ExpressVPN vs. NordVPN

ExpressVPN and NordVPN are probably the most known names in the VPN industry. The battle between the providers kind of reminds CocaCola and Pepsi rivalry and that is actually good. Why? Because by competing, these two excellent services have to constantly update their features, pricing and that is good for us – users, who are looking for the best VPN service. In this article, we’ll compare both ExpressVPN and NordVPN to see which provider is the best in each case.

If you are already familiar with our VPN service testing methodology, the comparison should be super clear. If not, here’s a quick intro of how the ExpressVPN vs NordVPN comparison was made and which criteria we paid attention to:

Features
Jurisdiction
Speed & connection stability
Torrenting
Streaming
Customer support
Pricing, payment options & refund policies

Enough of the talks, let’s move to our ExpressVPN vs NordVPN comparison.

Features

Both of the providers offer some great and unique features for their clients. Even if you are an amateur VPN user, you’ll definitely find something useful.

One of the greatest ExpressVPN features is TrustedServer technology. This means that all of the servers that ExpressVPN owns are RAM-based, so no user data is saved into hard drives. That minimizes the risks of data breaches and hacks. All the essential privacy protections were approved by the PwC audit in 2019 July.

Another thing that ExpressVPN should be proud of is the VPN split tunneling. This feature lets you route some of your device or app traffic through the encrypted VPN tunnel while other devices or apps access the internet directly.

Speaking about NordVPN, the service also has quite a few nice things to offer.

First of all, NordVPN is only one of a few VPN providers that offer a “Double VPN” feature. With this feature, your online activity hides behind two servers instead of one, which is known as VPN server chaining. This makes it twice as hard for hackers to decipher data or internet traffic.

Another great feature that NordVPN has is Onion over the VPN feature. In theory, Onion gives you anonymity, but NordVPN delivers security. Of course, you will notice a decrease in internet connection speeds, but this is a great feature for a very privacy concerned user.

Speaking about the results in features, we can’t pick out only one provider. ExpressVPN and NordVPN are doing a great job developing their features, so this time it is a tie.

ExpressVPN 1:1 NordVPN

Jurisdiction

Before purchasing any kind of cyber-security service, it is super important to find out where is it based and who stands behind it. We wrote an in-depth guide to 5/9/14-Eyes Surveillance Alliances, so we recommend taking a look before reading further.

There is nothing much to investigate here: both NordVPN and ExpressVPN are based outside the 14-Eyes Surveillance Alliance jurisdiction. NordVPN is headquartered in Panama, while ExpressVPN says their HQ is in The British Virgin Islands. Both countries have no data retention laws, so VPN providers that are based there can at least declare their no-logging policies.

ExpressVPN 2:2 NordVPN

Speed and connection stability

As we have our own speed testing methodology, it was pretty easy to get the results of which VPN provider is faster.

Below, you will find our speed-test results.

In our speed test, we gave a point for each won category in each server: ms, download/upload speeds. Surprisingly, there was an actual tie here as well as both of the competitors won six times.

During our tests, we did not face any kind of connection interruptions. No complaints regarding the performance and speeds!

After the third round, the results are still tied.

ExpressVPN 3:3 NordVPN

Torrenting

Of course, NordVPN and ExpressVPN do support and allow torrenting, however, we think that NordVPN is a little bit better option when it comes to torrenting.

Both providers had a really decent download speed, but we prefer NordVPN because of a few simple features:

1) Double VPN feature. As we already mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Double VPN feature hides your internet activity behind two servers instead of one. That makes torrenting twice safer than with a standard VPN connection. Of course, you will notice a slight speed decrease, but it will still be enough to download files without waiting for hours.

2) Improved speeds. If we were testing these two providers a few months ago, ExpressVPN would’ve definitely taken the winner trophy. However, NordVPN really stepped up regarding the connection speeds and it truly is a great option for torrenting.

Winner: NordVPN

ExpressVPN 3:4 NordVPN

Streaming

We all pay the same price for the Netflix streaming service. However, the libraries in each region/country might be different, so people are looking for ways on how to access American Netflix while not being in the US. Although many VPN providers claim to unblock various streaming services, NordVPN & ExpressVPN are the best options for that.

Both VPN providers manage to unblock all the major streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, HBO or Disney+. So again, we give a point to both VPN providers.

ExpressVPN 4:5 NordVPN

Customer Support

In today’s competitive VPN market, it is important to have a very good, qualified and responsive customer support department besides the service itself.

Speaking about NordVPN’s customer service, we were surprised. They always reply within a few seconds if you contact them via live chat (yes, it takes only a few seconds until you are connected to a real person, not a bot!). This is very important for those who may run into an issue and need help immediately. You don’t have to wait for decades until the working hours start, as is the case with other VPNs. It is also important to mention that NordVPN provides customer support not only in English but in German and French languages as well. It just shows how much they care about their current and potential users.

During testing weeks for ExpressVPN, We’ve contacted their support team multiple times using both live chat and email. ExpressVPN support team was also responsive and we didn’t have to wait more than 15 seconds each time.

Despite the fact that NordVPN and ExpressVPN have great and qualified customer support, we decided to give the point to both. The response time was great, payments were successfully processed and we did not have any issues.

ExpressVPN 5:6 NordVPN

Pricing, payment options & refund policies

How much could such a good service as ExpressVPN or NordVPN possibly cost? Luckily enough, you won’t have to spend tons of money with these providers. Well, at least if you go with NordVPN.

NordVPN features several plans. All of them will provide you with the same features, so you can choose anyone you want. With that said, there is a difference between them, as long-term plans come with pretty significant discounts.

NordVPN’s monthly plan is available for $11.95. But, if you go for a 1-year plan, you will only pay $83.88 for 12 months, instead of paying $143.4. This would be the price if you choose to pay one month at a time. That is a 41% discount in total.,

There is also a 2-year plan, which brings an even bigger discount, where you pay only $119.76 for two years. Instead of $286.80, which you would pay in total by purchasing only monthly plans. That is a 58% discount and an equivalent to paying $4.99 per month.

However, that is not the best that NordVPN has to offer. The best plan that currently is available is 3-year plan, where you pay $125.64 for three years. That is a 70% discount, which would cost you $3.49 on a monthly basis.

The company allows you to pay with credit cards, local payment providers (such as Sofort in Germany) and cryptocurrencies (BTC, TRX, ETH). They also offer a 30-day no question money-back guarantee.

ExpressVPN always resonates with premium pricing and that is actually true. It’s one of the most expensive VPNs we’ve tested. 

The cheapest deal you can get (and most popular offer) is 6.67 USD per month.

There are no pricing plans for longer periods of time like NordVPN which has a 3 – year plan. But having in mind that ExpressVPN provides military-grade protection, doesn’t discourage you from torrenting or file sharing – it’s a fair price to pay.

ExpressVPN, as well as NordVPN, offer the same payment methods and the same 30-day money-back guarantee.

So to conclude, we honestly believe that ExpressVPN and NordVPN are the same tier VPN providers. In terms of pricing, NordVPN is more affordable, but ExpressVPN is definitely worth the price. We do think that both NordVPN and ExpressVPN are great and reliable VPN services, but the overall quality for the price you get comes up with NordVPN.

Final result
ExpressVPN 5:7 NordVPN