NordVPN vs ExpressVPN: NordVPN wins 79 to 78
NordVPN leads ExpressVPN 79 to 78 on my scoreboard. Seven of the nine columns are within a point or tied. The two that decide it are price, where NordVPN scores 7 against 5, and ease of use, where ExpressVPN has the only 10 in the column.
- Longest plan
- $3.49/mo · $94.23 for 27 mo
- Month to month
- $14.99/mo
- Based in
- Panama
- Protocol
- NordLynx
- Trustpilot
- 4.2 / 5
- Longest plan
- $2.99/mo · $83.72 for 28 mo
- Month to month
- not advertised
- Based in
- BVI
- Protocol
- Lightway
- Trustpilot
- 4.4 / 5
Plain links to each provider. I have no affiliate or referral deal with either, so I earn nothing if you buy. Prices are USD as advertised on October 7, 2026; most plans renew higher.
NordVPN vs ExpressVPN, feature by feature
Each feature scored 1 to 10 by me, same scale as the full scoreboard. Green is 8 to 10, yellow 5 to 7, red 1 to 4. The higher score in each row is marked.
| Feature | NordVPN | ExpressVPN | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| SpeedDownload throughput and latency over WireGuard | 9 | 9 | Tie |
| PrivacyNo-logs policy, independent audits, jurisdiction | 9 | 9 | Tie |
| SecurityEncryption, kill switch, DNS and IPv6 leak protection | 10 | 9 | NordVPN by 1 |
| ServersServer count and country coverage | 9 | 9 | Tie |
| StreamingUnblocks Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and live sport | 9 | 9 | Tie |
| PriceValue on 1 and 2 year plans, refund window | 7 | 5 | NordVPN by 2 |
| Ease of useApp quality, setup, defaults | 9 | 10 | ExpressVPN by 1 |
| SupportLive chat availability and response time | 9 | 9 | Tie |
| TrustpilotTrustpilot TrustScore out of 5, doubled to a 1 to 10 scale | 8 | 9 | ExpressVPN by 1 |
| TotalPlain sum of the 9 scores | 79of 90 | 78of 90 | NordVPN by 1 |
Where they differ most
- Price: NordVPN leads by 2 (7 against 5).
- Security: NordVPN leads by 1 (10 against 9).
- Ease of use: ExpressVPN leads by 1 (9 against 10).
- Trustpilot: ExpressVPN leads by 1 (8 against 9).
A tie on speed, privacy, servers, streaming and support
Both score 9 in all five. ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol and NordVPN's NordLynx both cut the wait for a connection to under a second and both held up on long-distance servers. Both unblocked every streaming service I test. Both are based outside intelligence-sharing alliances, ExpressVPN in the British Virgin Islands and NordVPN in Panama, with audited no-logs policies and servers that run in memory only.
Security is 10 against 9 in NordVPN's favour, for the extra layers it ships by default; ExpressVPN's fundamentals are the same.
Ease of use: ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is the only VPN on my scoreboard with a 10 for ease of use. The apps are the simplest I tested: one button, sensible defaults, and nothing to configure unless you want to. NordVPN scores 9 because its apps carry more features and a busier interface. If you have ever set up a VPN for a relative, you know why that one point matters.
Price: the deciding column
On the longest term ExpressVPN advertises $2.99 a month, $83.72 for 28 months, against NordVPN's $3.49 and $94.23 for 27 months, so the two-year headline price favours ExpressVPN. The Price column also scores the one-year plan and the refund window, and that is where ExpressVPN loses points: it costs more on shorter terms and does not advertise a month-to-month plan on its pricing page, while NordVPN lists one at $14.99.
Trustpilot goes to ExpressVPN, 4.4 against 4.2, which rounds to 9 and 8.
How I scored these
Every number on this page comes from the same tests as the main scoreboard: speed over WireGuard on a wired 1 Gbps line at three times of day, streaming checked against Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+ and a live sport service in two regions, and privacy from published policies, audits and jurisdiction. The method is on the How I score page. Think a score is wrong? Tell me what you found and I will re-test.
Pick NordVPN if
- You want the best total and more features in the app.
- You might not commit to two years and want flexible terms.
- You want the extra security layers switched on by default.
Pick ExpressVPN if
- You want the simplest apps on the market.
- You will pay for the full 28 months up front.
- You put slightly more weight on Trustpilot.
Not sure about either?
All 15 VPNs are on one sortable table. Sort by the column you care about and see who else is close.
Open the full scoreboard