Express VPN is a popular and highest-priced Virtual Private Network that routes all your web traffic through an encrypted connection to a remote server, hiding your identity and shielding your data. Although, not a free VPN service, the ability to unblock a huge list of streaming services (including Netflix), excellent 160 server selections, blazing-fast speeds, powerful security, the strict no-logging policy as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee appeal to most users who want relief from so-called surveillance capitalism.
Express VPN Free Trial
ExpressVPN does not offer a free trial, but they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means that you can sign up for their service and use it for up to 30 days. If you decide that the service is not right for you, you can cancel your subscription and request a refund within the first 30 days of service.
But, if you plan to upgrade to a yearly (pro) subscription, you’ll get three months of free service. Once you sign up for the subscription and get the activation code, you need to setup and login to your ExpressVPN so that you can connect to it and enjoy uncensored access to the internet.
How Much Does Express VPN Cost?
Express VPN download for PC has three subscription options: $12.95 billed each month, $59.95 billed every six months, or $99.95 billed annually. We have seen an average monthly price of the VPN services we’ve tested somewhere around $9.78.
Compared to the other cheapest VPN services on the market, Mullvad VPN asks for just 5 euros per month which translates to $5.50 at the time of writing. Anyways, you’ll only save a few bucks if you opt for the $99.95 annual plan with Express VPN for Windows PCs.
This feels like a great ask especially if we compare it with the Opera VPN yearly pro which has the lowest annual fee of $47.88 per year including the tax. We advise you to choose the best free VPN service like Mullvad or Private Internet Access VPN ($39.95 per year) to test it with all the sites and streaming services you need.
If you are looking for a completely free VPN service, TunnelBear VPN is a great option to start with. But, it limits you to 2GB of secure browsing per month. Proton VPN offers unlimited secure browsing with its free subscription.
Hands On With Express VPN for Chrome OS
If you choose ExpressVPN download on Chrome OS, you’ll get split tunneling and an auto-connect option. Most of the app’s features can be found in the Privacy and Security menu. There’s an IP address checker, a DNS leak test, a WebRTC leak test, and there’s also a password generator.
VPN for Windows PCs and tablets
Express VPN download for PC is compatible with Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows 7 (32Bit – 64Bit). Available on mobile phones, tablets, computers, and routers, a single Express VPN subscription can connect to ExpressVPN on Lenovo, HP, Dell, Asus, Samsung, Acer, and Microsoft Surface.
What Do You Get for Your Money?
A not-free VPN service, ExpressVPN does provide split tunneling, a Kill Switch, a Threat Manager, private, encrypted DNS, and 256-bit encryption on every server to make your connection safer and faster. But, a single subscription connects you to five devices at a time whereas Atlas VPN, Avira Phantom VPN, IPVanish VPN, TunnelBear, and best VPNs like Surfshark don’t even bother to limit the number of simultaneous connections.
Even if you download ExpressVPN and install it on your computer, it won’t block ads or malware, a feature we often find with other VPNs, such as static or dedicated IP addresses. NordVPN and CyberGhost have worked to include such branded features to race up for the title of the best VPN for Windows on the planet.
So, that’s pretty much of it. You will also not find push-button access to the Tor anonymization network, which technically anonymizes communications on the internet via different and variable routes. Well, you don’t necessarily need a VPN to use Tor, but it helps a lot.
You cannot use the multi-hop connection with this VPN. Multi-hop connection routes your traffic through two VPN servers. That way, your privacy remains secure even if the second VPN server has been compromised. In this comparison, NordVPN and Proton VPN offer access to Tor and multi-hop connections.
Unlock a Different Gaming Experience on PC with a VPN
All in all, Express VPN might not be the fastest VPN out there, but its speeds are suitable for streaming, gaming, and casual browsing alike. If you wish to play Fortnite, League of Legends Call of Duty: Warzone, etc, ExpressVPN will keep your data private as well as protect you from DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks.
A VPN can also lower ping times between gaming servers by connecting you to locations closer to the network hosts. If you connect to further locations, this will add more latency, introducing lag to your gaming sessions.
If your internet service provider is throttling gaming traffic, this paid VPN service will bypass those restrictions to restore your network speeds to their default levels.
