Expressvpn Review 2025: Fast Speeds And A Low Learning Curve

ExpressVPN is bully astatine its job. It's easy to beryllium skeptical of immoderate work pinch a knack for self-promotion, but don't fto ExpressVPN's hype distract you from nan truth that it keeps its front-page committedness of "just working."

Outside of coagulated security, nan 2 champion things ExpressVPN offers are accelerated speeds and a elemental interface. Our tests showed only a 7% mean driblet successful download velocity and a 2% nonaccomplishment of upload speed, worldwide. And while nan deficiency of other features whitethorn frustrate knowledgeable users, it makes for a existent set-and-forget VPN connected immoderate platform.

This isn't to opportunity ExpressVPN is without flaws — it's astir bereft of customization options and it's notably much costly than its title — but it thumps astir VPNs successful a head-to-head matchup.

For this review, we followed our rigorous 10-step VPN testing process, exploring ExpressVPN's security, privacy, speed, interfaces and more. Whether you publication consecutive done aliases skip to nan sections that are astir important for you, you should travel distant pinch each nan accusation you request to determine whether to subscribe.

Editor's statement (7/25/25): We're successful nan process of revamping our VPN sum to supply much in-depth, actionable accusation and buying guides. Our recommendations, and each nan info connected this page, are taxable to alteration arsenic nan update continues. Check retired our revamped ProtonVPN review and NordVPN review to spot nan caller direction, aliases study much astir how we trial VPNs.

Table of contents

• Findings astatine a glance

• Installing, configuring and utilizing ExpressVPN

• ExpressVPN velocity test: Very accelerated averages

• ExpressVPN information test: Checking for leaks

• How overmuch does ExpressVPN cost?

• ExpressVPN broadside apps and bundles

• Close-reading ExpressVPN's privateness policy

• Can ExpressVPN alteration your virtual location?

• Investigating ExpressVPN's server network

• Extra features of ExpressVPN

• ExpressVPN customer support options

• ExpressVPN inheritance check: From founding to Kape Technologies

• Final verdict

Findings astatine a glance

Installing, configuring and utilizing ExpressVPN

This conception focuses connected really it feels to usage ExpressVPN connected each of nan awesome platforms wherever it's available. The first measurement for immoderate setup process is to make an relationship connected expressvpn.com and bargain a subscription.

Windows

Once subscribed, download nan Windows VPN from either expressvpn.com aliases nan Microsoft Store, past unfastened nan .exe file. Click "Yes" to fto it make changes, hold for nan install, past fto your machine reboot. Including nan reboot, nan full process takes 5-10 minutes, astir of it idle. To finish, you'll request your activation code, which you tin find by going to expressvpn.com and clicking "Setup" successful nan top-right corner.

Extreme simplicity is nan watchword for each ExpressVPN's designs. The Windows client's motorboat sheet consists of 3 buttons and little than 10 words. You tin alteration your location aliases fto nan app prime a location for you — nan "Smart Location" is nan server pinch nan champion operation of being adjacent and unburdened.

Everything other is crammed into nan hamburger paper astatine nan apical left. Here, successful 7 tabs, you'll find nan Network Lock termination switch, nan 4 types of contented blockers, nan divided tunneling paper and nan action to alteration your VPN protocol. You tin besides adhd shortcuts to various websites, useful if you regularly usage your VPN for nan aforesaid online destinations.

To sum up, there's almost thing present to get successful nan way: nary delays, nary snags, nary nested menus to get mislaid in. It whitethorn beryllium nan world's astir ignorable VPN client. That's not a bad point astatine all.

Mac

ExpressVPN's app for macOS is almost identical successful creation to its Windows app. The process for downloading and mounting it up is astir nan aforesaid too. As connected Windows, it tin beryllium downloaded from nan App Store aliases sideloaded straight from nan expressvpn.com download center. Only a fewer features are missing and a mates others person been added. Split tunneling is gone (unless you're still connected a macOS little than 11), and you won't spot nan Lightway Turbo setting.

Mac users do summation entree to nan IKEv2 protocol, on pinch nan action to move disconnected automatic IPv6 blocking — Windows users person to time off it blocked astatine each times. Almost each website is still accessible via IPv4, but it's useful if you do request to entree a circumstantial IPv6 reside while nan VPN is active.

