Express VPN review 2023
Updated: 4 January 2023
From £6.54 per month
Protect up to 5 devices
Works on Windows, Mac, Android, IOS and more
Protect desktops, laptops, Smartphones, tablets
PRIVACY
10
SPEED
10
NETFLIX
10
VALUE
9.3
Our verdict:
“Great all round and the best VPN for unblocking streaming”.
Review summary
The best VPN for unblocking Netflix and other streaming content.
The fastest VPN we have tested and makes it easy to connect to the fastest available server.
Great choice for gamers enabling protection on consoles including PlayStation and Xbox.
A market leading VPN solution that is popular with users across the world.
Superb privacy protection and does not log any data about your online activity.
Protect a range of devices types including laptops, desktops, mobiles, consoles and smart TVs.
Flexibility to choose which activity you want to use the VPN for and which you don’t.
Although a little more expensive than other top providers, Express VPN users get unrivalled quality in privacy, security and performance.
Privacy and security features
Hide your IP address
Browse anonymously as Express VPN hides your IP address and location so that you cannot be identified by anyone including companies, governments, and cyber criminals.
Pay anonymously
Retain complete anonymity online as Express VPN offers the option to pay using Bitcoin.
Market leading encryption
Express VPN offers some of the most secure encryption of your online data. This means that even if someone were to gain access to your online data it would be unreadable. The encryption is so secure that it would take all the most powerful computers in the world millions of years to crack! That’s pretty secure!
Protection at all times
Express VPN offers a network lock kill switch that ensures you remain protected at all times when online. If, for whatever reason you lose connection to a VPN server, the kill switch will stop your online activity so that there is no risk of your privacy being compromised. Once VPN connection is re-established you can continue online safely.
Split tunnelling
The flexibility to choose what elements of your activity online you want to use a VPN for. This can be useful if you want VPN protection for downloading a movie, but want to keep your real details for accessing a printer on your local network.
VPN server speed test
Easily connect to the fastest server location available with the Express VPN speed test functionality; You can test the speed of servers which are then ranked so you can be sure that you are getting the fastest connection possible.
VPN servers worldwide
Over 3,000 servers in 94 locations around the world giving you the confidence that speed and performance are maximised and you can get around location blocking of websites and services.
Private DNS
Every time you try to access a new website you make a DNS request that takes you to the correct site.
DNS servers located around the web handle these requests.
There is however, a risk that requests can be intercepted compromising your privacy and even taking you to malicious websites.
Express VPN runs its own private DNS on every server meaning all DNS requests are protected by their VPN tunnel ensuring you are protected by the same encryption as all your other activity and your privacy remains fully protected.
No data stored on VPN servers
Most VPN servers rely on hard drives that hold and store data until it is either erased or overwritten.
There is therefore the risk that the information on these servers could fall into the wrong hands and compromise sensitive information.
Express VPN servers, however, run on RAM which means that data is wiped every time they are turned off which prevents data being stored on the server, improving privacy and security.
Browser extension
Express VPN offers browser extensions for both Chrome and Firefox enabling you to protect any traffic that goes through your web browser to be protected at the click of a button.
These extensions are more lightweight than the full VPN application so offer even greater internet speeds.
Privacy and security – overall verdict
Express VPN’s provides excellent privacy features that are among the best we have tested. The private DNS feature is a big security boost as unlike other solutions when using Express VPN you are not reliant on third party DNS ensuring your activity is encrypted end to end.
The VPN server technology that Express VPN uses maximises security. The RAM servers are a particularly valuable feature that is often overlooked and ensures that sensitive data cannot be stored on VPN servers and fall into the wrong hands.
The flexibility provided by the split VPN feature whereby you can choose what applications should go through the VPN and which should not is a really useful feature that is not offered by many solutions. You should be mindful however that anything you decide to exclude from VPN cover will not be protected and ensure that you don’t inadvertently exclude applications and compromise your privacy by accident.
The one area that we feel would add some value in terms of privacy and security would be the ability to block malicious websites which is a feature that other solutions do provide.
