ExpressVPN vs NordVPN 2023

When it all boils down to the best VPN provider, ExpressVPN and NordVPN always rise 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 NordVPN 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 NordVPN plan for you when you’re ready to proceed.

Let’s get started.

1. Setup & Features – Express VPN

I’m using the Windows app of both VPNs but you can still download these VPNs to other devices like Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, routers, Kindle Fire, or add their extension to your browser.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the layout of ExpressVPN and NordVPN 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 NordVPN which I personally prefer as it adds to the ease of use.

ExpressVPN has servers in 94 countries, which is more than NordVPN’s 59 countries, but NordVPN, in contrast, has more servers than ExpressVPN which is 5,000 versus 3,000 respectively.

If you want to test these servers first, you’re not in the good position with NordVPN as it doesn’t offer a free trial. ExpressVPN, on the other hand, has a seven-day free trial that you can avail using the mobile app then you can just login to other devices after.

Speaking of devices, ExpressVPN allows you to use five devices simultaneously whereas NordVPN is capable of six devices. It’s just a single number difference but a VPN connection to one device can actually save a bunch of information already.

ExpressVPN and NordVPN have their own unique features and both of them are user-friendly but the point goes to ExpressVPN as all of its apps are so much easier to use.

2. Speed – NordVPN

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 27.13 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, ExpressVPN recorded a speed of 21.59 mbps while NordVPN got a speed of 25.85 mbps. In the United Kingdom, ExpressVPN beats NordVPN with speed of 25.89 mbps versus 25.79 mbps. And lastly in Canada, the competition is tight as NordVPN recorded a speed of 25.89 mbps and ExpressVPN a number lower at 25.17 mbps.

Both VPNs here have an average percentage reduction of lower than 11 percent which is impressive but since NordVPN snatched two wins over ExpressVPN’s victory in the United Kingdom speed, the point in this category will have to go to NordVPN.

3. Streaming & Torrenting – ExpressVPN

In terms of streaming, ExpressVPN and NordVPN can both successfully unblock Netflix libraries and other streaming platforms like Disney Plus, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, HBO and Amazon Prime.

If you’ve been torrenting unprotected, exposing your IP address to everyone you share files with, ExpressVPN and NordVPN are the solutions. Both VPNs not just support but also encourage P2P and torrenting. The only difference is ExpressVPN supports torrenting on all of its  over 3,000 servers while NordVPN only supports torrenting on countries where it is not sufficiently strict. But in case you’re torrenting but not connected to their supporting server, NordVPN will automatically switch you to their torrenting server without you being aware of it and I think that’s really a good feature.

This category comes with a very tough decision since both VPNs are the best of the best in terms of streaming and torrenting but I will have to give ExpressVPN the point here mainly because it has more servers that support torrenting.

4. Jurisdiction, Security, and Privacy – ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN started in 2009 under the jurisdiction of the British Virgin Islands. Three years later, NordVPN was born in Panama. 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.

While ExpressVPN remains unbreached since it started, NordVPN has confirmed in 2018 that one of their servers in Finland has been accessed by a hacker. But thanks to the no logs policy, no u ser information has been compromised.

Still, ExpressVPN and NordVPN 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.

They also offer a set of protocols including WireGuard which is currently the best VPN protocol for faster speed, security, and privacy. However, ExpressVPN is currently working on Lightway which they consider as the future of all VPN protocols, with technological structure more advanced than WireGuard to give you the best VPN experience.

ExpressVPN and NordVPN also have a split tunneling feature where you can choose which apps in your device will use or bypass the VPN connection. 

ExpressVPN also has the TrustedServer feature as their network security setup where they run all servers in ram disks and not hard drives which provides another layer of confidence for you knowing that all data gets wiped in reboot, minimizing the risk of vulnerabilities or misconfiguration. 

ExpressVPN has its own special security and privacy features but NordVPN is always up for competition. NordVPN has its unique ad blocker called CyberSec. It also offers Double VPN and Dedicated IP as a paid add-on which are two important features that ExpressVPN doesn’t have in bag.

Still, ExpressVPN gets the point in this category since it has more unique features plus security and privacy innovations that could possibly change the game for VPNs in the coming years. These include the Lightway and TrustedServer features. Unfortunately, ExpressVPN also has its downside as it doesn’t offer either Double VPN and the Dedicated IP feature.

When I asked one of their chat support agents regarding this, he responded that it’s because ExpressVPN regularly rotates the IP addresses used by all customers to increase user anonymity and safeguard your privacy, which at some point, actually makes sense. In addition, ExpressVPN is more established than NordVPN which already had a rough history of hacking.

5. Support & Reliability – ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN and NordVPN both do not have phone support but they have 24-7 email and live chat support which I have dealt with multiple times. Both VPNs have well-trained agents who never fail to answer and provide references to my questions and I applaud them for that. However, ExpressVPN has a more user-friendly live chat channel as you get connected right away to a person after your first message.

They are fast, in fact, the average response time is only a minute or two. NordVPN, on the other hand, has a rigorous and systematic live chat channel where you have to interact with a robot first who will only provide you sources before you can have the option to connect to a live agent. Because of this, the normal inquiries could take up to more than five minutes to get resolved with response time ranging from three to four minutes. 

When it comes to my experiences with their email team, ExpressVPN always responds to my email ticket in less than five hours while with NordVPN, I got a very detailed response with references on it after roughly 14 hours.

So based on the ease of use of the support channels which is significant in urgent inquiries, ExpressVPN bags the point in this category.

6. Price – NordVPN

In terms of pricing, ExpressVPN has a more constant set of subscription plans which are for one month, six months, and one year, while NordVPN has plans that are more subjected to changes because of discounts and promotional offers. ExpressVPN offers a one-month subscription for $12.95 while NordVPN does so for a dollar less, $11.95. If you prefer the one-year plan instead, ExpressVPN can give you a 35 percent discount as you will only have to pay $99.95, which decreases the monthly price to only $8.32. On the other hand, NordVPN offers a 58 percent discount on their one-year plan for $59, where the monthly price has been heavily reduced to only $4.92.

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.

But in this category, I declare NordVPN as the winner as it’s a lot cheaper and it even offers a two-year plan with a three-month bonus for only $89, discounting the monthly price to only $3.71.

Final Verdict: ExpressVPN wins

Over the years, ExpressVPN and NordVPN have proven themselves to be the royalties of all VPN providers. As a summary, ExpressVPN got four category wins which include the Set-up and Features, Streaming and Torrenting, Jurisdiction, Security, and Privacy, and Support and Reliability. On the other hand, NordVPN has the crown if we’re going to talk about Speed and Price. 

It was a close fight but overall, ExpressVPN has the slight advantage over NordVPN. 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 NordVPN, 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 NordVPN, you can watch these next tutorials. I’ll see you over on that next video!