Express VPN Review

9.3

Very Good

Our verdict:
One of the best all-round VPN services. Super fast and safe, with over 3000 server locations in more than 90 countries. To say we recommend ExpressVPN is an understatement.

ExpressVPN, which is a virtual private network service, is owned by Express VPN International Ltd. Its headquarters are currently located in Tortola, the British Virgin Islands, and it employs around 201-500 individuals. If you are seeking online privacy and anonymity, ExpressVPN is the ideal choice for you. They provide top-tier encryption without any leaks, along with excellent security features. Their strict no-log policy ensures complete anonymity, and their location in a privacy-friendly jurisdiction further enhances this aspect. Furthermore, ExpressVPN offers fast and reliable browsing and gaming experiences, as well as compatibility with Tor for added privacy. Additionally, this VPN service is compatible with nearly every device and boasts an exceptional customer service and support system.

Pricing

ExpressVPN offers a 100% money-back guarantee on all their plans. This means that if you are unsatisfied for any reason within the first 30 days of service, you can easily request a full refund by contacting their support team. Their monthly plan is priced at $12.95, while their semi-annual plan costs approximately $9.99 per month. If you choose to subscribe for a longer duration, the savings can be substantial. To illustrate, if you pay for a year in advance, the monthly fee decreases to only $8.32.

Speed and Reliability

As you may have already noticed, ExpressVPN is proving to be highly versatile. However, the question still remains: is it truly fast? Rather than relying solely on peer reviews, we conducted our own tests. Initially, we had an upload speed of 95 Mbps, which dropped to 85 Mbps after connecting to a server in the US. This indicates a speed reduction of only around 10%! This impressive result is particularly noteworthy considering that the average speed decrease when using a VPN ranges from 40% to 60%. Subsequently, we connected to a server in Australia and achieved a speed of 59 Mbps. This means that even when connecting to a server located halfway across the world, our overall speed only decreased by 37%.

Privacy & Anonymity

ExpressVPN states on their privacy page that they do not keep records of your activity, including browsing history, traffic destination, data content, or DNS queries. They also assure that they never retain connection logs, which means they don’t store your IP address, outgoing VPN IP address, connection timestamp, or session duration. According to ExpressVPN, they do not share your personal information with third parties. They only collect personal information such as your email address and payment data for the sole purpose of creating and maintaining your account. Additionally, they utilize advanced security features like perfect forward secrecy, VPN split tunneling, AES 256-bit encryption, and more to ensure the safety of your data from any potential hacking threats.

  ExpressVPN  Specifications

Platforms and Devices

With just one subscription, you can have up to five simultaneous connections, no matter which platforms you prefer. ExpressVPN is designed to work seamlessly on a wide range of devices, including Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, Linux, Routers, Chromebook, Kindle Fire, and Nook. It is also compatible with popular gaming consoles like Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo Switch. Furthermore, ExpressVPN supports extensions for both Chrome and Firefox browsers. Additionally, as of last year, all the apps and extensions are accessible in more than twelve languages.

Server Locations

At the time of this review, ExpressVPN has 3000+ servers in 160 VPN server locations in 94 countries. This means they’ve basically covered every continent except for Antarctica.

List of ExpressVPN Server Locations

Here’s an overview of ExpressVPN’s server network divided by regions. It covers 105 countries, which is among the highest number in the market. The list covers popular locations and explains how virtual servers work. You can test ExpressVPN with confidence since it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Each server location offers multiple security protocols. This includes proprietary speed-focused Lightway, security-oriented OpenVPN, and mobile-friendly IKEv2.

Please note that all of these locations are subject to change at any time.

Americas

ExpressVPN covers 16 countries in North, South, and Central America. There are 24 server locations in the US alone, for example, New York, Miami, and Dallas. In addition, the VPN covers countries such as Canada (servers in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal), Mexico, and Venezuela. However, you can’t get the IP of several locations, for example, Paraguay, Nicaragua, and most of the Caribbean.

Europe

The VPN has great coverage in Europe too. It’s possible to get the IP address of 47 countries. You get access to servers in popular locations like France, Italy, and the UK (which covers 5 cities). Better yet, there are servers in small countries, such as Monaco, Luxembourg, and Andorra. ExpressVPN also has good coverage in Switzerland, Germany, and Poland.

