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ExpressVPN Review 2022: Still Trustworthy and Secure?

April 22, 2022 By Sven Taylor — 137 Comments
VPNExpressVPN
Based inBritish Virgin Islands
LogsNo logs (audited)
Price$6.67/mo.
Support24/7 live chat
Refund30 days
WebsiteExpressVPN.com
ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN has long been a major player in the VPN industry — but a lot has changed. Should you still consider using this VPN, or are there better options to consider? This new and updated ExpressVPN review for 2022 will answer your questions.

ExpressVPN remains one of the biggest VPNs on the market today. While you will see it being recommended by many big “review” websites, how well does it actually perform in real-world tests? This ExpressVPN review will give you the answer and reveal the pros and cons of this VPN.

First, we should point out that much has changed in the past year with ExpressVPN. We will discuss these changes in more detail below.

There have also been some big changes with the VPN itself. For one, ExpressVPN has fully released the Lightway protocol, which is a new VPN protocol that promises faster speeds and upgraded security. ExpressVPN has also undergone some big security and infrastructure upgrades and added new features.

In this new and updated ExpressVPN review, we took a deep dive to examine and test every aspect of this VPN:

  • How fast is ExpressVPN with the new Lightway protocol and how does it compare to other VPN speeds?
  • Do all of ExpressVPN’s features and leak protection settings work correctly?
  • Are the VPN apps secure and user-friendly?
  • Can ExpressVPN unblock Netflix and other streaming services?
  • Is ExpressVPN worth the (above average) price?

We purchased an ExpressVPN account and tested the VPN apps on both desktop and mobile operating systems to answer these questions and more. All test results are posted below.

Here is a brief overview of our findings:

Pros of ExpressVPN

  1. Secure and user-friendly VPN apps
  2. Strong encryption and security features
  3. No-logs VPN in a safe jurisdiction
  4. Large and secure VPN server network
  5. Works with Netflix and other streaming services
  6. Browser extensions
  7. Split tunneling
  8. Secure and reliable mobile apps
  9. VPN router app
  10. Good customer support and refund policy

Cons of ExpressVPN

  1. Now owned by a conglomerate (Kape Technologies)
  2. Above average prices
  3. Slow speeds with OpenVPN
  4. Fewer features than other leading VPNs

Additional research findings

  • Lightway Protocol (Pros and Cons)
  • Does ExpressVPN work for torrenting? (Yes)
  • Does ExpressVPN work in China? (Usually)
  • How many connections do you get with ExpressVPN?
  • Is ExpressVPN worth it?
Coupon to Get Three Months of ExpressVPN for FREE >>

Now let’s examine the details and findings of this ExpressVPN review, starting with the pros.

ExpressVPN Pros +

Here are the pros of ExpressVPN:

Secure and user-friendly VPN apps

ExpressVPN sets a high standard for security with all VPN apps and infrastructure. The user-friendly lineup of apps have undergone intense scrutiny with security audits performed by Cure53 and others. In short, you will find this VPN to be both secure and user-friendly.

ExpressVPN offers apps for all major operating systems and platforms:

  • Windows (version 10, 8, and 7)
  • Mac OS
  • Linux
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Routers
  • Chromebook
  • Amazon Kindle devices, Fire, and Nook

ExpressVPN also offers a feature they call MediaStreamer. This is a smart DNS service that is ideal for unblocking content and accessing your favorite streams. Additionally, MediaStreamer is a great solution if you need to use a VPN for Apple TV, gaming systems, or other devices that do not normally support VPN apps.

And with more people going online for streaming news and other media, reliable VPN apps for all devices are important. We examined ExpressVPN to see if it’s the best VPN for streaming content online — and the results were pretty good. Below I’m testing out the ExpressVPN Windows app for this review. You can see it has a clean and minimal design and it was easy to use:

ExpressVPN Windows app
The ExpressVPN Windows app we tested for this review.

Tapping the three lines in the top-left corner of the VPN app opens up a new window with more features and settings that we’ll discuss more in the review below.

The ExpressVPN apps have always had an intuitive design and a simple layout. Many VPN apps are buggy and/or clunky, as we noted in the CyberGhost review. Based on our tests for this review, there is not much to criticize with ExpressVPN’s apps.

Strong encryption and security features

Based on our tests and everything we analyzed for this ExpressVPN review, this VPN does not cut any corners with security. And this is good, especially when you consider all of the security risks and attack vectors we’ve seen over the past year. Here are the different areas we examined: encryption, VPN protocols, security features, and leak test results.

ExpressVPN encryption

The cipher, key, and authentication with ExpressVPN depend on the VPN protocol you have selected within the VPN app.

With the OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols, ExpressVPN uses an AES-256 cipher with an RSA-4096 key and SHA-512 HMAC authentication. The Lightway protocol uses AES-256-GCM and ChaCha20/Poly1305 ciphers to encrypt traffic, along with D/TLS 1.2 for server authentication.

The AES-256 and ChaCha20 ciphers offer a very high level of encryption that is currently considered unbreakable. They also provide excellent performance, especially the Lightway protocol (test results below). Additionally, ExpressVPN supports Perfect Forward Secrecy negotiated through a Diffie-Hellman key exchange.

VPN Protocols

ExpressVPN gives you the ability to select which VPN protocols you want to use directly in the apps. Below you can see the available VPN protocols in the Windows client:

ExpressVPN protocols

With “Automatic” enabled, ExpressVPN will select the best VPN protocol based on your network settings. I tested out OpenVPN UDP and Lightway UDP for this review.

In my tests, Lightway was faster than OpenVPN by a large margin. If you want the best performance, then it would be a good idea to just use the Lightway protocol.

ExpressVPN Network Lock (kill switch)

ExpressVPN refers to the kill switch as the Network Lock. The Network Lock feature will keep your data secure by blocking all traffic if the VPN connection drops. This ensures every data packet remains encrypted and secure, with your real IP address hidden at all times.

The Network Lock feature is currently available in the following apps:

  • Windows
  • Mac OS
  • Linux
  • Routers

Below you can see ExpressVPN’s Network Lock feature under the General settings in the Windows app:

network lock expressVPN
The Network Lock feature blocks unencrypted traffic from escaping outside of the VPN tunnel.

In our tests for this review, the Network Lock feature worked well on Windows and Mac OS operating systems. It effectively blocked traffic when the VPN connection dropped or was interrupted.

A good VPN kill switch (Network Lock) is important to keep your data secure if your connection drops for any reason. Most VPNs offer this feature, but in many cases, it does not work well.

Kill switch for mobile devices – On mobile devices, ExpressVPN does not offer the official Network Lock feature, but it still has a kill switch to protect against traffic leaks.

  • Android has the “Network Protection” option that functions as a kill switch and will block traffic when the connection drops.
  • iOS has the “Auto-Connect” feature that will also block traffic and automatically reconnect the VPN when your internet connection resumes.

Threat Manager (VPN ad blocking) feature

Next up on our feature list is Threat Manager, a VPN ad blocker that will filter out ads, trackers, and malicious websites. The Threat Manager feature is a DNS ad blocker that works by filtering out domains associated with ads, trackers, and malware.