Overall, you will be hard pressed to find a more comprehensive and secure suite of privacy features than those offered by Express VPN. If security and privacy when you’re online are top of your priority list then you can’t do much better than Express VPN.
Where is Express VPN based and does that impact privacy?
The country that a VPN service is based can have implications for the privacy of its users.
The key is that different countries have different legal processes through which governments or authorities can order a VPN provider to supply information about its users.
It is also important that the regulations of the company do not force VPN countries to hold sensitive data about their customers due to data retention laws.
Express VPN operates from the British Virgin Islands. There are no data retention laws in this country, which means that Express VPN do not have to hold any data about their customers. This is why Express VPN can categorically state that they do not hold any sensitive or private information about the online activity of any of their users.
The British Virgin Islands legal structure also makes it more difficult for the government to order companies to provide data about their customers than in other parts of the world like Europe or North America.
In summary, being based in the British Virgin Islands means that it is much more difficult for the government to demand customer information form Express VPN than would be the case in other parts of the world.
Also, given the lack of data retention laws, Express VPN can operate without holding any sensitive information about customer activity, meaning that even if the government were to demand information there would not be any sensitive data to provide.
Streaming – get around location blocking
Unblocking Netflix and other streaming services
Netflix and other websites or streaming services are often ‘geoblocked’.
This means that you can only access certain content if you are in a particular part of the world.
For example, if you want to access a Netflix show that is only available in the USA then if you try to watch from a different country Netflix will block that content.
You can get around these restrictions using a VPN and essentially tricks Netflix into thinking you are in the USA by connecting to a VPN server that is located in North America.
Netflix is aware that users attempt to conceal their actual location in order to gain access to content that they wouldn’t normally be able to and so attempts to thwart these attempts by trying to identify individual VPN servers and block them.
It is a constant game of cat and mouse between VPN servers and streaming services. Based on our testing, Express VPN is staying one step ahead of the game in getting users to be able to access this blocked content.
We’ve tried to access Netflix US from 5 different locations across Europe (UK, France, Spain, Germany & Italy) and each time have had a 100% success rate in accessing the content by connecting to an Express VPN server in North America. Sometimes we had to try a couple of different server locations in America before being able to get around the geoblocking, but every time we were able to access the programmes we wanted to.
Which streaming services does Express VPN unblock?
We’ve tested how good Express VPN is at getting around content blocking getting around the geoblocking on the below streaming services.
The key is to connect to a VPN server in the appropriate location. For example, if you want to access BBC iPlayer from around the world then connect to a VPN server located in the UK.
Note, it may sometimes take a couple of attempts connecting to different servers, but in all of our tests we have been able to unblock content on the below streaming services using Express VPN:
- Netflix
- BBC iPlayer
- Youtube
- Amazon Prime Video
- Hulu
- HBO
- Disney +
- Showtime
- Dazn
- fuboTV
- Sky Go
- ESPN
- ITV
Streaming – overall verdict
Express VPN is the best VPN we have tested for unblocking streaming content on Netflix and other platforms.
We successfully unblocked all the streaming services we tested including Netflix and BBC iPlayer which are two of the most challenging services to get around restrictions.
Express VPN specifically lists the streaming services it can unblock rather than just making a generic claim to unblock content.
This shows a level of confidence and commitment that makes us think that this is one VPN service that will stay ahead of the game and ensure that its users can access their favourite content and shows wherever they are in the world.
Unblock social media and messaging services
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms are blocked in some countries that apply online censorship.
A VPN enables users to access these services from these restricted countries.
Connecting to an Express VPN in a country that does not have such censorship, such as the United Kingdom or USA should enable access to these social media services wherever you are in the world.
Governments that apply online censorship will try and stop VPNs from being installed, so it is important, if possible to install the VPN on your devices before accessing from a restricted region.
Torrenting and P2P sharing
Does Express VPN support torrenting?
The Express VPN website does not shout from the rooftops about its torrent or P2P sharing capabilities.
But this doesn’t mean it isn’t one of the best options for torrent users.
