Quick speeds and a low studying curve

ExpressVPN is nice at its job. It is easy 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 strong safety, the 2 greatest issues ExpressVPN presents are quick speeds and a easy interface. Our checks confirmed solely a 7% common drop in obtain pace and a 2% lack of add pace, worldwide. And whereas the shortage of additional options might 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 evaluation, we adopted our rigorous 10-step VPN testing course of, exploring ExpressVPN’s safety, privateness, pace, interfaces and extra. Whether or not you learn straight via or skip to the sections which might be most essential for you, it’s best to come away with all the data it is advisable resolve whether or not to subscribe.

Editor’s word (7/25/25): We’re within the strategy of revamping our VPN protection to supply extra in-depth, actionable info and shopping for guides. Our suggestions, and all the information on this web page, are topic to vary because the replace continues. Take a look at our revamped ProtonVPN review and NordVPN review to see the brand new route, or study extra about how we test VPNs.

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 foremost 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 adjustments, watch for the set up, then let your pc reboot. Together with the reboot, the entire course of takes 5-10 minutes, most of it idle. To complete, you will want your activation code, which you will discover 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 possibly can change your location or let the app choose a location for you — the “Good Location” is the server with the most effective mixture of being close by and unburdened.

Every thing else is crammed into the hamburger menu on the high left. Right here, in seven tabs, you will discover the Community Lock kill change, the 4 varieties of content material blockers, the break up tunneling menu and the choice to vary your VPN protocol. You can even add shortcuts to numerous web sites, helpful if you happen to recurrently use your VPN for a similar on-line locations.

To sum up, there’s nearly nothing right here to get in the best way: 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 foul factor in any respect.

Mac

ExpressVPN’s app for macOS is sort of an identical in design to its Home windows app. The method for downloading and setting it up is almost 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 (until 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 through IPv4, however it’s helpful if you happen to do must entry a particular IPv6 handle whereas the VPN is lively.

Android

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

There’s a big button for connecting. Clicking on the server title takes you to a listing of areas. On this listing, you may both search or scroll and might 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 note a few choices right here that are not out there on desktop, the most effective of which is the power to robotically connect with your last-used ExpressVPN server at any time when your cellphone connects to a non-trusted wifi community.

There are additionally a number of basic safety instruments: an IP handle 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. Aside from the latter, we might advocate utilizing third-party testing instruments as a substitute — even a VPN with integrity has an incentive to make its personal app appear like it is working.

iPhone and iPad

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

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

Browser extension

ExpressVPN additionally consists of 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 until you may have a really particular net browser stream you want.

ExpressVPN pace check: Very quick averages

Connecting to a VPN nearly at all times decreases your pace, however the most effective VPNs mitigate the drop as a lot as potential. We used Ookla’s pace testing app to see how a lot of your web pace 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 gadget and an internet server via the VPN. Latency will increase with distance. It is most essential for real-time duties like video chatting and on-line gaming.

• Obtain pace, measured in megabits per second (Mbps), is the quantity of data that may obtain onto your gadget at one time — corresponding to when loading an internet web page or streaming a video.

• Add pace, additionally measured in Mbps, is the quantity of data your gadget can ship to the net directly. It is most essential for torrenting, because the quantity of information you may seed determines how briskly you may 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 latest ExpressVPN addition that retains pace extra constant by processing connections in parallel.

These are extraordinarily good outcomes. ExpressVPN is a winner on each obtain and add pace. Regardless of the place we went on the earth, 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 person 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 much more on distance than obtain pace does, so we count on it to shoot up on servers greater than 1,000 miles from our location. Preserving 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 handle and make you untraceable on-line. Our activity 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 presently leak-proof.

Accessible VPN protocols

A VPN protocol is sort of a widespread language {that a} VPN server can use to mediate between your units 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 foul signal.

ExpressVPN offers you a number of three protocols: IKEv2, OpenVPN and Lightway. The primary two are strong selections that help the newest encryption algorithms. OpenVPN has been absolutely open-source for years and is your best option if privateness is your aim. 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 will solely discover on ExpressVPN, although its source code is available on Github. It is just like WireGuard, in that each attain for quicker speeds and decrease processing calls for by preserving their codebases slim. Nevertheless, Lightway was not too long ago rewritten in Rust to raised defend the keys saved in its reminiscence.

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

Testing for leaks

ExpressVPN is likely one of the greatest companies, however it’s not leak-proof (as you may learn within the Background Test under). Fortunately, checking for DNS leaks is a straightforward matter of checking your IP handle earlier than and after connecting to a VPN server. If the brand new handle 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 fastened the vulnerability.

