ExpressVPN Review (2021) Fast & Safe, but does it Justify the price?

ExpressVPN is a popular VPN service that offers fast speeds, strong privacy features, and an easy-to-use interface. The company has over 1 million users worldwide, with many praising the service for its low price point.

The expressvpn review reddit is a Reddit post that discusses the pros and cons of ExpressVPN. It also includes a link to the company’s website.

ExpressVPN promises to be the most dependable ultra-fast VPN on the market, but is the price tag justified? What other features does this VPN service provide? Does it keep track on its customers’ activities?

In this ExpressVPN review, I’ll go through every element of the service and put it to the test to answer the questions above.

I can also assist you in determining the following:

• How quick and secure is ExpressVPN?
• Whether or whether it can really stream Netflix in different places
• If it manages to get past China’s Great Firewall,
• Whether or whether the company’s customer service meets up to the hype
• If it’s compatible with Apple TV and the Kindle Fire,

And pretty much everything else regarding the service is covered as well. Let’s have a look at how ExpressVPN functions.

Quick Overview of ExpressVPN

Many VPN services promise to give the fastest speeds, the most anonymous surfing experience, and the most secure encryption methods, yet the majority of them fall short.

ExpressVPN, on the other hand, exceeds expectations in every way. In more than 90 countries, the business provides quick and safe browsing. When you join up for their service, you also receive one of the most sophisticated degrees of encryption.

Pros and Cons of ExpressVPN

While researching and trying ExpressVPN’s many features, I couldn’t help but enjoy the following aspects of the service.

Pros:

• Simple to use
• The majority of servers have fast speeds.
• Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, and other services are unblocked.
• Data and bandwidth are both unlimited.
• Worked in China, Thailand, and a number of other Asian nations.
• Leak prevention for DNS and IPv6
• Excellent applications for iOS and Android.

There were a couple things, though, that I didn’t care for.

Cons:

• There are no specific streaming profiles.
• Costs a little more than comparable VPNs.

Below, I’ll go through each of these things and more.

Now that you know what to anticipate from ExpressVPN, let’s take a closer look at the service’s different features.

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Location

The British Virgin Islands are home to ExpressVPN’s headquarters (BVI). This exotic location is a great option for a VPN business since it is a British colony with strong privacy regulations safeguarding enterprises based there. Furthermore, since this region has its own courts and legislature, companies operating there are not required to sign any monitoring agreements.

The British Virgin Islands’ court system likewise has no power to compel companies to disclose consumer information. The region, like Switzerland, is known for its data confidentiality. Moreover, despite its historical ties to the United Kingdom, the BVI has no laws that link it to the United Kingdom.

Given these factors, ExpressVPN is located in a privacy-friendly country that is not a member of the Five, Nine, or Fourteen Eyes Alliance.

Who is the owner of ExpressVPN? ExpressVPN International Limited, a company incorporated in a privacy-friendly offshore country, owns the VPN service.

User-Friendliness

ExpressVPN has a straightforward user interface. A large ON/OFF button allows you to join (and detach) from a secure server. When the service is turned on, the red circle surrounding the button becomes green.

You may also view the current place you’re linked to on the screen. Click the ellipsis (three dots) on the right-hand side of the current location to choose another.

There are many methods for determining which sites are the most effective. If you don’t have a lot of time and want to connect to a fast server quickly, you may utilize ExpressVPN’s Smart Location function to let the software choose the optimal server closest to you.

Alternatively, you may explore every location in a particular nation and choose the server you want manually.

Countries with arrows additionally expand to show the best available sites for certain countries. There’s also a search bar at the top that allows you to discover locations by typing the names of nations you want to connect to.

You may also use ExpressVPN to evaluate the speed of its servers depending on your current location. To do so, go to the top left and click the hamburger menu (the three vertical lines), then choose “Speed Test” from the drop-down menu.

