NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Which is Better?

We put these VPNs to the test to find out which is the best!

WINNER 

nordvpn logo brasil

nordvpn landing page indonesia

Nord VPN Pros

  • Excellent performance
  • Zero-logs privacy policy
  • Incredible features

10

Excellent!

VS

nordvpn vs expressvpn

express vpn india

Express VPN Pros

  • The best speeds
  • Ideal security & privacy
  • Easy to use

7.5

Good

We published a NordVPN vs. ProtonVPN (Link to the article) comparison a few days back. That was pretty uneven— NordVPN was winning from the start. Therefore, we decided to clash two of the most well-known VPN products in the market: NordVPN and ExpressVPN. 

If you ask any reviewer or a person who has used many VPNs, it’s highly probable that both NordVPN and ExpressVPN will be in their top Five  list, like they are in ours.

Now, for some, ExpressVPN is better than NordVPN, and for others, it’s vice versa. It’s a matter of subjective and objective experience. In our testing/experience, NordVPN was slightly better than ExpressVPN, overall. 

Why so? That’s what we are going to find out in this comparison!

How do these compare?

Vendor

nordvpn logo brasil
nordvpn vs expressvpn

Features

10/10

9/10

Ease of use

10/10

10/10

Security/Privacy

10/10

10/10

Support

9/10

9/10

Speed

9/10

8/10

Pricing

10/10

8/10

Cell

NordVPN and ExpressVPN are top of the line providers in the business. Both are easy to use, have essential features, great security & privacy policies, amazing speed, and worldwide server infrastructure. 

In short, both come head to head at almost every aspect. The primary element that made NordVPN the winner for us is its pricing. We will discuss it at the end; let’s have a look at other aspects before that.

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Features


Features-wise, NordVPN has the edge over ExpressVPN.

Let’s talk about commonalities first. Both Nord and Express have top-notch encryption, a no-logs policy, a kill switch, DNS & IP leak protection, unlimited bandwidth, ability to unblock geographically-confined content of almost every platform (including Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, etc.), and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

On top of all that, NordVPN has a few extra features, including:

  • More P2P servers;

  • Cybersec: a malware/ad blocker;

  • Double VPN- for extra, layered protection;

  • Dedicated IP

  • Onion over VPN

Compared to all these features, ExpressVPN has only one extra feature: Split tunneling, which NordVPN is rolling out for all its devices. It’s a great feature to have, especially for those intending to use a VPN when at the office. 

However, the sheer quantity & quality of extra features NordVPN provides makes it the clear winner.

Winner: NordVPN

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Ease of use


Vendor

nordvpn logo brasil
nordvpn vs expressvpn

Payment options - Cryptocurrencies?

Yes

Yes

Interface

Map-based & list-based

List-based

Apps (Android, iOS, etc.)

All devices

All

Cell

NordVPN and ExpressVPN are the two giants in the commercial VPN market, and that stature cannot be achieved without considering the end-consumer’s experience. So, this goes without saying: Both are very easy to use, intuitive, and visually stimulating.

Both have apps for all the devices, including Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. However, their implementation of UI is quite different, unlike the visually similar ProtonVPN and NordVPN

nordvpn vs. express vpn

ExperssVPN’s desktop version also has a mobile feel. Nevertheless, it’s easy to navigate through. You can select the country by choosing from a (searchable) list of their servers. Plus, it has a “quick connect” option as well.

As for settings, ExpressVPN has done that quite well. You have General, Account, Protocol, and Advanced settings categorized. Everything flows naturally ⁠— you’ll know which setting is where without thinking much.

nordvpn vs express vpn

NordVPN’s implementation is a bit different ⁠— it’s more visually active. You have a map marked with all the servers on the right and a searchable list on the left. Choose from wherever you want. And, of course, there’s a “quick connect” option.

The settings tab is intuitive too. You can access all the features we mentioned in the previous section from there.

Overall, NordVPN and ExpressVPN have their own style of implementing UI/UX. However, any laymen can use either, which makes both the winner.

Winner: Both

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Servers & Speed


Vendor

nordvpn logo brasil
nordvpn vs expressvpn

Server locations

59 countries

90+ countries

Number of servers

~5400

3000 servers

Unblocks streaming platform

Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, etc.

Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, etc.

