In this video, we pit ExpressVPN vs NordVPN to see which of the two biggest VPN providers on the market is worth your money, and which areas each provider is best in.
We test all the VPNs we review independently and publish our findings on the TechRadar website.
We test all the VPNs we review independently and publish our findings on the TechRadar website.
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TechTranscript
00:00 If you've already researched the best VPNs around,
00:02 then there are two names
00:03 that will probably stand out to you,
00:05 ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
00:07 These two giants have been on the leading edge of VPNs
00:10 for several years now,
00:11 but it can be difficult to cut through
00:13 all the contradictory advice online
00:15 and come to a conclusion about which is best for you.
00:17 Here, we'll compare them head to head in all the key areas,
00:20 drawing on our own hands-on reviews
00:22 and long-term use of both providers.
00:25 And when you've made up your mind,
00:26 just use the links in the description
00:28 to get the best price and some TechRadar exclusive deals.
00:32 To start, let's take a look
00:34 at how these two match up on paper.
00:36 Express is based in the British Virgin Isles
00:41 and has over 3,000 servers in 94 countries,
00:44 a fully audited privacy policy,
00:46 supports P2P on every server,
00:49 offers 24/7 live chat support,
00:52 and can be used on five devices per plan.
00:54 NordVPN is based in Panama,
00:56 has over 5,500 servers in 60 countries,
01:00 is also fully audited,
01:01 supports P2P on selected servers,
01:04 offers 24/7 live chat support,
01:05 and can be used on six devices per plan.
01:08 So the two providers are pretty evenly matched on paper.
01:11 Nord has more servers,
01:12 but ExpressVPN's 3,000 is plenty,
01:15 and its wider spread means it may be more appealing
01:18 if you're outside of the US or Europe.
01:20 But how do the two compare in practice?
01:23 Privacy is one area that no VPN user should skimp on,
01:26 and Express and Nord both boast
01:28 impressive privacy credentials.
01:30 Both are built upon AES-256 encryption.
01:33 Both have apps certified by the IOXT Alliance,
01:37 and both offer perfect forward security,
01:39 meaning that even if one session is compromised,
01:41 your next will be protected again
01:43 through the use of a different key.
01:45 Both providers also claim to block DNS leaks,
01:48 and our test backed this up.
01:49 However, ExpressVPN runs its own
01:52 zero-knowledge, 256-bit encrypted DNS on all servers.
01:56 Keeping that sort of work under its own roof
01:58 is a good sign.
01:59 Nord offers a couple of extra features
02:01 that Express doesn't,
02:02 namely its Onion over VPN and double VPN connection modes.
02:06 Relatively few users are likely to benefit from these,
02:09 but having them as an option is excellent.
02:11 Both providers have had their controversial moments.
02:14 Express was recently acquired by Cape Technologies,
02:17 which has somewhat of a checkered past.
02:20 However, at TechRadar, we're confident
02:22 that Express's commitment to user privacy
02:24 hasn't been compromised.
02:25 In 2018, NordVPN had a data breach
02:29 at a single Finnish server.
02:30 No users were affected,
02:32 but Nord's handling of the issue wasn't exactly stellar.
02:35 It took over a year to disclose that information.
02:38 Overall, Express and Nord are two of the most secure
02:41 private VPNs on the market,
02:42 and honestly, a neck and neck here.
02:44 If you think you'd get the use out of them,
02:46 Nord's niche features could sway your decision,
02:48 but for most, the choice will be made elsewhere.
02:51 Tying into privacy is the logging status
02:54 of ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
02:56 Both providers have well-written
02:58 comprehensive logging policies,
02:59 and in them, they state that neither VPN
03:02 collects any information that could tie back to you
03:04 and your activity.
03:06 Nord and Express both have had their logging policies
03:09 verified through an independent audit.
03:11 Thanks to this, we're confident in saying
03:13 that neither Express nor Nord will ever log your activity.
03:18 A VPN's connection speeds are hugely important,
03:21 and a large part of our testing program
03:23 involves speed testing VPNs in a range of environments.
03:26 On our gigabit line, both Nord and Express
03:29 proved to be very fast VPNs.
03:31 When using its lightweight protocol,
03:33 Express delivered a peak of 630 megabits per second.
03:36 The slowest we saw over our tests
03:38 was 270 megabits per second using OpenVPN.
03:41 NordVPN delivered a slightly higher peak
03:44 of 760 megabits per second.
03:46 When using the WireGuard-based NordLynx protocol.
03:49 However, it dipped lower than Express
03:51 to 220 megabits per second when using OpenVPN.
03:55 Results from an ultra-fast line
03:56 aren't exactly reflective of day-to-day use though.
03:59 So we also tested both services on an average line
04:02 that delivered 62 megabits per second.
04:05 In this test, Nord maxed out at 56 megabits per second
04:08 and Express, 52.
04:10 So then NordVPN is able to reach
04:13 marginally higher maximum speeds in ideal situations.
04:16 But in real life, there's very little separating the two.
04:19 If you think you'll be using OpenVPN regularly,
04:22 then we think Express is probably the way to go.
04:24 Unblocking streaming sites is now a core part
04:28 of using a VPN and both Nord and Express
04:30 are confident in their claims.
04:32 Since we started testing VPNs years ago,
04:35 Express has continuously been a front runner.
04:37 It's able to unlock Prime Video, Disney+
04:40 and Netflix libraries from across the US, UK, Canada,
04:43 Australia, and others, as well as regional sites
04:46 like the BBC iPlayer, ESPN, Crave, and Kayo.
