NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN

NordVPN and ExpressVPN don’t need any introductions. They’re two of the most popular VPNs on the planet. Both give you access to user-friendly apps, a large server network, and plenty of security features to keep your online activities confidential. But which one performs better?

There’s only one way to find out. We bought subscriptions to NordVPN and ExpressVPN and tested them over three months. Both share a lot of similarities, but we gave the victory to NordVPN as it offers more servers and faster and more reliable connections. Here’s everything we learned.

>> Learn More: A 2024 Guide to VPNs

ExpressVPN vs. NordVPN: Similarities and Differences

ExpressVPN and NordVPN have much in common. After all, there’s a reason we rank them as two of the best VPNs. But some key differences could affect your buying decision. Now, if you want to learn more about each VPN in greater detail, check out our full ExpressVPN review and our NordVPN review. Now, here’s a general comparison between the two.

Similarities

As you can see from the above table, NordVPN and ExpressVPN have a lot in common. But let’s go into more detail on their similarities.

Kill switches

Express VPN and NordVPN have kill switches that stop all internet traffic if your VPN connection drops out. That means any activity or data is protected when it returns to the regular connection. It’s particularly useful if you’re using public Wi-Fi to access the internet.

Streaming Services

Did you know that many countries have different Netflix libraries? When we run out of things on our watchlist, we’ll log into a U.K. or Japan server, sign into our streaming service, and see what’s trending.

However, most services don’t like us doing this and will stop us from watching anything the second it detects we’re using a VPN. The good news is that ExpressVPN and NordVPN use obfuscated servers to trick Netflix, Disney+, and others into thinking we’re not connected to a VPN so we can watch our shows in peace.

>> Check Out: The Best VPNs for Netflix in 2024

Torrenting

Torrents are a great way to download large files via P2P networks. NordVPN and ExpressVPN have dedicated P2P servers, so we could torrent in peace without our ISP’s throttling network speeds.

Non-member of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes

Both VPNs are based in countries that are not members of the international surveillance alliances Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes. ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands, while NordVPN is based in Panama. This essential VPN feature means that the companies wouldn’t be forced to hand our customer data to the government, which isn’t the case for companies headquartered in the U.S.

Split tunneling

Normally, all your online communications go through a VPN tunnel when you’re connected to a VPN. However, there might be some things you don’t want – or simply can’t – send through a VPN.

For example, if you’re connected to a server abroad, letting your weather app connect through the VPN will confuse it as to where your real location is. Split tunneling is the solution, allowing you to send some app and website traffic through the VPN, and others through a non-encrypted connection. Once again, NordVPN and ExpressVPN both have that feature.

Encryption

Finally, both VPNs encrypted our web traffic using AES-256 bit encryption, which is the current standard in the industry.

However, only NordVPN used the NordLynx protocol, built around the WireGuard protocol. Its benefits? WireGuard is fast, though being a newer technology, it may contain some bugs. If we had wanted even more encryption, we had the option of an Onion over VPN solution with NordVPN.

Differences

It’s clear that no matter which VPN we tested out, we were anonymous and safe online with both ExpressVPN and NordVPN, but there were some key differences:

Number of servers and locations

At last count, ExpressVPN supports more than 3,000 servers in 105 countries. However, their customer service team couldn’t verify the total number. Meanwhile, NordVPN offers 6,700 servers in 111 countries. We recommend checking out each VPN’s server locations to make your decision, as the closer you are to the server, the faster speeds you’ll get.

IP addresses

By default, ExpressVPN gave us different IP addresses every time we logged on, which would confuse any would-be hacker. With NordVPN, we got the same IP address every time, but since all users shared this address, we weren’t identifiable. However, we could’ve shelled out some extra cash for a dedicated IP address if we wanted, which we could’ve used on Gmail, eBay, or PayPal. We opted out.

>> Related: Is eBay Safe?

Multi-hop

While ExpressVPN encrypted our web traffic only once, NordVPN did it twice through two servers, a process called multi-hop or double VPN. In other words, if two heads are better than one, then two encrypted servers are also better than one.

Speed

When we tested the connection between ExpressVPN and NordVPN, we noticed some significant differences. All VPNs will decrease your network speeds, so you want one that has a minimal impact. In our testing, NordVPN was faster across the board.

Logging policies

We’ve tested out dozens of VPNs, and they pretty much all say the same thing: they have “zero-logging” policies when it comes to tracking our web activity. That was the case for ExpressVPN and NordVPN. However, they do log some data, like our names, email addresses, payment information, and more. We read both VPNs’ privacy policies from beginning to end, and here’s the main gist of the data they log and don’t log.

Notice anything interesting? In a nutshell, ExpressVPN had a stricter logging policy than NordVPN, collecting 14 data points instead of 20. So for the privacy-minded, ExpressVPN is the safer bet.

Prices

NordVPN is cheaper than ExpressVPN, especially with a two-year subscription. If budget is a huge concern, go with NordVPN. Prices are lower than the industry average, which tends to be between $10 and $13 for a one-month plan.1

Read about NordVPN deals and ExpressVPN deals to see if you can get any months free when you use your debit card, credit card, PayPal, or other payment methods. To learn more about their subscription and payment options, check out our individual pages on ExpressVPN costs and NordVPN costs. With each VPN, you can either pay for a one-month plan, a one-year plan, or a two-year plan.

Simultaneous connections per subscription

While we could use eight devices at the same time connecting to ExpressVPN, NordVPN allowed for ten devices. Sure, it was only a difference of two devices, but NordVPN won this category by a hair.

Compatible Devices

While we tested out these VPNs on macOS and Windows computers, they worked with a ton of other devices, from routers to streaming services like Apple TV, as well. But we’re giving this category to ExpressVPN as it’s gone the extra mile and developed modems with its VPN built-in. You still need an Express VPN subscription for the VPN to work, but it means all devices connected to the network are protected.

If you only want to use a VPN on specific devices, there are native apps for NordVPN and ExpressVPN you can download. The most common include:

Apps

To connect to public Wi-Fi networks safely on the go, we checked out ExpressVPN’s and NordVPN’s mobile apps for iOS and Android. Just like the weather, apps change over time due to customer complaints and subsequent software updates.

>> Read More: The Best VPN for iPhone in 2024

Both apps were easy to use in terms of functionality, allowing us to connect to private networks with the click of a button. In terms of other customer ratings, both apps had 4.7-star ratings in the Apple Store. But NordVPN had a 4.6-star rating on the Google Play Store compared to ExpressVPN’s 4.3 stars. This difference is minimal, however, that we called it a tie.

Which Is Better, NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN?

Comparing ExpressVPN and NordVPN was easy, mainly because the two VPNs were so similar. Both were trustworthy when it came to hiding our web traffic, which is the point of a VPN in the first place.

But if we had to pick one VPN, it would be NordVPN. Throughout our testing we found it to be the faster and more reliable VPN. NordVPN also has a lot more servers in a lot more countries than ExpressVPN. It might only be a few dollars cheaper a month on its one-year and two-year plans, but NordVPN offers a lot more bang for your buck.