Quick speeds and a low studying curve

ExpressVPN is nice at its job. It is simple to be skeptical of any service with a knack for self-promotion, however do not let ExpressVPN’s hype distract you from the truth that it retains its front-page promise of “simply working.”

Exterior of stable safety, the 2 finest issues ExpressVPN gives are quick speeds and a easy interface. Our exams confirmed solely a 7% common drop in obtain velocity and a 2% lack of add velocity, worldwide. And whereas the dearth of additional options might frustrate skilled customers, it makes for a real set-and-forget VPN on any platform.

This is not to say ExpressVPN is with out flaws — it is practically bereft of customization choices and it is notably dearer than its competitors — but it surely beats most VPNs in a head-to-head matchup.

For this evaluation, we adopted our rigorous 10-step VPN testing course of, exploring ExpressVPN’s safety, privateness, velocity, interfaces and extra. Whether or not you learn straight by way of or skip to the sections which are most essential for you, it’s best to come away with all the data it’s worthwhile to determine whether or not to subscribe.

Editors’ notice: We’re within the technique of rebooting all of our VPN opinions from scratch. As soon as we do a contemporary cross on the highest companies, we’ll be updating every evaluation with a ranking and extra comparative info.

Desk of contents

Findings at a look

Putting in, configuring and utilizing ExpressVPN

This part focuses on the way it feels to make use of ExpressVPN on every of the main platforms the place it is obtainable. Step one for any setup course of is to make an account on expressvpn.com and purchase a subscription.

Home windows

As soon as subscribed, obtain the Home windows VPN from both expressvpn.com or the Microsoft Retailer, then open the .exe file. Click on “Sure” to let it make adjustments, look ahead to the set up, then let your pc reboot. Together with the reboot, the entire course of takes 5-10 minutes, most of it idle. To complete, you will want your activation code, which yow will discover by going to expressvpn.com and clicking “Setup” within the top-right nook.

Excessive simplicity is the watchword for all ExpressVPN’s designs. The Home windows consumer’s launch panel consists of three buttons and fewer than ten phrases. You’ll be able to change your location or let the app choose a location for you — the “Good Location” is the server with the very best mixture of being close by and unburdened.

All the things else is crammed into the hamburger menu on the prime left. Right here, in seven tabs, you will discover the Community Lock kill change, the 4 kinds of content material blockers, the break up tunneling menu and the choice to vary your VPN protocol. It’s also possible to add shortcuts to varied web sites, helpful if you happen to recurrently use your VPN for a similar on-line locations.

To sum up, there’s virtually nothing right here to get in the way in which: no delays, no snags, no nested menus to get misplaced in. It might be the world’s most ignorable VPN consumer. That is not a foul factor in any respect.

Mac

ExpressVPN’s app for macOS is nearly equivalent in design to its Home windows app. The method for downloading and setting it up is almost the identical too. As on Home windows, it may be downloaded from the App Retailer or sideloaded immediately from the expressvpn.com obtain middle. Just a few options are lacking and a pair others have been added. Cut up tunneling is gone (until you are still on a macOS decrease than 11), and you will not see the Lightway Turbo setting.

Mac customers do achieve entry to the IKEv2 protocol, together with the choice to show off automated IPv6 blocking — Home windows customers have to depart it blocked always. Nearly each web site continues to be accessible by way of IPv4, but it surely’s helpful if you happen to do have to entry a selected IPv6 handle whereas the VPN is energetic.

Android

Android customers can obtain ExpressVPN by way of the Google Play Retailer. Open the app, sign up and also you’re able to go. The Android app has a really good dark-colored design, solely barely marred by an pointless info field about how lengthy you’ve got used the VPN this week.

There’s a big button for connecting. Clicking on the server identify takes you to an inventory of areas. On this checklist, you’ll be able to both search or scroll and may select particular person areas inside a rustic that has a couple of. We related to as many far-flung server areas as we might, however not a single one took longer than a number of seconds.

The choices menu is organized sensibly, with no choice situated greater than two clicks deep. You will notice a few choices right here that are not obtainable on desktop, the very best of which is the power to mechanically hook up with your last-used ExpressVPN server each time your cellphone connects to a non-trusted wifi community.