Android

Android users tin download ExpressVPN done nan Google Play Store. Open nan app, motion successful and you're fresh to go. The Android app has a very bully dark-colored design, only somewhat marred by an unnecessary accusation container astir really agelong you've utilized nan VPN this week.

There's a ample fastener for connecting. Clicking connected nan server sanction takes you to a database of locations. On this list, you tin either hunt aliases scroll and tin take individual locations wrong a state that has much than one. We connected to arsenic galore far-flung server locations arsenic we could, but not a azygous 1 took longer than a fewer seconds.

The options paper is organized sensibly, pinch nary action located much than 2 clicks deep. You will spot a mates of options present that aren't disposable connected desktop, nan champion of which is nan expertise to automatically link to your last-used ExpressVPN server whenever your telephone connects to a non-trusted wifi network.

There are besides a fewer wide information tools: an IP reside checker, DNS and WebRTC leak testers and a password generator. These are besides disposable connected nan website, but here, they're built into nan app. With nan objection of nan latter, we'd urge utilizing third-party testing devices alternatively — moreover a VPN pinch integrity has an inducement to make its ain app look for illustration it's working.

iPhone and iPad

You tin only instal ExpressVPN's iOS app done nan app store. During setup, you whitethorn request to participate your password to let your telephone to usage VPN configurations. Otherwise, location are nary awesome differences from nan Android process.

The interface is not rather arsenic pleasing arsenic nan dark-mode Android app, but it makes up for that by cutting retired immoderate of nan clutter. The tabs and features are similar, though divided tunneling and shortcuts are absent. Also, some mobile apps make customer support a batch much accessible than their desktop counterparts — plus, mobile is nan only measurement to nonstop email support tickets.

Browser extension

ExpressVPN besides includes browser extensions for Firefox and Chrome. These fto you connect, disconnect and alteration server locations without leaving your browser window. It's nice, but not basal unless you person a very circumstantial web browser travel you like.

ExpressVPN velocity test: Very accelerated averages

Connecting to a VPN almost ever decreases your speed, but nan champion VPNs mitigate nan driblet arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. We utilized Ookla's velocity testing app to spot really overmuch of your net velocity ExpressVPN preserves. For this test, we emphasized nan locations ExpressVPN uses for astir of its virtual servers, including nan Netherlands, Brazil, Germany and Singapore.

Some position earlier we start:

• Latency, measured successful milliseconds (ms), is nan clip it takes 1 information packet to recreation betwixt your instrumentality and a web server done nan VPN. Latency increases pinch distance. It's astir important for real-time tasks for illustration video chatting and online gaming.

• Download speed, measured successful megabits per 2nd (Mbps), is nan magnitude of accusation that tin download onto your instrumentality astatine 1 clip — specified arsenic erstwhile loading a web page aliases streaming a video.

• Upload speed, besides measured successful Mbps, is nan magnitude of accusation your instrumentality tin nonstop to nan web astatine once. It's astir important for torrenting, since nan magnitude of information you tin seed determines really accelerated you tin download successful exchange.

The array beneath shows our results. We conducted this connected Windows, utilizing nan automatic protocol mounting pinch nan Lightway Turbo characteristic progressive — a caller ExpressVPN summation that keeps velocity much accordant by processing connections successful parallel.

These are highly bully results. ExpressVPN is simply a victor connected some download and upload speed. No matter wherever we went successful nan world, we ne'er mislaid much than astir 7% of our download speeds, and upload mislaid an astoundingly debased mean of 2%. This suggests that ExpressVPN deftly distributes its personification load betwixt servers to destruct bottlenecks.

The latency numbers look worse, but nan emergence successful nan array is little crisp than we projected. Ping magnitude depends acold much connected region than download velocity does, truthful we expect it to sprout up connected servers much than 1,000 miles from our location. Keeping nan mean beneath 300 ms, arsenic ExpressVPN does here, is simply a beardown showing.

ExpressVPN information test: Checking for leaks

A VPN's halfway ngo is to hide your IP reside and make you untraceable online. Our task successful this conception is to fig retired if ExpressVPN tin transportation retired this ngo each clip you connect. While we can't beryllium 100% certain, nan tests we'll tally done beneath person led america to judge that ExpressVPN is presently leak-proof.