Three kinds of statistics are shown in the speed test: speed index, latency, and download speed. If you discover a server that meets your needs, click the star symbol to make it your favorite.

You may also access your preferences from the same hamburger menu. This is basically ExpressVPN’s options panel, where you can choose whether or not you want ExpressVPN to start up automatically.

You may also use this option to activate or deactivate the “Network Lock,” which is another name for a VPN kill switch. Later in the review, I’ll go through this and the other choices available in the preferences menu.

Servers

A good VPN will have servers all around the world. This is how you may obtain a large number of IP addresses. A worldwide network of servers, on the other hand, is only useful if server switching is not restricted. The following is a list of what ExpressVPN offers to offer:

Information about the ExpressVPN server:

• Total number of servers: over 3,000
• Number of locations: 90+
• Selection of a city is permitted.
• Unlimited switching

Some places have a greater number of servers than others. In the United States, for example, ExpressVPN has over 25 servers. Multiple servers are also available in major nations such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Germany, and Italy. You may test a variety of servers for better connection, quicker speeds, and reduced latency if you reside in one of these nations.

Is ExpressVPN available in China? You won’t receive any results if you search for China in the ExpressVPN search box. Because the business maintains servers in Hong Kong, which is close to Mainland China, this is the case. Whether you want to watch a program on iQiyi or access Youku, you’ll be able to do so with ease. Simply connect to a server in Hong Kong!

All servers run in RAM-disk mode, according to TrustedServer Technology.

ExpressVPN is one of the few VPNs that runs all of its servers in “RAM-disk” mode, which means that all of your data is totally erased with every reboot (RAM doesn’t have the capacity to retain data, thus any data from your session is completely destroyed). The TrustedServer functionality is how the business refers to this arrangement.

Because there is no information for hackers to target with TrustedServer, you become less appealing to them.

Every time ExpressVPN is restarted, a new software and operating system are installed, which helps to avoid security flaws. The business is aware of what’s on each server (since everything is fresh). In the event of an attack, ExpressVPN will be alerted and will take quick action.

There are just a few virtual server locations available.

The physical server and the registered IP address are located in the same place for the majority of ExpressVPN’s servers, although virtual servers are available.

The registered IP address of the nation to which you are connected is provided by virtual servers, but the actual servers are not located in that country. Instead, they’ll be in a nation near to the target country.

What is the purpose of ExpressVPN’s virtual servers? Because certain nations lack the necessary network infrastructure to host their servers, this is the case. It also aids the business in providing IP addresses for nations where it is unable to physically deploy servers owing to security concerns. Despite the fact that virtual locations are used by fewer than 3% of its servers, the facility guarantees that you have a stable, secure, and quick connection in many countries.

ExpressVPN’s worldwide network of servers would be a fantastic option if you wanted to utilize the IP address of a distant location like the Isle of Man.

Unlike other VPNs that aren’t open about the actual locations of their virtual servers, the business makes all of its virtual server locations public and explains why they’re used. Visit ExpressVPN’s virtual server location page to learn more about these locations.

Speed Tests on Ookla

For my ExpressVPN speed tests, I’ll utilize Ookla’s speed testing tool. The business is known for having the fastest servers in the VPN industry, and I’m curious to discover whether this is true.

Important: All of the exams will be conducted from my home in Lahore, Pakistan.

First, I’ll establish my baseline speed, which is the speed of my internet connection without the use of a VPN. This is a crucial step since it will show me how a VPN impacts my overall speed. The end result is as follows:

My download speed is about 25.30 Mbps at the moment. Then, using Smart Location, I’ll connect to a nearby server to test how ExpressVPN impacts the speed of my internet connection. Here’s what I came up with:

Given that my baseline speed is approximately 25.30 Mbps, 22.83 Mbps is fantastic – it’s almost as fast as I could get without using a VPN. I’m going to try a couple other servers in the area to see if the speeds are still fast and consistent. Here’s what I received when I dialed into India. :

When I connected to Malaysia using ExpressVPN, these were my download and upload speeds:

ExpressVPN clearly works quickly on neighboring servers.

