ExpressVPN Review 2025: Is It Good + Worth the Price?

ExpressVPN is one of the safest, fastest, and most intuitive VPNs on the market, and it comes with more features than most competitors. However, it’s also somewhat pricier than other top brands with similar functionality. So, is ExpressVPN really worth the money in 2025? I think it is — and here’s why.

ExpressVPN comes with:

• Standard security features — 256-bit AES encryption, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy that has passed multiple independent audits.
• Lightway — This is ExpressVPN’s proprietary protocol, which provides lightning-fast speeds and excellent security.
• Full leak protection — All of ExpressVPN’s apps have built-in protection against DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC leaks.
• Router app — One of the only VPNs that offer a native and secure router app, allowing you to easily connect all of the devices in your home to the VPN.
• Perfect forward secrecy — Changes the encryption key for each VPN connection to better protect your data.
• RAM-only servers — Only saves data to the RAM, providing better privacy because every server reboot wipes all data.
• Split-tunneling — Increases your VPN speeds and adds convenience by allowing you to choose which apps use ExpressVPN and which apps use your local network.
• Advanced Protection — Stops ad trackers from spying on your browsing, prevents ads from loading on pages, blocks connections to malicious sites, and includes parental controls to block adult content.
• ExpressVPN Keys — A secure password manager that’s included in each ExpressVPN subscription.
• Dedicated IP addresses — Lets you purchase an IP address that is uniquely assigned to you.
• Identity Defender (US only) — Protects your online identity by scanning the dark web for personal information, removing your data from brokers, providing ID theft insurance, and monitoring your credit activity.
• And more…

In addition, ExpressVPN offers the best streaming, gaming, and torrenting experience out of all the VPNs we tested. It works with 100+ streaming services, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and Hulu, provides stable connections while gaming, anti-DDoS protection, and support for cloud gaming services, and allows torrenting on all servers. What’s more, it maintains blazing-fast speeds on both nearby and distant servers.

It also has servers in 105 countries, so you can get an IP address from pretty much any country you want. Plus, it works in restrictive countries by obfuscating (hiding) your VPN traffic.

ExpressVPN is also extremely easy to use, and it has the best apps for major platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS. It has a dedicated app for Apple TV, and you can purchase Aircove, a Wi-Fi router with built-in protection from ExpressVPN.

However, ExpressVPN isn’t perfect. Its split-tunneling tool only lets you exclude apps, while competitors such as Private Internet Access allow you to also split websites on desktop. I also wish ExpressVPN allowed more than 8 simultaneous connections, which would put the provider more in line with some of the competition. However, you can connect as many devices as you want in your home to ExpressVPN if you install it on your router.

ExpressVPN is available as a 1-month, 1-year, or 2-year purchase. You get the best value with the 2-year purchase, as it includes an excellent discount, as well as an eSIM from holiday.com with 5 GB of data. Note that this offer is only available for new subscribers. All ExpressVPN subscriptions are covered by a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time users.

ExpressVPN Full Review — Secure, Fast & Feature-Rich (The Best VPN in 2025)

ExpressVPN is the best VPN on the market. After weeks of testing, researching, and getting to know ExpressVPN, it’s my overall favorite VPN.

For one, it has excellent security, providing both industry-standard and advanced security features. It protects your traffic on the Tor browser, works in restrictive countries, and includes extras like split-tunneling, an ad blocker, a tracker and a malicious site blocker, an adult-site blocker, and a pretty good password manager.

It’s also the best VPN on the market for streaming and torrenting. ExpressVPN works with 100+ streaming sites and supports torrenting on servers in all 105 countries, and I didn’t have any problems accessing torrent clients, either.

ExpressVPN is a top choice for gaming, too. It offers very fast speeds on both nearby and distant servers and protects your traffic, so you can enjoy lengthy and uninterrupted gaming sessions.

Plus, I always recommend it for VPN beginners. You can find and connect to any server in just a couple of clicks, and every setting comes with an explanation so you’ll never feel lost.

While it’s not the cheapest VPN, it provides a really good value — plus, you can save on your subscription with our exclusive 61% discount. ExpressVPN is also backed by a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time users.

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ExpressVPN Plans & Pricing — Offers the Best Value on the Market

ExpressVPN starts at $4.99 / month for the 2-year deal. It has a subscription-based model with a 1-month or 1-year plan, or you can get a better deal on the 2-year purchase (renewed yearly after the first 2 years). All plans give you access to the same features.

You can use our links to get a special 61% discount on the 2-year purchase. This option provides the best value, even though it’s more expensive than other competitors’ 2-year purchases like Private Internet Access and CyberGhost VPN.

ExpressVPN allows 8 simultaneous connections with 1 subscription, but you can get around the limit by installing ExpressVPN on your router — and if that doesn’t sound convenient and you need more connections, check out Private Internet Access or Surfshark since they both allow unlimited connections.

ExpressVPN works with plenty of payment options, including credit cards, PayPal and Apple Pay, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, and a variety of prepaid, debit, as well as online transfer options like Giropay. The exact payment methods that are available depend on your location. Every purchase is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time users. However, you can only pay with a credit card or PayPal when adding a dedicated IP address to your subscription.

Overall, ExpressVPN is more expensive than many other top VPNs, but it still offers great value due to its extremely fast speeds, strong security and privacy features, and near-perfect functionality.

Learn more about ExpressVPN’s pricing

ExpressVPN Features — Advanced Security Tools & Useful & Easy-to-Use Extras

ExpressVPN has the following security features:

• 256-bit AES encryption. End-to-end military-grade encryption to make internet traffic 100% unreadable.
• No-logs policy. ExpressVPN doesn’t log personal information, internet traffic, or what files you download. ExpressVPN has undergone several third-party audits to verify this no-logs policy.
• Kill switch (Network Lock). This feature shuts down your internet traffic if you’re disconnected from the VPN server, protecting you from accidental data leaks.

One thing that stands out about ExpressVPN is that its servers run on RAM, which doesn’t store data permanently. Instead, all of the data on the server is wiped clean each time the server gets rebooted. This means even if a government seizes the servers, there won’t be any data to collect.