Threat Manager is currently available in the Mac, iOS, and Linux applications. I tested it out on Mac OS and everything worked well. You can see in the screenshot below that Threat Manager is activated directly in the VPN preferences area.

Threat Manager ExpressVPN test

Like other VPN ad blockers we have tested, ExpressVPN’s Threat Manager will only work if you are connected to a VPN servers, since it utilizes DNS filtering. You can see this notification at the bottom of the screenshot above.

ExpressVPN leak test results (no leaks)

I ran the ExpressVPN apps through some basic VPN tests to identify any potential issues or problems. The main testing site I used was ipleak.net. I did not find any leaks or security issues with any of the ExpressVPN apps.

Below is one of the tests we ran showing no leaks with the desktop client for Windows:

ExpressVPN leak test
ExpressVPN did not have any leaks in our tests for this review.

With the tests above, you can see that the IPv4 address matches up with the New York server location, with the IPv6 address being blocked. The DNS leak tests show that ExpressVPN servers are handling all DNS requests. We did not find any leaks and rate this as one of the best VPNs for Windows.

I also ran the ExpressVPN Mac OS app and also the Android app through the same leak tests. As with previous tests, no leaks were found. These are the same tests that we ran in the NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison guide.

No-logs VPN in a safe jurisdiction

ExpressVPN is a verified VPNs with no logs. It has passed independent audits and also real-world verification tests, as we’ll show below. This is important because we have seen at least two cases of VPNs claiming to be “no logs” that were actually logging their users:

  • IPVanish provided logs to the FBI for a criminal investigation (see the details in our IPVanish review).
  • PureVPN also provided logs to authorities for a criminal investigation (see the PureVPN review for more info).

So let’s get back to ExpressVPN. First, we will take a close look at ExpressVPN’s policies, then we’ll cover the real-world cases that verified these policies.

ExpressVPN no-logs policy

If you want a VPN that does not keep logs, ExpressVPN is a solid choice. They explain their general stance on logging as follows:

ExpressVPN is a premium VPN provider focused on user privacy and anonymity. Our network is built around specifically NOT knowing the internet activities of our users. As privacy is a core part of our service offering, ExpressVPN is in the business of protecting our users’ private internet data.

In the Privacy Policy, they further explain:

We do not collect logs of your activity, including no logging of browsing history, traffic destination, data content, or DNS queries. We also never store connection logs, meaning no logs of your IP address, your outgoing VPN IP address, connection timestamp, or session duration.

That being said, there is an option in the VPN apps to share crash statistics, which helps ExpressVPN improve apps, but this data is completely anonymized, does not include personal information, and is optional. Nonetheless, it can also easily be disabled with one click in the Settings area.

ExpressVPN passes third-party audits

ExpressVPN is also one of a handful of VPNs that have been independently audited.

To verify and prove their no-logs claims, ExpressVPN underwent a third-party audit from PricewaterhouseCoopers. The audit verified the TrustedServer feature (discussed below), no logs policy, and that all privacy protections are being adhered to correctly.

Very few VPNs have undergone third-party audits to verify logging policies. And there’s also further proof that ExpressVPN is following a true no-logs policy. This is an advantage ExpressVPN has over other leading VPNs, as you can see in the ProtonVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison.

Additionally, in April 2022, ExpressVPN announced that its Windows apps passed an audit conducted by F-Secure. The audit utilized penetration testing methods to attempt to identify any security issues with ExpressVPN’s Windows client. The results were favorable and the auditors were not able to identify any serious security issues.

‘No Logs’ policy verified with a server seizure

In December 2017, news broke that authorities in Turkey seized an ExpressVPN server in an attempt to obtain customer data. Before the server was seized in Turkey, Turkish authorities had attempted to force ExpressVPN to provide logs from the server in question. ExpressVPN informed the officials that they are a no-logs VPN, not subject to Turkish law, and they do not have any data to provide.

After these demands failed, the Turkish government then seized an ExpressVPN server, but still came up empty-handed in their quest for user data.

Why is this important?

The relevant issue here is that the authorities were not able to obtain any customer data – either through demands or seizing a server – because there were no logs available.

This case from Turkey, and also the no-logs audit, confirm ExpressVPN’s logging policies and overall commitment to securing customer data.

Note: There was also a situation where Windscribe servers were seized. Unlike with ExpressVPN, however, the servers were not secured and authorities obtained Windscribe’s private key, thereby putting Windscribe users at risk. We also covered this situation in our Windscribe VPN review.

Located in the British Virgin Islands (safe privacy jurisdiction)

ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). The BVI is an independent, self-governing entity with strict laws protecting the privacy of businesses and individuals operating there.

Unlike the UK, the BVI has no mandatory data retention laws or wide-scale surveillance programs, which affect UK VPN services. Similar to Switzerland, the British Virgin Islands are well-known for strong privacy protection and data secrecy, unlike the different Five Eyes countries.

The judicial system in the BVI also cannot be compelled to force companies there to produce records on their customers. As a country, the BVI is fully independent and does not fall under any other country’s jurisdiction, despite the historical connection to Britain.

Large and secure VPN server network

ExpressVPN offers a large selection of servers around the world, with a very secure network setup.

At the time of this review, ExpressVPN has about 160 VPN server locations in 94 countries. This includes a total of more than 3,000 VPN servers. Europe and North America have the best coverage, but they also offer a good selection of servers in South America, Africa, the Middle East, and the Asia Pacific region.

This network size puts ExpressVPN about on par with other big VPNs, such as NordVPN and CyberGhost. The one big difference is that ExpressVPN relies on more virtual server locations.

TrustedServer: all servers running in RAM

ExpressVPN is now one of only a handful of VPNs that run all servers in RAM-disk mode. In other words, ExpressVPN does not use any hard drives with its server network, but instead, only RAM memory. This network security setup is referred to as the TrustedServer feature.

The TrustedServer feature offers ExpressVPN users a higher level of security. We also discuss RAM servers in our NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison.

Does ExpressVPN offer dedicated IP addresses?

No, ExpressVPN does not offer dedicated IP addresses.

If you want a dedicated IP address, see my guide on VPNs with dedicated IPs for more details. (Note that dedicated/static IPs are not the best choice for privacy because your internet traffic is not getting mixed with other users.)

Works with Netflix and other streaming services

If you need a good VPN that works with Netflix and other streaming services, then ExpressVPN is a great choice. It is one of the few VPNs that continues to work with Netflix, providing 24/7 access.

For this ExpressVPN review, I tested out US Netflix with an ExpressVPN server in Washington DC. Everything worked perfectly, as you can see below.

To use Netflix with ExpressVPN, simply start the ExpressVPN app on your device, connect to a server of your choice in the Netflix region you want to use, and then stream Netflix as normal.

If you get any kind of proxy error with Netflix when you are connected to an ExpressVPN server, just contact ExpressVPN’s chat support and they’ll tell you which server(s) to use instead.

ExpressVPN works with Netflix
ExpressVPN works well with Netflix and many other streaming services.

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs for Netflix for three main reasons:

  • Good streaming quality with fast speeds (no buffering or interruptions)
  • 24/7 access to Netflix (no network-wide blocks)
  • Unblocks numerous Netflix regions around the world: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, UK, and USA.

