By the VPNTruth Editorial TeamPublished Last updated
We compared both VPNs on independent speed benchmarks, published security audits, streaming support and price. Here's the honest verdict.
🏆 Our Winner: NordVPN
Faster speeds, better value, and independently audited no-logs policy
✔ 30-day money-back guarantee✔ No logs policy✔ Servers in 224 locations
If you're in a hurry, here's where the published evidence points:
4.5 / 5 — our score
No affiliate relationship — listed fairly for comparison
We compared both VPNs across five key areas, drawing on independent test data and each provider's published audits.
On CyberInsider's 1000 Mbps test line, NordLynx (built on WireGuard) recorded 868 Mbps in Los Angeles and 658 Mbps in London — ahead of ExpressVPN at every location they published.
Lightway is fast in absolute terms — 444 Mbps in Los Angeles and 551 Mbps in London on the same benchmark — but trailed NordVPN across all four locations. Note the two were tested on different dates.
AES-256 encryption, NordLynx and OpenVPN protocols, kill switch, DNS leak protection. No-logs claim assessed six times by PwC (2018, 2020) and Deloitte (2022–2025); only the 2022 report is readable without an account. VerSprite tested the apps for vulnerabilities and did not audit logging. RAM-only servers.
AES-256 encryption, Lightway protocol, kill switch. No-logs policy audited by KPMG. TrustedServer technology (RAM-only). Strong track record but fewer independent audits.
Advertises support for Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and HBO Max, and is consistently rated among the more reliable options by independent review sites — useful for reaching your home subscriptions while traveling.
Advertises support for the same major platforms and is rated comparably by independent reviewers. Streaming access is contested and changes constantly, so neither provider can guarantee any given service.
Significantly cheaper than ExpressVPN on longer plans. More devices covered (10 vs 8). Better value for money overall.
Premium priced — one of the more expensive VPNs on the market. Justified by quality but NordVPN offers comparable features for less.
Clean, intuitive apps on all platforms. Map-based server selection. Beginner friendly but with advanced features available.
Arguably the most beginner-friendly VPN interface available. Extremely simple one-click connection. Slightly easier for complete beginners.
Source: CyberInsider (independent VPN testing site) · · 1,000 Mbps baseline, US lab, official clients, NordVPN on WireGuard · NordVPN figures
Source: CyberInsider (independent VPN testing site) · · 1,000 Mbps baseline, US lab, official clients, ExpressVPN on Lightway · ExpressVPN figures
Every major feature compared side by side.
| Feature | NordVPN 🏆 | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Check site for current pricing | Check site for current pricing |
| Simultaneous Devices | 10 | 8 |
| Server Network | Servers across 224 locations | 3,000+ servers in 105 countries |
| Protocol | NordLynx (WireGuard) | Lightway |
| No-Logs Audits | 6 assurance engagements, 2018–2025 (1 publicly readable) | Multiple published; scope and dates not verified by us |
| RAM-Only Servers | ✔ | ✔ |
| Kill Switch | ✔ | ✔ |
| Split Tunneling | ✔(not on iOS) | ✔ |
| Ad Blocker | ✔Threat Protection Pro™ | ✖ |
| Streaming | ✔Excellent | ✔Excellent |
| Torrenting | ✔P2P servers | ✔ |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Browser Extensions | ✔ | ✔ |
| Router Support | ✔ | ✔ |
We do not run a speed lab. These are the most recent published figures from CyberInsider, an independent testing site, measured against a 1,000 Mbps baseline.
| Server location | NordVPN | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 903 Mbps | 718 Mbps |
| Los Angeles | 868 Mbps | 444 Mbps |
| New York | 825 Mbps | 612 Mbps |
| London, UK | 658 Mbps | 551 Mbps |
Across the full test set, NordVPN averaged a 18.6% drop from the 1000 Mbps baseline.
Source: CyberInsider (independent VPN testing site) · · 1,000 Mbps baseline, US lab, official clients, NordVPN on WireGuard
Source: CyberInsider (independent VPN testing site) · · 1,000 Mbps baseline, US lab, official clients, ExpressVPN on Lightway
Providers were tested on different dates, so treat these as indicative of relative standing rather than a single simultaneous head-to-head run.
The honest strengths and weaknesses of each VPN.
