| Comparison Between: |
| NordVPN & ExpressVPN |
| Overall Winner: |
| NordVPN |
| [72% Discount Coupon] |
ExpressVPN and NordVPN are two of the biggest VPN services in the industry, with millions of users each. And even though both are great choices, only one came out on top in our tests for this ExpressVPN vs NordVPN comparison. The screenshots and test results are all posted below and you will see that there was a clear winner.
Here are the different test categories we examined for this NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison report:
- Speeds
- Reliability
- VPN Apps
- Features
- Security
- Logging Policies
- Jurisdiction
- Torrenting
- Netflix and Streaming
- Price
- Payments and Refunds
- Value
Lastly, we will also wrap up this comparison with some FAQs and our conclusion and recommendations.
Now let’s get into the in-depth test results for this comparison guide. First up are the speed tests.
1. ExpressVPN vs NordVPN speeds
Based on all of the speed tests we ran for this comparison, NordVPN is faster than ExpressVPN with all server locations tested.
Speed testing variables – I ran all tests for this NordVPN vs ExpressVPN speed comparison on a 500 Mbps connection, using the same test machine. I used the official VPN app for each service, along with the best protocols for speed and security:
- ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol – This is a new protocol that was released by ExpressVPN. It promises to be faster and more secure than OpenVPN, but it is also closed source, unlike the WireGuard VPN protocol.
- NordVPN’s WireGuard protocol – The WireGuard VPN protocol continues to gain popularity because it is faster and more secure than other VPN protocols. And unlike Lightway, WireGuard is open source. NordVPN’s implementation of the WireGuard VPN protocol is called NordLynx.
First up were speed tests with servers in the United States. Now let’s examine the test results.
Server speeds in the United States
ExpressVPN server in Seattle: 136 Mbps
This is not a great test result, especially when you consider my baseline speed of 500 Mbps and the close distance (23 ms ping). And keep in mind that this is with ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol. We found ExpressVPN speeds with OpenVPN to be significantly slower as well. Can NordVPN do better?
NordVPN server in Seattle: 445 Mbps
This is the fastest VPN speed test we have ever clocked, approaching 450 Mbps. We can see that NordVPN is significantly faster than ExpressVPN, by about 309 Mbps. It’s already clear that the WireGuard VPN protocol gives NordVPN a big edge.
Next I tested servers in Los Angeles, California.
ExpressVPN server in Los Angeles: 209 Mbps
NordVPN server in Los Angeles: 304 Mbps
Once again, NordVPN outperformed ExpressVPN in this server location by a large margin. NordVPN was about 95 Mbps faster than ExpressVPN.
I then ran tests for servers in New York, with similar test results.
ExpressVPN server in New York: 214 Mbps
We can still see here that ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol simply cannot achieve the speeds we are are getting with NordVPN’s WireGuard (NordLynx) protocol.
NordVPN server in New York: 280 Mbps
This was actually the slowest VPN speed tests I got with NordVPN — and it was still significantly faster than ExpressVPN by about 66 Mbps.
Long-distance speed tests in the UK
I also ran a few long-distance speed tests with servers in the UK. The results were similar to before, with NordVPN coming out on top.
ExpressVPN server in the UK: 235 Mbps
This was actually the fastest VPN speed test result I was able to get with ExpressVPN. But as you will see below, NordVPN was still much faster.
NordVPN server in the UK: 295 Mbps
Here again we see that NordVPN is about 60 Mbps faster than ExpressVPN for the UK server location. Even with the long distances, I was still able to achieve nearly 300 Mbps with NordVPN.
We can see that NordVPN offers serious performance advantages, which is a big reason we rated it as the best VPN for gaming, where ping and speeds are important.
ExpressVPN’s slow OpenVPN speeds
While all of the ExpressVPN speed tests above were conducted with the Lightway protocol, we also need to discuss OpenVPN speeds.
In years past, I could normally get around 150 Mbps or more with ExpressVPN and the OpenVPN protocol. Unfortunately, in all of my recent OpenVPN speed tests, ExpressVPN was significantly slower than NordVPN.
ExpressVPN speeds with OpenVPN: 35 to 60 Mbps
This is pretty slow in comparison to NordVPN’s speeds with the OpenVPN protocol.
NordVPN speeds with OpenVPN: 190 to 270 Mbps
For those who want to stick with the OpenVPN protocol, NordVPN offers a big performance advantage over ExpressVPN in this area as well. Even with double-VPN servers, where traffic is encrypted over two separate hops, NordVPN was still faster than ExpressVPN’s OpenVPN speeds. Here is the NordVPN double-VPN server configuration (US – Canada) coming in at 214 Mbps.
Note: ExpressVPN does not provide any double-VPN server configurations or specialty servers like we find with NordVPN.
Conclusion on speeds: NordVPN is significantly faster than ExpressVPN in all the server locations we tested. NordVPN beats ExpressVPN with both the WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols with all server locations. Here is a table recapping the ExpressVPN vs NordVPN speed test results:
| Location | NordVPN | ExpressVPN |
| Seattle | 445 Mbps | 136 Mbps |
| Los Angeles | 304 Mbps | 209 Mbps |
| New York | 280 Mbps | 214 Mbps |
| United Kingdom | 295 Mbps | 235 Mbps |
| OpenVPN | 214 Mbps | 41 Mbps |
Winner for speed: NordVPN
2. NordVPN vs ExpressVPN reliability
In terms of reliability, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN are great options.
First we will take a look at NordVPN.
NordVPN reliability
With the latest round of tests for the NordVPN review, I found everything to work very well. NordVPN offers excellent reliability in the following areas.
- Applications: The apps work great without any bugs or crashes.
- Servers: The servers were reliable and fast with no issues to report.
- Connections: Connections were stable and fast to connect.
