NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN – which is the best?

Are you going to buy a VPN subscription, but don’t know whether you should buy a NordVPN or an ExpressVPN subscription? Which is the best VPN provider? Is ExpressVPN cheaper than NordVPN? Does NordVPN have more servers than ExpressVPN? There are lots of questions to be asked, and here we will put the providers up to a test, and share our results!

NordVPN and ExpressVPN are amongst the most popular VPN providers on the market. Daily you can read blogs recommending both services, and they do have a lot in common. But, is it possible to say that NordVPN is better than ExpressVPN? Or maybe that NordVPN is way better than ExpressVPN?

In this article, we will do our best to show you the differences and the similarities of ExpressVPN and NordVPN. We will compare lots of functions found in both VPN providers, we will write our thoughts about which is the fastest VPN providers of the two, and we will also mention their prices and thus telling you which is the cheapest of the two VPN providers.

But, we also know that lots of people do not care about prices – they care about what the VPN provider can do for them. If your goal is to stream Netflix content in a different region, it doesn’t matter if the price of a different VPN provider is cheaper if it cannot do the job you want it to do. So, which is the best VPN for accessing Netflix? Is ExpressVPN better than NordVPN when it comes to unblocking other streaming services like HBO Now, Hulu, Amazon Prime, BBC, Channel 4, and other streaming sites worldwide? We will look into all these topics and share our thoughts!

• You can read more about ExpressVPN in our ExpressVPN review.
• You can read more about NordVPN in our NordVPN review.

A quick comparison of ExpressVPN and NordVPN

If you just want a quick comparison of the two VPN providers, check this table.

At the above list, you can see a couple of the important functions and information that we need about a VPN provider to make a final decision. You will quickly notice that both NordVPN and ExpressVPN are very similar in many ways, and thus, it isn’t easy to make a difference between the two providers based on the list above.

But, let us take a closer look at some of the important different, starting with the price question.

• Want to sign up for NordVPN? Visit the NordVPN website.
• Want to use ExpressVPN as your provider? Visit the ExpressVPN website.

ExpressVPN vs. NordVPN – If your wallet is to decide!

If you look at the comparison above, you probably noticed that NordVPN is a bit cheaper than ExpressVPN, but not a lot cheaper. There is, however, a lot of money to save if you read on for a few more minutes. How come?

First of all, if you sign up for ExpressVPN using the link a few sentences above, you will get three months for free, making the price quite similar to the 12-month price of NordVPN (considering that you actually get 15 months of usage). But, if you look around at the NordVPN website, you will normally find packages that will let you subscribe for either 24 months or 36 months. In other words, if you are in for the long run, there is a lot of money to save using NordVPN instead of ExpressVPN.

At the moment I am writing this text, you can buy a 3-year NordVPN subscription for 107,55 USD. That is only 8 USD more than you have to pay to get a 12-months subscription to ExpressVPN. That is a big difference!

At the NordVPN website, you can also find a two year plan which costs 95 USD. That is a bit cheaper than the 1-year plan from ExpressVPN. Again, if you are in for the long run, you will find NordVPN to be a much cheaper VPN provider.

NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN – Price summary
If you want to buy a VPN subscription for a short time, the price difference is minimal between ExpressVPN and NordVPN. But, if you are in it for the long run and plan on using a VPN for several years, you will save a lot of money signing up for NordVPN compared to ExpressVPN.

The biggest VPN provider (most servers, most countries)

If you compare NordVPN and ExpressVPN and want to subscribe to the VPN provider present in most countries, you should probably sign up for ExpressVPN. But, to be honest, I wouldn’t really care so much about how many countries a VPN provider is present in. After all, most people only use a VPN to get an IP address in a few nations, or to simply secure their online activities. If that is you, it doesn’t matter if ExpressVPN or NordVPN is present in Iraq or not, or in Saudi Arabia or not. A much better question is if they have servers in the countries you are interested in, and both ExpressVPN and NordVPN are present in the “most important” countries of the world. But, if you are looking for information about a certain country, check it out before you purchase a subscription.

But, maybe much more important than the amount of servers, is the speed on the present servers.

ExpressVPN vs. NordVPN – Which is the fastest provider?

It is very hard to tell which is the fastest VPN provider, at least some times. If you check out all our different speed tests, you will quickly notice that both ExpressVPN and NordVPN normally perform very well in the tests. But, if I were to claim that one of the VPN providers is faster than the other, I would probably end up saying that ExpressVPN in general performs better than NordVPN, but I wouldn’t put too much importance to that statement.

