Quick speeds and a low studying curve

ExpressVPN is sweet at its job. It is simple to be skeptical of any service with a knack for self-promotion, however do not let ExpressVPN’s hype distract you from the truth that it retains its front-page promise of “simply working.”

Outdoors of stable safety, the 2 finest issues ExpressVPN presents are quick speeds and a easy interface. Our checks confirmed solely a 7% common drop in obtain velocity and a 2% lack of add velocity, worldwide. And whereas the dearth of additional options could frustrate skilled customers, it makes for a real set-and-forget VPN on any platform.

This is not to say ExpressVPN is with out flaws — it is almost bereft of customization choices and it is notably dearer than its competitors — however it beats most VPNs in a head-to-head matchup.

For this assessment, we adopted our rigorous 10-step VPN testing course of, exploring ExpressVPN’s safety, privateness, velocity, interfaces and extra. Whether or not you learn straight via or skip to the sections which can be most necessary for you, it’s best to come away with all the data you’ll want to resolve whether or not to subscribe.

Editor’s be aware (9/25/25): We have overhauled our VPN protection to supply extra detailed, actionable shopping for recommendation. Going ahead, we’ll proceed to replace each our best VPN list and particular person critiques (like this one) as circumstances change. Most just lately, we added official scores to all of our VPN critiques. Try how we test VPNs to be taught extra in regards to the new requirements we’re utilizing.

Desk of contents

Findings at a look

Putting in, configuring and utilizing ExpressVPN

This part focuses on the way it feels to make use of ExpressVPN on every of the most important platforms the place it is out there. Step one for any setup course of is to make an account on expressvpn.com and purchase a subscription.

Home windows

As soon as subscribed, obtain the Home windows VPN from both expressvpn.com or the Microsoft Retailer, then open the .exe file. Click on “Sure” to let it make modifications, await the set up, then let your laptop reboot. Together with the reboot, the entire course of takes 5-10 minutes, most of it idle. To complete, you may want your activation code, which you could find by going to expressvpn.com and clicking “Setup” within the top-right nook.

Excessive simplicity is the watchword for all ExpressVPN’s designs. The Home windows shopper’s launch panel consists of three buttons and fewer than ten phrases. You may change your location or let the app decide a location for you — the “Sensible Location” is the server with the perfect mixture of being close by and unburdened.

The whole lot else is crammed into the hamburger menu on the prime left. Right here, in seven tabs, you may discover the Community Lock kill swap, the 4 sorts of content material blockers, the break up tunneling menu and the choice to vary your VPN protocol. You may also add shortcuts to varied web sites, helpful in case you usually use your VPN for a similar on-line locations.

To sum up, there’s virtually nothing right here to get in the way in which: no delays, no snags, no nested menus to get misplaced in. It could be the world’s most ignorable VPN shopper. That is not a nasty factor in any respect.

Mac

ExpressVPN’s app for macOS is nearly an identical in design to its Home windows app. The method for downloading and setting it up is sort of the identical too. As on Home windows, it may be downloaded from the App Retailer or sideloaded instantly from the expressvpn.com obtain middle. Just a few options are lacking and a pair others have been added. Break up tunneling is gone (except you are still on a macOS decrease than 11), and you will not see the Lightway Turbo setting.

Mac customers do achieve entry to the IKEv2 protocol, together with the choice to show off computerized IPv6 blocking — Home windows customers have to depart it blocked always. Nearly each web site continues to be accessible by way of IPv4, however it’s helpful in case you do must entry a selected IPv6 tackle whereas the VPN is lively.

Android

Android customers can obtain ExpressVPN via the Google Play Retailer. Open the app, check in and also you’re able to go. The Android app has a really good dark-colored design, solely barely marred by an pointless data field about how lengthy you have used the VPN this week.

There’s a big button for connecting. Clicking on the server title takes you to an inventory of areas. On this checklist, you’ll be able to both search or scroll and may select particular person areas inside a rustic that has multiple. We linked to as many far-flung server areas as we may, however not a single one took longer than a number of seconds.