P2P/Torrenting

Yes

Yes

Avg. Download speed reduction

~20%

~ 18%

Avg. Upload speed reduction

~15%

~ 10%

Avg. Ping

~100 ms

~ 110 ms


In our tests, the average ping on NordVPN and ExpressVPN was 100 ms and 110 ms, respectively. Both are good for gaming, given that you absolutely need a VPN to the game.

The downloading speed and uploading speed on ExpressVPN is slightly faster than NordVPN connected internet. So…

Winner: ExpressVPN

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Security & Privacy


Vendor

nordvpn logo brasil
nordvpn vs expressvpn

VPN protocols

OpenVPN, IPSec/IKEv2, WireGuard’s NordLynx

OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, IKEv2

Encryption

AES-256

AES-256

Key size

4096-bit

4096-bit

Logs

No logs

No logs

Location

Panama

British Virgin Islands

Other features

Kill switch, DoubleVPN, Onion over VPN

Kill switch

Cell

Here, too, both are quite equal. Both Nord and Express use military-grade encryption for their commercial-grade product.

Both use 256-bit AES encryption. In math terms, if someone gets your data when you’re connected to the VPN (which in itself is highly unlikely to happen), it will take them millions of years to decrypt and know what’s in it! As for privacy, neither of them saves any logs, so you are anonymous even to them ⁠— they can’t track your activities, in short.

Moreover, we ran our own tests to check DNS and IP leaks. Both providers proved to be perfectly sealed.

Both VPNs have a “kill switch” feature, which basically turns off all the internet activities. In this aspect, NordVPN’s implementation is better. Nord has two versions of kill switch: system-wide and apps-only. 

The system-wide kill switch performs how a normal one does ⁠— it kills all the internet traffic. The apps-only kill the internet connection for selected apps only. For example, you can add torrenting apps in the list and leave YouTube out of it, so if the VPN gets disconnected, your YouTube isn’t interrupted, and you’re secure from someone tracing your torrenting activity.

In addition to that, NordVPN also has Double VPN and Cybersec, which ExpressVPN simply doesn’t.

Therefore...Winner: NordVPN

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Support


Vendor

nordvpn logo brasil
nordvpn vs expressvpn

Communication option

Live chat & Email; Knowledgebase & tutorials

Live chat & Email

Response time

Live chat: < 1 minute

Email: ~3 hours

Phone support < 1 minute

Email: ~3.5 hours

Quality of response

9/10

9/10


This portion doesn’t require any stretch.

Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN have 24/7 live chat and email support. We tested both forms of communication with similar queries. We got a response from the 24/7 live chat almost instantly in both cases. As for email, both responded in approx. same time.

As for the quality of the response and support agent, we were completely satisfied. The agents clearly knew what they were talking about.

Winner: Both

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Pricing


nordvpn logo brasil

Starting Price Per Month:

$11.95

Best price:

$3.71/month (2 years)

Number of connections per plan:

6

Money-back guarantee

30 days

VS

nordvpn vs expressvpn

Starting Price Per Month:

$12.95

Best price:

$8.32 (1 year)


Number of connections per plan:

5

Money-back guarantee

30 days

Every aspect we discussed until now resulted in pretty much a tie. NordVPN is overall slightly better, but just “slightly”. This section will make NordVPN the undefeated champion!

If you purchase NordVPN for two years, the cost per month is $3.49. Or, approx. $89 for the whole of two years. This plan allows six simultaneous connections.

For the one year plan, which is their maximum, ExpressVPN charges $8.32/month or roughly $100 for the year. This plan includes simultaneous connections for five devices.

Simple math says: Not only does ExpressVPN cost more than twice the cost of NordVPN, but it also allows one device less.

So, the clear Winner: NordVPN

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN: Conclusion

The Winner Is - NordVPN

Until it came to pricing, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN were heavily competing for the crown. NordVPN had better features and slightly better security, whereas ExpressVPN boasted its “Express” speed.

However, NordVPN’s significantly higher value for money proved it to be the ultimate champion. Still, we would consider ExpressVPN close second. 

Also, would you like us to compare either NordVPN or ExpressVPN with another and the only left of the top three VPNs, HideMyAss VPN? Let us know in the comments below.

nordvpn logo brasil

Total Score: 10/10

NordVPN Pros

  • Excellent performance
  • Zero-logs privacy policy
  • Incredible features