Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs, are usually pretty easy to use. There’s a lot of complex technology working in the background to make this happen, though, and many providers (understandably) want to let potential customers know all about it. The problem is that unless you’re a computer networking specialist, most of this is likely to go over your head.
Here’s the good news: we’ve put together a comprehensive, side-by-side comparison of Surfshark and ExpressVPN so that you can tell at a glance which features they each offer. Of course, we’ll also explain what some of the more advanced features do, in order to give you a better understanding of your security setup. With that out of the way, let’s get started:
In brief
Both ExpressVPN and Surfshark are excellent choices and you won’t go too far wrong with either. ExpressVPN and Surfshark are both compatible with popular streaming services including Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max and many more. Both VPNs scored well in our speed tests and offer strong security, although Surfshark edges it in both of these categories.
If you want the best all-round VPN, go with Surfshark’s discounted 2 year deal; it’s hard to beat when it comes to value for money. On the other hand, if you need access to servers in a wider range of countries, or are particularly interested in streaming Netflix, ExpressVPN may be the better choice.
Surfshark vs ExpressVPN highlights
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Surfshark vs ExpressVPN pricing
| No value | Surfshark | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Surfshark.com | ExpressVPN.com | Subscription periods | One month, one year, two years | 1 month, 6 months, 1 year | Special offer | 82% discount on two-year plan + 2 months free | Three months free with a 1 year subscription | Highest price per month | $12.95 | $12.95 | Lowest monthly cost | $2.30 | $6.67 | One year price | $59.76 | $99.95 (actually for 15 months) | Money back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Best deal (per month) | $2.30 Get 2 Months FREE with a 2-year plan | $6.67 SAVE: 49% on the annual plan |
These services both cost $12.95 USD for a single month of coverage, which puts them firmly at the higher end of the pricing spectrum. That said, both Surfshark and ExpressVPN offer significantly reduced prices for users who are willing to commit to longer subscriptions upfront.
ExpressVPN comes very close to cutting its monthly price in half if you sign up for its annual plan. Surfshark goes even further, though, with a one-year plan totalling just $47.88. If you’re considering this, though, you really may as well just get the two-year subscription since this is only another $12.
Each of these VPNs includes a 30-day money-back guarantee. Although you will have to pay upfront, this means you can try them both out and claim a full refund if they fail to impress you. Additionally, Surfshark now offers a 7-day free trial for users who sign up using Google Play or iTunes.
Best Deal for Surfshark:Save more than 80% by choosing Surfshark’s two-year plan.
Best Deal for ExpressVPN:Get 49% off and an extra three months free with ExpressVPN’s one-year subscription.
Surfshark vs ExpressVPN features
| No value | Surfshark | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Surfshark.com | ExpressVPN.com | Simultaneous Connections | Unlimited | 5 | Devices Supported | Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Amazon Fire TV | Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Smart TVs, Routers | Manual install devices | Select routers | Set-top boxes and certain routers | Free extras | Automatic wifi protection, ad-blocking and malware-scanning. Extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. Stealth mode. | Smart DNS service. Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Vivaldi, and Brave |
| Best deal (per month) | $2.30 Get 2 Months FREE with a 2-year plan | $6.67 SAVE: 49% on the annual plan |
These services both offer excellent multi-platform support, with apps for all major operating systems, as well as command line-based installers for Linux systems. Users can take advantage of browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, although it’s worth noting that these don’t secure traffic from any of your other apps.
There are a couple of differences between Surfshark and ExpressVPN, though. For instance, Surfshark has a built-in ad-blocker and malware-scanner, plus if you upgrade to Surfshark One, it can alert you to any data leaks you may have been affected by. On the other hand, ExpressVPN offers custom firmware for supported routers, and unlike its rival, does not need to be configured for use in countries with heavily-censored internet access.
One of the biggest advantages Surfshark has over ExpressVPN (and most other services on the market) is that it allows an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. This makes it especially attractive to people who want to share their VPN with their family. ExpressVPN only permits users to connect five of their devices at once, although this should be ample for most users.
Streaming and Netflix comparison
| No value | Surfshark | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Surfshark.com | ExpressVPN.com | Unblocks Hulu | Unblocks Sky Go | Unblocks Prime Video | Unblocks BBC iPlayer | Unblocks ABC | Unblocks CBS | Unblocks NBC | Unblocks ITV | Unblocks Channel 4 |
| Best deal (per month) | $2.30 Get 2 Months FREE with a 2-year plan | $6.67 SAVE: 49% on the annual plan |
As you can see, both of these VPNs do a fantastic job at unblocking geo-restricted streaming services. Now, obviously, we can’t test every streaming service in the world. As such, there may well be platforms Surfshark can access that ExpressVPN can’t, and vice versa. We will say that while ExpressVPN used to struggle with BBC iPlayer, it seems to have resolved these issues now.
