ExpressVPN vs NordVPN: Which VPN should you get?

An in-depth comparison of the services and benefits offered by NordVPN and ExpressVPN

VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) have become a critical tool for those looking to improve their security and protect their data while browsing the web. A range of software companies offer VPN services, designed to protect users from malicious software, cyberattacks, and overall, keep their online identity anonymous. Of the range of best VPNs available, two of the most talked about are NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

NordVPN was launched in 2012 by its parent company Nord Security, which specialises in providing state-of-the-art online security. NordVPN currently has around 14 million active users, making it one of the most popular VPN services worldwide. 

ExpressVPN had an earlier start; owned and operated by its parent company Kape Technologies, ExpressVPN launched in 2009. ExpressVPN is one of the most well-regarded VPN services, with over 4 million active users. 

If you want to dip your toe into the VPN space, NordVPN and ExpressVPN are two of the best options. While they may seem similar at first glance, they have some key differences when examined up close, with distinctions regarding features, payment plans and protocols. Our expert team has reviewed and compared every aspect of these services, so you can find out which VPN works best for you and ensure your safety while browsing online.

Our reviewers are dedicated to bringing you the most accurate and up-to-date information so you can make an informed decision when it comes to buying a VPN. We will only recommend a provider after hours of testing, head-to-head feature comparisons, and after taking into account customer reviews and the opinions of industry experts.

Our VPN review scores are determined the following categories:

• Privacy and performance (30%)
• Features and functionality (30%)
• Reputation and credibility (20%)
• Plans and pricing/value (10%)
• Customer experience (10%)

We research and test a total of 25 elements within these categories including:

• Number and location of servers
• Streaming service accessibility
• Security features such as AES-256
• Performance (upload, download, latency)
• Value for money, guarantees, and customer service
• Independent server-site security audits

All of our VPN articles are verified by our in-house team of fact-checkers, so you can be assured that our content is accurate and up to date as possible. To find out more, read our article on how we review VPNs.

First, we’ll compare the VPNs by looking at their pricing plans, encryption protocols and the other basic features that every VPN consists of.

Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer similar experiences with a few key differences. ExpressVPN is generally more expensive, but it does offer a higher number of simultaneous device connections than its competitor. While Express’s total number of servers is lower than Nord’s, its network covers more locations, giving users more choices of countries to connect to.

Interestingly, both providers have built their own VPN protocols: ExpressVPN has its Lightway protocol, which is designed to contain fewer lines of code and therefore faster than other protocols, while NordVPN has NordLynx, which is based on WireGuard but includes enhanced privacy features.

The affordability of a VPN service is crucial, as users want to subscribe to a plan that provides them with the best value so they can continue to use the service for a long time. NordVPN offers its customers three plan levels – Standard, Plus and Complete – in monthly, one-year, and two-year terms. ExpressVPN offers monthly, six-monthly and yearly plans at one level.

The standard monthly plan of both VPNs is just over £10, with a minimal difference in price. There isn’t a significant difference in the pricing that could determine which of the two is more affordable. However, NordVPN offers different features in its Standard, Plus and Complete plans. For the Complete subscription to NordVPN, which has all the features, you could be paying £11.99 per month. ExpressVPN has a six-monthly subscription plan, which is relatively cheaper than its one-month plan. Overall, ExpressVPN is less expensive than NordVPN’s monthly plans. 

Privacy-conscious users who consistently use a VPN service can choose either ExpressVPN’s standard one-year plan or NordVPN’s tier-based one- or two-year plan. As ExpressVPN doesn’t offer different tiers, we’ll compare NordVPN’s Complete package with ExpressVPN’s standard package. The price difference in their one-year plans is minimal; therefore, it’s up to the user’s preference. NordVPN also offers a two-year plan that’s much more affordable than any package ExpressVPN offers.

Overall, NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer different benefits in terms of pricing. ExpressVPN has a much more affordable monthly package for novice users who want to try out its services. It has kept things straightforward to reduce confusion by offering all its features in its three subscription plans. In comparison, NordVPN gives its users more freedom by providing them with customised plans. Depending on their usage and preference, users can select the tier and plan that suits them best. Regarding affordability, NordVPN is better if you don’t mind losing out on a few features. That’s especially true if you’re looking at NordVPN’s long-term deals. A current birthday promotion for two-year plans comes with a discount of 67 per cent along with three extra months for free.

