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Best for Affordability
VPN technology offering stability and speed
Unlimited simultaneous connections
Works with Netflix and other streaming services
Headquarters in Nine Eyes Alliance
Best for Reliability and Speed
Premium VPN offering strong security and ultra-fast speeds
Strict no-logs policy with independent audit
In-house Lightway protocol for more speed and security
More expensive than NordVPN, Surfshark, and CyberGhost
Our Surfshark vs. ExpressVPN review shows that Surfshark is the better choice for most people. It’s more affordable ($1.99/mo vs. $6.67/mo) and generally matches ExpressVPN for its features, including unblocking streaming content and providing loads of server options.
But ExpressVPN performed a bit better than Surfshark in our speed tests, and you can’t count out how reliable ExpressVPN has been for people over the years. This includes a strict no-logs policy that’s backed up by an independent audit, which is a step above Surfshark.
Let’s explore our comparison to see more details about pricing, features, customer service, and more.
Depending on your virtual private network (VPN) needs, you typically want to compare pricing, features, speed, and reliability between multiple services.
From our testing and research, we found that Surfshark and ExpressVPN are generally reliable, secure, and private. Both services provide plenty of compatibility with their available apps, including for different operating systems and mobile devices. You can also use either VPN to unblock streaming content on Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and more.
But you’ll notice that Surfshark is much less expensive than ExpressVPN while staying competitive in most other categories, including features, internet speeds, and customer service.
 Surfshark Our Pick
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 ExpressVPN |
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| Price | From $1.99/mo | From $6.67/mo |
| Max # of connected devices | Unlimited | 8 |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Compatibility | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Android TV, Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Kindle Fire | iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Android TV, Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, Kindle Fire |
| # of servers | 3,200+ servers in 100 countries | Server locations in 94 countries |
| VPN protocol | Wireguard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 | Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPsec |
| No-logs policy | No logs | No logs |
| Unblocks Netflix? | ||
| Get Surfshark Pricing Read Surfshark Review |
Get ExpressVPN Pricing Read ExpressVPN Review |
The primary differences between Surfshark and ExpressVPN include:
Surfshark’s price ranges from $1.99–$19.99/mo. The cost of ExpressVPN ranges from $6.67–$12.95/mo. See more details about prices.
The max number of connected devices is the maximum number of devices you can use with a VPN service at the same time. Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections, which handily beats the eight-device limit from ExpressVPN.
VPN protocols direct how information is sent through encrypted connections. ExpressVPN has more options than Surfshark, including Lightway, a next-generation protocol built for speed.
Both Surfshark and ExpressVPN have strict no-logs policies and both recently passed a third-party audit to ensure they don't log any data — just like they promise.
| Surfshark
Our Pick
|
ExpressVPN | |
| Price range | $1.99–$19.99/mo | $6.67–$12.95/mo |
| Best value plan | Surfshark Starter 24 Months for $1.99/mo | 12 Months + 3 Months Free for $6.67/mo |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 30 days |
| See Full Pricing Details | See Full Pricing Details |
Surfshark costs between $1.99–$19.99/mo, with its lowest-priced plan coming in at $1.99/mo for 24 months.
ExpressVPN costs between $6.67–$12.95/mo, with its lowest-priced plan coming in at $6.67/mo for 12 months.
In terms of price, Surfshark blows ExpressVPN out of the water. Starting at $1.99/mo, Surfshark is more than four times cheaper than ExpressVPN, which starts at $6.67/mo.
ExpressVPN is known for being expensive, and it shows. If you want a cheap but reliable VPN, Surfshark is the way to go. But keep in mind that the month-to-month prices are actually the same at $12.95 for either service. So if you want to save money on a VPN, choosing a multi-month or multi-year plan is typically your best bet.
Note that both Surfshark and ExpressVPN provide 30-day money-back guarantees, where you can request a full refund within 30 days.
But with Surfshark you’ll be automatically enrolled in an auto-renew subscription after signing up. We had no option to turn auto-renew off in our account and had to contact customer service to turn it off for us. It was a bit of an annoying situation, but Surfshark customer service was very quick and helpful in resolving the issue.
| Features | Surfshark
Our Pick
|
ExpressVPN |
| Number of servers | 3,200+ servers in 100 countries | Server locations in 94 countries |
| No-logs policy | No logs | No logs |
| VPN headquarters | The Netherlands | British Virgin Islands |
| Encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 |
| VPN protocol | Wireguard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 | Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2, L2TP/IPsec |
| Kill switch | ||
| Split tunneling | ||
| Netflix support | ||
| Torrenting support | ||
| Get Surfshark | Get ExpressVPN |
Surfshark and ExpressVPN share many similarities when it comes to their available features. This includes a large number of servers, strict no-logs policies, and high levels of encryption. Both VPNs also provide split tunneling, kill switches, regional content unblocking, and torrent support.
