NordVPN vs ExpressVPN

	Winner
Speed	NordVPN
Streaming & torrenting	ExpressVPN
Security	ExpressVPN
Bypassing censorship	ExpressVPN
Logging policy & jurisdiction	NordVPN
Server locations	ExpressVPN
Apps & ease of use	ExpressVPN
Customer support	ExpressVPN
Price	NordVPN

ExpressVPN and NordVPN overall comparison table

In short, ExpressVPN comes out on top in six categories, including security, streaming, and bypassing censorship. Whereas NordVPN beats ExpressVPN in just three areas: logging policy, price and speed.

ExpressVPN is the winner, beating NordVPN in 6 out of 9 categories.

Just because ExpressVPN is our overall winner doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the better VPN for you, though.

NordVPN is still one of the best VPN services around. It is significantly cheaper than ExpressVPN and puts up a huge fight in every category.

Jump to one of the sections using the links in the table to read a more detailed comparison. Or check out our complete reviews of either ExpressVPN or NordVPN.

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Download speed	85Mbps	92Mbps
Upload speed	91Mbps	94Mbps
Latency/Ping	8ms	8ms
Average speed loss	11%	2%

ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s speed results on a local (UK-to-UK) connection

NordVPN and ExpressVPN are two of the fastest and most reliable VPNs on the market. They both provide great speeds for streaming, torrenting, and gaming.

In terms of download speeds, NordVPN is often faster than ExpressVPN on local, same-country connections. When testing a UK-to-UK NordVPN connection, we experienced an average speed loss of just 2%, compared to an 11% average when using ExpressVPN.

Recently, NordVPN has started outperforming ExpressVPN on long-distance connections as well. Our automated speed test tool shows that NordVPN is consistently the faster option on international connections from the UK to the US.

Speed & Reliability Winner: NordVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Netflix	Yes	Yes
BBC iPlayer	Yes	Yes
Amazon Prime Video	Yes	Yes
Hulu	Yes	Yes
Streaming servers	No	No
Torrenting & P2P	Yes	Yes
HBO	Yes	Yes

NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s access to streaming sites

NordVPN and ExpressVPN both offer reliable unrestricted access to streaming platforms like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime Video, and more.

Neither VPN has dedicated streaming servers, unlike CyberGhost, but they really don’t need them as most of their US and UK servers work perfectly. If you ever have trouble finding a working server, their customer service is on hand to help.

Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN do have some minor streaming shortcomings, however.

On one hand, ExpressVPN struggles to unlock BBC iPlayer from within the UK. This is an inconvenience, but UK users can overcome it by using ExpressVPN’s split-tunneling feature to stream BBC iPlayer outside of the VPN.

On the other hand, NordVPN has issues unlocking streaming platforms when installed at router level. This is a little more problematic,  as it can limit NordVPN’s usefulness with devices like Apple TV and Chromecast. This issue could be solved if NordVPN offered a Smart DNS feature, like ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer, but the omission means NordVPN is unable to stream geo-blocked content on Apple TV and games consoles.

As for torrenting and P2P, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are both excellent services to keep your downloads safe and anonymous. The only difference between them is that ExpressVPN allows anonymous torrents on all servers while NordVPN only permits torrenting on specific ones.

Read our complete guide to ExpressVPN and torrenting to learn more.

Streaming & Torrenting Winner: ExpressVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
VPN protocols	IKEv2/IPSec, L2TP, OpenVPN, PPTP, SSTP	IKEv2/IPSec, OpenVPN
Encryption cipher	AES-256	AES-256
Kill switch	Yes	Yes
Leak protection	DNS, IPv6, WebRTC	DNS, IPv6, WebRTC
First-party DNS	Yes	Yes
IPv6	Blocked	Blocked

ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s encryption and security features

To protect their user’s security, VPN services need to be using the strongest and most up-to-date encryption software. Thankfully, NordVPN and ExpressVPN both excel in this department.

Both services use the industry’s leading VPN protocol, OpenVPN, along with the military-grade cipher AES-256. They also offer a number of other protocols to choose from, including IKEv2.