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

The most typical explanation for VPN leaks is using public DNS servers to attach customers to web sites, which may mistakenly ship looking 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 dwell streaming and the latter is a brand new IP normal designed to develop area availability. Each are good, however presently non-obligatory, so ExpressVPN robotically blocks each to make sure there is no alternative for leaks to come up.

One word 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: connect 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 trying out ExpressVPN’s encryption instantly. Utilizing WireShark, a free packet sniffer, we inspected what it seems to be like when ExpressVPN transmits information from certainly one of its servers to the web. The screenshot under exhibits an information stream encrypted with Lightway UDP.

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

How a lot does ExpressVPN price?

ExpressVPN subscriptions price $12.95 per thirty days. Lengthy-term subscriptions can carry the month-to-month price down, however the nice offers they provide are inclined to solely final for the primary billing interval.

A 12-month subscription prices $99.95 and consists of three months free of charge along with your first fee, costing a complete of $6.67 per thirty days. The bonus disappears for all subsequent years, elevating the month-to-month price to $8.33. You can even join 28 months at a value 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 coming 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 strong sufficient that it is value paying additional. Maybe not this a lot additional, however that will depend on what you get out of it. We advocate utilizing the 30-day refund interval and seeing how nicely ExpressVPN works for you. If it is a VPN you may take pleasure in utilizing, that runs quick and unblocks all the pieces you want, that is value a server’s weight in gold.

ExpressVPN aspect apps and bundles

ExpressVPN consists of 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 consists of the ExpressVPN keys password supervisor. That is out there beneath its personal tab on the Android and iOS apps. On desktop, you will must obtain a separate extension out of your browser’s retailer, then register 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 might apply to international locations, areas, or all the 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 possibly can add a devoted IP handle to your ExpressVPN subscription for an additional cost per month. A devoted IP allows you to use the identical IP handle each time you connect with ExpressVPN. You possibly can add the handle to whitelists on restricted networks, and also you’re assured to by no means be blocked due to another person’s unhealthy exercise on a shared IP.

In contrast to lots of its rivals, ExpressVPN would not presently supply antivirus or on-line storage companies, however there’s a complete bundle of ID safety instruments referred to as Identification Defender. We have not reviewed any of those merchandise intimately, however this is a listing for reference:

• ID Alerts will inform you if any of your delicate info is leaked or misused on-line. It is free with all plans, however you will should enter your private info in your ExpressVPN account web page or a cellular 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 is not but out there to those that subscribed earlier than it launched in October 2024.

• Information Removing scans on your info in information brokerages and robotically requests that or not 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 may rapidly spot any suspicious transactions.

The Identification Defender options are presently solely out there to new ExpressVPN prospects 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 dad or mum 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 attorneys. You can see it for yourself here.

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

• Information used to join an account, corresponding to 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 corresponding to crash studies, that are solely shared upon person request.

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

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

• Information voluntarily submitted for id theft safety apps.

Of these seven exceptions, the one ones that depend as purple flags are account information and advertising and marketing information. Each classes are extremely private and might be damaging if mishandled. Thankfully, complying with subpoenas is just not 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 if you happen to 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, until you are inside 30 days of your preliminary subscription.

As for advertising and marketing information, ExpressVPN collects gadget fingerprints and site information once you join an account on its web site. The privateness coverage additionally claims that is anonymized, as its “techniques are engineered to decouple such information from personally identifiable info.” 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 repute to lie on behalf of a VPN, so their outcomes could 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 Could 2024, discovered that ExpressVPN had sufficient inner controls in place that customers may belief its privateness coverage.

The report is freely available to read. It is a superb signal, although we’re searching for a extra up-to-date audit quickly.

TrustedServer

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

The KPMG audit, linked above, studies 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 non-public VPN, regardless of its aggravating exception for advertising and marketing.

Can ExpressVPN change your digital location?

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

The method for testing it is a lot like how we dealt with the DNS leak checks: strive a number of completely different servers and see if we get caught. We checked 5 pattern areas outdoors the U.S. to see if we a) received into Netflix and b) noticed completely 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 subject.

All the opposite areas received us entry to an alternate Netflix library on the primary strive. We even checked whether or not the India server, which is bodily situated within the UK, confirmed us completely 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 connect with a complete of 164 server areas in 105 international locations and territories. These areas are fairly nicely 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 World 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 consists of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, spectacular since central Asia could be the area most frequently shafted by VPNs.

Nevertheless, many of those servers have digital areas completely different from their actual ones. For these of you selecting a server primarily based on efficiency as a substitute of a specific IP handle, ExpressVPN’s web site has a useful listing of which servers are digital. The unhealthy information is that it is a massive chunk of the listing. A complete of 63 ExpressVPN areas are digital, or 38% of its complete community.