Both Surfshark and ExpressVPN are headquartered in locations with strong data privacy laws, which help back up their no-logs policies. But it must be noted that the Netherlands, where Surfshark is located, is part of the 14 Eyes alliance. The British Virgin Islands, where ExpressVPN is located, aren’t part of the Five, Nine, or 14 Eyes alliances.
Countries that are members of these alliances have been known to share private information about their citizens with other alliance members. And it could mean that living in one of these countries poses a risk to your online privacy and anonymity.
Digging further into the no-logs policies, we found that ExpressVPN had an independent audit done of its policy by PricewaterhouseCoopers. We couldn’t find anything about an independent audit of the Surfshark no-logs policy, though Surfshark has had an infrastructure audit completed by Cure53.
Surfshark provides servers in more countries than ExpressVPN, but the numbers are close enough to not matter for most users. ExpressVPN doesn’t advertise its exact number of servers. But from testing, we found that both Surfshark and ExpressVPN have plenty of available servers for the average VPN user.
One big difference between the two VPNs is found in their available protocols. ExpressVPN provides more protocols than Surfshark, including its in-house Lightway protocol. Lightway is a next-generation protocol that provides fast speeds, which may have made the difference for ExpressVPN in some of our speed tests.
| Platform | Surfshark
Our Pick
|
ExpressVPN |
| Netflix | ||
| Amazon Prime Video | ||
| Hulu | ||
| BBC iPlayer | ||
| Disney+ | ||
| HBO Max |
We tested Surfshark and ExpressVPN to see if they could unblock the above streaming services. Our testing involved loading the streaming websites on Windows using a Chrome browser and playing a movie or show while observing for any issues, such as lag or low-quality streams.
We were able to successfully unblock content from Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and HBO Max using both Surfshark and ExpressVPN. The only issues we ran into were with ExpressVPN and BBC iPlayer, where the BBC iPlayer site kept saying we had to be in the U.K. to use the streaming service.
We switched between a few different U.K. servers and completely logged out and closed out windows, then tried again in an incognito browser. It didn’t take too long to fix, but we’re not sure if it was an issue with the original server IP address or something on our end.
Other streaming services all loaded and worked perfectly with both VPNs. This included Disney+, where we could access content from Star while connected to U.K. servers. Star isn’t available in the U.S. and provides the type of content you might not be used to seeing on Disney+, such as true crime shows.
We test internet speeds before and after using a VPN to see if the secure connection significantly reduces our speed. We expect our speed to go down somewhat while using a VPN because it uses bandwidth. But we want to see whether a VPN affects everyday internet usage, such as streaming content or playing games.
We establish a baseline speed by first running a speed test before we connect to a VPN. This lets us know how fast our internet connection is without being connected to a VPN.
We then run multiple speed tests while connected to VPN servers in different locations worldwide. Note that large physical distances between our location and the server locations can drastically reduce internet speeds, which is expected.
We ran these speed tests using the Surfshark and ExpressVPN Windows apps on a desktop computer from a physical location in the U.S.
| Server location | Surfshark
Our Pick
|
ExpressVPN |
| US |
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| Canada |
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| UK |
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| AU |
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| Get Surfshark | Get ExpressVPN |
We tried to make the testing as fair as possible by connecting to servers in the same cities from both VPNs. This included Salt Lake City (U.S.), Toronto (Canada), London (U.K.), and Sydney (Australia).
Surfshark had slightly better download speeds than ExpressVPN while connected to a nearby U.S. server, but the speeds were about the same while connected to servers in Canada.
ExpressVPN took the lead on Surfshark as we started testing servers that were farther away from our physical location. Specifically, ExpressVPN had faster speeds than Surfshark with its U.K. and Australia servers.
We also compared the latency, or ping, of our connections during the tests. Your latency is a general measure of how long it takes for networks to communicate. Lower latency is better and means a faster connection.
