Comparing NordVPN with ExpressVPN is something most of us will do. These are two of the biggest names in the consumer VPN space, well established and popular. Yet if we had to choose, which would it be?
Let’s take a closer look at these two side-by-side.
A Quick Comparison
| Features | NordVPN | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Year Established | 2012 | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Panama | British Virgin Islands |
| Lowest Price | $3.99/mo | $6.67/mo |
| Availability | ||
| Server Locations | 60 countries | 94 countries |
| Number of Servers | 5,000+ | 3,000+ |
| Protocol Available | OpenVPN, NordLynx, IKEv2 (macOS and iOS only) | Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec |
| P2P Support | Yes (Selected Servers) | Yes |
| Security | ||
| Server Obfuscation | Yes | Yes |
| Split Tunneling | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-Hop | Yes | No |
| Kill Switch | Yes | Yes |
| Speed (Singapore Server) | ||
| Ping | 7ms | 8ms |
| Download Speed | 507.77 Mbps | 487.28 Mbps |
| Upload Speed | 484.89 Mbps | 468.66 Mbps |
About NordVPN
NordVPN is one of my favorite brands, and I’ve used them since 2019. The company’s headquarters is in Panama, an excellent location as far as data privacy is concerned. Since its establishment, NordVPN has continued to grow its product capabilities at an astounding rate.
About ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN came across my radar when I first started exploring these services. They’re one of the earlier prime VPN service providers in the market, available since 2009. Since then, they’ve slowly but steadily improved the product as new technologies become available.
NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Pricing
Since the early days, ExpressVPN has always maintained one of the highest prices among consumer-grade VPN services. A one-month subscription to their service costs $12,95, but the price drops to $6.67 if you sign up for the 15-month (12 + 3 Free) package.
Comparatively, NordVPN came out with guns blazing and offered a competitive product for a fraction of the price. You can get a single month for $11.99. However, that price drops massively to a mere $3.99/mo if you sign on for two years.
Verdict: NordVPN wins
The winner in the price war between the two is NordVPN.
NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Availability
Each VPN’s number of servers and locations will usually change over time. For example, NordVPN’s server count has expanded massively to over 5,000. However, their coverage seems to have somewhat plateaued at 60 countries.
ExpressVPN never grew its server count and coverage significantly. It sticks to 3,000 servers across 94 countries. To date, it’s remained somewhat passive. Yet, given the stability of their service performance, I can understand the reluctance to expand for no real reason.
Verdict: Tie
Unless you need a VPN access point in a specific location, the availability of access points doesn’t mean much. These brands both do well, given their generally broad coverage area.
NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Security
Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer an extremely secure service. For instance, they go the extra mile and operate RAM-only servers. This move ensures they can erase data quickly at the pull of a plug.
ExpressVPN and NordVPN were both reluctant to adopt WireGuard verbatim. This decision came about due to some deficiencies in the protocol’s security. Ultimately, NordVPN released a modified version called NordLynx.
ExpressVPN, on the other hand, released a new high-performance protocol named Lightway. Unfortunately, they’ve not been overly transparent about Lightway. The protocol performance is suspiciously similar to WireGuard.
Verdict: NordVPN wins
Regarding security, I prefer NordVPN due to the greater transparency they’ve approached the matter of protocol.
NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Speed
Although some say they want security and privacy, speed is fundamental in a VPN service. The most secure VPN is useless if it slows your browsing to a crawl. Thankfully, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN showcase astounding performance with their newest protocols.
If security and privacy are your main objectives, connect to a nearby server, and you’ll hardly notice a VPN is running.
Latest NordVPN & ExpressVPN Speed Tests
Realizing the seriousness of VPN performance evaluation, we set up an Automated Speed Test System to evaluate various VPN service speed performance regularly (see all test results here). Below are the latest speed test results for ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
[vpn vpn=”NordVPN”][/vpn]
[vpn vpn=”Expressvpn”][/vpn]
Read our full ExpressVPN review.
Verdict: Tie
Draw. Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer excellent speed.
Final Thoughts on the NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN Comparison
I like both VPN service providers, but ExpressVPN’s prices always turned me off. While I maintain an account with them, it’s mainly due to work since I test and review multiple VPN servicess. In honesty, I prefer the NordVPN experience.