ExpressVPN also offers perfect forward secrecy, which changes the encryption keys used to encrypt and decrypt your internet traffic every 15 minutes or whenever you disconnect from the VPN. This ensures the security of your sensitive data — even if a hacker compromises the latest key, they can only access that specific traffic, not past or future data.

It also has full protection against IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leaks — some top competitors only prevent some types of leaks (for example, Surfshark only has DNS leak protection). I tested ExpressVPN’s leak protection by running tests on servers in 10+ countries, and I never experienced any data leaks.

ExpressVPN offers the Lightway, OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPSec protocols. Lightway (TCP/UDP) is ExpressVPN’s proprietary, open-source protocol, which means anyone can check the code for security flaws. It’s available on all of ExpressVPN’s apps and has successfully passed several security audits, two of them since being rewritten into the Rust programming language in early 2025. It has very fast speeds thanks to the lightweight codebase — in my tests, I always had the fastest speeds while using Lightway.

On Windows, Lightway Turbo is also available for extra speed. Lightway resists network changes, too, so your VPN connection won’t drop when switching between Wi-Fi and mobile data. Additionally, it’s future-proof against potential quantum computing threats, which currently isn’t an issue but could be in the future.

Lightway is customizable on Windows, Android, and iOS: you can choose between 256-bit AES encryption and ChaCha20 (faster on older devices), or let ExpressVPN choose the best for you. On mobile apps, you can enable NAT heartbeats to get notifications without delay.

OpenVPN (TCP/UDP) is a very popular protocol that’s open-source and provides excellent security, but it’s prone to noticeable slowdowns — compared to Lightway, my speeds were 50–60% slower with OpenVPN. You can use OpenVPN on all of the ExpressVPN apps except for iOS.

The IKEv2/IPSec protocol provides good security, has fast speeds, and resists network changes just like Lightway. That said, IKEv2/IPSec was 40% slower than Lightway in my tests. Also, unlike Lightway, IKEv2/IPSec isn’t available on ExpressVPN’s Android, Windows, or Linux apps, and it’s easier for governments to block it.

There’s also an Automatic protocol setting, which automatically selects the best protocol for your location. On Windows, this is the setting you should toggle on if you want ExpressVPN to switch to super-fast Lightway Turbo with multi-lane support whenever possible.

ExpressVPN also offers a few extra security features, including:

• Split-tunneling.
• Advanced Protection.
• ExpressVPN Keys.
• MediaStreamer.
• Obfuscation.
• Support for Tor traffic.
• ShuffleIP.
• Dedicated IP Addresses.

Split-Tunneling — Exclude Apps From the VPN Tunnel

ExpressVPN’s split-tunneling tool is really good — and it’s available on Android, Windows, and macOS. While most premium VPNs offer split-tunneling for Windows and/or Android, there aren’t many competitors that support this feature on macOS — in fact, ExpressVPN is one of the rare VPNs to provide split-tunneling for Mac users. This feature is available for macOS 10.15 or below, and ExpressVPN is currently developing support for macOS 11.

Split-tunneling worked seamlessly in my tests. I tested it while downloading torrents, making VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) calls, and streaming — and it functioned just as advertised.

ExpressVPN’s split-tunneling feature was easy to use on my Samsung Galaxy, Windows PC, and MacBook Pro. The only minor drawback is that ExpressVPN doesn’t let you exclude websites or IP addresses from the VPN tunnel (competitors like Private Internet Access, on the other hand, do allow this).

Overall, ExpressVPN’s split-tunneling feature works well, is easy to use, and is even available for Mac. The only thing I’d like to see is the option to exclude sites and IP addresses.

Advanced Protection — Block Ads, Ad Trackers, Malicious Websites & Adult Sites

ExpressVPN’s Advanced Protection protects you from malware online. It includes an ad, tracker, and malicious site blocker and basic parental controls.

Its Threat Manager stops your device from communicating with servers that host malware or trackers. Basically, this feature blocks connections to malicious sites and limits how much browsing data ad trackers collect — for example, they won’t know which articles you read on a news site or app. Threat Manager is available on ExpressVPN’s Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux apps.

I tested this feature on my iPhone X and MacBook Pro by connecting to shady HTTP sites while connected to ExpressVPN — Threat Manager stopped me from accessing these websites every single time. I also tested its ad blocker, which is only available on Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows, by visiting ad-heavy websites like Yahoo News, and it stopped all ads from loading, which allowed the sites to load instantly.

I then tested its adult-site blocker. ExpressVPN blocked several adult sites — when I tried visiting these sites, I got an error message saying that my computer is having trouble connecting to the domain, but it didn’t say the site was blocked. This is good if you want to block these types of sites on your kid’s device but don’t want them to know you’re blocking them.

Overall, I really like ExpressVPN’s Advanced Protection. It’s great at blocking ads, malicious sites, and adult content.

ExpressVPN Keys (Password Manager) — Secures Your Logins & Passwords

ExpressVPN Keys is a good password manager, which you can use to secure all of your passwords in a digital vault. ExpressVPN Keys also auto-fills your login details when you sign into your online accounts — I tested the auto-fill feature multiple times on 10+ sites, and it always worked well. I like that you can sort by categories like Logins, Credit/Debit Cards, or Secure Notes to easily find what you’re looking for.