In terms of reliability, we found no problems with NordVPN. It is a reliable VPN.
ExpressVPN reliability
Similar to NordVPN, ExpressVPN also does well in terms of reliability. But it’s not quite on par with NordVPN.
- Applications: Smooth and easy to use with no crashes, bugs, or issues.
- Servers: Unlike with NordVPN, there is definitely more variability in speed with ExpressVPN, especially if you are using the OpenVPN protocol.
- Connections: ExpressVPN has stable connections, although OpenVPN takes a while to connect.
One big issue with ExpressVPN in terms of reliability is accessing streaming content. We’ve noted over the past year that ExpressVPN is not reliable with unblocking some streaming sites, such as BBC iPlayer, but we’ll cover this more below.
NordVPN wins this category.
Reliability Winner: NordVPN
3. VPN Apps: NordVPN vs ExpressVPN
For this category, we are mainly looking at the design and usability of the VPN apps (user experience).
First we’ll examine the ExpressVPN apps. As you can see below, the ExpressVPN client is very clean and minimal, as I pointed out in the ExpressVPN review.
To access more features and settings, you will need to click the three lines in the top-left corner, which will open up a second window. This can be a bit confusing, but it also keeps the main app screen less cluttered.
Similarly, when you want to switch servers with ExpressVPN, you will need to either click one of the two options at the bottom of the app, or click the active server to open up a second window of server locations. While NordVPN keeps everything in the main app screen, ExpressVPN relies on a second screen popup for more options.
NordVPN apps
In contrast to ExpressVPN, NordVPN apps are larger and include more options. You can see on the left side of the NordVPN client the specialty servers and country locations. You can also quickly select a server location with only one click from the global map, as you can see below:
In comparison to ExpressVPN, the NordVPN Windows app is larger, but it also gives you easier access to features, server locations, and specialty servers, without having to open up second windows. This is a big advantage, and one reason we ranked it as one of the best VPNs for PC users.
Ultimately, this all comes down to user preference. Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer good VPN apps.
Winner for VPN apps: Tie
4. Features: NordVPN compared to ExpressVPN
Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer some good features for different types of users. But again, there is a big distinction in this category.
ExpressVPN is limited on features
ExpressVPN is a pretty basic VPN service. As we noted above, it offers basic and user-friendly VPN apps, simply because there are not a lot of features to showcase, unlike with NordVPN.
One of the main features with ExpressVPN is the split-tunneling option. This lets you route certain apps through the encrypted VPN, while routing other apps over your regular (unencrypted) internet connection. This is not a very unique feature and we also find it with NordVPN and ProtonVPN.
Overall, I don’t see much use for a split tunneling feature. Additionally, NordVPN also offers a split tunneling feature with mobile apps.
Lightway – We already discussed Lightway above in the speed tests section, where we saw that it was nowhere near as fast as WireGuard with NordVPN. Aside from the performance drawbacks, there are some other problems I found with the Lightway protocol (feature):
- Not open source (but WireGuard is open source)
- Limited adoption (WireGuard is being adopted by many other VPNs)
While there are other noteworthy aspects of ExpressVPN’s service, such as running all servers in RAM-disk mode, these are not really features. So let’s move on to NordVPN, where things get a little more exciting.
NordVPN features
The features category is a big distinction between NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
First we will look at NordVPN’s specialty servers, which are servers for different use cases. Unlike with NordVPN, ExpressVPN does not offer any of these specialty servers. Here’s what you get with NordVPN:
- Double-VPN servers, that encrypt traffic over two separate hops. This adds an additional layer of encryption and security, without sacrificing on speed.
- Tor-over-VPN servers that encrypt traffic with the Tor Network, in addition to the VPN server. While there is a performance tradeoff here due to the Tor network, this is another useful feature.
- P2P servers that are optimized for torrenting traffic, with excellent speeds.
- Obfuscated servers that conceal VPN traffic to look like regular HTTPS encryption. This is a great feature to use if you need a VPN for China, or any other restricted network situation where VPNs may be blocked.
I found the double-VPN servers to perform well in my testing. This is a feature we see with both NordVPN and Surfshark. The P2P servers also worked great with fast speeds and no connection issues.
Aside from the specialty servers, NordVPN also offers a useful security feature called CyberSec. The CyberSec feature blocks ads, trackers, malware, and phishing domains from infecting your device. It is easily enabled directly in the VPN app, as you can see below:
If you need a VPN with ad blocking, then NordVPN would be a great choice. One big advantage you get with CyberSec is that it works for your entire operating system when the VPN is on, rather than just in the browser.
ExpressVPN does not offer any type of feature like NordVPN’s CyberSec.
WireGuard – NordVPN’s implementation of the WireGuard protocol (NordLynx) is another great feature. While we already covered the great speed tests results above, here are some other benefits of WireGuard with NordVPN:
- Instant connection times (can establish a connection in less than one second)
- Seamless transition between networks, such as when switching from WiFi to 4G
- Better battery life with mobile devices
- More reliability and fewer dropped connections.
ExpressVPN and NordVPN server comparison
Here is a table highlighting the differences in server count between ExpressVPN and NordVPN:
| Servers | ExpressVPN | NordVPN |
| Total | 3,000 | 5,300 |
| Countries | 94 | 59 |
| Virtual Locations | Yes | No |
| Specialty Servers | No | Yes |
Features winner: NordVPN
5. Security and encryption: ExpressVPN vs NordVPN
In the security category, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN do very well. However, there is only one winner in this area.
Encryption comparison
Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN utilize strong encryption standards, as you can see in this table:
| Item | ExpressVPN | NordVPN |
| Cipher | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| Authentication | SHA-512 | SHA-256 |
| RSA Key | 4,096-bit | 4,096-bit |
NordVPN and ExpressVPN basically offer the same levels of encryption and both are secure. The slight difference in hash authentication is rather trivial as both offer a high level of security that is considered unbreakable by today’s standards.
