Total VPN vs ExpressVPN: Which VPN is best in 2026?

Total VPN and ExpressVPN rank among the best VPN services we’ve tested, combining strong protection with impressive performance, all while being among the more beginner-friendly VPNs available today. The fact that both VPNs have so many positives makes them all the more challenging to separate, which is why in-depth testing is essential.

By putting these two VPN providers side-by-side and measuring their server speeds, checking for DNS leaks, attempting to access streaming services from abroad, and reading their privacy policies, we’re able to directly compare just how they perform in a variety of situations. That way, you can more easily choose the VPN that best fits your needs.

Total VPN vs ExpressVPN highlights

Total VPN vs ExpressVPN pricing

Total VPN keeps things simple with its subscription offering. You can only get it as part of a one-year subscription. ExpressVPN also offers one-year subscription options, alongside one-month and two-year plans. This gives you a little more choice and flexibility when finding the right subscription for your needs.

TotalVPN only offers one subscription tier. ExpressVPN has three tiers to choose from, each with different features. An ExpressVPN one-month plan is the most expensive option. You’ll have to pay more each month ($12.99 for Basic, $13.99 for Advanced, and $19.99 for Pro), but you won’t have to commit as much money upfront and therefore have the flexibility to switch providers at short notice if unsatisfied.

You’ll find the biggest savings in ExpressVPN two-year plans. All of these come with four extra months free. The Basic plan is currently 73% off, which works out to just $3.49 a month ($97.72 upfront for the first 28 months, then renewing at $99.95 annually).

ExpressVPN’s Advanced plan, which adds Advanced Protection, a password manager, an extra two simultaneous connections, and ID protection for US-based users, is $4.49 monthly ($125.72 upfront). The highest tier is Pro, taking ID protection to another level with credit reports and data removal, and adding a dedicated IP address and two additional simultaneous connections on top. A 62% discount means this is priced at $7.49 a month ($209.72 upfront).

A one-year subscription offers a balance between the flexibility of a one-month plan and the bigger savings of a two-year plan. You’ll still get a discounted rate, but you won’t have to pay quite as much up front.

Total VPN’s one-year subscription is typically $99, but a current promotion brings the price down to just $29 for the first year, before it renews at the usual price. This discounted rate works out at just $2.41 a month. As part of the Total VPN Ultimate plan, the only plan available, you’ll also have access to TotalAV – the best antivirus overall – and Total Adblock, one of the best ad blockers. That kind of value is tough to beat.

ExpressVPN’s one-year subscriptions are priced at $4.99 (Basic), $5.99 (Advanced), and $8.99 (Pro) a month. You’ll get three extra months free and the whole term is charged upfront, so you’ll pay between $74.85 and $134.85, depending on the tier you select. Renewal prices for ExpressVPN one year subscriptions start from $99.95 annually.

When you consider that the first year of Total VPN is almost as cheap as an ExpressVPN one-month subscription over two months, it’s difficult to argue with the value. Beyond this first year, ExpressVPN’s prices look a lot more attractive.

Both VPNs offer 30-day money-back guarantees so you can test them out risk-free before making a decision. Likewise, mobile users can take advantage of 7-day free trials in both cases. These are available for both Android and iOS via Google Play and the App Store for ExpressVPN, but Total VPN is limited to Android.

Best Deal for Total VPN:Get 70% off a Total VPN one year subscription and pay just $29 – that’s just $2.41 a month.

Best Deal for ExpressVPN:Save 73% and get an extra four months with an ExpressVPN Basic two year plan, paying $3.49 a month.

Total VPN vs ExpressVPN features

One limitation of Total VPN is that you can connect up to 5 devices at once. A lack of router compatibility means there’s no way to bypass this limit.

ExpressVPN is far more generous with its simultaneous connection allowance, permitting up to 10, 12, or 14 devices at the same time, depending on the subscription tier you choose. That’s not bad when you consider NordVPN and Proton VPN both cap out at 10. However, both Total VPN and ExpressVPN are trumped in this area by the likes of Surfshark, IPVanish, and Private Internet Access, all of which let you secure an unlimited number of devices simultaneously.