The choices menu is organized sensibly, with no choice situated greater than two clicks deep. You will notice a few choices right here that are not out there on desktop, the perfect of which is the power to mechanically hook up with your last-used ExpressVPN server every time your telephone connects to a non-trusted wifi community.

There are additionally a number of basic safety instruments: an IP tackle checker, DNS and WebRTC leak testers and a password generator. These are additionally out there on the web site, however right here, they’re constructed into the app. Apart from the latter, we would suggest utilizing third-party testing instruments as a substitute — even a VPN with integrity has an incentive to make its personal app appear to be it is working.

iPhone and iPad

You may solely set up ExpressVPN’s iOS app via the app retailer. Throughout setup, you might must enter your password to permit your telephone to make use of VPN configurations. In any other case, there aren’t any main variations from the Android course of.

The interface will not be fairly as pleasing because the dark-mode Android app, however it makes up for that by chopping out a number of the litter. The tabs and options are comparable, although break up tunneling and shortcuts are absent. Additionally, each cell apps make buyer help much more accessible than their desktop counterparts — plus, cell is the one strategy to ship e-mail help tickets.

Browser extension

ExpressVPN additionally contains browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. These allow you to join, disconnect and alter server areas with out leaving your browser window. It is good, however not important except you could have a really particular net browser movement you want.

ExpressVPN velocity check: Very quick averages

Connecting to a VPN virtually at all times decreases your velocity, however the perfect VPNs mitigate the drop as a lot as potential. We used Ookla’s velocity testing app to see how a lot of your web velocity ExpressVPN preserves. For this check, we emphasised the areas ExpressVPN makes use of for many of its digital servers, together with the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany and Singapore.

Some phrases earlier than we begin:

• Latency, measured in milliseconds (ms), is the time it takes one information packet to journey between your machine and an internet server via the VPN. Latency will increase with distance. It is most necessary for real-time duties like video chatting and on-line gaming.

• Obtain velocity, measured in megabits per second (Mbps), is the quantity of knowledge that may obtain onto your machine at one time — resembling when loading an internet web page or streaming a video.

• Add velocity, additionally measured in Mbps, is the quantity of knowledge your machine can ship to the net without delay. It is most necessary for torrenting, for the reason that quantity of information you’ll be able to seed determines how briskly you’ll be able to obtain in change.

The desk under exhibits our outcomes. We performed this on Home windows, utilizing the automated protocol setting with the Lightway Turbo characteristic lively — a current ExpressVPN addition that retains velocity extra constant by processing connections in parallel.

These are extraordinarily good outcomes. ExpressVPN is a winner on each obtain and add velocity. Irrespective of the place we went on the planet, we by no means misplaced greater than about 7% of our obtain speeds, and add misplaced an astoundingly low common of two%. This means that ExpressVPN deftly distributes its consumer load between servers to get rid of bottlenecks.

The latency numbers look worse, however the rise within the desk is much less sharp than we projected. Ping size relies upon way more on distance than obtain velocity does, so we count on it to shoot up on servers greater than 1,000 miles from our location. Protecting the common under 300 ms, as ExpressVPN does right here, is a robust displaying.

ExpressVPN safety check: Checking for leaks

A VPN’s core mission is to cover your IP tackle and make you untraceable on-line. Our job on this part is to determine if ExpressVPN can perform this mission each time you join. Whereas we won’t be 100% sure, the checks we’ll run via under have led us to imagine that ExpressVPN is at the moment leak-proof.

Obtainable VPN protocols

A VPN protocol is sort of a widespread language {that a} VPN server can use to mediate between your gadgets and the net servers you go to. If a VPN makes use of outdated or insecure protocols, or depends on distinctive protocols with no seen specs or supply code, that is a nasty signal.

ExpressVPN offers you a number of three protocols: IKEv2, OpenVPN and Lightway. The primary two are stable decisions that help the most recent encryption algorithms. OpenVPN has been absolutely open-source for years and is the only option if privateness is your purpose. Whereas IKEv2 began life as a closed venture by Microsoft and Cisco, ExpressVPN makes use of an open-source reverse-engineering, which is each higher for privateness and fairly quick.

