ExpressVPN
Premium VPN with military-grade encryption and servers in 105 countries
ExpressVPN is a British Virgin Islands-based VPN service offering high-speed connections through its proprietary Lightway protocol, TrustedServer RAM-only infrastructure, and servers across 105 countries. In 2026, the company overhauled its pricing into three tiers—Basic, Advanced, and Pro—bringing entry-level costs down to compete with rivals whilst maintaining its reputation for speed, streaming reliability, and independently audited no-logs privacy.
How we scored it
A weighted average of the 4 dimensions below, each judged 0–10 from published pricing, vendor documentation and independent user feedback. We do not run hands-on tests, and no vendor has any say in a score.
2 further dimensions are not scored for this product yet, so they are left out of the average rather than counted as zero. How the score works.
What it actually costs
Intro pricing shown — see the renewal note for what you'll pay after the introductory term. We don't hide the second-act price.
Basic Monthly
Vendor shows a Basic tier with 10 simultaneous device connections. Monthly subscription option exists but the current per‑month month-to-month price is not published on the vendor pricing pa
Basic 1-Year
Vendor offers 12‑month subscriptions for the Basic tier; specific 12‑month effective monthly price is not published on the pricing page.
Basic 2-Year
2‑year introductory headline: $2.99/mo (presented as a 2 Years + 4 Months offer). Billed $419.72 ($83.72 for first 28 months shown). Then autorenews at $99.95 annually (autorenew annual amou
Advanced Monthly
Vendor shows Advanced tier with 12 simultaneous device connections. Monthly subscription option exists but the current per‑month month-to-month price is not published on the vendor pricing p
Advanced 1-Year
Vendor offers 12‑month subscriptions for the Advanced tier; specific 12‑month effective monthly price is not published on the pricing page.
Advanced 2-Year
2‑year introductory headline: $4.49/mo (presented as a 2 Years + 4 Months offer). Billed $475.72 ($125.72 for first 28 months shown). Then autorenews at $119.95 annually (autorenew annual am
Pro Monthly
Vendor shows Express Pro tier with 14 simultaneous device connections. Monthly subscription option exists but the current per‑month month-to-month price is not published on the vendor pricin
Pro 1-Year
Vendor offers 12‑month subscriptions for the Express Pro tier; specific 12‑month effective monthly price is not published on the pricing page.
Pro 2-Year
2‑year introductory headline: $7.49/mo (presented as a 2 Years + 4 Months offer). Billed $643.72 ($209.72 for first 28 months shown). Then autorenews at $199.95 annually (autorenew annual am
What to check before you rent ExpressVPN
Infrastructure is cheap to start and expensive to leave. These four questions decide what it costs you over three years rather than three months.
The renewal, not the intro price
Introductory pricing is normal in this category and the renewal is the price that matters. Check the renewal rate on ExpressVPN’s own pricing page before the first term ends, not after.
What the commitment buys
Longer terms carry the lowest headline rate and the least room to change your mind. Price the shortest term you would actually be comfortable with, then decide whether the discount is worth the lock-in.
The cost of leaving
Moving a site or a workload is the hidden switching cost: migration time, DNS and TLS changes, and whatever egress the provider charges to hand your own data back. A provider is only cheap if leaving is.
What is actually metered
Bandwidth, storage, backups and support tiers are usually the lines that grow, not the base plan. Find the ceiling on each before you commit, because that is where the bill moves.
These are the checks we apply across vpn, in the same order, so two pages can be compared line for line.
How much does ExpressVPN really cost?
Our calculation from the vendor's published prices — not a figure the vendor advertises.
Price steps up at thresholds. Crossing one moves you to the next tier's price for everything, not just the excess. Three subscription tiers (Basic, Advanced, Express Pro). Price varies by tier and by chosen term (monthly, 12‑month, or 2‑year introductory offers shown). 2‑year introductory headline rates are displayed with separate autorenew annual amounts.
| Team size | Per month | Per year | Over 3 years | How it is charged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $3.49 | $41.88 | $125.64 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 5 people | $3.49 | $41.88 | $125.64 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 10 people | $3.49 | $41.88 | $125.64 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
| 50 people | $3.49 | $41.88 | $125.64 | Flat rate — seats are not charged separately on this plan |
Based on the Basic Monthly plan at $12.99 a month. Three years at the current monthly price. The vendor does not publish a renewal rate, so no increase is assumed.
- The vendor does not publish a renewal price, so three-year totals assume today's price holds.
Work out your own cost
- Flat rate — the price does not change with team size.
- No renewal increase is published, so today's price is held flat.
ExpressVPN against the field
The highest-scoring alternatives in the same category, compared on the figures we hold for all of them.
| ExpressVPNThis page | NordVPN | Surfshark VPN | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ReviewCost score | 8.5/10 | 8.4/10 | 8.3/10 |
| Cheapest plan | Basic 2-Year | — | — |
| From | $3.49/mo | $3.09/mo | $2.49/mo |
| Renews at | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Biggest strength | Proprietary Lightway protocol delivers consistently fast speeds, particularly with Lightway Turbo on Windows | Fastest VPN in independent 2026 tests—82% speed retention with NordLynx protocol, minimal latency on local and mid-distance servers | Unlimited simultaneous device connections — genuinely rare at this price point, making it ideal for families or power users |
| Biggest drawback | Device limits (10/12/14) lag behind competitors like Surfshark and PIA that offer unlimited simultaneous connections | Renewal pricing jumps significantly—2-year Basic plan renews at $219.48/year ($18.29/mo), a 529% increase over introductory $3.09/mo rate | Based in the Netherlands (part of the Nine Eyes intelligence alliance), which may concern privacy purists despite the no-logs policy |
Prices are the published figures at the time of writing and change often. Renewal pricing is shown where the vendor publishes it. See how we review.
What people ask about ExpressVPN
Straight answers to what buyers actually ask, drawn from the documentation and published user reports.
Is the $3.49/month Basic plan really the full VPN?
What happens when my 2-year promotional pricing ends?
Does ExpressVPN work reliably in China in 2026?
Can I use ExpressVPN on my router without buying Aircove?
Is the 30-day money-back guarantee genuinely no-hassle?
Page history
- Published
- 22 May 2026
- Last updated
- 1 October 2026
- Pricing checked against vendor
- 1 October 2026
Sources & verification
Pricing on this page was taken from the vendor's published pricing page on 1 October 2026.
- What subscriptions are available with ExpressVPN?Official documentation · ExpressVPN Support Center · read 1 October 2026
- Choose your ExpressVPN planOfficial pricing page · ExpressVPN · read 1 October 2026