NordVPN vs ExpressVPN

The table below compares the average download speed, upload speed, ping times of NordVPN and ExpressVPN:

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Download speed	88Mbps	93Mbps
Upload speed	91Mbps	94Mbps
Latency/Ping	8ms	8ms
Average speed loss	8%	1%

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.

Both services deliver great speeds for streaming, torrenting, and online 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 recorded an average speed loss of just 1%, compared to ExpressVPN’s 8%.

NordVPN has also surpassed ExpressVPN on long-distance connections. Our automated VPN speed test tool shows how NordVPN is now faster than ExpressVPN on UK-to-US connections.

The comparison table below shows how well ExpressVPN and NordVPN unblock popular streaming platforms:

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
US Netflix	Yes	Yes
BBC iPlayer	Yes	Yes
Amazon Prime Video	Yes	Yes
Hulu	Yes	Yes
DAZN	Yes	Yes
HBO Max	Yes	Yes

NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s access to streaming sites

NordVPN and ExpressVPN work extremely well with streaming platforms like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video.

Most of their VPN servers easily unblock content platforms around the world.

If you have trouble with a server, their customer service is very helpful in suggesting working servers.

ExpressVPN is the best VPN for US Netflix

NordVPN unblocks US Netflix, and several other regions, however ExpressVPN is more reliable with Netflix across more devices.

For this reason, ExpressVPN is our choice of VPN to unblock US Netflix. In the video below, we easily unblock US Netflix from overseas:

NordVPN isn’t as reliable on Firestick and Apple TV

Moreover, NordVPN’s Fire TV Stick app and Smart DNS tool aren’t as effective as its computer and mobile software.

On the other hand, ExpressVPN’s Fire TV and Smart DNS solutions seamlessly unblock many streaming platforms, especially American ones.

ExpressVPN and NordVPN are both excellent VPNs to download torrent files anonymously and securely.

However, ExpressVPN allows anonymous torrents on all servers, while NordVPN only allows it on specific ones.

More importantly, ExpressVPN recorded faster torrenting speeds than NordVPN in our tests: 9.4MiB/s download bitrates versus NordVPN’s 6.5MiB/s.

As for seeding torrent files, ExpressVPN only has a port forwarding feature on its router app. NordVPN doesn’t support port forwarding at all. If you need to seed torrents specifically, then PIA is a better choice than ExpressVPN.

The table below compares ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s encryption and security features side by side to illustrate how close the VPN services are:

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
VPN protocols	IKEv2/IPSec, L2TP, OpenVPN, PPTP, Lightway	IKEv2/IPSec, OpenVPN, NordLynx
Encryption cipher	AES-256	AES-256
Kill switch	Yes	Yes (not on Android or Fire TV)
Leak protection	DNS, IPv6, WebRTC	DNS, IPv6, WebRTC
First-party DNS	Yes	Yes
Diskless servers	Yes	Yes
IPv6	Blocked	Blocked

ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s encryption and security features

To protect their user’s security, VPN services must use 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 AES-256 encryption cipher.

However, both only allow basic configurability. If you want to customize the VPN encryption and tinker with advanced settings, PIA is a good alternative to NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

NordVPN was the first of the two VPNs to incorporate the highly-regarded WireGuard protocol, however ExpressVPN is the stronger option when it comes to protocols due to the wider protocol choice and excellent automatic protocol selection tool.

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

Moreover, both services use diskless (RAM-based) servers, which never write data to the servers, not even temporarily.

Both VPNs also 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.

Furthermore, we’ve never experienced an IP or DNS leak while testing either VPN service.

Uniquely, NordVPN has a ‘Double VPN’ (multi-hop) feature that lets users route their traffic through two different VPN servers to add an extra layer of privacy.

However, when it comes to security, we must take NordVPN’s 2018 security breach into consideration.

The breach was minor and NordVPN’s initiatives since the incident have been highly commendable. But, ExpressVPN has never suffered a breach to this date.

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Works in China	Yes	Sometimes
Works in Russia	Yes	Yes
Works in UAE	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 successfully bypass aggressive internet filters in countries like China, Turkey and Russia.

Both VPNs use built-in obfuscation technologies, which disguise VPN traffic among regular HTTPS traffic to successfully circumvent national firewalls.