While NordVPN should be commended for being the first of the two to incorporate the highly-regarded WireGuard protocol, ExpressVPN is still the stronger option when it comes to protocols due to its wider array of choices and excellent automatic protocol selection tool.

Both VPNs include a number of important security features such as perfect forward secrecy, split-tunneling, leak protection, and first-party DNS.

They also both offer a VPN kill switch, each with its own unique drawback. For ExpressVPN, the kill switch doesn’t work on iOS. For NordVPN, it doesn’t work on Android or Amazon Fire TV Stick.

In terms of security differences between the two services, NordVPN has a great Double VPN feature that allows users to route their traffic through two different VPN servers in order to provide an extra layer of encryption.

However, ExpressVPN is our pick for the most secure. We love its automatic protocol selection tool and proprietary ‘TrustedServer’ technology, which prevents user data from ever being written to the VPN server.

You also need to consider the effect of NordVPN’s security breach in 2018. While we have been very impressed with NordVPN’s response to this event and trust in its security processes, a hack of this nature will undoubtedly damage some users’ confidence in the service.

Encryption & Security Winner: ExpressVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Works in China	Yes	Sometimes
Works in Russia	Yes	Yes
Works in Iran	Yes	Yes
Works in Turkey	Yes	Yes
Obfuscation tools	Yes	Yes

ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s ability to bypass censorship

On the whole, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN work well in countries with aggressive online censorship, including Turkey, Iran, and Russia. They use their own in-built obfuscation technologies to successfully circumvent the national firewalls in these countries.

However, the ultimate test when it comes to bypassing censorship is being able to beat China’s Great Firewall (GFW). Here, ExpressVPN outperforms NordVPN by some measure.

ExpressVPN consistently and reliably beats Chinese web filters and is our top pick for a VPN to use in China. You should be prepared for much slower speeds, though, as bypassing the GFW comes at a cost.

NordVPN sometimes works in China, too, but it has been inconsistent and unreliable since China’s 2018 VPN crackdown. NordVPN’s obfuscation tools are not available through iOS, either, so iPhone users in particular will struggle in China.

Bypassing Censorship Winner: ExpressVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Connection logs	Yes	Yes
Activity logs	No	No
Jurisdiction	British Virgin Islands	Panama
Externally audited	July 2019	May 2020

ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s logging policies and jurisdictions

Both VPNs have been subject to external audits to confirm their logging policies, NordVPN by PwC in November 2018 and May 2020 and ExpressVPN also by PwC in July 2019.

These audits set an encouraging standard for the industry, but only serve to confirm that the VPN provider is doing what they say in their logging policy. Audits do not assess the strength of a provider’s logging policies.

NordVPN’s logging policy includes the following:

And ExpressVPN claims the following:

Neither of these statements cover the full picture; both VPNs keep some data, but the nature and scope of that data is not the same.

In order to limit the number of connections from an individual user, NordVPN stores the username and timestamp of each connection for the duration of the session. This data is then wiped within 15 minutes of disconnecting.

ExpressVPN stores slightly more information – dates of connection, choice of server location and total amount of data – and it is not currently clear how long this data is kept. Because of this, we classify NordVPN as a no-logs provider but view ExpressVPN as falling slightly short of that prestigious title.

None of the information collected is personally-identifiable, however, and both VPN providers are located in privacy-friendly jurisdictions (the British Virgin Islands for ExpressVPN and Panama for NordVPN). These are countries located outside of international intelligence-sharing alliances (e.g. Five Eyes), where companies are not compelled by law to store any sort of user information.

Logging Policy & Jurisdiction Winner: NordVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Total countries	94	59
Countries with city-level choice	10	5
Total servers	3,000+	5,500+

NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s world-wide server locations

Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN have an impressive number of VPN servers across a huge number of countries. It is ExpressVPN that offers servers in more countries, though. It also provides more specific city-level locations – double the number that NordVPN offers.

NordVPN, on the other hand, has a much larger server network, with over 5,500 servers compared to ExpressVPN’s 3,000+. The difference in server count might seem large, but as a user you’re unlikely to notice any difference given that 3,000 is still a very impressive amount.

