ExpressVPN Introduction

ExpressVPN is a VPN service offered by the British Virgin Islands-registered company Express Technologies Ltd. The software is marketed as a privacy and security tool that encrypts users’ web traffic and masks their IP addresses. In September 2021, it was reported that the service was being used by 3 million users.

ExpressVPN is one of the safest and fastest VPNs around the world, 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. So, do you really need to pay so much for a VPN as good as ExpressVPN?

ExpressVPN has released apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and routers. The apps use a 4096-bit CA, AES-256-CBC encryption, and TLSv1.2 to secure user traffic. Available VPN protocols include Lightway, OpenVPN (with TCP/UDP), SSTP, L2TP/IPSec, and PPTP.

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ExpressVPN Features — Updated in June 2023

ExperssVPN Security Protocols

ExpressVPN offers multiple security protocols that let you customize the VPN for any situation. Protocols are a set of rules a VPN uses to tell it how to encrypt your information. They can be switched in the protocols tab for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. On Linux, you use commands in the terminal.

Each of the protocols is a little different:

• Lightway: This protocol was developed by ExpressVPN and no other VPN offers it. It drains less battery and transitions between networks seamlessly, making it a good choice for phones. The TCP option is better for unreliable networks and was 10% faster than UDP in my tests.
• OpenVPN: Since it’s open-source, this is one of the most secure protocols. People all over the world continuously examine the code to strengthen it. It also has UDP and TCP options. They were almost equal in speed for me.
• IKEv2: Generally thought to be faster than OpenVPN, it was only 1% quicker in my tests. I only use this protocol if the others aren’t working because it’s not as secure. There’s no TCP option, so it’ll be blocked by some firewalls.
• L2TP/IPsec: Being one of the older protocols, this is the least secure option. However, it was the fastest in my tests. It’s good to use when you’re prioritizing speed over security.

You’ll have different options for protocols depending on your device:

	Windows	Mac	Android	iOS	Linux	Routers
Lightway	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
OpenVPN	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
L2TP/IPsec	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌
IKEv2	✅	✅	❌	✅	❌	❌

Overall, I’d recommend Lightway TCP since it gives you the best balance of speed and security.

ExpressVPN Speed Test Results – Is Really Fast?

ExpressVPN is the best VPN in the world, it is also the fastest VPN available.

To help you understand what we measured, here are what the terms mean:

Ping: Ping measures how long it takes for a website to respond. It’s measured in milliseconds (ms). Low ping rates mean faster connections.

Download speed: This measures how quickly a page loads, measured in megabits per second (Mbps). The higher it is, the faster your connection will be. If you’re just browsing and sending emails, you won’t notice a low download speed. However, low speeds become a problem if you’re streaming, gaming, or downloading large files.

Upload speed: Your upload speed measures how quickly you can send data to others. Similar to your download speed, this is measured in Mbps, and the higher it is, the faster your connection will be.

On to the results!

Without a VPN (to compare with our ExpressVPN results):

Connected to a local ExpressVPN server:

Our download speeds were reduced when we connected to ExpressVPN. However, they were still so fast that we didn’t notice a difference, even when streaming high-quality videos. Our ping barely changed at all.

Connected to an ExpressVPN server in the US:

Our download speed was barely affected. We only lost 0.5 Mbps.

Our upload speed was reduced, but this change wasn’t noticeable. It still felt as fast as having no VPN.

Our ping rate increased because the server we connected to was farther away, but it was still on par with the other VPNs we tested.

When connecting to US servers, many VPNs cause speed drops of 82% or more—but ExpressVPN only caused a decrease of 0.2%.

Connected to an ExpressVPN server in Australia:

We expected the speed to drop quite a bit, since Australia’s average ADSL internet speed is only 8 Mbps.

Impressively, ExpressVPN was able to achieve download speeds 76% faster than the national Australian average.

Our ping increased a little, but was still about 4% lower than the other VPNs we tested.

ExpressVPN Pricing

You can save on ExpressVPN with a longer subscription, but even the monthly plan is worth the money.

It is true that there are many great VPNs available for cheaper. In addition, ExpressVPN doesn’t offer as much customization with its features as some competitors. However, I think it’s worth the extra price because of how well it performs. It’s superior to so many other VPNs when it comes to speed, reliability, customer service, and security.

You have 3 different subscription plans to choose from with ExpressVPN and each comes with the full version. Many other services have cheap plans that only give you a handful of features.

There’s 1-month, 6-month, and year-long plans currently being offered. The cheapest one is $6.67/month, which gives you a 49% discount, so you can save a lot of money.

You can purchase ExpressVPN with Visa, Mastercard, Paypal, Qiwi Wallet, Maestro, Bitcoin, and more. If you pay with cryptocurrency and use an email you create specifically for the service, you’ll be able to sign up and use ExpressVPN completely anonymously.

It also has a hassle-free money-back guarantee, so you have up to 30 days to ask for a refund if you’re not happy with it. To test this, I contacted live chat support to ask for a refund. They asked me why I was leaving and approved the cancellation in about 12 minutes. The support team member told me it would take 5-7 days to process, but I had all the money back in my account in 3.

The only exception is for iPhone users that order ExpressVPN through the Apple store. Here, you get a 7-day trial and need to request a refund from Apple if you decide to continue after those 7 days are up. They won’t be obligated to uphold the 30-day money-back guarantee. This is why I recommend you always sign up on ExpressVPN’s website. You can easily download it on your phone and sign in afterward.

Another trick that can save you some money is to refer a friend. When you do this, both of you get 30 days of the service for free. Under your account settings, you’ll see a little gift package icon where you can enter their email.

Even though it costs a little more, ExpressVPN is the absolute best value for the price.

Usage of ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN’s desktop and mobile apps are attractive, stable, and user-friendly. It has a sleek, modern design with a big power button in the center. I know this seems like a simple thing, but you’d be surprised how many VPNs make something as essential as connecting difficult.

You can choose to select which server location to use or take advantage of the single-click Smart Location feature. This automatically connects you to the nearest high-speed server for fast protection.

Navigating through the app to find your settings is easy: just click on the hamburger menu. From here, you can use the speed test, change security protocols, use the split tunneling feature, and the toggles to turn other features on and off, such as the Network Lock.

ExpressVPN is the number one choice for simple, straightforward protection online.

Conclusion

ExpressVPN is tough to beat. It’s definitely worth the price — I even figured out some tricks that add even more value. Plus, it has a money-back guarantee, so you can test out all of ExpressVPN’s features risk-free. You have 30 days to ask for a refund if it’s not for you.

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