ExpressVPN is one of the safest, fastest VPNs around, but the one drawback has always been the price. It often offers discounts that make it more affordable, but there are other decent VPNs offering similar security features for much cheaper.
ExpressVPN has a huge network, plus it's fast, secure, unblocks Netflix and just about everything else, supports torrents, has no serious logging (confirmed by an audit), offers clients for everything, and is easy to use. In short, this is a quality VPN that delivers in just about every area.
Widest Server Network Worldwide (94 Countries)
ExpressVPN offers 3000 servers in over 94 countries, which is a large amount for any VPN. Even though it doesn’t have the highest number of total servers, ExpressVPN offers the widest server coverage worldwide. This means you’ll always be able to find a server nearby, whether you live in the US, Kyrgyzstan, France, Sri Lanka, or New Zealand.
The best server coverage is available for countries in Europe and North America, but there’s also a solid selection in the Middle East, Africa, South America, and Asia-Pacific.
In addition, ExpressVPN offers virtual server locations in countries where the infrastructure is unstable. For example, imagine you need to connect to a server in Venezuela. You’ll be assigned a Venezuelan IP address, but ExpressVPN will actually connect you to a server physically located in neighboring Brazil. This ensures you’ll have a safe and steady connection at all times.
ExpressVPN isn’t subject to data retention or copyright laws
The company is located in the British Virgin Islands. This is an ideal location for a VPN — there are no data retention laws and the British Virgin Islands aren’t subject to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) or other international copyright agreements. This keeps you safe from legal and privacy issues when browsing on ExpressVPN’s servers.
Does ExpressVPN Work in China? (Yes)
When my team ran tests in China, we found that ExpressVPN is one of the few VPNs that will actually work in China.
Once connected, your internet traffic is encrypted and hidden, keeping your data private and secure. As an extra security measure, the Network Lock kill switch will block all internet traffic if the VPN connection is ever unstable or not working. This prevents any of your personal data from accidentally leaking online and exposing your identity. To verify this, my research team ran a DNS leak test from China while connected to ExpressVPN’s New York server. There were no leaks found — so you can be confident that your online traffic is well-secured.
Security Features
High Encryption Standards
ExpressVPN uses an AES 256-bit encryption combined with a 4096-bit RSA key and SHA-512 HMAC authentication. What does this mean? This system also gives you extra protection against hackers — if an intruder somehow managed to penetrate a server, they’d also be removed.
This is the highest standard of encryption and is currently considered near-impossible to break.
The SHA-512 HMAC authentication adds an extra layer of security to data transfers. Both the sender and receiver of the download file use a shared secret key — any changes in the secret key mean the connection has been intercepted, so you’ll know immediately if there’s an intrude
Multiple Security Protocols Available on All Devic
ExpressVPN offers the unique Lightway protocol, alongside standard options like OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), IKEv2, and L2TP/IPSec. Lightway is a proprietary protocol developed specifically for ExpressVPN’s customers. In my tests, I found it has faster speeds and stronger security than the older protocols (including the popular OpenVPN). Please note that Lightway is not to be confused with WireGuard, which similarly improves speed and security but is open-source (so any VPN provider can use the technology)
ExpressVPN doesn’t make all protocols available on every device, although each operating system gives you plenty of options. I strongly suggest you stick to the secure protocols like Lightway, OpenVPN, and IKEv
Windows and Mac: Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP/IPs
Android: Lightway, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPse
iOS: OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP/IPse
Linux: Lightway, OpenVPN, and L2TP/IPse
You can easily choose a protocol by clicking on the “Settings” icon and navigating to “Protocol”. With the default option of “Automatic” enabled, ExpressVPN will select the best VPN protocol based on your network settings. For most people, this will be Lightway or OpenVPN (UDP) protocol. Both options provide the best combination of speed and security
Screenshot of the ExpressVPN app displaying all the available protocols including Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2, and L2TP/IPs
ExpressVPN makes it simple to configure different protocols for your specific need
Automatic Kill Switch — Successfully Secures Internet Traffic During Connection Drop
ExpressVPN’s automatic kill switch (which they call “Network Lock”) ensures your device and internet activity remains hidden — especially when the VPN connection is unsteady or you’re switching between servers. This feature is available on Windows, Mac, Android (version 7.4 onwards), Linux, and router apps. However, I was disappointed to discover that this feature isn’t available on iOS. If yossec.cccec2..esr.ussec.cccec2..esr.qssec.cccec2..esr.ble on iOS. If you
Typically, the industry runs servers through hard drives. The problem is that hard drives retain all data until they’re manually erased or overwritten. This includes sensitive data, which creates potential privacy issues if there’s a leak or hacker.