Available VPN protocols

A VPN protocol is for illustration a communal connection that a VPN server tin usage to mediate betwixt your devices and nan web servers you visit. If a VPN uses outdated aliases insecure protocols, aliases relies connected unsocial protocols pinch nary visible specs aliases root code, that's a bad sign.

ExpressVPN gives you a action of 3 protocols: IKEv2, OpenVPN and Lightway. The first 2 are coagulated choices that support nan latest encryption algorithms. OpenVPN has been afloat open-source for years and is nan champion prime if privateness is your goal. While IKEv2 started life arsenic a closed task by Microsoft and Cisco, ExpressVPN uses an open-source reverse-engineering, which is some amended for privateness and rather fast.

Lightway is nan overseas 1 out, a protocol you'll only find connected ExpressVPN, though its root codification is disposable connected Github. It's akin to WireGuard, successful that some scope for faster speeds and little processing demands by keeping their codebases slim. However, Lightway was precocious rewritten successful Rust to amended protect nan keys stored successful its memory.

Ultimately, you can't spell incorrect pinch immoderate of ExpressVPN's protocol options. 99% of nan time, your champion prime will beryllium to group nan controls to Automatic and fto nan VPN determine which runs best.

Testing for leaks

ExpressVPN is 1 of nan champion services, but it's not leak-proof (as you tin publication successful nan Background Check below). Luckily, checking for DNS leaks is simply a elemental matter of checking your IP reside earlier and aft connecting to a VPN server. If nan caller reside matches nan VPN server, you're good; if not, your VPN is leaking.

First, we checked nan Windows app pinch divided tunneling progressive to guarantee nan flaw really had been patched. We tested respective servers and didn't find immoderate leaks, which suggests nan spot worked, though leaks were uncommon moreover earlier ExpressVPN fixed nan vulnerability.

In fact, we didn't find immoderate leaks connected immoderate ExpressVPN server we tested connected immoderate platform. Though questions stay astir iOS, arsenic you'll spot later successful this section, that's a problem connected Apple's extremity that moreover nan champion VPNs tin do very small astir for now.

The astir communal origin of VPN leaks is nan usage of nationalist DNS servers to link users to websites, which tin mistakenly nonstop browsing activity extracurricular nan VPN's encrypted tunnel. ExpressVPN avoids nan risks of nan nationalist strategy by installing its ain DNS resolvers connected each server. This is nan cardinal facet down its cleanable measure of wellness successful our leak testing.

Two different communal flaws tin lead to VPN leaks: WebRTC postulation and IPv6. The erstwhile is simply a connection protocol utilized successful unrecorded streaming and nan second is simply a caller IP modular designed to grow domain availability. Both are nice, but presently optional, truthful ExpressVPN automatically blocks some to guarantee there's nary opportunity for leaks to arise.

One statement astir VPN information connected iOS: it's a known and continuing problem that iOS VPNs do not forestall galore online apps from communicating pinch Apple directly, extracurricular nan VPN tunnel. This risks leaking delicate data, moreover pinch Lockdown Mode progressive successful iOS 16. A blog station by Proton VPN shares a workaround: link to a VPN server, past move Airplane Mode connected and disconnected again to extremity each connections that were progressive earlier you connected to nan VPN.

Testing encryption

We vanished up our artillery of information tests by checking retired ExpressVPN's encryption directly. Using WireShark, a free packet sniffer, we inspected what it looks for illustration erstwhile ExpressVPN transmits information from 1 of its servers to nan internet. The screenshot beneath shows a information watercourse encrypted pinch Lightway UDP.

That deficiency of immoderate identifiable information, aliases moreover readable information, intends encryption is moving arsenic intended. We repeated nan trial respective times, ever getting nan aforesaid result. This near america satisfied that ExpressVPN's halfway features are moving arsenic intended.

How overmuch does ExpressVPN cost?

ExpressVPN subscriptions costs $12.95 per month. Long-term subscriptions tin bring nan monthly costs down, but nan awesome deals they connection thin to only past for nan first billing period.

A 12-month subscription costs $99.95 and includes 3 months for free pinch your first payment, costing a full of $6.67 per month. The prize disappears for each consequent years, raising nan monthly costs to $8.33. You tin besides motion up for 28 months astatine a costs of $139.72, but this is besides once-only — ExpressVPN tin only beryllium renewed astatine nan $99.95 per twelvemonth level.

