ExpressVPN vs Surfshark (2026)

Surfshark is the better buy for most households: it has no device limit, its 2-year Starter plan costs $67.23 for the first 27 months, and it renews at $79 a year against $99.95 for ExpressVPN Basic. ExpressVPN costs more over time but asks less of you once it is installed. Its Lightway protocol uses post-quantum encryption by default, the kill switch is already on in its desktop and Android apps, and it sells its own routers for TVs and consoles. Pick ExpressVPN if you pay month to month ($14.99 against $18.95) or want a VPN you set up once and forget. Pick Surfshark if you want every device in the house covered for less.

Pricing compared

Prices are in US dollars before tax, as of November 4, 2026. Both companies discount the first term of their longer plans and then renew at a higher yearly rate, so look at the renewal line as well as the headline price.

Plan	ExpressVPN	Surfshark
Entry tier, monthly	Basic, $14.99	Starter, $18.95
Entry tier, 1 year	$74.85 for 15 months, then $99.95 a year	$44.85 for 15 months, then $79 a year
Entry tier, 2 years	$83.72 for 28 months, then $99.95 a year	$67.23 for 27 months, then $79 a year
Middle tier, 2 years	Advanced, $125.72 for 28 months, then $119.95 a year	One, $67.23 for 27 months, then $99 a year
Top tier, 2 years	Express Pro, $209.72 for 28 months, then $199.95 a year	One+, $107.73 for 27 months, then $119 a year

Surfshark costs less on every long plan, and the gap grows after the first term: Starter renews $20.95 a year below ExpressVPN Basic. Right now Surfshark sells One, its antivirus bundle, for the same 2-year price as Starter and labels it a Black Friday deal, so the extra tools cost nothing until renewal, when One goes to $99 a year.

ExpressVPN wins only if you pay monthly, at $14.99 against $18.95. Both sell a dedicated IP as an add-on. ExpressVPN's costs $8.99 a month on a monthly plan and comes included in Express Pro. Both companies were promoting Black Friday offers on November 4, so expect prices to move before December.

Devices, servers and protocols

The device limit is the biggest practical difference. Surfshark lets one account connect as many devices as you like at the same time. ExpressVPN allows 10 on Basic, 12 on Advanced and 14 on Express Pro. A couple with two phones and two laptops will never hit ExpressVPN's cap, but a family with tablets, a games console and a smart TV each might.

ExpressVPN lists 214 locations in 113 countries, including virtual locations, where the IP address belongs to one country while the server sits in another; its server list marks them. Surfshark lists 4,500+ servers in 100 countries and 130+ locations. Both say every server runs from RAM, so nothing is written to a hard drive.

On protocols, ExpressVPN is further along. Its own Lightway protocol, rewritten in Rust with an open-source core, uses ML-KEM post-quantum encryption by default, and the Automatic setting usually picks it. Cure53 and Praetorian audited the Rust version in 2024. WireGuard and OpenVPN are there too, and a faster Lightway Turbo mode is on Windows for now. Surfshark's main protocol is WireGuard, with post-quantum protection by default on macOS, Android and Linux only. Its own Dausos protocol runs on macOS so far, and IKEv2 has gone from the Windows app.

We did not test speeds, leaks or streaming for this comparison, and neither vendor guarantees access to a particular streaming service, so use the 30-day refund window to try the services you care about.

Privacy, blocking and extras

Both say they keep no record of the sites you visit. ExpressVPN says PwC, KPMG and Cure53 have audited parts of its setup, with PwC and Cure53 checking its RAM-only TrustedServer design. Surfshark has Deloitte assurance reports on its no-logs policy from 2023 and 2025. ExpressVPN's terms point to the British Virgin Islands, and it has been part of Kape Technologies since 2021. Surfshark contracts through Surfshark B.V. in Amsterdam, uses British Virgin Islands law in its terms, and merged with Nord Security under one holding company in 2022.

Each plan on both services blocks ads and malicious sites. ExpressVPN's Advanced Protection also blocks trackers and adult sites. Surfshark's CleanWeb blocks ads, trackers and malware in the apps, and its Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions block cookie pop-ups and video ads even with the VPN off.

Surfshark gives you more ways to change how your traffic travels. Multi Hop routes it through two servers in different countries, and Rotating IP changes your address about every five minutes without dropping the connection. Alternative ID creates a separate name and email address for sign-ups.

ExpressVPN puts its extras into the plans instead: ExpressAI, a private AI chat with daily credits, and ExpressMailGuard email aliases on every plan, then the ExpressKeys password manager and a 3GB travel eSIM on Advanced. Surfshark One adds Surfshark Antivirus and Alert, which tells you when your email or card details turn up in a data leak, and One+ adds Incogni data removal.

For devices that cannot run an app, ExpressVPN sells Aircove and Aircove Go Wi-Fi 6 routers and the Fortify router, which costs $199.99 with 12 months of Advanced included. Surfshark publishes router setup guides for TVs, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, but you supply and configure the router yourself.

Ease of use

ExpressVPN needs fewer decisions after installation. The Automatic protocol setting picks Lightway, and the Internet Kill Switch is on by default in the Windows, macOS, Linux and Android apps and always on in iOS. Split tunneling works by app and website on Windows and macOS, by app on Android and by website on iOS.

Surfshark has more switches to learn. Its kill switch works on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and its own setup guide tells you to turn it on in the VPN settings; a strict mode also blocks the internet when you disconnect on purpose. Bypasser, its split tunneling, works by app on Windows, macOS and Android and by website on all four main platforms, and Reverse Bypasser sends only chosen apps through the VPN on Android and Windows. NoBorders switches on when the app detects a restricted network, such as a school firewall.

Trying each one is easier with Surfshark. Its 7-day free trial covers 3 devices on the 1-year and 2-year plans, and the 30-day money-back guarantee starts after the first payment. ExpressVPN's 3-day trial works only when you sign up in its iOS or Android app, and buying through the app stores rules out its 30-day guarantee, which covers new users who buy on the website. Neither has a free plan; Windscribe is the place to look for one.

Support

ExpressVPN runs 24/7 live chat and answers email at [email protected], and publishes setup and troubleshooting guides. Surfshark says its support team works around the clock every day of the year. Its help center chat opens with an AI assistant, and you can also email [email protected] or submit a request form.

Refund terms are close. ExpressVPN refunds first-time customers in full if they ask by chat or email within 30 days, except for app store purchases. Surfshark refunds the first purchase within 30 days, once per service, and excludes renewals, prepaid or gift card payments, Alternative Number and anonymous Dedicated IP purchases.

Who each one suits

Choose ExpressVPN if you want the VPN to look after itself. You get post-quantum Lightway and a kill switch that is already on, a choice of 113 countries and routers with the VPN built in, and the monthly plan is the cheaper of the two. You pay more on the longer plans and at renewal, and you stop at 14 devices.

Choose Surfshark if you want to cover every device in the house at the lowest yearly price. You will spend a few minutes in the settings turning on the kill switch and choosing features, and you get Multi Hop, Rotating IP and an ad blocker that works in the browser without the VPN.

If you live in or travel to a country that blocks VPNs hard, both have obfuscation, but Astrill VPN is built around stealth protocols for those networks. If you want unlimited devices with open-source apps and a low renewal price, compare Private Internet Access too.