Both VPNs offer a number of intriguing extra features, one of which is split tunneling. This offers flexibility in that you can then choose which apps or websites can bypass the VPN tunnel. You may find this useful when you want the fastest possible connection for streaming, so choose to have the streaming app bypass the VPN connection for the best possible performance. You’ll find this on Windows and Android in both cases. Split tunneling has also been added to TotalVPN’s iOS app and it’s due to come to macOS in the near future.

A couple of features Total VPN and ExpressVPN lack are port forwarding and Double VPN servers. Port forwarding lets external devices connect directly to your device through a specific port, allowing for faster or direct connections for torrenting or hosting games or servers. If you do want a VPN with port forwarding, you may want to check out Proton VPN or Private Internet Access. Double VPN routes traffic via two servers for an extra layer of encryption and protection. This is a feature offered by many rival VPNs including Surfshark and NordVPN.

One more feature the two VPNs have in common is ad blocking. Total Adblock us one of the best ad blockers we’ve tested. ExpressVPN’s ad blocking is part of its Advanced Protection suite of features. Both of these ad blockers are also capable of blocking trackers and malicious websites.

Only Total VPN includes antivirus protection. This is through TotalAV, a top-rated antivirus with real-time protection from threats including ransomware and phishing scams.

Although ExpressVPN lacks an antivirus, it still offers a number of useful features that Total VPN doesn’t, including its own password manager, ExpressVPN Keys. It also has a Smart DNS service, MediaStreamer. This feature is popular with streamers, allowing them to access streaming platforms such as Netflix on devices that don’t natively support VPN apps such as some Smart TVs and gaming consoles.

Overall, ExpressVPN offers slightly more extra features, but Total VPN’s antivirus and ad blocker are quality extras that make this a relatively even contest. It would be nice to see these VPNs add specialty Double VPN servers and port forwarding in future.

Apps and ease of use

Both Total VPN and ExpressVPN offer apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Apple TV. ExpressVPN does offer users a little more choice however, as it’s the only one to provide apps for Linux or Amazon Fire TV. ExpressVPN also offers browser extensions. Available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, browser extensions are a lightweight alternative to VPN apps for when you only need to secure your browser traffic.

It’s a shame that Total VPN isn’t router-compatible because that would allow users to bypass the measly simultaneous connection limit of just five devices. It’s one of the main shortcomings of Total VPN as it stands. Most of the best VPNs can be manually configured to work with a variety of routers. The advantage of this is that you can then secure all of your devices at home without having to install an app on each.

ExpressVPN is one of the best VPNs for routers, offering custom firmware to make setup that much more straightforward. You also have the option of purchasing a router that’s pre-configured with ExpressVPN software from FlashRouter.

When it comes to downloading and installing these two VPNs’ software, the process is very similar. Thanks to the presence of an automatic setup wizard, it’s quick and easy to get set up. Total VPN and ExpressVPN have some of the most beginner-friendly VPN apps on the market, offering similarly uncluttered interfaces.

One difference between the desktop apps for Total VPN and ExpressVPN is that ExpressVPN’s app opens in a smaller window, opening separate small windows for the server list as well as the settings page. Total VPN’s desktop app is all contained within one larger window. You can favorite specific locations with both VPNs, though Total VPN’s implementation is more intuitive with these selections then showing up prominently above the full server list. You also have the option of connecting to the fastest available server in both cases.

There’s not much to Total VPN’s settings page with very little customization on offer. ExpressVPN offers more options in this respect with radio buttons and check boxes making switching up your settings convenient.

In terms of the design of their mobile apps, Total VPN has the edge, offering the same kind of simplicity as its desktop counterpart. The home view of ExpressVPN’s mobile app is a little more cluttered than the desktop version, featuring a small map, a “time protected” chart, and a useful shortcut to the various VPN protocols.

As is common with mobile apps, both have a footer menu. With Total VPN, this is limited to the home view, Total Security products, and settings page. ExpressVPN’s footer menu takes you to Advanced Protection, a speed test, a help section, and your profile which contains information regarding your account as well as the various settings.

ExpressVPN lets you change the color scheme of its app, as well as of its app icon. Total VPN does offer light and dark themes but your options are more limited overall. Overall, there’s very little to separate the two VPNs’ apps which are user-friendly, even for first-time VPN users.

Total VPN vs ExpressVPN performance

Most VPNs should be fast enough for basic browsing but the real challenge for many is more bandwidth-heavy tasks such as streaming, torrenting, and gaming. In order to find out just how Total VPN and ExpressVPN handle all this, I ran speed tests across three different server locations and at three different times of day.