As for specific server locations, the impact will depend entirely on your needs. If you require access to specific locations, we recommend looking at the server lists for ExpressVPN and NordVPN before subscribing to either.

It’s very close but ExpressVPN wins the server battle. It covers more countries and it offers a greater range of dedicated city-level server locations in major countries like the US and the UK.

Server Locations Winner: ExpressVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Desktop apps	Windows, Mac, Linux	Windows, Mac, Linux
Mobile apps	iOS, Android	iOS, Android
Other apps	Android TV, Fire Stick TV	Android TV, Fire Stick TV
Router support	Yes	Yes
Pre-configured routers	Yes	Yes
Browser extensions	Chrome, Firefox	Chrome, Firefox

ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s device compatibility

NordVPN and ExpressVPN lead the market in wide-spread device compatibility. They both have apps for all major operating systems. They both have router support, too.

ExpressVPN and NordVPN also both have browser extensions, but they take very different approaches.

ExpressVPN’s extension is really a controller, and you will need the desktop app for it to work – so it isn’t as lightweight as you might think. We love that you can control the VPN from within your browser window, but it’s not a conventional extension.

The alternative offered by NordVPN works as a standalone, but is actually a proxy not a VPN. This means that, unless you’re careful, the extension could become a privacy risk as it only protects traffic inside the browser. Any data you send outside of the browser will not be protected.

NordVPN has an easy, user-friendly interface, with an interactive map visualization of their servers. This is a nice gimmick, which doesn’t necessarily add much compared to ExpressVPN’s more minimalist approach but it certainly doesn’t subtract anything either.

When it comes to advanced options, the two VPN providers take different approaches. ExpressVPN puts its settings in a separate options window, whereas NordVPN uses a tab and toggle design.

ExpressVPN’s apps all feature a big on/off switch and little else in their main window. The basic interface is pretty much identical across devices, whereas NordVPN varies more noticeably.

This means, for instance, that the NordVPN tabs feel fiddly on our test iPhone, but not our Android phone.

Overall, the apps of both VPN providers are highly intuitive across all devices – even if they do take different approaches.

Apps & Ease Of Use Winner: ExpressVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Live chat	24/7	24/7
Email support	Yes	Yes
Phone support	No	No
Online resources	Yes	Yes
Setup guides	Yes	Yes
Video material	Yes	Yes

ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s customer support options

ExpressVPN and NordVPN both have comprehensive online guides, which is part of why they are so easy to use on a wide range of devices. They have email and 24/7 live chat, too, which are very helpful from both providers.

The VPNs are neck-and-neck in terms of the customer service materials they produce. For one topic, it might be the case that NordVPN has the more robust guide. But then, on another topic, ExpressVPN’s material will be better.

It should be noted that neither service has phone support, but this is pretty standard in the VPN industry.

Both contenders excel when it comes to customer service, but ExpressVPN just about claims victory because we consistently find its 24/7 live chat to be faster and more convenient.

Customer Support Winner: ExpressVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Single month	$12.95	$11.95
Six months	$9.99	N/A
12 months	$6.67 (first year only)	$6.99
Two years	N/A	$4.99
Three years	N/A	$3.49

NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s monthly cost over different length pricing plans

NordVPN’s cheapest monthly price is $3.49, compared to ExpressVPN’s cheapest price of $6.67 per month. This makes NordVPN a significantly cheaper option and represents a huge saving of 70% relative to other NordVPN pricing options.

To qualify for this pricing, you’ll need to commit to a three-year plan and pay the entire amount ($125.64) up front. If this is something you’re willing to do, NordVPN is a great value service and we recommend it as our favorite ‘cheap’ VPN.

However, if you’re not ready to sign up to a three-year VPN subscription, then there’s really not a lot between ExpressVPN and NordVPN in terms of pricing.

ExpressVPN does currently have a deal on, which gives you three free extra months on top of its 12-month subscription. This works out as a discount of 49%.

Both services also offer a generous 30-day money-back guarantee — meaning that, whether you end up choosing NordVPN or ExpressVPN, you have up to a month to claim a full refund should you decide the VPN isn’t for you.

Price Winner: NordVPN