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| Specs | Info |
|---|---|
| ⭐ Rating: | 4.5 ★★★★★ |
| 🥇 Overall rank: | #4 out of #29 |
| 📖 No logs policy: | No logs |
| 💵 Price: | $2.00/month |
| 🖥️ Servers: | 200+ servers in 63 countries |
| 🍿 Streaming services: | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Video, and more |
If you are searching for the best Express VPN review at the internet? No problem, we got you covered at ProXPN. The last couple of years, we saw an enormous growth in the amount of VPN providers at the market, which is quite logical since an estimated 35% of internet users have been using VPN services the past year. Choosing the right one can be quite a task, but don't worry about it because we are here to help you out. Read our in-depth Express VPN guide and learn everything about this service, we are quite sure that once you’re done with reading you will know if this service suits you best.
Ben Grindlow is the founder of ProXPN, a company that provides reviews about VPN products and services. Ben's interest in cybersecurity and privacy led him to start ProXPN, which has become one of the most well-respected VPN providers in the world. Ben is passionate about his work, and he is constantly exploring new ways to improve ProXPN's in-depth guides.
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If you are new to VPNs and not sure where to start, may I recommend ExpressVPN? This VPN provider offers excellent performance in terms of security, privacy and speed. The company's app interfaces look professional and are easy to use. Overall, this is one of the best VPN services you would wish for.
Our comprehensive ExpressVPN review will outline the pros and cons of this VPN service. Here are our thoughts below:
This VPN is an excellent choice for browsing, streaming, gaming and downloading.
In terms of useability, ExpressVPN scores a 9.6 in our ExpressVPN review.
Installation was very easy. Downloading and installing ExpressVPN's software was simple. The ExpressVPN website is clear and user-friendly. The smartphone app I installed was immediately ready for use upon installation.
ExpressVPN has a very clear app that works well on Windows, Android and iOS. ExpressVPN servers create a connection for you without delay. Just one second after you press the power button, you are connected and encrypted for full privacy.
Select a country from the menu and ExpressVPN will choose automatically the server that works the fastest. Also, you can also manually select a VPN server or highlight it as a favourite.
The interface and appearance of ExpressVPN's software is professionally produced. The various menu options are actually self-explanatory, which is a blessing for people who are not entirely comfortable in English.
The main screen of the ExpressVPN app offers some convenient shortcuts that can take you, for example, directly to Google Chrome or Gmail. Another nice feature is that you can add your favorite apps to this screen.
In short, everything works perfectly and, as a pleasant surprise, does not bog you down with the annoying CAPTCHA codes that other VPNs sometimes ask for.
ExpressVPN works with a wide variety of operating systems and devices. This service will support:
ExpressVPN also offers browser extensions for Chrome, Edge and Firefox.
Via the website of this VPN provider, you will also receive effective help in setting up the VPN on more challenging devices, for example:
You can connect simultaneously up to a maximum of 5 devices through one ExpressVPN account, unless you decide to install the service on your router instead.
You can pay for ExpressVPN in several ways, for example by credit card and Bitcoin (via Bitpay). This makes the service really user friendly.
When you open an account with ExpressVPN, you must pay in US dollars. This means that your monthly or annual costs will be a little less predictable, as they will vary depending on the exchange rate between the euro and dollar.
ProXPN Expert Score
The Express VPN website offers customer support that provides clear answers to frequently asked questions. It also provides many video manuals for your use, such as a video describing how you can optimally set up a VPN on your router.
ExpressVPN's customer service is quick and courteous. Before answering a simple question, customer service first wanted to know if I already had an account with ExpressVPN and which email address I used to register the account. This information was actually not needed at all to answer my question.
Fortunately, once past that hurdle, my question was efficiently answered to my complete satisfaction. Customer service even asked additional questions to make sure that my problem would be fully resolved.
ExpressVPN's customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Other VPN services, please take note.
ExpressVPN scores a very respectable 9.6 for privacy and security.
You can actually create an account with Express VPN entirely anonymously. All you do is enter an email address and ensure to pay with Bitcoin.
ExpressVPN's privacy policy is very robust. They don't keep any user logs and the VPN servers are equipped with RAM only. This means that data cannot be stored permanently. The only data ExpressVPN records are timestampss of when you connected to the VPN, meaning there is no record of what your browsing history.
ExpressVPN also has an excellent track record. There has never been a hack, leak or audit where data has been shared in the past.
VPN location is about much more than an address. Data retention laws and private internet access vary considerably from country to country.
ExpressVPN is located in the British Virgin Islands, an Caribbean country that is completely independent. The main benefit of this is that the VPN provider is not accountable to countries such as the US or China, where privacy is not regulated as well for users.
Even users in the UK don't have to worry about data being shared with other authorities, because ExpressVPN is also not subject to our European privacy legislation due to the convenient location of its headquarters.
ProXPN Expert Tip
In terms of security and encryption, ExpressVPN has its affairs in order. The protocols and encryption used are just safe. I don't need to waste a lot of words on this.
In 2019, PwC's (Pricewaterhouse Coopers) security experts carried out an audit to determine privacy and security at ExpressVPN. To do so, they spoke to personnel and examined the code used the VPN service uses. The result was that everything was perfectly fine, as the official report concludes.
