ExpressVPN Review – Full Test Results With Pros And Cons

0
186
ExpressVPN Review
Image: ExpressVPN

If you want to start using ExpressVPN, you should check out our full detailed review. ExpressVPN is one of the best internet privacy and security manager VPN apps. It would not be surprising if you call it the number 1 VPN service available in present days.

It is a good choice for newcomers. The reason is its easy-to-use interface. This app is so simple that you do not need a guideline to use it. Everything inside the app can be navigated easily. All necessary functions are included here to keep your web surfing trouble-free.

Huge support on multiple devices attracts more people toward this. The price range starts from slightly higher than competitors in the market. That’s why we tested it aggressively to see the limits. Now the full ExpressVPN Review is ready. So let’s see how worthy it is!

Full ExpressVPN User Review After 4 Days

We continuously used ExpressVPN for 4 days with the monthly package. Therefore we gathered enough information to present an honest review. We tested it based on 6 main facts. They are speed, privacy & security, usability, support, accessibility & streaming, and Pricing. These are the principal features people expect from a top-class VPN app

You know 160 locations from 94 countries is not a small number. Moreover, there is no limit for Bandwidth. For all other interesting information about ExpressVPN, you have to stick with us. By the end of this review, you will get the pros and cons from our point of view.

How fast is ExpressVPN?

Each of these four days repeatedly tested the speed over Wi-Fi and Ethernet connection. You know internet speed in different states varies. With VPN connected the actual internet speed should not go less than 50%. That really didn’t happen. Over high-speed Wi-Fi, we got reasonable speed. 

While without VPN the speed was on average 190 Mbps, with ExpressVPN it was stable at 100Mbps on average. The top speed we recorded from Europe was 126 Mbps. It’s the average speed. That’s surely an improvement compared to the last few years. It beats the average speed of last year.

The average speed of Australian servers was better than in the UK and the US. In the case of a single test speed, the UK reached up to 155Mbps. It is the best individual score when a single round’s top speed in Australia reached 142 Mbps. Now maybe you are curious about Singapore’s result.

We have that too. In terms of internet speed, Singapore is the leading country in the world. But the result through ExpressVPN will surprise you. We got 101Mbps. However, we expected more. Now let’s talk about the US. The average speed of the US server was calculated at 71Mbps. But individually the best was 136Mbps.

To avoid exceptional results, we reset our gears and tested them again. But every time the result was close enough to declare it a successful measurement. When we searched for the company’s claimed speed we got it should stay between 200 to 270 Mbps while using the OpenVPN protocol without any interruption.

As our result didn’t reach that far, we consider there might be some kinds of disturbance on our network. After all, the overall speed is up to the mark. You can say ExpressVPN is pretty speedy. In your case, the speed can be higher than ours if your internet connection is better.

Privacy & Security features of ExpressVPN

First of all, we want to inform you about the base of ExpressVPN. It is situated in the British Virgin Islands. Privacy is strictly respected there. They do not store user data. As per their law, no user data should be shared even if the authorities ask for it. So you can enjoy the freedom.

You have seen most of the VPN apps claim that they support OpenVPN with AES 256. But ExpressVPN really mentions just a small part of their privacy features. They have a 4096-bit SHA-512 RSA certificate. To encrypt the control channel they use AES-256-CBC. 

There is no risk of altering data. Hash Message Authentication Code helps to protect you from that kind of threat. We tested that too. We tried ExpressVPN’s configuration file for OpenVPN. We got a solid result. There is forward secrecy support. It keeps assigning different secret keys to every connection. 

That’s not all. A secret key changes automatically 60 minutes later when you are still connected. So if a hacker tracks that, he will get nothing but only 60 minutes’ data. So it would be huge work for such a small outcome. Another headlining feature is DNS leak protection. We respectively tested that and found no DNS leaks.

Besides that, it prevents online activity data from spreading from the VPN tunnels. They have their private and 256-bit encrypted DNS for each server. It is a massive advantage that keeps ExpressVPN ahead of the competitors. It reduces the risk of logging into the DNS server. 

The issues that come with unencrypted DNS are surprisingly under control in ExpressVPN. Testing the DNS servers was challenging. But we did it for you. We used some websites like the IPLeak test, DNS leak test to dig out the truth. The result was still satisfying. There were no such issues of traffic or DNS leaking.

The amazing fact is ExpressVPN recently got a certificate from ioXT Alliance for providing strong privacy support. This certificate requires some standards. If a product maintains that, it will be certified. Undoubtedly ExpressVPN has it all. It makes this app more trustworthy. 

This one is not the only VPN that is certified. There are a couple of others. However, we think the privacy features are perfect in it and you can feel secure with it. Now let’s talk about the Logging policy. Almost all the VPNs claim that they never log your information. But the reality is shocking. Most of them do log and they sell that information to third-party advertisers. 

