NordVPN vs ExpressVPN

NordVPN and ExpressVPN are two of the most popular VPNs on the market and understandably, it can be hard to decide which one to use. Both are good options whether you’re looking to stream geo-restricted content or keep your data secure while using a public Wi-Fi, but there are some things one is better at than the other.

The factors we took into consideration while comparing NordVPN vs ExpressVPN include privacy, security, streaming capabilities, number of devices, and more.

If you’re in a hurry, we’ve added a table below that summarizes the differences between NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

Overview: NordVPN or ExpressVPN

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: encryption & security

We’ve found NordVPN to be better than ExpressVPN in terms of encryption and security. It uses a more widely known encryption protocol, unlike ExpressVPN’s proprietary protocol which isn’t as widely known. NordVPN also has a better kill switch (to make sure your actual IP address isn’t leaked), along with an ad blocker and a feature called “Threat Protection” which blocks malware and malicious sites.

Winner

NordVPN

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With that being said, here’s a table that summarizes the encryption and security features of NordVPN and ExpressVPN:

Encryption and protocols

Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN have military-grade AES-256 encryption. NordVPN has a feature called MultiHop which encrypts your data twice but it ends up reducing your speed a little.

NordVPN and ExpressVPN both offer multiple VPN protocols. NordVPN has WireGuard (NordLynx) and OpenVPN, both having fast speeds and robust security.

ExpressVPN uses Lightway and OpenVPN, but the former isn’t as popular in the cybersecurity industry as NordVPN’s WireGuard. You could manually select whatever VPN protocol you want, but we recommend letting the VPN choose for you.

Kill switch and split tunneling

They both offer kill switch functionality, which is essential if you have an unstable Internet connection. A kill switch immediately disconnects you from the Internet when your VPN connection drops, preventing any sensitive data from getting leaked.

ExpressVPN’s app on the macOS might fail to protect your IP address when you’re changing servers, but this is something that’s mentioned in the app itself. On the contrary, NordVPN’s kill switch works flawlessly and your true IP address will always remain hidden. NordVPN also allows you to select specific apps to disconnect from the Internet when the VPN connection goes down.

Both VPNs have DNS leak protection, so your ISP won’t be able to know which websites you visit. Unlike ExpressVPN, NordVPN has an ad and tracker blocker called “Threat Protection.” It’ll block ads on pretty much every website you visit. Unfortunately, ExpressVPN doesn’t have any ad blocker.

ExpressVPN and NordVPN also come with a feature called “split tunneling,” which lets you create two separate connections on a single device, one being the VPN connection and the other your standard connection.

Additional security features

NordVPN offers a lot more additional security features than ExpressVPN. With NordVPN, you get a dedicated IP address which will exclusively be used by you. You’ll have to pay an additional fee for it, though. NordVPN also offers built-in Onion over VPN connectivity, custom DNS, and a remote device access feature called “Meshnet.”

Meshnet uses NordVPN’s NordLynx protocol to let you create your own VPN server. Using this server, you can connect two devices together and access files on them in a safe and secure manner.

Keep in mind, though, that some of these features may require you to upgrade your plan.

Our tests have shown that NordVPN performs faster than ExpressVPN and the latter’s Lightway protocol isn’t as fast as NordVPN’s WireGuard protocol.

Overall, NordVPN seems to offer better privacy, more security features, and faster speeds. The extra fee for more security features may be off-putting for some people, but those features are well worth the money.

NordVPN’s WireGuard protocol has fewer lines of code (LoC) than other protocols, which makes it better and faster. (Source: nordvpn.com)

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: privacy

ExpressVPN is the clear winner when it comes to privacy as it’s based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and the company has said that it won’t share any data with legal authorities. NordVPN is based in Panama which has the same legal stance as the BVI, but the company has mentioned that it may share its users’ data if required.

Winner

ExpressVPN

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Here’s a table that summarizes the privacy features of both VPNs.