How does it do on long-distance servers, though? I’ll find out by testing a few servers in the United States and Canada. Because these sites are so far away from where I am, I anticipate substantial slowdowns in download and upload rates.

On a long-distance server in the United States, ExpressVPN performed as follows:

For servers in Canada, the speed was about the same:

Despite the fact that there is a vast distance between my location and ExpressVPN’s US and Canadian servers, the speeds are still fantastic.

Overall, ExpressVPN has fast and dependable servers that work well in most regions. The findings show that it is comparable to other high-end VPN services.

Security and Privacy

In this part, I’ll look at ExpressVPN’s encryption, VPN protocols, logging policy, kill switch, and DNS leaks to see whether it protects its customers’ privacy and security.

Encryption

ExpressVPN encrypts all of its connections with unbreakable encryption, guaranteeing that no one can see what you’re doing online. The kinds of encryptions it employs are as follows:

• AES 256-bit cipher with a 4096-bit RSA key – Ensures that the same key used to encrypt and decode your data is requested.
• SHA-512 HMAC authentication — The receiver and sender of P2P downloads may verify the authenticity of a document using the shared secret key.
• Perfect Forward Secrecy — Ensures that even if hackers get their hands on your encryption key, they won’t be able to decode prior sessions.

Protocols for Virtual Private Networks

In ExpressVPN’s apps, you may select which VPN protocols you wish to utilize. A snapshot of the available protocols in the Mac program is shown below:

The most secure protocol on the list is OpenVPN, which you may use with either UDP or TCP via the VPN. When combined with ExpressVPN’s encryption, you can rest certain that no one can view or fake your personal information.

Other protocols, like as IKEv2 and L2TP – IPsec, are also available, but do not provide the same degree of security as OpenVPN. They are, however, quick and need little restriction of your internet connection. If you’re not concerned about your internet privacy, you may utilize them to improve your Netflix and other streaming service experience.

Policy on Logging

ExpressVPN has this to say regarding logging:

The following is also included in the company’s Privacy Policy:

After carefully reviewing these rules, I am certain that ExpressVPN will not gather your personal information. PricewaterhouseCoopers audited the business, confirming its no-logs policy, TrustedServer function, and compliance with all privacy regulations.

The date of the VPN connection, the quantity of data transmitted, and the server utilized are the only pieces of information it gathers. These data, on the other hand, are unrelated to your identity and are only used for diagnostic purposes.

Turn Off the Lights (Network Lock)

The Network Lock is the name of ExpressVPN’s kill switch. When your VPN connection breaks, this function protects your data by blocking incoming and outgoing traffic. Here’s a snapshot of ExpressVPN’s Mac app’s Network Lock feature:

Kill switches are available for macOS, Windows, Linux, and routers at the moment.

I used both a Mac and a Windows computer to test the functionality. When I manually terminated the VPN subscription, ExpressVPN blocked all traffic. Make sure to enable the Network Lock option in the VPN’s settings if you want to keep your data and actual IP address safe at all times.

DNS Leakage Check

Despite the fact that a VPN utilizes an encrypted tunnel to transmit your personal data, there remains a danger of data leakage. This is known as a DNS leak, and it enables your ISP to see what you’re doing online. By eliminating DNS leakage, a good VPN may provide you with anonymity.

To find any issues or leaks, I performed DNS leak tests on ExpressVPN’s Mac, Windows, Chrome, and iOS applications. I utilized ipleak.net as my primary testing website. ExpressVPN had no DNS leaks or security problems, as I had anticipated.

ExpressVPN protects my IP address by assigning me an IPv4 address, as seen in the picture above. IPv6, which is a request from my ISP to the device that assigned me an IP address, is likewise blocked. This implies that my ISP is unable to know my true location or IP address since a request has been banned. This simply serves to prove that ExpressVPN’s DNS leak prevention and other security measures work as advertised.

