Hide.me vs PureVPN: free tier and built-in fixed IP, or more servers and apps
Hide.me scores 3.97 and PureVPN 5.30 out of 10. PureVPN leads overall; the table shows where each one is stronger.
Hide.me vs PureVPN
| What we compare | Hide.me | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 3.97 | 5.30 (better) |
| Privacy and jurisdiction | 5.0 | 5.7 (better) |
| Security and protocols | 2.5 | 4.3 (better) |
| Price and fair terms | 5.4 (better) | 5.3 |
| Censorship bypass | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Network and streaming | 3.1 | 7.6 (better) |
| Platforms and support | 5.7 | 9.0 (better) |
| Cheapest price, € a month | €2.69 | €1.85 (better) |
| Renewal vs first term | 1.0× (better) | 1.9× |
| Refund window, days | 30 | 31 (better) |
| Free plan | Yes (better) | — |
| Independent no-logs audit | Yes | Yes |
| Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
| WireGuard | Yes | Yes |
| Obfuscation | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto payments | Yes | Yes |
| Jurisdiction | Malaysia | BVI (outside 14 Eyes) |
| Platforms supported | 9 | 11 (better) |
Both services
PureVPN wins this comparison overall, 5.30 against 3.97 out of 10, and it takes four of the six scored areas: privacy, security, network, and platforms with support. Hide.me leads in exactly one area, price and fair terms, while censorship bypass ends level. Pick PureVPN for the bigger published network, wider platform list and round-the-clock chat; pick Hide.me for a free plan, a renewal that never goes up, and a fixed IP with port forwarding already in Premium.
The price row: PureVPN starts cheaper, Hide.me never raises the bill
| Plan | First term | Per month | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hide.me Premium 24+2 months | €69.99 | €2.69 | same €69.99 for another 26 months |
| Hide.me Premium 12+1 months | €54.99 | €4.23 | same price |
| Hide.me Premium 1 month | €11.99 | €11.99 | same price |
| PureVPN Standard 27 months | $58.20 | $2.15 | $47.95 a year, about $4.00 a month |
PureVPN charges less at the start (€1.85 a month against €2.69 in euro terms), but its Standard tier renews at 1.86 times the first-term rate. Hide.me's Pricing Guarantee keeps every renewal equal to the first invoice, and a free plan exists. That combination is worth a narrow 5.4 against 5.3, the single scored row Hide.me wins. PureVPN does earn credit for a 7-day trial and self-service cancelling, so the margin stays thin.
Static IP and open ports: part of Premium or a monthly add-on
| Feature | Hide.me | PureVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed IP | in Premium | add-on from $2.49/mo |
| Port forwarding | in Premium | add-on from $1.49/mo |
| Extra logins beyond 10 | not published | Multi-login add-on from $1.49/mo |
| Password manager, eSIM | not offered | Plus / Max tiers |
Anyone hosting a home server or keeping long torrents alive pays nothing extra on Hide.me. On PureVPN the same two features become separate monthly lines. Max adds an eSIM with 3 GB for 30 days, data removal and dark web monitoring, while Plus adds a password manager.
Free plan, 7-day trial and the refund small print
Hide.me's free tier gives unlimited data across 8 locations on one device with restricted speed, no card required, and no trial on the paid plan. PureVPN has no free tier; its 7-day trial converts into a paid subscription unless cancelled, and you can cancel the trial or auto-renew by switching off auto-renew in the member area or via chat or email. The refund window is 31 days from first purchase versus Hide.me's 30, but renewals, trial-based renewals, CoinPayments crypto and app-store purchases are not refundable, and Hide.me does not publish its refund conditions. Hide.me also accepts far more payment routes: SEPA, SOFORT, bank transfer and nine cryptocurrencies among them.
Labuan or the British Virgin Islands: owners and logging
Hide.me is run by eVenture Limited, registered in Labuan, Malaysia; PureVPN by GZ Systems Limited (Puresquare) in Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. Both publish independently audited no-logs policies, and neither keeps the connection IP. Hide.me holds the cleaner record on session times, yet PureVPN still takes privacy: the BVI sits outside the 5, 9 and 14 Eyes alliances, while Malaysia has no recorded alliance status. PureVPN's policy collects the email (needed to sign up), the connection date for support, per-user bandwidth totals, device info, app analytics (Firebase, Mixpanel, New Relic) and crash reports (Sentry), and keeps dedicated IP records 25 days after the subscription ends.
Security and network: what Hide.me leaves unpublished
The shared base is solid: kill switch, WireGuard, OpenVPN and IKEv2 on both sides. Hide.me's kill switch ships switched off by default, so enable it before trusting hotel Wi-Fi. PureVPN publishes DNS leak protection and post-quantum encryption on quantum-resistant servers; Hide.me publishes neither, and that unpublished gap is what lifts PureVPN's security score to 4.3 against 2.5. Bypass stays level at 1.9 each, since only obfuscation counts: StealthGuard plus SoftEther versus servers disguised as HTTPS, with no Reality or Shadowsocks anywhere.
The network row is the widest gap (7.6 against 3.1). PureVPN states 65+ countries, 6,000+ servers, 20 Gbps ports on its own claim, P2P-only torrenting and a residential IP add-on. Hide.me states 2,600 servers on a self-managed network and does not publish a country count or torrenting policy. Routers, a tracker blocker and chat stated as 24/7 decide the platforms row for PureVPN; Hide.me answers with Telegram, Discord and a community forum.
Which one fits which user
- Testing before paying or a bill that never changes: Hide.me.
- Torrenting on dedicated P2P servers, router setup or live chat at any hour: PureVPN.
- Home hosting: Hide.me, because the fixed IP and ports cost nothing extra.
Hide.me and PureVPN: quick answers
Is Hide.me or PureVPN faster?
Cannot be answered here. VPNRadarLab scores published facts and does not test speed or blocking; the 20 Gbps figure is PureVPN's own claim, not a measurement.
Which one is better on an iPhone?
Both have iOS apps. Buying through the App Store removes PureVPN's refund, so pay on its site if money back matters.
Is Hide.me still free?
Yes: unlimited data, 8 locations, one device, capped speed.
The short version
PureVPN wins four of six areas on network reach, published security details, jurisdiction and support; Hide.me wins only on predictable pricing and bundled extras. If long-term cost matters most, Hide.me; for coverage and apps, PureVPN.