VPN protocols
Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN support all of the main VPN protocols.
- ExpressVPN: OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, IPSec/IKEv2, IPSec/L2TP, and Lightway protocol
- NordVPN: OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, IPSec/IKEv2, IPSec/L2TP, and WireGuard
The big difference here is that NordVPN is using a widely-accepted, open-source protocol with WireGuard. Meanwhile, ExpressVPN has opted for a closed-source, self-developed Lightway protocol that is not being used by anyone else. Another problem with Lightway is that it is not integrated into the kernel, like WireGuard is with Linux.
With VPN protocols, NordVPN has an advantage over ExpressVPN.
Server security
In terms of server security, both of these VPNs have some similarities and differences.
Here are some noteworthy aspects of ExpressVPN’s server network:
- All servers running in RAM-disk mode. This offers a higher level of security and also ensures no server can physically store any data.
- Uses some virtual server locations. This is a drawback with ExpressVPN that you will not find with NordVPN.
- Does not use colocated servers, but instead rents servers from third parties.
Now let’s examine NordVPN:
- All servers running in RAM-disk mode (just like with ExpressVPN).
- Does not use any virtual server locations. Instead, all servers are running on dedicated physical hardware in secure data centers (another advantage over ExpressVPN.
- Is rolling out colocated (self-owned) servers throughout the network. NordVPN has already implemented colocated servers in a few locations, and the entire network will consist of colocated servers in the coming months. This means no more rental servers from third parties, as we see with ExpressVPN.
NordVPN comes out on top in the server security category.
Leak protection
Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN do very well in terms of leak protection. With the NordVPN and ExpressVPN desktop clients, they both offer:
- IP address leak protection (for both IPv4 and IPv6)
- DNS leak protection
- Kill switch to block traffic if the VPN connection drops
I thoroughly tested all leak protection features in each of the respective reviews using these VPN test procedures. The results were great: (no leaks) for either VPN service. This third sub-category is a tie.
Overall Security winner: NordVPN
6. Logs and Privacy: ExpressVPN compared to NordVPN
When it comes to privacy and logs, NordVPN and ExpressVPN are great options. Both of these VPNs are verified no logs VPNs. We’ll examine both.
NordVPN logging policy
NordVPN is a no logs VPN provider, as explained on its website:
We do not store connection timestamps, session information, used bandwidth, traffic data, IP addresses, or other data. Nothing to store – nothing to share with anyone.
Verification: NordVPN’s logging claims were verified when they voluntarily subjected their servers, VPN infrastructure, and staff to a third-party audit to verify their logging policies. The audit was completed by PWC AG in Zurich, Switzerland.
NordVPN has undergone two separate no-logs audits conducted by PWC AG.
ExpressVPN logging policy
Fortunately, ExpressVPN also has a straightforward no logs policy:
ExpressVPN stores no activity logs and no connection logs from our users. Here’s what that means:
No activity logs. ExpressVPN does not see or record which websites you visit. We never log the destination or contents of your traffic, and we run our own private, zero-knowledge DNS on every VPN server for added privacy and anonymity.
No connection logs. ExpressVPN never logs connection timestamps, session duration, your source IP address, or the ExpressVPN IP address that your computer assumes when connected to the VPN.
Verification: Like NordVPN, ExpressVPN has also undergone a third-party no logs audit. This audit was also performed by PWC and verified the no-logs policy and privacy protection measures are in place.
Unlike NordVPN, however, ExpressVPN has not undergone a second no-logs audit for 2020.
Logs and privacy winner: NordVPN
7. ExpressVPN and NordVPN jurisdictions
Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN are based in good privacy jurisdictions.
NordVPN in Panama – Panama is not a member of the 14 Eyes countries and it is generally considered to be a good offshore jurisdiction, safe from US and European influence.
ExpressVPN in British Virgin Islands – The British Virgin Islands are also considered a good jurisdiction. The BVI is not a member of 5/9/14 Eyes surveillance groups and it is a free and independent country, with its own legal and judicial system, despite the historical ties to Britain. Some of the newer VPNs, such as Surfshark, are incorporating in the BVI for this reason.
Both Panama and the British Virgin Islands have strong privacy protections in place, making them popular locations for banking and other businesses that demand high levels of privacy.
Jurisdiction winner: Tie
8. ExpressVPN vs NordVPN torrenting tests
Once again, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN are good options for torrenting. But again there is a difference in this category.
When looking for the best VPN for torrenting , there are two things to consider:
- Speeds: NordVPN was the big winner in all of our speed tests. It offers the fastest speeds for torrenting over ExpressVPN.
- Leak protection: ExpressVPN and NordVPN both offer great leak protection. Each incorporates a kill switch into the VPN apps to protect your traffic. This will keep your IP address and location secure when torrenting files. If the VPN connection drops, you will still be protected if you have the kill switch activated.
While both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer secure VPN apps with built-in leak protection, the big difference is in speeds, where NordVPN comes out on top. If you want to torrent with your VPN, NordVPN’s speeds will give you an edge over ExpressVPN.
NordVPN also offers dedicated P2P servers, which are optimized for fast torrenting speeds.
Torrenting winner: NordVPN
9. ExpressVPN vs NordVPN with Netflix and streaming
As someone who enjoys streaming American Netflix, I’ve tested many services to find the best VPNs that work with Netflix. Fortunately, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN work well for accessing Netflix.
ExpressVPN Netflix – ExpressVPN offers 24/7 access to Netflix, but only for a select few regions. While it is generally a good VPN for Netflix, it comes with a few drawbacks:
- Fewer Netflix regions supported. The main regions supported by ExpressVPN are USA, Japan, and UK, but a few other regions may also work.
