ExpressVPN Review (2026): The Best Apps in the Business, at a Premium Price
- Researched
- Researched September 4, 2026
- Reviewer
- By Amelia Ame
- Method
- How we test →
- Provenance
- Not tested by us — scored on audits, jurisdiction, court record and checked prices.Sources· prices re-checked October 12, 2026
Apps on every platform and obfuscation that works on restrictive networks. You pay for it.
- 105 countries
- Audited: KPMG, 2024
- Speed not measured by us yet
- Protocol
- Lightway
- Servers
- 3,000+
- Devices
- 10
Facts checked September 4, 2026 · next check October 12, 2026
The verdict, scores and trade-offs
The bottom line
ExpressVPN is the VPN we recommend to people who never want to think about their VPN. Its apps are the most polished on every platform, it works where other VPNs are blocked, and its privacy design has been audited repeatedly. It is also the most expensive service in our top five and caps the Basic plan at 10 devices (12 on Advanced, 14 on Pro).
- Best for ease of use
- Best for iPhone and Apple TV
- Best for travel to censored countries
ExpressVPN: provisional scores
These come from published audits, jurisdiction, public record and prices read at the provider's own checkout — not from any testing of ours, and they are replaced the day we run it ourselves. The weights are the ones every tested VPN gets.
- Privacy & security · 30%9.5KPMG no-logs audit, 2024 · British Virgin Islands · RAM-only · 2017 server seizure in Turkey — nothing obtained
- Speed · 25%—Not scored — we have not measured this yet
- Streaming · 15%—Not scored — we have not measured this yet
- Apps & ease · 15%8.39 platforms, 6 of 8 features
- Value · 15%7.8$4.18/mo averaged over three years, once it renews at $8.33
Overall score = weighted average. Weights are fixed for the year and identical for every VPN. Methodology
What we liked
- Best-designed apps on every platform, especially iOS and Apple TV
- TrustedServer RAM-only infrastructure, repeatedly audited
- A 2017 server seizure in Turkey produced nothing
- Aircove router makes whole-home VPN easy
What we didn't
- Most expensive of the ten over three years
- 10 devices on the Basic tier; more only on the pricier ones
- No multi-hop
ExpressVPN at a glance
- Jurisdiction
- British Virgin Islands
- Owner
- Kape Technologies (since 2009)
- Servers
- 3,000+ in 105 countries
- Protocols
- Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2
- Simultaneous devices
- 10
- No-logs audit
- KPMG no-logs audit, 2024
- Torrenting
- P2P allowed on all servers
- Support
- 24/7 live chat, email, help centre
- Refund
- 30 days
Want the evidence behind each score? Open Full review above for the source-by-source write-up, or Key data for every number next to a typical VPN.
Speed: not tested by us yet
Reported figures, attributed · our own run is planned for October 12, 2026No speed figure on this site is our own measurement yet — none of the ten has been through a test rig here. ExpressVPN has not been through that yet, so there is no bar chart here — only what other people measured, with who measured it.
Streaming
We have not checked what ExpressVPN unblocks, and we could not find a published test of it worth citing. Streaming access changes week to week as services and VPNs trade IP ranges, so any fixed list — ours or anyone else's — describes a day that has already passed. The 30-day refund window is how you find out for the services you actually watch.
Security features
- Kill switch
- Split tunnelling
- Obfuscation / stealth
- Port forwarding
- Dedicated IP
- Ad & tracker blocking
- Multi-hop (double VPN)
- RAM-only servers
Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Fire TV, Apple TV, browser extensions, Aircove router.
Privacy and logging
ExpressVPN pioneered the idea of running an entire VPN fleet from RAM — it calls the system TrustedServer — and it has had that system and its no-logs policy audited more times than any other provider we track. The company is registered in the British Virgin Islands, which has no data-retention requirement and is outside the intelligence-sharing alliances. We have not run leak tests ourselves — run the free DNS leak test and WebRTC leak test on your own connection once you're set up.
The ownership question comes up: ExpressVPN belongs to Kape Technologies, which also owns CyberGhost and Private Internet Access and has a history that privacy communities debate. What's checkable is the record — audits, RAM-only servers, a 2017 server seizure in Turkey that produced nothing — and it is as good as any on this site.