Which of these VPNs work in China?
Plenty of countries restrict access to specific websites. That said, China’s internet-filtering tools (known collectively as the Great Firewall) are some of the most advanced in the world. As a result, most VPNs are blocked and simply won’t work on the mainland.
Happily, both ExpressVPN and Surfshark can bypass Chinese internet restrictions. ExpressVPN does so without any special configuration required, while Surfshark users may need to enable the NoBorders mode (Settings > Advanced > NoBorders) first. The most important thing to remember is that the Surfshark and ExpressVPN websites are blocked, which means you’ll have to install the app before arriving in China.
Setup and interface
| No value | Surfshark | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Surfshark.com | ExpressVPN.com | Automatic setup wizard | Windows, Android, iOS, Linux, MacOS | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Tomato and DD-WRT routers | Main location selection | List-based | List-based | Extra settings pages | Mobile-friendly |
| Best deal (per month) | $2.30 Get 2 Months FREE with a 2-year plan | $6.67 SAVE: 49% on the annual plan |
Surfshark’s desktop apps are straightforward enough. The main screen features a list of your most recently-used servers and a simple location-selection button. If we had to find a complaint, it’d be that certain options (such as the kill switch and NoBorders mode) are hidden away in the settings submenus instead of being easily accessible.
ExpressVPN’s app is very similar, although its quick-connect button is much larger and dominates most of the main screen. You shouldn’t have any issues finding the options you need since the settings menu is broken down into several categories. As a bonus, users can add certain websites to their shortcuts and have a link to them appear after you connect for faster access.
Surfshark’s mobile apps are almost identical to the desktop ones. The only real difference is that instead of being on the left-hand side of the screen, the tabs are now on the bottom. Additionally, some features aren’t available, like the NoBorders mode (although mobile users can still use the privacy-focused Shadowsocks protocol). On the plus side, Surfshark’s Android app allows you to automatically match your phone’s GPS location to your server location without the need for any third-party apps.
Mobile ExpressVPN apps have a lot in common with their desktop equivalents, except, as with Surfshark, they have a pared-down selection of features. In fact, the only options in the settings menu are for auto-connection, wifi protection, split tunneling, and protocol selection. All in all, though, the mobile apps remain easy to use and keep you just as safe as when you’re on a desktop computer.
Servers and Performance
| No value | Surfshark | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Surfshark.com | ExpressVPN.com | Server countries | 100 | 94 | Total number of servers | 3,200 | Undisclosed | Mobile-friendly |
| Best deal (per month) | $2.30 Get 2 Months FREE with a 2-year plan | $6.67 SAVE: 49% on the annual plan |
Straight away, we can see there’s a huge difference between these networks. However, ExpressVPN covers 94 countries, which is more than almost any other major VPN, so this shouldn’t be considered a failing on Surfshark’s part. Unfortunately, neither service provides a detailed breakdown of the servers it has in each region, so it’s difficult to say which is more reliable during peak times.
Both VPNs are fast enough for HD streaming. Surfshark is faster overall, with an average speed of around 324 Mbps to ExpressVPN’s 135 Mbps. Note that these tests were run on a 1 Gbps connection, so your speeds may be noticeably slower.
Take a look below for the full list of countries where Surfshark and ExpressVPN have servers:
| Surfshark | ExpressVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | ✔ | ✔ |
| Algeria | ✔ | |
| Argentina | ✔ | |
| Andorra | ✔ | |
| Armenia | ✔ | |
| Australia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Austria | ✔ | ✔ |
| Azerbaijan | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bahamas | ✔ | |
| Bangladesh | ✔ | |
| Belarus | ✔ | |
| Belgium | ✔ | ✔ |
| Bhutan | ✔ | |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | ✔ | ✔ |
| Brazil | ✔ | ✔ |
| Brunei Darussalam | ✔ | |
| Bulgaria | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cambodia | ✔ | |
| Canada | ✔ | ✔ |
| Chile | ✔ | ✔ |
| Colombia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Costa Rica | ✔ | ✔ |
| Croatia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Cyprus | ✔ | ✔ |
| Czech Republic | ✔ | ✔ |
| Denmark | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ecuador | ✔ | |
| Estonia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Egypt | ✔ | |
| Finland | ✔ | ✔ |
| France | ✔ | ✔ |
| Georgia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Germany | ✔ | ✔ |
| Greece | ✔ | ✔ |