Lightway is the odd one out, a protocol you may solely discover on ExpressVPN, although its source code is available on Github. It is much like WireGuard, in that each attain for sooner speeds and decrease processing calls for by holding their codebases slim. Nonetheless, Lightway was just lately rewritten in Rust to raised defend the keys saved in its reminiscence.

Finally, you’ll be able to’t go incorrect with any of ExpressVPN’s protocol choices. 99% of the time, your best option shall be to set the controls to Automated and let the VPN resolve which runs finest.

Testing for leaks

ExpressVPN is likely one of the finest companies, however it’s not leak-proof (as you’ll be able to learn within the Background Test under). Fortunately, checking for DNS leaks is a straightforward matter of checking your IP tackle earlier than and after connecting to a VPN server. If the brand new tackle matches the VPN server, you are good; if not, your VPN is leaking.

First, we checked the Home windows app with break up tunneling lively to make sure the flaw actually had been patched. We examined a number of servers and did not discover any leaks, which suggests the patch labored, although leaks have been uncommon even earlier than ExpressVPN mounted the vulnerability.

Actually, we did not discover any leaks on any ExpressVPN server we examined on any platform. Although questions stay about iOS, as you may see later on this part, that is an issue on Apple’s finish that even the perfect VPNs can do little or no about for now.

The commonest reason for VPN leaks is the usage of public DNS servers to attach customers to web sites, which may mistakenly ship searching exercise outdoors the VPN’s encrypted tunnel. ExpressVPN avoids the dangers of the general public system by putting in its personal DNS resolvers on each server. That is the important thing issue behind its clear invoice of well being in our leak testing.

Two different widespread flaws can result in VPN leaks: WebRTC site visitors and IPv6. The previous is a communication protocol utilized in reside streaming and the latter is a brand new IP customary designed to develop area availability. Each are good, however at the moment non-obligatory, so ExpressVPN mechanically blocks each to make sure there is not any alternative for leaks to come up.

One be aware about VPN safety on iOS: it is a known and continuing problem that iOS VPNs don’t forestall many on-line apps from speaking with Apple instantly, outdoors the VPN tunnel. This dangers leaking delicate information, even with Lockdown Mode lively in iOS 16. A blog post by Proton VPN shares a workaround: hook up with a VPN server, then flip Airplane Mode on and off once more to finish all connections that have been lively earlier than you linked to the VPN.

Testing encryption

We completed up our battery of safety checks by testing ExpressVPN’s encryption instantly. Utilizing WireShark, a free packet sniffer, we inspected what it appears to be like like when ExpressVPN transmits information from one among its servers to the web. The screenshot under exhibits a knowledge stream encrypted with Lightway UDP.

That lack of any identifiable data, and even readable data, means encryption is working as meant. We repeated the check a number of occasions, at all times getting the identical outcome. This left us glad that ExpressVPN’s core options are working as meant.

How a lot does ExpressVPN price?

ExpressVPN subscriptions price $12.95 monthly. Lengthy-term subscriptions can convey the month-to-month price down, however the nice offers they provide are likely to solely final for the primary billing interval.

A 12-month subscription prices $99.95 and contains three months free of charge along with your first fee, costing a complete of $6.67 monthly. The bonus disappears for all subsequent years, elevating the month-to-month price to $8.33. You may also join 28 months at a price of $139.72, however that is additionally once-only — ExpressVPN can solely be renewed on the $99.95 per 12 months degree.

There are two methods to check ExpressVPN free of charge earlier than making a monetary dedication. Customers on iOS and Android can obtain the ExpressVPN app with out getting into any fee particulars and use it free for seven days. On any platform, there is a 30-day money-back assure, which ExpressVPN has traditionally honored with no questions requested. You’ll have to pay earlier than you need to use it, although.

In our opinion, ExpressVPN’s service is stable sufficient that it is price paying additional. Maybe not this a lot additional, however that will depend on what you get out of it. We suggest utilizing the 30-day refund interval and seeing how effectively ExpressVPN works for you. If it is a VPN you’ll be able to get pleasure from utilizing, that runs quick and unblocks every part you want, that is price a server’s weight in gold.

