VPN protocol strength & weakness

Written By Fahad Ahmed

Updated at October 3rd, 2023

The following guide will help you understand the benefits of different VPN protocols being offered by PureVPN. However, before you proceed, it is necessary to remember that each protocol provides a unique combination of security and speed.

Benefit of PPTP protocol

  • PPTP is the fastest protocol and does not compromise your internet speed. Security, on the other hand, is at the lowest scale when connecting with PPTP protocol. It provides encryption up to 128bit.
  • It works on TCP Port 1723  and IP port 47 Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE).
  • PPTP protocol is best for streaming and other browsing situations when you are connected to a comparably safer network.
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Benefit of L2TP/IPSec protocol

  • L2TP/IPSec is more secure than PPTP and provides encryption level up to 256 bit .
  • L2TP is a combination of PPTP and Layer 2 Forwarding (L2F), a technology developed by Cisco Systems, Inc. L2TP uses IPsec in Transport Mode for encryption services. The combination of L2TP and IPsec is known as L2TP/IPsec.
  • It works on UDP Port 1701, 4500 (Used by IPSec) and 50 (sed by data path (ESP)
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Benefit of SSTP protocol

  • SSTP is the safest protocol among all. However, your internet speed, will definitely be compromised when connecting with SSTP protocol.
  • SSTP protocol is best suited for highly confidential online activities like banking transactions, e-commerce transactions or business communications.
  • SSTP VPN is Microsoft’s SSL VPN which encapsulates PPP packets over an HTTPS session, it’s more secured than PPTP/L2TP and it's difficult to be block by ISP. Not like PPTP/L2TP connection, SSTP VPN connection work on 443 port.
  • It is best of school network or office network where PPTP and L2TP are blocked.
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Benefit of IKEv2 protocol

  • IKEv2 is a tunneling protocol that uses the IPsec Tunnel Mode protocol over UDP port 500
  • IKEv2 encapsulates datagrams by using IPsec ESP (UDP Port 50) or AH headers for transmission over the network.
  • It provides encryption level up to 256 bit.
  • IKEv2 VPN provides resilience to the VPN client when the client moves from one wireless hotspot to another or when it switches from a wireless to a wired connection
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Benefit of OpenVPN protocol

  • OpenVPN is an open source technique utilizing Virtual Private Network to construct an encrypted bridge between two end points.
  • We offer OpenVPN on UDP Port 53 and TCP 80.
  • OpenVPN Provides encryption level up to 256 bit.
  • It is most commonly used in devices like Routers. OpenVPN protocol gives you the best speed with reliable online security.
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