There are additionally a number of normal safety instruments: an IP handle checker, DNS and WebRTC leak testers and a password generator. These are additionally obtainable on the web site, however right here, they’re constructed into the app. Apart from the latter, we would advocate utilizing third-party testing instruments as an alternative — even a VPN with integrity has an incentive to make its personal app appear to be it is working.

iPhone and iPad

You’ll be able to solely set up ExpressVPN’s iOS app by way of the app retailer. Throughout setup, chances are you’ll have to enter your password to permit your cellphone to make use of VPN configurations. In any other case, there aren’t any main variations from the Android course of.

The interface isn’t fairly as pleasing because the dark-mode Android app, but it surely makes up for that by slicing out among the litter. The tabs and options are comparable, although break up tunneling and shortcuts are absent. Additionally, each cellular apps make buyer help much more accessible than their desktop counterparts — plus, cellular is the one approach to ship electronic mail help tickets.

Browser extension

ExpressVPN additionally consists of browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. These allow you to join, disconnect and alter server areas with out leaving your browser window. It is good, however not important until you’ve got a really particular internet browser circulation you want.

ExpressVPN velocity check: Very quick averages

Connecting to a VPN virtually at all times decreases your velocity, however the very best VPNs mitigate the drop as a lot as doable. We used Ookla’s velocity testing app to see how a lot of your web velocity ExpressVPN preserves. For this check, we emphasised the areas ExpressVPN makes use of for many of its digital servers, together with the Netherlands, Brazil, Germany and Singapore.

Some phrases earlier than we begin:

• Latency, measured in milliseconds (ms), is the time it takes one information packet to journey between your gadget and an internet server by way of the VPN. Latency will increase with distance. It is most essential for real-time duties like video chatting and on-line gaming.

• Obtain velocity, measured in megabits per second (Mbps), is the quantity of knowledge that may obtain onto your gadget at one time — comparable to when loading an internet web page or streaming a video.

• Add velocity, additionally measured in Mbps, is the quantity of knowledge your gadget can ship to the online without delay. It is most essential for torrenting, for the reason that quantity of knowledge you’ll be able to seed determines how briskly you’ll be able to obtain in alternate.

The desk under reveals our outcomes. We performed this on Home windows, utilizing the automated protocol setting with the Lightway Turbo characteristic energetic — a latest ExpressVPN addition that retains velocity extra constant by processing connections in parallel.

These are extraordinarily good outcomes. ExpressVPN is a winner on each obtain and add velocity. Irrespective of the place we went on this planet, we by no means misplaced greater than about 7% of our obtain speeds, and add misplaced an astoundingly low common of two%. This implies that ExpressVPN deftly distributes its consumer load between servers to remove bottlenecks.

The latency numbers look worse, however the rise within the desk is much less sharp than we projected. Ping size relies upon much more on distance than obtain velocity does, so we anticipate it to shoot up on servers greater than 1,000 miles from our location. Holding the common under 300 ms, as ExpressVPN does right here, is a robust displaying.

ExpressVPN safety check: Checking for leaks

A VPN’s core mission is to cover your IP handle and make you untraceable on-line. Our activity on this part is to determine if ExpressVPN can perform this mission each time you join. Whereas we will not be 100% sure, the exams we’ll run by way of under have led us to imagine that ExpressVPN is at present leak-proof.

Obtainable VPN protocols

A VPN protocol is sort of a frequent language {that a} VPN server can use to mediate between your gadgets and the online servers you go to. If a VPN makes use of outdated or insecure protocols, or depends on distinctive protocols with no seen specs or supply code, that is a foul signal.

ExpressVPN provides you a choice of three protocols: IKEv2, OpenVPN and Lightway. The primary two are stable decisions that help the most recent encryption algorithms. OpenVPN has been totally open-source for years and is the only option if privateness is your purpose. Whereas IKEv2 began life as a closed mission by Microsoft and Cisco, ExpressVPN makes use of an open-source reverse-engineering, which is each higher for privateness and fairly quick.