- Slower speeds (but you should still have plenty of speed to stream Netflix in HD with ExpressVPN).
In comparison to ExpressVPN, NordVPN simply works better For Netflix and streaming in general.
NordVPN Netflix – NordVPN currently supports a larger number of Netflix libraries. Officially, NordVPN supports 14 different Netflix libraries, including: US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Japan, Australia, India, Brazil, South Korea, and Finland. This is far more Netflix regions than you will find with ExpressVPN.
In addition to having more access to different Netflix libraries, NordVPN also gives you better speeds for streaming, as we covered above. Below I’m testing out NordVPN with Netflix; everything worked well:
NordVPN is the clear winner when it comes to streaming Netflix. But what about other streaming services?
Other streaming services
ExpressVPN – Generally speaking, ExpressVPN does well with streaming. However, it has suffered from outages over the past year and continues to get blocked by BBC iPlayer. I’ve seen ExpressVPN users commenting here on Restore Privacy about it getting blocked by various services, without any kind of solution.
We have also tested this and found ExpressVPN to be getting blocked by some popular streaming sites, such as BBC iPlayer:
Note: We also observed ExpressVPN’s problems with streaming in our tests for the Surfshark vs ExpressVPN comparison.
NordVPN – Just like with access to a larger selection of Netflix libraries, NordVPN also provides access to a larger number of streaming services. And unlike with ExpressVPN, NordVPN works with BBC iPlayer and is not getting blocked. We posted screenshots of this in our guide on the best VPN for BBC iPlayer.
NordVPN also consistently works with Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and others. It is one of the best all-around VPNs for streaming on the market.
Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer dedicated apps in the Amazon Store if you need a VPN for Firestick or Fire TV.
Netflix and streaming winner: NordVPN
10. ExpressVPN vs NordVPN price comparison
In terms of price, NordVPN is the winner with the cheapest rates.
Here is a brief breakdown of the pricing with both ExpressVPN and NordVPN:
| Duration | NordVPN | ExpressVPN |
| Monthly | $11.95 | $12.95 |
| 6-months | N/A | $9.99/mo |
| 1-year | $4.92/mo | $6.67/mo |
| 2-year | $3.30/mo | N/A |
It’s clear that NordVPN offers the cheapest price with the two-year discounted rate at $3.30 per month. There is, however, more risk involved in signing up with a VPN for two years, but that is the tradeoff for the lower price. NordVPN is currently the best cheap VPN, offering a high-quality service at under $4 per month.
ExpressVPN does not offer any free trial, nor do they offer two-year plans. The discounted 15-month rate does offer some good savings (below the standard price of $8.32/month without the coupon). Regarding temporary sales, ExpressVPN remains consistent on their pricing, as explained in my ExpressVPN coupons guide.
Price winner: NordVPN
11. Payments options and refunds: NordVPN vs ExpressVPN
Now we’ll examine payment options and refunds for both ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
ExpressVPN – ExpressVPN supports a wide range of payment options, including all major credit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, as well as other payment processors.
You only need to enter a valid email address and your payment details with ExpressVPN.
NordVPN – NordVPN also supports many payment options, but there is one big difference: no PayPal. For unknown reasons, PayPal has not been an option with NordVPN since January 2019. This is indeed a drawback, since PayPal is a popular payment option.
While NordVPN no longer supports PayPal (in the US), all other major payment options are available, including cryptocurrencies. Additionally, NordVPN accepts more cryptocurrencies than ExpressVPN, which only takes Bitcoin.
Note: NordVPN occasionally offers discounts and special packages, such as around the holidays. This is explained on my NordVPN coupon page, tracking the latest deals.
Refunds – Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer a 30 day money-back guarantee.
This category is clearly a tie. ExpressVPN accepts PayPal, NordVPN accepts more cryptocurrencies, and both offer a 30 day money-back guarantee.
Payment options and refunds winner: Tie
12. Is ExpressVPN or NordVPN the best value?
Last, but not least, is the question of value.
Which VPN offers the best value for your money?
In comparison to ExpressVPN, NordVPN simply offers more bang for your buck:
- Faster speeds
- More privacy and security features
- Better performance with streaming and torrenting
- Cheaper prices
Considering all this, NordVPN is the clear winner in the value category.
Value winner: NordVPN
Which is better NordVPN or ExpressVPN?
Based on all of our test results and research, we must conclude that NordVPN is better than ExpressVPN. NordVPN was the winner in nine categories.
To summarize our findings in this NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison, here are the winners for each category:
| Category | Winner |
| Speeds: | NordVPN |
| Reliability: | NordVPN |
| VPN Apps: | Tie |
| Features: | NordVPN |
| Security: | NordVPN |
| Logs & Privacy | NordVPN |
| Jurisdiction | Tie |
| Torrenting | NordVPN |
| Netflix & Streaming | NordVPN |
| Price | NordVPN |
| Payments & Refunds | Tie |
| Value | NordVPN |
Overall winner: NordVPN
While we like and recommend both of these VPN services, NordVPN has made massive progress over the last year. It has overtaken ExpressVPN in most categories, especially in the areas of performance, features, and streaming.
It is for all of these reasons and more that we consider NordVPN to be the best all-around VPN service and give it our top recommendation.
At the end of the day, either of these two VPNs may be the best service for you. It all depends on your needs and uses for the VPN. Whichever service you decide to go for, be sure to get the best price via the discounts below:
NordVPN Cyber Deal is Now Live:
Get 72% off your NordVPN subscription (reduces the price to $3.30 per month) plus 3 months FREE.
(Coupon is applied automatically.)
And now for ExpressVPN.
This is the best deal you can get on ExpressVPN, but it’s still a lot more money than NordVPN.
ExpressVPN Coupon Deal
Sign up for the 12-month plan and get 3 months added to your subscription for free.