Speed
We have not measured ExpressVPN's speed ourselves. Lightway, its own protocol, is built to be light and reconnect fast rather than to top a throughput chart; OpenVPN and IKEv2 are there as fallbacks. Its network covers 105 countries, near the top of this list, so a nearby server is likely wherever you are — and that proximity, not the protocol's name, is what actually decides your throughput and latency. A 4K stream needs about 25 Mbps, which any current VPN clears easily on a nearby server.
Streaming
We have not tested what ExpressVPN unblocks. Its MediaStreamer DNS feature is built for consoles and smart TVs that can't run the app itself, which at least takes device support off the table as an issue. Streaming access shifts week to week as services and VPNs trade blocks, so any matrix is a snapshot of a day already past. The 30-day refund window is the way to find out for the services you actually watch.
Torrenting
P2P is allowed on every server, but there is no port forwarding and no dedicated P2P server list. Perfectly usable for ordinary downloading; not the pick for heavy seeding.
Apps and ease of use
This is ExpressVPN's strongest category on paper: 9 platforms and 6 of 8 tracked features, for an apps sub-score of 8.3. Every platform gets a native app that looks and behaves the same: one big button, a smart location picker, and settings that explain themselves. The browser extensions control the whole app rather than just the browser, and the Aircove router — sold separately — is a way to put a whole home behind a VPN without configuring anything yourself.
Threat Manager blocks trackers and malicious sites, and the kill switch (Network Lock) is on by default. The Basic plan covers 10 simultaneous devices, rising to 12 on Advanced and 14 on Pro.
Customer support
24/7 live chat, plus email and a help centre, and setup guides that cover routers, consoles and NAS devices. We have not put response times or refund handling to a test ourselves.
Is ExpressVPN safe?
Yes — audited no-logs, RAM-only TrustedServer infrastructure, a privacy-friendly jurisdiction and modern protocols. We have not run leak tests ourselves. ExpressVPN also markets itself as working reliably inside heavily censored networks such as China; we have not verified that claim, but Lightway's obfuscation option is built for exactly that case.
Is ExpressVPN worth it?
That depends on what you are paying for. At $2.99 a month on the 2-year plan, it renews at $99.95 a year — the highest published renewal of the top five. We have not measured how its speed or streaming access compares to NordVPN's or Surfshark's. What you get for the extra cost is the best app experience on this site and a design built for reliability on a hotel network, on a plane, or in a country that blocks VPNs. If that is worth a few dollars a month to you, it is worth it. If you want the best numbers per dollar, it is not.
Who should buy ExpressVPN — and who shouldn't
Buy it if you are on Apple devices, travel to places where VPNs get blocked, or want the least fiddly VPN money can buy. Choose NordVPN for a lower renewal price, Surfshark for unlimited devices, and Proton VPN if a free tier or port forwarding matters more than polish.
ExpressVPN pricing
| Plan | Per month | Billed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $12.95 | $12.95 up front | Get plan |
| 12 months | $6.67 | $80.04 up front | Get plan |
| 24 months | $2.99 | $71.76 up front | Get plan |
The 24-month price is the introductory rate; it Billed $83.72 for the first 28 months, then autorenews at $99.95 a year. 30-day money-back guarantee on every plan — 30 days, first-time users only — we have not claimed one yet.
ExpressVPN alternatives
- Widest server network
NordVPN8.7Repeatedly audited, RAM-only, Panama — and the steepest renewal of the ten.
- Unlimited devices
Surfshark8.8Unlimited devices at the second-cheapest headline rate — with the renewal buried two clicks away.
- Best free tier
Proton VPN8.9Swiss jurisdiction, open-source audited apps, and the only free plan with a real audit behind it.
Compare head-to-head: ExpressVPN vs NordVPN
ExpressVPN: common questions
Is ExpressVPN legit?
Yes. ExpressVPN has been operating since 2009, and publishes independent audits of both its no-logs policy and its TrustedServer RAM-only system. It is owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns CyberGhost and Private Internet Access.
