ExpressVPN Review

9.1

$8.32 $12.95

ExpressVPN Review
ExpressVPN Review
$8.32 $12.95
Reliable access to popular sites & services
Very consistent performance
Solid security and privacy protection
Large number of server locations
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Overview

ExpressVPN’s high performance, privacy controls, and abundance of server locations make it a good choice for streaming fans. It costs a bit more, but does provide stellar encryption, speed, and access to popular sites may make it worth the money for some consumers. There are many servers around the globe, with an emphasis on the US, and it works well even in high-censorship countries. Apps are very user-friendly, with quick downloads and connections. Security and privacy features are top-notch on public and private networks. ExpressVPN is incorporated in the BVI, so it’s not subject to EU or US regulations. Overall a good VPN, though our #1 rated NordVPN provides a better, faster service for less money.

9.1 Total Score
Very Good

ExpressVPN’s high performance, privacy controls, and abundance of server locations make it a good choice for streaming fans, though there are some better options available for less money.

Speed & Performance
9
Unblock Content
9.8
Security & Privacy
9.4
Server Locations
9.5
Ease Of Use
9.0
Customer Support
8.5
Value For Money
8.5
PROS
  • Reliable access to popular sites & services
  • Very consistent performance
  • Solid security and privacy protection
  • Large number of server locations
CONS
  • Higher cost for no service improvement
  • Not the fastest VPN, despite its focus on speed

Speed & Performance: 9

ExpressVPN is focused on speed, and it is indeed very fast. However, to our surprise, NordVPN topped ExpressVPN in our latency testing. There is a speed test feature in the ExpressVPN app that lets you run through the servers to find the fastest one for you (although, ironically, it takes quite a bit of time to run the speed test). Video and audio streaming speeds are impressive in the US, UK, and Australia, both for downloads (over 60Mbps in our tests) and uploads, making it excellent for P2P and gaming use.

Unblock Content: 9.8

ExpressVPN works to unblock a huge number of popular sites and services around the web. It performs reliably with Netflix, Kodi, Twitter, Facebook, Google/Gmail, BBC iPlayer, and many more — as well as for gaming and torrenting.

Security & Privacy: 9.4

Privacy and security features include a kill switch (“Network Lock”) and DNS server ownership. The app also allows for manual selection of security protocols. ExpressVPN’s incorporation in BVI puts it beyond the reach of data regulations, and blends protocols to give an extra layer of security in high-censorship countries, as well as blocking IPv6 traffic. It also has a zero-log policy, never logging your location credentials even temporarily, though it does collect some data not usable for identification, including dates (not times) connected, server choice, and total amount of data transferred per day. Although common practice among VPNs, data collection prevents a perfect privacy score in our book.

Server Locations: 9.5

ExpressVPN has a huge number of servers around the globe. There are servers on all continents, with nearly 100 countries represented, 50 in Europe alone. Their last upgrade added 500 servers, including some locations not available on other VPNs, such as Nepal, Macau, Laos, Myanmar, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore. Europe and the Americas have the highest number of servers, with 15 US cities providing great coast-to-coast coverage.

Ease Of Use: 9.0

ExpressVPN stresses the simplicity of operation across devices on all major platforms—and nothing we tried proved them wrong. For sheer speed along with how well it works, it’s a terrific choice for streaming, with consistently high download speeds and no drops or instability despite the privacy controls. The app design is minimalistic and obvious even for beginners, and a built-in latency testing tool makes it easy to find the fastest server for you (once you wait for the tool to do its job, a rather lengthy process). They have recently added browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome, as well as split tunneling for the Mac app. Lots of tutorials make even manual connection simple.

WHAT WE LIKE

  • Simple set-up
  • Great tutorials
  • Fast and reliable

WHAT WE LIKE LESS

  • No easy way to see which servers are fastest
  • Few settings options

Customer Support: 8.5

The ExpressVPN website has many tutorials for a large number common issues, including videos and screenshots to make it easy to find your particular problem. They have stellar online documentation, though their live chat support can be very spotty. We’ve had mixed results using chat and email support, both in terms of quality of service and speed of response. Most of the time, though, chat representatives are very knowledgeable and effective. Email response time is generally good, returning personal rather than semi-automatic “canned” responses.

Value For Money: 8.5

ExpressVPN is somewhat pricey, without doing anything better than lower-cost options like NordVPN. Nonetheless, it does deliver fast, even if not the fastest speeds (an honor that goes to NordVPN) and solid performance. Its ease of use even for beginners is another plus.

WHAT WE LIKE

  • Excellent privacy & security
  • Works with all sites & apps
  • Lots of server locations
  • Browser extensions available

WHAT WE LIKE LESS

  • Higher price
  • Only allows the use of 3 devices at once
  • Lacks advanced configuration options
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