Alright, gents, I want a clean and fair fight no blasting each other on social media, selling
user data, or using literal sharks to get the edge.
Only one of you can get the title tonight.
So without further ado, let’s get into this clash of the titans: ExpressVPN, Surfshark,
and NordVPN.
Hey gang.
I hope your lives have been and continue to be great.
Thanks for stopping by to see the fight of the century.
If you’ve seen some of our previous reviews, you know about Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and
NordVPN.
All three are excellent options, but only one can be the best.
Check out our description for some deep discounts for all three VPNs.
To find out which of these VPNs are the best, we plan on reviewing them by security, speed,
features, cost, and ease of use.
We will start with the most critical aspect of VPNs: security and privacy.
When comparing all three VPNs, it’s essential to ask three different questions:
What encryption and tools do they use?
Where are they based?
Do they have a logging policy?
Do they have a history of leaks?
When answering questions one, two, and three, I’m happy to say that all three pass the
basic privacy test.
All three use AES-256 GCM, the industry standard for military-grade encryption.
All three have a clear no-logs policy.
And all three are registered in security havens.
NordVPN is in Panama, while Express and Surfshark are part of the British Virgin Islands.
All three are under no obligation to submit to security checks and secure your data from
government groups and local authorities.
You’ll also find that all three companies have gone through third-party audits.
This shows accountability, meaning you can trust all three VPN providers with your data.
When it comes to logging policies, things get a bit unusual.
NordVPN had a data breach three years ago but has gone through security audits to address
this.
ExpressVPN is owned by Kape Technologies, a company known for malware injection and
insider trading.
00:08 to 00:10s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43KMBTHCD3E
While you might say Kape has turned over a new leaf, Surfshark doesn’t have the same
questionable past.
As a result, they win the overall security comparison.
NordVPN is in second, while ExpressVPN trails in third place.
Next, let’s take a look at speed.
At this point, you might expect three different speed dials comparing the VPNs.
However, this is a spotty way of determining speed because I’m not everywhere.
So we have to dig into the number of countries they reside in and their supported VPN protocols.
Both Surfshark and NordVPN support the speedier VPN protocol: WireGuard.
NordLynx is Nord’s version of Wireguard, which shows ridiculously high speeds based
on testing.
ExpressVPN is the only one of the three with its unique VPN protocol: Lightway.
Lightway has some speed potential and relies on an open-source code you can find on Github.
ExpressVPN does not support WireGuard.
The second half of our question comes back to server count.
Surfshark has three thousand servers in more than sixty-five countries, while NordVPN has
more than five thousand servers in sixty countries.
ExpressVPN focuses on a broader spread, offering 95 countries and 160 servers.
The wider spread gives VPN a higher potential to be faster for more people in more locations.
There are no known speed issues; ExpressVPN wins the speed competition with NordVPN in
second and SurfShark in third.
If speed is a concern for you, always pick VPNs with numerous servers in your country.
You can also select a nearby country with similar effects.
Our next stop: Features.
Having more features enables you to appeal to a broader audience.
But given the number of buzzwords used by VPN providers, you might feel like you live
in a beehive.
So what features are actually helpful?
Well, let’s find out together.
All three providers have these helpful features:
A kill switch that automatically disconnects when your VPN server fails.
Split tunneling features allow you to have specific applications connect to different
servers.
And Multi-hop, which will enable you to mask behind two locations.
Multihop is only available under Surfshark and NordVPN, which allows you to hide within
two servers.
Each VPN service also has unique features.
Surfshark and NordVPN also include additional threat protection with antivirus software.
They also both provide multi-factor authentication, a must-have in modern security to verify that
you’re the one accessing your essential accounts.
ExpressVPN and NordVPN both have limits of five and eight devices, respectively.
Surfshark's most crucial feature is using it across unlimited devices, working across
all major operating systems, mobile devices, and browsers.
This feature saves you time in selecting what devices should be most secure.
NordVPN bites back with one enhanced security feature: Onion over VPN, which combines support
and integration from the incredibly secure Tor Onion Network.
I mean…
Just look at how secure that is.
Beautiful.
As a result of these features, NordVPN is number one on this list mainly because of
its unique Tor-based offering.
Surfshark is just short of offering the same features, while ExpressVPN gets the bronze
medal.
But with all these fantastic features, how much can you expect to pay for these services?
Contrary to popular belief, money doesn’t talk.
However, if you listen carefully, you can hear your wallet cry anytime you pay too much
for VPN services.
Thankfully, there is a clear winner in this one: Surfshark.
For those willing to pay for two years upfront, Surfshark costs less than three dollars per
month.
NordVPN comes in at a close second at just below $4 per month for two years.
Meanwhile, ExpressVPN’s best discount is $8.32 per month for one year.
As is typical for VPNs, there is no free trial or version available.
However, you can get a 30-day money-back guarantee if you buy the higher-level plans.
Digging into this: Surfshark, Nord, Express get the gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively.
So good news, little friend, you will be safe another day.
Our last section delves into ease of use.
So, how do these three platforms look across the board?
NordVPN has paid the most to its design team, dominating most of the screen with a world
map.
The world map is pretty and gives you a good physical representation of how far away you
are from these servers.
However, this means the actual features and everything are cluttered to one side of the
screen.
ExpressVPN does better, offering a pretty simple interface with a recognizable on/off
button.
It’s relatively easy to navigate between different server lists and choose specific
protocols.
However, the radio button selection does feel a bit dated.
Lastly, Sufshark does better when sorting between multihop options, favorite lists,
or static IP options.
A lot of the image space is given to their logo, limiting some potential.
Regardless of the left-facing navigation menu, NordVPN offers the best interface.
So we are looking at Nord in first, Express in second, and Surfshark in last place.
However, every interface has some small, nitpicky things about it.
Oh no.
And our winner: Surfshark!
So to clarify: Surfshark gets the gold medal, NordVPN receives the silver medal, and ExpressVPN
gets the bronze medal.
All three are excellent VPNs that mark some of the industry's best.
However, Surfshark mainly wins based on its high security standards, relatively fast speeds,
and access to unlimited devices.
Despite barely losing out on features, it's an incredibly close contest between Nord and
Surfshark.
Surfshark might be our favorite VPN, but which one is yours?
Leave your comments below to let us know your thoughts and hit the like and subscribe button
while you’re at it.
Oh and don’t forget to check out the description box below to get good deals on those VPNs.
Thanks for watching!