Lightway is the odd one out, a protocol you will solely discover on ExpressVPN, although its source code is available on Github. It is much like WireGuard, in that each attain for quicker speeds and decrease processing calls for by conserving their codebases slim. Nevertheless, Lightway was not too long ago rewritten in Rust to higher shield the keys saved in its reminiscence.

In the end, you’ll be able to’t go fallacious with any of ExpressVPN’s protocol choices. 99% of the time, your best option might be to set the controls to Computerized and let the VPN determine which runs finest.

Testing for leaks

ExpressVPN is among the finest companies, but it surely’s not leak-proof (as you’ll be able to learn within the Background Examine under). Fortunately, checking for DNS leaks is a straightforward matter of checking your IP handle earlier than and after connecting to a VPN server. If the brand new handle matches the VPN server, you are good; if not, your VPN is leaking.

First, we checked the Home windows app with break up tunneling energetic to make sure the flaw actually had been patched. We examined a number of servers and did not discover any leaks, which suggests the patch labored, although leaks have been uncommon even earlier than ExpressVPN mounted the vulnerability.

In truth, we did not discover any leaks on any ExpressVPN server we examined on any platform. Although questions stay about iOS, as you will see later on this part, that is an issue on Apple‘s finish that even the very best VPNs can do little or no about for now.

The commonest explanation for VPN leaks is using public DNS servers to attach customers to web sites, which may mistakenly ship searching exercise outdoors the VPN’s encrypted tunnel. ExpressVPN avoids the dangers of the general public system by putting in its personal DNS resolvers on each server. That is the important thing issue behind its clear invoice of well being in our leak testing.

Two different frequent flaws can result in VPN leaks: WebRTC visitors and IPv6. The previous is a communication protocol utilized in stay streaming and the latter is a brand new IP customary designed to broaden area availability. Each are good, however at present elective, so ExpressVPN mechanically blocks each to make sure there is not any alternative for leaks to come up.

One notice about VPN safety on iOS: it is a known and continuing problem that iOS VPNs don’t forestall many on-line apps from speaking with Apple immediately, outdoors the VPN tunnel. This dangers leaking delicate information, even with Lockdown Mode energetic in iOS 16. A blog post by Proton VPN shares a workaround: hook up with a VPN server, then flip Airplane Mode on and off once more to finish all connections that have been energetic earlier than you related to the VPN.

Testing encryption

We completed up our battery of safety exams by testing ExpressVPN’s encryption immediately. Utilizing WireShark, a free packet sniffer, we inspected what it appears like when ExpressVPN transmits information from one in all its servers to the web. The screenshot under reveals an information stream encrypted with Lightway UDP.

That lack of any identifiable info, and even readable info, means encryption is working as meant. We repeated the check a number of instances, at all times getting the identical outcome. This left us glad that ExpressVPN’s core options are working as meant.

How a lot does ExpressVPN price?

ExpressVPN subscriptions price $12.95 monthly. Lengthy-term subscriptions can carry the month-to-month price down, however the nice offers they provide are likely to solely final for the primary billing interval.

A 12-month subscription prices $99.95 and consists of three months totally free along with your first cost, costing a complete of $6.67 monthly. The bonus disappears for all subsequent years, elevating the month-to-month price to $8.33. It’s also possible to join 28 months at a value of $139.72, however that is additionally once-only — ExpressVPN can solely be renewed on the $99.95 per yr degree.

There are two methods to check ExpressVPN totally free earlier than making a monetary dedication. Customers on iOS and Android can obtain the ExpressVPN app with out getting into any cost particulars and use it free for seven days. On any platform, there is a 30-day money-back assure, which ExpressVPN has traditionally honored with no questions requested. You’ll have to pay earlier than you should use it, although.

In our opinion, ExpressVPN’s service is stable sufficient that it is value paying further. Maybe not this a lot further, however that is dependent upon what you get out of it. We advocate utilizing the 30-day refund interval and seeing how nicely ExpressVPN works for you. If it is a VPN you’ll be able to get pleasure from utilizing, that runs quick and unblocks all the pieces you want, that is value a server’s weight in gold.

