ExpressVPN Review 2026 — Is the Premium VPN Worth It?

ExpressVPN has long been considered the gold standard of VPN services. Known for its reliability, excellent customer support, and consistent streaming unblocking, it commands a premium price. In our 2026 testing, we put ExpressVPN through its paces to determine whether it justifies the higher cost — and whether it can compete with NordVPN, our #1 overall pick.

Speed and Performance

ExpressVPN uses its proprietary Lightway protocol, which is designed to be faster and more reliable than OpenVPN while being more lightweight than WireGuard. In our testing, it delivered excellent results.

On our 200 Mbps Virgin Media connection, ExpressVPN averaged 176 Mbps through London servers — 88% of baseline. On the 80 Mbps BT line, we saw 70 Mbps (88% retention). These speeds are very good, sitting between Surfshark and NordVPN.

Where ExpressVPN excels is consistency. Speeds remained stable throughout the day, including during peak evening hours. We didn’t see the dip that Surfshark experienced, which suggests ExpressVPN’s server infrastructure is well-provisioned for high load.

Streaming Performance

ExpressVPN is arguably the most reliable VPN for streaming unblocking. In our 3-month test period, we experienced zero failed connections to any streaming platform — a claim that even NordVPN can’t quite match (NordVPN had no failures either, but required occasional server selection).

BBC iPlayer: Unblocked on every attempt without needing to switch servers. Netflix: Netflix UK, US, Japan and Australia all accessible. Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu: All unblocked without issues.

ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer technology runs entirely on RAM (no hard drives), meaning all data is wiped when servers reboot. This enhances privacy and reliability.

Security and Privacy

ExpressVPN’s security credentials are strong:

• Encryption: AES-256
• Protocols: Lightway (proprietary), OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), IKEv2, L2TP/IPsec
• No-logs policy: Independently audited by PwC and Cure53. ExpressVPN was the first major VPN to undergo such an audit.
• Jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands — a privacy-friendly jurisdiction with no data retention laws
• Kill switch: Available on all platforms
• Split tunnelling: Route some traffic through the VPN while other traffic uses your regular connection
• TrustedServer: RAM-only servers, no hard drives, all data wiped on reboot

The Lightway protocol is open-source (Lightway Core), allowing independent security researchers to audit it.

Pricing and Plans

ExpressVPN is the most expensive VPN in our top 5:

• 2-year plan: £5.52/month (billed upfront)
• 1-year plan: £6.42/month (plus 3 months free)
• Monthly plan: £10.87/month

All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee and access to all features.

The pricing gap between ExpressVPN and NordVPN is significant — NordVPN costs less than half as much on a 2-year plan while offering comparable (and in some areas superior) performance. This is the primary reason ExpressVPN ranks #3 in our overall comparison despite its excellent quality.

Here’s how ExpressVPN compares:

Usability and Apps

ExpressVPN’s apps are polished and user-friendly. Available on:

• Windows, macOS, Linux
• iOS, Android
• Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge
• Router app (custom firmware for compatible routers)
• MediaStreamer (DNS-based streaming for devices that don’t support VPNs natively)

The app interface is clean, with a large connect button and a server selection list organised by region. The recent locations and favourites features make it easy to quickly connect to your preferred servers.

App performance: ExpressVPN’s apps are well-optimised and stable. The Windows app consumed about 35MB of RAM and had minimal CPU impact. The Lightway protocol provides faster connection times than OpenVPN — we measured connection establishment in under 2 seconds on UK servers, compared to 3-5 seconds for OpenVPN-based competitors.

MediaStreamer: This is ExpressVPN’s unique feature. It’s a SmartDNS service that allows you to unblock streaming content on devices that don’t support VPN apps — such as older smart TVs, Apple TV, Roku, and games consoles. You configure your device’s DNS to point to ExpressVPN’s servers, and it handles the geo-unblocking without encrypting your traffic. This is useful for streaming on devices where a full VPN app isn’t available.

Customer support: ExpressVPN is known for having some of the best customer support in the VPN industry. 24/7 live chat is available, and in our testing, agents responded within 30 seconds to 2 minutes. They were knowledgeable and able to handle both simple and technical queries. The knowledge base is extensive, with setup guides for virtually every platform and device.