Privacy

Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN are located outside of the jurisdiction of the Five Eyes, which means they’re not required by law to share data with legal authorities.

NordVPN is based in Panama, which is also considered a privacy haven, but it has admitted in the past that if it’s asked to share user data as part of a criminal investigation, it will comply. NordVPN users will always know if there’s a change in the company’s policy, though, since it uses a warrant canary.

Logging

NordVPN has a no-log policy while ExpressVPN collects some user data such as date of connection, server location, and data transmission during a single network session. None of the information it collects is personally identifiable, though.

Plans & pricing

NordVPN is the more affordable VPN than ExpressVPN as it offers multiple plans which gives users more options. ExpressVPN, on the other hand, is more expensive and only has one plan. NordVPN only offers a trial version on Android, whereas ExpressVPN has one on both iOS and Android. Both VPNs have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Winner

NordVPN

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Here’s a table to help you understand the plans and pricing of NordVPN and ExpressVPN:

NordVPN has a variety of pricing plans to choose from, which means you have more options to save money. ExpressVPN doesn’t have a 2-year plan, but as you can tell, its 1-year plan is significantly more expensive than NordVPN’s. Both VPNs give special offers and discounts on a regular basis. ExpressVPN currently has a Black Friday deal going on which will give you 3 months free if you buy the 12 months plan for $6.67 per month.

Both have a 30-day money-back guarantee. Neither VPN offers a free trial on the PC or Mac app, but there is one for the mobile app. NordVPN only has a trial version on its Android app, while ExpressVPN has one on both Android and iOS.There are no free versions of either VPN on the desktop.

If you want to save money in the long run, then NordVPN seems to be the obvious choice, but if you want a monthly subscription, then there’s not a big difference between the prices of the two VPNs.

Speed performance: NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN

NordVPN outperforms ExpressVPN in terms of speed. It performs much better when downloading torrents or casually surfing the web while connected to a nearby server. Even when connected to a distant server, NordVPN seems to perform better.

Winner

NordVPN

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Here’s a table that compares the speed performance of NordVPN and ExpressVPN:

The speeds above were tested on a 60 Mbps connection and as you can tell, NordVPN offers faster speeds for servers in the US, UK, and Germany. NordVPN has coverage in less countries, so if you want to connect to a server that’s outside the US and Europe, ExpressVPN may be a better choice.

Both VPNs will automatically connect to the nearest and fastest server. In NordVPN, this feature is called “Quick connect” and in ExpressVPN, it’s called “Smart Location.” Both features only take a few seconds to find a server to connect to.

For the speed tests, we used the VPNs’ official protocols – WireGuard and Lightway. The former performed better by a large margin. For far-away servers like in the UK or rest of Europe, you’ll get faster speeds with NordVPN.

We also tested NordVPN with MultiHop activated, and its speed was reduced only a little, going down to about 52 Mbps when connected to a US server, which means even with an additional layer of encryption, you’re getting better speeds than ExpressVPN.

NordVPN also gave us better ping, though it’s unlikely you’ll notice any lag when gaming with either VPN. We tested both VPNs on Call of Duty while connected to a UK server and didn’t experience any lag at all.

All in all, NordVPN takes the crown for being the faster VPN out of the two.

NordVPN download speed test.

ExpressVPN vs NordVPN: streaming

Both VPNs are great for streaming geo-restricted content, but ExpressVPN is better because it has servers in 94 countries, as opposed to NordVPN which has servers in 59. Better coverage means you can stream content from more regions.

Winner

ExpressVPN

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Here’s a table that compares the streaming capabilities of ExpressVPN and NordVPN:

You’ll get better speeds with NordVPN when streaming geo-restricted content, but with ExpressVPN, you’ll get better coverage. You’ll still gain access to most popular Netflix regions like Japan, US, and Australia with both NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

You can use both VPNs to access almost all US streaming platforms (Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, HBO Max, Hulu, and Paramount+). Both of them are also great for accessing UK content like BBC iPlayer, though ExpressVPN will sometimes require you to use its Smart DNS tool. Regardless of which VPN you use for streaming, you’ll always have access to a huge library of online streaming platforms.