ExpressVPN facet apps and bundles

ExpressVPN consists of some particular options that work principally or wholly separate from its VPN apps. A few of these come free with a subscription, whereas others add an additional price.

Each subscription consists of the ExpressVPN keys password supervisor. That is obtainable beneath its personal tab on the Android and iOS apps. On desktop, you will have to obtain a separate extension out of your browser’s retailer, then sign up utilizing your account activation code. It is obtainable on all Chromium browsers, however not Firefox.

Beginning in 2025, new subscribers get an eSIM plan by way of holiday.com, a separate service linked to ExpressVPN. The baseline 1GB vacation eSIM plans final for five days and may apply to nations, areas, or the complete world (although it is not clear whether or not the package deal deal applies to the regional and world plans). Longer-term plans embrace bigger eSIM plans.

You’ll be able to add a devoted IP handle to your ExpressVPN subscription for an additional cost per month. A devoted IP enables you to use the identical IP handle each time you hook up with ExpressVPN. You’ll be able to add the handle to whitelists on restricted networks, and also you’re assured to by no means be blocked due to another person’s dangerous exercise on a shared IP.

In contrast to a lot of its rivals, ExpressVPN does not at present supply antivirus or on-line storage companies, however there’s a complete bundle of ID safety instruments known as Id Defender. We have not reviewed any of those merchandise intimately, however this is an inventory for reference:

• ID Alerts will inform you if any of your delicate info is leaked or misused on-line. It is free with all plans, however you will need to enter your private info in your ExpressVPN account web page or a cellular app.

• ID Theft Insurance coverage grants as much as $1 million in identification theft reimbursement and comes free with new ExpressVPN one-year or two-year subscriptions. It is not but obtainable to those that subscribed earlier than it launched in October 2024.

• Knowledge Removing scans in your info in information brokerages and mechanically requests that it’s deleted. It is also free with one-year and two-year plans.

• Credit score Scanner is just obtainable for United States customers. It screens your exercise on the three credit score bureaus so you’ll be able to rapidly spot any suspicious transactions.

The Id Defender options are at present solely obtainable to new ExpressVPN clients within the US.

Shut-reading ExpressVPN’s privateness coverage

Though we fear that the consolidation of VPN manufacturers beneath the umbrella of Kape Applied sciences (ExpressVPN’s dad or mum firm) will make the trade much less aggressive, we do not imagine it is influencing ExpressVPN to benefit from its customers’ privateness. To verify, and get a full sense of what kind of privateness ExpressVPN guarantees its customers, we got down to learn ExpressVPN’s privateness coverage intimately. It is lengthy, however fortunately aimed toward informal customers as an alternative of attorneys. You can see it for yourself here.

Within the introduction, ExpressVPN states that it doesn’t hold both exercise logs (comparable to a consumer’s searching historical past whereas related to the VPN) or connection logs (such because the period of a consumer’s session and their IP handle, which can be utilized to extrapolate searching exercise). It then specifies the seven kinds of information it is legally allowed to gather:

• Knowledge used to enroll in an account, comparable to names, emails and cost strategies.

• VPN utilization information which is aggregated and cannot be traced to any particular person.

• Credentials saved within the ExpressVPN Keys password supervisor.

• Diagnostic information comparable to crash studies, that are solely shared upon consumer request.

• IP addresses approved for MediaStreamer, which is just for streaming gadgets that do not in any other case help VPN apps.

• Advertising information collected immediately from the app — a “restricted quantity” that is saved nameless.

• Knowledge voluntarily submitted for identification theft safety apps.

Of these seven exceptions, the one ones that depend as purple flags are account information and advertising information. Each classes are extremely private and could possibly be damaging if mishandled. Luckily, complying with subpoenas isn’t one of many allowed makes use of listed for both information class, nor does the coverage let ExpressVPN promote the information to different personal events.

The one actually annoying factor right here is that if you happen to ask ExpressVPN to delete your private information, you will not be capable to use your account from then on. You are not even eligible for a refund on this case, until you are inside 30 days of your preliminary subscription.

