ExpressVPN and NordVPN are the two of the best VPNs in the current market, but the high price of ExpressVPN drives a lot of people away as compared to NordVPN which has a much cheaper offer. NordVPN vs ExpressVPN, Which One is Worth Buying?
We tested two VPNs and reviewed real user discussions on Reddit to help you make an informed choice.
NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: Which one is Better?
1, Speed: ExpressVPN is the faster VPN on nearby servers, but NordVPN is faster on far-away servers
ExpressVPN is Faster than NordVPN on Nearby Servers
To test NordVPN and ExpressVPN local speeds, we used the app’s automatic server selection feature. In NordVPN, this is called ‘Quick Connect’. In ExpressVPN, it’s named ‘Smart Location’.
The table below shows a comparison of NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s speed performance.
| NordVPN | ExpressVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Local Download Speed | 95Mbps | 97Mbps |
| Average International Download Speed | 86Mbps | 85Mbps |
| Local Upload Speed | 94Mbps | 91Mbps |
| Ping | 8ms | 8ms |
| Time to Connect | 3.6 seconds | 1.5 seconds |
| Fastest VPN Protocol | WireGuard (NordLynx) | Lightway |
We found that ExpressVPN’s speeds are slightly faster on local connections. When using it, our download speeds dropped by just 3% to 97Mbps. NordVPN caused our speeds to slow to 95Mbps, an 5% drop. The speed difference is minimal, and both are sufficient for almost all web activities.
NordVPN is Faster for Long-Distance Connections
To stream geo-blocked video content in HD and 4K, a VPN needs to have fast download speeds on international connections.
We recorded ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s download speeds while connected to servers in four different continents from our test location in the US. Here’s a table showing our results:
| Server Location | NordVPN | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| UK | 90Mbps | 93Mbps |
| Germany | 92Mbps | 87Mbps |
| Japan | 89Mbps | 83Mbps |
| Australia | 84Mbps | 83Mbps |
Our findings show that NordVPN generally outperforms ExpressVPN on international servers. Although the speed differences are not that stark, NordVPN consistently delivered faster content loading times, and we encountered no buffering issues.
Identical Ping Speed for Gaming
ExpressVPN and NordVPN are two of the best gaming VPNs we’ve tested. Both services increased our ping time to just 8ms, which was unnoticeable in use.
We played a variety of fast-paced PC games, including CS:GO and PUBG. In every case, the added latency wasn’t noticeable. We didn’t experience any input lag and all games loaded quickly.
With regards to network speed, the results may differ depending on each person’s broadband provider and geographical location. When you look at the reviews on some websites or read about the discussions of users on Reddit, you will see people with varying opinions about the speed. Some would say NordVPN is faster, while others would express that ExpressVPN is faster.
Recommendation: Unless you are in search of the fastest VPN, then speed should not be the sole factor affecting your decision-making since ExpressVPN and NordVPN have very little impact on the raw network speed, and the effect is so small that you wouldn’t even notice the difference.
Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s a no-questions-asked policy, which essentially becomes a VPN free trial. You can make the most of the refund policy to effectively use ExpressVPN for free and use NordVPN for Free.
I suggest giving NordVPN a try first as it offers excellent service and is very cost-effective (at almost half the price of ExpressVPN). In comparison, ExpressVPN is indeed too expensive.
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2, Privacy & Security – ExpressVPN Raises Concerns for Some Users.
When it comes to privacy and logs, NordVPN and ExpressVPN are great options. Neither VPN log any identifying data, and both privacy policies have been verified by independent audits.
However, ExpressVPN received criticism after being acquired by known malware distributor Kape Technologies in 2021. Kape previously made money through ad platforms. You can see a lot of criticism on Reddit with many people giving up using ExpressVPN because of this!
Even more concerning is that Kape seems to be experiencing operational issues. A few months ago, the company laid off a significant portion of its global workforce. Even ExpressVPN’s Chief Technology Officer for Privacy, Dan Gericke, announced his departure on LinkedIn.
It’s certainly possible that ExpressVPN (or other Kape-owned VPNs like CyberGhost and PIA) will suffer a noticeable blow to quality, especially with the engineering and QA departments have been hit heavily. However, all we can do for now is wait and see.