ExpressVPN works with BBC iPlayer and other streaming services

In addition to Netflix, ExpressVPN also works well with Disney Plus and Amazon Prime. And if you need a VPN for Hulu or streaming Kodi, ExpressVPN works here as well. While ExpressVPN has previously had problems unblocking BBC iPlayer, we can now report it is working very well. As you can see below, ExpressVPN is now one of the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer:

expressvpn with bbc iplayer streaming

Lastly, ExpressVPN is also one of the few VPNs for Firestick with a dedicated app you can find in the Amazon App Store.

ExpressVPN browser extensions

ExpressVPN offers browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox browsers. The browser add-on is an extension of the ExpressVPN desktop app. This means you’ll need to be running the ExpressVPN Windows, Mac OS, or Linux desktop application.

Why use the browser extension when you can use the desktop VPN app?

The biggest advantage of using the browser app is convenience. It offers the ability to easily switch server locations directly in your browser, rather than having to navigate to the desktop VPN client. Here are some additional advantages of the ExpressVPN browser extensions:

  • Block WebRTC leaks in the browser (WebRTC is a privacy risk that can expose your real IP, even when using a good VPN).
  • Spoof your HTML5 geolocation data in the browser.
  • HTTPS Everywhere – automatically connects to the more-secure HTTPS version of websites where available.

Here’s what the ExpressVPN browser extension looks like in Firefox:

ExpressVPN browser extension

The extension can be set to light or dark mode. We tested out ExpressVPN’s extension on Chrome browsers, then rated it as one of the best VPNs for Chrome. Everything worked well in our tests.

Split tunneling feature

ExpressVPN offers a split tunneling feature with their applications for Windows, Mac OS, Android, and routers.

A split tunneling VPN allows you to select which apps will go through the VPN tunnel and which can bypass the VPN to the regular (unencrypted) internet.

This feature can be found in the settings area of the VPN client. By default, all traffic and applications are routed through the VPN. In the settings, you can select three different options:

  1. All apps use the VPN
  2. Do not allow selected apps to use the VPN
  3. Only allow selected apps to use the VPN
expressvpn split tunneling
ExpressVPN offers a great split tunneling feature.

If you click the second or third options, a pop-up window appears, allowing you to select the specific apps.

This is also really useful with routers because it allows you to select specific devices and/or websites to bypass the VPN.

Secure and reliable mobile apps

The ExpressVPN mobile apps I tested on Android and iOS performed very well.

Android users will be happy to hear they can take advantage of the Lightway protocol with the latest Android app release. This offers some advantages to mobile users:

  • Seamlessly transition between different networks without your VPN connection dropping
  • Faster download speeds
  • Better reliability
  • Improved battery life

Legacy protocols, particularly OpenVPN, simply do not perform well on mobile devices. Lightway solves these problems.

Note: Lightway is available for both Android and iOS mobile devices, as well as many other operating systems.

Below is a screenshot of the ExpressVPN Android app:

ExpressVPN Android app

If you are a heavy mobile user, ExpressVPN has you covered with excellent mobile VPN apps. See our best VPNs for Android for more discussion on this topic.

VPN router app

ExpressVPN is also one of the few VPN services that offer a dedicated VPN router app. The router app works on select router models with the supported firmware. (Check with live chat support here to see which routers are supported.)

Using a VPN on your router is a smart way to get an unlimited number of connections with your VPN. This is because the router will only count as one connection, but it will provide every device that connects to your router with the full benefits of the VPN: encrypted traffic, new IP address, location anonymity.

If you want to use ExpressVPN on your router, you have the following options:

  1. Use the ExpressVPN router app on one of the supported router models (recommended)
  2. Manually setup ExpressVPN on your router (more work, but not too difficult with some routers, such as with most Asus models)

Using the ExpressVPN router app (option 1) is the best solution because it offers the following features:

  • Easily switch between VPN servers
  • Split tunneling (select which apps or websites bypass the VPN)
  • Network Lock (kill switch) to block all traffic if the VPN connection drops

Good customer support and refund policy

While support with larger VPN services can sometimes be hit or miss, ExpressVPN seems to be doing quite well with live chat support.

I tested out the support repeatedly for this ExpressVPN review. In all my interactions, I found the support department to be prompt, knowledgeable, and polite.

You can get access to 24/7 live chat support directly through their website in the bottom-right corner. With all of my chat sessions, I was connected with a representative in under a minute (no long delays).

Live chat support is definitely a plus if you need help setting up the VPN on your devices or have specific questions that are not answered on the website.

All subscription plans have a 30 day money-back guarantee

Another great benefit with ExpressVPN is that it offers one of the longest refund windows in the industry. With all VPN subscriptions (even one-month plans), you get a full 30 day money-back guarantee. If you are not 100% satisfied with your VPN subscription, you can cancel on day 30 for a full refund, no questions asked.

Overall, ExpressVPN offers great customer support.

ExpressVPN Cons –

Next up in this ExpressVPN review, we will look at some cons/drawbacks of ExpressVPN.

Now owned by a conglomerate (Kape Technologies)

In September 2021, we learned that ExpressVPN was in the process of being bought out by Kape Technologies. In our original article on the situation, we noted that:

  • Kape Technologies was formerly called Crossrider
  • Crossrider produced a browser development platform, which third parties (not Crossrider) used to infect devices with malware
  • Crossrider shut down its development platform in 2016, began purchasing VPNs in 2017, and changed its name to Kape Technologies in 2018
  • Kape Technologies owns CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, ZenMate VPN, and now also ExpressVPN.
  • Kape Technologies owns VPN “review” websites that rank its holdings in the top spots.

While ExpressVPN is now owned by Kape Technologies, only time will tell how this affects the VPN. Right now it looks like ExpressVPN will continue to operate independently, despite its new owner. Additionally, ExpressVPN is performing better in our latest round of tests (compared to this time last year).

We will keep an eye on the situation and update this ExpressVPN review with our observations.

Above average prices

Another drawback with ExpressVPN is that it is more expensive than many rival VPN services (but also not the most expensive VPN). In short, this is not a cheap VPN.

With the regular pricing, the cheapest you can get ExpressVPN for is $8.32 per month, or $99.95 per year. However, there is a discounted coupon rate that gives you three months for free with the coupon below.

Coupon to Get Three Months of ExpressVPN for FREE >>
ExpressVPN prices
These are the discounted ExpressVPN prices when you use the coupon.

While ExpressVPN is more expensive than some other rivals, namely NordVPN and Surfshark, the key question is value, or what you get for your money. In terms of value, ExpressVPN has a lot to offer, as you can see with all of the pros above. Based on the results and information in this review, these are the factors that make ExpressVPN stand out from other options:

  • Faster speeds with the Lightway protocol
  • Secure and reliable apps with strong encryption and built-in leak protection
  • 24/7 access to Netflix and many other streaming services
  • Live chat support

Another factor that’s important to consider is the history of the VPN itself. ExpressVPN has a squeaky-clean record going back many years. Additionally, it is a verified and proven no-logs VPN service that runs a very secure server network.