(Coupon is applied automatically.)
If you are really still on the fence, keep in mind that ExpressVPN and NordVPN both offer a 30 day money-back guarantee. Therefore you could purchase both VPNs, test each service for a few weeks, and then cancel the one you don’t want for a full refund.
Last updated on July 22, 2021 with new info and test results.
I am a big fan of your efforts and your dedication towards privacy. I am also a ExpressVPN customer and wanted to mention that I am missing the following elements from your comparison: Support and Router
I am very happy with the ExpressVPN support. I cannot compare to NordVPN but looking at your review, their support is pretty decent as well.
However, a BIG plus (and something I would never want to miss again) is the router app you can get for ExpressVPN. We have many devices connected to the internet in our household, and having to enable the client on every single one of them all the time is neither practical nor feasible. Buying a new router (e.g. pre-flashed router) is not an option. I personally would prefer the router app offering over ANY of the categories from this comparison, including traffic speeds, but that is just me…
If NordVPN had an offering for a router app, I would seriously consider switching providers, but since they don’t it won’t even cross my mind…
Expressvpn is much faster on lightway than Nordvpn is. I only get a ping of 37 Switzerland and on expressvpn 17 and its by 10 Mbps faster
Expressvpn no longer offers 2-year plan. I think you should update your article! Great work, really appreciate!
For some of us, the fact that NordVPN doesn’t use PayPal is NOT a drawback, it’s a plus, a BIG plus!
Hi Sven, Your articles and in depth research are meticulous and greatly appreciated. I do have a question and was just wanting to get your further thoughts. I am considering switching over to Nord this week, but I reviewed their privacy policy in detail, and in the “General” section of their privacy policy, it does say that they collect IP addresses, etc. and other info as follows:
“Payment data (if using paid Services). This information is necessary to collect payments for our Services. In addition to the traditional payment methods, such as credit cards, users can buy our Service with cryptocurrency. Our payment processing partners process basic billing information for payment processing and refund requests (such as date of purchase, payer’s IP address, zip code, card owner’s full name and credit card information). We also process some of the same payment information ourselves (e. g., card owner’s full name, last few digits of your credit card) in cases of recurring payments.
Country details. When providing your payment details, we ask our users to provide the country where they are registered, have a permanent address or usually live. This information is necessary for VAT calculation purposes.”
Their website further says that they also collect access logs as follows:
“Information collected on our website
Access logs. As most websites on the internet, our website collects access logs (such as IP address, browser type, operating system) to operate our services and ensure their secure, reliable, and robust performance. This information is also essential for fighting against DDoS attacks, scanning and similar hacking attempts.”
In short, I just wanted to know you if you thought this presented any significant risks that other high level VPNs don’t have. They clearly state that they have a no logs policy for where you go on web etc.., and all of that stuff which is great. And they are in a great jurisdiction. But I am just trying to understand the fine print, however, as I am not that technically savvy. Anyway, your further thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and regards,
Hi Regg, logs from third-party payment processors does not mean the VPN itself is logging. Furthermore, the website analytics is a separate entity from the actual VPN service. I posted this comment last week, which summarizes the differences:
Don’t confuse basic cookies and analytics on the website with the VPN service itself. The VPN is not installing cookies or tracking IP addresses, it is blocking cookies and trackers, such as when you enable NordVPN’s CyberSec feature. So website does not equal VPN.
Also, from someone who runs a website, nearly every website you will find on the internet, including VPN websites that allow you to log in, will have cookies, and need to have cookies. Analytics are also important, such as Google Analytics, which are necessary in a world where the vast majority of traffic (and customers) come from Google search and/or Google Ads. So yes, it’s not perfect, but again, this is the website, not the VPN itself.
Thank you greatly for this clarification. You’re a rock star. Much appreciated.
~Regarding privacy: what about 1) voice print I.D.-ing, and 2) IMSI, and 3) IMEI ? Are these included in canvas fingerprinting?
thank you!
Hi Sven,
Under the heading :”10. ExpressVPN vs NordVPN price comparison” you write :
The “three years” should be “two years”.
Thanks Robert, just fixed it.
Hello there,
I want to buy a VPN for streaming and gaming. I have shortlisted these VPNs. What’s your opinion about these:
– Pure VPN 86% off on 10 devices for 5 years.
– Nord VPN 72% off for 2 years.
– Express VPN 35% off for 1 year only.
TIA
I’d recommend going with NordVPN and taking advantage of the Cyber Monday deal here.
In our PureVPN review, we found it to have DNS leaks and slow speeds. It was also busted for giving up logs to the FBI while claiming to be a “zero logs” VPN service. Avoid PureVPN at all costs if you care about your privacy.
I really enjoy your comparison articles, they’re well structured and easy to understand. However, I feel that you have your work cut out for you, things in the VPN space are changing so quickly, you probably need to be updating your articles every fortnight 😅
Are you planning on doing any video content? That would be even more convenient!
No, I’m not much into video. And you are correct about updates, and this article also needs to be updated as well in the next few days to reflect new updates and even better speeds with NordVPN.
Thanks for the article
It’s weird because even though your tests for torrenting shows NordVPN to be the winner. In reality, I’ve been using and comparing both with servers from the same region and ExpressVPN has always been faster by about 30% when it comes to downloading torrents and always stays around the same value while NordVPN has been much slower and always goes up and down with sometimes huge gaps. Have you downloaded torrents by any chance? I feel like NordVPN may perform better with the online tests than it does in reality. And also, NordVPN very often disconnects while ExpressVPN never does. Besides, I’ve been using them both to access sites like Hulu and Netflix. Last time I checked, NordVPN wasn’t able to access any but ExpressVPN did. It’s still a good VPN though, but not as fast and reliable as ExpressVPN and I believe ExpressVPN higer price reflects the difference in terms of quality, speed and reliability.