As part of our testing we’ve taken a look at the torrent and P2P sharing capabilities of Express VPN and it comes out as one of the most compatible solutions of all the VPNs we have tested. The key benefits we found are:
- No server restrictions. Torrent users can choose from any VPN server in any location with no restrictions. Some VPN providers try to force users onto a small number of servers that can become overloaded and slow. Express VPN does not do this and you are free to choose from any server that will give you the best speed and performance.
- No bandwidth throttling. Express VPN commits to not throttling your bandwidth or limiting the data transfer for torrents meaning you can be sure of the fastest possible experience.
- Kill switch protection. The kill switch and market leading encryption ensures that your privacy and identity is protected at all times.
Can you connect to Express VPN and Tor?
Yes. For the ultimate privacy and security protection you can connect to Express VPN as well as Tor.
This double protection is known as ‘Onion over VPN’.
Tor is an additional privacy tool that when combined with a VPN creates the ultimate secure solution that even the most determined security agencies or governments can’t crack.
For most people, just the VPN protection is sufficient to protect privacy and remain secure, but if you want that extra layer of protection Express VPN allows you to connect to the Tor Network at the same time as well.
Torrenting – overall verdict
Express VPN supports torrenting and P2P sharing.
Unlike some VPN providers like Nord for example, Express VPN does not provide dedicated P2P servers. However, they do not restrict the servers you can connect to when torrenting and do not throttle bandwidth, so the experience is comparable to providers that provide specific P2P servers.
In terms of privacy and anonymity when torrenting, Express VPN is up there with the very best.
In summary, Express VPN supports torrenting and you can do so in the confidence that your privacy will be protected as well as enjoying a speedy throttle free performance.
Speed and performance
The use of a VPN has an impact on the internet speeds on devices due to the extra protection layer applied to all your data.
Some VPNs are faster than others. In other words, some VPNs impact internet speed less than others.
Speed test methodology
1. Speeds measured without VPN – Internet connection speeds are measured and recorded prior to connection to a VPN.
2. Connect to a VPN server– The device is then connected to an Express VPN server. The fastest available server is selected using the server speed test functionality.
3. Speeds measured with Express VPN connection – Internet connection speed for downloads and uploads measured with VPN and the results recorded.
4. Based on the recorded results, the impact % on internet speed is calculated.
Speed test results
UPLOAD SPEED
85%
The results of our Express VPN speed test show an 85% etention of pre VPN connection upload speeds.
This is a 15% reduction in upload speed.
This is a very good result and ranks Express VPN as one of the fastest VPN platforms.
DOWNLOAD SPEED
84%
The Express VPN speed test shows that download speeds are impacted by just 16% when connecting to a server.
This is also a top level of performance with an impact that should not be noticeable to users and puts Express VPN up there with the fastest VPNs.
Speed – overall verdict
Express VPN up there with the fastest VPN solutions that we have reviewed.
This speed is achieved whilst having market leading privacy and security features, which is a pretty remarkable feat.
In summary, Express VPN is one of the fastest VPNs we have reviewed.
There is not another platform that combines both these market leading privacy features with this level of speed, so as an overall VPN platform it is hard to get much better than that.
Pricing and value for money
How much does Express VPN cost?
The cost of an Express VPN package varies based on the length of time you sign up to.
The best value package is the annual subscription which has an introductory offer that works out at around £6 per month.
Is there a free version?
Express VPN does not offer a free version, but there is a no quibble 30 day money back guarantee so you try out the service totally risk free.
What do you get for the price?
You get the full privacy and security features with every Express VPN package, so whichever you choose you get the same protection for all your devices.
You can connect up to 5 devices simultaneously.
Value for money – overall verdict
In terms of purely price, Express VPN is one of the most expensive.
Having said that, the privacy and security features are amongst the best available, as well as being one of the fastest VPNs we have tested.
Express VPN is also the best at unblocking Netflix and other streaming content with the highest success rate of all the VPNs we have tested..
We do think that Express VPN offers a lot more more than other VPNs in terms of privacy and speed and streaming, but the cost is significantly higher than other solutions.
In summary, if you place a high value on having the best available privacy features and speed and are willing to pay a little more for that functionality then we would recommend Express VPN.