As for advertising information, ExpressVPN collects gadget fingerprints and site information if you join an account on its web site. The privateness coverage additionally claims that is anonymized, as its “programs are engineered to decouple such information from personally identifiable info.” Audits corroborate this, as we’ll see within the subsequent part. So, whereas it could be higher if ExpressVPN did not acquire any private information in any respect, its practices do not seem to pose a danger to something you do whereas utilizing the VPN — simply the ExpressVPN web site.

Privateness audits

VPN suppliers typically get third-party accounting companies to audit their privateness insurance policies. The thought is {that a} well-known agency will not mortgage its fame to lie on behalf of a VPN, so their outcomes may be trusted.

For the final a number of years, ExpressVPN has had KPMG look over its privateness coverage and related infrastructure (see “TrustedServer” under). KPMG’s most up-to-date report, accomplished in December 2023 and launched in Might 2024, discovered that ExpressVPN had sufficient inner controls in place that customers might belief its privateness coverage.

The report is freely available to read. This can be a excellent signal, although we’re looking for a extra up-to-date audit quickly.

TrustedServer

“TrustedServer” is a advertising time period ExpressVPN makes use of for its RAM-only server infrastructure. RAM-only servers don’t have any laborious drives for long-term storage and return to an ordinary disk picture with each reboot. This makes it theoretically inconceivable to retailer consumer exercise logs on them, even when ExpressVPN wished to try this.

The KPMG audit, linked above, studies that TrustedServer works as marketed. Between its many clear privateness audits and the Turkish server incident in 2017, we’re ready to say ExpressVPN is a personal VPN, despite its aggravating exception for advertising.

Can ExpressVPN change your digital location?

Subsequent, we examined whether or not ExpressVPN can really persuade web sites that you just’re someplace aside from your actual location. Our safety exams have already confirmed it will possibly cover your IP handle, but it surely takes greater than leak-proofing to idiot streaming websites today — Netflix and the others have gotten excellent at combing by way of metadata to smell out proxy customers.

The method for testing it is a lot like how we dealt with the DNS leak exams: strive a number of completely different servers and see if we get caught. We checked 5 pattern areas outdoors the U.S. to see if we a) bought into Netflix and b) noticed completely different titles within the library. The outcomes are under.

In fifteen exams, ExpressVPN slipped up solely as soon as. Docklands, the UK server it selected because the quickest, wasn’t capable of entry Netflix. We switched to a server labeled merely “London” and unblocked it with out concern.

All the opposite areas bought us entry to an alternate Netflix library on the primary strive. We even checked whether or not the India server, which is bodily situated within the UK, confirmed us completely different movies than the UK servers. It did, which makes us much more assured that ExpressVPN’s digital areas are hermetic.

Investigating ExpressVPN’s server community

ExpressVPN customers can hook up with a complete of 164 server areas in 105 nations and territories. These areas are moderately nicely distributed throughout the globe, however as with all VPNs, there is a bias towards the northern hemisphere. There are 24 areas within the U.S. alone and an extra 66 in Europe.

That is not to say customers within the International South get nothing. ExpressVPN has IP addresses from 9 nations in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) and 6 in Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa). The community even consists of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, spectacular since central Asia could be the area most frequently shafted by VPNs.

Nevertheless, many of those servers have digital areas completely different from their actual ones. For these of you selecting a server based mostly on efficiency as an alternative of a selected IP handle, ExpressVPN’s web site has a useful checklist of which servers are digital. The dangerous information is that it is a huge chunk of the checklist. A complete of 63 ExpressVPN areas are digital, or 38% of its whole community.

To cut back the sting, ExpressVPN takes care to find digital servers as near their actual areas as doable. Its digital areas in Indonesia and India are bodily based mostly in Singapore. This is not at all times sensible, resulting in some awkwardness like working a Ghana IP handle out of Germany. But it surely helps ExpressVPN carry out higher within the southern hemisphere.