04:50 We currently rate ExpressVPN as both the best Netflix VPN
04:54 and the best streaming VPN.
04:55 And in the rare instances that we've had issues,
04:58 ExpressVPN support team has gotten us up and running again
05:01 without any hassle.
05:02 That's not to say that Nord's not a good alternative though.
05:05 At the time of filming,
05:06 it's able to unblock a ton of Netflix libraries
05:09 and other geo-block sites,
05:11 but in the past we've seen some fluctuations
05:13 in its performance.
05:14 Overall, both Express and Nord
05:16 are two of the best VPNs for streaming,
05:18 but Express just takes this one
05:20 thanks to its historic reliability
05:22 and excellent support team.
05:23 VPNs and torrenting go hand in hand.
05:27 So making sure your chosen provider
05:29 is up to the job is essential.
05:31 ExpressVPN doesn't boast about torrenting on its website.
05:34 In fact, it barely mentions it at all.
05:36 But if you dig into the details,
05:38 you'll find that it supports P2P
05:40 on every one of its 3000 servers.
05:43 Combined with its effective kill switch,
05:45 split tunneling on most apps and great speeds,
05:47 it's the perfect VPN for torrenting.
05:50 Nord isn't quite as simple.
05:51 To torrent with it,
05:52 you'll have to select a dedicated P2P server
05:55 from a smaller list.
05:56 However, with its kill switch and SOC 5 proxy,
05:59 it's still a great choice,
06:01 but it only supports split tunneling on Windows
06:03 and Android, not Mac.
06:05 In practice, both Express and Nord
06:08 are excellent options for P2P,
06:10 but Express is the better choice
06:12 if torrenting is the main reason you're getting a VPN.
06:14 Express is available on a huge range of devices.
06:24 And no matter what you wanna get protected on,
06:26 it has an app or setup guide ready and waiting.
06:28 The apps are also super simple to get up and running,
06:31 and the interface is almost identical,
06:33 no matter what platform you're using.
06:35 Once you've used one, you've used them all.
06:38 Nord also has a good range of apps for most common devices,
06:41 but not quite as many as Express.
06:44 Most notably, routers.
06:45 Nord requires manual setup on routers,
06:48 while Express has a dedicated app
06:50 that makes installation much easier.
06:52 It's also worth noting
06:53 that we found the Express VPN app layout
06:55 much easier to use in a hurry, especially on mobile.
06:59 While Nord's map is attractive on desktop,
07:01 on smaller devices, it can be a little troublesome.
07:04 And finally, Nord's interface on some devices,
07:06 like the Amazon Fire Stick, is totally different,
07:09 and can take some time to get used to.
07:11 Express and Nord have some of the best apps on the market,
07:14 and both cover an excellent range of devices.
07:17 However, Express noses ahead with its simpler design
07:20 and wider compatibility.
07:22 Whether you're a newbie or a VPN veteran,
07:24 quality support is essential in case something goes awry.
07:28 Since we began reviewing VPNs,
07:30 we've considered Express's support
07:31 to be quite simply the best.
07:33 The articles are well-written
07:34 in clear, understandable language,
07:36 and there are troubleshooting pages and setup guides
07:39 for just about every circumstance.
07:41 The live chat support is quick, knowledgeable,
07:43 and very helpful.
07:44 We really couldn't ask for more.
07:46 Nord's support is excellent too,
07:48 with live chat as well as plenty of support articles.
07:51 However, the depth and breadth of the articles
07:53 don't quite match up to Express.
07:55 It's a close one, but from our experience,
07:57 we'd rate Express support marginally higher.
08:00 Finally, we come to the big one, price.
08:04 In our full review process,
08:05 we don't really take price into account when rating VPNs,
08:08 but for customers, it can be a make or break detail.
08:11 Express isn't known as a cheap VPN,
08:13 and if you're only signing up for a single month,
08:16 you'll be paying a hefty 12.95.
08:18 Sign up for six months and you'll save a little,
08:20 knocking the price down to 9.99 a month.
08:23 Further savings come when you commit for a year,
08:26 which works out around 8.32 a month.
08:28 However, if you head to expressvpn.com/techradardeal
08:33 or click on the link in our description,
08:35 you'll be able to grab an exclusive three months for free,
08:38 dropping the price to a much more reasonable 6.67 a month.
08:42 NordVPN starts off a little cheaper
08:45 on the one month plan at 11.99.
08:48 And if you commit to a one year plan,
08:50 that will drop to 4.99.
08:52 If you click on the link in the description,
08:54 you'll be able to bag yourself the cheapest deal available.
08:57 NordVPN varies its price regularly,
08:59 but you'll often be able to bag a two year plan
09:02 that will work out at less than 3.50 a month.
09:05 Overall, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are pretty closely matched
09:10 and we're comfortable recommending both providers.
09:12 However, in a number of key areas like apps,
09:15 streaming, torrenting, server locations and support,
09:19 ExpressVPN just outdoes Nord.
09:21 And in our eyes,
09:22 it's worth paying the slightly higher price.
09:25 So which will you go for, ExpressVPN or NordVPN?
09:29 Let us know in the comments down below,
09:31 which appeals to you most and why.
09:33 And don't forget that clicking on the links
09:34 in our description will get you the most up-to-date price
09:37 and in the case of ExpressVPN, an exclusive deal.
09:40 Thanks for watching.
09:41 Remember to subscribe to TechRadar
09:43 for the latest tech news and reviews
09:44 and I'll see you next time.
09:46 (upbeat music)
09:48 (upbeat music)
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