NordVPN vs ExpressVPN (2026)

Pick NordVPN if you want to try a VPN free for a week before paying, if you work on Linux, or if you want the app to scan downloads and warn you about scam sites on a Windows PC or a Mac. Pick ExpressVPN if you want ad and tracker blocking on the cheapest plan, a dedicated IP included in the top plan, or up to 14 devices on one account. ExpressVPN's plans started at $2.99 a month on November 4, 2026 ($83.72 for the first 28 months), and its monthly plans ran $14.99 to $22.99. We could not confirm NordVPN's US prices that day, so compare both at checkout before you buy. Neither has a free plan, and both give website buyers 30 days to ask for a refund.

Pricing compared

ExpressVPN sells three plans: Basic for 10 devices, Advanced for 12 and Express Pro for 14. On November 4, 2026, in US dollars before tax, they cost:

Plan	Monthly	1-year plan (first 15 months)	2-year plan (first 28 months)	Yearly renewal
Basic	$14.99	$74.85 ($4.99 a month)	$83.72 ($2.99 a month)	$99.95
Advanced	$16.99	$89.85 ($5.99 a month)	$125.72 ($4.49 a month)	$119.95
Express Pro	$22.99	$134.85 ($8.99 a month)	$209.72 ($7.49 a month)	$199.95

The longer plans include three or four free months, and ExpressVPN's home page was running a Black Friday early access sale that day, so these figures may change within weeks. A dedicated IP on Basic or Advanced costs $8.99 a month on a monthly plan, $74.85 for 15 months or $111.72 for 28 months.

NordVPN sells 1-month, 1-year and 2-year plans. The longer two are paid upfront, and every plan renews automatically at a separate renewal price that NordVPN emails you about before it charges. You can buy the VPN on its own or in larger bundles that add tools such as Next-gen antivirus, Dark Web Monitor Pro, NordPass and NordLocker. Its own help center uses several names for these bundles (Basic, Plus, Complete, Prime and Ultra among them), which makes it hard to tell from the outside what each one includes. nordvpn.com would not load for us on November 4, 2026, so we can't give you a current US price. Open its pricing page from a US connection and compare the first-term and renewal price with the ExpressVPN table above.

Two things on the money side favor NordVPN. It gives new US customers 7 days free on 1-year and 2-year plans of its larger bundles, paid by card or PayPal, and it takes cryptocurrency and sells subscriptions in retail stores for cash. ExpressVPN lists cards, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Both offer a 30-day refund on a first purchase made on their website, and app store purchases fall under Apple's or Google's refund rules instead.

Privacy, security and protocols

ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol is its own, rewritten in Rust with an open-source core, and it uses ML-KEM post-quantum encryption by default. Cure53 audited Lightway in 2021 and 2022, and Cure53 and Praetorian audited it again in 2024 after the Rust rewrite. Every ExpressVPN server runs from RAM and reloads from a read-only image when it restarts, a setup it calls TrustedServer. The company names PwC, KPMG and Cure53 as auditors of its privacy claims. WireGuard and OpenVPN are there if you want them.

NordVPN's NordLynx protocol is built on WireGuard and supports post-quantum encryption on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, tvOS and Android TV. The help center walks you through turning it on in settings, and it switches off when you use a dedicated IP, obfuscated servers or Meshnet. NordVPN says it keeps only your email address, a username, and payment and order details, and that your account is not linked to what you do while connected. Nord Security says Deloitte Audit Lithuania assessed that policy at the end of 2024, the fifth such assessment after earlier ones in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2023.

Both have a kill switch. ExpressVPN's is on by default on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android and always on in the iPhone app. On Windows, NordVPN pairs an Internet Kill Switch with an App Kill Switch that closes the programs you pick when the VPN drops. On Android 8 and later and in the Linux app, NordVPN's kill switch blocks all traffic, and iPhones use VPN bypass prevention. If you want protection without touching a setting, ExpressVPN states that its kill switch is on by default in every desktop and mobile app.

NordVPN operates under Panama's jurisdiction, and its parent company, Nord Security, is based in the Netherlands. ExpressVPN operates from the British Virgin Islands and has been part of Kape Technologies since 2021.

