ExpressVPN Review

ExpressVPN is one of the fastest VPNs we’ve tested. We recorded an average speed loss of just 8% connecting to its nearby VPN servers.

The VPN’s speeds are remarkably consistent, on both short-distance and long-distance connections.

All apps connect quickly to servers, and we didn’t experience any connection drops over thousands of tests.

What really stands out is ExpressVPN’s speeds on long-distance connections. It’s the best VPN to connect to a country far away from your real location.

To measure the impact of ExpressVPN on internet speed, we compared our download speeds before and after manually connecting to a nearby VPN server (using the ‘Smart Location’ feature).

Only 8% speed loss while using a VPN is very impressive. Testing the OpenVPN and Lightway protocols, ExpressVPN had barely any impact on our download and upload speeds.

An 8ms ping time is also excellent, especially if you’re gaming online. Lag can ruin an online video game, so the lower the latency (ping time) the less lag you’ll experience.

International Speed Test Results

We also measured ExpressVPN’s average speeds connecting to servers around the world. We wanted to see how well the service performs over long-distance connections (even if these places may not be far from you).

ExpressVPN is one of the fastest VPNs on long-distance connections, something many VPNs struggle with.

ExpressVPN is our best-rated Netflix VPN. It’s also a great choice to stream other streaming services.

The VPN easily streams platforms like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video with minimal buffering.

Optimized for Netflix

In our latest tests, we streamed the US Netflix library through almost all of its US VPN servers. New York was the only server that didn’t work.

The Isle of Man and Jersey servers worked well with UK Netflix.

Overall, we accessed 18 different Netflix regions in a variety of different languages. Some of the most popular libraries ExpressVPN works with are:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• Egypt
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Malaysia
• Netherlands
• Pakistan
• Panama
• Romania
• Sweden
• UK
• US

Just connect to a server located in the same country as the Netflix library you want to watch, and you’re good to go.

ExpressVPN Still Works with BBC iPlayer

ExpressVPN still works with BBC iPlayer, but recently it’s having some issues. Beating BBC iPlayer’s VPN ban isn’t easy, and it can take a few tries for ExpressVPN to work.

We recommend using ExpressVPN’s browser extensions, and connecting to the London server, or the Wembley one. This method works well, as long as you’re located outside the UK.

Access to Many Other Streaming Platforms

The vast majority of ExpressVPN’s servers work with many streaming platforms, including:

• Amazon Prime Video
• DAZN
• Disney+
• ESPN
• HBO Max
• Hulu
• Now TV
• Peacock
• Sky
• Sling TV

The VPN’s fast download speeds mean that whatever video you stream, it will be buffer-free.

Torrenting with ExpressVPN

Simply put, ExpressVPN is great for torrenting. You can torrent files across the entire server network without restrictions. None of your file-sharing activity will be stored.

We tested ExpressVPN with torrent clients like qBittorrent, uTorrent, and Deluge. The VPN didn’t leak our torrent IP address once.

And if the VPN connection had dropped, the VPN kill switch would have prevented our real IP address from being exposed.

Also, the VPN’s advanced security features let you stream P2P-based Kodi add-ons and IPTV apps anonymously.

The only issue with torrenting with this VPN is that it doesn’t allow port forwarding. While you can still technically upload or ‘seed’ torrent files, your speeds will be very slow.

ExpressVPN is an extremely safe VPN service that uses the highest standard of security protocols and encryption.

The VPN’s security has been verified through audits by trusted firms like PWC and Cure53.

Not to mention many of the VPN applications are open-source and open for external scrutiny by security researchers.

High Degree of Encryption

All apps use AES-256 bit encryption, in combination with the OpenVPN protocol, a 4096-bit RSA key and SHA-512 HMAC authentication. This is the level of encryption that governments and banks recommend.

What’s more, ExpressVPN runs its own private, zero-knowledge DNS servers. In other words, ExpressVPN handles and encrypts your DNS requests (the websites you visit), not a third party. Only the finest VPN services offer this.

By default, the VPN service uses Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS). This adds another layer of protection by creating a new encryption key for every session, and replacing it every 60 minutes.

PFS means that even if someone intercepted and decrypted your data transfer, the most they could get is 60 minutes of data.

Secure VPN Protocols

The VPN apps automatically choose the best VPN protocol for you, but you can choose one manually if you prefer.

We recommend using OpenVPN, or ExpressVPN’s proprietary protocol named Lightway.