ExpressVPN facet apps and bundles

ExpressVPN contains some particular options that work principally or wholly separate from its VPN apps. A few of these come free with a subscription, whereas others add an additional price.

Each subscription contains the ExpressVPN keys password supervisor. That is out there beneath its personal tab on the Android and iOS apps. On desktop, you may must obtain a separate extension out of your browser’s retailer, then check in utilizing your account activation code. It is out there on all Chromium browsers, however not Firefox.

Beginning in 2025, new subscribers get an eSIM plan via holiday.com, a separate service linked to ExpressVPN. The baseline 1GB vacation eSIM plans final for five days and may apply to international locations, areas, or your complete world (although it isn’t clear whether or not the bundle deal applies to the regional and world plans). Longer-term plans embody bigger eSIM plans.

You may add a devoted IP tackle to your ExpressVPN subscription for an additional cost per month. A devoted IP enables you to use the identical IP tackle each time you hook up with ExpressVPN. You may add the tackle to whitelists on restricted networks, and also you’re assured to by no means be blocked due to another person’s dangerous exercise on a shared IP.

Not like a lot of its rivals, ExpressVPN does not at the moment provide antivirus or on-line storage companies, however there’s a complete bundle of ID safety instruments known as Id Defender. We have not reviewed any of those merchandise intimately, however here is an inventory for reference:

• ID Alerts will inform you if any of your delicate data is leaked or misused on-line. It is free with all plans, however you may should enter your private data in your ExpressVPN account web page or a cell app.

• ID Theft Insurance coverage grants as much as $1 million in id theft reimbursement and comes free with new ExpressVPN one-year or two-year subscriptions. It isn’t but out there to those that subscribed earlier than it launched in October 2024.

• Knowledge Elimination scans on your data in information brokerages and mechanically requests that it’s deleted. It is also free with one-year and two-year plans.

• Credit score Scanner is barely out there for United States customers. It screens your exercise on the three credit score bureaus so you’ll be able to rapidly spot any suspicious transactions.

The Id Defender options are at the moment solely out there to new ExpressVPN clients within the US.

Shut-reading ExpressVPN’s privateness coverage

Though we fear that the consolidation of VPN manufacturers beneath the umbrella of Kape Applied sciences (ExpressVPN’s mum or dad firm) will make the business much less aggressive, we do not imagine it is influencing ExpressVPN to reap the benefits of its customers’ privateness. To verify, and get a full sense of what kind of privateness ExpressVPN guarantees its customers, we got down to learn ExpressVPN’s privateness coverage intimately. It is lengthy, however fortunately aimed toward informal customers as a substitute of legal professionals. You can see it for yourself here.

Within the introduction, ExpressVPN states that it doesn’t preserve both exercise logs (resembling a consumer’s searching historical past whereas linked to the VPN) or connection logs (such because the period of a consumer’s session and their IP tackle, which can be utilized to extrapolate searching exercise). It then specifies the seven sorts of information it is legally allowed to gather:

• Knowledge used to join an account, resembling names, emails and fee strategies.

• VPN utilization information which is aggregated and cannot be traced to any particular person.

• Credentials saved within the ExpressVPN Keys password supervisor.

• Diagnostic information resembling crash reviews, that are solely shared upon consumer request.

• IP addresses licensed for MediaStreamer, which is just for streaming gadgets that do not in any other case help VPN apps.

• Advertising information collected instantly from the app — a “restricted quantity” that is saved nameless.

• Knowledge voluntarily submitted for id theft safety apps.

Of these seven exceptions, the one ones that depend as pink flags are account information and advertising information. Each classes are extremely private and might be damaging if mishandled. Fortuitously, complying with subpoenas will not be one of many allowed makes use of listed for both information class, nor does the coverage let ExpressVPN promote the info to different non-public events.