The password manager is included with each ExpressVPN subscription, and I love that you can continue using this password manager for free even after your ExpressVPN subscription expires. ExpressVPN Keys is available inside the ExpressVPN app on iOS and Android and as a Chrome extension on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

ExpressVPN Keys comes with the following essential features:

• 256-bit AES encryption — ExpressVPN Keys uses military-grade encryption to secure your passwords.
• Zero-knowledge architecture — ExpressVPN Keys doesn’t store your data, so only you have access to your logins.
• Multi-device sync — ExpressVPN Keys syncs your logins across all devices. The password manager is available in the ExpressVPN iOS and Android apps and as a browser extension for Chrome on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Unlimited passwords and devices — ExpressVPN Keys lets you store as many logins as you want, and you can also use this service on as many devices as you want.
• Password Health Checker — ExpressVPN Keys shows a password health score to alert you to weak or compromised passwords. This feature is available on the iOS and Android apps. It provides an overall score of your password health across all accounts, and it shows you issues with exposed passwords, reused passwords, weak passwords, and two-factor authentication not set up.
• Secure notes — ExpressVPN Keys lets you save other sensitive information besides passwords, such as a passport, driver’s license number, or credit card details.
• Two-factor authentication — ExpressVPN Keys also provides 2FA codes for all compatible sites. It works very similar to third-party authentication apps in that it provides a unique, time-sensitive code for verifying your identity with each new login attempt. This feature provides enhanced protection for your accounts since a bad actor couldn’t log in even if they discovered your password.
• Data Breach Checker — ExpressVPN Keys includes a data breach checker that lets you check unlimited email accounts. If there’s been a leak, ExpressVPN Keys sorts them by date and tells you which site the leak originated from. I love that it shows you important details like what information was exposed, when the breach took place, and what’s the risk of the leak.

ExpressVPN Keys also has a great built-in password generator, which I found really helpful since it creates super strong passwords for third-party apps and websites. I also like that it lets you customize the passwords it generates — you can choose to include capitals, numbers, symbols, or all of the above when creating a secure password. Plus, if you don’t like the one it gives you, or you need multiple passwords at once, you’re able to refresh for a new one as many times as you want.

It can generate passwords that are between 8 and 55 characters long, which is more than enough for most people. That said, if you’re looking to create a super complex password and even more flexibility, 1Password lets you create passwords that are up to 100 characters long (but since a 14-character combination of random upper and lower case letters would take several thousand years to crack, I’d say the 55-character limit is enough).

A more significant disadvantage of ExpressVPN Keys, in my opinion, is the lack of password sharing — most top password managers like 1Password, Dashlane, and RoboForm let you securely share logins with other users and set permission levels.

But I like how ExpressVPN Keys has undergone an independent security audit — no security vulnerabilities were found.

Overall, ExpressVPN Keys does basic password management really well, despite missing some additional features that most standalone password managers have. It’s a good addition to a top-quality VPN, and it should be enough for ExpressVPN users who want to generate strong new passwords, securely store existing passwords and other important information, and auto-fill logins.

MediaStreamer — Access the VPN on Gaming Consoles + Smart TVs

MediaStreamer is ExpressVPN’s smart DNS service, which is included with every ExpressVPN subscription. It allows you to use the VPN on devices that don’t natively support VPN apps, like Roku, PlayStation, and Xbox, and it can access lots of popular streaming sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

It’s important to note that MediaStreamer won’t change your IP address or encrypt your traffic, so it can’t protect your privacy or prevent bandwidth throttling. However, it will provide you with much faster speeds than the VPN for buffer-free streaming.

To use MediaStreamer, you first need to register your IP address on ExpressVPN’s website, and then manually set it up on your device. This may sound daunting, but in reality, it’s a smooth process. ExpressVPN provides helpful step-by-step tutorials for tons of devices. My colleague in the US said it only took him about 5 minutes to set up MediaStreamer on his PlayStation 5.

Overall, MediaStreamer is a smart DNS tool that accesses top streaming platforms on devices that don’t natively support VPNs. While it doesn’t provide security, it has significantly faster speeds than the VPN.

Obfuscation — Bypasses Censorship in Restricted Countries

All of ExpressVPN’s servers support obfuscation, which hides your VPN traffic and makes it appear as if you’re browsing the web as normal. ExpressVPN wraps all of your VPN traffic inside an extra layer of protection, which lets you use the VPN in restrictive countries like Iran and China, and on restrictive Wi-Fi networks, such as at schools, workplaces, and other institutions.

ExpressVPN is a reliable choice in restrictive countries thanks to the following tools:

• Refreshing IP addresses — ExpressVPN constantly changes its IP addresses.
• Evading deep packet inspection (DPI) — DPI can be used to spot and block VPN protocols and traffic. ExpressVPN’s obfuscation tools can bypass this in most cases.
• Using different ports — ExpressVPN recommends connecting to a server with its OpenVPN TCP protocol, which uses TCP port 443. This is the same port that routes all HTTPS traffic, which allows users to access any HTTPS site. It’s very unlikely that a restrictive country would block this port.

I’m really impressed that ExpressVPN supports traffic obfuscation across all of its protocols — most top VPNs only provide obfuscation via the OpenVPN protocol. That said, ExpressVPN says it’s best to use the Automatic option as the primary protocol for obfuscating your traffic.

My other favorite thing about ExpressVPN’s obfuscation is that it doesn’t cause noticeable slowdowns via obfuscated connections. Private Internet Access and PrivateVPN also have very good obfuscation tools, but they both reduce your speeds due to the added layers of encryption.

Overall, I think ExpressVPN offers the best obfuscation feature out there because it’s straightforward to use and provides the fastest speeds.

Support for Tor Traffic — Extra Security for Browsing the Onion Router

All ExpressVPN servers support traffic from The Onion Router (Tor). You don’t need to turn on any option — you can start using the Tor browser after you connect to an ExpressVPN server.

Adding another layer of encryption through the VPN makes the connection even slower. When I tested this feature, sites took much longer to load (over 10–15 seconds), and I experienced a 70%–80% slowdown when compared to my regular internet speed.

But if you use .onion sites and want to avoid leaks, I recommend ExpressVPN. That said, you’ll still need to download and use the Tor browser to access the Tor network — competitors like NordVPN let you browse .onion domains in browsers like Opera or Chrome, which could be more convenient for some users.

ShuffleIP — Changes Your IP Address When You Access a New App or Website

ExpressVPN’s ShuffleIP dynamically changes your IP address every time you visit a new website, open a new app, or re-open an app that’s been working in the background on mobile.

This means that each time you load a new page or open an app, the IP address you’re using is refreshed, making it extremely difficult for trackers to follow your online activity across different sites — all without changing your location.