When we put NordVPN and ExpressVPN to test, NordVPN offers serious performance advantages, which is a big reason why we love to title it as the best VPN for gaming, where ping and speeds are important. Here’s a quick showdown of the speed differences between NordVPN and its competitor.
| ExpressVPN speeds with OpenVPN | NordVPN speeds with OpenVPN |
| 35 to 60 Mbps | 190 to 270 Mbps |
VPN Protocols
ExpressVPN download for PC has not fully seeped in to embrace WireGuard, an open-source heir apparent to OpenVPN that offers better speeds and utilizes newer encryption technology. Instead, it focuses on OpenVPN and its protocol called Lightway which uses lightweight cryptographic libraries to make your connection faster.
Servers and Server Locations
You get access to 160 server locations across 94 countries. It also maintains servers for some countries with repressive internet policies, including Turkey and Vietnam. The company also maintains servers in Hong Kong and Ukraine.
Turns out that Hide My Ass VPN boasts 190 countries, PureVPN 140 countries, and Surfshark at around 100 countries. To protect its servers in data centers around the world, Express VPN says it uses RAM-only servers, which do not write any information to disk and wipe out as soon as the user disconnects the VPN service.
A large server fleet may mean you’re more likely to find an uncrowded server, potentially getting you better performance. ExpressVPN has over 3,000 servers at its disposal. CyberGhost currently leads the pack with over 9,200 servers which is insane!
Based on the speed tests conducted with the Lightway protocol, NordVPN is significantly faster than ExpressVPN in the major server locations we tested. NordVPN beats Express VPN with both the WireGuard and OpenVPN protocols with a few server locations. Here is a recap of ExpressVPN vs NordVPN speed test results:
| Location | NordVPN (NordLynx) | ExpressVPN (Lightway) |
| USA – Seattle | 445 Mbps | 136 Mbps |
| USA – Los Angeles | 304 Mbps | 209 Mbps |
| USA – New York | 280 Mbps | 214 Mbps |
| United Kingdom | 295 Mbps | 235 Mbps |
Your Privacy With Express VPN
This free-to-try VPN stores no logs of user activity, IP address, the VPN IP you connect with, the session duration, or a connection timestamp. All it connects is the amount of data transferred by each user, recent data, and the VPN location you connect with – but not a specific IP address.
The British Virgin Islands-based VPN company released the results of an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2019 and in October 2022. It released two more audits from KPMG and Cure53. In early 2023, ExpressVPN download for Windows released an extremely positive Cure53 audit of its Lightway protocol. This shows the sheer effort of the VPN company to make sure its user’s privacy is not compromised in any way.
Nordvpn vs ExpressVPN: Reliability and Features Compared
| Express VPN reliability | NordVPN reliability | |
| Applications | The apps work great without any bugs or crashes. | No crashes, bugs, or issues. |
| Servers | The servers were reliable and fast with no issues to report. | More variability in speed with ExpressVPN, especially if you are using the OpenVPN protocol. |
| Connections | Connections were stable and fast to connect. | Stable VPN connections, although OpenVPN takes a while to connect. |
ExpressVPN is more expensive, but it also offers more server locations. NordVPN is more affordable and comes with the option for a dedicated IP at an additional cost, while Express VPN does not. Both NordVPN and Express VPN are great options for streaming VPNs. They unblock a variety of streaming sites, have the Smart DNS feature for devices that don’t support VPN apps, and provide HD video quality.
| Nord VPN Features | Express VPN Features | |
| Split Tunneling | NordVPN supports Windows and Android only | ExpressVPN offers more compatibility. |
| Smart DNS | Ensures better streaming access on all servers. | didn’t work on Xbox, so you may want to install it on your router instead. |
| RAM-only servers | Supports RAM-only servers. Nothing is stored locally and your information is wiped out automatically, keeping it entirely safe | Supports RAM-only servers |
ExpressVPN for Windows key features
| Optimized for speed | More VPN locations |
| Network Lock kill switch | Superior connection reliability |
| Advanced leak protection | Best-in-class encryption |
| Fast servers worldwide | Always-on protection |
| No activity or connection logs | VPN split tunnelling |
ExpressVPN vs. free VPNs
A free VPN can change your IP, but can it promise complete security and privacy. Let’s find out:
| VPN features | Express VPN | Free VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Servers in 94 countries | Yes | No |
| Strong encryption | Yes | No |
| Fast and stable connection | Yes | No |
| No bandwidth limits | Yes | No |
| Replace /Hide your IP address | Yes | Yes |
| No activity logs or connection logs | Yes | No |
| 24/7 live chat support | Yes | No |
When should I download Express VPN on my Windows PC?
| While Traveling | While having fun |
| While on Public Wi-Fi | While gaming |
| While file-sharing | While shopping |
