ExpressVPN Review Overview
This ExpressVPN review provides the best information and answers to lots of your questions about VPNs.
We aim to provide reliable and honest reviews to help you decide which is the best VPN for you.
Is ExpressVPN the Best VPN?
To answer this question in this ExpressVPN review, we consider the Price, Speed, User Interface, Privacy, Accessibility, Security, GeoIP Unblocking, VPN Features, Torrenting, and many more.
ExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPNs in the market today. It is also known as one of the best but has a higher price than the others.
ExpressVPN boasts the fastest VPN with 160 VPN server locations worldwide. They also have virtual locations for a more secured and reliable connection that is tested and proven. This is what makes this VPN very impressive.
Let’s continue checking what else ExpressVPN offers.
Pricing
Express VPN offers plans, payable for 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months.
Users may have a better deal for the annual plan of $6.67 per month. We also recommend this plan as compared with the others. As new users, you are entitled to a 3-month free trial if you purchase the 12-month deal for $99.95 (good for 15 months).
If you want to try out ExpressVPN for just one month, it is fine since they offer a no-risk 30-day money-back guarantee.
ExpressVPN Free Trial
ExpressVPN has a conditional additional free trial for 3 months. This is only applicable if you billed $99.95, which is the 12-month deal for the first time. Your first-year deal will be applicable for 15 months.
ExpressVPN also offers a 30-days money-back guarantee.
Video on How to Install ExpressVPN on Firestick
ExpressVPN Installation Guide with Screenshot
1. Click Home on your remote and scroll once to your left. It will be the search icon.
2. You can either say ExpressVPN to your Alexa’s voice-enabled remote or start typing it. If you typed it, click on the suggestion when it appears.
3. Click on the ExpressVPN icon.
4. Click on Download.
5. Click on Open.
6. Click Sign in.
7. Input your username and password to Sign In.
ExpressVPN Speed Test
We all know that using a VPN mostly reduces the download speed of our internet. This is due to the encryptions. When your traffic is being processed through a tunnel going to a more secured server, encryptions happen.
Technically, VPNs make download speed slower than usual but it is fine. As long as it will not fall below our standards.
Upon testing ExpressVPN through a speed test. It provides remarkable results for both download and upload speed.
One of the coolest features that Express VPN offers is its own speed check. Once you access the application you can arrange the available locations by speed and access the fastest connection.
In fact, ExpressVPN is popular with many because it offers speeds that are faster than most of its competitors at a broad range of locations across the globe. You would expect slower speeds the further away from your connection, but even logging into locations in Asia halfway across the world gave half decent speeds of 25-40 Mbps.
Pros
- + High-security standards and audited zero-logs policy
- + Torrenting Allowed
- + Impressive speed
- + Unblocks Netflix USA, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and more
- + Works in China and the UAE
- + User-friendly apps
- + Smart DNS tool & router app
Cons
- – Slightly more expensive than other competitors
- – There are no labels for streaming service
- – Limited Servers
- – Split Tunneling is not applicable on Apple devices
- – Only Three Devices Can Be Connected At Any One Time
- – Collects data about apps and app versions; dates when connected to the VPN, VPN location chosen, and the total amount of data transferred per day.
ExpressVPN Review – Client User Interface
Privacy /Anonymity
No-Log Policy
According to ExpressVPN, they do not store the activity logs of the users.
Having a no-log policy is important for users who worry that their security and data may be compromised if their VPN provider is forced to give the user logs of their customers.
ExpressVPN like many other big players has an explicit zero log policy.
They also do not use third-party DNS Servers. So, everything is done in-house. What this means is there are no records of your IP addresses, browsing history, traffic, metadata, or DNS queries.
The provider cannot give information that no longer exists and emphasizes the fact that it does not leave any part of the process done by third parties who could leak or sell your data.
Mask Your IP Address
What’s impressive to us is that ExpressVPN does not only mask your identity but also uses shared IP addresses for a sure anonymity.
ExpressVPN mixes your traffic with other users making ISPs and other trackers have a hard time following your online moves.
Security
In this ExpressVPN review, we will tackle the VPN protocols that EspressVPN uses for security.
AES 256-bit keys
Express VPN uses AES 256-bit keys which is the industry standard for encryption used by security professionals and the US government.
With this, other VPN protocols work together to achieve the best security ExpressVPN can provide.
Lightway
There are 2 types of Lightway protocol that ExpressVPN uses. User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).
Lightway UDP is ExpressVPN’s next-generation protocol. It is optimized for speed, security, and reliability with more advanced options.
Lightway TCP is slower than Lightway UDP but it connects better on certain networks.
OpenVPN
Like Lightway, there are two types of OpenVPN Protocols.
OpenVPN UDP is a good combination of both speed and security. The only downside is that it is not working on all types of networks.
OpenVPN TCP is a little slower than OpenVPN UDP, but it is applicable to all types of networks.
IKEv2
ExpressVPN also uses the IKEv2 VPN protocol that is not applicable to all networks. It is a fast technology that works with IPSec for authentication and encryption.
L2TP/IPSec
When other VPN protocols that ExpressVPN uses do not work, they turn to L2TP/IPSec. It is used for anonymity and location change. In ExpressVPN’s L2TP/IPSec protocol, there are fewer VPN locations available.