Our baseline latency was 11 and reached as high as 185 while connected to an ExpressVPN server in Sydney. But overall, there was barely any difference in latency between Surfshark and ExpressVPN.
| Server location | Surfshark | ExpressVPN |
| US | 38 ms | 41 ms |
| Canada | 67 ms | 64 ms |
| UK | 151 ms | 148 ms |
| AU | 180 ms | 185 ms |
| Platform | Surfshark
Our Pick
|
ExpressVPN |
| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| Router | ||
| Smart devices |
We had no issues setting up Surfshark and ExpressVPN on our desktop computer using Windows. The process was as simple as downloading the Windows apps from the applicable websites and using our info to log in. We expect you would have a similar experience, whether you want to set up a VPN on Windows or Mac.
Apart from Windows and macOS, Surfshark and ExpressVPN are also compatible with other operating systems, browser extensions, and mobile apps. This includes Linux, Apple iOS, Android, and even routers and some smart devices.
For example, you can set up Surfshark or ExpressVPN on a compatible router so that all Wi-Fi devices in your home have a secure connection, including smart locks, refrigerators, and more.
You can also utilize the Smart DNS functionality on either service to use your VPN on devices that typically aren’t compatible. This could include using certain VPN features, such as streaming regional content, on a TV or video game console where you can’t download the Surfshark or ExpressVPN apps.
The interfaces of both Windows apps were intuitive and easy to use. We had no issues navigating the server lists or finding available features in the settings. And we barely had to wait at all when connecting to different servers.
| Platform | Surfshark
Our Pick
|
ExpressVPN |
| 24/7 live chat | ||
| Phone | ||
| Support forums | ||
| Online guides |
Both Surfshark and ExpressVPN provide customer service options in the form of 24/7 live chat, email, and online guides. There’s no option to call a support number or participate in official community forums with either VPN, which is common for many popular VPN services.
It should be noted that not every major VPN provider offers 24/7 customer support, or you might have to be a paying subscriber to access this feature. But with Surfshark and ExpressVPN, you can access the live chat feature 24/7 from their websites, whether you have a subscription or not.
We tested both the Surfshark and ExpressVPN live chats with great results. We waited almost no time at all to be connected with agents from both providers and their responses were quick, understandable, and helpful.
In the case of Surfshark, the agent was able to help us figure out a billing issue. And with ExpressVPN, the agent informed us that all ExpressVPN servers work for torrenting, so you don’t have to search for specific ones.
Both Surfshark and ExpressVPN are fast and secure VPNs, but Surfshark is much cheaper. Surfshark starts off as low as $2.03 per month, while ExpressVPN starts off at $8.32 per month, which is more than quadruple the price. Unless there’s a specific reason you want ExpressVPN, such as its server selection, Surfshark is likely the better, cheaper option.
No, Surfshark is owned by Nord Security, the parent company of NordVPN. ExpressVPN is owned by Kape Technologies, the parent company of CyberGhost VPN, ZenMate VPN, and Private Internet Access. Surfshark and ExpressVPN are both popular VPN providers, but they’re owned by different companies.
In terms of price, speed, and security features, there aren’t many VPNs that can beat Surfshark.
ExpressVPN and NordVPN are more expensive but can compete in terms of speed. CyberGhost and Private Internet Access are about as cheap as Surfshark, but might not provide as many features, and CyberGhost is often slower.
ExpressVPN has servers in 94 countries, giving it some of the widest reach among major VPN services. It also provides high levels of security and privacy, 24/7 live chat, and is compatible with multiple operating systems, web browsers, and mobile devices.
Popular features include split tunneling, a kill switch, and a no-logs policy. See how ExpressVPN compares to NordVPN.
You should use Surfshark if you want a fast and secure VPN service with affordable prices.
Surfshark starts as low as $2.05 per month and our testing shows that it competes with top VPNs such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN in terms of speed and reliability. You can also use Surfshark with unlimited devices, which isn’t a common feature.
ExpressVPN is a secure, fast, and private service that can unblock streaming services, has 24/7 customer support, and doesn’t tend to significantly reduce your internet speeds. But Surfshark generally matches ExpressVPN across the board and costs a lot less.
Between the two options, we recommend Surfshark. We still think that ExpressVPN is a great option, but it’s not the most affordable.
VPN technology offering stability and speed
Unlimited simultaneous connections
Works with Netflix and other streaming services
Headquarters in Nine Eyes Alliance