Lightway has been performing very well in our speed and security tests. It also uses less battery than other VPN protocols, since it has fewer lines of code.

Effective Kill Switch

ExpressVPN doesn’t have a tonne of advanced security features, but those it does have are extremely effective.

Its reliable VPN kill switch is called Network Lock. This feature stops your internet connection entirely in the unlikely event your VPN connection drops. In doing so, your true IP address is never exposed.

Network Lock is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android (on which it’s called Network Protection). It’s not on the iOS app yet, which ExpressVPN needs to fix.

TrustedServer

The VPN also comes with TrustedServer. This proprietary technology ensures your web data is never written to a server’s hard drive.

TrustedServer has the following security benefits:

• Wipes all data with every reboot, as VPN servers run on RAM only
• Servers never write to the hard drive, further minimizing data risk
• The entire software stack is reinstalled on every server at startup
• Allows ExpressVPN to know what’s running on every server, with no inconsistencies

Split tunneling

Split tunneling is a useful setting that you won’t find in many VPNs. It lets you decide which apps should use the VPN connection, and which ones shouldn’t.

Split tunneling can have practical uses (for example with your wireless printer). You can keep certain devices connected to your standard internet line, rather than the VPN, preventing connection issues between devices.

IP and DNS Leak Test Results

We ran the VPN apps through IP, DNS, and WebRTC leak tests and it passed all tests with no leaks whatsoever.

As you can see below, ExpressVPN masked our real UK IP address, replacing it with a Swedish one.

Browserleaks.com also confirmed ExpressVPN is very secure

We also tested the VPN extensions for HTML5 browser leaks, which also passed with flying colors.

ExpressVPN is a virtually zero-logs VPN service. It’s a trustworthy company that goes to great lengths to protect user privacy.

The VPN doesn’t collect any personal activity logs. It only keeps some connection data, including the date of the connection and your choice of server, but it doesn’t store your full IP address or web activity.

Here’s all the information ExpressVPN collects:

• Dates when connected to the VPN service
• Choice of VPN server location
• Total amount of data transferred per day

That’s it. ExpressVPN maintains this is the minimum amount of data needed to keep server performance as strong as possible. All this data reveals is that you used the VPN at some point.

An excerpt from ExpressVPN’s logging policy

ExpressVPN’s logging policy was stress tested in December 2017. One of its servers was seized and inspected by Turkish authorities investigating the assassination of the Russian ambassador, Andrei Karlov.

However, the Turkish investigators couldn’t find any user connection logs.

Based in Safe Jurisdiction

The VPN service was founded in 2009, and is operated by Express VPN International Ltd.

The company is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), and outside the 14 Eyes surveillance alliance.

The BVI is an excellent choice of jurisdiction for a privacy-minded company. The country has full sovereignty over its data regulations, and outside governments or agencies cannot force ExpressVPN to surrender information.

ExpressVPN’s helpful 24/7 live chat is the best in class. If you ever have a problem, you’ll be back up and running as quickly as possible.

This is one of the most customer-focused VPN services we’ve reviewed. Its support team makes sure to keep you happy both before and after you’ve become a customer.

You can also email customer support, with equally responsive, helpful and enthusiastic responses.

If you experience a specific technical issue, it makes a big difference to receive a response tailored to your message. Too many VPN companies use support centers with agents who don’t know the product. That’s not the case with ExpressVPN.

There’s also a huge range of support guides, FAQs, video tutorials, and troubleshooting options available on the support website. The online help center is available in over 16 languages.

ExpressVPN is one of the few VPNs that still works in China.

We test ExpressVPN’s access in China weekly, and its undoubtedly one of the more consistent VPNs in the region.

This is thanks to investing significant resources into outsmarting the Great Firewall of China.

ExpressVPN’s average speeds and stability in China (source: Greatfire.org)

Its obfuscation technology activates by default when protocol selection in the app is switched to Automatic.

Good choice of servers from China

ExpressVPN recommends specific servers for users in China. Contact their customer support (available 24/7) for updated server tips.

These servers tend to be in nearby locations, like Hong Kong (which still enjoys a free internet). The Hong Kong servers also let you access Chinese TV and websites from outside China.

The official ExpressVPN website is blocked in China, so remember to download the latest version of the app(s) before you arrive.

ExpressVPN’s built-in obfuscation tool is so effective that the VPN also works in the UAE, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other restrictive nations.