ExpressVPN and IPVanish VPN are both very popular VPN services that claim to provide users with absolute privacy, easy-to-use apps, and a fast connection via servers all over the world. 

These are two of the best VPNs available, and it’s not easy to choose between them. 

To help you make the right choice for you, we’ve created an in-depth, side-by-side comparison of ExpressVPN and IPVanish.

IPVanish is cheaper than ExpressVPN on every plan. 

IPVanish and ExpressVPN both offer discounts on their mid-term plans (which is a three-month plan for IPVanish, and a six-month plan for ExpressVPN). 

But the one-year plan is where the price difference really opens up — IPVanish is less than half the price of ExpressVPN if you pay for a year up-front.

This is a big commitment, but both brands offer a money-back guarantee period — so, as long as you remember to cancel within the refund period, there’s no risk involved.

One great feature of IPVanish is that it lets you add up to 10 devices to your account. This is double the number offered by ExpressVPN. 

ExpressVPN comes with browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. These are really useful as they provide quick and easy access to your VPN connection when browsing the web. Unfortunately — and unusually for a VPN — IPVanish doesn’t provide any browser extensions at all.

ExpressVPN offers split tunneling for its desktop apps, and IPVanish offers it for its Android app. Split tunneling means you can allow certain apps to bypass your VPN connection. So, for example, you can stream video at high speed via your normal ISP connection, while browsing the web privately via your VPN.

Both companies offer bonus features — ExpressVPN includes a built-in speed test, which is quite useful if you’re trying to find the best server for streaming or torrenting. IPVanish provides 250 GB cloud storage for its 1-year plan subscribers. This is a really good incentive to sign up for that plan.

NordVPN and Private Internet Access (also known as “PIA”) are major players in the VPN market. They have many loyal users and — for the most part — excellent reputations.

There’s a huge variation in quality between VPN providers, but at the very top of the market (where both these brands sit) the differences become technical and complicated.

Struggling to pick a VPN provider? Read our side-by-side comparison of Private Internet Access and NordVPN to help you choose.

Private Internet Access is cheaper than NordVPN across the board. This is true on its monthly plan and it becomes very apparent when we look at each brand’s longer-term plans.

VPN companies typically try to draw customers into long-term commitments by offering big discounts on their longer plans. That’s why NordVPN offers a three-year plan, which brings its monthly-equivalent price down a lot.

Unlike NordVPN, Private Internet Access doesn’t offer a three-year plan or even a two-year plan. However — Pure Internet Access’s one-year subscription works out cheaper than NordVPN’s three-year subscription on a month-by-month basis. That’s seriously good value.

Remember that although these better-value subscriptions are pretty long-term, both companies offer a money-back guarantee period. NordVPN’s is 30 days long, but Private Internet Access only offers a 7-day refund period. 

Private Internet Access allows up to ten simultaneous VPN connections, compared to NordVPN’s six. This is extremely generous — in fact, it’s probably more than most people need.

Both VPN providers provide desktop apps for PC and Mac, and mobile apps for Android and IOS. NordVPN also provides apps for Linux and Amazon Fire. Private Internet Access users must manually install the app on these operating systems.

Private Internet Access and NordVPN both provide extensions/add-ons for Chrome and Firefox, and Private Internet Access also offers an extension for Opera browser.

Neither brand offers “split tunneling,” a feature that enables you to route some web traffic through your VPN while using your regular internet connection for other activity. Both Private Internet Access and NordVPN also throw in some bonus anti-malware and ad-blocker software.

VPNs usually let users connect to several different protocols. Unusually, Private Internet Access only provides easy access to the OpenVPN protocol. This is the most secure and best all-round VPN protocol, but some might prefer faster options such as PTPP. You can connect to other protocols via Private Internet Access, but NordVPN makes it much easier.

Private Internet Access and NordVPN both use military-grade 256-bit encryption to protect user activity data. For the “control channel” Private Internet Access uses RSA-4096, which is considerably stronger than NordVPN’s RSA-2048 (which is already very secure).

