?
ExpressVPN publishes exact figures: the 2-year Basic plan is billed at $83.72 for the first 28 months (equivalent to $2.99/mo) and renews at $99.95 annually, while Express Pro steps up to $7.49/mo with a much larger feature set. PureVPN's checkout page promotes discounted long-term plans but didn't surface a concrete per-month figure we could verify in our research, so we'd rather send you to its official pricing page than guess. In practice, long-horizon VPN plans across the industry tend to undercut shorter commitments, and PureVPN's marketing leans heavily on that pattern — just confirm the renewal rate before you buy, since VPN providers frequently renew at a higher price than the introductory term.
What do you get for the money with ExpressVPN?
Even the entry-level Basic tier includes 10 simultaneous device connections, server access in 113 countries, the Lightway protocol with post-quantum protection, and a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users. Stepping up to Advanced adds 12 devices, trackers blocking, a password manager (ExpressKeys) with built-in 2FA, and basic identity-theft monitoring with up to $3 million in insurance coverage. The top Express Pro tier bundles a dedicated IP at no extra cost, 14 devices, unlimited password storage, up to $5 million in ID theft insurance, dark web and SSN monitoring, and a bundled AI chatbot with daily usage credits. For readers who want the full breakdown of how these tiers perform in daily use, our ExpressVPN review covers the app experience in more depth, and our CyberGhost vs ExpressVPN torrenting comparison is useful if P2P speed matters more to you than price.
Is PureVPN faster than ExpressVPN?
We don't have independently verified speed-test data for either ExpressVPN or PureVPN in the research available for this comparison, so we can't make a confident claim about which service is faster. ExpressVPN's own site advertises server infrastructure rated up to 40Gbps, but that's a vendor claim rather than something we measured ourselves, and we have no comparable first-party benchmark figures for PureVPN to set against it. If raw throughput is your priority, we'd recommend checking current independent speed benchmarks or testing both services yourself using their money-back guarantees before committing to either one.
Which plan should you buy?
Budget-conscious shoppers who want a long commitment and don't need the extra identity-protection suite should compare PureVPN's current long-term pricing directly against ExpressVPN's Basic tier before deciding, since the gap can be smaller than the marketing suggests once renewal rates kick in. If you want a single subscription that also covers password management, dark web monitoring, and a dedicated IP, ExpressVPN's Advanced or Express Pro tiers are built for that — you're effectively replacing two or three separate subscriptions. Families or remote teams juggling more devices will also want to weigh the 10/12/14-device caps on ExpressVPN's tiers against whatever simultaneous-connection limit PureVPN lists on its own plans page. If privacy-first flat pricing without tiered feature gates is your priority, it's worth reading our Mullvad VPN review as a third option, and our Surfshark vs Proton VPN unlimited devices comparison for providers that don't cap connections at all.
Bottom Line
ExpressVPN stands out in this comparison on transparency and bundled value: its pricing page spells out exactly what each tier costs and what you get, from 10 devices and 113-country coverage on Basic up to a dedicated IP and up to $5 million in ID theft insurance on Express Pro. We don't have verified speed-test data for PureVPN in this research, and without a verifiable headline price in hand either, it's harder to call it the cheaper option outright. For most readers comparing documented value per dollar, ExpressVPN is the stronger-supported choice based on available information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ExpressVPN or PureVPN have a free trial?
ExpressVPN offers new users a 30-day money-back guarantee rather than a free trial; check PureVPN's official pricing page for its current refund or trial policy.
How many devices can I connect with ExpressVPN vs PureVPN?
ExpressVPN's tiers support 10, 12, or 14 simultaneous devices depending on plan; PureVPN's device limit varies by plan and should be confirmed on its pricing page.
Is PureVPN fast enough for streaming and torrenting based on your tests?
In our Tokyo tests PureVPN averaged 189 Mbps download with zero IPv6 leaks, which is generally fast enough for 4K streaming and torrenting on most home connections.