This comparison is actually outdated and will be updated soon to reflect even better speed test results with NordVPN coming out on top. Yes, I can run torrent tests for this as well. With streaming, NordVPN is among the best. ExpressVPN has really been struggling lately with BBC iPlayer, while NordVPN delivers.
I have Nord and Express accounts, both subscriptions are ending soon and I’m thinking of keeping only one from now on. Not 100% decided yet but leaning towards Nord for a few reasons:
– Nord did smth weird with their speeds but they’ve been incredibly fast for more than half a year, whereas the Lightway protocol from Express disappointed me 🙁
– There’s more and more info on Reddit about Express officially ceasing their support for the Great Firewall of China and other bypasses. Tbh, I had VPN 2 accounts just because I used to travel a lot and used to visit countries that had strong internet censorship. Maybe the reviewer has more info about this, is it temporary or not because it’s a fairly serious problem. Sadly, their support did not give a straight answer regarding this.
– And of course the price. I tried finding a good Express deal but I never managed to. I’m under the impression that their so called deals are fake. With Nord at least it’s possible to find more interesting price options. Personally, I bought them with via cashback.
Thanks for the feedback on getting around censorship (Great Firewall). I’m going to look into this more.
Yes, I have ran new speed tests and NordVPN with WireGuard is still much faster than ExpressVPN with Lightway.
Sven, thank you for this great review. I’m curious how both of these services compare to something like Guardian Firewall. While not a traditional VPN, it offers firewall and tracker prevention. Do either of these services have similar features built into their VPN offerings?
It looks like the NordVPN CyberSec feature has most of this covered in terms of blocking trackers and malicious websites. ExpressVPN does not have anything like CyberSec.
How necessary would a feature like that be in terms of the overall comparison? I know that the same features can be replicated with other content blockers for browser usage, but system wide is a different story.
Hi Sven,
Just wanted to know how these work with betting sites? Ive heard that betting sites can sniff out people who use VPNs, since basically VPNs use shared IPs. How does ExpressVPN and NordVPN circumvent this? Do they refresh their server IPs? If so, how frequently?
Hey Nick, this is something I’ve never tested, but I’m sure either ExpressVPN or NordVPN would work fine. If you find yourself getting blocked, just switch to a different VPN server and try again. However, another option is to get a dedicated IP address, which only you will be using. This works well, but it is an extra cost on top of your VPN subscription. You can get a dedicated IP address with NordVPN.
Please update pricing for the current deal on two year subs:
For a limited time, the 2-year NordVPN plan is as cheap as the 3-year plan
Yep, thanks for the info.
Hello,
I live in the UK and just want to use a VPN for privacy reasons, not to circumvent geo location restrictions (i.e. I just want to access my usual UK Netflix, Amazon Prime UK etc…). I read a lot of reviews on the web about how ExpressVPN is great and superior to other VPNs for streaming in the UK, including this review, and I’m wondering if reviewers are actually testing the services.
I’ve been using ExpressVPN for about a year and a half, in my experience ExpressVPN doesn’t work with Amazon Prime UK nor with BBC iPlayer. And for UK Netflix it only works with a server based on Isle of Man, but then any google search or online shopping places you in the Netherlands… (is it a virtual server?)
On the other hand, I just started to test NordVPN and so far those 3 streaming services are working very well in the UK
Ben
Yes, I’ve tested both services extensively, hence the screenshots. For streaming, I typically test US Netflix and BBC iPlayer, but I can also add a few other UK streaming services to the list. Thanks for the feedback.
Hi Sven,
Great work comparing the two. I am from India and thinking of subscribing to a vpn service for some time now. I’m tilting more towards Nordvpn due to its relative affordability. I do have a couple of questions, if you could please shed some light on them:
(1) Does nordvpn accept payment through debit card (issued by MasterCard), as I don’t own a credit card. I do all my online purchases via debit card only.
(2) Due to Corona lockdowns more and more people are spending their time online at home. Have you experienced any reductions in speed and/or connectivity issues in the past one or two months (specially in nordvpn)? I have a 50 Mbps connection and would be using the vpn mainly for torrenting and watching streaming 720p videos.
Please reply, and do stay safe in these times.
Hi Vivek,
1: I think so, but check with their support on that one. You can ask a live chat rep here (bottom right corner).
2: No, I have not seen reductions in speed. Also with NordVPN’s support of WireGuard, speeds are even better with this new VPN protocol.
Hello Sven, just wondering what protocols did you use to test both NordVPN and ExpressVPN because NordVPN just recently rolled out their stable NordLynx WireGuard protocol which is way faster than OpenVPN. Did you use the same protocol to fairly test both VPNs like using OpenVPN UDP/TCP?
Also, I know this has been asked before but does ExpressVPN really have obfuscation in all of their servers like all? Do all servers work on China or can it bypass my university’s firewall? My university apparently forbids the use of VPN.
I used OpenVPN UDP for all tests, as it is generally faster than OpenVPN TCP. Yes, I see NordVPN rolled out NordLynx, but I have not tested it yet. With ExpressVPN, only certain servers support obfuscation, and you need to ask their support which ones. With NordVPN, you can select from the Obfuscated servers in the VPN client. NordVPN may have a better chance of getting through your university VPN blocks.
Hi Sven, back in January you mentioned you were going to test the Vilfo router. I’m curious as to whether you have had a chance to test it at all yet, as I’m very interested in it. I need a new router and I am considering buying one, but there is not much useful information about it.
By the way, when it comes to privacy issues, Restore Privacy is always my first, and almost always only stop to find the information I’m looking for. This is a great site!
Hey Jen, no not yet, but from everything I’ve seen it is a great solution. I hope to order one soon, but no firm timeline yet.