Both VPN providers offer a “killswitch,” which automatically cuts off your internet connection whenever your VPN disconnects. This stops your device from automatically switching to your normal connection, which would reveal your IP address and online activity.

NordVPN is very proud of its “double VPN” technique — it encrypts user data twice via a method known as “server chaining.” This sounds great, and, in theory, it’s twice as secure as regular encryption. However, 256-bit encryption is already effectively uncrackable.

Both Private Internet Access and NordVPN have previously experienced security issues. Private Internet Access’s security incident occurred in 2015 and targeted people using “port forwarding”. NordVPN’s was more recent, having occurred in 2018. In both cases, some users’ IP addresses were temporarily visible. Both companies responded quickly. 

NordVPN and Private Internet Access are both very fast VPN providers. It’s not really possible to say which one is faster overall — this will depend on where you’re located, and where the internet resource you’re trying to access is hosted. Either VPN should be suitable for high-bandwidth activities, including torrenting.

The key difference between these providers is the number of servers that they each have. NordVPN has over 5200 VPN server locations — around 2000 more than Private Internet Access. This means that, on average, you’re more likely to get a fast and reliable download speed from NordVPN.

However — note that Private Internet Access has servers in fewer countries. This is because it concentrates its servers on northern-hemisphere regions such as North America and the EU. Therefore, if you live in one of these regions, you may get an equally good or better service from Private Internet Access.

Before you start routing all your internet traffic through a VPN provider, you have to know that you can trust it. Unfortunately, some VPN providers are more trustworthy than others

Both Private Internet Access and NordVPN state that they do not store data about their users’ activity or connection history. 

We have reason to trust Private Internet Access’s logging policy. On two occasions, the FBI has requested that Private Internet Access hand over data about its users in relation to federal trials. On both occasions, Private Internet Access couldn’t help — they did have any data to hand over.

We can also trust NordVPN’s “no logs” policy as it has been audited by Swiss auditing firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers. This is good evidence that NordVPN does not store its users’ data.

Both providers support anonymous sign-ups, which further reduces the chance that your identity could be revealed. They do require an email address at sign-up, but they accept both anonymous payment methods such as Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

You may wish to use your VPN to access websites and streaming services that are unavailable in your home country. Even among the best VPN providers, some are better at this than others, because Netflix and other online services work hard to block VPN users from accessing geo-restricted content. 

NordVPN is much better at unblocking content than Private Internet Access. Private Internet Access can provide fairly reliable access to Netflix across several different regions, but it can’t reliably unblock trickier platforms such as BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime.

NordVPN and PureVPN are two of the best VPN providers on the market. And the VPN market is highly competitive, with top brands all fighting to provide the fastest speeds, the most reliable connection, and the most effective security features.

Choosing a VPN provider can be daunting. It’s important to learn as much as you can about a VPN service —  and the company behind it — before you start routing all your internet traffic through its servers.

We put NordVPN and PureVPN head to head, to help you decide between these great products. This article will reveal which brand is best.

PureVPN is cheaper than NordVPN across all plans.

Both brands offer steep discounts for those who are willing to pay up-front for long-term subscriptions. Even on its three-year plan, however, NordVPN can’t beat the value offered by PureVPN on its two-year plan.

Those big discounts do require you to sign up to some pretty long subscription periods. But remember — NordVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee, and PureVPN has a 31-day money-back guarantee. There’s no risk involved in trying either product for the first month.

Although it’s more expensive, NordVPN offers more simultaneous connections. Users can enjoy up to six simultaneous connections on NordVPN, whereas PureVPN only allows users to connect up to five devices.

NordVPN and PureVPN both offer a great range of desktop and mobile apps. Both brands’ apps are very user-friendly and practically bug-free. There are Chrome and Firefox extensions available for both NordVPN and PureVPN, but neither company provides a Safari extension.

PureVPN allows “split tunneling,” so you can use your VPN connection and regular internet connection simultaneously across different apps. NordVPN and PureVPN both include free anti-malware/ad-blocker software, which is a nice bonus. 