While neither provider offers a truly free VPN trial, both have 30-day money-back guarantees for their longer subscription terms whereby users can cancel within the first month and receive a refund if they’re not happy with the service.

The most important factor to consider when choosing a VPN is its security level. NordVPN and ExpressVPN prioritise the security of their users by implementing high-level safeguarding protocols. Security protocols help determine a VPN’s effectiveness, as each protocol offers a unique value. WireGuard, IKEv2 and OpenVPN are the most commonly used protocols.

Regarding encryption levels, 128-bit and 256-bit levels are the most widely used. The former provides reasonable security, while the latter offers more robust protection due to an extensive key length. Nowadays, the 256-bit encryption level is considered the standard and is used by top-level VPN service providers, including NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

AES-256 is deemed the most secure encryption algorithm in the world and is considered impenetrable due to its long key length. It’s used by almost all renowned and reliable VPN services, including ExpressVPN and NordVPN. 

Such stagnant and outdated protocols as SSTP and PPTP are no longer being used by either NordVPN and ExpressVPN, as they had limited configuration options and didn’t provide adequate security. Both VPNs offer OpenVPN, while only NordVPN offers a customised version of WireGuard, known as NordLynx. WireGuard is known to improve connectivity speed but doesn’t provide robust privacy, so NordVPN has created a hybrid protocol it says is safe and quick.

ExpressVPN does offer its exclusive Lightway protocol. In contrast to NordLynx, Lightway isn’t based on WireGuard. Instead, it’s unique to ExpressVPN, whose team designed and built it from the ground up. Although the functionality is almost identical, NordLynx and Lightway provide improved internet speeds and robust security.

When using VPN services, the download and upload speeds may be affected by the virtual relocation of an IP address. To determine which VPN performs better, we’ve compared the download and upload speeds while using NordVPN and ExpressVPN in the tables below.

Although the competition was close for download speed, NordVPN was the best for all the servers we tested. 

Our download speed was 16 per cent slower when we connected to a NordVPN UK server, compared to the ExpressVPN download speed, which was 35 per cent slower. When we tested the Australian servers, the download speed was significantly quicker than those of the US servers from both providers, which is impressive considering its distance from the UK.

We noticed that NordVPN’s upload speed was somewhat faster than ExpressVPN’s, but only by 10 percentage points.

Data privacy is an important part of life; it allows you to have control over your personal information. It’s imperative, therefore, to use a VPN service to protect your privacy at all times while using the internet.

ExpressVPN and NordVPN both have a strict no-logs policy, which means they don’t collect any data from users that can be used to identify them. ExpressVPN has not suffered any data breaches. However, NordVPN did face a mishap in 2018 when a Finnish server was hacked, causing an information leak. 

NordVPN recently publicly announced its third independent audit, verifying its no-log claim. ExpressVPN has also conducted independent and third-party audits to substantiate its claims. In 2022, cybersecurity firm Cure53 conducted independent security assessments of ExpressVPN’s Android and iOS mobile apps through white-box penetration testing and source-code audits. PwC confirmed NordVPN’s no-logging claims in 2018 and 2021, and NordVPN also underwent a third-party audit from Cure53.

Both VPN service providers have headquarters in countries with no mandatory data retention laws. ExpressVPN’s headquarters is in the British Virgin Islands, an independent and self-governing jurisdiction. It’s not a part of the intelligence-sharing network between the US and some EU countries.

NordVPN’s headquarters is in Panama, which doesn’t have mass surveillance programmes either, so a user’s data should remain anonymous.

Some people only want to use a VPN service to bypass geo-restrictions so they can access restricted content that’s not available in their geographic location or country. ExpressVPN and NordVPN both provide excellent streaming access by bypassing or unblocking geo-restrictions.

Although torrenting itself is legal, downloading copyrighted material isn’t. Even when you’re downloading publicly-owned files, doing so risks exposing your IP address, and some internet service providers (ISPs) slow down or throttle bandwidth when they detect large data transfers. A good VPN must be capable of torrenting while providing high privacy and security.

