What you need to know
- ExpressVPN is now available on Windows on Arm PCs running on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.
- Only a small handful of VPNs are available on these types of PCs at the moment, since making a VPN work on Windows on Arm requires extra time and effort from app developers.
- You can download the beta version of ExpressVPN that works on Windows on Arm PCs through the company’s website.
Windows on Arm PCs can now connect to the web using one of the most popular VPNs. ExpressVPN shared this week that its app now works with Windows on Arm PCs running Snapdragon processors, including the Snapdragon X Elite, Snapdragon X Plus, and the newly announced Snapdragon X Plus (8-core). The addition of ExpressVPN to the list of the best native Windows on Arm apps is a big boost to the platform, though technically speaking ExpressVPN is only “semi-native” on Windows on Arm.
If you have a PC powered by a Snapdragon processor, you can now grab a version of ExpressVPN that will work on your system through the company’s website. The site lists the version for Copilot+ PCs as in beta.
Pricing for ExpressVPN depends on how long you pay for at a time. The service costs $8.32 per month for 12 months, $9.99 per month for six months, and $12.95 per month for a one-month plan. You can get three free months of ExpressVPN if you purchase a 12-month plan.
Delving into the weeds a little bit, ExpressVPN’s phrasing could cause some confusion. While all current Copilot+ PCs run on Snapdragon X processors, there will be Copilot+ PCs running Intel and AMD chips later this year. As far as I’m aware, the reason ExpressVPN was not available on Copilot+ PCs until recently, and why several VPN services still aren’t on Copilot+ PCs, is due to Windows on Arm.
When NordVPN announced its Arm-native application, the company focused on the VPN working with Windows on Arm PCs, not Copilot+ branding. VPNs require more work to play nicely with Windows on Arm PCs than some other types of applications. NordVPN highlighted its work with Microsoft to get drivers to work when announcing its Arm-native version of NordVPN.
ExpressVPN took a different approach to make its app work with Windows on Arm systems. Rather than create a brand-new version of ExpressVPN native to Arm, ExpressVPN created a “semi-native” app that uses rebuilt drivers and that utilizes Microsoft’s Prism emulation technology.
“Our engineers completely rebuilt the driver for our patented Lightway protocol to work with ARM machines, using Prism to emulate the remaining services, like our UI and backend,” said ExpressVPN. “This hybrid semi-native approach means ExpressVPN users get the best of both worlds—the full security of our premium VPN service and a far more condensed development time.”
I foresee quite a bit of confusion surrounding the Copilot+ PC branding. But that confusion would have been caused by Microsoft, not ExpressVPN or other app makers. The bottom line is that even if branding and marketing speak causes some confusion, one of the best VPNs is now available on more PCs.