By connecting to Total VPN and ExpressVPN servers local to me in Barcelona, as well as further afield in New York and Tokyo in the morning, afternoon, and evening, I was able to capture performance under different network conditions and typical peak-usage times.

First, I measured my base connection. That is, my speeds when not connected to either VPN. This averaged 447 Mbps. We can usually expect VPN speeds to be somewhat slower than our base connection due to the encryption overhead and data re-routing involved. Total VPN averaged 169 Mbps across all locations and times tested. ExpressVPN was much faster, with average speeds of 358 Mbps – some 72% faster.

Total VPN and ExpressVPN performed well when I connected to their servers in Barcelona. Connecting to a local server means data doesn’t have to travel as far. Here Total VPN managed a respectable 323 Mbps but ExpressVPN averaged 390 Mbps.

It was when connecting to servers at greater distances that ExpressVPN really began to separate itself from Total VPN. My speeds dropped significantly via Total VPN’s New York and Tokyo servers at 144 Mbps and 39 Mbps respectively. Yet ExpressVPN’s New York speeds were even faster than its Barcelona servers at 420 Mbps, a mere 6% drop from my base connection speeds.

ExpressVPN’s Tokyo servers were slower at 256 Mbps but this was still significantly faster than Total VPN and not unexpected considering the travel distance for data. ExpressVPN ranks among the fastest VPNs we’ve tested but you still can’t go wrong with either as their speeds are more than fast enough for streaming, even in 4K resolution.

Just keep in mind that if you’re looking to stream content from abroad or you want the lowest possible latency for playing fast-paced multiplayer games online, ExpressVPN is ultimately your best bet.

Server locations

Neither Total VPN nor ExpressVPN state just how many servers they offer, an increasingly common practice among VPN providers.

One VPN offering fewer servers than another doesn’t automatically make it inferior. Indeed, a server count should be relative to the number of users served and individual server capacity. Total VPN provides servers in 84 countries and 116 locations worldwide, which is a very respectable number. That’s similar to VPNs like Mullvad, Hotspot Shield, and Windscribe, but it’s less than ExpressVPN.

The last time it published figures, ExpressVPN’s server network consisted of more than 3,000 servers. Currently, its servers cover 105 countries and an almost unrivaled 187 locations. This puts its server coverage on a par with the likes of NordVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN.

Whether you opt for Total VPN or ExpressVPN, you’ll have access to servers in all of the most popular server locations including the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Australia, and Japan. The advantage of both VPNs having such widespread networks is that you’ll have more flexibility to bypass geographic restrictions on content. Furthermore, there’ll usually be a server relatively close to your physical location for when you need the fastest possible connection speeds.

One of the advantages of larger server networks such as that of ExpressVPN is that you’ll have more choice of locations in under-represented areas. ExpressVPN has servers in more than 30 countries across Asia, for example, but offers fewer in Africa than the likes of NordVPN and Proton VPN.

ExpressVPN offers servers in more countries than Total VPN and is the only VPN of the two where you’ll find servers in countries like Andorra, Cuba, and Kenya. All of these examples are virtual server locations, meaning they’re physically hosted in a country other than the country to which their IP address corresponds. ExpressVPN clearly marks all virtual server locations on its website’s server list.

That said, Total VPN has servers in some countries that ExpressVPN doesn’t, like China and Russia. With both countries carrying serious privacy risks due to extensive data retention and surveillance, these servers are almost certainly virtual. Indeed, virtual servers are useful for these countries as they provide local IPs without the inherent risk. What Total VPN could do better however, is clearly indicate exactly which of its server locations are virtual.

Country list

Total VPN vs ExpressVPN for streaming and torrenting

Many people use VPNs for streaming and torrenting, allowing them to carry out these activities securely and privately. The best VPNs do this without sacrificing performance. Certainly, the speeds offered by Total VPN and ExpressVPN allow you to stream and torrent without having to worry about slow speeds and resulting performance issues.

Particularly impressive is the fact that ExpressVPN worked with every single streaming service we tested it against. There aren’t many VPNs that manage this, with only NordVPN and Surfshark matching its consistency. ExpressVPN successfully accessed multiple Netflix libraries including the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. It also worked well with Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, ITVX, and more.