Overall, ExpressVPN is a fantastic option if you’re looking for a highly secure VPN service with DNS protection and sophisticated encryption capabilities.

Tunneling in Two Parts

Split tunneling allows you to choose which applications transmit traffic via the encrypted VPN tunnel and which apps may use the regular unencrypted connection instead.

This option may be found in ExpressVPN’s Preferences section. Split tunneling is disabled by default. The functionality will be activated on your system once you tick the checkbox for it.

ExpressVPN will provide you with three choices after you’ve enabled it:

You may delete or add particular applications to the VPN by selecting the second or third option. Any applications you delete will no longer be protected by the VPN’s encryption, so proceed with caution.

When utilizing ExpressVPN on a router, I anticipate most users to utilize split tunneling, which allows you to select which devices and/or applications to bypass the VPN connection.

Streaming Media (Netflix, BBC iPlayer, etc.)

ExpressVPN is a great option if you want to unblock Netflix in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Canada, and other countries. It’s one of the few providers that still allows you to watch Netflix. In reality, most streaming services, including BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Sky TV, and others, will let you to circumvent some of the strongest firewalls with an ExpressVPN membership.

I tested the US Netflix library across several of ExpressVPN’s US servers for my ExpressVPN review, and I was able to watch material in HD on each one.

I also tried ExpressVPN in a few additional Netflix regions to check whether the VPN really unblocks content libraries in other locales. It came as a nice surprise to discover that it works around most geoblocks.

I was able to view the following Netflix Japan content:

In addition to India:

If you receive a Netflix proxy issue when connecting to one of ExpressVPN’s servers, just contact the company’s live chat support staff, and they’ll inform you which locations work with Netflix right now.

A Four-Step Guide to Using a VPN for Netflix

• Make an account with Netflix.
• From your service provider’s website, download the VPN app (like from Expressvpn.com).
• Connect to a virtual private network (VPN) server. Choose a server that is located in the same country as the Netflix library you wish to access, such as an Australian server for Netflix Australia.
• Sign in to Netflix, search for your favorite TV show or film, then hit the play button.

ExpressVPN also works with BBC iPlayer.

After Netflix, I tried ExpressVPN on BBC iPlayer, which is only available in the United Kingdom. Despite the fact that the site is notorious for imposing tight geoblocks on VPN servers, ExpressVPN’s UK servers enabled me to watch its content without any limitations. In fact, I was able to save several BBC iPlayer shows to view later on my PC.

I was able to unlock several more region-blocked streaming services in addition to Netflix and BBC iPlayer, including:

• Sky Go
• Amazon Video (Amazon Prime Video)
• Disney+
• Hulu
• DAZN
• CBC
• HBO
• ESPN
• ITV Hub
• Sling
• Crunchyroll
• And there are many more!

You can view video in HD without lagging, buffering, or blurry pictures as long as you’re connected to the appropriate server (contact ExpressVPN’s support staff to find out which servers work best with a certain streaming platform).

ExpressVPN is also capable to unblocking prohibited websites like as Facebook, YouTube, Baidu, Google, and others. The program easily overcomes local geo-restrictions, allowing you to access these websites without difficulty.

Finally, ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs for Kodi in terms of streaming. You can connect virtually any Kodi device to its servers using its applications for Fire TV, Android TV, and Linux.

Apps are a kind of software (iOS, Android, Linux, etc.)

ExpressVPN has applications for almost all devices. It may be installed on the following systems:

• iOS
• Android
• Kindle Fire (Amazon)
• Amazon Fire TV is a streaming media player from Amazon.
• Linux
• Roku
• Xbox One
• PlayStation 4 is a game console that was released in
• As well as a variety of other gadgets

Although most VPN services restrict the functionality available on non-desktop devices (such as iOS and Android smartphones), ExpressVPN strives to deliver a consistent experience regardless of the platform. For example, its iOS and Android applications have a fully functioning OpenVPN, TrustedServer Technology, and AES-256 encryption. They also allow you to connect to the VPN automatically when you connect to a WiFi network.

