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ExpressVPN Review – [July, 2022]

Based in the British Virgin Islands and established in 2011, ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs in the marketplace currently, thanks to its audited no logs policy by Cure53 and PwC Switzerland, which guarantees all information remains private.

With a network of 3,000+ servers in 94+ countries and 160+ locations worldwide that utilize TrustedServer technology, ExpressVPN offers a highly fast and log-less experience to its customer base, whether that be for torrenting or unblocking American Netflix.

Since BVI is away from the Fine, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes alliances, users can feel assured that their identity remains hidden at all times, while having access to apps for all popular platforms like Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Smart TVs.

Pricing: How Much Does ExpressVPN Cost?

If you want to purchase a plan for ExpressVPN, you have three plans; monthly (starting at $12.95), bi-yearly ($9.99/mo), and 1-year ($8.32/mo). However, if you get a plan through our affiliate link, you can get a 1-year + 3-months free plan for as low as $6.67/mo.

The monthly subscription costs are quite high, as compared to other providers in the marketplace. Similarly, the 6-month plan can also be quite expensive for many. Therefore, if you want to get the best value, I recommend going for the 1-year plan.

Free Trial/Refund Guarantee

ExpressVPN does offer a 7-day free trial, but it’s only available to users of iOS and Android devices. Typically, once you install the app on your device, you will be required to enter a valid email address and your payment details, after selecting a suitable plan.

This will activate your free trial of 7-days, but your card will only get charged after it expires. Therefore, if you want to avoid the charge, cancel your trial account before 7-days. As another benefit, users also get a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans.

Payment Methods

For purchasing a subscription, ExpressVPN makes available a huge list of payment methods. Among these include credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Visa Electron, Delta, Diner’s Club International, and more.

You can also pay via PayPal, Bitcoin, and other gateways like WebMoney, UnionPay, AliPay, iDeal, SOFORT, GiroPay, and more. If you want to remain anonymous, I recommend signing up with Bitcoin, as to prevent anyone from tracking you!

Jurisdiction: Where is ExpressVPN Based?

ExpressVPN is based in the highly safe and privacy-friendly, British Virgin Islands. It is a small country that comes under the purview of the British Monarchy but tends to be completely independent in the governance of its internal and external affairs.

This is what gives ExpressVPN a competitive edge over other providers, as BVI is away from the prying eyes of the Five, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes alliances, which impose highly invasive data retention and mass surveillance laws to indulge in intelligence sharing!

Security: Is It Safe to Use ExpressVPN?

Yes, ExpressVPN is completely safe to use. In fact, it offers some of the best security and privacy features and technologies to users for remaining anonymous online!

Logging Information

ExpressVPN does not store any logging information. Their privacy policy clearly states that no metadata, browsing history, IP address, time stamps, DNS queries, or any session/connection-related information is stored by the provider.

This can be verified by the incident where Turkish authorities seized ExpressVPN’s servers, after the Russian ambassador of Turkey was assassinated. The off-duty cop responsible for the killing, deleted all social media accounts through ExpressVPN.

However, after the seizing of servers, no logs were found. If that is not enough to convince you, ExpressVPN users can feel relieved to know that the provider has even undergone a thorough audit by two security companies: Cure53 and PwC Switzerland.

Protocols and Encryption

ExpressVPN offers support for all VPN protocols. These include PPTP, SSTP, L2TP/IPSec, and OpenVPN. Their latest update even gives users access to the “Lightway” protocol, which is designed to increase the speed and reliability of VPN connections.

As far as encryption is concerned, ExpressVPN utilizes AES-256-GCM ciphers with RSA-384 handshake and HMAC SHA-256 data authentication on the control channel, and AES-256-CBC ciphers with HMAC SHA-256 data authentication on the data channel.

VPN Trust Initiative (VTI)

A scheme from the i2Coalition, the VPN Trust Initiative (VTI) is a community of cooperation for the privacy industry, wherein enterprises, experts, and VPN services provide the best practices and technical standards of operating a VPN product.

ExpressVPN stands as a founding member of VTI, helping customers become more aware and informed about their VPN choices. This adds to its credibility of always being proactive, be it for technologies or any kind of initiative in the privacy industry!

Servers: How Many Servers Does ExpressVPN Have?

ExpressVPN has a huge network infrastructure with over 3,000 servers in 94+ countries and 160+ locations worldwide, which utilized the infamous TrustedServer Technology. This transforms all the VPNs servers to a RAM-infrastructure model.

Since all servers are RAM-based, there is no storing of logs and users get to receive unmatched speeds for streaming, browsing, gaming, and torrenting activities. Once connected, you will not experience any bandwidth or crowding issues.

P2p/File Sharing (Torrenting)

ExpressVPN is one of the best choices for indulging in p2p/torrenting. The safe jurisdiction, no-logs experience, and RAM servers provide a highly secure and anonymous experience for downloading torrents, regardless of where you are located in the world.

