- Guys, for the past few months,
ExpressVPN use has been wild.
Being purchased by a company with a shady past,
an executive accused of cyber surveillance.
I mean, for a VPN it couldn't really get any crazier.
So of course, we're all wondering,
has anything changed in the ExpressVPN app?
Can ExpressVPN still compete with its biggest rival,
NordVPN?
In this NordVPN versus ExpressVPN review,
I'm gonna look at the core pros and cons
of these two services and compare the hard facts.
Which VPN is the safest, most reliable choice in 2021?
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Is NordVPN safe?
What security features does ExpressVPN offer?
These VPNs use military grade encryption methods
to keep your data safe on the web.
They also use top of the line tunneling protocols.
In fact, each of these services
have developed a propietary tunneling protocol
that's more secure than the standard protocols
you'll find on most other VPNs.
NordVPN's NordLynx is built
from the new Wireguard protocol,
which is making waves in the VPN industry.
Lightway is based on similar principles
and is more efficient at establishing the connections.
Both services have sturdy kill switches
to protect you if the internet connection drops.
NordVPN has it on all the main apps.
ExpressVPN kill switch is called Network Log
and sadly, it's missing on iOS.
But there's an ExpressVPN router app
which is pretty rare and that does have a kill switch.
NordVPN versus ExpressVPN,
which has better security extras?
ExpressVPN has split tunneling,
so you can pick which apps use the VPN.
Plus it has obfuscated servers,
which disguises your VPN traffic
to look like regular traffic.
This is great for getting around tougher firewalls,
it can even bypass complex government censorship, like DPI.
NordVPN has an unusually high amount of security features.
There's split tunneling and obfuscated servers
plus an ads trackers and malware blocker called CyberSec.
The Double VPN setting which gives an extra layer
of security and Onion Over VPN,
which is a handy seamless way of integrating your VPN
with Tor.
There's also a free Socks5 proxy connection.
In the last couple of years, top VPN's have been
getting rid of their hard-drive based servers
and moving to RAM servers.
This is because RAM has short-term memory
and ensures that your data
doesn't get saved on these serves.
ExpressVPN was the first service to start
implementing this tech.
NordVPN followed suit shortly after.
Let's take a look at privacy.
Does NordVPN keep logs?
What does ExpressVPN's privacy policy look like?
NordVPN is based in Panama,
while ExpressVPN is in the British Virgin Islands.
Both countries aren't apart of any
intelligence sharing alliances
and they have privacy friendly data loss.
This is reflected in the privacy policies of these services.
They keep minimal data logs,
these logs will help with basic admin,
managing your account and improving their offerings.
But they don't log what you do through the VPN.
They also offer anonymous payment options.
So, you're billing details don't need to be
in their data base.
At the same time, my confidence in Express VPN's privacy
has taken a knock.
The service is now owned by Kape technologies,
which was previously involved with developing
disturbing dangerous adware.
On top of that, Expression's CIO was recently fined
by the US government
for being part of a mercenary intelligence unit
that helped the UAE, to spy on it's enemies
for profit, this is shocking.
And both situations have stained ExpressVPN's reputation,
which was pretty clean until now.
However at the moment, there's no solid proof
that ExpressVPN isn't keeping to its privacy policy,
this has not changed since the takeover.
Guys, these services have great security,
but there's lot to think about,
over ExpressVPN versus NordVPN privacy.
Personally, I feel that, NordVPN's privacy has given us
more to trust. Plus it also has more security features.
So, NordVPN has the edge here.
Let's look at NordVPN vs ExpressVPN speed.
I mentioned that NordVPN and ExpressVPN
have their own proprietary tunneling protocols.
Protocols have a big impact on a VPN's speed,
and this is no exception.
NordLynx is one of the fastest protocols
out there right now.
While Lightway takes less time
to connect a server than many other protocols.
A large server fleet also improves performance,
because it lessens the load on individual servers.
At the moment, ExpressVPN offers more locations,
but fewer servers than NordVPN.
To sell the speed question once in for all,
I ran some ExpressVPN vs NordVPN speed test.
These show that NordVPN is actually quite
a lot faster than ExpressVPN in all major locations.
Keep in mind that these are the kinds of speeds
you'll get if you use NordLynx or Lightway.
OpenVPN and IKEv2 are generally slower.
So, when it comes to NordVPN vs ExpressVPN speed,
NordVPN has better speed and more servers.
Overall, it's performance is more satisfactory.
Do these services allow P2P and can you use them
for bypassing geo-blocks and streaming.
ExpressVPN allows P2P on all servers,
while NordVPN has special servers for that.
NordVPN will automatically
re-connect you to the P2P server,
if detects P2P traffic on the usual server,
so you don't have to search
for the specialized servers yourself.
The split tunneling and Socks5 proxy features
come in handy here too.
Though, the ladder option is NordVPN specific.
Unfortunately, both these services don't have
Port forwarding.
NordVPN and ExpressVPN also allow streaming on all servers.
They're really successful at bypassing streaming geo-blocks
and firewalls.
If you use ExpressVPN for Netflix, you will be able to
unblock multiple libraries. including the US.
This is true for NordVPN too, plus you can unblock
HBO, BBC iPlayer, Disney Plus, Hulu, and most others.
There are NordVPN Firestick and AndroidTV apps
and there's ExpressVPN on Firestick and AndroidTV as well.
These apps are streamline and easy to setup,
and both services offers SmartDNS feature.
You can basically use them to unblock content
on any type of big screen.
So, would I pick ExpressVPN or NordVPN for
streaming and torrenting?
I have to say that, they are both great in this department.
Since, NordVPN is faster though,
it might result in fewer delays
when you're performing these tasks.
Okay, so which service gives you more bank for your buck?
NordVPN download is available for you up to six devices,
and you can use ExpressVPN on up to five.
Both have 24/7 live support.
So, you will be able to quickly iron out any issues
you may have.
There's a NordVPN free trial if you sign up with android.
You can then use the free trial on your other devices.
Sadly, there's no free trial for ExpressVPN.
But the biggest factor here is the pricing plans.
And ExpressVPN is a lot more expensive, it's pretty pricey,
even for a top VPN.
So, NordVPN vs ExpressVPN,
would I recommend one over the other?
Well, NordVPN is cheaper, it performs better,
it has more security features, and I feel more confident
in its privacy.
All things considered then, is ExpressVPN worth it?
Personally, I won't be investing in ExpressVPN
until I'm certain that it truly protects our privacy.
Let's wait and see how things turn out
with Kape technologies.
I hope you enjoy this ExpressVPN vs NordVPN review.
Don't forget to leave a like.
And there are some juicy ExpressVPN and NordVPN coupons
waiting for you in the comments below.
Which ever service you decide to pick, you can get it
at a massive discount.
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