If, however, you want a good all round VPN that offers full protection and top speeds, but at a more competitive price then we would recommend taking a look at an alternative such as Nord VPN.
Installing Express VPN on your devices
After purchasing your subscription, you can then start to install the Express VPN application on all the devices that you want to protect.
You can protect almost all types of online devices including Windows & Mac computers, mobiles, and games consoles.
Note that an Express VPN subscription allows a maximum of 5 devices to be connected at any one time. You can install the software on more than 5 devices, but just be mindful that only 5 of them can be connected to a VPN server simultaneously.
It’s really easy to install Express VPN on your devices, but the process is slightly different for each type of device.
Installing on Windows laptops or desktops
Sign into your subscription account at https://www.expressvpn.com/sign-in. If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one by purchasing an Express VPN package.
Click on ‘download for Windows’.
Copy the activation code as you will need it when you open the application for the first time.
Download the file and then follow the step by step instructions to install onto your computer.
When the application opens for the first time on your computer you will be asked to enter the activation code. Paste in the code you copied earlier from your account page. Don’t worry if you didn’t copy the code, just go back to your account at the Express VPN website and you can find your code there.
Express VPN is now installed on your Windows machine.
There are options and settings you can change to customise your protection, and we will go through these later in this review along with how to actually connect your device to a VPN server.
Installing on Mac
Logon to your Express VPN account at https://www.expressvpn.com/sign-in. This is the account you set up when purchasing your subscription package.
Click on ‘download for Mac‘.
Copy the activation code. You will need this once you have installed the application to prove that you have purchased a subscription.
Once downloaded, the Express VPN application should open automatically. It will ask you to sign in. You will need the activation code you copied earlier in order to do this.
The application is now installed on your Mac. We’ll go through how to configure and use the app in a later section.
IOS mobile app download (iPhone & iPad)
Download the Express VPN IOS app from the App Store.
Open the app on your iPhone or iPad. Enter the username and password for your account that you created when you bought your subscription.
Android mobile app download
Download the Express VPN Android app from Google Play
Logon to the app using the username and password you selected when registering your account.
Installing browser extensions
Express VPNs offer browser extensions for both Chrome and Firefox.
These extensions are more lightweight than the full VPN application so can be even faster and can be enabled at a click of a button from within your internet browser.
The browser extensions can be downloaded directly from the Express VPN website, but you will need to have installed the full VPN application before you can install the browser extension.
User experience
The user interface for Express VPN is similar across device types with just small differences in the design. The below screenshots and descriptions relate to the Windows application but are typical of the experience across all other devices.
Logging into the Express VPN application
The first time you open up the Express VPN application on your device you will be prompted to enter an activation code.
This code will have been given to you when you purchased your Express VPN subscription package.
Don’t worry if you forget this code, you can always obtain it again by logging into your account at the Express VPN website and copying it from there.
You will only need to enter this activation code once and then every time you open up the application on that device you will automatically be logged in.
When you first open up the Express VPN application you will be prompted for your activation code that you were given when you bought your subscription.
Once you enter this code you will be logged in and you can start using the platform.
Connecting to the recommended VPN server
The Express VPN user interface is simple and you can connect to a VPN server at the click of a button.
By default, the Smart Location technology is used to select which server to connect to. This will automatically select a location that is close by and the one of the fastest available at the time.
Connecting to that server is then just a simple click away. This is the quickest and easiest way to connect to also ensure you have a fast connection.
Click the big button to connect to the recommended VPN server.
It’s as easy as that.
Once connected the connect icon will turn green and the details of the server will be displayed.
There are of course occasions when connecting to the recommended server won’t meet your needs, and we will take a look at these next.
Choosing the location of VPN server to connect to
You may wish to choose the location of the VPN server you want to connect to. This can be useful when wanting to unlock streaming or other blocked services by connecting to a server in that region in order to gain access.
It’s simple to select the country or location you want from a drop-down list and once selected you can connect to that server location just as easily at the click of a button.
Note that even when you manually select a server location the Smart Location recommended server will still be visible on the user interface making it easy to switch to that should you wish to at any point.
