In this battle of ExpressVPN vs NordVPN, we aim to explain which VPN is better overall. ExpressVPN is known as one of the fastest VPNs, offering top-tier security, easy-to-use apps, and the highest level of privacy. NordVPN is perhaps even more popular in 2024.
Its apps are brimming with advanced features. Moreover, it offers uncapped bandwidth, stable performance, and a rock-solid no-logs policy that many adore. It’s a tight battle overall, as ExpressVPN and NordVPN represent the cream of the crop in the VPN world.
It’s no wonder you’re looking for a NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison to ease up the selection process. Don’t worry – there are no ties here. One provider will win today and to find out which, keep reading, as we compare them through a series of real-world tests.
ExpressVPN vs NordVPN: All You Need To Know
Today’s duel is won by NordVPN, a provider with lower prices and better security, more servers, superior streaming capabilities, and faster speeds.
Here’s a complete ExpressVPN vs NordVPN overview of features to aid your VPN selection:
| ExpressVPN | NordVPN | |
| Our Current Ranking | #2 | #1 |
| Prices | starting at $6.67/mo | starting at $3.39/mo |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 Days | 30 Days |
| Free Version | No | No |
| Logging | No | No |
| Protocols | Lightway, OpenVPN | NordLynx, OpenVPN |
| Servers | 3,000+ in 105 countries | 6,500+ in 111 countries |
| Specialty Servers | No | Double VPN, Obfuscated, P2P, Onion Over VPN, Dedicated IP |
| RAM-Only Servers | Yes | Yes |
| Working With Netflix | Yes (15 catalogs) | Yes (20+ catalogs) |
| P2P Allowance | Yes | Yes |
| Simultaneous Connections | 8 | 10 |
Applications & Ease of Use
Premium options like these two are impressive in terms of compatibility. Both providers work on an array of platforms and devices.
You’ll be able to install ExpressVPN and NordVPN on:
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- Android
- iOS
- Smart TV
- Amazon Fire TV
- Browsers (Firefox, Brave, Edge, Chrome, …)
- Routers, …
We found their device support amazing because of native apps for even less common platforms. For instance, Apple TV is fully supported by both providers with a special tvOS app. Based on our experiences, they offer two of the best VPN apps for Apple TV at the moment.
Ease of use is a bit more on ExpressVPN’s side; just look at its simple yet beautiful app.
It’s easy to get around it, thanks to a large connection button for one-click connections. The server list is made intuitively, with countries separated in their respective continents. ExpressVPN’s apps look virtually the same on all devices, which is something to commend.
NordVPN looks stunningly good too. Its app window is more “dominant” and packs lots of unique features. We like how snappy it is, plus, you can use the world map to connect to a server, making it a bit more “interesting.” Overall, it’s a tad more complicated to use.
However, this comes down to its numerous features and options that we’ll explain later in the NordVPN vs ExpressVPN analysis. NordVPN takes an advantage in terms of simultaneous connections. It offers 10, while ExpressVPN doesn’t exceed 8.
Given ExpressVPN’s edge in ease of use and NordVPN’s larger number of simultaneous connections, we can say the first round of the duel is a tie.
ExpressVPN vs NordVPN Price Comparison
Which VPN is cheaper, NordVPN or ExpressVPN? This price comparison will tell you everything about both options.
NordVPN is known as one of the value kings, offering its 2-year plans for as low as roughly $3.3 a month. Its prices change occasionally.
At the time of writing, the provider’s 2-year plans are discounted by 59 to 72 percent. Some of them also include optional extras, such as cloud storage called NordLocker and/or a password manager called NordPass. The VPN also offers 1-year plans.
This is where things get interesting, as NordVPN provides better value. Its Complete plan with NordLocker and NordPass is under $7 – that’s the price of ExpressVPN’s annual plan without bonus tools. While we’re at it, you can see its price below.
ExpressVPN’s longest plan is the 12-month one with 3 free months thanks to a 49% discount. The price of under $6.8 doesn’t put it in the category of the most affordable VPNs. Its 6-month and monthly plans are also expensive and its pricing is far from flexible.
ExpressVPN includes Keys, its password manager but that’s all you get. Whether you pick NordVPN or ExpressVPN, you’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee for all of their plans. Their payment methods are almost equal, however, NordVPN offers Google Pay on top.
To digress, ExpressVPN’s cheapest plan is roughly $6.8 a month while NordVPN’s lowest price is around $3.3 a month. As you’ll see later, this lower price still gets you more features than the higher cost of ExpressVPN. As a result, NordVPN wins this round over ExpressVPN.
NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: Features Analysis
You can expect a load of different security features on both sides. But which VPN to choose if you want the best possible security – NordVPN or ExpressVPN? Let’s find out by analyzing their security features and see what they have in store for you.
Shared Features
We’ll start with the features they share because there are plenty of them.
- AES-256-bit Encryption. Both providers use the strongest encryption titled 256-bit AES. We won’t elaborate much on this because it’s a standard feature. Combined with Perfect Forward Secrecy and full-on IP and DNS leak protection, this level of encryption is impenetrable.