Since they both have tons of servers in both the US and the UK, you won’t face any trouble finding a reliable and fast server for streaming geo-restricted content.

Servers and locations

As mentioned above, NordVPN has a higher number of servers (over 5,000) in 59 countries, but ExpressVPN has an edge here as its servers are spread out in 94 countries. Here’s a table so you can quickly see the number of servers and locations both VPNs offer:

ExpressVPN has servers in more countries and they’re also available in more cities, which is useful if you want to connect to a specific city. NordVPN has more servers, though, but since they’re located in 59 countries, you’re more likely to experience network congestion on NordVPN than on ExpressVPN.

Platforms, interface, and ease of use

Both VPNs have intuitive apps for PC, Mac, iOS, and Android, but ExpressVPN’s app is more user-friendly and is easier to understand, so that makes it the clear winner in this category. NordVPN allows you to connect up to 6 devices at the same time, while ExpressVPN gives you the option to connect to 5. NordVPN’s app also has more customization, but many users may find it intimidating.

Winner

ExpressVPN

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Here’s a table that summarizes the differences between NordVPN and ExpressVPN in terms of platform, interface, and ease of use:

Desktop apps

Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN have apps for Windows PC, macOS, and Linux. The former’s desktop app is far easier to use than NordVPN’s. To connect to a server, all you have to do is click on a fairly large button that’s quite easy for anyone to see and click on.

NordVPN’s desktop app isn’t as user-friendly. There’s no big, conspicuous connect button on the main window of the app. The “Quick connect” button is tucked away in the top-right corner of the window and its size is too small.

When you open the NordVPN app on a desktop, you’re presented with too many options, which some users may find intimidating. ExpressVPN’s app is far better organized.

Some users may find NordVPN’s desktop app intimidating because of the number of options that are presented on the screen.

Mobile apps

There’s not a big difference between the mobile version of ExpressVPN’s app and the desktop version. The UI is consistent across all devices, so you won’t notice any big difference when moving from a desktop to a phone.

The ExpressVPN mobile app is more user-friendly.

NordVPN’s app isn’t as consistent, but one positive thing about it is that you can use it in dark mode. Some users may find the ExpressVPN app too bright since it doesn’t come with a dark mode. Both apps have advanced security features like kill switch, tracker blocker, and VPN protocols. ExpressVPN’s tracker blocker is only available on the iOS app, though.

NordVPN’s mobile app can be confusing for some users.

Customer support

Both VPNs have great customer support, but NordVPN has a 24/7 automated chatbot which works quite well. ExpressVPN has helpful tutorials and guides which are good enough to help users solve most problems.

ExpressVPN and NordVPN both have 24/7 customer support and you can easily email them. Both have online tutorials and guides, but ExpressVPN’s videos are much easier to understand than NordVPN’s.

NordVPN has a 24/7 chatbot, which should be good enough for most users and it also means that you’ll get a response much faster from NordVPN than ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN only has live chat agents who will almost never respond as quickly as a chatbot.

Neither VPN has customer support on the phone apps.

ExpressVPN vs NordVPN: which is better?

All in all, NordVPN is a better VPN service than ExpressVPN. There are some categories in which ExpressVPN has an edge, but in terms of speed, encryption, security features, and pricing, NordVPN is leagues ahead of the former.

We’ve personally found NordVPN to be faster and more secure than ExpressVPN. The app, while being more complex than ExpressVPN’s, is much more advanced and gives more options. You also get better speeds whether you’re connected to nearby or distant servers.

If you’re looking for more security and faster speeds, then we recommend NordVPN. Both apps offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, though, so there should be nothing stopping you from giving both a try.

Winner

NordVPN

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