But, if you are really crazy about speeds, ExpressVPN is probably a bit faster. However, the average speed doesn’t really matter that much, as the most important is for the VPN provider to have great speeds in the nation you are actually interested in.

ExpressVPN vs. NordVPN – the best for streaming

This might be the most important of all the topics in this article. Why? I believe a majority of VPN users buy a subscription simply to be able to bypass geo-blocks and watch content online that require them to have an IP address in another nation. So, which is the best for bypassing geo-blocks; NordVPN or ExpressVPN?

Unblocking Netflix

I cannot write about all the TV stations and networks in the world here, but I can say with a good conscience that both NordVPN and ExpressVPN are very good for unblocking different Netflix regions. They are both on my list of the best VPN services for streaming Netflix, and it is most likely a question of which Netflix region you are interested in when you choose between NordVPN and ExpressVPN. Both give access to English, American, Canadian, and Dutch Netflix, while they both give access to some other countries.

Unblocking other TV stations and streaming sites

I have done several tests with both providers and I have tested both ExpressVPN and NordVPN on streaming services such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, CBS All Access, NBC, BBC, ITV, Hotstar, SonyLIV, ZDF, ARD, and other services. Here you will find a quick wrap-up of my discoveries.

In general, both NordVPN and ExpressVPN are great at giving access to services. With ExpressVPN not all their servers are working with all services in the USA (and the same is true with NordVPN), but in general it can be said that both ExpressVPN and NordVPN work with NBC, Hulu, HBO Now, Amazon Prime, and CBS. I did have some trouble with NordVPN and CBS (it worked perfectly with ExpressVPN), and to fix CBS I had to disable the CyberSec feature in their application. But, once that was fixed (I got quick help from their live support), I could stream CBS right away.

BBC and ITV works only from desktop devices with NordVPN. while ExpressVPN also works on Android and iOS devices. Both providers work with Hotstar in India, while only NordVPN works with SonyLIV in India.

In other words, you will find both VPN providers to work great with popular streaming services and TV networks all around the world, but if you are curious to find out about ONE certain streaming site or TV station, feel free to write a comment and I will do my best to give you an answer as quickly as possible!

Which has the best VPN applications, NordVPN or ExpressVPN?

Both NordVPN and ExpressVPN have nice looking applications available for all the important platforms. The biggest differences can be found in their Windows applications, in which the ExpressVPN application is minimalistic (but with all important settings available), while the NordVPN application has a bigger interface with a big map welcoming you. The first impression might say that the NordVPN application looks nicer, but it is also requiring more manpower from your computer to run due to the graphics. But, in reality, they are both easy to handle and it doesn’t really matter which of the providers you use if the UI is of importance.

Above you can see screenshots from both applications, and as you can see there is a difference, but not a big one. If you use the applications for Android and iOS, you will discover that the interface is very similar, meaning that you normally just select from a list of servers in both programs, with no big graphics available at all.

Which VPN provider has the best support?

I have been in contact with the support divisions of both ExpressVPN and NordVPN. At first, I had the impression that NordVPN doesn’t have a live support available at all, but if you press the question mark in the right corner on their website and type a question and don’t find the answer, you will most likely get the option to get help from a live operator. That is what I did, and my problem was fixed within ten minutes.

ExpressVPN has the live chat available directly at their front page, and they are quick to answer as best they can. In other words, the live chat is great and really helpful from both services. They also have detailed setup guides available if you want to run ExpressVPN or NordVPN on your router, so you are most likely to find an answer to any question you need either from a live operator or from one of their guides quickly as you discover a problem!

Should I pick NordVPN or ExpressVPN? The conclusion!

This is the moment we have all been waiting for. Maybe you have read through the entire article, or maybe you just scrolled down directly to this moment. Well, if you have read through it all, you probably know that NordVPN and ExpressVPN mostly work very well, and there aren’t any crucial big differences between the providers. ExpressVPN might work a bit better with some streaming sites, but NordVPN has better prices if you are in for the long run.

To be honest, visit the websites of both providers and sign up for the one that looks the best to you. And do not forget that there is no risk involved in this, after all both providers have 30-day money back policies up and running (and they actually work).

Ready to sign up for one of the providers?

Visit the websites using the links beneath. Do not forget that you get three months for free if you sign up for ExpressVPN and their 12-months package using the button beneath. You will also get great discounts as you visit the NordVPN website, so look around and good look on making a decision.

I hope this little guide has helped you out. If you want to share a personal experience about ExpressVPN or NordVPN or maybe ask a question, use the comment field beneath. I would love to hear from you!