Slow speeds with the OpenVPN protocol

Another noteworthy drawback with ExpressVPN is the performance issues we found with the OpenVPN protocol. The OpenVPN protocol is still the most widely-used protocol with VPN services and offers security and (typically) good performance. OpenVPN is also open source and trusted by many users and organizations.

We ran speed tests using the OpenVPN protocol with ExpressVPN on a 500 Mbps connect. The results were not very good.

ExpressVPN server in Seattle with the OpenVPN protocol: 32 Mbps.

ExpressVPN slow speeds

This is really slow considering my baseline of 500 Mbps and the fact that OpenVPN speeds can often get about 200 to 300 Mbps.

Next up was an ExpressVPN server in Los Angeles at 41 Mbps.

ExpressVPN with OpenVPN speeds

While this is slightly better than the previous server in Seattle, it is still far slower than it should be. We should be getting speeds of well over 100 Mbps with the OpenVPN protocol.

It’s clear that ExpressVPN is struggling with OpenVPN speeds. This could be problematic for people who opt for OpenVPN as their primary VPN protocol.

There is another alternative, however, and that is to just use the Lightway protocol. And with Lightway, ExpressVPN beats out many other VPN services, as you can see in the ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost post.

Fewer features than other leading VPNs

The last con we are going to discuss with ExpressVPN is the lack of features.

As we noted above, ExpressVPN is more expensive than other leading VPNs. In relation to the high price, it’s also important to note that you don’t get a lot of features. To illustrate this point, we’ll take a look at NordVPN, which is currently the best overall VPN in our rankings.

What features do we find with NordVPN that are not available with ExpressVPN? NordVPN offers:

  • Double VPN servers that encrypt traffic over two separate hops. This adds a higher level of security for those who want it.
  • Tor-over-VPN servers that add an additional layer of encryption via the Tor network.
  • Obfuscated servers that allow you to use the VPN in restricted locations, where VPNs may be blocked.
  • P2P servers that are optimized for torrenting and fast download speeds.

The lack of features was one of the big reasons that NordVPN came out on top in our ExpressVPN vs NordVPN comparison.

And aside from all of the features noted above, NordVPN also runs all servers in RAM-disk mode and does not use any virtual server locations like ExpressVPN. They are additionally rolling out self-owned (colocated) servers with high-speed 10 Gbps bandwidth channels. We discuss these items more in our NordVPN review.

Additional review findings

Here is some additional information I found for this ExpressVPN review:

Lightway protocol (similar to WireGuard)

After over a year of development, ExpressVPN officially launched the Lightway VPN protocol. Lightway is available on all major operating systems: Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android, and iOS, and some router firmware.

So what does Lightway offer? Here’s what I found:

  • Faster speeds than OpenVPN
  • Updated encryption standards
  • Fast to establish connections (about one second or less)
  • Seamless transition when going in and out of connectivity or changing networks
  • Smaller code base makes it easier to audit than OpenVPN and IPSec

In many respects, Lightway is similar to the WireGuard protocol. It is smaller, leaner, faster, and more secure, while solving a lot of the problems and baggage of legacy protocols like OpenVPN and IPSec/IKEv2. It’s great to see this protocol is now live and supported in the ExpressVPN apps.

Faster speeds with the Lightway protocol

One of the biggest benefits to Lightway is the potential for faster speeds and better overall performance. I ran some tests of Lightway on a Mac OS computer with a 500 Mbps connection. Here were some results with US servers:

ExpressVPN Lightway server in Seattle: 196 Mbps.

ExpressVPN speeds review

This is better than before with OpenVPN.

ExpressVPN Lightway server speeds in Los Angeles:

Express VPN speed test

Another good ExpressVPN speed test result.

ExpressVPN Lightway server in New York:

ExpressVPN server speeds

As you can see, Lightway speeds are much better than OpenVPN.

While Lightway is faster than OpenVPN, we still see that’s it’s not quite as fast as other VPNs with WireGuard. You can see this in our ExpressVPN vs Surfshark comparison report.

Lightway vs WireGuard

For comparison, here is a speed test with NordVPN using the WireGuard protocol:

NordVPN faster than ExpressVPN

As you can see, NordVPN with the WireGuard protocol is giving us speeds that are over 200 Mbps faster than ExpressVPN with Lightway.

Recommendation: If speed is your top priority, then check out NordVPN with WireGuard.

Audited and open source

In August 2021, ExpressVPN announced that Lightway has officially passed a third-party audit and is being fully released under an open source license. This means the code is available for anyone to audit, which further helps with trust and verification.

The audit of the Lightway protocol was conducted by Cure53, which is a well-respected cybersecurity firm that has also audited other VPNs. They had this to say:

The codebase observed on Lightway Core follows consistent coding patterns and exhibits—in the testers’ view—a high quality.

– Cure53 audit report

Does ExpressVPN work for torrenting?

Many VPNs restrict or limit torrenting on their network. With ExpressVPN, torrenting is allowed without any restrictions or limitations.

There are four factors that make ExpressVPN a good choice for torrenting:

  1. High-performance (premium) server network with exceptionally fast speeds and great reliability.
  2. Overseas jurisdiction that is not subject to DMCA requests or copyright violation demands.
  3. High-quality applications that will keep your data secure while also protecting you against leaks and vulnerabilities. This, of course, also protects you from copyright trolls and DMCA notices.
  4. No bandwidth limitations or traffic restrictions.

ExpressVPN is among the top recommendations in our best VPN for torrenting guide.

Does ExpressVPN work in China?

Despite the current VPN blocks and censorship efforts, ExpressVPN continues to work in China on most occasions. Speaking to some people located in China, we have learned that there are occasional times when all VPNs will get blocked. However, ExpressVPN (like a few others) is quick to implement solutions and get through any restrictions.

To use ExpressVPN in China, simply connect to one of the China-designated servers (check with support to see these). These servers will automatically utilize an obfuscation protocol with the VPN app, thereby concealing the VPN traffic as regular HTTPS encryption. This easily gets through the Great Firewall and censorship efforts.

See the best VPNs for China guide for additional information and setup tips.

How many connections do you get with ExpressVPN?

With your ExpressVPN subscription, you will get five simultaneous connections.

Note: You can use ExpressVPN on an unlimited number of devices, but you are limited to five simultaneous connections at any one time with your subscription.

If you want to use more than five devices with the VPN, there is an easy solution. Simply use ExpressVPN on your router, as we covered above, for an unlimited number of connections. The router will count as only one connection and you’ll be able to use it with as many devices as you wish.

Does ExpressVPN work for gaming?

There are some serious advantages to using the VPN for gaming — but you need to select the right VPN. Some of the key factors that you’ll want to look for are:

  • A large server network with locations in the areas you need
  • Fast speeds so your game play will not lag behind others
  • Low ping (latency), which is improved by having fast servers close to your location

Even though ExpressVPN is not the best VPN for gaming, it is still a decent choice with good performance.

Review Conclusion: Is ExpressVPN worth it?

We live in a world of heightened risk where our data is often targeted by various third parties and hackers. This can ultimately result in identity theft, having our devices hacked, or simply getting bombarded with targeted ads. A good VPN like ExpressVPN helps you take back control over your data.