Extras beyond the VPN

The two have built out in different directions, so look at the extras you would use.

NordVPN leans toward security tools. On Windows 10 and 11 and on Macs running the version from its website, Next-gen antivirus scans downloads, quarantines malware and warns about scam sites even with the VPN switched off. Phones, Linux and the browser extensions get Real-time protection instead, which blocks ads, trackers and dangerous domains while you're connected. Dark Web Monitor watches up to 5 email addresses for leaks. Meshnet links your own devices into a private network so you can reach files on a home computer or play LAN games. Double VPN sends traffic through two servers, and Onion Over VPN routes it through Tor without the Tor browser. Several of these depend on the bundle you buy, and the help center ties the ad blocker to Plus or a higher bundle.

ExpressVPN puts more into its lowest plan. Basic already blocks ads, trackers, malicious sites and adult sites, and it adds ExpressAI, a private AI chat with 50 credits a day, plus 10 ExpressMailGuard email aliases. Advanced adds the ExpressKeys password manager with a 2FA code generator and a 3GB travel eSIM, and Express Pro adds the dedicated IP and six AI models. US subscribers on Advanced and Express Pro also get Identity Defender. ExpressVPN sells its own routers too, Aircove and the newer Fortify, for consoles and TVs that can't run an app.

If malware scanning on a laptop matters most, NordVPN's bundles go further. If you want ad blocking and a few privacy extras at the lowest price, ExpressVPN Basic covers more.

Devices, servers and difficult networks

NordVPN covers 10 devices at once. If you need more, install it on your router, which takes one slot and protects everything on your home network. ExpressVPN covers 10 on Basic, 12 on Advanced and 14 on Express Pro, so a large household may fit on one ExpressVPN account without a router.

Both have apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Android TV and Fire TV, plus Chrome, Firefox and Edge extensions. NordVPN's Linux support is more developed: a graphical app for GNOME and KDE and a command-line client, with .deb and .rpm packages for Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Raspberry Pi OS and Fedora. ExpressVPN marks its Linux app as new, and its split tunneling works there by app, IP address or subnet.

ExpressVPN lists 214 locations in 113 countries, including all 50 US states, and marks the virtual ones, where the IP belongs to one country and the server sits in another. NordVPN's help center claims more than 8,400 servers in 167+ countries; its App Store listing says 220+ locations. These are each company's own figures, and we did not test speed or which streaming services work.

On hotel, campus and office networks that block VPNs, NordVPN gives you more to work with. NordWhisper is a protocol built for those networks, available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, and NordVPN also runs obfuscated servers. ExpressVPN says it turns on obfuscation automatically on supported platforms but does not list them. Every standard NordVPN server allows torrenting.

Ease of use and support

ExpressVPN suits people who want to install a VPN, switch it on and leave it. The Automatic protocol setting usually picks Lightway, post-quantum encryption is already on, and the kill switch is on by default. Split tunneling works by app or address on Windows, macOS and Linux, by app on Android and by website on iPhone.

NordVPN asks you to make a few more choices, such as turning on post-quantum encryption or picking a specialty server, and in return you get more to adjust. SmartPlay runs on its own when you connect and helps the apps work with streaming sites, and SmartDNS covers TVs that can't run the app. Split tunneling works by app on Windows, Android and Android TV, and the Linux app uses an Allowlist by port or subnet instead.

Both offer support around the clock by live chat and email, and neither has phone support. NordVPN's chat starts with an AI chatbot and passes you to an agent if it can't solve the problem. ExpressVPN says its 24/7 chat is staffed by people. Both publish long libraries of setup guides.

Who each one suits

Choose NordVPN if you want a week to try it free, you use Linux, you connect from networks that block VPNs, or you want download scanning and scam-site warnings on a Windows PC or a Mac. Check which bundle includes the tools you want, and look at the renewal price on its pricing page before you pay for two years.

Choose ExpressVPN if you want ad and tracker blocking on the cheapest plan, more than 10 devices without a router, or a dedicated IP in the plan. Budget for the renewal: Basic goes from $83.72 for the first 28 months to $99.95 a year after that.

If neither fits, Surfshark VPN sets no device limit and belongs to the same holding company as NordVPN, and Proton VPN has a free plan if you want to start without paying.