In summary, it is currently not recommended to purchase VPN from Kape. The reason is very simple, if there are more trustworthy options out there, why settle for one that may be risky?
3, Price – Equally excellent, why spend twice as much money?
ExpressVPN and NordVPN are currently the top VPNs in the market and display great qualities. There is not much difference when it comes to their functions which is why there is no need to pay nearly double the price for this.
According to my testing, NordVPN offers better security and has its own advantages in terms of speed, unless NordVPN does not support the country you’re in or after the trial period you find that it does not perform well due to your location, otherwise there is no reason to choose ExpressVPN.
If you are really still on the fence, keep in mind that ExpressVPN and NordVPN both offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. Therefore you could purchase both VPNs, test each service for a few weeks, and then cancel the one you don’t want for a full refund.
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Torrenting: Is ExpressVPN or NordVPN better?
| NordVPN | ExpressVPN | |
| Torrenting Support | All servers | All servers |
| Dedicated P2P Servers | Yes | No |
| Plans that Support Torrenting | All plans | All plans |
| Download Speeds | Very Fast | Fast |
Once again, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN are good options for torrenting. But again there is a difference in this category.
When looking for the best VPN for torrenting there are two things to consider:
- Speeds: NordVPN was the big winner in all of our speed tests. It offers the fastest speeds for torrenting over ExpressVPN.
- Leak protection: ExpressVPN and NordVPN both offer great leak protection. Each incorporates a kill switch into the VPN apps to protect your traffic. This will keep your IP address and location secure when torrenting files. If the connection to the VPN drops, you will still be protected if you have the kill switch activated.
While both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer secure VPN apps with built-in leak protection, the big difference is in speeds, where NordVPN comes out on top. If you want to torrent with your VPN, NordVPN’s speeds will give you an edge over ExpressVPN.
NordVPN also offers dedicated P2P servers, which are optimized for fast torrenting speeds. I tested this out for this comparison and NordVPN’s P2P servers performed well. ExpressVPN does not offer any P2P servers.
Given the faster speeds and dedicated P2P servers, NordVPN wins this category as well.
Learn More about NordVPN and Torrenting >>
4, NordVPN offers More servers and More server locations
| NordVPN | ExpressVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Countries | 111 | 106 |
| Specialty Servers | Yes | No |
| Servers | 6,328 | 3,000 |
NordVPN clearly has ExpressVPN beat in the server category. In comparison to ExpressVPN, NordVPN offers:
- More servers
- More server locations
- Many specialty servers
In terms of the geographic server locations, NordVPN has a slight edge with 111 country locations, while ExpressVPN has locations in 105 countries.
- Check out the list of countries supported by NordVPN >>
- Check out the list of countries supported by ExpressVPN >>
5, Security & Technical – NordVPN is marginally more secure than ExpressVPN
The table below shows a comparison of NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s encryption and security features.
| NordVPN | ExpressVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| VPN Protocols | WireGuard & OpenVPN | Lightway & OpenVPN |
| Encryption Cipher | AES-256 & ChaCha20 | AES-256 & wolfSSL |
| Kill Switch | Yes | Yes |
| Leak Protection | Yes | Yes |
| First-Party DNS | Yes | Yes |
| Open-Source Apps | No | Browser Extension Only |
| Colocated Servers | Yes | No |
Our research found that NordVPN is marginally more secure than ExpressVPN. NordVPN uses reputable encryption ciphers and protocols, like WireGuard and ChaCha20, while ExpressVPN uses proprietary alternatives. We found that ExpressVPN’s macOS client will leak your true IP address when changing server locations.
Conclusion: NordVPN is definitely worth trying.
The only way to truly know which VPN is right for you is to try it yourself.
Fortunately, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s a no-questions-asked policy, which essentially becomes a VPN free trial. Make sure to take advantage of this and test them out to find the VPN that suits you best.
I recommend starting with NordVPN because, compared to ExpressVPN, it offers similar performance, provides more peace of mind, and costs nearly half as much. If NordVPN meets your needs, there’s no reason to spend twice as much on ExpressVPN.
Plus, NordVPN is currently running a Limited-Time Fall Sale this week, offering up to 74% off, which is one of the best discounts of the year.
It’s a great time to give it a try!
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