Both VPNs let users access a variety of VPN protocols, which provide different speeds and privacy levels. PureVPN offers access to a greater number of protocols — but some of these, namely PPTP and SSTP, are practically obsolete. Both NordVPN and PureVPN provide bullet-proof 256-bit encryption.

Both providers encrypt their “control channel,” which transmits potentially-revealing authentication data, to RSA 2048. This is fine, but it’s worth noting that other VPN providers, such as ExpressVPN, use a higher standard of control channel encryption — RSA 4096.

Both VPN products feature a “killswitch,” which will terminate your connection to the internet if your VPN connection drops. This stops you from accidentally exposing your online activity.

Neither brand has a perfect security record. In March 2018, IP address data was accessed on the PureVPN’s servers by a “white hat” hacker. In 2019, NordVPN suffered a high-profile breach when a hacker was able to access “true” user IP addresses on a server in Finland.

Both NordVPN and PureVPN are very fast  We’re not going to declare one or the other to be the fastest because it’s just not that simple — dIfferent people will experience different speeds depending on their location and several other factors.

It’s more appropriate to measure the number of servers available with each brand. This can be an indicator of how likely the average person is to achieve fast speeds via the VPN — the closer a user is to a VPN server, the faster their connection should be.

NordVPN has over 5200 servers — more than double the amount of PureVPN. This means users in regions such as the United States or the United Kingdom are likely to have plenty of VPN servers nearby.

However, PureVPN offers servers across over 140 countries, which is nearly three times as many as NordVPN. This means that users in remote countries may want to check out PureVPN, as it might be able to provide a server closer to where they live.

We’ve looked at security, which concerns how well these brands keep your data safe. But remember — even if a VPN provider can protect your data from hackers and accidental data breaches, you also have to trust them not to intentionally share it.

VPNs should be able to provide some degree of anonymity. NordVPN and PureVPN both require you to provide only an email address at signup. It’s possible to pay for either service via Bitcoin, which reduces the possibility that you’ll be identified.

As far as we know, NordVPN does not log user data. This brand prides itself on privacy and has submitted to independent audits of its data protection practices.

PureVPN also claims to have a “no logs” policy. There was an incident in 2017, however, where PureVPN allegedly handed over user data to the FBI. This user data was later used as evidence in a criminal trial.

NordVPN is based in Panama. This is a privacy-respecting country that does not require private companies to keep records of their customers’ online activities. Therefore, you shouldn’t have to worry about NordVPN handing over your data to the state.

PureVPN is based in Hong Kong. Hong Kong also does not currently have any mandatory data retention laws. However, it is clear that Chinese influence is growing in Hong Kong, and so PureVPN may face an uncertain future in that region.

ProtonVPN and ExpressVPN are right at the top of the VPN market. They both use advanced cybersecurity technology to keep their users' data safe. They both promise high-speed steaming and safe P2P sharing. And they both claim to be totally anonymous services that keep their users' online activity 100% private. 

First, note that ProtonVPN has a number of different pricing plans available. We’re reviewing ProtonVPN Plus as it’s the best comparison to ExpressVPN. However, there are two cheaper options — ProtonVPN’s Basic plan and Free plan — which come with major restrictions. There’s also a more expensive option — ProtonVPN’s Visionary plan — which includes a ProtonMail account.

ProtonVPN and ExpressVPN are both quite expensive. There are plenty of cheaper VPNs, including Private Internet Access and PureVPN. However, ExpressVPN and ProtonVPN are both top-quality products.

ProtonVPN Premium is cheaper than ExpressVPN across both its monthly and one-year plans. ExpressVPN also offers a six-month plan, but ProtonVPN does not.

Both brands offer a 30-day money-back guarantee period, so you can try either of them with no risks attached.

ProtonVPN only provides access to the OpenVPN protocol. This is the best protocol for most purposes, but it’s unusual for a VPN provider to be restrictive in this way. ExpressVPN allows several alternative protocols, such as IKEv2, L2TP, and PPTP.

