ExpressVPN Review: Is It Still the Best VPN in 2023?

 

ExpressVPN Review

If you care about privacy protection and access to an open internet, a VPN (virtual private network) is pretty much essential these days. ExpressVPN is one of the most popular premium VPN services out there. 

In this mega ExpressVPN review, I’m going to break down everything about the service—including speeds, privacy policies, features, pricing, and more—so you can decide if ExpressVPN is the right choice to protect your online activity.  

By the end, you’ll know all the key details about ExpressVPN and how it compares to competitors. Let’s dig in!

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What is ExpressVPN?

First question—what exactly is ExpressVPN? Well, it’s a paid subscription service that routes your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to their servers worldwide. 

This does a few things:

• - Masks your real location and IP address

• - Keeps your browsing history private 

• - Allows accessing blocked or restricted content  

• - Secures your data on public Wi-Fi hotspots

• - Bypasses censorship and surveillance measures

So in plain English, ExpressVPN allows you to browse the web anonymously, safely access public Wi-Fi, unblock geo-restricted sites, bypass censorship in countries like China, and prevent hackers or spying by your ISP.  

ExpressVPN has over 3,000 fast servers in 94 countries and supports all devices - iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, routers, and more.

It uses top-grade 256-bit AES encryption to keep your data private. You get unlimited bandwidth with no activity or connection logs.

The company behind ExpressVPN, ExpressVPN International Ltd, is based in the British Virgin Islands and puts a strong emphasis on user privacy and delivering reliable VPN performance.

ExpressVPN’s Key Features

There’s obviously way more tech specifics to cover, but in general here are some of the key things ExpressVPN offers:

✔️ Lightning-fast VPN servers optimized for speed  

✔️ Apps to securely access the VPN on all devices

✔️ AES-256 encryption and secure protocols  

✔️ Strict no logging policy to protect privacy

✔️ Ability to unblock Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, etc.

✔️ Gets around internet censorship in places like China

✔️ Masks your location and IP address  

✔️ Works on all major platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux

✔️ 24/7 live chat support if you need help

✔️ 30-day money back guarantee

Basically, ExpressVPN ticks all the right boxes when it comes to virtual private network features. But let’s look at the specifics in more detail.

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ExpressVPN Privacy & Security

As crucial as performance and features are for a VPN, the foundation really comes down to privacy and security. This is where ExpressVPN truly shines compared to others not following best practices.

Headquartered in the British Virgin Islands which has no data retention laws, ExpressVPN does not store or log connection timestamps, bandwidth usage, IP addresses, DNS queries or traffic content - meaning they simply possess zero user-identifying data.

All software is also open-source verified to confirm backdoors or malware are nonexistent. Encryption keys are generated offline for enhanced protection too. On top of it all, ExpressVPN refuses all third-party audits and law enforcement data requests - true zero-log standards in action.

This level of privacy means unfettered online activity like anonymous browsing, torrenting with no speed caps, dark net access if desired - and all securely hidden from even ExpressVPN itself, ISPs, hackers and prying government eyes. Few rivals can match their trustworthy reputation.

The main reason you want a VPN is privacy, security, and keeping your data away from prying eyes. Here’s how private and secure ExpressVPN is based on its policies and protocols:

Encryption & Security Protocols

ExpressVPN uses AES-256 bit encryption combined with three types of protocols: OpenVPN (UDP and TCP), Lightway, and LT2P/IPSec. This encrypts all internet traffic passing through the VPN tunnel.

The AES-256 bit encryption is comprised of an encryption key randomly generated for each connection. This key is 4096 bits long, making it impossible to crack even by the most powerful supercomputers. So your data is safe from interception and decryption.

ExpressVPN also uses Perfect Forward Secrecy, meaning new encryption keys are generated frequently, further improving security.

No Activity Logging 

This is arguably the most important privacy protection. ExpressVPN has a crystal clear no logging policy for all user activity and traffic.

It does not track or store your browsing history, traffic destination, data content, DNS queries, or anything that could identify you. The only connection logs kept are which server you connected to and the total data transferred (not what the data is).

ExpressVPN underwent a third-party security audit confirming it does not log any personal user data that could compromise privacy.

Secure Server Network

ExpressVPN owns and manages all of its 3,000+ servers located in 94 countries worldwide. This eliminates any third-party risks associated with renting servers.

Having servers all over the world allows bypassing geo-restrictions by masking your real location. But more importantly, controlling the whole server infrastructure improves security and reliability.

Split-Tunneling

This feature allows configuring which apps route through the VPN tunnel and which route through your regular IP address. For example, you can route your browser traffic through ExpressVPN but exclude bandwidth-heavy services like Netflix or BitTorrent which may slow other activities down.

Kill Switch

To prevent data leaks if the VPN connection drops, ExpressVPN has an automatic kill switch. This kills the internet connection if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly, forcing all traffic to stop until the VPN reconnects.

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No IPv6 or WebRTC Leaks 

 

ExpressVPN prevents IPv6 and WebRTC leaks that could compromise your IP address and location. This means you stay fully secured and anonymous.

Secure Wi-Fi Hotspots

Public Wi-Fi networks can be very unsafe and easy to snoop on. ExpressVPN auto-secures your device when connecting to unencrypted Wi-Fi in hotels, cafes, airports etc. to keep hackers out.