Select ‘server location’ from the main menu.
A list of server locations will then appear.
Select the location you want your VPN server to be located in, and then click on the connect icon.
Choosing the very fastest server available worldwide
Express VPN has the Smart Location feature that will choose one of the most efficient servers available, but it won’t necessarily be the absolute fastest available, although it will usually be pretty close.
If you want to be absolutely certain you have the fastest possible connection and want to handpick that server then you can use the speed test feature.
By running the speed test you can identify the server with the fastest speed at that particular point in time. You can then select that server. Once selected, you can connect to it at the click of a button as per any other connection.
Select the ‘speed test’ option from the menu.
Once the test has run, the results will be ordered with the fastest servers at the top of the list.
Select the server you want to connect to and then connect to it using the one click connection method as you would normally do.
Customer support
Being able to resolve any issues you should have with your VPN quickly and effectively is crucial to ensure you can get back online and protected as soon as possible.
We’ve had a close look at the support that Express VPN offer to its customers and from what we’ve seen they take their customer satisfaction very seriously.
Live chat
Live chat support can be accessed directly from the Express VPN website.
We’ve tested this out and in our experience response times were almost instant and the support staff have a good level of technical knowledge.
If the team can solve your issue the will do there and then, but if necessary they raise a ticket for your issue.
Based on our tests, Express VPN have a speedy turn around for tickets raised and issues are generally solved within a day and usually within hours.
The Express VPN live chat service can be accessed at Expressvpn.com
It’s is a quick and simple way to get in touch if you have any issues, be that technical, billing or subscription queries.
Email support
You can email Express VPN by following a link from their website.
Response times are quick, but it makes more sense to take advantage of the live chat feature to get your issue looked at even quicker, although email is more useful if lengthy details are required to be sent.
Raising your own support ticket
If you have an issue you can raise a ticket yourself directly with the Express VPN support team.
This is a handy feature, but again, we’d recommend chatting with the support staff if you can rather than doing this initially as it may be that they can resolve your issue there and then rather than waiting for the team to get through to your ticket.
Tutorials and online support
There is a section on the Express VPN website that contains troubleshooting resources to help with any issues you may be encountering.
There are articles that cover the main issues that users encounter including technical issues around connecting to a server and functionality as well as account support aimed more at billing and subscription issues.
There are quite a few articles, so it can be tricky to find the one that relates to your issue at first glance. There is, however, a handy search functionality that you can use to help get to what you need, making life a lot easier.
Most of the tutorials also include videos which is really useful and makes it quicker to digest the information rather than trawling through pages of text.
The Express VPN website provides a valuable resource of articles and videos to help users with any questions or issues they may face.
The topics covered include:
- Account issues
- Server connection problems
- Set up and configuration
Customer support – overall verdict
The support staff at Express VPN are very knowledgeable and there is a quick turnaround in addressing issues.
The live chat feature often allows issues to be resolve there and then, but even if a support ticket is raised the issue is looked at very quickly in our experience, within hours.
There is also the online resource offering guides for troubleshooting issues. It’s easy to get to the articles of most use using the search feature, and each guide has a video explainer too making them easy to follow.
Overall, we have found the Express VPN team to have excellent technical knowledge and there is a real commitment to resolve issues as quick as possible.
Express VPN – Overall verdict
Express VPN has the best overall set of privacy and security features that we have come across.
It is also one of the fastest VPN solutions and offers protection for more types of devices than others such as games consoles and Smart TVs.
The overall package is head and shoulders above what most other VPN solutions can offer.
The cost, however, is significantly more than other providers and even with all the excellent features can be hard to justify.
If cost is no object and you are looking for the best of the best VPN solution in terms of features, privacy and speed then Express VPN is no doubt the winner.
There are however other VPN solutions that offer comparable privacy features and speed but at a significantly lower price.
If you are looking for a VPN that offers the best value for money and still a top class level of protection features and performance then Nord VPN would be our alternative recommendation.
In summary Express VPN offers the best privacy features, security and speed but is an expensive choice. If you are willing to pay a bit extra for the knowledge that you have the best available protection then Express VPN is the one for you.
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