In comparison with direct rivals like NordVPN and Surfshark, ExpressVPN does not have many particular options. It is aimed squarely on the informal market and can most likely disappoint energy customers. Having stated that, what they do embrace works nicely. On this part, we’ll run by way of ExpressVPN’s 4 substantial options outdoors its VPN servers themselves.

Community Lock kill change

“Community Lock” is the identify ExpressVPN provides to its kill change (although it is known as “Community Safety” on cellular). A VPN kill change is a security characteristic that retains you from broadcasting outdoors the VPN tunnel. If it ever detects that you just aren’t related to a legit ExpressVPN server, it cuts off your web entry. You will not be capable to get again on-line till you both reconnect to the VPN or disable Community Lock.

That is essential for everybody, not simply customers who want to cover delicate visitors. The not too long ago found TunnelVision bug theoretically permits hackers to arrange pretend public wi-fi networks by way of which they redirect you to equally pretend VPN servers, which then harvest your private info. It is unlikely, however not inconceivable, and a kill change is the easiest way to forestall it — the change at all times triggers until you are related to an actual server within the VPN’s community.

Like most of ExpressVPN’s options, all you are able to do with Community Lock is flip it on and off. It’s also possible to toggle whether or not you will nonetheless be capable to entry native gadgets whereas the kill change is obstructing your web — that is allowed by default.

Menace supervisor, advert blocker and parental controls

ExpressVPN teams three instruments beneath the heading of “superior safety” — Menace Supervisor, an advert blocker and parental controls. Menace Supervisor consists of two checkboxes: one which blocks your browser from speaking with exercise monitoring software program and one which blocks an inventory of internet sites identified for use for malware.

You’ll be able to’t customise the lists, so that you’re restricted to what ExpressVPN considers worthy of blocking. They share their sources on the web site. Whereas the lists are in depth and open-source, they depend on after-the-fact reporting and may’t detect and block unknown threats like a correct antivirus.

The adblock and parental management choices work the identical manner: test a field to dam all the pieces on the checklist, uncheck it to permit all the pieces by way of. In exams, the advert blocker was practically 100% efficient in opposition to banner advertisements, however failed to dam any video advertisements on YouTube or Netflix.

The parental management choice blocks an inventory of porn websites. It is a simple choice for involved dad and mom, however solely works whereas ExpressVPN is related. As such, it is meant for use at the side of device-level parental controls that forestall the kid from turning off or uninstalling the VPN consumer.

Cut up tunneling

Generally, you will discover it useful to have your gadget getting on-line by way of two completely different IP addresses without delay — one in your dwelling companies and one for a location you are attempting to spoof. That is the place break up tunneling is useful: it runs some apps by way of the VPN whereas leaving others unprotected. This will additionally enhance your speeds, for the reason that VPN must encrypt much less in whole.

ExpressVPN consists of break up tunneling on Home windows, Android and Mac (although solely on variations 10 and under). You’ll be able to solely break up by app, not by web site, but it surely’s nonetheless fairly helpful. For instance, you’ll be able to have BitTorrent dealing with a heavy obtain within the background when you use your browser for innocuous actions that do not want defending.

ExpressVPN Aircove router

By now, it needs to be clear that we discover ExpressVPN to be a extremely dependable however typically unexceptional VPN service. Nevertheless, there’s one space wherein it is a clear trade chief: VPN routers. ExpressVPN Aircove is, to our information, the one router with a built-in industrial VPN that comes with its personal dashboard interface.

Often, putting in a VPN in your router requires tinkering with the router management panel, which turns off all however essentially the most skilled customers — to not point out making it a large ache to modify to a brand new server location. Aircove’s dashboard, in contrast, might be immediately acquainted to anybody who already is aware of learn how to use an ExpressVPN consumer. It even permits completely different gadgets in your house to connect with completely different areas by way of the router VPN.

Aircove’s greatest downside is its worth. Presently retailing at $189 (not together with an ExpressVPN subscription), it is round thrice dearer than an aftermarket router fitted with free VPN firmware. A few of you would possibly nonetheless discover the comfort definitely worth the one-time cost.