The one actually annoying factor right here is that in case you ask ExpressVPN to delete your private information, you will not be capable to use your account from then on. You are not even eligible for a refund on this case, except you are inside 30 days of your preliminary subscription.

As for advertising information, ExpressVPN collects machine fingerprints and site information while you join an account on its web site. The privateness coverage additionally claims that is anonymized, as its “programs are engineered to decouple such information from personally identifiable data.” Audits corroborate this, as we’ll see within the subsequent part. So, whereas it could be higher if ExpressVPN did not acquire any private information in any respect, its practices do not seem to pose a danger to something you do whereas utilizing the VPN — simply the ExpressVPN web site.

Privateness audits

VPN suppliers usually get third-party accounting corporations to audit their privateness insurance policies. The concept is {that a} well-known agency will not mortgage its popularity to lie on behalf of a VPN, so their outcomes will be trusted.

For the final a number of years, ExpressVPN has had KPMG look over its privateness coverage and related infrastructure (see “TrustedServer” under). KPMG’s most up-to-date report, accomplished in December 2023 and launched in Might 2024, discovered that ExpressVPN had sufficient inside controls in place that customers may belief its privateness coverage.

The report is freely available to read. This can be a excellent signal, although we’re looking for a extra up-to-date audit quickly.

TrustedServer

“TrustedServer” is a advertising time period ExpressVPN makes use of for its RAM-only server infrastructure. RAM-only servers don’t have any onerous drives for long-term storage and return to a normal disk picture with each reboot. This makes it theoretically unimaginable to retailer consumer exercise logs on them, even when ExpressVPN needed to try this.

The KPMG audit, linked above, reviews that TrustedServer works as marketed. Between its many clear privateness audits and the Turkish server incident in 2017, we’re ready to say ExpressVPN is a personal VPN, despite its aggravating exception for advertising.

Can ExpressVPN change your digital location?

Subsequent, we examined whether or not ExpressVPN can really persuade web sites that you simply’re someplace aside from your actual location. Our safety checks have already confirmed it will possibly disguise your IP tackle, however it takes greater than leak-proofing to idiot streaming websites lately — Netflix and the others have gotten excellent at combing via metadata to smell out proxy customers.

The method for testing this can be a lot like how we dealt with the DNS leak checks: attempt a number of totally different servers and see if we get caught. We checked 5 pattern areas outdoors the U.S. to see if we a) obtained into Netflix and b) noticed totally different titles within the library. The outcomes are under.

In fifteen checks, ExpressVPN slipped up solely as soon as. Docklands, the UK server it selected because the quickest, wasn’t capable of entry Netflix. We switched to a server labeled merely “London” and unblocked it with out concern.

All the opposite areas obtained us entry to an alternate Netflix library on the primary attempt. We even checked whether or not the India server, which is bodily situated within the UK, confirmed us totally different movies than the UK servers. It did, which makes us much more assured that ExpressVPN’s digital areas are hermetic.

Investigating ExpressVPN’s server community

ExpressVPN customers can hook up with a complete of 164 server areas in 105 international locations and territories. These areas are fairly effectively distributed throughout the globe, however as with all VPNs, there is a bias towards the northern hemisphere. There are 24 areas within the U.S. alone and an additional 66 in Europe.

That is not to say customers within the International South get nothing. ExpressVPN has IP addresses from 9 nations in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) and 6 in Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa). The community even contains Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, spectacular since central Asia would be the area most frequently shafted by VPNs.

Nonetheless, many of those servers have digital areas totally different from their actual ones. For these of you selecting a server based mostly on efficiency as a substitute of a selected IP tackle, ExpressVPN’s web site has a useful checklist of which servers are digital. The dangerous information is that it is a large chunk of the checklist. A complete of 63 ExpressVPN areas are digital, or 38% of its whole community.

To scale back the sting, ExpressVPN takes care to find digital servers as near their actual areas as potential. Its digital areas in Indonesia and India are bodily based mostly in Singapore. This is not at all times sensible, resulting in some awkwardness like working a Ghana IP tackle out of Germany. But it surely helps ExpressVPN carry out higher within the southern hemisphere.