As we can see with the test results in the ExpressVPN review, this is a top-notch service. Overall, we think ExpressVPN is a great VPN worthy of consideration. To summarize, here are the main findings from this ExpressVPN review:

  • Safe offshore jurisdiction and company policies to protect customer data and user privacy.
  • Continues to work with Netflix and most other streaming services.
  • Huge selection of apps that are well-designed, secure, reliable, and user-friendly.
  • Secure network with all servers running in RAM-disk mode.
  • Good customer service with 24/7 live chat support and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

While there are a few drawbacks, we feel ExpressVPN is certainly a good choice for all types of users.

And if you want to give this VPN a test drive, then grab the coupon below for the best savings:

ExpressVPN Coupon Deal


Sign up for the 12-month plan and get 3 months added to your subscription for free.

Get 49% OFF ExpressVPN + 3 Months FREE >>

(Coupon is applied automatically.)

Alternatives to ExpressVPN

Click the VPN name below to read our full review – or click the discount coupon for the best savings. Both of these VPNs have a 30 day money-back guarantee, and both support the WireGuard VPN protocol.

  1. NordVPN review  (with a 68% discount coupon)
  2. Surfshark review 
  3. VyprVPN review

You can also check out our guide on the top-rated VPN services for other recommendations.

If you have used ExpressVPN, feel free to share your honest review (good or bad) below in the comments section.

This ExpressVPN review was last updated on April 22, 2022.

About Sven Taylor

Sven Taylor is a digital privacy expert who has been writing about privacy and security online since 2016. With a passion for digital privacy and online freedom, he created RestorePrivacy to provide you with honest, useful, and up-to-date information about online privacy, security, and related topics.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Roddy

    September 20, 2021

    I have used Expressvpn for years and really liked the direction they were headed. The sale of the company and the cio debacle was too much. Canceled my subscription.

    I still have vpn.ac, which i really like. I like to use a backup just in case. Out of Ovpn, nordvpn, or surfshark, which one would be a good backup?

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      September 20, 2021

      I like all of those, and they are all top recommendations in our best VPN comparison guide. For more details, you could also check out the respective reviews:
      OVPN review
      Surfshark review
      NordVPN review

      Reply
      • R

        September 20, 2021

        Thanks Sven. I’ll check them out.

        Reply
  2. SCB

    September 20, 2021

    I agree, the 5 eyes being an issue has become rubbish.

    Offshore companies which are being promoted don’t care about privacy whatsoever. The only advantage is protecting owners (not users) from liability and paying taxes. Besides, it.

    As previosly mentioned, Express VPN was bought by Kape Technologies this year. They own Cyberghost, Zenmate, and PIA.

    Kape technologies used to be known as Crossrider. Crossrider specialized in adware and browser hijacking software, but in 2018, they switched gears and became a cybersecurity company.

    The primary investor for these VPN companies is a man named Teddy Sagi. Teddy is an elusive Israeli billionaire who also served prison time for bribery and fraud back in 1996.

    It’s time to add Express VPN on the red flag list. Besides, they have very few servers in a given country. Whereas, Nord VPN has many. Do they all work though? No.

    The VPN industry as we know it is changing. Companies are bought (consolidated) by the VPN review industry like IGN, Mashable, PCMag, and other properties that derive their revenues through ads.

    The consolidation of VPNs should be a concern right now, not where the providers are located.

    Reply
  3. Bob

    September 19, 2021

    ExpressVPN? More like YuckspressVPN.

    Reply
  4. Richard

    September 15, 2021

    As an express user, Im disappointed. Will be canceling. This is why this whole “not in 5 eyes” thing needs to go away. Unethical companies being bought by even more unethical companies is worse for users than the whole “5 eyes thing” that most review sites say is bad

    You don’t need to be US based if you hire ex-intelligence officers as your CIO, lol.

    Snowden chimed in: https://twitter.com/Snowden/status/1438291654239215619

    Reply
  5. Ying Masto

    September 13, 2021

    Kape Technologies, the malware company earlier known as crossrider just bought ExpressVPN.

    ExpressVPN is dead.

    Reply
    • Bronco

      September 15, 2021

      https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/expressvpn-joining-kape/

      And that’s how this look like from Express’ perspective. 😊

      Reply
      • Korsko

        September 16, 2021

        I wrote a question on the ExpressVPN blog article which was a little critical, now the comments are disabled….

        Nothing more to say!

        Reply
        • Dave

          October 23, 2021

          Newsflash: Not only are the comments disabled, ALL of them have been deleted!!!
          Welcome to ExpressVPN’s “new normal” – transparency and truth be damned.
          However I can understand why they did this: as a business who wishes to make money and stay in business, they definitely don’t want prospective customers to see/read all of those critical comments, even though it is a shady tactic to delete them.
          They do not want the truth about Crossrider/Kape Technologies to be found out.
          I feel sorry for the good-intentioned ExpressVPN employees that realize their employer has betrayed their loyal customers. If I were and employee, I’d be actively and aggressively seeking a new job with a company with much better ethics.
          Greed has no place in the privacy/security business.

  6. Kevin

    September 13, 2021

    Hey Sven I just seen today ExpressVPN is going to or already got bought by kape technologies. I do not like the sign of this

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      September 13, 2021

      Yep, not looking good.

      Reply
  7. zcm

    September 3, 2021

    Browsing reuters.com which tags most articles with the time, the time shown is my local time not
    the time of the server I chose.

    ExpressVPN is “researching”. This must mean reuters.com can detect my actual location. Not pleasant.

    Chat tried to poo-poo it assuring me I was “safe”, not impressed.

    Any feedback would be welcomed.

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      September 3, 2021

      No, this has nothing to do with the VPN. It’s the time setting in your browser and it can be disabled.

      Reply
  8. Brad

    August 26, 2021

    When I use the split tunneling function in the windows app (exclude chrome f.ex.) combined with lightway I get dns leaks when I check on ipleak.net even in firefox (which is not exluded). There are also shown dns entries from my ISP. I have this issue on both of my windows 10 laptops. Can someone reproduce this issue?

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      August 26, 2021

      Sure we’ll test this soon with our next update. Feel free to post any other information you discover.

      Reply
    • Isobel Young

      October 31, 2021

      It’s been reproduced for years. I first became aware of it via a Reddit blog post in 2018. It’s a major bug in ExpressVPN, and their tech support team has admitted the bug to me (I experience exactly the same DNS leaks when using split tunnelling on Windows 10). Because it’s a bug, by definition there’s no getting around it. I’m forced to disable split tunnelling on Windows 10.

      Btw, ExpressVPN recently wrote a blog article where they implicitly conceded the existence of the bug! The article can be found below (and the relevant section is where ExpressVPN tells the user to disable split tunnelling): “Make sure Manage connection on a per-app basis is not checked [in other words, disable split tunnelling]”.

