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There's no shortage of brands offering the best VPN deals, but with so many providers to choose from, how are you supposed to pick? When it comes to brands with dozens of awards, millions of downloads, and no shortage of critical praise, look no further than ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
These two behemoths offer similar VPN services, with optional extras like a standalone password manager, ad blockers, and strict content blocks. Following a shake-up last year, both ExpressVPN and NordVPN now offer three price plans, so there's always an affordable entry point for newcomers.
But despite these similarities, there are some notable differences to consider for those looking to invest in a premium VPN service – so you can make sure that you can make an informed purchase.
GBN Tech has put together a detailed rundown of what both VPN services offer.
Secure ExpressVPN at lowest ever price
Protect your personal information and encrypt everything you do online for just £1.74 with the latest ExpressVPN deal. That equates to under 6p per day, trouncing NordVPN, its biggest competitor
ExpressVPN adds military-grade encryption across up to 10x devices, including iPhone, Android, Linux, Windows, Mac, Fire TV, and dozens more, to secure your internet traffic from prying eyes, advertisers, and governments. You'll benefit from an extra 4 months free with a two-year plan
Get 82% off ExpressVPN Basic
$9.99
$1.74
...beating the latest discount from NordVPN
NordVPN is the main competitor to ExpressVPN. Both brands have a substantial collection of awards for fast performance and advanced features. While NordVPN has sometimes had the edge when it comes to subscription price, that changes with the limited-time sale on ExpressVPN
Get 70% off NordVPN Basic
$8.89
$2.59
Speed and performance
When it comes to speeds for both ExpressVPN and NordVPN, both VPN providers are almost identical when it comes to connecting to their servers and their impact on internet speeds.
In real-world tests, most reviewers have found that the impact on internet speeds is pretty similar — and very minimal, thanks to their premium servers, wide variety of locations to ensure proximity, and vast number of severs to avoid congestion. In our ExpressVPN review, we celebrated the fast connection speed and recommended this VPN subscription for anyone with a slow broadband connection who can't afford too much of an impact on bandwidth.
Both VPNs use their own modern, high-speed protocols. NordVPN uses NordLynx and ExpressVPN uses Lightway. Most VPN users who stream in 4K, enjoy gaming, or general browsing, will get excellent, lag-free experiences.
Both VPN providers are world-leading when it comes to performance, and most normal users will struggle to tell them apart.
Price
Until recently, NordVPN used to have the upper hand in terms of cost; however, ExpressVPN now offers the best value, especially for those who want a premium VPN without paying a fortune.
ExpressVPN charges just £1.74 per month for its Basic plan, when spread over a period of two years, while NordVPN’s cheapest plan is £2.29 a month – giving the win to ExpressVPN.
ExpressVPN slightly loses to NordVPN when it comes to its midrange plans. ExpressVPN’s Advanced plans cost £2.44 per month, while NordVPN’s Plus plan costs £2.89 a month .
For its latest sale, ExpressVPN has cut the cost of all three price plans – offering huge savings across its two-year plans
|KAPE TECHNOLOGIES PRESS OFFICE
But ExpressVPN trumps NordVPN in terms of price when it comes to the premium plans. ExpressVPN offers its Pro plan for £3.84 per month, trumping the £5.19 per month that NordVPN charges for its Ultimate plan.
It may not seem like much, but after VAT is added, users could be paying almost £8 extra for NordVPN over a two-year period. One important thing to note is that prices for both VPN providers tend to change quite a bit, and the above prices can differ.
Like ExpressVPN, Nord splits its offering into three separate price plans and offers serious discounts on two-year plans
|NORD PRESS OFFICE
Privacy
Both VPN providers offer world-class privacy features, including audited no-logs policies, robust encryption, and operation from privacy-friendly jurisdictions.
NordVPN and ExpressVPN both offer essential features like a kill switch and DNS leak protection, and are based in privacy-friendly jurisdictions – with ExpressVPN headquartered in the British Virgin Islands and NordVPN based in Panama – both outside the remit of the 14-Eyes Alliance.
However, ExpressVPN just slightly beats NordVPN when it comes to privacy. ExpressVPN has had more than 20 independent audits since 2018, compared to NordVPN’s five.
NordVPN also suffered a security breach in March 2018 due to a third-party provider. However, its own servers were safe. The hack led to Transport Layer Security keys, which NordVPN uses to verify its website; however, these keys expired in October 2018.
VPNs create an encrypted tunnel for everything you do online, keeping your personal data protected from cyber criminals, advertisers, and governments | NORDVPN PRESS OFFICE Features and devices
When it comes to features, both VPN providers offer similar services in their more premium plans.
ExpressVPN and NordVPN both offer a password manager, advanced protection such as ad blocking and malware protection, as well as handy extras like a dedicated IP and cloud storage.
However, the biggest difference between the two is how many devices each provider lets you use with their VPN.
NordVPN allows 10 devices on all of its plans, and ExpressVPN allows exactly the same number on its Basic subscription, but increases this limit to 12x on its Advanced plan and 14x on its most expensive Pro plans.
For those who really want a dedicated IP address reserved for only them, ExpressVPN also offers this as standard on its Pro plans.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
In a few months, MacBook, Windows, and Linux users will all be able to run an all-new ExpressVPN app with a simplified design and advanced features across all desktop apps, including split-tunnelling for the first time on Mac | KAPE TECHNOLOGIES ExpressVPN vs NordVPN: Final Verdict
When it comes to which VPN is worth buying, it’s clear that both offer great VPNs and features at a similar price with little to no differences.
However, for those who want more devices to use with their VPN, the best privacy, a dedicated IP and a competitive price, ExpressVPN seems to be the winner.
ExpressVPN offers a quibble-free 30-day guarantee on all of its subscriptions if you’re not happy. With 24/7 customer support, you'll be able to talk to someone from any time zone to get a full refund if you're unhappy with the experience on your devices. Yes, ExpressVPN is that confident.
It also works across a wide selection of popular platforms, including Windows 11, Linux and macOS, as well apps for iOS and Android available to download from the respective App Stores. ExpressVPN has even launched a standalone password manager app for both mobile operating systems in recent weeks.
VPNs work by encrypting all of your online traffic before it's sent over the internet. This prevents your ISP, advertisers, hackers, and fraudsters from tracking your online activity, stealing your personal data, or placing restrictions on you
| EXPRESSVPN PRESS OFFICEWhat is a VPN?
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that protects and anonymises everything you do online.
VPNs can conceal your online activities by routing traffic through an encrypted tunnel that connects to secure servers worldwide. The most reliable VPNs employ the same encryption standard as governments in the United Kingdom and the United States, ensuring that even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) can't keep tabs on the websites you visit, the duration of your sessions on each site, or your current location.
This protection extends to advertisers, trackers, and hackers, preventing them from monitoring your online behaviour. Furthermore, personal information entered into online forms and sensitive data transmitted to and from your device will be safeguarded from hackers using strong encryption provided by a VPN.
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