The feature is available on all ExpressVPN apps and is turned on automatically, so you don’t have to look for it or enable it on your end. Surfshark has a similar IP Rotator feature, but it changes your IP address at certain time intervals, and you need to enable it manually in the app.

I tested ShuffleIP on both my Windows PC and Android device, and it worked as advertised — I got different IP addresses on every website I visited. I also didn’t experience any interruptions in my browsing or streaming.

Overall, ShuffleIP is a great addition to ExpressVPN’s privacy features. It makes you harder to track online, and it works flawlessly.

Dedicated IP Address

ExpressVPN has dedicated IP addresses, which are IP addresses that are only assigned to one person instead of shared by everyone using the VPN. They’re available in 29+ locations spread across 20+ countries, including the US, Canada, Germany, Italy, the UK, Japan, and Australia. This is more coverage than competitors like Private Internet Access and CyberGhost VPN.

A dedicated IP address helps you avoid interruptions like frequent CAPTCHAs and gives you stable access to sites that block VPNs, like bank sites, as it’s less likely to be flagged as suspicious. It also makes remote access to company resources more reliable, since your IP is always the same — this means IT can easily whitelist it for secure connections.

ExpressVPN’s dedicated IP addresses are currently available only on Windows, Android, and iOS devices, though the VPN confirmed support for more platforms is coming soon.

Even ExpressVPN doesn’t know which IP address you’re using. This is great for privacy as some VPNs have access to your dedicated IP address since it’s connected to your account, which means your activities can be traced to your personal IP.

Moreover, setting up the dedicated IP across your devices is super easy, too. When you set up the dedicated IP and choose your location, you’ll also be prompted to create an access code, which is a password for your dedicated IP address. You’ll use this access code to configure your dedicated IP on your other devices — this only took me seconds to do.

There are 3 affordable options — it costs less than $4 per month with the 2-year purchase. Plus, ExpressVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee (for first-time users) applies to them as well, which is nice as not all VPNs with dedicated IPs allow refunds for them (such as NordVPN).

Overall, I’m really happy with how ExpressVPN handles its dedicated IPs by making them anonymous, and they work as advertised. However, the lack of availability across all platforms is disappointing.

Additional Features — ID Alerts, Data Removal & ID Theft Insurance

ExpressVPN has an Identity Defender tool, which is only available to new users in the US. Identity Defender has features that protect identity, track suspicious activity, and ensure that your data stays secure:

• ID Alerts. It scans the dark web for your personal information, such as your name or address, and notifies you if it’s found. Additionally, it alerts you if your address is changed through mail redirection and informs you whenever your Social Security Number (SSN) is used for loans, payments, employment, and more. With these alerts, you can quickly take action to prevent further issues. ID Alerts is free to new ExpressVPN subscribers.
• Data Removal. Searches for your personal details across people-search and data broker sites, which collect and sell your data (and can put you at risk of identity theft and unwanted solicitations). If your information is found, ExpressVPN submits requests to have it removed. Data Removal is included in ExpressVPN’s 2-year offer, while it costs extra on the 1-year plan and 1-month plan.
• ID Theft Insurance. If your identity is stolen, ExpressVPN’s ID Theft Insurance reimburses you for eligible financial losses. Whether it’s paying for the cost of restoring your identity or covering fraud-related expenses, the insurance provides up to $1 million in coverage. This protection is included in ExpressVPN’s yearly plans, and it costs extra with the 1-month plan.
• Credit Scanner. Provides a quick overview of your Experian credit score and rating, along with regular updates on activities that may affect your credit, which makes it easy to monitor your credit for any signs of identity theft. You’ll also see the factors impacting your score and get recommended actions to improve it. It comes at no cost with the annual plans.

ExpressVPN Privacy & Security — Independent Audits Confirm the VPN Doesn’t Store Your Data

ExpressVPN has a strict no-logs policy — it doesn’t log your IP address, what sites you visit, or what files you download. ExpressVPN’s Privacy Policy clearly states it only logs your email address for communication purposes, payment information for issuing refunds, and the VPN apps you download. ExpressVPN also records communication with the support team to improve user experience and data usage to monitor for users who abuse the service.

ExpressVPN also publishes transparency reports every 6 months. These reports detail every request for user data that it has received in the preceding 6 months. However, the strict no-logs policy means there’s never any data to hand over to these requests. For example, the report for the first half of 2024 shows that out of 800,000+ requests, ExpressVPN did not comply with a single one.

It’s also great that you can choose whether or not to share your diagnostic information (crash reports and information about how a VPN connection attempt failed) with ExpressVPN once you download its apps — some VPNs don’t provide you with this option. And even if you choose to share this data, it doesn’t contain any personally identifiable information.

ExpressVPN has conducted multiple independent audits to verify its no-logs policy and TrustedServer technology. In 2023, it was audited by the “Big 4” auditing firm KPMG, in 2022 by KPMG and Cure53, and in 2019 by another “Big 4” auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers — and they all confirmed ExpressVPN was in compliance with its Privacy Policy and that user data is erased each time a server is rebooted (with its TrustedServer technology).

ExpressVPN’s no-logs policy was proven true in real life when one of its servers in Turkey was seized in 2017 by Turkish authorities, who were investigating the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey. The investigators suspected the ExpressVPN server included information (such as the IP address) of the person who allegedly removed the assassin’s Gmail and Facebook accounts, which may have contained critical evidence pertaining to the case. But the server didn’t contain any user data for the investigators to use, further verifying ExpressVPN’s no-logs policy.

What’s more, the provider’s apps and extensions have undergone and passed 19 independent security audits — more than any other VPN. ExpressVPN has had its Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux apps and Chrome and Firefox extensions confirmed, as well as its Lightway protocol, ExpressVPN Keys, and Aircove router. After Lightway was rewritten in Rust (it was originally written in C), it underwent 2 separate audits by Cure53 and Praetorian. Plus, Nettitude verified the fix for a DNS leak in the app’s split tunneling feature in 2024.

