Astrill VPN vs PureVPN (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Astrill VPN if

• Fits if you need a VPN with a stealth protocol for restrictive networks
• Works for people who want port forwarding and a kill switch

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you buy monthly: $30 against $12.50 a month on two years
• Not for you if you want to try it first: no free plan or trial, and all sales are final
• Watch out: the pricing page says unlimited devices in a household while the homepage says up to 5 at once
• Watch out: the terms bar use from a list of restricted jurisdictions
• Not for you if you want everything in the price: some features are paid add-ons

Pick PureVPN if

• Fits if you want a password manager or data removal on the same bill as your VPN
• Works for households with up to 10 devices on one account

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to try it free, as the trial costs $0.99 and then bills a year unless you cancel
• Pricey if you pay monthly, at $12.95 a month for Standard or $19.95 for Max
• Watch out: port forwarding, dedicated IPs and more than 10 devices are all paid add-ons
• Watch out: advertised prices cover the first 16 or 27 months; renewals run $47.95 to $89.95 a year
• Not for you if you want a no-questions refund, as the 31-day guarantee is subject to fair-use terms

Astrill VPN

• The refund policy says all sales are final; the shortest plan is suggested as the way to try the service.
• The pricing page says unlimited devices in a household, while the homepage says up to 5 devices at once.
• The monthly plan is $30, and the yearly and two-year plans work out to $15 and $12.50 a month.
• Astrill's terms bar use from a list of restricted jurisdictions, and a separate Business VPN plan is sold per account.

PureVPN

• Advertised prices cover the first term only; plans then renew yearly at $47.95 to $89.95, depending on tier and term.
• There is no free trial. A 7-day trial costs $0.99 (Standard) or $1.99 (Max), then bills $47.95 or $89.95 for 12 months unless cancelled.
• Refunds fall under a 31-day money-back guarantee, subject to PureVPN's fair-use terms.
• PureVPN for Teams is sold separately, at $7 per user a month on annual billing, with a central dashboard.

Astrill VPN

StealthVPN and OpenWeb

Astrill's own protocols, built for networks that try to identify VPN traffic, alongside OpenVPN and WireGuard.

Smart mode

Routes chosen sites with a regional IP address and the rest through the VPN, which Astrill says keeps speeds up.

App filter and kill switch

Choose to tunnel all apps, only selected apps, or all except some; the desktop app also has a kill switch and App Guard.

Network

The homepage lists 142 cities in 56 countries, unlimited bandwidth and no logs, and says Bitcoin is accepted.

Port forwarding and VPN sharing

Port forwarding on selected servers, and sharing the VPN from a PC to other devices on a network.

Paid add-ons

A private IP on a chosen server is $5 a month each; a VIP add-on with prioritized traffic and multi-hop starts at $10 a month for 100 GB.

PureVPN

Up to 10 devices

One account can be logged in on 10 devices at once. A Multi-login add-on gives 10 more.

Protocols and obfuscation

WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec, plus obfuscated servers that make VPN traffic look like ordinary HTTPS on networks that block VPNs.

Kill switch and split tunneling

The kill switch cuts the internet connection if the VPN drops, and split tunneling picks which apps go through the VPN.

Tracker and ad blocker

Included on every plan, to block ads and the trackers that follow you between sites.

Privacy extras on higher tiers

Plus adds a password manager. Max adds requests to remove your data from data brokers, dark web alerts, and a 3GB eSIM valid for 30 days, resold from Truely.

Paid network add-ons

Dedicated IPs, port forwarding, a dedicated server, DDoS-protected IPs and a US residential network are sold as extras.

Astrill VPN

• 2 Years$300

  for 2 years, billed every 2 years

  Shown as $12.50 a month with 58% off a crossed-out $720; the page gives no end date for the reduction.

• 1 Year$180

  per year, billed every year

  Shown as $15 a month with 50% off a crossed-out $360; the page gives no end date for the reduction.

• 1 Month$30

  per month, billed monthly

  Billed $30 every month with no saving.

PureVPN

• Standard, 2 years$47.95

  per year at renewal, after a first term of 27 months

  VPN and tracker blocker. The first 27 months cost $58.20 ($2.15 a month), then it renews each year at $47.95.

• Standard, 1 year$57.95

  per year at renewal, after a first year for $40.80

  VPN and tracker blocker. The first year costs $40.80 ($3.40 a month), then it renews each year at $57.95.

• Standard, 1 month$12.95

  per month

  VPN and tracker blocker, renewing monthly at the same price.

• Plus, 2 years$69.95

  per year at renewal, after a first term of 27 months

  Adds the password manager. First 27 months $73.80 ($2.73 a month). Also 1 year ($72.80 for the first year, then $69.95) or $17.95 a month.

• Max, 2 years$84.95

  per year at renewal, after a first term of 27 months

  Adds data removal, dark web monitoring and a 3GB eSIM. First 27 months $95.85. Also 1 year ($88.80 for the first year, then $89.95) or $19.95 a month.

Astrill VPN

• Annual discount

  Save 50% on the 1 Year plan, 58% on 2 Years

  The pricing page shows the 1 Year plan at $180 against a crossed-out $360, and the 2 Years plan at $300 against $720.

PureVPN

• Other savings

  First 27 months of a 2-year plan from $58.20

  Standard costs $58.20, Plus $73.80 and Max $95.85 for the first 27 months (24 plus 3 extra). They then renew every 12 months at $47.95, $69.95 and $84.95.

• Other savings

  First year of a 1-year plan from $40.80

  Standard costs $40.80, Plus $72.80 and Max $88.80 for the first year, before renewing yearly at $57.95, $69.95 and $89.95.

• Other savings

  Black Friday: 5 years from $101.55

  A Black Friday deal sells a 5-year term for $101.55 (Standard, $1.69 a month), $161.40 (Plus) or $203.40 (Max), paid up front. The page gives no end date and the renewal price page does not list a 5-year term.