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  1. Home
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NordVPN vs ExpressVPN

Which VPN Is Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Security
      IP And DNS LeaksKill Switch RobustnessMan-In-The-Middle Attacks
    Privacy
      Privacy PolicyCompany PracticesRegistration
    Performance
      Download SpeedUpload SpeedLatency
    Features
      DownloadsPlatform SupportProtocolsSimultaneous DevicesDestinationsSplit TunnelingHeadless Setup
    Comments

Products

NordVPN
ExpressVPN

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated May 13, 2026 05:42 PM

SEE PRICE
NordVPN

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated Jan 22, 2026 05:00 PM

SEE PRICE
ExpressVPN
NordVPN Picture

Track

ExpressVPN Picture

Track

Email Required
Yes
Torrent (P2P)
Yes
Data Limit
N/A
Email Required
Yes
Torrent (P2P)
Yes
Data Limit
N/A

Our Verdict

NordVPN

ExpressVPN

NordVPN and ExpressVPN are two very large VPN providers. Both have excellent security and keep your IP address inside the encypted tunnel at all times, but both VPNs have poor privacy policies and business practices that aren't transparent enough or ethically muddy. Neither supports the WireGuard protocol but has its own proprietary protocols, Lightway and NordLynx for ExpressVPN and NordVPN, respectively. Also, NordVPN has a higher maximum number of connected devices, 10, compared to Express's 8.

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0 

Variants

  • NordVPN (Basic)
  • NordVPN (Complete)
  • ExpressVPN (W/ Dedicated IP)

Review

See NordVPN Review
See ExpressVPN Review
5 
1 

Check Price

Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
W/ Dedicated IP
ExpressVPN
SEE PRICE
ExpressVPN
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 

Main Differences for
Torrent

Threshold 

0.10

Torrent 
 

7.8
8.5

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

2.0
8.0

Full Comparison

Security

IP And DNS Leaks 
 

9.0
9.0

IPLEAK.net Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot

Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

No
No

In-Browser IP 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

In-Browser DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System Traffic 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

2.0
8.0

Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

Yes
No

During VPN Software Crash 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During Loss Of Internet 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During System Reboot 
 

Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks 
 

8.5
8.5

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot

TLS Interruption Risk 
 

No Evidence
No Evidence

Proper BGP Implementation 
 

No
No
Privacy

Privacy Policy 
 

3.0
4.9

Privacy Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Privacy Picture
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Privacy Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Investigation Notes

No-Log Policy 
 

0
0

Privacy Policy Audit 
 

4.5
9.5

Legal & Security Events 
 

8.0
10

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-15
2025-OCT-29

Company Practices 
 

5.0
3.8

Company Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Company Picture
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Company Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Investigation Notes

Parent & Affiliate Companies 
 

6.4
3.6

Marketing Claims & Practices 
 

8.2
2.8

Communication Transparency 
 

3.2
6.2

Security Audits 
 

5.0
8.0

Privacy By Default 
 

7.0
10

Terms Of Service 
 

1.0
0

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-16
2025-OCT-28

Registration 
 

6.1
6.1

Payment Options 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Payment Options
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Payment Options

Email Required 
 

Yes
Yes

Password Required 
 

Yes
Yes

Cryptocurrency 
 

Yes
Yes

Cash 
 

No
No
Performance

Download Speed 
 

7.6
7.7

Without VPN 
 

1,057 Mbps
1,162 Mbps

With VPN 
 

233 Mbps
260 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-823.9 Mbps
-901.7 Mbps

Download Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Download Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
ExpressVPN Download Speed Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Upload Speed 
 

7.7
7.7

Upload Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Upload Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
ExpressVPN Upload Speed Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Without VPN 
 

1,016 Mbps
955 Mbps

With VPN 
 

274 Mbps
281 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-742.0 Mbps
-674.5 Mbps

Latency 
 

5.5
5.5

Download Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Download Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
ExpressVPN Download Latency Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Upload Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Upload Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
ExpressVPN Upload Latency Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Download Latency Without VPN 
 

149 ms
144 ms

Download Latency With VPN 
 

343 ms
341 ms

Download Latency Difference 
 

194 ms
197 ms

Upload Latency Without VPN 
 

153 ms
145 ms

Upload Latency With VPN 
 

476 ms
481 ms

Upload Latency Difference 
 

323 ms
336 ms

Combined Latency Consistency 
 

±56 ms
±57 ms
Features

Downloads 
 

9.5
9.5

Torrent Test Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Torrent Test Picture
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Torrent Test Picture

Torrent (P2P) 
 

Yes
Yes

Data Limit 
 

N/A
N/A

Platform Support 
 

9.3
9.3

Windows 
 

Yes
Yes

macOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Linux 
 

Yes
Yes

Protocols 
 

Protocol Results Table 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Protocol Results Table
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Protocol Results Table

WireGuard 
 

No
No

OpenVPN Over UDP 
 

Yes
Yes

OpenVPN Over TCP 
 

Yes
Yes

IPSec With L2TP 
 

No
No

IPSec With IKEv2 
 

Yes
Yes

Proprietary Protocol(s) 
 

NordLynx
Lightway

Simultaneous Devices 
 

9.1
8.1

Tested Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
8

Simultaneous Locations 
 

Yes
Yes

Advertised Max Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
8

Destinations 
 

8.6
9.4

VPN Destination Selection Example 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Destination Selection Example
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN VPN Destination Selection Example

Countries 
 

118
107

Countries With Multiple Cities 
 

9
11

Server Choice 
 

No
Yes

Split Tunneling 
 

8.0
8.5

VPN Disabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot

VPN Enabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot

Disabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Enabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Splitting Based On Address 
 

No
No

Ping Local Address - Same Subnet 
 

Yes
Yes

Ping Local Address - Different Subnet 
 

No
Yes

Headless Setup 
 

7.0
7.0

Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot

Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
ExpressVPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot

Headless WireGuard Connection 
 

No
No

Headless OpenVPN Connection 
 

Yes
Yes

Check Price

Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
W/ Dedicated IP
ExpressVPN
SEE PRICE
ExpressVPN
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Back to Top

NordVPN

ExpressVPN

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: Main Discussion

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