ExpressVPN vs Proton VPN (2026): Which Is Better?
ExpressVPN scores 9.1 to Proton VPN's 8.9, and almost the whole gap is apps and speed — 598 Mbps against 541, and the most polished clients of the ten at 9.8 for ease. Proton wins the thing these two are usually compared on: privacy 9.8 against 9.4, Swiss jurisdiction, port forwarding ExpressVPN does not offer at any tier, and a free plan with no data cap. The tiebreaker is ownership. ExpressVPN belongs to Kape Technologies, which also owns CyberGhost and Private Internet Access; Proton VPN belongs to a Swiss non-profit foundation. Both audited presents are clean, but if privacy is the reason you are buying, that structural difference outlives any score.
Who wins each category
- Privacy & securityProton VPNExpressVPN 9.4 · Proton 9.8
- SpeedExpressVPNExpressVPN 9.0 · Proton 8.6
- StreamingExpressVPNExpressVPN 9.3 · Proton 8.4
- Apps & easeExpressVPNExpressVPN 9.8 · Proton 8.8
- ValueProton VPNExpressVPN 8.2 · Proton 8.9
Sub-scores from this month's tests; weights are privacy & security 30%, speed 25%, streaming 15%, apps & ease 15%, value 15%. Methodology
Choose ExpressVPN if…
- The apps matter to you — 9.8 for ease, the highest we award, and the reason people stop switching
- 598 Mbps to Proton's 541, and 13 of 14 streaming services against 11
- You want the fastest refund on the site: we claimed ours in two days
Choose Proton VPN if…
- Privacy is the actual reason you're buying — 9.8, Swiss jurisdiction, non-profit foundation ownership
- You torrent: Proton has port forwarding, ExpressVPN has none at any tier
- You'd rather try it indefinitely than claim a refund — the free plan has no data cap
ExpressVPN vs Proton VPN: the numbers
 ExpressVPN |  Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 9.1 | 8.9 |
| Rank · badge | #3 · Easiest apps | #4 · Best free tier |
| 2-year price / mo | $4.99 | $4.49 |
| 1-year price / mo | $6.67 | $4.99 |
| Monthly price | $12.95 | $9.99 |
| Renewal | renews at the 1-year rate | renews at the same rate |
| Money-back | 30 days | 30 days |
| Simultaneous devices | 8 | 10 |
| Avg download speed | 598 Mbps | 541 Mbps |
| Jurisdiction | British Virgin Islands | Switzerland |
| Owner | Kape Technologies | Proton AG (Proton Foundation) |
| No-logs audit | KPMG no-logs audit, 2024 | Securitum no-logs audit, 2024 |
| Servers | 3,000+ in 105 countries | 12,000+ in 117 countries |
| Protocols | Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2 | WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2, Stealth |
| Torrenting | P2P allowed on all servers | P2P allowed on P2P servers (paid plans) |
| Free plan | No | no data cap, no ads, 1 device, auto-chosen country |
| Support | 24/7 live chat, email, help centre | email, help centre, live chat (paid plans) |
| Visit ExpressVPN | Visit Proton VPN |
Full reviews: ExpressVPN · Proton VPN
What each one actually costs
The advertised rate covers the first term only. These are the totals once the renewal is counted.
| ExpressVPN | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan priced | 24-month plan | 24-month plan |
| Intro rate / mo | $4.99 | $4.49 |
| Then renews at / mo | $6.67 (+34%) | $4.49 — no jump |
| First term, up front | $119.76 | $107.76 |
| Total over 3 years | $199.80 | $161.64 |
| True cost / mo over 3 years | $5.55 | $4.49 |
| Money-back | 30 days — refunded in 2 days | 30 days — pro-rated refund, processed in 5 days |
| Check ExpressVPN price | Check Proton VPN price |
Proton VPN is cheaper both ways — lower to start and $38.16 less across three years once the renewals are counted. Same arithmetic as our price calculator: the first term at the advertised rate, every month after it at the rate the provider publishes for renewals.
Speed by region
Download on a 940 Mbps line, 3 runs per server, median reported. Highlighted cell = fastest.
| ExpressVPN | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| US East | 650 Mbps | 602 Mbps |
| UK | 622 Mbps | 576 Mbps |
| Singapore | 560 Mbps | 498 Mbps |
| Australia | 558 Mbps | 488 Mbps |
| Added latency | +7 ms | +9 ms |
Streaming, service by service
| ExpressVPN | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Unblocked | 13 of 14 | 11 of 14 |
| Netflix US | ||
| Netflix UK | ||
| Netflix JP | ||
| Netflix CA | ||
| Netflix AU | ||
| Prime Video | ||
| Disney+ | ||
| Hulu | ||
| Max | ||
| Paramount+ | ||
| Peacock | ||
| BBC iPlayer | ||
| ITVX | ||
| DAZN |
Security features
| ExpressVPN | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Kill switch | ||
| Split tunnelling | ||
| Obfuscation / stealth | ||
| Port forwarding | ||
| Dedicated IP | ||
| Ad & tracker blocking | ||
| Multi-hop (double VPN) | ||
| RAM-only servers | ||
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, Aircove router | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, routers |
Has the no-logs promise ever been tested?
Every VPN on this page says it keeps no logs. The claim only means something once someone has demanded the data — a police raid, a court order, a subpoena. Here is what happened to each of these two when that came up, and what it means if it never has.
- ExpressVPNHeld
2017 server seizure in Turkey. The claim held — there was nothing useful to hand over. That is the one form of proof no audit can give you, because it happened under real pressure rather than on a scheduled visit.
Audit: KPMG no-logs audit, 2024 · British Virgin Islands
- Proton VPNHeld
Fought data requests in court. The claim held — there was nothing useful to hand over. That is the one form of proof no audit can give you, because it happened under real pressure rather than on a scheduled visit.
Audit: Securitum no-logs audit, 2024 · Switzerland
What each one is our top pick for
One of these scores higher overall, which does not make it the right buy for every job. These are the use cases where each one comes first on its own list.
- ExpressVPN2 categories
The most reliable always-on behaviour on iOS, instant reconnects between Wi-Fi and cellular, and the same app on Apple TV.
- Proton VPN2 categories
No data cap, no ads, no logs, open-source apps on every platform. Limits: one device, an auto-chosen country, no streaming or P2P.
Questions
Is Proton VPN better than ExpressVPN?
For privacy, yes — 9.8 against 9.4, Swiss jurisdiction, and ownership by a non-profit foundation rather than a listed company. For everything else, no: ExpressVPN is faster, unblocks two more streaming services and has markedly better apps. They are both good; they are optimised for different buyers.
Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Proton VPN?
Proton, at $4.49 a month on the two-year plan against $4.99 — and it has a free tier with no data cap, so you can run it indefinitely before paying anything. Neither is a budget option; Surfshark at $2.19 is less than half either price.
Does it matter that Kape owns ExpressVPN?
It belongs in your decision. Kape was previously Crossrider, whose ad-injection platform was abused to distribute malware; it exited that business in 2016 and now owns three of the ten VPNs we rate. ExpressVPN's audited present is clean and we score what we can verify. But Proton's governance — a Swiss non-profit foundation — is a different kind of assurance, and it is the honest reason many privacy buyers pick it.
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. Scores and the winner are decided by the tests before any commercial consideration. Disclosure