Express VPN Review

Reliability & Speed Tests

ExpressVPN was found to have minimal impact upon speed. As a regular web user you will likely experience no change in how quickly you feel that you’re browsing the web. Here’s the speed of the connection used during testing with no VPN: Here is that same Internet speed when connected to a server in the UK: And a server in the USA, which was further away from the testing location: Testing with random servers across the world was then conducted, with no noticeable slowdowns. There will be ping issues and lag the farther you connect from home, but this case is true of any VPN. Looking at the reliability of the connection, we found it to be adequate. ExpressVPN boasts of having 99.9% server uptime. We cannot state that this claim is valid, as we experienced two disconnects during our testing. This was slightly more often than that of other providers we tested, albeit by a very small margin.

Pricing & Payments

ExpressVPN have taken the route of many other VPNs and offered their same service across three price points: Each price gives you access to the same service. The only difference is the length of time you can access ExpressVPN. Best of all, no matter which package you choose, you’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee! That’s more than enough time to figure out how you feel about ExpressVPN’s service. If you honestly look at the pricing, ExpressVPN is on the high end amongst VPN providers. The company does offer a premium product, as quality never comes cheaply. At the end of the day, if you’re not satisfied with the value for your money, that guarantee is waiting for you during the first 30 days.

Features

The interface makes ExpressVPN feel like it’s part of the previous generation of VPN software. Everything comes as a pop out menu from the main screen. In contrast, other VPN providers have moved towards a one-window design, with tabs to guide you through the options.

ExpressVPN is still using pop outs for everything. This makes the interface less ‘clean’ than that of other VPNs. For instance, when selecting a server country, you’ll get a window as an isolated pop out. Here’s what you actually see after clicking ‘Select Another Location’ on the menu:

Two windows side by side. Next to ‘NOT CONNECTED’ you will see three dots. Clicking that gives you a dropdown menu with more pop out windows. This interface is not the sleekest we’ve seen, but it’s still perfectly functional.

Features

ExpressVPN offers basic features, like auto-connect to last location and the launch on start which plays to the VPN’s strength of being easy to use:

Checking both boxes will automatically connect you to the last VPN server country that you used when you started your device. Other features that ExpressVPN offers are:

• Network lock: This is the provider’s kill switch feature where all Internet traffic will stop if the VPN connection unexpectedly drops. There is also a feature that enables you to stay connected to devices like printers and file servers even when the network is locked.


• Split tunneling: You can select which apps will use ExpressVPN, and which ones won’t. By default, all apps will use the VPN.


• IPv6 leak protection: If the checkbox is marked, IPv6 address detection during a VPN connection is prevented.


• DNS leak protection: Make sure to turn this feature on so that only ExpressVPN DNS servers will be used; this will prevent DNS leaks. Plus, running the provider’s own DNS servers means that there will be no DNS blocking and activity or connection logs.


• In-app VPN speed test: ExpressVPN is one of the few providers who have a speed test in their app. The speed test ranks all its servers based on download speed and latency; both factors are used to create the speed index.

Servers & Countries

ExpressVPN has more than 2,000 servers in total, and 148 server locations in 94 countries in the following regions:

• North America


• South America


• Europe


• Asia Pacific


• Middle East


• Africa

• Bangladesh (via Singapore)


• Brunei (via Singapore)


• Cambodia (via Singapore)


• Ecuador (via Colombia)


• Venezuela (via Brazil)


• Vietnam (via Singapore)

Support

We found customer support to be average. You can get help via:

• Live chat: This is good for quick questions. Supplied answers are cut and pasted from a template so don’t expect to get too far with your problem. The agents were responsive and tried to be helpful, but they will also point you towards their guides.


• Email/Support Ticket: This is the most efficient option for in-depth needs. Response times were found to be adequate, ranging from hours for smaller issues, to up to 24 hours for problems which required multiple people being involved.


• Tutorials/Guides: ExpressVPN has built a number of tutorials and guides on how to use its products. Troubleshooting guides can help you solve basic problems without contacting support as well as educate you about VPNs. The setup guides will take you through the most basic of steps. Just shows that ExpressVPN made these guides for enthusiasts that are still beginners in online privacy.

Policies & Logging

ExpressVPN is a well-known VPN that operates from the British Virgin Islands. This location is a huge bonus as the company is exempt from US and EU data retention laws. If that’s not enough to sway you, ExpressVPN also offers a 30-day money back guarantee if you have any issues with its service. As the VPN provider started in 2009, it has had plenty of time to work on its product. Disconnect problems are infrequent, speeds are minimally impacted, and there’s a good selection of servers worldwide.
ExpressVPN has a no logging policy. It also has a policy against collecting browsing data from its users. From the company’s Terms of Service:


They then go on to state that they will record when you connect to the service, which server you connect to, and how much data you transmit per day:

We conclude that ExpessVPN does not keep any information that is user identifiable, but it will keep information which can track abusers. For instance, when an ExpressVPN server was seized in 2017, the Turkish government found no useful logs. That time, the server was suspected to be used in deleting important information in the Gmail and Facebook accounts of the assassin of Andrei Karlov (Russian Ambassador to Turkey).
In the Terms of Service, ExpressVPN also forbids anyone from violating copyright. In reality, the company does not block or disallow P2P file sharing. It even has a page dedicated to using uTorrent with ExpressVPN.

Regarding court orders, ExpressVPN will only react to those it receives from the British Virgin Islands, its host country. At the time of this writing, not a single one had been sent to the company.

Technical Assessment

Expert Recommendation

ExpressVPN is among the best VPN providers with a software package that will satisfy the needs of most VPN users. Use ExpressVPN if you want:

• A ‘one button’ approach to connectivity.


• A consistent connection speed with few drops.


• To be able to download via P2P and torrenting.


• A wide range of server host countries for unlocking geo-blocked content.


• IP, DNS, and IPv6 leaks protection.