“ExpressVPN is a high-quality video streaming solution that protects your privacy and includes a password manager.”
Pros
- Quick, reliable server connections
- Plenty of fast servers worldwide
- Easy-to-use design
- Fast, helpful live chat support
Cons
- It’s expensive
- No free version or trial
ExpressVPN is a top-rated service that ranks well in our guide to the best VPN solutions, so we already know it’s good. The question remains whether there’s enough value to justify the cost and whether it has the features you need for solid cybersecurity.
I’ve reviewed several other VPNs but wanted to research and test ExpressVPN to find all the little details that can make a big difference in day-to-day use.
Tiers and pricing
Unlike the complicated tiers of some virtual private networks (VPNs), ExpressVPN’s pricing is quite simple. You can subscribe for $13 per month, but the rates are discounted if you choose a longer period. The six-month subscription cuts the monthly rate to $10 ($60 in advance).
The best bargain is $100 for a year of service, which works out to $8.33 each month. The first year of service comes with a three-month bonus.
Even with the free months, ExpressVPN is one of the most expensive VPNs on the market. I expect excellent privacy protection, great speed, consistently stable connections, and more to justify the extra money.
You can use the VPN on up to eight devices at once, so there’s more value if you are buying for the whole family. The company often has sales, so it’s worth checking our list of ExpressVPN deals to see if you can get a bargain on this premium service.
ExpressVPN doesn’t have a free version, but there is a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you buy a subscription and don’t like it, you have 30 days to request a full refund.
The only way to get a free trial of ExpressVPN is with the purchase of an Aircover router, which comes with 30 days of ExpressVPN service. Afterward, you’ll need to subscribe or use the router without ExpressVPN.
It’s an interesting option that protects privacy for all devices connected to the router. ExpressVPN even has a way to choose different servers for each device.
Design
ExpressVPN’s Windows app looks a bit outdated with small panels to search and browse locations in 105 countries and change settings. Despite the limited window sizes, it’s easy to set up and use.
As with most VPNs, a large central button lets me connect to the default server with a single click. Since I’m located in Canada, Toronto is the suggested server.
I can use the menu at the top left to access the VPN location list or simply select the location displayed on the main screen to choose a different server.
ExpressVPN shows a list of recommended locations that are physically closest to where I am. Since every packet of data I send and receive might travel through dozens of routers, adding a slight delay for every hop. A closer location ensures more responsive performance.
I can also search for a specific location or browse through the list of countries, cities, and servers within cities. A Canadian server is often the fastest for me, but I’m near the U.S. border, so the results are about the same.
If I favorite a server, ExpressVPN adds a Favorites tab for quicker access. Since I often use a U.S. server to make sure I see pricing in USD, I like to check the option to default to the last used location.
ExpressVPN options include various website and ad blockers, split-tunneling by app, and choice of VPN protocol. Lightway is usually fastest but OpenVPN is available in case that doesn’t work. Both are available to run over UDP and TCP. ExpressVPN recommends UDP as the fastest.
ExpressVPN’s browser extension is simply a convenience feature that relies on the desktop app. That means any changes I make in the extension affect my system, and aren’t limited to the browser.
Features
ExpressVPN wasn’t satisfied with the existing VPN protocols, so it created Lightway, a faster alternative to OpenVPN that gives users advanced options like choosing AES-256 or ChaCha20 encryption, and UDP or TCP transport.
While it’s nice to have the option to specify those details, I never had to fuss with settings to get fast download speeds and reliable connections to servers across the globe.
I use a gigabit internet connection with a direct Ethernet connection, so I get about 900Mbps upload and download speeds without the protection of a VPN.
When I connected to ExpressVPN’s recommendation of the fastest server, downloads were imperceptibly slower at 761Mbps (98 ms ping). Uploads dropped to 64Mbps (37 ms ping). While that’s a fraction of my normal upload rate, it’s fast for a VPN that is optimized for quicker downloads.
The ExpressVPN server for the U.S. managed 614Mbps downloads with a ping of 28 ms. Upload speed was also nice at 113Mbps (28 ms). A low ping indicates a more responsive connection, shortening the initial delay when browsing the web and reducing latency in gaming.
On more distant servers, download speeds ranged from 365Mbps (229 ms) on the other side of the planet in Australia to 531Mbps (96 ms) across the Atlantic in the U.K. Germany and France had over 400Mbps uploads with pings a bit over 100 ms. That’s quick enough for browsing and streaming video globally.
Upload speeds are always slow for overseas locations. With SpeedTest.net, I measured 5Mbps (96 ms) in U.K. to 4Mbps (100+ ms) in EU countries, with a low of 2Mbps (230 ms) in Australia.
As expected, a Google Maps search for “vegan restaurants near me” showed the best places to get a healthy meal in New South Wales. ExpressVPN checks the boxes for a good streaming VPN.
ExpressVPN’s Threat Manager claims to block malicious websites, but I wouldn’t switch off my antivirus. It seems to use reputation-based blocking, which isn’t as reliable as dedicated antivirus software.
I also tried ExpressVPN’s Keys password manager, which comes with a paid subscription. It works for cross-platform sync of logins, notes, and cards, but lacks the sharing features of the best password managers.
Support
ExpressVPN offers support via live chat 24 hours a day, every day. I tested it quite late on a weekday. A chatbot asked for my email and the reason I messaged. I sent my email address but before I had time to type anything else, an agent came on to assist me.
The greeting was super fast. It took about three minutes to get an answer to my question about split-tunneling in the browser, which is still fast. The answer is that split-tunneling can be set up in the app.
I tried this out and found it’s possible to use the ExpressVPN connection on one browser and not another, as explained by the support agent.
I just had a general question, but I still appreciated the quick response. ExpressVPN’s quick assistance could make a big difference if you run into a problem.
Privacy and security
All VPNs use end-to-end encryption to protect your privacy, hiding your internet activity from hackers and preventing abusive advertisers from building overly invasive profiles about your preferences and habits.
The greater concern are the esoteric details like activity logs and whether they’re associated with your account data. Leading VPNs like ExpressVPN have strict no-log policies audited by third-party security labs to verify your data is safe.
However, a flaw in DNS leak testing meant ExpressVPN had a privacy vulnerability in its Windows app that affected about 1% of its users. The potential leak remained for about two years before being discovered in February 2024.
An ExpressVPN blog post details the issue, how it was missed, and how such a subtle testing error left at least one other unnamed VPN with the same leak. ExpressVPN temporarily removed split-tunneling until it resolved the problem in April 2024.
I still trust ExpressVPN to protect my privacy. Besides this unfortunate oversight, it has an excellent track record. It’s also registered in the British Virgin Islands, which isn’t part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.
Is ExpressVPN right for you?
I liked ExpressVPN and found its downloads speeds to be among the best VPNs for streaming video. It doesn’t have as many settings to fine-tune your connection as some VPNs. For example, there’s no way force a double-hop for extra privacy as you can with NordVPN.
ExpressVPN includes a free password manager, which provides cross-platform syncing of all your logins, cards, and notes. However, the password manager doesn’t have the sharing options of password managers like 1Password and Keeper.
While ExpressVPN is fast and reliable, it’s the most expensive VPN I’ve tested, and there are more economical solutions with good speed. It’s worth checking out alternative VPNs with fast streaming like Proton VPN and Surfshark.