- Kill Switch. We found both providers’ kill switches to be phenomenal. However, NordVPN takes an edge because it has the option to disable internet access unless you connect to a VPN. Moreover, there’s the App Kill switch that affects only selected applications. We explained how both types of kill switch work here.
- RAM-Only Servers. We love that both ExpressVPN and NordVPN rely on RAM servers. They’re paramount for privacy because they lose all data with each restart. This prevents data from lingering around for long and ensures better and more stable performance. RAM is always faster than HDD – this explains RAM servers’ superiority.
- Private DNS. Private DNS servers are employed by both. Instead of third-party options, NordVPN and ExpressVPN use proprietary DNS servers to handle your requests. As a result, you can enjoy a higher level of privacy and security.
- Obfuscation. These providers use obfuscation to mask your VPN traffic and let you overcome censorship. ExpressVPN has it on by default but NordVPN comes with obfuscated servers. We’ll see how well they work later in this ExpressVPN vs NordVPN duel.
- Split Tunneling. Finally, we’ll mention split tunneling. Both options offer App Split Tunneling that prevents only certain apps from using a VPN tunnel – or allows only specified apps to use it.
Unique Features
In terms of unique features, NordVPN takes the lead. ExpressVPN’s specialty is Lightway. It’s a modern, robust, and fast protocol that isn’t only performance-oriented but also safe and secure.
NordVPN strikes back with NordLynx. It’s a WireGuard-driven protocol with even faster speeds and better security. This provider offers plenty more functions.
One of them is Meshnet, which aids remote access and file sharing. We then have Threat Protection that blocks malware, trackers, and ads.
ExpressVPN has Advanced Protection that does the same but there’s also parental control to block access to porn sites. Again, NordVPN punches back by offering a Dark Web Monitor, which alerts you about leaked credentials on the dark web so you can protect your accounts in time.
NordVPN includes a Double VPN – something ExpressVPN lacks. It doubles your encryption by routing your traffic through two servers in different countries. We especially like its Tapjacking Protection on Android, which protects against malicious apps on your phone.
Important to mention is NordVPN’s file protection, which prevents malignant files from downloading to your device.
Overall, NordVPN is a safer VPN, offering a lot more features than its competitor, thus, winning this round smoothly.
Do NordVPN and ExpressVPN Store Logs?
Privacy is another thing we’ll inspect in this ExpressVPN vs NordVPN battle. Which provider to pick if privacy is your main concern? We’d say both. In our detailed test of ExpressVPN, we explained this provider is stationed in the British Virgin Islands. That’s great news.
The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is a country with stringent privacy laws akin to those in Panama, where NordVPN is based. Both providers have no-logs policies and won’t keep any sensitive information on their servers.
By sensitive information, we mean:
- IP address
- DNS requests
- Geo-location
- Browsing history
- Connection timestamps, and so on…
Both providers store minimal logs to keep them going. They include email addresses, passwords, and a few troubleshooting-related information. NordVPN and ExpressVPN include extra tools that might require a bit more logging, which sounds troublesome.
However, after inspecting their privacy policies, we found that all information is in an anonymized form and wiped clean pretty quickly. After all, RAM-based servers power up these providers, ensuring no data stays online to compromise your privacy.
Let’s finally mention their audits. NordVPN has been audited by PwC and Deloitte a few times. ExpressVPN has audits from a few firms like these two but also KPMG and Cure53. In total, the latter has around twenty third-party audits, which sounds extremely respectable.
NordVPN’s now distant security breach in 2018 might worry some of its users. However, the provider was unphased by this, as only one server in Finland was affected. While both are amazing privacy-wise, we’d give ExpressVPN a very slight edge.
It has more third-party audits and never had any security breaches. In 2024, however, NordVPN is VERY privacy-friendly, so don’t let this small inconvenience deter you from it.
Which VPN Is Faster: ExpressVPN or NordVPN?
Okay, so if you’re all about speediness and neck-breaking performance, which option to go for – NordVPN or ExpressVPN? Let’s see how fast they are and everything will be clear. Our testing procedure was identical for both. We were in Europe and our native speeds were:
From this location, we tested these providers 3 times a day, 3 days in a row, using 3 server locations; the UK, the USA, and Japan. Our team tested these VPNs using the default options for protocols, which meant NordLynx for NordVPN and Lightway for ExpressVPN.
Refer to the table below to see the average speed reduction based on the tests described above:
| Download Speed Loss | Upload Speed Loss | |
| ExpressVPN | 24% | 9% |
| NordVPN | 18% | 7% |
As you can see, NordVPN is faster than ExpressVPN. The download speed reduction of just 18% is impressive on NordVPN’s side. While ExpressVPN’s 24% is to be taken seriously, our tests have shown that NordVPN is snappier and less laggy.
Get the best speeds with NordVPN
The average upload speed reduction is nearly identical, however, but still less noticeable in NordVPN. If you’re interested in our complete speed test results for all tested locations, look at the table below for a more accurate presentation of performance.
| UK (Download/Upload) | US (Download/Upload) | Japan (Download/Upload) | |
| ExpressVPN | 298.82/18.50 Mbps | 274.61/18.35 Mbps | 206.33/16.73 Mbps |
| NordVPN | 324.25/18.68 Mbps | 292.75/18.31 Mbps | 223.54/17.85 Mbps |
Streaming & Torrenting Comparison
Fast speeds and stable performance are a great base for a quality streaming and torrenting experience. Now, in this NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison, we had quality time with both providers.