Asia Pacific

Overall, ExpressVPN has servers in 26 countries in the Asia Pacific region (including Far East, Oceania, and the Commonwealth countries). Among these locations are Vietnam, New Zealand, and India. So you’ll have no problems accessing Asian content with ExpressVPN, for example, South Korean TV shows and movies. The VPN covers 6 cities in Australia, like Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.

Middle East & Africa

The service coverage in this region is pretty good. Connection options include Israel, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, and Algeria. However, Middle Eastern countries such as UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Jordan aren’t available on the server list.

Virtual Servers

Most ExpressVPN servers are physically located in the same country. The company has servers in bandwidth-expensive locations like Japan, Australia, and Brazil. However, about 3% of ExpressVPN’s servers are virtual, meaning they don’t have a physical presence in the same country.

Typically, virtual servers are located in nearby locations. For instance, the VPN’s India server is routed through Singapore, Belarusian via the Netherlands, and Venezuela via Brazil. The reason behind it is that it can be difficult to establish servers in some countries. Virtual server locations make it possible for you to obtain an IP of such countries while still providing the connection quality you expect from ExpressVPN.

Here’s a full list of ExpressVPN’s virtual servers (again subject to change):

• Algeria (via Germany)
• Andorra (via the Netherlands)
• Argentina (via Brazil)
• Armenia (via the Netherlands)
• Bahamas (via the U.S.)
• Bangladesh (via Singapore)
• Belarus (via the Netherlands)
• Bhutan (via Singapore)
• Bolivia (via Brazil)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina (via the Netherlands)
• Brunei (via Singapore)
• Cambodia (via Singapore)
• Chile (via Brazil)
• Colombia (via Brazil)
• Ecuador (via Brazil)
• Egypt (via Germany)
• Guatemala (via Brazil)
• India (via the UK)
• India (via Singapore)
• Indonesia (via Singapore)
• Isle of Man (via the Netherlands)
• Jersey (via the Netherlands)
• Kazakhstan (via Singapore)
• Laos (via Singapore)
• Liechtenstein (via the Netherlands)
• Malaysia (via Singapore)
• Macau (via Singapore)
• Malta (via the Netherlands)
• Monaco (via the Netherlands)
• Mongolia (via Singapore)
• Montenegro (via the Netherlands)
• Myanmar (via Singapore)
• Nepal (via Singapore)
• North Macedonia (via the Netherlands)
• Pakistan (via Singapore)
• Panama (via Brazil)
• Peru (via Brazil)
• Philippines (via Singapore)
• Slovenia (via the Netherlands)
• Sri Lanka (via Singapore)
• Taiwan – 3 (via Hong Kong)
• Thailand (via Singapore)
• Turkey (via Germany)
• Ukraine (via Poland)
• Uruguay (via Brazil)
• Uzbekistan (via the Netherlands)
• Venezuela (via Brazil)
• Vietnam (via Singapore)

Customer Service

ExpressVPN excels in providing support with its 24/7 live chat feature and a collection of video tutorials available on their support page or YouTube channel. What sets them apart is their knowledgeable front line staff who can assist with any technical problem you may encounter. Additionally, you have the option to reach out to support by either sending an email or submitting a support ticket.

ExpressVPN pros and cons

Summary

ExpressVPN is a VPN service that can be trusted for its safety and capabilities. It offers fast connection speeds and is compatible with popular streaming platforms such as Hulu, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Amazon Prime Video. Additionally, it ensures high-quality protection to prevent any IP leaks while you are online. Although ExpressVPN may not offer the most extensive range of features compared to other VPN providers, its tools are reliable and well-developed.

Along with the standard VPN features like a kill switch and alleged stealth servers, ExpressVPN also provides MediaStreamer, a SmartDNS tool that enhances your streaming experience. However, there is still room for growth for ExpressVPN. It is currently one of the more expensive VPNs available in the market, especially when compared to other top competitors like NordVPN or Surfshark. These alternatives offer more features at a lower price point. Therefore, it would benefit ExpressVPN to expand its feature list in order to justify its higher subscription price.

ExpressVPN review 2024. According to VPN users, ExpressVPN is one of the best VPN choices in 2024 due to great security and privacy indicators. Yet, users themselves also point out the quality of performance ExpressVPN delivers. This includes low impact on connection speed and impressive streaming capabilities.