Similarly to NordVPN, ExpressVPN has also created a VPN protocol named ‘Lightway’.
This protocol is better than the common protocols IKEv2 and OpenVPN for many reasons including:
After having extensively tested the protocol, I can confirm it works very quickly. The only con is that it does not yet work perfectly on iOS (currently in beta). Customer support confirms that there will be a live version very soon.
With Express VPN, you can also use the following protocols:
It is very nice that with each protocol, the system explains what it is for and what the possible advantages and disadvantages are:
We have seen such clear explanations with few other VPN providers so far.
The Network Lock, which is what their kill switch is known as, is activated automatically with ExpressVPN upon installation. A kill switch means that the internet connection is automatically stopped if the VPN connection is broken for any reason.
In terms of speed, ExpressVPN scores a solid 10.0
ExpressVPN has super-fast servers which is the reason why the service's price tag is on the high side. Consequently, my expectations for speed were very high.
And, fortunately, my expectations were exceeded: ExpressVPN is super fast for daily use. Streaming via Netflix, watching Youtube videos or general browsing went without a hitch. I didn't notice any differences between my VPN and non-VPN connection. This applies to both VPN connections using a computer and those using a tablet or smartphone. Most VPN users will be pleased with this reliability.
I tested ExpressVPN's speed over our wired 100Mbps fiber connection.
With the VPN enabled, I achieved the download and upload speeds below via the fastest server available.
In short, an excellent result:
Perhaps the most clever thing is that the ping remains the same. This makes ExpressVPN eminently suitable for gaming.
ExpressVPN is great in terms of speed. The ping stays the same while the download speeds remain high and stable.
Despite these excellent results, I did achieve marginally higher theoretical speeds with other VPN services like NordVPN or IP Vanish. The differences were minimal, however.
Excellent speeds were also seen when connected to the American VPN servers. Surprisingly, the download speed is even faster with ExpressVPN enabled than without a VPN connection at all! We used the Lightway (UDP) Class protocol for this test.
The ExpressVPN app offers a built-in speed test, which I don't entirely comprehend. Upon testing using this feature, the download speed seemed very disappointing. By way of example, the New York VPN server achieved only 10 Mbps, yet when using speedtest.net, it was around 270 Mbps for a 300 Mbps connection. The difference is so large it's worrying.
Furthermore, according to the built-in speed test, the VPN server in New York would be by far the fastest, but in our case the server in New Jersey gave us slightly better download and upload results.
In terms of possibilities offered to users, ExpressVPN scores an 8.2
Overall, ExpressVPN has roughly 3,000 servers across 160 server locations, meaning ExpressVPN's server offerings are very good indeed. That is to say that there is at least one VPN server location in 94 countries.
ExpressVPN is extremely suitable for streaming.
During our testing, the following streaming services were found to work flawlessly, without any hiccups:
Ziggo Go, NPO Start and Videoland also work perfectly, including on mobile. This is how you set a good example as a VPN provider!
| Streaming platform | Working |
|---|---|
| Netflix | Yes |
| Amazon Prime Video | Yes |
| Hulu | Yes |
| Disney+ | Yes |
| HBO Max | Yes |
| BBC iPlayer | Yes |
| DAZN | Yes |
Do you download torrents using BitTorrent or μTorrent? ExpressVPN is a great choice for this. You can download torrents in complete anonymity and the speed is very good too.
In terms of extra features, ExpressVPN doesn't really offer a great deal. There is no dedicated IP address or special service for businesses, for example.
In this area, the big competitor, NordVPN, is doing a lot better. This provider offers a number of useful additional options, such as Onion over VPN, a password manager, an ad blocker and VPN for business (NordVPN teams). You feel you get more value for money.
As with almost every other VPN service, Express VPN also comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. No questions asked.
Unfortunately, there is no free trial version with which you can test the service for free, such as using it free for 7 days. I also miss this type of offer with many other VPN providers.
We were fairly impressed with Express VPN overall. What is your reaction after reading our ExpressVPN review? Do you have any questions?
Despite the stiff competition, ExpressVPN continues to be the most tested VPN. Its apps are simple to use, stable, and jam-packed with features, and it provides exceptional speed across the board. It is secured by strong privacy and security measures, as well as being one of the greatest VPNs for unblocking streaming sites.
For bypassing geo-restrictions, ExpressVPN is extremely trustworthy — Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and others were simple to access. Buffer-free streaming at lightning speed? No other VPN provides such great long-distance performance.
The most common reasons for these problems include: The VPN server you're attempting to access is unavailable. Your antivirus or internet security software has blocked your connection. You are utilizing an out-of-date version of the ExpressVPN app.
ExpressVPN does not keep track of which sites you visit. ExpressVPN never keeps track of your destination or the substance of your communications, and it doesn't run its own private, encrypted DNS on every VPN server to enhance privacy and anonymity. There are no connection logs.
Simply put, ExpressVPN justifies this cost by providing a superior service: The firm operates and maintains a large and extremely safe network, which is what its customers are paying for.