Do they work with Netflix? Are they P2P-friendly? Let us explain everything.
Streaming
After testing these two thoroughly, we found they’re pitch-perfect for watching geo-blocked content. NordVPN is a bit better Netflix-wise because it unblocks 20+, while ExpressVPN works with around 15 libraries. What about other platforms?
NordVPN and ExpressVPN also work with Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, MAX, and various foreign TV channels. Interestingly, both options come with something called Smart DNS. ExpressVPN titles it MediaStreamer. It’s great for streaming on non-VPN platforms.
By setting up a streaming-friendly DNS address, you can unblock a few services. However, both providers offer only US-based DNS addresses for streaming, making your options a bit limited. After testing them, we noticed they work well but only for American platforms.
Smart DNS works on all devices – even on your Windows PC. However, you can also use it on gaming consoles, older generations of Firestick, Roku, Chromecast, or anything else.
Torrenting
Torrenting is allowed on all servers whether you pick NordVPN or ExpressVPN. The former has P2P servers on all platforms. Connecting to them brings about additional torrenting optimization to make everything buttery-smooth. Other servers allow P2P too.
After testing them, we noticed that P2P and “normal” servers aren’t very different performance-wise. ExpressVPN lacks dedicated servers, instead, you simply need to connect to the one you want and enjoy. Speed-wise, NordVPN was faster for P2P.
It also includes the SOCKS5 proxy that can be integrated into the torrent client for better performance. Frankly, we haven’t noticed special performance boosts with this option. When you want to download torrents, we suggest using the server closest to you in both cases.
You’ll avoid potential performance degradations (they’re minor either way) and ensure smoother downloads. Thanks to their strong security and privacy, both providers excel in P2P but NordVPN takes the lead in streaming because it unblocks more Netflix content.
This makes NordVPN the winner of this round.
Server Locations of ExpressVPN and NordVPN
NordVPN used to be the underdog when compared to ExpressVPN. Its server coverage was subpar, with only 60 or so countries. In 2024, this VPN bumped up its server fleet to 6,400+ servers in 111 countries, surpassing most of its rivals – including this one.
The provider has excellent server variety. As said, you’ll be getting specialty servers, such as Onion over VPN, double VPN, P2P, and obfuscated servers. On top of that, the provider includes many Indian servers, which is great for unblocking Indian content.
We appreciate its dedicated IP addresses too. They’re better than shared IPs if you want to avoid captcha puzzles and websites registering you as spam. This addition is paid on top of the subscription but costs only a few monthly dollars. ExpressVPN’s server fleet is smaller.
This provider has around 3,000+ servers in 105 countries. While the country count is nearly identical, it has more than 2 times fewer servers. We also must mention its lack of specialty servers or the option to buy static IP or dedicated IP addresses.
As explained a few minutes ago, both providers take advantage of RAM-only servers. Also, all of their server locations support their in-house protocols for the best performance. The server distribution is nearly identical as well but NordVPN covers the US better.
It has nearly 2,000 servers in this country alone, so it’s better as a VPN for the USA. Given its more impressive numbers and better server variety, NordVPN wins this round.
Bypassing Censorship: Which VPN Does It Better?
Using a VPN in China is a challenge nowadays. If you pick the wrong one, you’re looking at a futile struggle against the overbearing Great Firewall of China. Should you pick NordVPN or ExpressVPN to overcome censorship? Our tests imply that both are great.
NordVPN is functioning properly with obfuscation. This means connecting to one of many obfuscated servers and using them in China. These servers are reasonably fast, with only a slight speed reduction due to added obfuscation and VPN masking.
ExpressVPN is also a good performer in China. Once again, when obfuscation kicks in, you can expect a moderate speed drop that won’t be alarming. ExpressVPN and NordVPN work equally well overall, so it’s hard to tell which provider is more reliable.
Apart from China, these providers can work in a myriad of countries and regions. We tested them in Turkey, Russia, Dubai, and a few other countries. All attempts were successful, as the providers blasted through whatever censorship measures these countries had.
We perhaps don’t need to say it but the censorship round is a tie.
Conclusion: NordVPN Wins Against ExpressVPN
Our NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison concludes with NordVPN emerging as the winner. NordVPN surpassed ExpressVPN in price, security, speed, streaming capabilities, and server locations. ExpressVPN excelled in terms of privacy, while the other categories were evenly matched.
It was a close battle; however, we can’t say one provider is bad while the other is good. The determining factor in choosing between the two will likely be the price. Interestingly, NordVPN is not only better but also cheaper overall, often costing significantly less than its rival.
The 2-year plan at around $3.3 trumps ExpressVPN’s cheapest annual plan at $6.8 or so. That said, our team would rather choose NordVPN and call it a day. Being our favorite provider in 2024, our team’s decision is unanimous – pick NordVPN over ExpressVPN.