This is more dangerous than you think. Our main reason for using VPNs is to keep our online activities secure and secret. If a VPN logs your information it is violating the main purpose. Here ExpressVPN has its unique rules. It doesn’t log or share activity details. If you want to know the logging policy of Express VPN you can read it from the link in the “No Log” statement.

The page explains everything about the logging policy. Normally for the first page, there is no zero log policy. You will know which information they log and why if you read that page. After studying that we can assure you none of your private data is going to be logged by ExpressVPN.

They only keep the record of the date you connected and the servers you like most alongside the amount of data you used. As the connection time and IP address are not stored, no one can track you. The thing I like most is their clarity. Express VPN handles every possible threat cleverly with the no-sharing agreement.

Usability of ExpressVPN

The interface of Express VPN is well decorated and easy to use. You do not need previous experience to understand how it works. No matter which platform you are using, all options are easily navigable. At first look, we understood that the app was built with care. We started with the Android app and checked all the options. It was extremely smooth and packed with every advanced feature. 

You will see the quick connect and kill switch which is very useful. Inside the app, every click responded quickly. It is designed for the beginner mind. The setup process is easier than you think. There is no waiting time for connecting servers. Rarely a drop connection can occur. In our whole period of testing, we did not face any dropped connections.

So if it happens, it will recover so quickly that you would not notice. One-click smart location makes it more reliable. If you want to dig more into the app settings or play with protocols and encryption levels, you can do that. One of the strengths of Express VPN is some VPN leans more toward nubiles or more toward advanced users. 

There ExpressVPN finds a nice balancing place cause it’s absolutely simple but rich with features. We found the same comfortable user interface when switched to the iOS app. This same speed and smoothness continued on Windows and Mac. We tried the Chrome extensions as well. So one word we chose to describe our in-app experience for all platforms. That is awesome. 

ExpressVPN customer care & support

Great service will never be great if it does not provide proper support for the customers. The support that Express VPN provides you will barely find in other VPN apps. We liked the way its 24/7 live chat service works. The people sitting on the other side are real experts. The typical live chat support of many apps just answers some regular questions.

In Express VPN you can literally troubleshoot if there are any issues through live chat. That is not common. We think every other app should take care of customers as this app does. If you need any information or face a bug, just let them know. They will solve it as soon as possible. It supports nine famous router brands. We didn’t test it with routers because the test result would be the same.

Accessibility & streaming on ExpressVPN Review

We have seen so many VPN apps claim that they can unblock all streaming platforms. But the actual result varies. In this case, the Express VPN specifically includes the name of the platforms it can unblock. All the popular sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Youtube, and 20 more others can be streamed without any interruption.

A large group of people uses VPNs only for streaming their favorite video platform. We pretended to be like them and tried each of the claimed platforms. ExpressVPN didn’t disappoint us. We could reach all of them. We got access to Netflix and Amazon Prime with all three locations.

It easily bypassed Disney+. But struggled a bit to unblock BBC iPlayer. After trying with two or three servers we finally succeeded. As torrenting is illegal, they mentioned nothing about it. So we were confused about torrenting. That’s why we started to dig into it and we got the truth.

Express VPN not only supports torrenting but also makes torrenting easier. The torrent downloading speed was better than many other VPNs. So looking over the unblocking ability and accessibility we can say ExpressVPN is the best one for streaming.

Pricing of ExpressVPN

When you are getting all-in-one support from a VPN app what should be the price range? Do you have any ideas? Okay, relieve your brain. Express VPN comes with affordable monthly and yearly deals. Although compared to other VPNs the price is high according to the service it is reasonable.

MonthlyHalf-yearly (6 months)Yearly (12 months)
$12.95 / €10.98 (Currently)$59.95 / €50.82 (Currently)$99.95 / €84.60 (Currently)

ExpressVPN is pretty confident of its service. For this reason, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. So you can stay tension-free even after spending your money. The amount can be paid by credit card or PayPal or BitCoin.

ExpressVPN Pros and Cons

Now comes the moment of truth. Here are the Pros and Cons of Express VPN. 

Pros: 

  • Fast and speedy across all the servers
  • High security and privacy protection
  • Supports most streaming sites
  • Zero log
  • Supports UAE and China
  • 24/7 live chat

Cons:

  • Expensive than rivals
  • Rare connection drops
  • Hard to get access on BBC iPlayer 

Final word

Sometimes keeping yourself hidden in the internet world is a serious matter. In that time an accidental exposure can be very harmful. So you should never trust the free VPN apps that make colorful ads and promise high-class security. In this present world, no good things are free.

When you go for a VPN app, you must ensure protection. ExpressVPN is a combo package of speed, protection, and features. In the past few days, we have used a lot of VPN apps. But using ExpressVPN was a great experience. Now if someone asks me for the best VPN app, I would surely recommend this one.

That’s all the information we had with our ExpressVPN Review. Hopefully, now you can decide whether you should use it or not. In my opinion, the yearly plan would be the best value for money.

NO COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here