Router support: ExpressVPN offers custom router firmware (for select Asus models) that installs the VPN directly on your router, protecting all connected devices. This is easier than NordVPN’s manual router configuration, though it only works with a limited set of compatible routers.

ExpressVPN’s Split Tunnelling

ExpressVPN’s split tunnelling feature lets you choose which apps route through the VPN and which use your regular internet connection. This is useful for:

• Banking apps: Some UK banks block connections from known VPN IP addresses. Split tunnelling lets you exclude your banking app from the VPN while keeping the rest of your traffic encrypted.
• Local services: Access local UK content directly while routing international traffic through the VPN.
• Gaming: Route game traffic through your regular connection for lowest ping, while keeping other traffic (browsing, downloads) encrypted.

The split tunnelling feature is available on Windows, macOS, and router apps. On mobile (iOS/Android), it’s more limited but still functional for app-level exclusions.

ExpressVPN vs Surfshark

While ExpressVPN is our #3 pick and Surfshark is #2, the comparison is worth noting:

• Price: Surfshark costs £1.69/month vs ExpressVPN’s £5.52/month — a 3.3x price difference
• Speed: ExpressVPN is slightly faster (88% vs 85% baseline retention)
• Connections: Surfshark offers unlimited vs ExpressVPN’s 8
• Servers: ExpressVPN has fewer servers (2,000 vs 3,200) but covers more countries (105 vs 100)
• Streaming: Both unblock all major platforms; ExpressVPN is marginally more consistent

For most UK users, Surfshark offers better value. ExpressVPN is worth it only if you need its specific features (MediaStreamer, router firmware) or want the absolute most reliable streaming experience regardless of cost.

Pros and Cons

ExpressVPN vs NordVPN: Which Should You Choose?

This is the question most UK users ask. Both are excellent VPNs, but they serve different priorities:

Choose NordVPN if you want the best value, fastest UK speeds, and the most features for the price. At £2.39/month versus £5.52/month, NordVPN delivers more for less. It’s our #1 pick for most users. NordVPN also has a larger server network (6,400+ vs 2,000+), more simultaneous connections (10 vs 8), and includes Threat Protection for ad and malware blocking at no extra cost.

Choose ExpressVPN if you prioritise absolute reliability above all else and don’t mind paying a premium. ExpressVPN’s streaming unblocking is marginally more consistent (though NordVPN matched it in our latest tests), and its customer support is exceptional. ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer is also unique — if you need to unblock streaming on a device that doesn’t support VPN apps, ExpressVPN is the only option in our top 5 that offers this.

Speed comparison: In our UK testing, NordVPN achieved 184 Mbps (92% of baseline) on a 200 Mbps Virgin Media connection, while ExpressVPN achieved 176 Mbps (88%). The 8 Mbps difference is negligible for most use cases, but NordVPN consistently edges ahead.

Feature comparison: NordVPN includes Threat Protection (ad blocking), Double VPN, Onion over VPN, Dark Web Monitor, and Meshnet — all included in the subscription price. ExpressVPN has split tunnelling and MediaStreamer, but fewer bonus features overall.

For most UK users, we recommend NordVPN — it matches or exceeds ExpressVPN in almost every category while costing less than half as much. See our full comparison for details.

FAQ

Is ExpressVPN worth the price? ExpressVPN is an excellent VPN, but at £5.52/month it’s over twice the cost of NordVPN (£2.39/month), which offers comparable performance. It’s worth it if you value absolute reliability and don’t mind the premium.

Does ExpressVPN work with BBC iPlayer? Yes. ExpressVPN unblocks BBC iPlayer reliably — we experienced zero failed connections in 3 months of testing.

How fast is ExpressVPN? In our UK testing, ExpressVPN retained 88% of our baseline speed, averaging 176 Mbps on a 200 Mbps connection.

Is ExpressVPN safe? Yes. ExpressVPN uses AES-256 encryption, has an independently audited no-logs policy, and is based in the British Virgin Islands. Its RAM-only TrustedServer technology adds an extra layer of security.

How many devices can I connect? ExpressVPN allows 8 simultaneous connections on a single account.

Prefer better value? NordVPN offers comparable performance at less than half the price — from £2.39/month.