Security is one of ProtonVPN’s main selling points. It’s an extremely strong brand, created by a team of Swiss cybersecurity experts working at CERN in Switzerland. However, it’s worth noting that ProtonVPN doesn’t have any obvious security advantages over ExpressVPN. 

For example, both brands use “military-grade” 256-bit encryption to keep their users’ data secure. And in fact, ExpressVPN actually uses a higher-grade of control channel encryption.

One interesting security feature of ProtonVPN is its “Secure Core” technology, which repeatedly passes network traffic through several VPN servers. Each time user data passes through a server it goes through another round of encryption and becomes more secure.

Both VPNs feature a “killswitch.” This protects you from accidentally revealing your IP address or browsing activity if your VPN connection fails. ProtonVPN’s killswitch doesn’t work on its iOS app.

It’s really hard to judge a VPN provider’s “overall” speed because it varies so much depending on the location of the user, the VPN server, and the internet resource that the user wants to access. 

But when we look at the number of servers a VPN has, and where those servers are located, this can give us an idea of how likely it is that the average person will get a fast, reliable connection.

ProtonVPN has very few servers compared to most VPN providers, located across a small variety of countries. ExpressVPN has nearly 5x more servers across more than double the number of countries.

Now, like some other smaller providers, ProtonVPN can provide pretty good connection speeds even with relatively few server locations. However, the difference here is particularly stark, and we’ve found that ExpressVPN does outperform ProtonVPN in most circumstances.

To be fair to ProtonVPN — it is still fast, and it’s adding more servers all the time. However, it can’t beat ExpressVPN on speed and server availability.

Privacy is another one of ProtonVPN’s big marketing angles. The company behind ProtonVPN also has an email product, ProtonMail, which was created to provide anonymity and privacy for journalists and political activists. 

It’s very important for many VPN users that their identity and internet activity will never be revealed. Certain VPNs, such as Hotspot Shield and PureVPN, have been accused of logging their users’ data and sharing it with third parties.

Both ProtonVPN and ExpressVPN are truly private VPN providers. ExpressVPN does log certain aggregate data for debugging purposes. However, both VPN providers have no-log policies that appear to be watertight.

It’s also possible to sign up to both VPN services anonymously by paying via Bitcoin rather than using a credit card or PayPal. ExpressVPN also accepts several other cryptocurrencies and gift cards for some popular stores.

You may know that VPNs can be used to bypass internet censorship and access online content that is blocked in your home country. This might mean getting around China’s “Great Firewall” — or it might simply mean watching US Netflix from Australia.

When it comes to unblocking geo-restricted content, not all VPN providers are created equal. ProtonVPN can unblock Netflix and Hulu in several regions, but that’s pretty much it.

ExpressVPN is easily one of the best VPN services for unblocking content. It breaks through Netflix and Hulu’s defenses across numerous countries, plus Amazon Prime video and even the tougher-to-crack streaming services such as BBC iPlayer.

Private Internet Access (also called “PIA”) and PureVPN are both big names in the world of cybersecurity. They promise users total privacy, fast connection speeds, and strong data security. There’s a huge variation in quality between VPN providers, but at the very top of the market — where both these brands sit — the differences become technical and complicated.

Struggling to pick a VPN provider? Read our side-by-side comparison of Private Internet Access and PureVPN to help you choose. 

VPN providers typically offer some impressive discounts to users who are willing to sign up to a long-term subscription. They ask potential customers for a little extra commitment in exchange for a lower price.

First off, it’s clear that Private Internet Access is cheaper than PureVPN. The difference is particularly stark when we look in detail at each provider’s plans. There’s a difference in the types of plans that these two brands offer. Private Internet Access has a six-month plan, whereas PureVPN doesn’t. PureVPN has a two-year plan whereas Private Internet Access doesn’t.

However, PureVPN’s two-year plan works out at the the same price per month as Private Internet Access’s one-year plan. So the benefit of making this longer-term commitment is lost when comparing the two brands.