WireGuard
ExpressVPN also supports the use of a newer protocol called Wireguard. As they are continuing in reviewing the WireGuard code, ExpressVPN believes that a user’s online statistics should not only be found in one location, neither public nor virtual.
Does It Work Well With Other Streaming Apps
We tested ExpressVPN on 3 popular streaming apps (Kodi, Netflix, and Hulu), to see if it can access these apps even if you are located in a different part of the globe.
Kodi
Kodi provides popular software to give you a free media and entertainment hub where you are able to access the latest movies, and even stream live sports. By its very nature, some countries have blocked Kodi. An example of this is the UK.
ExpressVPN works well with Kodi. If you are in the UK, you can change your IP location and can unblock Kodi easily.
Netflix
ExpressVPN works well with Netflix. If you are located outside the US, you can connect your VPN to any US servers and can unblock Netflix US.
Hulu
Like Netflix, ExpressVPN works well with Hulu as well.
Impressively, it also works with other streaming apps like Disney +, BBC iPlayer, and more.
ExpressVPN Jurisdiction
ExpressVPN is under the jurisdiction of the British Virgin Islands.
The British Virgin Islands exercise the “No Data Retention” Law so we can say that user data is 100% safe.
Another thing about the British Virgin Islands is that it is not part of the five eyes intelligence community. Because of this, your information is safe from the US, and European regulations and surveillance.
GeoIP Unblocking
ExpressVPN is a market leader for the sheer number of locations that it offers. Most providers boast 40-60, but Express has over 90+. Of course, jumping to locations too far away will significantly slow down your traffic.
But, having the option to access a neighboring country’s IP will allow you to circumvent sovereign state censorship.
Using ExpressVPN, you can unblock features, and contents that are only available in other countries.
Servers and Server Locations
ExpressVPN’s headquarter is in the British Virgin Islands. It offers 160 VPN server locations worldwide. There are almost 94 countries where you can find these server locations.
ExpressVPN also offers virtual server locations for security and faster connection which is really impressive. Once you connect to an ExpressVPN virtual server, all your traffic will come from a location under the country of your choice.
Apps
ExpressVPN is compatible with Windows, Android, Firestick, Mac, iOS, and more.
You can use 1 ExpressVPN account on 5 different devices at once.
Honestly speaking, 5 is a little less than what we’ve expected with ExpressVPN.
Kill Switch
ExpressVPN has a kill switch function only on devices such as Windows, Mac, Linux, and VPN routers.
This is not applicable on Android, Firestick, and Apple devices.
Kill switch is such a good feature that automatically blocks your local internet connection when your VPN is not functioning well.
Split Tunneling
There are apps like the Amazon Prime Video that detect when a VPN is working in the background. VPN companies answered this problem through Split Tunneling.
Split Tunneling makes it seems that there is no VPN running on a device so that apps won’t detect them. It automatically disconnects a VPN on certain applications on your device, but still, works fine.
When using a VPN, this is one of the key factors to consider.
Upon having this ExpressVPN review, we tested that ExpressVPN has split tunneling functions which is great for the users.
DNS Leak Protection
ExpressVPN has a tool called the DNS leak tester. It makes sure that there is no DNS leakage while using this VPN.
Aside from this, ExpressVPN has an encrypted DNS on every server it has. This will result in no connections and activity logs, No DNS filtering, blocking, and hijacking, and after DNS queries.
Torrent Policy
Their security makes ExpressVPN a perfect candidate for P2P file sharing and uploading/downloading torrents. By hiding your IP address and your metadata, you are able to download anything safe in the knowledge that it cannot be tracked back to your location.
Tor Compatibility
You can access Tor and the Onion using ExpressVPN for those whose activities demand an additional layer of security. Your data can be further encrypted by logging through your chosen VPN location and then running your data through the Onion. Also handy for countries that may have particularly strong censorship laws like China.
SOCKS5 Proxy
Sadly, ExpressVPN does not support the SOCKS5 Proxy. It is an amazing tool for extra protection while downloading videos on torrents.
Because of this, ExpressVPN is not the best VPN for torrenting.
Additional Tools
ExpressVPN may not support SOCKS5 Proxy but it has additional tools.
- DNS Leak Tester, which is mentioned above, is used to ensure that there is no DNS leakage.
- IP Address Checker makes sure that the VPN is giving you a new IP address.
- A Password Generator Tool creates a strong password if only applicable to the apps you are using.
- WebTRC Leak Tester is more advanced. This sees that there are no leaks through Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) protocol.
Customer Support
ExpressVPN is relatively shady like many VPN providers. There is no number to call. But you can Live Chat with a human, and also access a wide variety of troubleshooting guides. This is the norm for the industry.
Final Thoughts
ExpressVPN for us is a serious competitor for two main reasons. The speed test function in the application is incredibly useful. Instead of hopping around different IP addresses trying to find the fastest speed, you have a tool to measure it for you.
Also, the 60-minute key is very cool. Knowing that even if you browse or work online for long periods of time which is pretty common for coders and those living on the web, you want to know that your data remains secure irrespective of the time. Most importantly that this process is automated.
Pricewise Express VPN is in the middle of the pack. But when you throw in the speed, you would be hard-pressed to find a better VPN provider combining speed, price, and security.