Here’s an example of the ExpressVPN iOS app:

The main disadvantage of these applications is that you can’t evaluate ExpressVPN’s speed with them. On mobile or streaming devices, you can’t connect to servers to test download speed and latency. On iOS and Android devices, however, you can still verify the IP address and run a DNS leak test.

If you often use non-desktop applications, ExpressVPN has you covered with dependable apps for its service. If you want to use ExpressVPN on a rooted or limited version of Android that doesn’t have access to the Google Play store, you can simply locate an APK for it.

Extensions for the web browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox)

For Chrome and Firefox, ExpressVPN has dedicated browser extensions. They all have the ability to change server locations straight from the browser. You may also tell the extension to join as soon as your browser is launched, which is helpful if you forget to turn on the VPN.

The addon for Chrome looks like this:

You also receive WebRTC leak prevention and the option to conceal your HTML geo-location (the actual location of your computer). If you’re viewing a banned website in a foreign nation, it’s critical to keep your actual location hidden.

Additionally, the Chrome ExpressVPN extension has HTTPS Everywhere, which links you to a secure version of a website automatically.

A Five-Step Guide to Obtaining the ExpressVPN Extension

1. Launch the ExpressVPN desktop application.
2. At the upper left, choose the hamburger menu (three vertical lines).
3. Select “Preferences” and then “Browsers” from the drop-down menu.
4. Select “Get Browser Extension” from the drop-down menu.
5. Click “Get Extension” on ExpressVPN’s website.

App for a Dedicated VPN Router

ExpressVPN is one of the few VPN providers that provides a router-specific app. If you install it on your router (if it’s suitable), you’ll be able to secure any device in your house. Tablets, cellphones, gaming consoles, and Smart TVs are all included. Every connected device will get all of the VPN service’s advantages, including a new IP address, encrypted traffic, and location anonymity.

You may use the ExpressVPN router app on one of the supported router types to install ExpressVPN on your router. To check which router manufacturers and models support the specialized app, go to ExpressVPN’s website.

Another alternative is to set up ExpressVPN on your router manually. If this is your first time, I suggest using the first way to set up the VPN service.

I was relieved to learn that once ExpressVPN is installed on your router, there is no restriction to the amount of connections you may make. This is because the router will only be used for one connection, but it will provide full VPN access to any device that connects to it.

Customer Service (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is quick and dependable)

The primary help route for ExpressVPN is live chat, which I used a few times while evaluating the service. I found the support staff to be educated, courteous, and helpful in the majority of my chat conversations. They also collected my email information so that if the chat goes down, they may give me replies through email.

If you don’t want to talk with a support representative, you may use ExpressVPN’s troubleshooting instructions. There are also video tutorials available to help you with the different elements of device setup.

Because I’m utilizing a premium VPN service, I had high expectations for customer support, which ExpressVPN more than met. Both the live chat and the guides impressed me. If you have any problems with their app or service, contact their support staff for assistance.

ExpressVPN supports English, Spanish, German, French, Dutch, Italian, and Portuguese at the moment.

Costing (1-month, 6-month, and 12-month plan)

ExpressVPN’s price is straightforward.

If you choose the monthly plan, you will be charged $12.95 each month. The six-month plan lowers the price to $9.99 per month in exchange for a one-time payment of $59.95 (9.99 6) in advance.

The most money may be saved by signing up for ExpressVPN’s yearly subscription, which costs $6.67 per month. This offers three free months and needs a $99.95 upfront payment followed by the same amount every 12 months.

The following table highlights the specifics of each plan as well as the possible savings:

As you can see, the subscription with the longest duration saves the most money.

