PureVPN vs FastestVPN
Neither is chasing the premium, feature-everything positioning — but they solve "affordable" in different ways.
Two different definitions of "affordable"
PureVPN and FastestVPN both compete for budget-conscious buyers, but "affordable" means something different to each of them. PureVPN gets there by bundling a broader toolkit — dedicated IP, port forwarding, add-on security tools — and letting you pay for what you actually want on top of the core VPN, rather than pricing everything as one flat, all-inclusive premium tier. FastestVPN gets there by doing the opposite: it strips the product down to the core VPN function and prices around that simpler baseline, without much in the way of bundled extras to pay for whether you use them or not.
Where PureVPN tends to win the argument
If you know you specifically want something beyond a bare VPN tunnel — a dedicated IP for a work tool that flags shared VPN addresses, port forwarding for a specific application, or bundled security add-ons so you're not managing a separate antivirus subscription — PureVPN's toolkit approach means those options exist within the same product rather than requiring a second purchase elsewhere. Read our full PureVPN review for the details on what's actually available and on which plans.
Where FastestVPN tends to win the argument
If you've already decided you only need the core VPN function — encrypting your traffic and masking your IP — and you don't want to pay for or navigate a menu of add-ons you won't use, FastestVPN's simpler, more stripped-down product is a more direct match. It's a reasonable pick for someone shopping specifically to minimize both cost and complexity at once. See our full FastestVPN review for what the core experience actually looks like day to day.
Company maturity is part of this trade-off too
PureVPN has a longer operating history in the consumer VPN market than FastestVPN, which is worth weighing alongside the feature comparison — a longer track record isn't a guarantee of anything specific, but it does mean more time for the product to have been iterated on and for a policy history to exist to evaluate. That's a softer factor than a feature checklist, but it's a legitimate part of how to think about "which of these two do I trust with my traffic," especially at a price point where neither company is spending heavily on brand marketing to build that trust for you.
What this comparison deliberately leaves out
We're not going to hand you a side-by-side speed benchmark or a specific price comparison table with numbers plugged in — pricing on both sides changes with promotions and subscription length, and a speed number from our test connection wouldn't necessarily hold true on yours. If cost is the deciding factor between these two, compare their current published pricing directly through the CTA links on this page, including what each renews at after any introductory term, since that's the number that actually matters over time.
Our verdict
Choose PureVPN if you want a bare VPN plus the option to add specific extras like a dedicated IP or bundled security tools. Choose FastestVPN if you've already decided you just want the core VPN function at the lowest reasonable complexity and cost. Neither is the wrong choice — they're just answering a slightly different question.
Frequently asked questions
Is PureVPN meaningfully more expensive than FastestVPN?
It depends heavily on which add-ons, if any, you choose with PureVPN — a bare PureVPN plan and a fully-loaded one with a dedicated IP and security add-ons are not the same price. Compare both providers' current published pricing directly for your specific plan and add-on choices rather than assuming a fixed gap.
Can I start with FastestVPN and switch to PureVPN later if I need more features?
Yes — VPN subscriptions generally aren't difficult to switch between once a term ends, so starting simple and upgrading your feature set later, with either provider or a different one entirely, is a reasonable approach if you're not sure yet what you'll need.