Is ExpressVPN good?
It is very good, and the best in one specific way: the apps. We have not measured speed or streaming ourselves, and the price is the highest of the top five, so it is the pick for people who value polish and reliability over squeezing out the most value per dollar.
Is ExpressVPN trustworthy?
Its no-logs claim has been audited by KPMG and others, its servers hold no data on disk, and it is based in the British Virgin Islands with no data-retention law. A 2017 seizure of an ExpressVPN server in Turkey yielded nothing, which is the point of the design.
Does ExpressVPN work with Netflix?
ExpressVPN markets streaming support and ships a MediaStreamer DNS feature for devices that can't run the app. We have not tested which services currently unblock — streaming access shifts week to week. The 30-day refund window is long enough to check the services you actually use.
How much is ExpressVPN per month?
$12.95 on the monthly plan, $6.67 on the annual plan and $2.99 a month on the 2-year plan, checked live on 12 September 2026. Every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Where these numbers come from
We have not run ExpressVPN ourselves yet, so no figure on this page is our own measurement and the score is provisional. The score comes from facts anyone can check — seehow we score — and the speed and streaming weights stay out of it until we measure them. Where two sources disagree, both are given.
ExpressVPN key data
ExpressVPN next to the middle of the field. “Typical VPN” is the median across all 11 VPNs we rank. Prices, refund windows and features come from each provider's own checkout and site pages, checked and dated; speed and streaming read “not tested by us” until we measure them ourselves — so a “better” here means better on what is actually checked, not a promise about the rest.
| Attribute | ExpressVPN | Typical VPN | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provisional score | 8.8 | 8.7 | Better |
| Rank | Not ranked until we test it | median of 11 rated | |
| What it wins on | Widest platform support | — |
| Attribute | ExpressVPN | Typical VPN | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average downloadno VPN here has been tested yet — reported figures are on the Full review tab | Not tested by us | — | |
| Added latency | Not tested by us | — |
| Attribute | ExpressVPN | Typical VPN | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | British Virgin Islands | Mixed | |
| Owner | Kape Technologies | — | |
| No-logs audit | KPMG, 2024 | 10 of 11 audited | Better |
| Torrenting | P2P allowed on all servers | Allowed on P2P servers |
| Attribute | ExpressVPN | Typical VPN | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Countries with servers | 105 | 91 | Better |
| Servers | 3,000+ | — | |
| Protocols | Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2 | WireGuard, OpenVPN |
| Attribute | ExpressVPN | Typical VPN | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous devices | 10 | 10 | Typical |
| Streaming services unblocked | Not tested by us | — | |
| Advanced features | 6 of 8 | 6 of 8 | Typical |
| Free plan | No | No | Typical |
| Support | 24/7 live chat, email, help centre | Live chat, email |
| Attribute | ExpressVPN | Typical VPN | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest per month2-year plan, billed up front | $2.99 | $2.99 | Typical |
| Rolling monthly | $12.95 | $12.95 | Typical |
| Renewal | Billed $83.72 for the first 28 months, then autorenews at $99.95 a year | renews at the 1-year rate | |
| Money-back guarantee30 days, first-time users only — we have not claimed one yet | 30 days | 30 days | Typical |
Apps and extensions
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
- Fire TV
- Apple TV
- browser extensions
- Aircove router
ExpressVPN compared
- ExpressVPN vs CyberGhost8.8 vs 9.1 · $2.99 vs $1.99/mo
- ExpressVPN vs Proton VPN8.8 vs 8.9 · $2.99 vs $3.49/mo
- ExpressVPN vs Surfshark8.8 vs 8.8 · $2.99 vs $2.49/mo
- ExpressVPN vs NordVPN8.8 vs 8.7 · $2.99 vs $3.49/mo
- ExpressVPN vs PureVPN8.8 vs 8.1 · $2.99 vs $2.15/mo
- ExpressVPN vs Mullvad8.8 vs 6.7 · $2.99 vs $5.80/mo
We may earn a commission when you buy through links in this review. Commissions never affect a score; the 2026 weights are published on the methodology page.