It’s ideal to have a superfast internet connection while using a VPN to download torrents. Both VPNs we tested provided fast speeds and a variety of servers to choose from when torrenting. NordVPN only has a few specialised servers for peer-to-peer connections (P2P). However, ExpressVPN allows torrenting on all servers and is available in 94 countries. While NordVPN provides coverage in many locations, ExpressVPN offers faster connections in hard-to-reach places.

Whether you use ExpressVPN or NordVPN, you can easily protect all devices in your home. Both VPNs offer apps for major desktop and mobile platforms, as well as Chrome, Firefox and Edge browser extensions.

Desktop apps

NordVPN and ExpressVPN both offer user-friendly Windows and Mac VPN apps but have different designs. ExpressVPN has a compact screen with a large “Connect” button, while NordVPN works best when the window is maximised to show a map of available server locations. Each design has advantages and disadvantages, so you can choose which one you prefer.

Note there are two NordVPN apps available for macOS systems – one you can download directly from the provider’s website and another from the Apple App Store – but the one in App Store is generally recommended, as it supports all tunnelling protocols, including NordLynx.

ExpressVPN desktop apps now come with automatic updates by default to increase the security of the app. This means users can experience the latest version of the app without needing to manually update it, which is ideal for those located in countries with internet restrictions.

Moreover, ExpressVPN users can hide intrusive ads when browsing the web, allowing for pages to load faster and consume less data. This feature is available on Windows, Android and iOS, with support coming for Mac and Linux by the end of 2023.

Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer convenient features to access your favourite websites or apps once connected to the VPN. With ExpressVPN’s “Shortcuts”, you can add up to five links, while NordVPN’s “Presets” feature on macOS lets you add up to six links or apps and customise your preferred tunnelling protocol and server. Considering these options when choosing a VPN provider is important to ensure the best user experience and maximum convenience. 

Mobile apps

The mobile VPN app interface of both providers is similar to the desktop versions, with the main difference being the lack of a settings bar on the left-hand side.

When it comes to ExpressVPN, the Android VPN app is better than the iOS VPN app due to its split tunnelling and kill switch features. NordVPN’s Android app lacks a kill switch, so you must rely on the native “Always-on” VPN setting. In addition, the iOS kill switch can’t be disabled.

Platforms supported

ExpressVPN and NordVPN are accessible on all popular streaming devices, computers, gaming consoles, routers and mobile devices. As mentioned, they also have similar applications, with the only difference being their interfaces, so it’s up to your taste which one you like more.

Regarding customer support, Express VPN and NordVPN both provide comparable customer support options. They offer a 24/7 live chat with short waiting times and respond quickly to emails if you have more complex issues or queries. Both VPNs have a dedicated section on their websites consisting of helpful resources, such as FAQs and setup guides, where you can usually find the solution to most problems.

An AI chatbot initially answers NordVPN’s live chat, but it can be diverted to a live customer representative upon request. In contrast, ExpressVPN’s live chat is directly answered by an agent.

Both VPNs are widely trusted and highly rated worldwide. They offer exceptional protection and encryption and customer-friendly services. They’re among the best VPNs available on the market.

ExpressVPN has a clean record with no reports of a breach. However, a 2018 cyberattack on a third-party data centre affected one of NordVPN’s servers in Finland. NordVPN took swift action after the incident to ensure no such event would occur again, including a move to managing all of its own servers.

Comparing the two VPNs that hold prominence in the VPN industry is tricky, as both provide similar features. The custom protocols they provide have the same working principles, they’re both available on all major devices, and their encryption protocols are identical. Both offer large server networks spread across the planet, and both undertake regular independent audits to verify their no-logs policies and security practices.

The answer of which provider is best really comes down to two factors; budget and simultaneous device connections. If you need up to eight devices connected to your VPN at one time, ExpressVPN is the best choice. If you’re hoping to save money, however, NordVPN offers more diverse membership plans, and is overall a cheaper VPN service. However, both services run frequent deals throughout the deal, so you might be able to catch a bargain on either option.

The data in this review is reported from a neutral stance and should be used for informational purposes only. We review VPN services from the perspective of:

• The quality of the product based on the security it affords the user
• User experience of the application(s)
• Level and quality of customer service

Independent Advisor does not endorse the streaming of content from regions other than where the subscription is held, nor does it endorse the downloading or consumption of illegally pirated content.