ExpressVPN vs Proton VPN (2026): Which Is Better?
Proton VPN scores a touch higher on our rubric now — 8.9 against ExpressVPN's 8.8 — and the case for it is structural: Swiss jurisdiction, non-profit foundation ownership, port forwarding ExpressVPN doesn't offer at any tier, and a free plan with no data cap. ExpressVPN's case is its RAM-only infrastructure across the board (Proton's paid tier uses encrypted disk servers instead) and a real pressure test — a 2017 server seizure in Turkey that produced nothing. The ownership question is worth knowing too: ExpressVPN belongs to Kape Technologies, which also owns CyberGhost and Private Internet Access; Proton belongs to a Swiss non-profit foundation. Both audits are clean and recent. We have not measured speed, app quality or streaming for either.
Who wins each category
- Privacy & securityTieExpressVPN 9.5 · Proton 9.5
- SpeedTieExpressVPN 0.0 · Proton 0.0
- StreamingTieExpressVPN 0.0 · Proton 0.0
- Apps & easeProton VPNExpressVPN 8.3 · Proton 8.8
- ValueTieExpressVPN 7.8 · Proton 7.8
Sub-scores are provisional for ExpressVPN and Proton VPN — published audits, jurisdiction and public record rather than our own measurement; see the review; weights are privacy & security 30%, speed 25%, streaming 15%, apps & ease 15%, value 15%. Methodology
Choose ExpressVPN if…
- You want RAM-only servers on every connection — Proton's paid tier isn't
- You want the pressure-tested record: a 2017 server seizure produced nothing
- You want the Aircove router for whole-home coverage without configuring anything
Choose Proton VPN if…
- Privacy is the actual reason you're buying — Swiss jurisdiction, non-profit foundation ownership, a court fight over data requests that Proton won
- 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 | 8.8provisional — not tested by us | 8.9provisional — not tested by us |
| Rank · badge | Not ranked · Widest platform support | Not ranked · Best free tier |
| 2-year price / mo | $2.99 | $3.49 |
| 1-year price / mo | $6.67 | $4.99 |
| Monthly price | $12.95 | $9.99 |
| Renewal | Billed $83.72 for the first 28 months, then autorenews at $99.95 a year | Billed $83.76 for the first 24 months, then renews at $83.88 every 12 months |
| Money-back | 30 days | 30 days |
| Simultaneous devices | 10 | 10 |
| Avg download speed | Not tested by us | Not tested by us |
| 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 | $2.99 | $3.49 |
| Then renews at / mo | $8.33 (+179%) | $6.99 (+100%) |
| First term, up front | $71.76 | $83.76 |
| Total over 3 years | $171.72 | $167.64 |
| True cost / mo over 3 years | $4.77 | $4.66 |
| Money-back | 30 days — 30 days, first-time users only — we have not claimed one yet | 30 days — 30 days, published — we have not claimed one yet |
| Check ExpressVPN price | Check Proton VPN price |
The cheaper sticker price is not the cheaper VPN here. ExpressVPN has the lower introductory rate, but over three years Proton VPN costs $4.08 less once both renewals are counted — which is the number you actually pay. 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
Neither VPN has been speed-tested by us yet, so there is nothing to chart here.
ExpressVPN and Proton VPN have not been through our speed rig yet, so there is no region-by-region chart for this pair. Speed figures other people have published are on the ExpressVPN and Proton VPN review, attributed to whoever measured them.
Streaming, service by service
| ExpressVPN | Proton VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Unblocked | 0 of 0 reported (not tested by us) | 0 of 0 reported (not tested by us) |
| Netflix US | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix UK | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix JP | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix CA | n/r | n/r |
| Netflix AU | n/r | n/r |
| Prime Video | n/r | n/r |
| Disney+ | n/r | n/r |
| Hulu | n/r | n/r |
| Max | n/r | n/r |
| Paramount+ | n/r | n/r |
| Peacock | n/r | n/r |
| BBC iPlayer | n/r | n/r |
| ITVX | n/r | n/r |
| DAZN | n/r | n/r |
| n/r — no published result found | n/r — no published result found |
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
Built for iOS's always-on setting specifically, with reconnects between Wi-Fi and cellular, and the same app carries over to Apple TV. We have not benchmarked reconnect speed ourselves.
- 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?
On our published score, marginally — 8.9 against 8.8 — and the case for Proton is Swiss jurisdiction, foundation ownership and a court fight over a data request that it won. ExpressVPN counters with RAM-only servers across the board and its own pressure test, a 2017 seizure that produced nothing. They're both good, optimised for slightly different buyers.
Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Proton VPN?
ExpressVPN, on the headline long-plan rate — $2.99 a month against Proton's $3.49 — though ExpressVPN's renewal jumps further, to $8.33 against Proton's $6.99. Proton also has a free tier with no data cap, so you can run it indefinitely before paying anything; neither is a budget option next to Surfshark at $2.49.
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 scoring rubric before any commercial consideration. Disclosure