Further options of ExpressVPN

In comparison with direct rivals like NordVPN and Surfshark, ExpressVPN does not have many particular options. It is aimed squarely on the informal market and can in all probability disappoint energy customers. Having mentioned that, what they do embody works effectively. On this part, we’ll run via ExpressVPN’s 4 substantial options outdoors its VPN servers themselves.

Community Lock kill swap

“Community Lock” is the title ExpressVPN offers to its kill swap (although it is known as “Community Safety” on cell). A VPN kill swap is a security characteristic that retains you from broadcasting outdoors the VPN tunnel. If it ever detects that you simply aren’t linked to a legit ExpressVPN server, it cuts off your web entry. You will not be capable to get again on-line till you both reconnect to the VPN or disable Community Lock.

That is necessary for everybody, not simply customers who want to cover delicate site visitors. The just lately found TunnelVision bug theoretically permits hackers to arrange pretend public wi-fi networks via which they redirect you to equally pretend VPN servers, which then harvest your private data. It is unlikely, however not unimaginable, and a kill swap is one of the simplest ways to stop it — the swap at all times triggers except you are linked to an actual server within the VPN’s community.

Like most of ExpressVPN’s options, all you are able to do with Community Lock is flip it on and off. You may also toggle whether or not you may nonetheless be capable to entry native gadgets whereas the kill swap is obstructing your web — that is allowed by default.

Risk supervisor, advert blocker and parental controls

ExpressVPN teams three instruments beneath the heading of “superior safety” — Risk Supervisor, an advert blocker and parental controls. Risk Supervisor consists of two checkboxes: one which blocks your browser from speaking with exercise monitoring software program and one which blocks an inventory of internet sites identified for use for malware.

You may’t customise the lists, so that you’re restricted to what ExpressVPN considers worthy of blocking. They share their sources on the web site. Whereas the lists are intensive and open-source, they depend on after-the-fact reporting and may’t detect and block unknown threats like a correct antivirus.

The adblock and parental management choices work the identical means: test a field to dam every part on the checklist, uncheck it to permit every part via. In checks, the advert blocker was almost 100% efficient towards banner adverts, however failed to dam any video adverts on YouTube or Netflix.

The parental management choice blocks an inventory of porn websites. It is a simple choice for involved mother and father, however solely works whereas ExpressVPN is linked. As such, it is meant for use at the side of device-level parental controls that forestall the kid from turning off or uninstalling the VPN shopper.

Break up tunneling

Typically, you may discover it useful to have your machine getting on-line via two totally different IP addresses without delay — one on your residence companies and one for a location you are attempting to spoof. That is the place break up tunneling is useful: it runs some apps via the VPN whereas leaving others unprotected. This may additionally enhance your speeds, for the reason that VPN must encrypt much less in whole.

ExpressVPN contains break up tunneling on Home windows, Android and Mac (although solely on variations 10 and under). You may solely break up by app, not by web site, however it’s nonetheless fairly helpful. For instance, you’ll be able to have BitTorrent dealing with a heavy obtain within the background when you use your browser for innocuous actions that do not want defending.

ExpressVPN Aircove router

By now, it ought to be clear that we discover ExpressVPN to be a extremely dependable however usually unexceptional VPN service. Nonetheless, there’s one space during which it is a clear business chief: VPN routers. ExpressVPN Aircove is, to our information, the one router with a built-in industrial VPN that comes with its personal dashboard interface.

Often, putting in a VPN in your router requires tinkering with the router management panel, which turns off all however essentially the most skilled customers — to not point out making it an enormous ache to modify to a brand new server location. Aircove’s dashboard, in contrast, shall be immediately acquainted to anybody who already is aware of find out how to use an ExpressVPN shopper. It even permits totally different gadgets in your house to hook up with totally different areas via the router VPN.

Aircove’s greatest disadvantage is its value. At present retailing at $189 (not together with an ExpressVPN subscription), it is round thrice dearer than an aftermarket router fitted with free VPN firmware. A few of you would possibly nonetheless discover the comfort definitely worth the one-time fee.

