ExpressVPN is globally recognized as a leading VPN provider, offering servers in 94 countries. It ensures secure browsing on multiple devices, delivering fast speeds and unlimited bandwidth. However, a VPN service entails more than just servers and connection speeds.
How Does ExpressVPN Work?
ExpressVPN employs a tunneling technique to conceal your data, transmitting it from your device to another destination, such as a server. This encryption method ensures that your online activities, searches, watched content, and visited websites remain hidden from prying eyes.
Evaluation of ExpressVPN
Before delving into the specifics, let’s initially go over some essential information you should be aware of.
Does ExpressVPN have a user-friendly interface?
As previously mentioned, the user-friendliness of a VPN is a crucial aspect we consider, and in this regard, ExpressVPN emerges as a clear winner.
After installing the service, simply sign in and choose your preferred city. It’s as simple as that.
What is the significance of having a VPN?
The applications and purposes of VPNs vary widely among users, as each individual utilizes them for unique needs. However, at its core, VPNs primarily serve to safeguard your privacy and ensure online security. When your VPN is active, your internet service provider is unable to monitor your online activities.
Naturally, this expanded level of privacy grants you numerous possibilities for utilizing your devices online. With private internet access that can span across the globe, your online activities gain remarkable flexibility. While one common use case for VPNs is evading restrictions and engaging in piracy, an activity some users already engage in without protection from their ISPs, utilizing a VPN in such cases helps shield you from potential legal consequences in the future.
Certainly, this is merely one of the numerous reasons why many individuals have embraced VPNs. By utilizing the geolocation features present in most VPNs, you can access content that is typically unavailable in your location. For some, this involves leveraging the Netflix libraries of other countries to enjoy region-exclusive movies and shows, such as getting ahead on The Good Place months before it releases in the US. Others employ VPNs to overcome region-based restrictions imposed on channels like NBC or CBS in the United States. Additionally, individuals may employ a VPN for more practical purposes, like bypassing website bans in countries such as China or Russia. While many popular VPNs were initially designed with piracy in mind, their primary goal is to safeguard your internet activities from prying eyes.
A Reliable Selection for VPN Services
ExpressVPN excels in various aspects, including its reliable no-logs policy, secure infrastructure, well-designed desktop and mobile apps, and performance that meets expectations based on our tests.
However, whether it’s the ideal choice for you depends largely on how it performs in your specific location. While ExpressVPN may be slightly more expensive than its competitors, other VPN services offer additional features such as double servers for enhanced security, dedicated servers for torrenting and streaming, and potentially faster performance. Since no VPN service is perfect, you’ll need to determine which features are most important to you.
Although ExpressVPN doesn’t provide a free trial, they do offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. We recommend signing up with the confidence that you can get a refund if the service doesn’t meet your expectations.
If the monthly cost seems too high, you have the option to pay for a year in advance and save up to 35%. This plan also qualifies for the 30-day money-back guarantee.
ExpressVPN received high ratings in our VPN roundup for valid reasons. If you’re seeking alternatives, you can refer to our list of the best VPN services.
Performance and security aspects
Determining the exact performance of a VPN can be challenging due to numerous factors at play. The distance between you and the network, network congestion in your vicinity, activities of other devices on your network, and the reliability of your internet service provider (ISP) can all significantly impact your speed.
This evaluation was conducted on a relatively slow 10Mb connection in a semi-rural area of Queensland, Australia. The nearest server, located approximately an hour’s drive away in Brisbane, was used. Without using a VPN, the connection achieved speeds just below 9.9Mb/sec, with a ping of around 25ms. When connected to ExpressVPN using the Lightway UDP protocol, the speed dropped to approximately 8.2Mb/sec, with a ping of 26.
OpenVPN performance was quite similar, although there was slightly more variation in the results compared to the Lightway protocol. It’s difficult to predict how these findings would translate to a much faster 100Mb connection that was used a few months ago. Based on our experience, we only experienced a minor decrease of a few megabits, and our overall speed was not significantly affected.