      It speaks volumes how unethical ExpressVPN is that it continues to ignore this bug; hopes that users won’t discover it; and has instead chosen to put profits before user’s privacy.

      https://www.expressvpn.com/support/troubleshooting/dns-leaks-windows-app-antivirus/

      Reply
  9. Ruby

    August 25, 2021

    The quality of the service, namely its most important features like security and privacy, is worth the premium. And above all, the trust, so far not breached.

    Reply
  10. Bra71L

    August 12, 2021

    As of today, the new protocol is on GitHub to be audited in person. Was submitted to Cure53.
    https://github.com/expressvpn/lightway-core

    I have used the service a lot and I have nothing to complain about. Only the price is very high.

    Reply
  11. Brenda Bryans

    August 8, 2021

    Sven Hi… Just an update…as of today 8th August 2021…I am unable to access Netflix USA from UK… that is it will not upload the US catalogue from any of its US stations. Furthermore although I could access Canadian content….I received a message from my broadband provider that it detected I was using a Proxy snd to stop using it, and do I was blocked. Express VPN are aware of this issue but have no timeline for a fix and so for those people like me who use it for this streaming purpose it is not viable

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      August 9, 2021

      Hi Brenda, thanks for the update. I will test USA Netflix soon with another update to this review.
      UPDATE: There appears to be a massive new round of Netflix blocking all VPNs at this time. This is unfolding now and I’m seeing different VPNs working on solutions. I’ll update these reviews and guides with more information as it unfolds.

      Reply
  12. Chris

    July 7, 2021

    Hello,Sven.Thanks to your thorough reviews,you are the most suitable to help me choose the right VPN in terms of speed.I’m confused by the many and contradictory reviews of Nord,Surfshark and Express.Which of these 3 VPNs do you think I should choose?

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      July 7, 2021

      Right now, NordVPN is at the top of our list with our best VPN services report.

      Reply
      • Granny Edna

        October 13, 2021

        Hi Sven, what do you know about new dVPN (decentralised )services like Orchid and Sentinel? Can you do a review at some point? I really like your reviews, very well put together, keep up the great work!

        Reply
        • Sven Taylor

          October 13, 2021

          Avoid these. “Decentralized” typically means sharing network resources, so your internet connection could be someone else’s endpoint, and they could be doing bad things with your internet connection, which could result in your door getting kicked in by three letter agencies. This happens with people who host Tor nodes.

    • Bra71L

      July 8, 2021

      I recommend you try all 3 to see what suits you and works best for you, all 3 have a 30 day money back guarantee.
      Personally I have Express and Nord. I stopped using Nord because besides being a slow torrent, the ping is much bigger. After upgrading from Express to the new protocol I get excellent speeds and very low ping. 24/7 use for both torrent and games. Surfshark do not recommend.

      Reply
  13. John Doe

    June 9, 2021

    Sven,

    Recently ExpressVPN released its new iOS app that now includes Lightway protocol. Is there any chance that you can update this article with new speed test results?

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      June 9, 2021

      Yes, we plan to do a completely new and updated ExpressVPN review in the coming weeks.

      Reply
  14. Vox

    April 10, 2021

    Hey, Sven!
    Thanks for another comprehensive review, as always.

    Sometime ago, ExpressVPN had an announcement about its partnership with Hewlett-Packard (HP), which has left some of us quite surprised (myself included). I’m not sure if this partnership really influences the direction that ExpressVPN is taking with regards to privacy, but it does leave me curious.

    Have you heard any particularly important news or info surrounding this? Thanks again for educating us on all things privacy!

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      April 10, 2021

      Hi Vox, no, I have not heard anything since the announcement back in 2019.

      Reply
  15. Ray

    March 16, 2021

    Does one have to pay extra for the lightway protocol do you know?

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      March 16, 2021

      No, it is included with all subscriptions.

      Reply
  16. Stu

    March 4, 2021

    Well what can I say. Express VPN working perfectly with BBCi Player here on my tablet Android device.

    I have ‘Docklands’ activated with ‘automatic’ protocol activated. But I’m also logged in and do actually have a BBC TV Liscence.

    Does anyone have any idea when ‘Lightway’ is coming to IOS by any chance ?….

    As I will have an IOS based tablet (love tablets) in a few days.

    Should also say I’ve come over from Nord and have no regrets. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Nord – just fancied a change – and I only pay monthly subscription on purpose so I’m free to come and go whenever I please.

    Reply
    • Stu

      March 4, 2021

      As I mentioned previously I came over to Express VPN just out of sheer curiosity and haven’t been disappointed.

      I appreciate every paid for VPN will have it’s pros & cons.

      But the only cons I have found with Nord is that the game ‘Golf Clash’, didn’t very much like Nord.

      But no issues with Express VPN with said game with this VPN. In the year I was using Nord, ‘Golf Clash’ was the only issue that I ever discovered personally with it.

      No issues discovered whatsoever with Express VPN thus far. But hey it’s only been 12 days into my monthly subscription.

      Reply
  17. Bob Maf

    February 27, 2021

    Expressvpn VPN is the best in the world???

    Express VPN does not have a GRAPHICAL interface for LINUX!!! no settings management! (ONLY command line, like DOS, Terminal) For every change you have to type commands, to change ip (country) you must first disconnect this VPN in command line, as a ROOT user, then change country and then reconnect.

    Upon install, Expressvpn tells you to add their “app”, which is nowhere to seen, only in terminal, commandline and endless typing and typing..

    PIA and AirVPN have a beautiful graphical interface and settings management. ExpressVPN doesn’t have all of that. You have to endlessly type commands and search it as a root user (su)!

    Settings management is possible ONLY in Terminal, command line interface, ROOT. That means that you have to log in as root every time, and check if your VPN is on.

    Isn’t it ridiculous???? The “best VPN” of the world????

    It’s 21st century and worlds “best VPN” is nowhere to be seen on linux desktop, you have to search for it in root (most dangerous way), every time!

    As a Linux user you get tired of it!

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      February 27, 2021

      Yep, I understand the frustration. But you also have to acknowledge reality: as a Linux user, you are a very tiny sliver of the overall userbase. And it get’s even worse: there are dozens of popular flavors of Linux (distros), so there is no uniformity. So making a GUI app for your specific version and flavor of Linux is tons of effort for a very tiny little segment of the user base. This is reality. And that’s why most VPNs do not spend the effort here. They are busy trying to make the bulk of their users happy, unblock streaming sites, fix bugs, launch updates, etc.

      Tip: If you want a great Linux GUI VPN with some excellent features, check out OVPN in Sweden.

      Reply
      • Bob Maf

        February 27, 2021

        Thanks for your answer, but it’s the same for every distro. Expressvpn = Terminal, Commandline, root user interface, not user-friendly and the same price as for the other (popular) operating systems.

        I don’t think that for a company that has been on the market since 2009 and is also offering a Linux product, who claims to be the biggest and best in the world.. there is much effort to create a user-friendly interface.

        B.t.w. for that price what you pay for Expressvpn, there are far too few options, settings and futures. This is reality 😉 I think, telling your customers the truth is the best way to make them happy.

        Thanks for your tip, I really appreciate it.
        Have a good weekend

        Reply
        • Sven Taylor

          February 27, 2021

          No, when a VPN makes a GUI client, it is not “the same for every distro”, which was the context of my comment (making a GUI client for Linux). Typically, it’s for Ubuntu distros, which has the largest share of users.