ExpressVPN buyer help choices

ExpressVPN’s written assist pages are a number of the finest available on the market. Its reside chat is extra of a blended bag, and complicated questions could trigger delays. Nonetheless, it’s no less than staffed with human brokers who intention to answer precisely, quite than resolve your ticket as rapidly as potential.

We approached ExpressVPN’s help options with a easy query: “If I requested that ExpressVPN delete all my private information, would I be capable to get a refund for my unused subscription time?” (Keep in mind from the Privateness Coverage part that submitting a full deletion request additionally cancels your ExpressVPN account.)

Our first cease was expressvpn.com/help, the written help middle and FAQ web page. It is divided into setup guides, troubleshooting, account administration and data on every of ExpressVPN’s merchandise. The setup guides are wonderful, together with screenshots and clearly written steps; each features a video information for individuals who be taught higher that means.

Troubleshooting is simply pretty much as good — no movies, however the identical requirements of readability and usefulness prevail. The part begins with basic issues, then delves into particular points you would possibly face on every working system. Every article clearly derives from an actual buyer want.

The reside help expertise

To get solutions on our refund query, we visited the account administration FAQs. This part acknowledged that the refund coverage solely applies inside 30 days of buy. Fairly clear-cut, however we nonetheless needed a solution on our particular case, so we contacted reside chat by clicking the button on the bottom-right of each FAQ web page.

Reside chat begins with an AI assistant, which isn’t too onerous to get previous — simply ask it a query it will possibly’t reply, then click on “Switch to an Agent.” We obtained on-line with (what claimed to be) a human in lower than a minute. Answering the query took longer and concerned an uncomfortable 10-minute silence, however we did get a transparent verdict from an actual individual: refunds are inside 30 days solely, it doesn’t matter what.

If the reside chat agent cannot reply your query, you may be redirected to open an e-mail help ticket. Annoyingly, there is not any strategy to go on to e-mail help via the web site or desktop apps, although cell customers have the choice to skip instantly there.

ExpressVPN background test: From founding to Kape Applied sciences

ExpressVPN launched in 2009, which makes it one of many oldest client VPNs in continuous operation. In additional than 15 years of operation, it is by no means been caught violating its personal privateness coverage, although its report is not freed from extra minor blemishes.

Headquarters within the British Virgin Islands

Founders Dan Pomerantz and Peter Burchhardt registered the corporate within the British Virgin Islands from the begin to reap the benefits of that territory’s favorable authorized setting for on-line privateness. The BVIs don’t have any legislation requiring companies to retain information on their customers, and the method for extraditing information is famously troublesome, requiring a direct order from the very best court docket.

In 2021, the BVI implemented the Data Protection Act (DPA) [PDF link], which prevents firms based mostly within the territory from accessing information on their customers wherever on the planet. It is an awesome privateness legislation in concept, modeled on best-in-class laws within the EU. Nonetheless, we could not discover any proof that its supervising authority — the Workplace of the Data Commissioner — has a frontrunner or employees.

In different phrases, whereas ExpressVPN will not be legally required to log any information on its customers, there’s technically no one stopping them from doing so. Whether or not you belief the jurisdiction will depend on whether or not you belief the corporate itself. Let’s examine what the opposite proof says.

Safety and privateness incidents

Two important incidents stand out from ExpressVPN’s 16-year historical past. In 2017, when Andrei Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, was shot to death at an art show. Turkish police suspected somebody had used ExpressVPN to mask their identity whereas they deleted data from social media accounts belonging to the alleged murderer. To analyze, they confiscated an ExpressVPN server to comb for proof. They didn’t find anything.

A police seizure is the absolute best check of a VPN’s method to privateness. The supplier cannot put together beforehand, pretend something, or collude with investigators. The Turkey incident continues to be among the best causes to suggest ExpressVPN, although eight years is a very long time for coverage to vary.

The second incident started in March 2024, when a researcher at CNET knowledgeable ExpressVPN that its model 12 for Home windows occasionally leaked DNS requests when users enabled the split tunneling feature. Whereas these customers remained linked to an ExpressVPN server, their searching exercise was usually going on to their ISP, unmasked.