With features like Automatic Kill Switch and Split Tunneling, you can feel assured that you will not receive any copyright notices when downloading pirated content. Although SOCKS5 proxies are not available, you receive amazing speeds on all torrent clients.

Streaming: Does ExpressVPN Unblock U.S. Netflix & Other VoDs?

Yes, ExpressVPN successfully manages to unblock American Netflix and 20+ other libraries, due to their ability to bypass VPN bans, geographical restrictions, and content limitations. All of their servers work smoothly with the VoD and rarely ever suffer downtimes.

In fact, their unblocking capabilities are not only limited to Netflix. By using ExpressVPN, you can also access international and local libraries of BBC iPlayer, Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO GO, Hulu, Hotstar, Voot, and various other streaming services.

How to Get American Netflix via ExpressVPN?

ExpressVPN offers amazing support for Netflix with its fast RAM-infrastructure servers. Recommended choices: New Jersey-1, Washington DC, New York. Follow the steps below to learn how to unblock American Netflix in Canada or elsewhere. 

1. Visit the official ExpressVPN website.
2. Click on the “Get ExpressVPN” button.
3. Choose a plan that best suits your needs.
4. Complete the payment checkout process.
5. Return to the ExpressVPN homepage.
6. Click on “My Account” from the tabs above.
7. Enter your credentials to log into the dashboard.
8. Download the relevant application for your device.
9. Copy the activation code from the dashboard.
10. Launch the ExpressVPN app and paste the code.
11. Wait for the product to activate successfully.
12. Connect to a recommended server in the US.
13. Open Netflix and enjoy the American library!

ExpressVPN streams “Whose Vote Counts, Explained” on American Netflix via the “USA – New Jersey – 1” server and delivers amazing speeds in 4k quality!

Speed: How Fast is ExpressVPN?

To get a better idea about the performance offered by ExpressVPN, I performed a speed test analysis on 5 different servers. On average, the VPN delivers 90.76 Mbps in downloads and 88.04 Mbps in uploads on a 100 Mbps connection:

Compatibility: Can I Use ExpressVPN on All My Devices?

ExpressVPN offers amazing cross-platform compatibility to users. You have applications available for Windows, Android, Mac, iOS, and even Firestick. For Apple TVs, Xbox, and PlayStation, ExpressVPN even provides a router application for easy setup.

Trustworthiness: What Do Users Say About ExpressVPN?

In order to get an unbiased opinion about ExpressVPN, it is always a good idea to analyze what users are saying regarding the service. One of the best places to get user perspectives is to check out Trustpilot and Reddit.

Trustpilot Score

From a total of 5,853 user reviews, ExpressVPN manages to garner an amazing 4.7-star rating on Trustpilot. This is quite an amazing score and indicates that most users have had a good experience with the provider.

In fact, according to Trustpilot, over 87% of users have given ExpressVPN an “excellent” rating, whereas only 3% of users have rated the service as “bad”. Most users are generally hesitant on buying Express, due to its price!

Reddit Raves and Rants

Many Redditors praise the service offered by ExpressVPN, claiming it unblocks all streaming platforms like Netflix, all while offering amazing support. One user below describes their experience of encountering a problem and then quick support!

ExpressVPN Customer Support

ExpressVPN has one of the most proactive support teams in the industry. All technical and general queries receive answers from well-trained executives. Users even have the option of contacting the provider through 24/7 live chat support.

For instant solutions, ExpressVPN even makes available a troubleshooting page, along with a frequently asked questions (FAQs) menu. If these do not prove helpful, you can even receive specific assistance via setup tutorials pages.

ExpressVPN Alternatives

As one of the fastest services in the industry, ExpressVPN offers exceptional performance and incentives to users who want to leverage privacy, unblock VoDs, engage in p2p/torrenting, game securely, and browse the internet freely.

However, since the service is a little expensive, you may be looking for other alternatives. Luckily for you, there are other options in the marketplace, which cater to user needs perfectly. Among some of the best, include:

• Surfshark
• NordVPN
• IPVanish
• PureVPN

Is ExpressVPN Recommended?

Yes, ExpressVPN is a recommended provider for those who do not mind paying a high price. The streaming, torrenting, privacy, and security capabilities are unmatched in the marketplace, due to their advanced features and no-logs service.

With their huge network of RAM infrastructure of 3,000+ servers in 94+ countries, users can engage in p2p/torrenting freely and unblock VoDs like American Netflix, without any hassles. The VPN also has its headquarters in a safe jurisdiction (The British Virgin Islands).

This means they are away from the prying eyes of the Fine, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes Alliances. The best part of all: you can set up ExpressVPN on any internet-enabled device via their router application for DD-WRT and Tomato devices.