There are 2 ways to trial ExpressVPN for free earlier making a financial commitment. Users connected iOS and Android tin download nan ExpressVPN app without entering immoderate costs specifications and usage it free for 7 days. On immoderate platform, there's a 30-day money-back guarantee, which ExpressVPN has historically honored pinch nary questions asked. You will person to salary earlier you tin usage it, though.

In our opinion, ExpressVPN's work is coagulated capable that it's worthy paying extra. Perhaps not this overmuch extra, but that depends connected what you get retired of it. We urge utilizing nan 30-day refund play and seeing really good ExpressVPN useful for you. If it's a VPN you tin bask using, that runs accelerated and unblocks everything you need, that's worthy a server's weight successful gold.

ExpressVPN broadside apps and bundles

ExpressVPN includes immoderate typical features that activity mostly aliases wholly abstracted from its VPN apps. Some of these travel free pinch a subscription, while others adhd an other cost.

Every subscription includes nan ExpressVPN keys password manager. This is disposable nether its ain tab connected nan Android and iOS apps. On desktop, you'll request to download a abstracted hold from your browser's store, past motion successful utilizing your relationship activation code. It's disposable connected each Chromium browsers, but not Firefox.

Starting successful 2025, caller subscribers get an eSIM scheme done holiday.com, a abstracted work linked to ExpressVPN. The baseline 1GB vacation eSIM plans past for 5 days and tin use to countries, regions, aliases nan full world (though it's not clear whether nan package woody applies to nan location and world plans). Longer-term plans see larger eSIM plans.

You tin adhd a dedicated IP reside to your ExpressVPN subscription for an further costs per month. A dedicated IP lets you usage nan aforesaid IP reside each clip you link to ExpressVPN. You tin adhd nan reside to whitelists connected restricted networks, and you're assured to ne'er beryllium blocked because of personification else's bad activity connected a shared IP.

Unlike galore of its competitors, ExpressVPN doesn't presently connection antivirus aliases online retention services, but location is simply a broad bundle of ID protection devices called Identity Defender. We haven't reviewed immoderate of these products successful detail, but here's a database for reference:

• ID Alerts will pass you if immoderate of your delicate accusation is leaked aliases misused online. It's free pinch each plans, but you'll person to participate your individual accusation connected your ExpressVPN relationship page aliases a mobile app.

• ID Theft Insurance grants up to $1 cardinal successful personality theft reimbursement and comes free pinch caller ExpressVPN one-year aliases two-year subscriptions. It's not yet disposable to those who subscribed earlier it launched successful October 2024.

• Data Removal scans for your accusation successful information brokerages and automatically requests that it beryllium deleted. It's besides free pinch one-year and two-year plans.

• Credit Scanner is only disposable for United States users. It monitors your activity connected nan 3 in installments bureaus truthful you tin quickly spot immoderate suspicious transactions.

The Identity Defender features are presently only disposable to caller ExpressVPN customers successful nan US.

Close-reading ExpressVPN's privateness policy

Although we interest that nan consolidation of VPN brands nether nan umbrella of Kape Technologies (ExpressVPN's genitor company) will make nan manufacture little competitive, we don't judge it's influencing ExpressVPN to return advantage of its users' privacy. To confirm, and get a afloat consciousness of what benignant of privateness ExpressVPN promises its users, we group retired to publication ExpressVPN's privateness argumentation successful detail. It's long, but thankfully aimed astatine casual users alternatively of lawyers. You tin spot it for yourself here.

In nan introduction, ExpressVPN states that it does not support either activity logs (such arsenic a user's browsing history while connected to nan VPN) aliases relationship logs (such arsenic nan long of a user's convention and their IP address, which tin beryllium utilized to extrapolate browsing activity). It past specifies nan 7 types of information it's legally allowed to collect:

• Data utilized to motion up for an account, such arsenic names, emails and costs methods.

• VPN usage information which is aggregated and can't beryllium traced to immoderate individual.

• Credentials stored successful nan ExpressVPN Keys password manager.

• Diagnostic information such arsenic clang reports, which are only shared upon personification request.

• IP addresses authorized for MediaStreamer, which is only for streaming devices that don't different support VPN apps.

• Marketing information collected straight from nan app — a "limited amount" that's kept anonymous.

• Data voluntarily submitted for personality theft protection apps.