ExpressVPN is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands, which is not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances (a group of countries that share intelligence data). This is good because the BVI doesn’t have mandatory data retention laws and only the BVI High Court can order ExpressVPN to share user data — but because ExpressVPN doesn’t log data, there would be no information to turn over!

Overall, ExpressVPN has a transparent no-logs policy that was independently verified and proved true in court, and it’s headquartered in a privacy-friendly country that’s not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances.

ExpressVPN Speed & Performance — It Maintains Industry-Leading Speeds

I ran dozens of speed tests while connected to ExpressVPN’s servers to find the average VPN speed. I had the fastest speeds while using a local VPN server in Serbia, but my VPN speeds were also great while using distant servers in the US and Australia.

ExpressVPN is so fast because it uses top-of-the-line 10 Gbps (10 Gigabits) servers. Gigabits refers to the amount of bandwidth a server can transmit per second — the more bandwidth a server can handle, the less congestion of data being transferred on it. This allows for the data to transmit even faster. Moreover, Lightway Turbo also creates multiple tunnels to ExpressVPN servers, which makes it even faster.

I started my speed tests without being connected to an ExpressVPN server so that I could get a baseline for my speeds. Next, I used Lightway Turbo to connect to a nearby server in Serbia. As you can see from my results below, my download speed decreased by roughly 20%, while my upload speed only went down by about 10%.

Next, I decided to test my speeds on distant servers — 1 in the US and the other in Australia. With the US server, my download speed was comparable to when I connected to a nearby Serbian server, which is great, but my ping increased drastically, and my upload speed decreased by nearly 50%. Still, I was able to watch videos in HD, 4K loaded instantly, and I played online video games without any lag.

I was less lucky with the Australian server, which not only reduced both my download and upload speed, but also significantly impacted ping. I did notice a slight delay when sites loaded, but my browsing experience wasn’t affected much.

I conducted my speed tests with both OpenVPN and Lightway to see which protocol offers the fastest speeds, and Lightway is no doubt the faster option, especially Lightway Turbo.

Overall, ExpressVPN is one of the fastest VPNs around — during my tests, connection speeds were excellent on both local and distant servers, I was able to stream content on multiple sites in HD quality, I maintained fast speeds for torrenting, and it took only a few seconds for shows and movies to load while connected to distant servers.

ExpressVPN Servers & IP Addresses — Offers an Impressive Server Network

ExpressVPN has servers in 105 countries. This is a really large server network that will enable you to easily find a nearby server no matter where you live.

One thing I really like is that all ExpressVPN servers support P2P traffic, making it easier to find a nearby server to get faster downloads (some VPNs like CyberGhost VPN only allow P2P on dedicated servers and in fewer countries than ExpressVPN).

Most of ExpressVPN’s servers are physical servers (they’re physically located in the country that you connect to and typically provide better speeds), but ExpressVPN also uses virtual servers, which are located in a different country than the one you connect to. I like that ExpressVPN discloses where its virtual servers are actually located — virtual servers are routed through the Netherlands, Brazil, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UK. Note that virtual servers only have one IP address each, so the ShuffleIP feature won’t work on them.

Overall, ExpressVPN has many servers located all around the world, and they all support P2P traffic.

ExpressVPN Streaming Support — Accesses Tons of Local & International Sites

I think ExpressVPN is the best VPN for streaming on the market because it works with 100+ streaming apps, including popular and smaller streaming services. I especially like that ExpressVPN lists all the streaming sites it works with on its site — it’s the fastest and the most convenient way to find out if this VPN works with the platforms you’re interested in.

ExpressVPN is also my favorite Netflix VPN because it consistently works with 10+ Netflix libraries, including the US one. If you want to find out if the VPN works with a specific Netflix library, you can ask ExpressVPN’s live chat agents.

ExpressVPN works with other top streaming platforms, too, like Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+. It’s also compatible with many others, including Crunchyroll, VRV, Max, Fubo, DAZN, RaiPlay, Now TV, ESPN, TVNZ, Antena 3, Channel 4, Sling TV, Apple TV+, and Sky Go.

Overall, ExpressVPN is excellent for streaming — it works with 100+ streaming services (including top sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+).

ExpressVPN Torrenting Support — Allows P2P Traffic on All Servers

ExpressVPN provides excellent torrenting support and is actually our #1 pick for the best VPNs for torrenting in 2025. It allows P2P traffic on servers in 105 countries, which is extremely convenient because some VPNs only allow torrenting on dedicated servers — for example, HMA only allows P2P traffic on servers in 5+ countries, so it’s more difficult to use nearby servers for fast downloads.

I tested ExpressVPN with many popular P2P apps, and it always worked without any problems. I had the fastest speeds while using qBittorrent, but I also enjoyed fast downloads with clients such as Vuze, Deluge, uTorrent, BitTorrent, and Transmission.

ExpressVPN also comes with port forwarding (lets you connect to more peers to get faster downloads), but it’s only available on its router app. That said, its router app is incredibly easy to install and use, so it only took me about 6–7 minutes to configure the app on my router and enable port forwarding — doing that successfully increased P2P speeds on my Windows PC by about 10%.

ExpressVPN provides secure torrenting because it has a kill switch and full leak protection, so you don’t risk experiencing traffic leaks while downloading torrents. I actually ran several torrent IP leak tests on 3 torrent clients to make sure the apps don’t share my real IP address with other peers — the results always displayed ExpressVPN’s IP addresses.

I also recommend using ExpressVPN’s Threat Manager feature while torrenting because it blocks connections to malicious sites, including fake P2P platforms that can infect your device with malware. I tested it by connecting to 5 shady torrenting sites, and Threat Manager blocked my connections to all of them. You should also use its ad blocker to block potentially dangerous ads on torrent sites.

Overall, ExpressVPN is the best P2P VPN out there — all of its servers are P2P-friendly, it works with the most popular P2P apps, it has port forwarding on its router app, and it provides excellent leak protection.