The bug solely impacted a number of customers, and to their credit score, ExpressVPN sprang into motion as quickly as they discovered about it. The staff had it patched by April, as confirmed by the researcher who initially found the vulnerability. However whereas their fast and efficient response deserves reward, it is nonetheless a mark towards them {that a} journalist seen the bug earlier than they did.

Kape Applied sciences possession and administration questions

In 2021, an Israeli-owned, UK-based agency known as Kape Applied sciences purchased a controlling interest in ExpressVPN. Along with ExpressVPN, privately held Kape owns CyberGhost, Non-public Web Entry, and Zenmate (earlier than it merged into CyberGhost). As shown on its website, it additionally owns Webselenese, writer of VPN assessment web sites WizCase and vpnMentor, which poses an obvious battle of curiosity.

When reached for remark, a consultant for ExpressVPN mentioned that “ExpressVPN doesn’t instantly interact with, nor search to affect, the content material on any Webselenese website,” and pointed us to disclosure statements on the web sites in query — here’s one example. Even so, it is a good reminder to not take VPN critiques at face worth with out realizing who’s behind them (Engadget is owned by Yahoo, which doesn’t personal any VPNs).

Diving deeper into the background of Kape’s possession will lead you to proprietor Teddy Sagi. Return far sufficient, and you will see he did prison time in Israel and was mentioned in the Pandora Papers, amongst different issues. Extra just lately, headlines in regards to the billionaire have targeted extra his companies within the online gambling and fintech arenas, in addition to his real estate ventures. An ExpressVPN consultant instructed us that “Kape’s manufacturers proceed to function independently,” and our investigation bore that out — we could not discover any proof that Kape or Sagi have instantly tried to affect ExpressVPN’s software program or every day operations.

Nearer to the rapid day-to-day operations of ExpressVPN was the corporate’s employment of Daniel Gericke as CTO from 2019 via 2023. Throughout that point, the US Justice Division introduced it had fined Gericke and two others for his or her earlier employment on a surveillance operation known as Venture Raven, which the United Arab Emirates (UAE) used to spy by itself residents.

The revelation prompted a public response from ExpressVPN defending its decision to hire Gericke, arguing that “[t]he finest goalkeepers are those educated by the perfect strikers.” ExpressVPN’s consultant confirmed that the corporate nonetheless stands by that linked assertion.

Gericke parted methods with ExpressVPN in October 2023, per his LinkedIn profile. Whereas we do not know what we do not know, we will say that ExpressVPN has not notably modified its public-facing safety and privateness insurance policies in the course of the time it has been linked to Kape, Sagi, or Gericke.

In the long run, how a lot ExpressVPN’s historical past issues to you is a private alternative. If you happen to object to any present or previous actions by Kape Applied sciences or Teddy Sagi, there are different premium VPN choices you would possibly choose. If you happen to want extra data to make up your thoughts, we suggest studying via CNET’s 2022 deep dive on ExpressVPN’s corporate history.

Closing verdict

ExpressVPN is the VPN we most frequently suggest to freshmen. It takes zero coaching to make use of, and constantly will get previous filters on streaming websites. It additionally runs within the background with nearly no affect. If something is definitely worth the excessive value of admission, it is the superb speeds distributed evenly throughout the worldwide server community.

Nonetheless, for sure particular circumstances, ExpressVPN might not be the only option. There is no strategy to arrange your individual server areas, like NordVPN presents, and no double VPN connections, like you’ll be able to construct for your self on Surfshark. Its company background is extra suspect than the entities backing Proton VPN, and in contrast to Mullvad, ExpressVPN does not work in China — it is so well-known that the federal government targets its servers particularly.

We propose going with ExpressVPN for basic on-line privateness, for spoofing areas in your house nation whereas touring, or in case you usually must unblock websites in different international locations. That encompasses 19 of each 20 customers, which is ok by us, as ExpressVPN is a good service. It is simply extra of a dependable previous screwdriver than a multi-tool.