Of those 7 exceptions, nan only ones that count arsenic reddish flags are relationship information and trading data. Both categories are highly individual and could beryllium damaging if mishandled. Fortunately, complying pinch subpoenas is not 1 of nan allowed uses listed for either information category, nor does nan argumentation fto ExpressVPN waste nan information to different backstage parties.

The only really annoying point present is that if you inquire ExpressVPN to delete your individual data, you won't beryllium capable to usage your relationship from past on. You aren't moreover eligible for a refund successful this case, unless you're wrong 30 days of your first subscription.

As for trading data, ExpressVPN collects instrumentality fingerprints and location information erstwhile you motion up for an relationship connected its website. The privateness argumentation besides claims this is anonymized, arsenic its "systems are engineered to decouple specified information from personally identifiable information." Audits corroborate this, arsenic we'll spot successful nan adjacent section. So, while it would beryllium amended if ExpressVPN didn't cod immoderate individual information astatine all, its practices don't look to airs a consequence to thing you do while utilizing nan VPN — conscionable nan ExpressVPN website.

Privacy audits

VPN providers often get third-party accounting firms to audit their privateness policies. The thought is that a well-known patient won't owe its estimation to dishonesty connected behalf of a VPN, truthful their results tin beryllium trusted.

For nan past respective years, ExpressVPN has had KPMG look complete its privateness argumentation and applicable infrastructure (see "TrustedServer" below). KPMG's astir caller report, completed successful December 2023 and released successful May 2024, recovered that ExpressVPN had capable soul controls successful spot that users could spot its privateness policy.

The study is freely disposable to read. This is simply a very bully sign, though we're looking retired for a much up-to-date audit soon.

TrustedServer

"TrustedServer" is simply a trading word ExpressVPN uses for its RAM-only server infrastructure. RAM-only servers person nary difficult drives for semipermanent retention and return to a modular disk image pinch each reboot. This makes it theoretically intolerable to shop personification activity logs connected them, moreover if ExpressVPN wanted to do that.

The KPMG audit, linked above, reports that TrustedServer useful arsenic advertised. Between its galore cleanable privateness audits and nan Turkish server incident successful 2017, we're prepared to opportunity ExpressVPN is simply a backstage VPN, successful spite of its aggravating objection for marketing.

Can ExpressVPN alteration your virtual location?

Next, we tested whether ExpressVPN tin really person websites that you're location different than your existent location. Our information tests person already proven it tin hide your IP address, but it takes much than leak-proofing to fool streaming sites these days — Netflix and nan others person gotten very bully astatine combing done metadata to sniff retired proxy users.

The process for testing this is simply a batch for illustration really we handled nan DNS leak tests: effort respective different servers and spot if we get caught. We checked 5 sample locations extracurricular nan U.S. to spot if we a) sewage into Netflix and b) saw different titles successful nan library. The results are below.

In 15 tests, ExpressVPN slipped up only once. Docklands, nan UK server it chose arsenic nan fastest, wasn't capable to entree Netflix. We switched to a server branded simply "London" and unblocked it without issue.

All nan different locations sewage america entree to an alternate Netflix room connected nan first try. We moreover checked whether nan India server, which is physically located successful nan UK, showed america different videos than nan UK servers. It did, which makes america moreover much assured that ExpressVPN's virtual locations are airtight.

Investigating ExpressVPN's server network

ExpressVPN users tin link to a full of 164 server locations successful 105 countries and territories. These locations are reasonably good distributed crossed nan globe, but arsenic pinch each VPNs, there's a bias toward nan bluish hemisphere. There are 24 locations successful nan U.S. unsocial and a further 66 successful Europe.

That isn't to opportunity users successful nan Global South get nothing. ExpressVPN has IP addresses from 9 nations successful South America (Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) and six successful Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco and South Africa). The web moreover includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Mongolia, awesome since cardinal Asia whitethorn beryllium nan region astir often shafted by VPNs.

However, galore of these servers person virtual locations different from their existent ones. For those of you choosing a server based connected capacity alternatively of a peculiar IP address, ExpressVPN's website has a adjuvant database of which servers are virtual. The bad news is that it's a large chunk of nan list. A full of 63 ExpressVPN locations are virtual, aliases 38% of its full network.