ExpressVPN Gaming Support — Excellent Security, Low Ping & Cloud Gaming Support

ExpressVPN is excellent for gaming — I used it to play online games like Dota 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on Steam and had a smooth experience. First, I used a distant server in the US to download Dota 2 (around 35 GB of data) and it only took approximately 15 minutes, which is very fast. And when I played the game on the same US server, I had average ping (113–119 ms) but didn’t experience any lags, freezes, or random disconnects.

Because ExpressVPN changes your IP address, other online players can’t target you with DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, which force you offline. But here’s what I really like — all of ExpressVPN’s servers include anti-DDoS protection. So even if another gamer tries to target you with a DDoS attack, it will (unsuccessfully) target ExpressVPN’s IP address instead (keeping your actual IP address safe).

ExpressVPN is also one of the few VPNs that provide support for cloud gaming services (platforms that stream video games to portable devices like tablets and smartphones). It works with tons of popular cloud gaming services, including PlayStation Now and GeForce Now. I tested servers in 10+ countries on my GeForce Now account by playing Half-Life 2 and Just Cause 4, and ExpressVPN always successfully reduced my ping and provided me with stable, secure connections.

And I love that ExpressVPN comes with an easy-to-install router app (most VPNs require complicated manual setups on your router) — so it’s really simple to use it on gaming devices that don’t support VPNs, like Xbox and PlayStation consoles. For example, it only took me about 7–8 minutes to set up ExpressVPN on my router so that I can use it to securely play Elden Ring on my PlayStation 4. ExpressVPN also offers users the option to purchase its own router, Aircove, which delivers up to 330 Mbps speeds on v5 and offers all of the benefits of the VPN.

Overall, ExpressVPN is excellent for gaming (and is our #1 pick for the best VPNs for gaming in 2025) — it provides fast gaming speeds on nearby and distant servers, comes with anti-DDoS protection on all servers, works with cloud gaming services, and even has an easy-to-install router app for secure gaming on devices that don’t support VPNs.

ExpressVPN Bypassing Censorship — Works in All Restrictive Countries

ExpressVPN uses obfuscation to hide your VPN traffic and works in restrictive countries like China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia. However, connections in countries like China can be unstable due to the heavily restricted environment, so it’s a good idea to take advantage of ExpressVPN’s 30-day money-back guarantee (for first-time users) to ensure it works for you.

You can contact ExpressVPN’s email support at support@expressvpn.zendesk.com if you’re already in a restrictive country and need help downloading and setting up the VPN there.

I also think it’s great that ExpressVPN has servers all over the world — it allows users in restrictive countries to connect to nearby servers for fast speeds. For example, users in China can connect to servers in Singapore and Japan, and users in Saudi Arabia can use servers in Israel and Cyprus.

ExpressVPN Ease of Use: Mobile & Desktop Apps — Offers Intuitive Interfaces for All Operating Systems

ExpressVPN has apps for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook, Kindle Fire, Smart TVs, Apple TV, and Wi-Fi routers. Installing ExpressVPN is very simple. It took me just 1–2 minutes to download and install ExpressVPN on my Samsung Galaxy, iPhone 16, Windows 11 PC, and MacBook Pro.

Android — Simple to Install + Feature-Rich

ExpressVPN’s Android app is feature-rich and easy to use. I installed it on my Samsung Galaxy without any problems, and I instantly found the design of the app highly intuitive.

The app’s home screen lets you quickly connect to a VPN server using the Smart Location tool or you can choose to connect to your two most recent locations. Tap on Smart Location, and you’ll see a short list of recommended locations and the option to view the full list of servers.

If you tap Options in the bottom-right corner, it will open up the menu. Here, you can enable auto-connect or use split-tunneling. More options are available under Other Settings, where you can enable Network protection (the kill switch) and Shortcuts, disable in-app screenshots, and pick a VPN protocol. On Android, ExpressVPN lets you pick between Lightway and OpenVPN — I recommend sticking with whichever protocol ExpressVPN defaults to, so you can get the best connection speed and security.

Shortcuts is a very convenient feature that allows you to create 1-click shortcuts to your favorite apps (like Netflix or Facebook) that appear on your screen immediately after you connect to ExpressVPN. This way, you don’t have to find the app on your device.

The App Screenshots feature lets you disable in-app screenshots and prevent app content from showing up on the multitasking pane — this way, nobody can compromise information displayed on the ExpressVPN screen by looking at your screen. I also think it’s great that this feature prevents apps with special permissions from seeing certain content on your screen when you use the VPN app, and your sensitive information isn’t viewable in the multitasking pane either.

The Android app also comes with ExpressVPN Keys and Advanced Protection, as well as access to eSIM by holiday.com, which you can find under Upgrades from the main menu.

Overall, ExpressVPN has one of the best Android apps on the market. It’s very user-friendly, has quick and easy connection options, great security features, and fast speeds.

iOS — Includes Many Extras & Easy to Navigate

ExpressVPN’s iOS app is very similar to the Android app. However, the iOS app doesn’t have split-tunneling or the Shortcuts feature — but it does come with the Lightway and IKEv2/IPSec protocols, Advanced Protection, and ExpressVPN Keys.

ExpressVPN’s iOS app also comes with Network Protection, which is really similar to the desktop apps’ Network Lock. It disables your internet connection if the VPN connection drops or fails. I’m really happy to see this because many VPNs don’t include a kill switch on their iOS apps.

Overall, ExpressVPN has a well-designed iOS app. While it lacks split-tunneling (most iOS VPN apps do), it’s still packed with other great security features like a password manager and a kill switch.

Windows/Mac (Desktop) — Secure & User-Friendly Interface

ExpressVPN’s Windows and macOS apps are really good. I installed ExpressVPN’s app on my Windows 11 PC and MacBook Pro. Like with the mobile apps, you can connect to the Smart Location or your most recent servers. If you click on the menu icon, you can view all server locations, access the Options menu, and contact support.

The Options menu is where you’ll find security features (like the kill switch and split-tunneling), protocol options, and advanced settings. While you can customize the VPN to your needs, I really like that ExpressVPN sets all of the important functions to recommended default settings so you don’t have to manually enable or disable them.