NordVPN wins this comparison on the metrics that matter most — speed, price, server count, and independently verified privacy. ExpressVPN is an excellent VPN and a worthy runner-up, but for most users NordVPN offers more for less.
Get NordVPN — Winner →The overall score is the average of the four sub-scores below. Each one says what it is based on — a cited independent measurement, or our own assessment.
Fastest of the three VPNs at all 4 locations CyberInsider published, with a 18.6% average drop from a 1,000 Mbps baseline. West Coast Labs separately measured 15.2% faster downloads than competing VPNs across seven regions.
No-logs claim assessed in 6 independent assurance engagements — PwC (2018, 2020) and Deloitte (2022–2025) — plus RAM-only server infrastructure and a pass on all 8 of West Coast Labs' leak protection tests. Held below 4.8 because only the 2022 report is readable without a NordVPN account, and each engagement is point-in-time rather than continuous.
Advertises support for the major platforms and is rated reliable by independent reviewers. We have not verified per-service access ourselves, and no VPN can guarantee it — platforms actively block VPN traffic.
Covers 10 devices and undercuts ExpressVPN on longer plans, though Surfshark offers unlimited devices at a lower entry price. Our assessment of the feature set against what competitors charge.
This is our editorial verdict, not an average of reader ratings — we do not collect those, and we do not publish a review count we cannot substantiate.
VPNTruth is an editorial site, not a test lab. We read the independent testing, check it against what providers claim, and tell you where the numbers came from.
We do not operate a speed-test lab, and we do not publish numbers we did not measure. Speed figures on this site come from CyberInsider, an independent VPN testing site, measured against a 1000 Mbps baseline, and from West Coast Labs, an independent, AMTSO-compliant test lab. Every figure carries its source and test date so you can check it yourself.
When a provider claims an independent security audit, we check who performed it, what scope it covered, and how recent it is. An audit from several years ago against a narrow scope is much weaker evidence than a recent full-product one, and we say so rather than repeating the marketing line.
A benchmark is a measurement; "best for beginners" is an opinion. We attribute the first and own the second. Where we rate something without data behind it — ease of use, quality of support, how a feature set fits a use case — we present it as our assessment, not as a test result.
VPN pricing, server counts, feature names and streaming support all move constantly. We re-check the claims on each page when we update it and move the "last updated" date accordingly. Where a figure has aged past the point we would rely on it, we replace it or remove it.
VPN pricing changes constantly and regional offers differ, so any figure here would be stale or wrong for many readers. We link to each provider's live pricing page instead of printing a number.
We have not run our own speed benchmarks, timed support response, or verified streaming access on a per-service basis. Where this site previously implied otherwise, that was wrong and has been corrected. If you spot a claim that is not backed by a named source, tell us and we will fix or remove it.
Sources we rely on
Source: CyberInsider (independent VPN testing site) · · 1,000 Mbps baseline, US lab, official clients, NordVPN on WireGuard · Speed benchmarks
Source: West Coast Labs (independent, AMTSO-compliant test lab) · · Seven regions, testing conducted June–August 2024, measured against competing VPNs · Security and performance audit
We earn a commission if you buy through our links, and that never changes a ranking or a score. Read our editorial policyfor how we handle this, or tell usif you think we have something wrong.
Quick answers to the most common questions about these two VPNs.
On the independent testing we cite, NordVPN is our pick on speed and feature breadth. ExpressVPN remains a strong product with a simpler interface, so read the comparison before deciding.
30-day money-back guarantee. No questions asked.
Not convinced? ExpressVPN is also a solid choice — but costs more for fewer features.
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links to NordVPN. We do not have an affiliate relationship with ExpressVPN. Our comparison is based on independent testing.
Editorial team, VPNTruth
An independent review site covering VPNs and privacy tools. We are not owned by, employed by, or operated on behalf of any provider we write about.
We synthesise published testing from independent labs and testing sites — CyberInsider and West Coast Labs among them — and check provider claims against their published audits. We do not run our own speed lab, and we cite the source and test date for every figure.
Affiliate commissions, paid by the provider when you buy through our links. You pay the same price either way. Commission rates play no part in how we rank or score anything.
Edited by Andrius Vaitiekunas.
Read our full editorial policy →