NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN

What happens when two industry giants battle it out? We get an interesting match. NordVPN and ExpressVPN are names you’ve most likely heard before. They are two of the biggest VPN providers in the world. They have excellent apps, large server networks, and some of the most innovative VPN features we’ve ever seen. So today, we’re pitting them against each other to see which has the superior VPN.

We tested out both options and compared their apps, networks, quality of connections, speed, pricing, and a lot more. So if they’re your top options and you’re having a hard time picking the better one, read on to find out which is best.

ExpressVPN vs. NordVPN: Similarities and Differences

ExpressVPN and NordVPN have much in common, 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

Let’s start with what these two had in common during our testing.

Kill switches

We can’t stress enough the importance of a kill switch, otherwise known as a network lock feature. All your traffic goes through an encrypted tunnel when you’re browsing with a VPN. That’s what makes your VPN sessions secure and private. However, if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly, even momentarily, that tunnel crumbles.

The use of a kill switch is to prevent you from sending any traffic through an unencrypted network. It’s really simple: The VPN app shuts down your device’s internet connection. It’s a temporary lock that can only be removed by reconnecting the VPN.

Both ExpressVPN and NordVPN have a kill switch.

Netflix

When we tested out ExpressVPN and NordVPN during the quarantine lockdown, we were thrilled to see that they both worked with Netflix.

Torrenting

We had a lot of time on our hands, so in addition to watching other countries’ Netflix content, we torrented many movies and TV shows with both VPNs.

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 tunnel 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

While ExpressVPN supports more than 3,000 servers in 94 countries, NordVPN offers 5,218 servers in 60 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.

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 ExpressVPN and NordVPN on our Macbook Pro and Windows Acer Aspire 5, we found that ExpressVPN performed better on our Mac computer, with lower download and upload speeds and the exact same amount of latency as in NordVPN.

ExpressVPN also performed better than NordVPN on our Windows laptop, except when it came to upload speeds. Overall, ExpressVPN was faster for us than NordVPN, but take these numbers with a grain of salt, as internet speed relies on many factors like server locations, device types, operating systems, and more.

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 better bet.

Prices

NordVPN was 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 six-month plan, a one-year plan, or a two-year plan.

Simultaneous connections per subscription

While we could use five devices at the same time connecting to ExpressVPN, NordVPN allowed for six devices (that’s up to three on the same server but with different protocols). Sure, it was only a difference of one device, but NordVPN won this category by a hair.

Devices per subscription

Although we couldn’t use them all at once, ExpressVPN let us connect as many devices to their servers as we wanted, which came in handy when we upgraded to the latest iPhone. NordVPN, on the other hand, only allowed for six devices in total, which was fine for us but may not work for a larger group sharing a subscription.

Manual configurations

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. As you can see, ExpressVPN worked with more devices than NordVPN, but make sure whichever VPN you choose works with the devices you have or want to buy in the future.

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.
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 4.6-star ratings in the Apple Store, but ExpressVPN’s Android rating was 4.5 stars, just a tad higher than NordVPN at 4.4 stars. This difference was so 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, the point of a VPN in the first place.

But overall, we recommend ExpressVPN over NordVPN. Both VPNs top our list of the best VPNs in the industry, but ExpressVPN won out for its strict logging policy and support for many third-party devices. Let’s break it down even further.

If you have a gaming console, note that NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for gaming. But if neither VPN sounds ideal, there’s always our list of the best VPN services, the best VPNs for iPhones, or the best VPNs for Netflix. With so many data breaches from large tech companies like Ring, it’s no surprise that by 2022, the world will spend $35.73 billion2 on VPNs, so get yours today to hide your web traffic and encrypt your activity.