ExpressVPN is one of the few VPNs that has split-tunneling for macOS, but it’s only on macOS 10.15 or below (the feature is not yet available on macOS 11.0 or higher). The macOS and Windows apps also come with Advanced Protection. And both apps provide access to the same protocols.

Overall, ExpressVPN has great desktop apps. The Windows and macOS apps are mostly the same, and ExpressVPN even has split-tunneling for macOS 10.15 and below (unlike most of its competitors).

Apple TV — Works With 3 Generations of Apple TV 4K

ExpressVPN works with Apple TVs that use tvOS (and have an App Store), which includes Apple TV HD and all 3 generations of Apple TV 4K.

The app is super easy to install from your Apple TV app store — you can even log into your ExpressVPN account on your Apple TV by scanning the QR code on the login screen with your phone. Or you can use an 8-digit code displayed on your TV instead of scanning a QR code, such as if you’re activating from a computer instead of your phone.

It’s very beginner-friendly. The interface is very simplistic and easy to pick a server location — the Apple TV app divides servers into regions, meaning you won’t have to scroll through its entire list of servers to find the one you need.

It comes with Smart Location, too, a feature that picks the best server for your location for the fastest possible speeds. I think it’s great that the app recommends other nearby and distant locations if you don’t want to connect to the server location in the Smart Location tab, and it lists the recent server locations you connected to for 1-click access to them.

You can also set up Advanced Protection to disable display ads and block trackers so your TV’s apps can’t share data with third parties.

Finally, the Apple TV app uses ExpressVPN’s proprietary Lightway protocol, which is the fastest one on the market, so you’ll get great speeds for streaming your favorite shows and movies on your Apple TV.

Overall, ExpressVPN’s Apple TV app is pretty great. It’s very easy to use, even for VPN beginners, and offers very fast speeds for streaming and even browsing the web on your Apple TV.

Browser Extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Vivaldi) — Secures Browsers & Entire Device

The browser extensions let you remotely control the VPN app installed on your device, so they can encrypt your data. That way, ExpressVPN’s browser extensions secure your device’s entire traffic (not just the browser’s traffic), so they provide better security. This is also in contrast with most competitors whose extensions are simple proxies, which change your IP address but don’t encrypt your traffic.

I think ExpressVPN’s browser extensions are very user-friendly — they share the same design across all browsers, so it’s very easy to switch between the extensions, there’s a quick-connect feature, the interface is simple to navigate, and all settings and features have helpful explanations.

There’s also a feature that prevents HTML5 geolocation from identifying your device’s location (HTML5 geolocation can do that by using GPS data, Wi-Fi networks, and cell tower triangulation). Basically, ExpressVPN’s extensions make your browser geolocation data match the IP address of the VPN server location you’re connected to, so that sites can’t see your real location.

And I also like that ExpressVPN’s extensions allow you to block WebRTC, a browser-related issue that can leak your IP address while you’re connected to a VPN. I ran 10+ WebRTC leak tests while connected to servers in 5 countries, and I never experienced an IP leak.

My only complaint is that you need to install the desktop apps to use the browser extensions, which might be a little inconvenient for some users. But, overall, I think ExpressVPN has some of the best browser extensions out there — they’re secure, easy to use, and feature-rich.

Router App — Offers a Unique Split-Tunneling Tool

ExpressVPN is one of the rare VPNs that come with its own dedicated router app (VyprVPN also has a router app, but it’s less user-friendly than ExpressVPN’s app). ExpressVPN’s router app is available on popular router brands like Netgear, Asus, and Linksys.

Another option is to purchase Aircove or Aircove Go, which are ExpressVPN’s proprietary routers. They come with ExpressVPN installed, have competitive prices, are very easy to set up and use, and provide excellent speeds. ExpressVPN claims that Aircove can support dozens of devices, while Aircove Go is smaller and designed for travel since it has a unique Wi-Fi link feature that lets you connect to the internet from another Wi-Fi network. In addition, the routers’ software has also passed an independent security audit.

Setting up the router app is really simple — it only took me about 8 minutes to complete. All you need to do is:

1. Download ExpressVPN’s router app.
2. Upload the router app to your router.
3. Wait for the router to restart.
4. Configure the app.

I’m also a big fan of how user-friendly ExpressVPN’s router app is — the dashboard is really similar to the mobile and desktop apps (so it’s easy to get used to it), the quick-connect feature is available, and it’s really easy to find and connect to different servers.

I also love the Device Groups feature, which lets you set up a maximum of 6 separate groups for each of your devices — for example, you can create one group for your desktop devices, one group for your mobile devices, and one group for your smart TVs and gaming consoles. On AircoveOS v5, you can also create a guest Wi-Fi group, which is really handy if you want to give temporary access to your Wi-Fi to someone, but don’t want their devices to communicate with other devices on the same network.

You can even create a device group that doesn’t use the VPN and a group that uses MediaStreamer (ExpressVPN’s smart DNS, which is good for streaming). Creating a device group is extremely simple, and you move devices from one group to the other by dragging and dropping them, which is very convenient (note that this option is disabled for security reasons for devices in the Guest Wi-Fi group).

And I also like that ExpressVPN’s router app comes with the Lightway protocol to ensure you get very fast speeds across all devices. When I used the router app, I was able to maintain fast streaming, browsing, and torrenting speeds on my Windows 11 PC, Android and iOS smartphones, laptop, smart TV, and PlayStation 5 on both nearby and distant servers. What’s more, the router app lets you enable port forwarding, so you can speed up torrenting speeds across all your devices.

Overall, ExpressVPN is one of the only VPNs with a router app (and it’s also very simple to install and use). The router app works on tons of router models and provides speeds of up to 330 Mbps on the Lightway TCP protocol.

ExpressVPN Apps: Is ExpressVPN Easy to Use?

All ExpressVPN apps are really easy to use and feature-rich. The apps include most of the same features with only a few exceptions. The iOS app is missing Shortcuts and split-tunneling, the macOS app only supports split-tunneling for version 10.15 and below, and the desktop apps are missing ExpressVPN Keys. The Apple TV app is the only one that’s missing most of the other features you get with the other apps because the tvOS only recently started supporting VPN connections. However, it’s still feature-rich compared to the very few other dedicated Apple TV VPN apps.

