1.   Try searching by:
    1. Category (Best $100 Headphones, Best 50 Inch TVs, …)
    2. Brand (Sony, Samsung, LG, Bose, …)
    3. Model (S405, QC 35 II, …)
    4. Etc...
Get insider access
Get insider access
Preferred store
Notice: Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
Best
VPNs Free
Tools
Compare Table Review List Review Index Graph Custom Ratings
Popular
Mullvad NordVPN Perfect Privacy Proton VPN Proton VPN Free Private Internet Access ExpressVPN Surfshark VPN Hotspot Shield Free TunnelBear Windscribe MEGA VPN Windscribe Free Norton VPN Bitdefender VPN IVPN AirVPN TunnelBear Free Hotspot Shield IPVanish
20
VPNs bought and tested
Supported by you via insider access, and when you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Driven by data, run by a passionate team of engineers, testers, technical writers, developers, and more.
We are hiring!
  1. Home
  2. VPN
  3. Compare
Notice: Like what we do? We're currently hiring a Staff Writer for Computers. Join our team!
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Security
    1. Registration
    2. IP And DNS Leaks
    3. Kill Switch Robustness
    4. Man-In-The-Middle Attacks
  5. Performance
    1. Download Speed
    2. Upload Speed
    3. Latency
  6. Features
    1. Downloads
    2. Platform Support
    3. Protocols
    4. Simultaneous Devices
    5. Destinations
    6. Split Tunneling
    7. Headless Setup
  7. Comments

NordVPN vs ExpressVPN

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

NordVPN
ExpressVPN

Tested using Methodology v0.9

Updated Apr 30, 2025 06:48 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.9

Updated Apr 22, 2025 04:10 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
NordVPN Picture
ExpressVPN Picture
Email Required
Yes
Torrent (P2P)
Yes
Data Limit
N/A
Email Required
Yes
Torrent (P2P)
Yes
Data Limit
N/A

Variants

  • NordVPN (Basic)
  • NordVPN (Complete)
  • NordVPN (Plus)
  • NordVPN (Ultra)
  • ExpressVPN (W/ Dedicated IP)

Review

See NordVPN Review
See ExpressVPN Review
0 
0 

Our Verdict

NordVPN

ExpressVPN

Full comparison details regarding individual product score sets can be found in the section below

Check Price

Basic
NordVPN
Searching
Finding store
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Complete
NordVPN
Searching
Finding store
Plus
NordVPN
Searching
Finding store
Ultra
NordVPN
Searching
Finding store

Main Differences for
Torrent

Threshold 

0.10

Torrent 

8.1
7.6

IP And DNS Leaks 
 

9.0
3.0

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

2.0
8.0

Registration 
 

6.1
7.5

Download Speed 
 

9.2
5.7

Full Comparison

Security

Registration 
 

6.1
7.5

Payment Options  

NordVPN Payment Options
ExpressVPN Payment Options

Email Required 
 

Yes
Yes

Password Required 
 

Yes
No

Cryptocurrency 
 

Yes
Yes

Cash 
 

No
No
Show Text 

IP And DNS Leaks 
 

9.0
3.0

IPLEAK.net Screenshot  

NordVPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot
ExpressVPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot

Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot  

NordVPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot
ExpressVPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

No
Yes

In-Browser IP 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

In-Browser DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
Leak Detected

System Traffic 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected
Show Text 

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

2.0
8.0

Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot  

NordVPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot
ExpressVPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

Yes
No

During VPN Software Crash 
 

Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During Loss Of Internet 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During System Reboot 
 

Leak Detected
No Leak Detected
Show Text 

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks 
 

8.5
8.5

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot  

NordVPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot
ExpressVPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot

TLS Interruption Risk 
 

No Evidence
No Evidence

Proper BGP Implementation 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Performance

Download Speed 
 

9.2
5.7

Download Speed Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Without VPN 
 

355 Mbps
361 Mbps

With VPN 
 

374 Mbps
76 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

19.6 Mbps
-285.2 Mbps
Show Text 

Upload Speed 
 

9.0
5.6

Upload Speed Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Without VPN 
 

344 Mbps
423 Mbps

With VPN 
 

238 Mbps
58 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-105.7 Mbps
-364.9 Mbps
Show Text 

Latency 
 

7.8
6.7

Download Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Upload Latency Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Download Latency Without VPN 
 

147 ms
147 ms

Download Latency With VPN 
 

188 ms
199 ms

Download Latency Difference 
 

41 ms
52 ms

Upload Latency Without VPN 
 

150 ms
150 ms

Upload Latency With VPN 
 

153 ms
206 ms

Upload Latency Difference 
 

4 ms
56 ms

Combined Latency Consistency 
 

±44 ms
±50 ms
Show Text 
Features

Downloads 
 

9.5
9.5

Torrent Test Picture  

NordVPN Torrent Test Picture
ExpressVPN Torrent Test Picture

Torrent (P2P) 
 

Yes
Yes

Data Limit 
 

N/A
N/A

Platform Support 
 

9.3
9.3

Windows 
 

Yes
Yes

macOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Linux 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Protocols 
 

Protocol Results Table  

NordVPN Protocol Results Table
ExpressVPN Protocol Results Table

WireGuard 
 

No
No

OpenVPN Over UDP 
 

Yes
Yes

OpenVPN Over TCP 
 

Yes
Yes

IPSec With L2TP 
 

No
No

IPSec With IKEv2 
 

Yes
Yes

Proprietary Protocol(s) 
 

NordLynx
Lightway
Show Text 

Simultaneous Devices 
 

9.1
8.1

Tested Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
8

Simultaneous Locations 
 

Yes
Yes

Advertised Max Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
8

Destinations 
 

8.6
9.4

VPN Destination Selection Example  

NordVPN VPN Destination Selection Example
ExpressVPN VPN Destination Selection Example

Countries 
 

118
107

Countries With Multiple Cities 
 

9
11

Server Choice 
 

No
Yes

Split Tunneling 
 

8.0
8.5

VPN Disabled For App Screenshot  

NordVPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot
ExpressVPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot

VPN Enabled For App Screenshot  

NordVPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot
ExpressVPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot

Disabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Enabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Splitting Based On Address 
 

No
No

Ping Local Address - Same Subnet 
 

Yes
Yes

Ping Local Address - Different Subnet 
 

No
Yes

Headless Setup 
 

7.0
7.0

Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot  

NordVPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot
ExpressVPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot

Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot  

NordVPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot
ExpressVPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot

Headless WireGuard Connection 
 

No
No

Headless OpenVPN Connection 
 

Yes
Yes

Check Price

Basic
NordVPN
Searching
Finding store
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Complete
NordVPN
Searching
Finding store
Plus
NordVPN
Searching
Finding store
Ultra
NordVPN
Searching
Finding store
Back to Top

NordVPN

ExpressVPN

Comments

  1. Comparison

NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: Main Discussion

What do you think of our picks? Let us know below by starting a discussion.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
We make money directly from you via insider access (which gives you access to extra features) and when you buy a product after clicking a link to a retailer. Learn more about how we work.
We buy our own products, just like you, mostly from the United States. When a product is discontinued or no longer popular, we sell the review units locally. You can see what products we currently have for sale here.
© 2025 9298-5266 Quebec Inc. All Rights Reserved. Visit our corporate site.