It’s worth noting that the “commitment” involved in signing up to these longer-term plans only applies after the money-back guarantee period. This period is 31 days in the case of PureVPN but only 7 days in the case of Private Internet Access. 

Private Internet Access lets users add up to 10 simultaneous connections on one account — twice as many at PureVPN.

Both VPN providers provide apps for PC, Mac, and mobile. PureVPN offers apps for Linux and Amazon Fire, while Private Internet Access users will have to install the app manually if they want to use it on these platforms (don’t worry — it’s not too complicated).

Both of these brands provide browser extensions/add-ons for convenient access when browsing the internet. Both providers offer Chrome and Firefox extensions, and Private Internet Access offers an Opera extension, too.

“Split tunneling” is possible on PureVPN, but not on Private Internet Access. This feature lets you use your VPN for certain activities and your regular internet connection for others. Both Private Internet Access and PureVPN also provide bonus anti-malware and ad-blocker software.

VPN providers allow users to connect to a variety of protocols. The most common (and most secure) is OpenVPN,  but others can offer advantages in terms of speed and compatibility.

In terms of which protocols are available, Private Internet Access is actually quite limited. Its desktop apps only allow easy access to the OpenVPN protocol. It’s possible to connect via L2TP or PPTP, but only manually. Both brands use powerful 256-bit encryption.

On the OpenVPN protocol, Private Internet Access offers a higher grade of “control channel” encryption than PureVPN. However, this is very unlikely to be an issue for PureVPN users, as the RSA-2048 algorithm is still highly secure.

Both Private Internet Access and PureVPN feature a “killswitch.” This cuts off your connection automatically if your VPN drops out — preventing you from accidentally revealing your IP address or online activity.

Private Internet Access did suffer a security incident in 2015. Certain users’ IP addresses were vulnerable if they used port forwarding. The issue was quickly resolved. Similarly, in March 2018 a hacker infiltrated PureVPN’s server and found they could view customers’ IP addresses. Again, PureVPN responded quickly to this incident.

First, it’s important to note that both of these VPN providers are fast. There’s not much point saying which is “fastest,” because there are too many variables — these are two of the best VPNs around, and most people will achieve good upload and download speeds with either of them.

However, there is an important difference between the two providers. Private Internet Access has servers in relatively few countries, but it has a lot of servers. With PureVPN, the reverse is true.

Why does this matter? Well, if you live in the US, the EU, or any region with plenty of Private Internet Access servers, you’re likely to get a better service from Private Internet Access. If you live in a southern-hemisphere country which has PureVPN has servers present or nearby, you might be better off with PureVPN.

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VPN users need to be able to trust their VPN provider. In theory, a malicious VPN provider could have access to a lot of private data about who you are and what you do online. That’s why we expect a VPN provider to take steps to ensure total privacy.

Private Internet Access and PureVPN both claim not to keep records of their users’ browsing history or connection activity. This means any data about what you’re doing, and where you’re doing it, is not available to them or anyone else.

Interestingly, both companies have been tested on this. The FBI has requested information about their users’ online activity in relation to separate court cases. The responses revealed a lot about these VPN providers’ logging policies.

The FBI requested user data from Private Internet Access on two occasions. The company simply did not have any data to submit to the FBI — which proves that Private Internet Access’s “no logs” policy is genuine.

The FBI requested user data from PureVPN in 2017. PureVPN did provide logs of the user’s IP address and connection activity. This data was used as evidence in a “cyberstalking” case. PureVPN has since amended its Privacy Policy.

Good content-unblocking capabilities are important if you want to use your VPN to access geo-restricted online content.

By connecting to a VPN server in another country, you can, theory, access any of the content available to people who live there. This means, for example, UK VPN users can access US Netflix.

Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple — Netflix and other streaming services tend to block IP addresses associated with VPN providers. Some VPN services are better at getting around this than others.

PureVPN is the superior VPN provider for accessing streaming services. Although it struggles with BBC iPlayer, it easily unblocks Netflix content across several regions. In this area, Private Internet Access is not as good as PureVPN --  or several of its other competitors, such as ExpressVPN and NordVPN.