Other than that, the apps are nearly identical, and they all work exactly as promised. Plus, I love that ExpressVPN is one of the only VPNs that comes with a router app (which is very user-friendly). Also, the browser extensions are very secure and let you remotely control the desktop apps.

ExpressVPN Customer Support — Provides Multiple Platforms

ExpressVPN offers excellent customer support that’s available via:

• Live chat.
• Email.
• Support center.

Live Chat Support — Friendly, Prompt & Helpful

The live chat is really good. I tested ExpressVPN’s live chat feature several times, both during the week and on the weekend. Each time, I was connected to a support rep in less than 15 seconds who provided me with very helpful information.

Email Support — Detailed & Responsive

ExpressVPN’s email support is very good. I sent 3 emails and received detailed responses in roughly 6–7 hours.

Support Center — Includes Troubleshooting Guides & Tutorials

ExpressVPN offers helpful guides and video tutorials that cover a range of topics, from installing the app and and setting it up on your device to troubleshooting various issues. These guides make it much easier for VPN newbies to get started. I never struggled to navigate the support center, either, with most guides being accessible through a simple search function, which is great!

Additional Tools on the Site — You Get a Password Generator & Leak Tests

ExpressVPN also offers a couple of useful security tools on its site for free, including:

• Random password generator. Lets you create a secure password that can be anywhere from 6 to 50 characters. You can choose whether the password includes numbers, symbols, and lowercase or uppercase letters. The tool always generated a complex and unique password instantly for me. You can even ask it to create multiple passwords at a time, and it automatically copies them to your clipboard. There’s also a great free password generator as part of ExpressVPN Keys, but if you don’t have a password manager and don’t intend to use one, ExpressVPN’s free password generator is a pretty convenient option.
• IP address checker. If you’re not sure that the VPN changed your IP address, ExpressVPN’s “What’s my IP address” tool helps you figure out whether your real IP address is hidden. All you have to do is visit the IP address checker page (the easiest way to access it is to use the in-app shortcut: just click on the 3 horizontal lines > Help & Support > IP Address Checker), and ExpressVPN will automatically tell you what location you appear to be browsing from. In my experience, the IP address checker always provided me with a location that matched the server that I was connected to.
• Leak tests. ExpressVPN allows you to perform WebRTC and DNS leak tests. A DNS leak means that your DNS requests (the websites you visit) are exposed to your ISP, and potentially third parties, while a WebRTC leak basically means your IP address is visible. ExpressVPN’s tool also detects IP traffic leaks, BitTorrent leaks, leaks caused by an unstable connection, and leaks that happen because the VPN can’t connect to the server. The DNS test lists all of the sites that are exposed and who can see them (like my ISP). The WebRTC test tells you whether or not your browser is leaking your IP address.

In general, Express VPN’s extra features and customer support are outstanding. Its support guides are incredibly useful and I particularly appreciate the 24/7 live chat. Email support is also provided, but I like the live chat more due to its speed. The extra security tools available on the website, aimed at enhancing your online privacy and security, are also pretty great.

What ExpressVPN Can Do Better — Raise the Number of Simultaneous Connections

ExpressVPN is undoubtedly the best VPN on the market, but there’s always room for improvement.

I’d really like to see ExpressVPN increase the number of simultaneous connections. It currently allows 8 simultaneous connections, which is enough to cover all of your devices and is within the industry standard range of the 6–10 devices, but other top VPNs like Private Internet Access allow unlimited device connections under 1 subscription. That said, ExpressVPN has a dedicated user-friendly router app that covers every device in your household, which is something Private Internet Access doesn’t offer — you need to configure it manually to your router.

Also, while I appreciate that ExpressVPN’s browser extension encrypts all traffic, there are times when a browser extension that only covers the browser is useful — for example, if you’re on a school or work device that doesn’t let you download VPN apps. It would be pretty neat if ExpressVPN included port forwarding on its desktop apps, too.

Finally, ExpressVPN could improve its ad-blocking capabilities. Although ExpressVPN’s ad blocker is one of the best VPN ad blockers out there, PIA MACE is slightly better because it stops ads from loading at a network level — ExpressVPN’s ad blocker checks ads against a list of known ads. That said, ExpressVPN blocked most ads on ad-heavy sites in my tests. Plus, I don’t like how I have to sideload the Private Internet Access app on Android to be able to use PIA MACE. ExpressVPN includes the ad blocker in the Play Store version, too.

Is ExpressVPN Really the Best VPN in 2025?

ExpressVPN is the best VPN on the market because it has excellent security features, the fastest speeds out there, outstanding streaming, gaming, and torrenting support, and extremely user-friendly apps for all of the most popular devices, including Apple TV.

It has unmatched security features, plus a wide range of additional tools. It keeps user data safe with 256-bit AES encryption, a no-logs policy that has been audited and confirmed, a kill switch, and full leak protection. Its servers only run on RAM, so all data is wiped with every reboot. It also provides access to an ad and adult site blocker, Threat Manager, which blocks trackers and prevents you from accessing malicious websites, and ExpressVPN Keys, which is a basic but secure password manager.

I always had fast speeds while using ExpressVPN — even while I was connected to servers that were far from my location. This allowed me to browse the internet, stream content (in HD quality), and download large files without any issues. In fact, ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol outperformed other popular VPN protocols like OpenVPN and WireGuard in all of my tests.

ExpressVPN is also excellent for streaming, torrenting, and gaming. It works with 100+ streaming apps, allows torrenting on all of its servers in 105 countries, provides stable connections while gaming and support for cloud gaming platforms, and works in restrictive countries.

Overall, ExpressVPN is my #1 VPN in 2025. It’s super secure, blazing fast, and very easy to use. ExpressVPN is more expensive than most top VPNs, but it provides a really good value, and it covers  each first-time purchase with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee. Plus, all of its plans include up to 5 GB of free eSIM data from holiday.com.

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