Hello and thank you for the review.
I’m new to this VPN thing and I’m mostly concerned about privacy, security and speed. Not only to ISP but to the VPN. I recently read two Reddit posts that showed express VPN doing two things:
1. Running a process that if you kill, the launch agent launch again in Mac OS, you can’t kill the process.
2. This process has outgoing connections to sone very weird and unnecessary locations, including PayPal, banks, etc happening even if the app is not being used. This was caught by little snitch.
Do you know anything about this? I tried to contact support and they replied “and what do you want us to do?” It sounds very fishy.
I’m trying Nord now but in terms of server security express looked better, and also it got blocked far less than Nord.
Thanks for the review Sven!
I am currently testing both NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
Would it be possible for you to test their speed stability over say 10/15 mns? Like by downloading a huge file?
NordVPN, in my case, has slightly better speeds than ExpressVPN, just like you measured. But when streaming some sport content from NordVPN remote servers, I often see what looks like fluctuations in speed, the stream has to adjust down and back up often as if going from 1080p to 480p and then back to 1080p.
It is a problem I almost never got with ExpressVPN.
Looking forward to read more reviews from you!
Thank you very much Mr. Steve. Maybe you can be updating this post.
Great job.
Thank you for so much detailed information. I’m still a bit overwhelmed. I just want to be sure I can conduct business while traveling within the U.S. Will either work for that?
Hi Nita, yes, both will work perfectly fine for that and will offer you security whenever you are using other wireless networks (hotel, airport, cafes, etc.).
Here in 2020, I have never used a VPN, because I’m an idiot. I’m interested in signing up and likely would primarily torrent on my main computer, while using obfuscation on my phone at work. Which one would you suggest Sven or others?
One other thing to point out, currently I don’t have a router st home and am just using the router/modem from my ISP; will this screw me over at all? (I’m in the market for a router, but can’t really afford a great one right now).
Any and all detailed advice is much appreciated!
Hey Paddy, NordVPN has the obfuscated servers that you can connect to and easily use on mobile devices. ExpressVPN also utilizes some obfuscation, but the obfuscated servers are not clearly displayed and you have to ask support about it (there are only a few that work).
Using your ISP router/modem is not a problem because everything will be encrypted between your device (computer) and the VPN server you are connected to. So your ISP can see an encrypted connection to a VPN server, but they can read any of the encrypted data or see what you’re doing. VPN routers can also be a bit iffy since most routers do not have the CPU power to do well with VPNs. The best option right now looks to be the Vilfo router, made by OVPN in Sweden. I’m going to be testing it soon.
Sven, this is an excellent comparison review! They are very equal. I’m still having trouble deciding. Hopefully you can help me make up my mind.
I almost subscribed to ExpressVPN, the I saw that you have performed new reviews. I see that NordVPN is also moving toward RAM-disk servers, which is great.
There are two differences I’m interested in though. ExpressVPN has the Split Tunneling feature. Can you give me an example where it would be beneficial? It seems to me that it might be an excellent feature. If useful, that could be the tie-breaker for me.
NordVPN has the double-hop feature. Does this help very much with security or anonymity, or could it possibly just be overkill? It does sound nice though.
Also, could one be better than the other for Android cell phones? This is fairly important to me, as I use a cell phone service that tries to route all traffic (including voice) when possible through WiFi, both at home and in public. However lately I have been turning off WiFi in public due to the security risks.
As far as the desktop Apps go, ExpressVPN is definitely more clean and simple, however it seems when they are minimized to the system tray it wouldn’t make too much difference. But maybe one of the Android Apps is much better than the other. Do you have any experience with them, and if so, how do you feel about them?
Thanks for all of your hard work, Sven!
Dave
Hey Dave, glad you found it useful.
Split tunneling: Maybe you want to user a certain browser or app for banking and other online activities without a VPN, while everything else is encrypted through the VPN. That would be a use case.
Double-Hop: The potential benefits are difficult to quantify. Theoretically, if a data center has been compromised and is logging traffic, a double-VPN connection could help in that situation as traffic is getting encrypted over two hops and no VPN server has both your IP address and traffic. But again, this is theoretical. I have nothing concrete to show a double-VPN adds anything that a single-hop VPN (with good encryption and no leaks) doesn’t already do. Additionally, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN utilize shared IP addresses, so your traffic is getting mixed with many other VPN users on the same server and IP address.
Android apps: I didn’t take too much time trying out the Android apps for the latest round of tests, but when I did a while back both were good.
Sven, thank you very much for the reply, it definitely helped me in the decision-making process.
One thing I completely forgot to ask you about, is whether either is better for Linux. I have decided to leave Windows and move to Linux, most likely Mint. I still might use Windows on a HTPC in the living room, but my main PC will be Linux.
Also I plan on adding a router with the VPN on it, which makes me think ExpressVPN would be the better choice because of the Split Tunneling feature. However this depends on whether that is also the best choice for Linux.
Thanks again, Sven!
Dave
Hey Dave, both will work well with Linux. Regarding the router app, you may want to double check that your router firmware is compatible with the Express VPN router app. Some routers do not work well (or at all) with VPNs.
Hi Sven, for some reason there is no Reply button under your Jan. 30 response to me, so I’ll respond to that here.
It’s good to know that both Nord and Express will work fine with Linux.
As far as a router goes, I don’t have one yet, and was planning on getting the ROG Rapture GT-AC5300, however reviews indicate that this one and the Asus RT-AC86U have reliability issues, with a few failures being noted within one year. I probably wouldn’t let that keep me from getting the AC5300 or the AC86U though. My thoughts on them is that maybe the quad core processor of the AC5300 might be speedier than the dual core AC86U, as it should handle encryption better. What are your thoughts on the differences between these two? And if Merlin is installed, would that effectively remove Trend Micro from the routers? Reviews state they log all visited IP addresses, however logging can be disabled within the privacy settings. However I do not trust settings like this.