To trim nan sting, ExpressVPN takes attraction to find virtual servers arsenic adjacent to their existent locations arsenic possible. Its virtual locations successful Indonesia and India are physically based successful Singapore. This isn't ever practical, starring to immoderate awkwardness for illustration operating a Ghana IP reside retired of Germany. But it helps ExpressVPN execute amended successful nan confederate hemisphere.

Compared to nonstop competitors for illustration NordVPN and Surfshark, ExpressVPN doesn't person galore typical features. It's aimed squarely astatine nan casual marketplace and will astir apt disappoint powerfulness users. Having said that, what they do see useful well. In this section, we'll tally done ExpressVPN's 4 important features extracurricular its VPN servers themselves.

Network Lock termination switch

"Network Lock" is nan sanction ExpressVPN gives to its termination move (though it's called "Network Protection" connected mobile). A VPN termination move is simply a information characteristic that keeps you from broadcasting extracurricular nan VPN tunnel. If it ever detects that you aren't connected to a morganatic ExpressVPN server, it cuts disconnected your net access. You won't beryllium capable to get backmost online until you either reconnect to nan VPN aliases disable Network Lock.

This is important for everyone, not conscionable users who request to hide delicate traffic. The precocious discovered TunnelVision bug theoretically allows hackers to group up clone nationalist wi-fi networks done which they redirect you to arsenic clone VPN servers, which past harvest your individual information. It's unlikely, but not impossible, and a termination move is nan champion measurement to forestall it — nan move ever triggers unless you're connected to a existent server successful nan VPN's network.

Like astir of ExpressVPN's features, each you tin do pinch Network Lock is move it connected and off. You tin besides toggle whether you'll still beryllium capable to entree section devices while nan termination move is blocking your net — this is allowed by default.

Threat manager, advertisement blocker and parental controls

ExpressVPN groups 3 devices nether nan heading of "advanced protection" — Threat Manager, an advertisement blocker and parental controls. Threat Manager consists of 2 checkboxes: 1 that blocks your browser from communicating pinch activity search package and 1 that blocks a database of websites known to beryllium utilized for malware.

You can't customize nan lists, truthful you're constricted to what ExpressVPN considers worthy of blocking. They share their sources connected nan website. While nan lists are extended and open-source, they trust connected after-the-fact reporting and can't observe and artifact chartless threats for illustration a due antivirus.

The adblock and parental power options activity nan aforesaid way: cheque a container to artifact everything connected nan list, uncheck it to let everything through. In tests, nan advertisement blocker was astir 100% effective against banner ads, but grounded to artifact immoderate video ads connected YouTube aliases Netflix.

The parental power action blocks a database of porn sites. It's an easy action for concerned parents, but only useful while ExpressVPN is connected. As such, it's meant to beryllium utilized successful conjunction pinch device-level parental controls that forestall nan kid from turning disconnected aliases uninstalling nan VPN client.

Split tunneling

Sometimes, you'll find it adjuvant to person your instrumentality getting online done 2 different IP addresses astatine erstwhile — 1 for your location services and 1 for a location you're trying to spoof. That's wherever divided tunneling is helpful: it runs immoderate apps done nan VPN while leaving others unprotected. This tin besides amended your speeds, since nan VPN needs to encrypt little successful total.

ExpressVPN includes divided tunneling connected Windows, Android and Mac (though only connected versions 10 and below). You tin only divided by app, not by website, but it's still beautiful useful. For example, you tin person BitTorrent handling a dense download successful nan inheritance while you usage your browser for innocuous activities that don't request protecting.

ExpressVPN Aircove router

By now, it should beryllium clear that we find ExpressVPN to beryllium a highly reliable but often unexceptional VPN service. However, there's 1 area successful which it's a clear manufacture leader: VPN routers. ExpressVPN Aircove is, to our knowledge, nan only router pinch a built-in commercialized VPN that comes pinch its ain dashboard interface.

Usually, installing a VPN connected your router requires tinkering pinch nan router power panel, which turns disconnected each but nan astir knowledgeable users — not to mention making it a monolithic symptom to move to a caller server location. Aircove's dashboard, by contrast, will beryllium instantly acquainted to anyone who already knows really to usage an ExpressVPN client. It moreover allows different devices successful your location to link to different locations done nan router VPN.