ExpressVPN buyer help choices

ExpressVPN’s written assist pages are among the finest in the marketplace. Its stay chat is extra of a combined bag, and complicated questions might trigger delays. Nevertheless, it’s a minimum of staffed with human brokers who intention to answer precisely, slightly than resolve your ticket as rapidly as doable.

We approached ExpressVPN’s help options with a easy query: “If I requested that ExpressVPN delete all my private information, would I be capable to get a refund for my unused subscription time?” (Bear in mind from the Privateness Coverage part that submitting a full deletion request additionally cancels your ExpressVPN account.)

Our first cease was expressvpn.com/help, the written help middle and FAQ web page. It is divided into setup guides, troubleshooting, account administration and knowledge on every of ExpressVPN’s merchandise. The setup guides are wonderful, together with screenshots and clearly written steps; every one features a video information for individuals who be taught higher that manner.

Troubleshooting is simply nearly as good — no movies, however the identical requirements of readability and usefulness prevail. The part begins with normal issues, then delves into particular points you would possibly face on every working system. Every article clearly derives from an actual buyer want.

The stay help expertise

To get solutions on our refund query, we visited the account administration FAQs. This part said that the refund coverage solely applies inside 30 days of buy. Fairly clear-cut, however we nonetheless wished a solution on our particular case, so we contacted stay chat by clicking the button on the bottom-right of each FAQ web page.

Dwell chat begins with an AI assistant, which isn’t too laborious to get previous — simply ask it a query it will possibly’t reply, then click on “Switch to an Agent.” We bought on-line with (what claimed to be) a human in lower than a minute. Answering the query took longer and concerned an uncomfortable 10-minute silence, however we did get a transparent verdict from an actual particular person: refunds are inside 30 days solely, it doesn’t matter what.

If the stay chat agent cannot reply your query, you will be redirected to open an electronic mail help ticket. Annoyingly, there is not any approach to go on to electronic mail help by way of the web site or desktop apps, although cellular customers have the choice to skip immediately there.

ExpressVPN background test: From founding to Kape Applied sciences

ExpressVPN launched in 2009, which makes it one of many oldest shopper VPNs in continuous operation. In additional than 15 years of operation, it is by no means been caught violating its personal privateness coverage, although its file is not freed from extra minor blemishes.

Headquarters within the British Virgin Islands

Founders Dan Pomerantz and Peter Burchhardt registered the corporate within the British Virgin Islands from the begin to benefit from that territory’s favorable authorized atmosphere for on-line privateness. The BVIs don’t have any legislation requiring companies to retain information on their customers, and the method for extraditing information is famously tough, requiring a direct order from the very best court docket.

In 2021, the BVI implemented the Data Protection Act (DPA) [PDF link], which prevents firms based mostly within the territory from accessing information on their customers wherever on this planet. It is an excellent privateness legislation in principle, modeled on best-in-class laws within the EU. Nevertheless, we could not discover any proof that its supervising authority — the Workplace of the Data Commissioner — has a frontrunner or employees.

In different phrases, whereas ExpressVPN isn’t legally required to log any information on its customers, there’s technically no one stopping them from doing so. Whether or not you belief the jurisdiction is dependent upon whether or not you belief the corporate itself. Let’s have a look at what the opposite proof says.

Safety and privateness incidents

Two important incidents stand out from ExpressVPN’s 16-year historical past. In 2017, when Andrei Karlov, Russia’s ambassador to Turkey, was shot to death at an art show. Turkish police suspected somebody had used ExpressVPN to mask their identity whereas they deleted info from social media accounts belonging to the alleged murderer. To analyze, they confiscated an ExpressVPN server to comb for proof. They didn’t find anything.

A police seizure is the absolute best check of a VPN’s strategy to privateness. The supplier cannot put together beforehand, pretend something, or collude with investigators. The Turkey incident continues to be probably the greatest causes to advocate ExpressVPN, although eight years is a very long time for coverage to vary.

The second incident started in March 2024, when a researcher at CNET knowledgeable ExpressVPN that its model 12 for Home windows occasionally leaked DNS requests when users enabled the split tunneling feature. Whereas these customers remained related to an ExpressVPN server, their searching exercise was typically going on to their ISP, unmasked.