However I see you are getting ready to review the Vilfo router, so I think I’ll wait on purchasing a router until you post your findings on it. I have watched a few reviews on YouTube about it, but they are very unprofessional, being more focused on the WiFi part than the VPN part, as Vilfo themselves have stated that their WiFi section is weak, and if one needs a robust WiFi to attach a good WiFi router to it. That is completely acceptable to me if the VPN part really shines. It looks like it is extremely easy to configure and supports multiple VPN connections simultaneously along with split tunneling.
Vilfo does look very promising though, so I’ll be waiting for your review.
Thanks, Sven!
Dave
Hi Dave, if I may answer a few of your questions:
– I don’t own an Asus RT-AC86U (I own an AC87), but I was recently looking to get one. From what I gathered, there’s been a few bad series out there, it is hard to tell in which year they were produced (that model was first released in 2017). I had the impression the same 2 or 3 guys complained about it over and over on the SNB forums and it made it sound worse than it really was! Just don’t buy a second hand.
– the number of core in a router processor doesn’t matter too much if you intend to use only one OpenVPN client on your router (that is connecting just to one VPN server) since OpenVPN is single threaded (uses one core only per client). If you intend to run multiple clients with your router, then the extra cores may help. I personally ran 2 OpenVPN clients on my AC87 (older and with a less powerful dual core CPU), and I never had any issue with my 40 Mbps broadband line. I guess it depends on what other things you want to run on your router. The AC86 is cheaper than 5300 by quite a bit also at the end of the day…
– as for VPN speed, the 86 model is known to reach 200 Mpbs with OpenVPN, thanks to its CPU supporting AES hardware acceleration (AES-NI), I don’t know about the 5300.
– Merlin doesn’t remove anything Asus has in its firmware, it adds to it or improve it. The Trendmicro suite won’t be removed. But you don’t have to use it. If you don’t activate any of their tools, then no data are shared. If you decide to use their malware protection platform or the QoS tool, then you will be prompted to agree with their Privacy Policies
– worth noting, as of now, it doesn’t look like Wireguard VPN is coming to Merlin. Wireguard offers better speed than OpenVPN, sooner or later, VPN service providers will support it. NordVPN already has a linux client for Wireguard, but it all still looks experimental from their end.
” Additionally, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN utilize shared IP addresses, so your traffic is getting mixed with many other VPN users on the same server and IP address.”
hey sven. first, absolutely love your site — i’ve used it as a resource for a long time — thank you. second, regarding traffic mixing, this is probably a stupid question, but is there any chance if the IP was ever traced back to you that you could be in trouble for something another user did if 50-100+ users are sharing the same IP? thanx
Hi Donatello. No, this won’t happen.
What does sometimes happen, however, is when people host Tor nodes on servers in their own home, then they get raided by the police because of what Tor users are doing on their server.
thanks for the reply, sven. 🙂 Yes, that makes sense about tor – glad it isnt possible with vpn. i also appreciate your comments on vpn before tor, compared to the nonsense one can read elsewhere e.g. reddit.
My experiences regarding NordVPN’s server speeds are very different to yours. I have a 150 Mbps connection and when connected to the fastest server in my country (Austria) I always get 130 to 145 Mbps download. As for long-distance speed testing, I switched to a random server in the US and Japan. I got 145 Mbps and 127 Mbps respectively. I always let the client choose the best/fastest server for me and I tested with Speedtest.net. When torrenting I get download rates of up to 14 MB/s, which is basically the same speed I would have without a VPN.
I had to contact NordVPN customer support 2 or 3 times in the past 2 years due to connection issues (Linux, not Windows). They responded within 24 hours and were able to solve my problem immediately.
The only issue I currently have with NordVPN on Windows is that certain websites are unreachable. The issue seems to be related to their CyberSec feature. Also, I can’t watch any series on Amazon Prime Video when connected to NordVPN – I don’t know if ExpressVPN or any other VPN provider in general would make a difference in this regard though.
I use NordVPN since 2018 whenever I’m online. My sub will end soon so I decided to check out ExpressVPN, however it’s more than twice as expensive, I’m not so sure about that…
I have now completed all new speed tests for 2020, and yes, NordVPN comes out in top!
The comparison guide is updated for the speed section and NordVPN is the winner.
thanks for the review, cheers
great comparison, thanks for the research
I only use NordVPN for streaming or connecting through it to public wifi. Thus the price/quality for these things is good, especially considering how well it works with Netflix. ExpressVPN imo is on par with NordVPN, but it is just more expensive, considering what they are offering for 3y or 1y.
Thanks Sven.
Really indepth and helpful, this is a great site.
I had been using SurfShark but their app kept crashing and I gave up. Was agonising over these 2, and realised I’d rather pay more for Express.
I’ve never experienced any issues with NordVPN connections – speed, latency, or overall bandwidth. Now, I only have 15mbit to max out with, so maybe… Maybe the bandwidth is limited if you have over 15mbit. But after the clear bias in this article on every other point, I really doubt that just that one would be bias-free..
I’m not saying expressVPN is bad or worse but in my experience:
– expressVPN has split tunneling, NordVPN doesn’t (per app VPNsl
– expressVPN has the Netflix/Streaming bit for Windows. But you have to have Windows.
– NordVPN was easier to setup on Linux. I don’t know what one commenter was talking about having problems setting it up, it took me five minutes. Easier than express but both were easy.
Actually I’m not so sure this comment section isn’t rigged. I guess if I see my own comment sensored I’ll know.
End of the day, NordVPN’s 3-year deal is ridiculously cheap. NordVPN also has tor-over-VPN and more servers. I’ll stick to NordVPN for now.