What makes TrustedServer technology different is that it ensures all data on ExpressVPN’s servers is deleted with every reboot. It’s an impressive feature, especially since very few premium VPNs offer this layer of security for users.
Leak Tests Results — No Leaks Found
Even though a VPN encrypts your online traffic, it’s still possible for your private data to be exposed through DNS, WebRTC, and IPv4 leaks. ExpressVPN offers its own leak test, but I wanted to run my own independent tests on ipleak.net. I tested ExpressVPN’s servers in the UK, US, and Japan on my Mac, and I’m happy to say that ExpressVPN had zero leaks throughout my entire browsing session.
Screenshot of an ExpressVPN DNS and IP leak test
ExpressVPN won’t leak your device’s IP address and other personal data
Only my new IPv4 address was visible and IPv6 was blocked, so there were zero risks of any leaks exposing my personal data. The tests showed that my IP and DNS server addresses were no longer in Turkey (where I’m based). This proves to me that ExpressVPN’s in-built leak protection works well, and will successfully hide my real location from hackers, governments, and other unwanted third parties.
Compatible With Tor for Extra Security
I found ExpressVPN works exceptionally well with Tor due to its:
Excellent speeds: Browsing on Tor normally slows down my internet connection, but ExpressVPN’s fast speeds help minimize any lag.
256-bit encryption: This hid my IP address from all nodes in the Tor network.
Kill switch: Prevented accidental leaks if the VPN connection was interrupted, so my real IP address was never exposed to Tor’s entry and exit nodes.
No-logs policy: My personal information and Tor activity weren’t tracked or logged.
RAM-based servers: My data was wiped from ExpressVPN’s servers.
For even greater security and privacy, I always recommend connecting to ExpressVPN first and then Tor. This method is known as “Tor over VPN” or “Onion over VPN”, and it prevents even Tor from
If you want this extra layer of protection on your iPhone or iPad, CyberGhost offers a kill switch on its iOS app.
I tested the kill switch on my Macbook Pro, Windows PC, and smartphone (running on Android version 9), and my internet was successfully blocked every time I manually interrupted the VPN connection. It’s enabled automatically so you don’t need to waste time switching it on.
Split Tunneling — For Windows, Mac, Android, and Router Apps (More Than Most Other VPNs)
This is where ExpressVPN is a clear winner. Not many VPNs have split tunneling, and even VPNs with this feature only provide it on 1 or 2 apps — usually Android. However, ExpressVPN offers split tunneling on all its native Android, Windows, Mac, and router apps (iOS is currently unavailable).
Split tunneling is a truly underrated VPN feature. The main advantage of split tunneling is the ability to choose specific apps to not use the VPN. Let’s say you want to browse a foreign website — but you also want to check the local news in your country. By enabling split tunneling, you can set up one browser to stay connected to ExpressVPN, while your regular internet browser doesn’t use the VPN.
Screenshot of a user setting up the split tunneling feature on the ExpressVPN app
Split tunneling lets you choose specific apps to use or not use ExpressVPN
To see whether the split tunneling feature works well, while I was abroad, I first excluded the Chrome browser app from using ExpressVPN. I then connected to a server in the UK and logged into my bank. While I was checking my balance (and avoiding the dreaded fraud warnings you get if you try to access your bank from a foreign IP address, I was also able to listen to the local news for the area of Turkey where I was staying.
TrustedServer Technology — Automatically Erases All Data From Servers
This is one of ExpressVPN’s most unique security features and it makes the service stand out from its competitors. Its 3000 servers operate through RAM disks as opposed to hard drives. RAM disks require power to store data, so every time it’s powered on and off again, all information is instantly wiped out. That means the TrustedServer technology erases any trace of your private data and browsing history with every reboot