        • Rob

          March 13, 2021

          Hmm, im curious why in a linux disto you would have to use sudo to check unless you installed under su permissions, but you would not do that right? also they do make browser apps which are fine on multiple browsers like firefox.
          as for command line being hard,,,,lol ??? I have used expressvpn for years now on multiple custom linux distro’s and to date have had 0 problems. I would say your issues are due to lack of experiance and understanding and just being a complainer.

    • Bob Maf

      March 15, 2021

      Reply to Rob,

      Thank you for your curious review, your: “Hmmm” “,,,,lol (with lots of commas) and conclusions about me, “my issuess” ))) my understanding, experience )))

      Rob wrote: “I would say your issues are due to lack of experiance and understanding and just being a complainer”. Did you mean “Experience”? )))

      I don’t think your conclusion is smart or useful 😉 I think your reply says enough about it.

      I am not the only one who has “issue” )))) with expressvpn, and I think it’s wise to listen to people and read & understand carefully what they say 😉 You may think that all “due to lack of experience, understanding and just being a complainer” is ))))) I do not think so.

      If you have read it well, I have also written that: this product is too expensive for a command line interface, without GUI. (same price as for a Windows version and only Command Line interface also in Ubuntu 😉 ). Of course you can make it (GUI) yourself and create a few things yourself, make browser apps etc, no problem all that! but you pay money for 2 years and you expect that the “best VPN of the world” already cared about everything 😉

      For example: AirVPN is a secure VPN for Linux that you can use from a command line or GUI. Plenty of customization options, what Expressvpn does not have and I think it’s not the best in the world (but Expressvpn, does much more for reclame and marketing ))))) I like AirVPN! That’s what I think and what I actually wanted to say.

      Good luck Rob , If my comments hurt your feelings, I’m sorry for that, that wasn’t my intention!

      Have a good time!

      Reply
    • Metkoo

      July 22, 2021

      You are upset a kernel modeled on command line of Unix implements a command line application?

      Perhaps Linux is not for you

      Reply
  18. Dave

    January 31, 2021

    I am new to VPNs and subscribed to Express VPN. I’m having difficulty receiving text messages. My phone is set to MMS. I dont understand SMS or MMS very well. All I know is I have to shut off the VPN to receive replys. Any thoughts?

    Reply
  19. Thomas Hayes

    January 31, 2021

    This is the worst purchase of software that I have ever made. Constantly dropping connection. The worst part is the dire support you receive from people who seem to generate. random word combinations – great for Scrabble but of zero use when you have a problem. I will write of the amounts sent and buy something from a company that. doesn’t treat the customer with unbridled contempt and withering disdain

    Reply
  20. Brad

    January 28, 2021

    As well as all the issues I’ve listed below, I appear to have some remote surveillance port on display. I’ve tried searching for more details about it online but it seems to be an old port which no longer exists so there is hardly any information on it.
    I also have a long list of every Express VPN server that I’ve ever used on my laptop along with the times and dates so they don’t log the details of my VPN use but I do.
    Some of the tests I have run are suggesting that my traffic is also being leaked outside of the VPN tunnel. According to one of them “If you are using a VPN, it is a transparent VPN or Proxy. Your ISP is able to view pages that you visit”.
    I am also noticing that there are a huge number of blacklisted IP addresses.
    I appear to have zero privacy online. Every site that I visit seems to be able to provide content to match my preferences. Even YouTube starts off with a generic home page but as soon as I click on any content, it immediately reverts to my country’s homepage. Trying to book a holiday or buy property with my VPN is a waste of time. I may as well be using my own ISP.
    I don’t seem to remember past VPNs that used, doing any of this.

    Reply
    • Ghislain

      March 17, 2021

      I’ve had this problem with a a few techs who frankly would not really listen to me about the geo-blocking feature in the browser extension. They would still not listen even when I pointed to their own documentation. They had tunnel vision. But I’ve been an ExpressVPN customer for 3 years and this was the only time this happened. Sometimes you just get an asshole.

      Reply
  21. Hollywood

    January 27, 2021

    Maybe I’ve just been lucky but I really don’t get the bad comments regarding Express. I’ve been a happy customer for a few years now. To be fair, I don’t use any streaming services like BBC or Netflix, so if you want those maybe a different VPN is the right choice.

    Reply
  22. Wise

    January 22, 2021

    Should also mention that Foxtel streaming has been blocked for at least 2 years and Express VPN don’t care.

    Reply
  23. Dimitris

    January 5, 2021

    Even from within the UK, BBC iPlayer won’t work with ExpressVPN. It has blacklisted all IPs for ExpressVPN, and will do so for the rest of them. So it’s just a matter of time.

    So it doesn’t matter where you are really.

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      January 5, 2021

      Yes, we have found the same in our recent tests and now are only recommending two VPNs in our guide on the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer.

      Reply
      • living man

        February 2, 2021

        Dimitris tels you that: Even from within the UK, BBC iPlayer won’t work with ExpressVPN. It has blacklisted all IPs for ExpressVPN, and will do so for the rest of them

        and Sven replies:
        Yes, we have found the same in our recent tests and now are only recommending two VPNs in our guide on the best VPNs for BBC iPlayer.

        BUT Heinrich recommends THREE not 2 best vpns for BBC iplayer, with ExpressVpn at #1. Come on!!!!!!!!

        all rights reserved without prejudice

        Reply
        • Sven Taylor

          February 2, 2021

          What? Did you look at this guide? We changed the recommendations a few weeks ago. There are only two recommendations and ExpressVPN NOT recommended and is listed as being blocked:
          https://restoreprivacy.com/vpn/best/bbc-iplayer/

  24. Robert Pratt

    December 29, 2020

    Following a USA recomendation I kicked off myVPN experiences with IPVanish. Poor admin re my credit card sent me elsewhere and after much reading I tried Express VPN. No real issues except they stored my credit card no. when asked not too. ( I had suffered a fraudulent attack re my cc account probably due to poor security by one of several companies I had dealt with.) Finally, last August I tried Cyberghost. I recently updated my laptop and struggled to get CG downloaded today due to a time out error. Before checkingwith CG I searched online for info and came across this Restore Privacy site. From the ST review it looks like I need to ditch CG for NordVPN and take a hit to do so.

    Reply
    • Simon

      January 5, 2021

      I wrote the ‘Simon’ comment prior to yours. When I recently dropped Express, I also ended up going back to Nord VPN after a year away from them. What shocked me as strikingly different from ExpressVPN is that so far I’ve found NordVPN is ridiculously consistently very stable in all the various connections I’ve used. In comparison, Express was disconnecting every couple of hours in most connections I used to use – and at times those would/could crash a separate document software I was running at the same time?? I was going to try CG before I chose Nord, but the reviews I read about CG gave rise to concerns about who owned it and if privacy was assured overall. Nord has a boring interface compared to the last time I used to use it, but it’s stable, with tons of servers, and more reliable privacy assurances.