| Guatemala | ✔ | |
| Hong Kong | ✔ | ✔ |
| Hungary | ✔ | ✔ |
| Iceland | ✔ | ✔ |
| India | ✔ | ✔ |
| Indonesia | ✔ | |
| Ireland | ✔ | ✔ |
| Isle of Man | ✔ | |
| Israel | ✔ | ✔ |
| Italy | ✔ | ✔ |
| Japan | ✔ | ✔ |
| Jersey | ✔ | |
| Kazakhstan | ✔ | ✔ |
| Kenya | ✔ | |
| Kyrgyzstan | ✔ | |
| Laos | ✔ | |
| Latvia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Libya | ✔ | |
| Liechtenstein | ✔ | |
| Lithuania | ✔ | |
| Luxembourg | ✔ | ✔ |
| Macau | ✔ | |
| Macedonia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Malaysia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Malta | ✔ | ✔ |
| Mexico | ✔ | ✔ |
| Moldova | ✔ | ✔ |
| Monaco | ✔ | |
| Mongolia | ✔ | |
| Montenegro | ✔ | |
| Myanmar | ✔ | |
| Netherlands | ✔ | ✔ |
| Nepal | ✔ | |
| New Zealand | ✔ | ✔ |
| Nigeria | ||
| Norway | ✔ | ✔ |
| Pakistan | ✔ | |
| Panama | ✔ | |
| Paraguay | ✔ | |
| Peru | ✔ | |
| Philippines | ✔ | ✔ |
| Poland | ✔ | ✔ |
| Portugal | ✔ | ✔ |
| Romania | ✔ | ✔ |
| Russia | ✔ | |
| Serbia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Singapore | ✔ | ✔ |
| Slovakia | ✔ | ✔ |
| Slovenia | ✔ | ✔ |
| South Africa | ✔ | ✔ |
| South Korea | ✔ | ✔ |
| Spain | ✔ | ✔ |
| Sri Lanka | ✔ | |
| Sweden | ✔ | ✔ |
| Switzerland | ✔ | ✔ |
| Taiwan | ✔ | ✔ |
| Thailand | ✔ | ✔ |
| Turkey | ✔ | ✔ |
| United Arab Emirates | ✔ | |
| United Kingdom | ✔ | ✔ |
| United States | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ukraine | ✔ | ✔ |
| Uruguay | ✔ | |
| Uzbekistan | ✔ | |
| Venezuela | ✔ | |
| Vietnam | ✔ |
While ExpressVPN has servers in far more countries, Surfshark actually covers a few locations its rival doesn’t including Russia and the United Arab Emirates. Given the tumultuous political situations in these regions, it’s likely Surfshark is using virtual servers to provide access. This simply means that the servers aren’t actually in your chosen country, they’re just pretending to be.
For most people, there’s no noticeable difference between a virtual and physical server. That said, they can lead to your data being subject to different laws than you expected. This isn’t a major issue though since both ExpressVPN and Surfshark follow a strict no-logging policy. To their credit, both providers offer a full list of their virtual servers.
Security
| No value | Surfshark | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Surfshark.com | ExpressVPN.com | VPN protocols | OpenVPN, WireGuard | OpenVPN, Lightway, IKEv2 | OpenVPN data encryption | 256-bit AES | 256-bit AES | OpenVPN control channel encryption | RSA-2048 | RSA-4096 | Kill Switch | Desktop only | Private DNS servers |
| Best deal (per month) | $2.30 Get 2 Months FREE with a 2-year plan | $6.67 SAVE: 49% on the annual plan |
Users can connect via the OpenVPN protocol, whichever service they choose. Surfshark also supported WireGuard connections, which are generally faster. Meanwhile, ExpressVPN offers IKEv2 and its own protocol, Lightway, which can keep your data secure even while switching networks.
Both providers use 256-bit AES encryption, which is effectively impossible to crack. ExpressVPN’s RSA keys are slightly more secure, though, as they’re 4096 bits long. In other words, they’re twice as long (though not necessarily twice as secure) as Surfshark’s. Each offers a kill switch that stops sending traffic the second your connection drops, ensuring you never accidentally browse unprotected.
These services each have their own way of keeping you safe online. ExpressVPN uses a technique called cipher block chaining, which means you can’t decrypt a packet of data without access to the one before it. Simply, unless an attacker can crack the service’s encryption and capture your entire session’s traffic from the start, your data cannot be read. Surfshark, on the other hand, uses a special NoBorders mode to let you browse freely. Surfshark hasn’t revealed exactly how this feature works, but other VPNs achieve similar results by reshaping your data to hide the easily-recognizable signs of VPN traffic.
Privacy
| No value | Surfshark | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Surfshark.com | ExpressVPN.com | HQ base of operation | The Netherlands | British Virgin Islands | Connection logs | Effectively none | Some aggregated data | Activity logs | None | No identifying data | User details for signup | Email address | Email address | Anonymous payment options | Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple |
| Best deal (per month) | $2.30 Get 2 Months FREE with a 2-year plan | $6.67 SAVE: 49% on the annual plan |
One thing is clear from the table above: these services really do take user privacy seriously. ExpressVPN and Surfshark are both based in the British Virgin Islands. This is a country with no mandatory data-retention laws that’s far from the influence of the 14 Eyes security alliance. Further, neither keeps any logs that could personally identify you. In fact, both VPNs have undergone independent audits to prove this.