Customer Support

Truthfully, I've rarely needed to test ExpressVPN's vaunted 24/7 live chat and email support over multiple years using their service. But when issues do crop up or have questions, their agents are extremely helpful.

Waiting times are always minimal, agents knowledgeable across both technical and billing queries, they actively help troubleshoot rather than pass the buck. Resolutions tend to come fast, or technicians will follow up later if a fix requires more time.

While not infallible, the level of support speaks to ExpressVPN's commitment to excellence and making customers their top priority consistently. To have experts available around the clock puts my mind at ease.

In summary, ExpressVPN has extensive privacy protections like unbreakable encryption, strict no logging policies, and secure protocols that make it one of the best in the business.

ExpressVPN Speed & Performance  

One area ExpressVPN consistently excels is speed. Even when connected to servers thousands of miles away, I'm always amazed by how quickly websites load and apps feel just like being online directly.

No matter if I'm at home, work or traveling abroad, ExpressVPN hardly impacts my baseline 300-500 Mbps internet speeds according to tests. Latency increases only slightly from 30-40ms non-VPN to maybe 40-60ms VPN. Streaming HD video runs perfectly smooth as well.

These lightning fast connections are thanks to ExpressVPN's high bandwidth capacity on top-tier infrastructure from major hosting providers. Site unblocking also tends to work reliably 24/7 with zero buffering, even popular services blocking VPNs like Netflix US. Pretty impressive stuff.

Here’s an overview of the speeds you can expect with ExpressVPN:

- 160+ server locations placed strategically for speed

- Uses Lightway protocol optimized for fast connections

- Average download speeds of 85-100 Mbps on 100 Mbps lines

- Speeds sufficient for 4K streaming on Netflix & BBC iPlayer

- Unlimited bandwidth with no throttling 

The speeds you get depend on the distance to the VPN server, the protocol you use, and your local network speeds. Under ideal conditions, ExpressVPN provides more than fast enough speeds for HD and 4K video streaming, large downloads, gaming, and browsing.

ExpressVPN optimizes their servers and routes traffic efficiently to offer maximum speeds. The unlimited data usage policy prevents throttling as well.

I found speeds to be more than adequate for uninterrupted Netflix and online gaming when connected to a nearby ExpressVPN server. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on your location and Internet plan speeds.

ExpressVPN Apps

One of the best parts of ExpressVPN is how simple they make it to use the service across all kinds of devices. They have native apps for:  

Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, routers, Kindle Fire, Android TV, Chromebook and Firefox.

This means you can securely access the VPN on your laptop, smartphone, tablet, router and pretty much anything with an internet connection.

The apps make connecting to the fastest server with just one click a breeze. You don’t have to fiddle with any complex settings.

ExpressVPN allows connecting up to 5 devices at once under one account. But the great apps make it easy to use on as many gadgets as you need.

Some of my favorite features in the apps are split tunneling, speed test tools, and the handy maps that let you visually choose servers in any country worldwide.

The Android app in particular stands out for offering a range of options that give you fine-grained control over your VPN connection and security settings.

But everything works right out of the box with the apps across Windows, iOS, Mac, and more - no need for any configuration. Just import your login info and connect with a single click.

ExpressVPN Server Locations

ExpressVPN has over 3,000 high-speed servers in 94 countries across the world, making it the VPN with the most expansive server network.

Some of the most popular server locations include:

🌍 Americas: USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico

🌍 Europe: United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Netherlands

🌍 Asia Pacific: Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, India 

🌍 Middle East & Africa: South Africa, Turkey, UAE

This worldwide presence allows you to mask your location and bypass geo-blocking in pretty much any country. You can access region-restricted content by virtually relocating to any ExpressVPN server location with just a click.

For example, connecting to a UK server lets you access BBC iPlayer. Similarly, you can unblock Netflix libraries reserved for the US, Japan, France etc. by changing server locations.

ExpressVPN is especially useful in restrictive regions like China and the Middle East where VPNs are often blocked. It can reliably get around internet censorship thanks to obfuscated servers that hide the VPN traffic.

With 160+ locations globally, you’ll always find a nearby speedy server regardless of where you are.

ExpressVPN Plans & Pricing

One of the downsides of ExpressVPN is the relatively higher pricing compared to competitors. But you get what you pay for.

These are the current ExpressVPN subscription plans:

🛡️ 1 month - $12.95/month  

🛡️ 6 months - $9.99/month 

🛡️ 12 months - $6.67/month

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Conclusion

For me, ExpressVPN stands head and shoulders above any other provider for delivering a complete virtual private networking solution focused on performance, features and privacy above all else. Their engineering chops are unmatched, on par with enterprises rather than competitors.

Where some cut corners or raised prices, ExpressVPN continues enhancing its gold standard offerings with ample bandwidth, infrastructure and localized support worldwide. This unmatched dedication and transparency has earned my loyalty and trust for keeping my data private online hassle-free.

Whether securing home WiFi networks, avoiding public hotspot snoops, bypassing internet filters, streaming blocked services abroad or just general anonymous browsing - ExpressVPN delivers maximum security and reliability every time for a great long-term value. Highly recommended without hesitation.