Aircove's biggest drawback is its price. Currently retailing astatine $189 (not including an ExpressVPN subscription), it's astir 3 times much costly than an aftermarket router fitted pinch free VPN firmware. Some of you mightiness still find nan convenience worthy nan one-time payment.

ExpressVPN customer support options

ExpressVPN's written thief pages are immoderate of nan champion connected nan market. Its unrecorded chat is much of a mixed bag, and analyzable questions whitethorn origin delays. However, it is astatine slightest staffed pinch quality agents who purpose to reply accurately, alternatively than resoluteness your summons arsenic quickly arsenic possible.

We approached ExpressVPN's support features pinch a elemental question: "If I requested that ExpressVPN delete each my individual data, would I beryllium capable to get a refund for my unused subscription time?" (Remember from nan Privacy Policy conception that submitting a afloat deletion petition besides cancels your ExpressVPN account.)

Our first extremity was expressvpn.com/support, nan written support halfway and FAQ page. It's divided into setup guides, troubleshooting, relationship guidance and accusation connected each of ExpressVPN's products. The setup guides are excellent, including screenshots and intelligibly written steps; each 1 includes a video guideline for those who study amended that way.

Troubleshooting is conscionable arsenic bully — nary videos, but nan aforesaid standards of clarity and usefulness prevail. The conception starts pinch wide problems, past delves into circumstantial issues you mightiness look connected each operating system. Each article intelligibly derives from a existent customer need.

The unrecorded support experience

To get answers connected our refund question, we visited nan relationship guidance FAQs. This conception stated that nan refund argumentation only applies wrong 30 days of purchase. Pretty clear-cut, but we still wanted an reply connected our typical case, truthful we contacted unrecorded chat by clicking nan fastener astatine nan bottom-right of each FAQ page.

Live chat starts pinch an AI assistant, which is not excessively difficult to get past — conscionable inquire it a mobility it can't answer, past click "Transfer to an Agent." We sewage online pinch (what claimed to be) a quality successful little than a minute. Answering nan mobility took longer and progressive an uncomfortable 10-minute silence, but we did get a clear verdict from a existent person: refunds are wrong 30 days only, nary matter what.

If nan unrecorded chat supplier can't reply your question, you'll beryllium redirected to unfastened an email support ticket. Annoyingly, there's nary measurement to spell straight to email support done nan website aliases desktop apps, though mobile users person nan action to skip straight there.

ExpressVPN inheritance check: From founding to Kape Technologies

ExpressVPN launched successful 2009, which makes it 1 of nan oldest user VPNs successful continual operation. In much than 15 years of operation, it's ne'er been caught violating its ain privateness policy, though its grounds isn't free of much insignificant blemishes.

Headquarters successful nan British Virgin Islands

Founders Dan Pomerantz and Peter Burchhardt registered nan institution successful nan British Virgin Islands from nan commencement to return advantage of that territory's favorable ineligible situation for online privacy. The BVIs person nary rule requiring businesses to clasp information connected their users, and nan process for extraditing information is famously difficult, requiring a nonstop bid from nan highest court.

In 2021, the BVI implemented nan Data Protection Act (DPA) [PDF link], which prevents companies based successful nan territory from accessing information connected their users anyplace successful nan world. It's a awesome privateness rule successful theory, modeled connected best-in-class authorities successful nan EU. However, we couldn't find immoderate grounds that its supervising authority — nan Office of nan Information Commissioner — has a leader aliases staff.

In different words, while ExpressVPN is not legally required to log immoderate information connected its users, there's technically cipher stopping them from doing so. Whether you spot nan jurisdiction depends connected whether you spot nan institution itself. Let's spot what nan different grounds says.

Security and privateness incidents

Two important incidents guidelines retired from ExpressVPN's 16-year history. In 2017, erstwhile Andrei Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey, was shot to decease astatine an creation show. Turkish constabulary suspected personification had used ExpressVPN to disguise their identity while they deleted accusation from societal media accounts belonging to nan alleged assassin. To investigate, they confiscated an ExpressVPN server to comb for evidence. They didn't find anything.

A constabulary seizure is nan champion imaginable trial of a VPN's attack to privacy. The supplier can't hole beforehand, clone anything, aliases collude pinch investigators. The Turkey incident is still 1 of nan champion reasons to urge ExpressVPN, though 8 years is simply a agelong clip for argumentation to change.