The bug solely impacted a number of customers, and to their credit score, ExpressVPN sprang into motion as quickly as they discovered about it. The crew had it patched by April, as confirmed by the researcher who initially found the vulnerability. However whereas their fast and efficient response deserves reward, it is nonetheless a mark in opposition to them {that a} journalist seen the bug earlier than they did.

Kape Applied sciences possession and administration questions

In 2021, an Israeli-owned, UK-based agency known as Kape Applied sciences purchased a controlling interest in ExpressVPN. Along with ExpressVPN, privately held Kape owns CyberGhost, Personal Web Entry, and Zenmate (earlier than it merged into CyberGhost). As shown on its website, it additionally owns Webselenese, writer of VPN evaluation web sites WizCase and vpnMentor, which poses an obvious battle of curiosity.

When reached for remark, a consultant for ExpressVPN stated that “ExpressVPN doesn’t immediately have interaction with, nor search to affect, the content material on any Webselenese web site,” and pointed us to disclosure statements on the web sites in query — here’s one example. Even so, it is a good reminder to not take VPN opinions at face worth with out figuring out who’s behind them (Engadget is owned by Yahoo, which doesn’t personal any VPNs).

Diving deeper into the background of Kape’s possession will lead you to proprietor Teddy Sagi. Return far sufficient, and you may see he did prison time in Israel and was mentioned in the Pandora Papers, amongst different issues. Extra not too long ago, headlines in regards to the billionaire have targeted extra his companies within the online gambling and fintech arenas, in addition to his real estate ventures. An ExpressVPN consultant advised us that “Kape’s manufacturers proceed to function independently,” and our investigation bore that out — we could not discover any proof that Kape or Sagi have immediately tried to affect ExpressVPN’s software program or every day operations.

Nearer to the fast day-to-day operations of ExpressVPN was the corporate’s employment of Daniel Gericke as CTO from 2019 by way of 2023. Throughout that point, the US Justice Division introduced it had fined Gericke and two others for his or her earlier employment on a surveillance operation known as Challenge Raven, which the United Arab Emirates (UAE) used to spy by itself residents.

The revelation prompted a public response from ExpressVPN defending its decision to hire Gericke, arguing that “[t]he finest goalkeepers are those educated by the very best strikers.” ExpressVPN’s consultant confirmed that the corporate nonetheless stands by that linked assertion.

Gericke parted methods with ExpressVPN in October 2023, per his LinkedIn profile. Whereas we do not know what we do not know, we will say that ExpressVPN has not notably modified its public-facing safety and privateness insurance policies through the time it has been related to Kape, Sagi, or Gericke.

In the long run, how a lot ExpressVPN’s historical past issues to you is a private alternative. If you happen to object to any present or previous actions by Kape Applied sciences or Teddy Sagi, there are different premium VPN choices you would possibly favor. If you happen to want extra info to make up your thoughts, we advocate studying by way of CNET’s 2022 deep dive on ExpressVPN’s corporate history.

Last verdict

ExpressVPN is the VPN we most frequently advocate to newbies. It takes zero coaching to make use of, and persistently will get previous filters on streaming websites. It additionally runs within the background with just about no influence. If something is definitely worth the excessive worth of admission, it is the superb speeds distributed evenly throughout the worldwide server community.

Nevertheless, for sure particular instances, ExpressVPN will not be the only option. There is no approach to arrange your personal server areas, like NordVPN gives, and no double VPN connections, like you’ll be able to construct for your self on Surfshark. Its company background is extra suspect than the entities backing Proton VPN, and in contrast to Mullvad, ExpressVPN does not work in China — it is so well-known that the federal government targets its servers particularly.

We propose going with ExpressVPN for normal on-line privateness, for spoofing areas in your house nation whereas touring, or if you happen to recurrently have to unblock websites in different nations. That encompasses 19 of each 20 customers, which is ok by us, as ExpressVPN is a superb service. It is simply extra of a dependable previous screwdriver than a multi-tool.