Beating China’s Great Firewall is the ultimate test when it comes to bypassing censorship. Here, ExpressVPN outperforms NordVPN by some measure.

In fact, ExpressVPN is one of the most reliable VPNs to work in China. ExpressVPN worked 74% of the time testing VPN access from Shanghai.

NordVPN sometimes works in China, too, but it has been more inconsistent over the last three months. In our tests, NordVPN worked 52% of the time.

Also, NordVPN’s obfuscation tools are not available on iOS, so iPhone users will struggle to bypass censorship in China.

The table below compares ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s logging policies and their jurisdictions:

	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 the VPN service is doing what it says it is in the logging policy. Audits do not assess the strength of a VPN provider’s logging policy.

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. It’s also not clear how long this data is kept.

Because of this, we currently classify NordVPN as a no-logs VPN, and ExpressVPN as collecting anonymous server usage data.

Ultimately, neither service collects personally-identifiable activity data. Moreover, both VPN companies are located in privacy-friendly jurisdictions: the British Virgin Islands (BVI) for ExpressVPN and Panama for NordVPN.

Panama and the British Virgin Islands are 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.

However, NordVPN recently admitted that, if ordered by a court of law, it could start keeping activity logs of specific users under criminal investigation. It’s unclear if and how this type of logging would be enforced.

The table below summarizes the size and range of ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s server networks:

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Total countries	94	60
Countries with city-level choice	15	5
Total servers	3,000	5,372

NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s worldwide server locations

Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN have an impressive number of VPN servers across a wide range of countries.

ExpressVPN has servers in more countries, though. It also provides more specific city-level locations – triple the number NordVPN offers.

NordVPN, on the other hand, has a much larger server network, with over 5,372 servers compared to ExpressVPN’s 3,000.

The difference in server count may seem large, but you’ll unlikely notice any difference given that 3,000 servers is still impressive.

As for specific server locations, we recommend looking at ExpressVPN’s server lists and NordVPN’s.

Overall, ExpressVPN covers more countries, with a greater range of dedicated city-level server locations in the US and the UK.

The table below shows how both ExpressVPN and NordVPN are highly compatible with platforms and devices:

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

ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s device compatibility

NordVPN and ExpressVPN lead the market in wide-spread device compatibility.

Both services have apps for all major operating systems. They each have router support, too.

Main Applications

NordVPN’s main application is easy to use, with an interactive map visualization of its servers. This doesn’t necessarily add much, compared to ExpressVPN’s more minimalist approach.

As for advanced settings, 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 button, 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.

Browser Extensions

ExpressVPN and NordVPN also have VPN browser extensions, but they’ve taken very different approaches to these add-ons.

ExpressVPN’s extension is really a controller for the desktop app, which needs to be running for the extension to work.

We love that you can control the ExpressVPN app from the browser window, even if it’s not a conventional VPN extension.

NordVPN’s extension works as a standalone, however it won’t work when the main software application is also running.

Overall, both ExpressVPN’s and NordVPN’s apps and extensions are highly intuitive across all devices – even if they do take different approaches.

We’ve summarized NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s excellent customer support offering:

	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 tutorials	Yes	Yes

ExpressVPN and NordVPN’s customer support options

ExpressVPN and NordVPN both have email and 24/7 live chat support, with fast response times.

Both services also offer comprehensive online guides, particularly for VPN installation on less popular devices.

The VPNs are neck-and-neck in terms of the customer service materials they produce. For one topic, it may be that NordVPN has a more helpful guide, but for another, ExpressVPN’s material is better.

Neither service has phone support, but this is very common in the VPN industry.

The table below lists NordVPN and ExpressVPN’s pricing plans:

	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	$3.29

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

NordVPN’s cheapest monthly price is $3.29, compared to ExpressVPN’s cheapest price of $6.67 per month. NordVPN is therefore significantly cheaper than ExpressVPN on a multi-year plan.

NordVPN is one of the best value VPN services you can buy if you’re willing to commit to a two-year plan and pay the full amount ($89.00) upfront.

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

Also, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s a no-questions-asked policy, which turns it into a virtual VPN free trial.

In other words, you can make the most of this refund policy to effectively use ExpressVPN for free and get NordVPN for free.