Based in British Virgin Islands, ExpressVPN, has been providing VPN service to the world since 2009. It aims to provide unrestricted access to all the contents on the web to its users. The detailed analysis by us found it to be one of the best ones around. The following ExpressVPN review will cover all the important functionality and services provided by the VPN service provider. Keep reading to find out if ExpressVPN is what you need to explore the web without any restrictions.
Features
There are a plethora of features bundled with the services which have been discussed below:
Network Lock
The Network Lock feature ensures that your information is not leaked accidently because of a sudden stoppage of the VPN service. The Network Lock feature doesn’t allow the internet traffic from flowing outside the VPN tunnel. So, all the information you send and receive over the internet is completely secured. Further, this feature automatically disconnects the internet connection of your device when the service is disabled. Upon reconnecting, the internet is automatically enabled. This means, that the Network Lock will work until the time you disable the services. It is helpful in a scenario where the VPN service gets disabled by mistake and you’re entering some sensitive data.
Option to choose protocol automatically
The ExpressVPN client can choose the protocol best suited to your needs. So, you need not fumble around for finding the most apt protocol. Otherwise, you may manually pick from the wide range of protocols available. The best protocol for most of the users is the OpenVPN (UDP) protocol. It provides you with the best security as well as speed. However, it may not always be available all the time. You can also choose TCP-OpenVPN which is almost always available but the speed provided is somewhat on a lower side. For streaming, you must use PPTP protocol. This is the least secure protocols amongst all the available protocols but the speed provided is good enough for streaming web contents.
No log records
ExpressVPN Services does not keep a log of all the information you send and receive through their secured tunnel. The company is registered with BVI, so the laws of USA and Europe are not applicable to it. Thus, privacy and security remain at the top of their priority list. The absence of browsing logging ensures your anonymity to its fullest. And the 256 bits encryption makes it almost impossible for any data to be compromised.
Bonuses and discounts
Special discounts and bonuses are provided to the loyal customer and those with long term plans. So, if you’re planning to resort to the services for a longer period then ExpressVPN will only keep on improving and lure you with mouthwatering bonuses and discounts.
Light weight clients
The clients provided by the service provider is light and doesn’t give much load on the system. Since it doesn’t take a lot of space on your hard drive and RAM so, you’re bound to receive optimal performance, both from your device and the client.
Pricing
Much like other VPN services in the business, ExpressVPN also provides three subscription plans. All these plans come with a money-back-guarantee (that too with no-questions-asked!) in case you’re not satisfied with the services. The pricing plans start with $12.95 for a month of service. In case you want a 6 months plan then it will cost you just $9.99 per month. Similarly, in the case of 12 months, the price is $8.32 per month. All the packages come with P2P support which in or opinion is excellent.
Servers
Needless to say that more are the number of servers available, the better is the quality of service. Also, a server near your geographical address will provide you stability and improve the speed and overall quality of the services. ExpressVPN has a wide range of servers located all around the world. The exact number of servers are not disclosed citing security reasons but it is estimated that there are 1000+ servers located in 100+ cities of 78 countries. The servers are more than capable of handling requests in bulk from the customers.
Speed
Our speed tests have revealed different speeds for different protocols. There isn’t much drop in the speed from the normal internet connection and while connected to ExpressVPN. For this ExpressVPN Review we found the speeds as given below:
With L2TP/IPsec
- Download: 22.30 Mbps
- Upload: 2.54 Mbps
With OpenVPN
- Download: 14.8 Mbps
- Upload: 4.62 Mbps
With PPTP
- Download: 22 Mbps
- Upload: 2.49 Mbps
Compatibility
ExpressVPN is compatible with all the major platforms available. Apart from Windows and Macs, it is also available in the form of apps for Android and iOS handheld devices. The application and the clients have a wide array of options available where the users can toggle with the settings according to their needs.
Customer Support
One of the USPs of Express VPN services is its customer services. The website itself is very active in responding to all the queries of its customers and potential customers. It contains detailed tutorials for setting up the clients across all the devices. The FAQs present on their website is sufficient to answer all the common questions. However, if you need assistance on a personal level there’s a live chat support available 24/7.
All the conversations with the customer care executives are logged which helps the customers when they contact them in future. This feature alone is a great help in keeping track of the developments relating to your issues and helps in resolving them quickly. Also, the email ticketing system is very responsive and adds to the plethora of options already available to this VPN service.
Cons
During our ExpressVPN review trials, we found out that there are no trials available. This makes life difficult for those who wish to test the services before subscribing to the service. It may also prove to be a major turn-off for many of the potential services.
Although, it’s not a major drawback but having separate login codes for different devices can tiresome at times. And the limitation for only two simultaneous connection is frustrating given the average number of devices per person is increasing every day.
Conclusion
As one of the earliest providers of the service, this VPN service is yet to disappoint users in terms of its stability and overall performance. Yes, the pricing is on a higher side but the performance makes up for all the bucks spent. During the testing from our team for this ExpressVPN Review, it was found that the VPN can bypass all kinds of geo and ISP restrictions.
