ExpressVPN vs ProtonVPN ✅ Which VPN is Better?

When it all boils down to the best VPN provider, ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN always emerge as the creams of the crop. Both of these VPN providers have excellent features but at the end of this video, only one will come off as the ultimate winner.

Today, we will compare ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN head to head and determine which is better in terms of ease of use, speed, streaming and torrenting, security and privacy, support, and pricing.

I won’t waste your time with unnecessary information and you can guarantee that this is a reliable list as I have personally tried both VPNs by subscribing to their paid plans.

This way, I’m able to fully test them both out and provide you with the most comprehensive comparison and save you time from having to do it yourself. 

I will leave a special discounted link in the description below where you can get the cheapest ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN plan for you when you’re ready to proceed.

Let’s get started.

1. Setup & Features – ExpressVPN

I’m using the Windows app of both VPNs but you can still download these VPNs to other devices like Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and routers. While you can add ExpressVPN’s extension to your browser, you can’t do so with ProtonVPN as it does not support any extension on any browser.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the layout of ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN app. In both VPNs, you can instantly connect to the fastest server based on your location using their quick connect feature. However, ExpressVPN has a simpler layout than ProtonVPN, pretty obvious here, which I personally prefer as it adds to the ease of use. ProtonVPN, on the other hand, adds more style to its interface but without taking away its neatness. 

ExpressVPN has more than 5,000 servers in 94 countries, which is more than ProtonVPN’s over a thousand servers across 54 countries.

If you want to test these servers first ExpressVPN has a seven-day free trial that you can avail using the mobile app then you can just login to other devices after. The same goes with ProtonVPN which offers a seven-day free trial to their premium plan, the Plus Plan. But unlike ExpressVPN, you can avail ProtonVPN’s free trial very easily through their website without having to exclusively download their mobile app. 

ExpressVPN allows you to use five devices simultaneously whereas the number of devices you can use at the same time with ProtonVPN depends on the type of plan you are subscribed to. The Free Plan allows you to connect only one device. The Basic Plan lets you connect two devices to the VPN, the Plus Plan, which

I already mentioned a while back, is even better where you can connect five devices at the same time, while the Visionary Plan allows you to connect ten devices. I’ll discuss more about the differences of these plans once we land in the pricing battle.

This category about features and ease of use is not a difficult one as ExpressVPN easily beat ProtonVPN here in all aspects. Of course, the point goes to ExpressVPN.

2. Speed – ExpressVPN

Now, we’re off to determine which one is faster in the race. I’ll record my original speed first without connecting to any of our top VPNs. The Ookla tool recorded my speed of 19.5 megabits per second.

For this demo, we’ll connect to three countries using each VPN and find out the percentage reduction of speed. Up first in the U.S. server, ProtonVPN recorded a speed of 13.8 mbps while ExpressVPN got a speed of 17.2 mbps. In the United Kingdom, ExpressVPN beats ProtonVPN again with speed of 14.9 mbps versus 13.1 mbps. And lastly in Canada, the competition is tight as ProtonVPN recorded a speed of 15 mbps and ExpressVPN a number lower at 14 mbps.

Both VPNs here have an average percentage reduction of lower than 30 percent which is impressive but since ExpressVPN snatched two wins over ProtonVPN’s victory in Canada speed, the point in this category will have to go to ExpressVPN.

3. Streaming & Torrenting – ExpressVPN

In terms of streaming, ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN can both successfully unblock Netflix libraries and other streaming platforms. However, ProtonVPN can only unblock five Netflix libraries which are U.S. UK, India, Italy, and Germany. A number that just couldn’t compete with ExpressVPN’s ability to unblock more than 20 libraries. Additionally, ExpressVPN can access Amazon Prime, Disney Plus, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, HBO and DAZN while ProtonVPN can only successfully unblock HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video

If you’ve been torrenting unprotected, exposing your IP address to everyone you share files with, ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN are the solutions. Both VPNs not just support but also encourage P2P and torrenting. However, ProtonVPN only allows P2P and torrenting on its certain plans which I’ll discuss as we go on.

This category comes with an easy decision and a clear winner simply because this VPN is more capable and reliable for streaming and torrenting and that is ExpressVPN.

4. Jurisdiction, Security, & Privacy – ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN started in 2009 under the jurisdiction of the British Virgin Islands. Five years later, ProtonVPN was born in Switzerland. Both VPNs aren’t affiliated with the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and Fourteen Eyes alliances which means that they are located in a country that doesn’t have mandatory law for data retention.