To cut 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 primarily based in Singapore. This is not at all times sensible, resulting in some awkwardness like working a Ghana IP handle out of Germany. Nevertheless it helps ExpressVPN carry out higher within the southern hemisphere.

In comparison with direct rivals like NordVPN and Surfshark, ExpressVPN would 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 nicely. On this part, we’ll run via ExpressVPN’s 4 substantial options outdoors its VPN servers themselves.

Community Lock kill change

“Community Lock” is the title ExpressVPN offers to its kill change (although it is referred to as “Community Safety” on cellular). A VPN kill change 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 official 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 essential for everybody, not simply customers who want to cover delicate site visitors. The not too long ago found TunnelVision bug theoretically permits hackers to arrange faux public wi-fi networks via which they redirect you to equally faux VPN servers, which then harvest your private info. It is unlikely, however not unimaginable, and a kill change is one of the simplest ways to forestall it — the change at all times triggers until 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 can even toggle whether or not you will nonetheless be capable to entry native units whereas the kill change is obstructing your web — that is allowed by default.

Menace supervisor, advert blocker and parental controls

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

You possibly can’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 might’t detect and block unknown threats like a correct antivirus.

The adblock and parental management choices work the identical method: test a field to dam all the pieces on the listing, uncheck it to permit all the pieces 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 a listing of porn websites. It is a straightforward choice for involved dad and mom, however solely works whereas ExpressVPN is linked. As such, it is meant for use along with device-level parental controls that forestall the kid from turning off or uninstalling the VPN shopper.

Break up tunneling

Generally, you will discover it useful to have your gadget getting on-line via two completely different IP addresses directly — one on your dwelling 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 will additionally enhance your speeds, because the VPN must encrypt much less in whole.

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

ExpressVPN Aircove router

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

Normally, 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 a large ache to modify to a brand new server location. Aircove’s dashboard, against this, will probably be immediately acquainted to anybody who already is aware of easy methods to use an ExpressVPN shopper. It even permits completely different units in your house to hook up with completely different areas via the router VPN.

Aircove’s greatest disadvantage is its value. Presently 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 well worth the one-time fee.

ExpressVPN buyer help choices

ExpressVPN’s written assist pages are among the greatest available on the market. Its dwell chat is extra of a blended bag, and sophisticated questions might trigger delays. Nevertheless, it’s a minimum of staffed with human brokers who purpose to answer precisely, fairly 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?” (Bear 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 knowledge on every of ExpressVPN’s merchandise. The setup guides are wonderful, together with screenshots and clearly written steps; every one features a video information for individuals who study higher that method.

Troubleshooting is simply nearly 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 dwell help expertise

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

Dwell chat begins with an AI assistant, which isn’t too exhausting to get previous — simply ask it a query it may well’t reply, then click on “Switch to an Agent.” We received 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 particular person: refunds are inside 30 days solely, it doesn’t matter what.

If the dwell chat agent cannot reply your query, you will be redirected to open an e mail help ticket. Annoyingly, there is no option to go on to e mail help via the web site or desktop apps, although cellular 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 surroundings for on-line privateness. The BVIs haven’t 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 courtroom.

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

In different phrases, whereas ExpressVPN is just not legally required to log any information on its customers, there’s technically no person 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 have a look at what the opposite proof says.

Safety and privateness incidents

Two vital 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 info from social media accounts belonging to the alleged murderer. To research, 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, faux something, or collude with investigators. The Turkey incident continues to be top-of-the-line causes to advocate 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 looking 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 realized about it. The group 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 referred to 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 evaluation 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 have interaction 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 evaluations at face worth with out understanding 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 not too long ago, headlines concerning 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 day by day operations.

Nearer to the speedy 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 referred to as Mission 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 greatest goalkeepers are those educated by the most effective 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 through the time it has been linked to Kape, Sagi, or Gericke.

Ultimately, 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 want. If you happen to want extra info to make up your thoughts, we advocate studying via CNET’s 2022 deep dive on ExpressVPN’s corporate history.

Ultimate verdict

ExpressVPN is the VPN we most frequently advocate to rookies. It takes zero coaching to make use of, and constantly will get previous filters on streaming websites. It additionally runs within the background with just about no impression. If something is well worth the excessive value of admission, it is the wonderful speeds distributed evenly throughout the worldwide server community.

Nevertheless, for sure particular circumstances, ExpressVPN might not be your best option. There is not any option to arrange your personal server areas, like NordVPN presents, and no double VPN connections, like you may construct for your self on Surfshark. Its company background is extra suspect than the entities backing Proton VPN, and in contrast to Mullvad, ExpressVPN would 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 if you happen to recurrently must unblock websites in different international locations. That encompasses 19 of each 20 customers, which is okay by us, as ExpressVPN is a good service. It is simply extra of a dependable outdated screwdriver than a multi-tool.