      Reply
  25. Simon

    December 27, 2020

    Sorry, but although ExpressVPN is fantastic when it works – fasy install, very user-friendly, great customer support, superfast connections, tons of server options – it has major flaws of late; not just only more abrupt disconnections than usual, but also recently it has suffered with flurries of updates, seemingly indicating some kind of recent system development chaos going on; 3 updates in 3 weeks! And with these updates you may find some disastrous consequences; ie, the normal route of updates were failing to install. Fresh clean installs may not work either as a remedy. When these installs failed, the brokedown vpn blocks internet access; only with a bit of knowledge on recovering internet access can workaround to recover it – only having a good uninstall tool will flush expressvpn out so that its stubborn internet-blocking going on while its broke, will gain back your normal internet access. For that reason I can’t recommend them anymore, even though it is a superior vpn in every other respect – when it works that is.

    Reply
  26. vikky

    December 18, 2020

    Hello guys and so sven
    Congratulations !
    I had talk with them (express vpn team )
    And they told me soon we are open source in our new protocol (lightway , beta )
    And again audit and proven for zero logs policy !
    I did with them
    Was successful !
    Best cheers
    Good luck .

    Reply
  27. Brad

    December 13, 2020

    I simply cannot understand why ExpressVPN continues to receive such high ratings.
    I have been using ExpressVPN for 2 years, having tried others that I didn’t really like. I was not able to renew my subscription with the details I used previously, I don’t know why, so for some reason I could only sign up using an entirely new set of information which meant that I lost the yearly discount which I would have gotten through PCMag.
    Anyway, I tried to use ExpessVPN last week, only to find that most things on the page (Google.com) was written in Arabic. I tried to type in a search term in the box only to find the cursor was moving from right to left instead of left to right. Anyway, I thought I’d leave it for a while and come back later as this is probably a just a glitch. I came back, typed in “what’s my IP address”, to check my location. The label on the VPN said I was in London. I thought great, English! That’s a good start. I then typed in “restaurants near me”, only to receive results for Portland, Chicago, New York (3,470 miles/5,585 km), Borehamwood (14 miles/22.7 km) from London), Birmingham (101 miles/163 km from London) but nothing for the place that the VPN actually suggested that I was in (London). Google frequently refuses to do my searches, stating that it “cannot accept search terms from IP address …..while asking me to prove that I’m not a robot, plus what’s my IP address has a huge label giving the name and address of the VPN owner, details from my computer, everything down to whether I have cookies and Java turned off or not. Plus my real IPS details so is this a good VPN service to sign up to or have I been shopped to the NSA and my laptop and VPN service taken over by Iran? The is not a trustworthy VPN in my opinion.

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      December 13, 2020

      The IP you are using for google searches could have come from some other source, and that source could have had a language preference set to Arabic, which Google remembers and implements automatically. Or, the people in London who were previously using that IP address (or others currently using it) have selected the Arabic language. This shouldn’t be a huge issue to fix. But as we noted in the review, ExpressVPN has dropped a few places in our rankings, for various reasons we noted above.

      Reply
  28. Tom B

    December 10, 2020

    Hi, thanks for publishing such a an extensive review and contrary to most other publications a totally unbiased article. I live in Canada and have been using Express VPN for a few years now, with my subscription running out in May 2021. Up to the last couple of months I have had no serious complaints concerning Express VPN’s service and their customer support has been great, but now my access to UK BBC iplayer, Channel 4 and ITV is being blocked. This is with my Mac and Apple TV, with me using the Apple TV a lot more to access TV programs. On the basis of this I am seriously considering purchasing a router so that my Apple TV and other IOS devices get VPN coverage. I am also thinking about switching to Nord VPN. On that basis I have looked at routers that both Express VPN and Nord VPN approve and see from your article you recommend ASUS models. I am looking for fast speed and wonder if you could answer a few questions as I am not as computer literate as I would wish? Is ASUS the best router to buy and convert for Express VPN and Nord VPN for my purposes and if yes, which model? It will cost be a lot more to import from the USA a pre customized router with Express VPN apps already loaded, so is it easy for a layman like me to follow the manual loading process and buy a locally sold router? Can I run to my original router as well as the new one so I can have a local non VPN network and if yes, is it an easy process and what are the pro’s and con’s

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      December 10, 2020

      Hi Tom, thanks for sharing your review of ExpressVPN. We have also tested out BBC iPlayer with ExpressVPN and found it to be blocked, but we did not know it was getting blocked with those other channels.

      With routers, we have a general VPN router guide that covers different options. However, I would strongly recommend considering the Vilfo router. This comes with NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark config files already loaded into the router. It is really turn key and simple to use, while still giving you tons of features. We tested it out this year for our Vilfo review and found the best speeds to be with NordVPN.

      I would also concur that NordVPN offers the best access to streaming sites right now and does better than ExpressVPN in this area (while also offering much faster speeds, more features, and the WireGuard protocol). To use NordVPN with Vilfo, simply select it from the available providers when you get the router, enter your credentials, then select and connect to a NordVPN server. It’s very quick and easy. Yes, you can use VPN routers with your existing router, no problem. The Vilfo would also meet your needs here because it allows selective routing to allow certain devices or websites to bypass the VPN tunnel. You can control this from the admin panel. Vilfo ships from Sweden and is made by the team behind OVPN.

      And if you are considering NordVPN, they have a great deal going on now for 68% off + 3 Months free here.

      Reply
      • Neil Spencer

        December 15, 2020

        I can confirm that ExpressVPN has not worked effectively with BBC Iplayer for months now and has also stopped working with ITV Hub and All4 apps in the UK as well.
        I have lost patience with them telling me for about 6 months now its being worked on and still nothing improves so have switched to NordVPN instead and now everything works great so avoid these guys if you are trying to stream content from the UK as its hopeless and not sure why then get such high ratings either.

        Reply
  29. Nick Hudson

    November 27, 2020

    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 68% off for 2 years.
    – Express VPN 35% off for 1 year only.

    TIA

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      November 27, 2020

      NordVPN and ExpressVPN are both solid options, but as we noted in the ExpressVPN vs NordVPN comparison, NordVPN is doing better with streaming right now with access to all major sites. ExpressVPN offers access to fewer Netflix regions, and it is also getting blocked with some other services right now, such as BBC iPlayer.
      Regarding PureVPN, I would avoid it. They have been caught logging users and giving this data to the FBI — all while claiming to be a “zero logs” VPN. It also had DNS leaks in our tests for the PureVPN review.

      Reply
  30. Michael

    November 25, 2020

    I have been using Expressvpn in the Middle East for around seven years and found it to be reliable. However, since August 2020 I’ve been unable to use BBCiPlayer. However, despite numerous emails and promises of ‘fixing’ the issue BBCiPlayer is still not working as well as itvhub and britbox.
    I read positive reviews about NordVPN and decided to try it out.
    What a surprise! I was immediately able to stream all my 🇬🇧 TV shows from BBCiPlayer and the others!

    Very disappointed with Expressvpn and their technical team!

    NORDVPN 👍👍👍👍😁

    Reply
    • Sven Taylor

      November 25, 2020

      Yep, we noted the same. NordVPN comes out on top in our new ExpressVPN vs NordVPN comparison.

      Reply
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