All major debit and credit cards (including Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express), PayPal, AliPay, and a variety of other payment options are accepted by ExpressVPN. You can also pay using Bitcoins, which is a fantastic method to keep your online identity safe.

I’d also want to point out that if you sign up for ExpressVPN and recommend a friend, you’ll receive a free month. This option also has no limitations, so you may bring as many friends as you like to get extra free months.

Most Commonly Asked Questions

Before I offer my final judgment, let me address some of the most often asked ExpressVPN questions:

Is ExpressVPN available in China?

Yes, it does. You’ll be able to easily circumvent the Great Firewall after connecting to one of ExpressVPN’s Hong Kong servers. While the Chinese government blocks most VPNs, ExpressVPN employs an obfuscation technique to mask VPN traffic so that it seems to be a regular connection. Use ExpressVPN to access Chinese websites and content from outside of China, including Facebook, Google, and YouTube.

Before you go to China, ensure sure you have ExpressVPN installed. It will be banned if you try to install it while you are there.

Is ExpressVPN suitable for torrenting?

Certainly. Torrenting and peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing are allowed without any traffic or bandwidth restrictions with ExpressVPN. It works with BitTorrent, uTorrent, and a variety of other torrenting programs. Because the business is located in a privacy-friendly country that isn’t susceptible to copyright violations or DCMA demands, anonymity is assured. Furthermore, ExpressVPN’s unique DNS protection guarantees that no one can track your online activity. These capabilities, when combined with fast speeds, make ExpressVPN an excellent choice for torrenting and P2P downloads.

Is ExpressVPN compatible with Apple TV?

ExpressVPN is one of the few VPN providers that works with Apple TV without a hitch. Its app is compatible with Apple TV 4K, as well as Apple TV 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st generation Apple TVs. Chromecast and Roku devices, as well as Samsung Smart TV and Amazon Fire TV, are all supported. All of this combines to make ExpressVPN a true all-rounder in terms of device compatibility.

Is it possible to use ExpressVPN on several devices?

Each of ExpressVPN’s plans presently allows for five simultaneous connections. This is an improvement above the prior limit of three. You can have an infinite number of connections if you set up ExpressVPN on a router, as I previously stated. This is because the VPN will see the router as a single device, and all subsequent connections will be routed via it. 

Is there a Free Trial for ExpressVPN?

It doesn’t, but you’ll be relieved to learn that every ExpressVPN subscription plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means you may utilize the premium services for a month and then request a refund without having to explain yourself. The no-commitment approach of ExpressVPN’s money-back guarantee is what sets it apart from the competition. To understand more, read about my experience with ExpressVPN’s return policy.

My Verdict on ExpressVPN

After trying out all of ExpressVPN’s features, do you think it’s worth the money?

In a nutshell, yes. ExpressVPN provides exceptional security, great streaming support, and dependable customer service.

While some services may provide faster speeds on certain servers or a unique feature, ExpressVPN does a good job of doing a little bit of everything.

The disadvantages are also few and far between. The only thing lacking are dedicated streaming profiles, which shouldn’t be a problem given that the majority of ExpressVPN’s servers are compatible with streaming services.

To sum up, I believe ExpressVPN provides excellent value for money. In fact, at these rates, you may have a hard time finding a better all-around VPN. As a result, I’d feel safe suggesting it to anybody, from newcomers to seasoned VPN users. Why not give it a go and see if you get the same results?

Now you can get ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN is a VPN service that offers fast and safe connections. It also offers the ability to connect up to three devices simultaneously, but does it justify the price? Reference: expressvpn download.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ExpressVPN good 2021?

ExpressVPN is the best VPN service in the world. I recommend it to everyone!

Is ExpressVPN the fastest?

ExpressVPN is not the fastest VPN service.

What is the fastest server on ExpressVPN?

The fastest server on ExpressVPN is their Singapore server.

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