Both VPNs have been audited to be adhering to the strict no logs policy where they don’t keep records of any of their users’ personal information, credentials, and online activities.

Moreover, both VPNs also remain unbreached since they were founded unlike other VPN providers who have been victims of cybercriminals already.

ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN are both on top of the game when it comes to the type of data encryption they use which is a 256-bit encryption, the standard and currently the longest encryption advised by government and banks for website security.

Both VPNs also have the kill switch feature that automatically pauses all Internet activities to protect your identity if the VPN connection drops for some reason.

ProtonVPN offers three protocols, IKEv2, IPSec and OpenVPN, to help VPN safely send your data through the Internet. ExpressVPN, on the other hand, does not only offer more than two protocols but it is also currently working on Lightway which they consider as the future of all VPN protocols, with advanced technological structure to give you the best VPN experience.

Among other VPNs in the market, ExpressVPN is also exceptional for having ram-only servers as its network security setup which provides another layer of confidence for you knowing that all data gets wiped in reboot, minimizing the risk of vulnerabilities or misconfiguration. 

As an answer to that, ProtonVPN has a unique feature called NetShield that blocks ads, trackers, and malwares before they can create a negative impact on your Internet.

But when it comes to features like Double VPN and Dedicated IP, both VPNs fail to shine since they don’t offer these even as paid add-ons which most of their competitors do.

Both VPNs are doing extremely well in the field of security and privacy but having more free, built-in, advanced security measures makes ExpressVPN a notch above ProtonVPN so, obviously, the point goes to ExpressVPN.

5. Support – ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN both do not have phone support but they have 24 7 email support which I have dealt with multiple times. One thing, though, that separates these two VPNs when it comes to customer support is the fact that ExpressVPN has live chat support while ProtonVPN does not have it which is kinda bad. When it comes to my experiences with their email teams, ExpressVPN always responds to my email ticket in less than five hours while with ProtonVPN, I got a very detailed response with references on it after roughly eight hours.

So based on the availability and accessibility support channels which are significant in urgent inquiries, ExpressVPN bags the point again in this category.

6. Price – ProtonVPN

In terms of pricing, ExpressVPN has a more constant set of subscription plans which are for one month, six months, and one year, while TunnelBear has more complex plans that are mainly based on features and the needs of their target customers. ExpressVPN offers a one-month subscription for $12.95.

If you prefer a longer plan, ExpressVPN can give you a 23 percent discount for the six-month plan since you’ll only have to pay $9.99 per month for a total of $59.95.

If you want a bigger discount, you can go with the one year subscription for a 35 percent discount as you will only have to pay decreasing the monthly price to only $8.32. 

Now, let’s go to ProtonVPN. The first one is the Free Plan that allows you the use of one device to connect to servers in three countries which are the United States, Netherlands, and Japan. The Free Plan doesn’t have a duration limit but you are only left with medium speed connection and you cannot also unblock streaming platforms. Additionally, torrenting isn’t possible with the Free Plan.

The next one is the Basic Plan which you can get for $4 a month. This allows you to use two devices and connect to a wider range of servers across 54 countries. Moreover, torrenting and P2P are now allowed with this plan.

The cheapest plan, value-wise, would be ProtonVPN’s Plus Plan where you can use five devices at once, connect to servers across 54 countries at the highest speed possible, and do torrenting, P2P streaming, and even unblocking Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and Amazon Prime Video. You can start signing up for this plan at only $8 a month, which is way cheaper than ExpressVPN.

Both VPNs offer a 30-day money back guarantee and a cryptocurrency method of payment aside from credit cards and Paypal if you want to be more anonymous.

In this category, I declare ProtonVPN as the winner as it offers a cheaper and wider variety of plans compared to ExpressVPN and it also earns recognition for offering a reliable free plan.

Final Verdict: ExpressVPN wins

As a summary, ExpressVPN got five category wins which include the Setup and Features, Speed, Streaming and Torrenting, Jurisdiction, Security, and Privacy, and Support and Reliability. On the other hand, PIA has the crown if we’re going to talk about Pricing. 

ProtonVPN delivered a good fight but overall, ExpressVPN has the advantage and therefore, the winner of this battle. It might be a bit pricey but every penny that comes out of your pocket is absolutely worth it with its excellent and top-tier features.

If you’re ready to try ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN, you can click on the link below to get your chosen plan with massive discounts. For a demo on how to set up and use ExpressVPN or ProtonVPN, you can watch these next tutorials. I’ll see you over on that next article!