The 2nd incident began successful March 2024, erstwhile a interrogator astatine CNET informed ExpressVPN that its type 12 for Windows occasionally leaked DNS requests erstwhile users enabled nan divided tunneling feature. While these users remained connected to an ExpressVPN server, their browsing activity was often going straight to their ISP, unmasked.

The bug only impacted a fewer users, and to their credit, ExpressVPN sprang into action arsenic soon arsenic they learned astir it. The squad had it patched by April, arsenic confirmed by nan interrogator who initially discovered nan vulnerability. But while their speedy and effective consequence deserves praise, it's still a people against them that a journalist noticed nan bug earlier they did.

Kape Technologies ownership and guidance questions

In 2021, an Israeli-owned, UK-based patient called Kape Technologies purchased a controlling interest successful ExpressVPN. In summation to ExpressVPN, privately held Kape owns CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, and Zenmate (before it merged into CyberGhost). As shown connected its website, it besides owns Webselenese, patient of VPN reappraisal websites WizCase and vpnMentor, which poses an evident conflict of interest.

When reached for comment, a typical for ExpressVPN said that "ExpressVPN does not straight prosecute with, nor activity to influence, nan contented connected immoderate Webselenese site," and pointed america to disclosure statements connected nan websites successful mobility — here's 1 example. Even so, it's a bully reminder not to return VPN reviews astatine look worth without knowing who's down them (Engadget is owned by Yahoo, which does not ain immoderate VPNs).

Diving deeper into nan inheritance of Kape's ownership will lead you to proprietor Teddy Sagi. Go backmost acold enough, and you'll spot he did prison clip successful Israel and was mentioned successful nan Pandora Papers, among different things. More recently, headlines astir nan billionaire person focused much his businesses successful nan online gambling and fintech arenas, arsenic good arsenic his real property ventures. An ExpressVPN typical told america that "Kape's brands proceed to run independently," and our investigation bore that retired — we couldn't find immoderate impervious that Kape aliases Sagi person straight attempted to power ExpressVPN's package aliases regular operations.

Closer to nan contiguous day-to-day operations of ExpressVPN was nan company's employment of Daniel Gericke arsenic CTO from 2019 done 2023. During that time, nan US Justice Department announced it had fined Gericke and 2 others for their erstwhile employment connected a surveillance cognition called Project Raven, which nan United Arab Emirates (UAE) utilized to spy connected its ain citizens.

The revelation prompted a nationalist consequence from ExpressVPN defending its determination to prosecute Gericke, arguing that "[t]he champion goalkeepers are nan ones trained by nan champion strikers." ExpressVPN's typical confirmed that nan institution still stands by that linked statement.

Gericke parted ways pinch ExpressVPN successful October 2023, per his LinkedIn profile. While we don't cognize what we don't know, we tin opportunity that ExpressVPN has not notably changed its public-facing information and privateness policies during nan clip it's been connected to Kape, Sagi, aliases Gericke.

In nan end, really overmuch ExpressVPN's history matters to you is simply a individual choice. If you entity to immoderate existent aliases past actions by Kape Technologies aliases Teddy Sagi, location are different premium VPN options you mightiness prefer. If you request much accusation to dress up your mind, we urge reference done CNET's 2022 heavy dive connected ExpressVPN's firm history.

Final verdict

ExpressVPN is nan VPN we astir often urge to beginners. It takes zero training to use, and consistently gets past filters connected streaming sites. It besides runs successful nan inheritance pinch virtually nary impact. If thing is worthy nan precocious value of admission, it's nan fantabulous speeds distributed evenly crossed nan worldwide server network.

However, for definite circumstantial cases, ExpressVPN whitethorn not beryllium nan champion choice. There's nary measurement to group up your ain server locations, for illustration NordVPN offers, and nary double VPN connections, for illustration you tin build for yourself connected Surfshark. Its firm inheritance is much fishy than nan entities backing Proton VPN, and dissimilar Mullvad, ExpressVPN doesn't activity successful China — it's truthful well-known that nan authorities targets its servers specifically.

We propose going pinch ExpressVPN for wide online privacy, for spoofing locations successful your location state while traveling, aliases if you regularly request to unblock sites successful different countries. That encompasses 19 of each 20 users, which is good by us, arsenic ExpressVPN is simply a awesome service. It's conscionable much of a reliable aged screwdriver than a multi-tool.