When it comes to Virtual Private Networks (VPN), the market is saturated with many service providers all claiming to be the best. Your online privacy is precious. Trusting it to just any fly-by-night provider is suicide. There are many VPNs out there, and our goal is to provide you with information on the top VPNs out there.
Contents
ExpressVPN is our #2 pick of top VPNs and in this VPN review; we will take a look at what we liked about it from the pricing packages and compatibility to their connection speeds and logging policy. We will also take a look at some of the things we weren’t too fond of like the relatively small amount of servers in few countries, nothing for free and inconvenient verification codes.
ExpressVPN Review Summary
Advantages
- Decent Pricing
- No browsing logs
- True 24/7 customer support
- Compatibility with all devices and OS.
- Fast browsing speeds
Disadvantages
- No free trial period
- Servers in only 47 countries
- Annoying auto pay
ExpressVPN was our #2 pick of top VPN providers and here’s why. Affordable pricing and 24/7/365 customer support, compatibility for all devices and no logging of browser activity overshadows the inconvenience of different verification codes for each device you use and no free trial period.
What we liked
Pricing
Though not the most affordable VPN service out there, ExpressVPN is worth the money you spend. Three packages are offered and like many other VPN services the pricing is discounted with each package. The longer you sign up for the service, the better the discount.
- Monthly package: $12.95 USD. Billed Monthly.
- 12-month package: Their most popular and best deal out there. $8.32USD/ month billed in one lump sum every 12 months; a 35% savings over the monthly package.
- 6-month Package: $9.99 USD/ month billed in one lump sum every six months.
Although these packages are pretty standard, they offer a 30-money back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied with their product. They also have an impressive payment list to choose from such as major credit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, as well as many other payment methods.
No Browsing logs
Unlike many of their competitors, ExpressVPN does not keep records of your browsing activity. They will however retain login times. They also keep your credit card and email address information on file on an external server for auto pay purposes and registration verification.
Customer Support
While many VPN providers would like to advertise their 24/7 customer support, many fall short by a quite a few hours. Not ExpressVPN. They truly have 24/7/365 customer support, and their representatives are highly knowledgeable and accurate. They also have a live seven day a week tech support chat on top of their excellent customer service. Set up is very easy with illustrated step by step instructions and video tutorials.
Compatibility
ExpressVPN is truly compatible with every device and on all operating systems. One click apps make connecting a snap. Their software is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS and Linux and is compatible with iPad and iPhone as well as all Android devices. A dedicated Android app is as reliable and easy to use as the Windows app. ExpressVPN allows you to use your laptop/desktop and a mobile device simultaneously. This VPN service not only works on wired internet connections but also Wi-Fi and cellular networks as well.
Fast Connections
OpenVPN is their go to protocol, but they do offer connection through PPTP, L2TP/IPSec, and SSTP as well. Their speed is fantastic, and they give you either 128-bit or 256-bit bank level encryption, making you totally anonymous. If you have any connection issues such as with ports or firewalls, ExpressVPN gives you the option to switch within the OpenVPN between TCP and UDP.
What we didn’t like
Auto pay
Using a payment option like a credit card or PayPal is fast and convenient. But if you’re like most people, you don’t always use the same credit card all the time. And while it may appear to be a silly annoyance, auto-pay can wreak havoc on your bank or PayPal account, especially if you aren’t aware of it. When you sign up for service with ExpressVPN of more than a month, you are automatically enrolled in their auto-pay. Canceling this service can either be done via an email or by turning off auto pay in your account profile. ExpressVPN and others would be wise to give their customers the option to choose Auto pay at checkout, not assume it for everyone.
Servers
The key to a successful VPN provider is options. The more servers you have in many areas over multiple countries gives the provider the advantage over the competition. Offering thousands of IP addresses that can be switched seamlessly is what many people look for to achieve the level of anonymity that warrants the use of a VPN. The number of servers they have and the locations of the servers are somewhat limited, too which also limits the amount of IP addresses.
Since ExpressVPN is based in the US; the information they do keep (like your activity time and credit card information and email address) is subject to government seizure at any time without warning. With the NSA devising more and more surveillance techniques, this has the potential to be very problematic. Although they don’t maintain any browsing activities, this won’t stop the US government from getting a hold of your information through them.
Login Codes
While compatible over many devices and operating systems, ExpressVPN does have one niggling little flaw; they use different verification codes to connect with each device. Rather than allowing you to login with your account details, they will email you a verification code that must be used on all device connections; inconvenient and not at all efficient.
No freebies
Everyone loves a bargain and when that deal is free, its gold. Unfortunately, much to our dismay, ExpressVPN does not provide anything for free-nothing. Unlike the competition, ExpressVPN doesn’t even offer a free trial period. There are no free proxy servers, no free special features, no free anything. They do have an iron-clad 30 money back guarantee. However, most would prefer a free trial period, to test drive the service before purchasing.
Key Takeaways
Okay, so we do like Express VPN, so much so we put it at number 2 on our favorites list. Compatible apps for all devices and many of the most used operating systems, a variety of payment options, and fast connection speeds from multiple protocols, port switching in case of issues with firewalls and ports, and awesome, genuine customer service makes ExpressVPN a very reliable and viable VPN service provider.
If you can look past the limited amount of servers in a few countries (47 countries to be exact), nothing for free what so ever and the annoying copy and pasting a verification code to connect your devices, then ExpressVPN is worth the purchase. We liked the ease of setup with their pictures and video tutorials, and since they are a relatively new service, we’re confident that they will only get better with time. We give ExpressVPN thumbs up for great VPN service provider. Check them out today!
