NordVPN vs ExpressVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Download speed	87Mbps	92Mbps
Upload speed	91Mbps	94Mbps
Latency/Ping	8ms	8ms
Average speed loss	8%	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 same-country connections. When testing a UK-to-UK NordVPN connection, we experienced an average speed loss of just 2%, compared to ExpressVPN’s 8%.

NordVPN has also narrowed the gap with ExpressVPN on long-distance connections. Our automated VPN speed test tool shows that NordVPN is now almost as fast on 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 work seamlessly with streaming platforms like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime Video, and more.

Neither VPN offers dedicated streaming servers, but they 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.

Streaming Difficulties

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

On one hand, ExpressVPN has recently been quite unreliable when it comes to unlocking BBC iPlayer. We’ve found it does work eventually, but you’ll probably need to try a few different before you gain access.

We’ve had the most success using ExpressVPN’s browser extensions, and connecting to the ‘London’ or ‘Wembley’ server.

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.

Torrenting Support

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.

We’ve put together a full guide on torrenting with ExpressVPN, if you want to learn more.

Streaming & Torrenting Winner: ExpressVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
VPN protocols	IKEv2/IPSec, L2TP, OpenVPN, PPTP, Lightway	IKEv2/IPSec, OpenVPN, NordLynx
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 safest VPN protocol, OpenVPN, along with the military-grade cipher AES-256. They also offer several 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 an 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. NordVPN’s initiatives since the incident have been impressive, however the hack will have damaged some users’ trust in the company. You can more about these in our full NordVPN review.

Security & Encryption 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, which disguise your traffic among regular HTTPS traffic. This lets you successfully circumvent national firewalls.

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

ExpressVPN works well in China, despite the strict web filters. You should be prepared for much slower speeds, though, as bypassing the Great Firewall comes at a cost.

NordVPN sometimes works in China, too, but it has been inconsistent and unreliable over the last three months. NordVPN’s obfuscation tools are not available through iOS, either, so iPhone users in particular will struggle to bypass censorship 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 their purpose is only to confirm that the VPN service is doing what it says it is in the 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 covers the full picture. Both VPNs keep some data, but the nature and scope of that data is not the same.

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.

Privacy & Logging Policy Winner: NordVPN

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Total countries	94	59
Countries with city-level choice	15	5
Total servers	3,000+	5,515

NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s worldwide 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 – triple the number that NordVPN offers.

NordVPN, on the other hand, has a much larger server network, with over 5,515 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 Network 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 each have router support, too.

ExpressVPN and NordVPN also 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 services 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 a 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
One month	$12.95	$11.95
Six months	$9.99	N/A
12 months	$6.67 (first year only)	$4.92
Two years	N/A	$3.71

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

NordVPN’s cheapest monthly price is $3.71, compared to ExpressVPN’s cheapest price of $6.67 per month. This makes NordVPN a significantly cheaper option, and represents a big saving of 68%, relative to NordVPN’s monthly plan.

To qualify for this pricing, you’ll need to commit to a two-year plan and pay the full amount ($89.00) upfront. If you’re willing to do this, NordVPN is one of the best value VPN services you can buy.

However, if you’re not ready to sign up for a two-year VPN subscription, then there’s less of a price difference between ExpressVPN and NordVPN.

It’s worth pointing out that ExpressVPN currently has 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%.

Also, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, which gives you up to a month to claim a full refund. We’ve put together guides to explain how to claim this offer:

• Get ExpressVPN for free
• Get NordVPN for free

Price & Value Winner: NordVPN