It’s possible to sign up for either VPN anonymously by using a throwaway email address and paying with Bitcoin. Surfshark accepts a couple of other popular cryptocurrencies as well.
Customer service
| No value | Surfshark | ExpressVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Website | Surfshark.com | ExpressVPN.com | 24/7 live chat | Ticket support | Email support | Average email response time | 2 hours, 28 minutes | 49 mins | Searchable knowledge base | Phone support | Video guides |
| Best deal (per month) | $2.30 Get 2 Months FREE with a 2-year plan | $6.67 SAVE: 49% on the annual plan |
Both Surfshark and ExpressVPN offer round-the-clock support via email and live chat. There are also large, searchable databases addressing the most common questions. If you’d prefer a video guide, you’ll find these on the official Surfshark and ExpressVPN YouTube channels.
The majority of your questions can likely be answered in seconds over live chat. That said, we wanted to see how responsive staff were if contacted via other methods. This way, we could tell how quickly you should expect a response if the helpdesk became temporarily unavailable or you couldn’t access the company’s website. Below, you’ll find the questions we asked and the results of our testing:
| Surfshark | |||
| Question | Initial response time | Number of emails | Question answered |
| Can I install this VPN on my Amazon Firestick? | 3 hours, 24 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Will I be able to use this VPN in Turkey? | 3 hours, 34 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Can I unblock Netflix US with this service? | 1 hour, 52 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| ExpressVPN | |||
| Question | Initial response time | Number of emails | Question answered |
| Can I install this VPN on my Amazon Firestick? | 2 hours, 7 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Will I be able to use this VPN in Turkey? | 7 minutes | 1 | Yes |
| Can I unblock Netflix US with this service? | 23 minutes | 1 | Yes |
Both providers responded extremely quickly to email inquiries. In fact, these are some of the fastest average response times we’ve seen. Further, while some of their answers appeared to be pre-written, Surfshark and ExpressVPN both went into great detail explaining how to configure their services for use on an Amazon Firestick. Most importantly, they each encouraged users to contact them again with any other issues they might have.
The winner: Surfshark
Apps Available:
- PC
- Mac
- IOS
- Android
- Linux
Website: www.Surfshark.com
Money-back guarantee: 30 DAYS
If there’s one thing we’ve learned during this testing, it’s that these are both high-end VPNs. ExpressVPN boasts impressive speeds and a huge network, while managing to support plenty of popular region-locked services. What’s more, it even works in China! In other words, Whether you’re looking to torrent, stream, or just browse privately, ExpressVPN would be an excellent choice.
That said, we think Surfshark is slightly better, all things considered. For one, it’s more affordable (provided you’re signing up for six months or more). It’s also faster, and able to block ads and trackers automatically. Further, this is one of the few major VPNs that allows you to secure any number of devices at once. Simply, if you’re in the market for a true zero-log VPN that can handle anything you throw at it, Surfshark is the one to go for.
Surfshark vs ExpressVPN: FAQ
Which of these VPNs is best for censorship?
There's little to separate Surfshark and ExpressVPN when it comes to bypassing censorship. Both are excellent in this respect. For example, both are able to navigate the strict censorship restrictions in China. The only difference is that you'll probably need to activate the NoBorders mode (this is quick and easy to do) with Surfshark while ExpressVPN should work without any extra configuration.
Which VPN has the best international server coverage?
There’s very little to separate Surfshark and ExpressVPN when it comes to their international server coverage. Both VPNs have approximately 3,000 servers available. In the case of Surfshark, these servers are located across 100 countries. ExpressVPN’s network covers 94 countries in comparison. For this reason, we’d give the edge to Surfshark. Regardless, both VPNs provide impressive international server coverage with servers in far more countries than most VPNs.
Which provider, Surfshark vs ExpressVPN has the lowest latency?
Surfshark and ExpressVPN are two of the most popular providers in the VPN market today, but it can take time to determine which is better regarding latency. So if you’re looking for a low-latency connection, consider Surfshark.
Recently it upgraded its network to allow access to Wireguard technology, which more than doubled the speed available and reduced latency significantly compared with traditional OpenVPN protocols. This means that Surfshark can provide customers with faster speeds and lower latency.
See also:
Hi there
ExpressVPN actually DO cover the UAE. Almost every South African who goes and lives in Dubai there uses ExpressVPN, because its the only VPN that unblocks our DSTV Now streaming service which includes SuperSport (one of the largest sport broadcasters in the world) as well as Showmax.
South Africans is Nigeria also use ExpressVPN.
I talk with my gf on Whatsapp video calling daily. I am in South Africa and she is in Dubai. We use ExpressVPN.
Have a good day!