ExpressVPN worked with most of the above streaming services at the first time of asking. Total VPN is no slouch when it comes to unblocking either, having no trouble with any of these streaming platforms listed, with the exception of DAZN. That’s no major surprise considering DAZN is one of the toughest streaming platforms to access. Even ExpressVPN isn’t compatible with all versions of DAZN, but does work in some countries including the US and Canada.

Total VPN and ExpressVPN rank among our best VPNs for torrenting, allowing P2P file-sharing on all of their servers. Between their fast protocols (WireGuard and Lightway, respectively) and unlimited bandwidth, they both allow for fast connections. Indeed, features including encryption, a kill switch, and DNS leak protection ensure your security. Split tunneling is another useful feature, letting you secure your torrenting connection while browsing or streaming outside the VPN for even faster speeds.

What Total VPN and ExpressVPN do lack is port forwarding. This would be useful because it boosts torrenting performance by making your torrenting device more connectable to peers, increasing download speeds and improving seeding efficiency.

Express vs Total: Security and privacy

Total VPN and ExpressVPN both tick another of important boxes when it comes to security. First and foremost, they both use robust encryption protocols that keep your internet traffic safe. With Total VPN, traffic receives ChaCha20 encryption when you connect to WireGuard, a lightweight open-source protocol known for its lightweight codebase allowing for impressive performance.

ExpressVPN has a proprietary protocol, Lightway, whose code corebase has been open-sourced. Connecting to this sees your data secured with 256-bit AES encryption. Likewise, using OpenVPN, IKEv2, or Total VPN’s implementation of Hydra also sees the use of 256-bit AES. Both ChaCha20 and 256-bit AES are considered highly secure and widely used by the best VPNs for strong data protection.

Still, encryption alone isn’t enough. It protects your data while it’s in transit but without a kill switch or DNS leak protection, your real identity or traffic can escape if the VPN connection drops or misroutes requests. It’s a good job then that Total VPN and ExpressVPN each offer a kill switch and DNS leak protection.

Both VPNs’ kill switches are available for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. ExpressVPN also has a kill switch for its Linux app. Both VPNs’ kill switches worked exactly as they should when we simulated internet disconnections, cutting our internet traffic. Better still, our leak tests didn’t display our original IP address or location, instead only displaying the VPN IP address and location.

One very clear difference between Total VPN and ExpressVPN is the countries out of which they operate. ExpressVPN is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands which is an ideal location from a privacy perspective because it’s a country with strong privacy laws and a lack of mandatory data retention.

The same can’t be said for Total VPN which operates out of the UK, a Five Eyes member. If you’re seeking a privacy-first VPN this may well prove too concerning because the UK has extensive surveillance powers and, as a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance, can compel Total VPN to log and hand over user data.

This is all the more concerning considering Total VPN does keep some logs – more than ExpressVPN in fact. According to Total VPN’s privacy policy, it may automatically gather data about how you use its app and website. This may include your IP address and the pages you visit. Needless to say, these are identifying logs which is far from ideal if you’re looking for a truly private VPN service.

ExpressVPN operates a no-logs policy. There’s absolutely no logging of IP addresses or other personally identifying information such as the websites you’re visiting. It’s also the only one of the two VPNs to operate RAM-only servers. These are wiped with each server reboot, leaving no digital footprint for attackers or snoopers to find.

These two VPNs couldn’t be more different when it comes to transparency either. ExpressVPN is one of the most audited VPNs around, having put its apps, browser extensions, proprietary VPN protocol, and no-logs policy under the microscope. Indeed, its no-logs policy has undergone multiple independent audits, the most recent of which was in February 2025. It’s a shame that neither VPN offers any anonymous payment options however.

Customer service

Although Total VPN and ExpressVPN are both easy to use with beginner-friendly apps, you may still encounter issues that require troubleshooting. It’s good to know then that the two VPNs offer 24/7 support via live chat and email. Where Total VPN has the edge here however is that it also provides phone support – that’s not something many VPNs offer.

My experience with the live chat support of Total VPN and ExpressVPN was largely positive. I was quickly connected with an agent in both cases and I usually didn’t have to wait long for replies. These responses were generally of high quality and relevant to the questions I posed.

It was very easy to locate ExpressVPN’s live chat in the bottom corner of its website. Total VPN was a different story. Even navigating to Total VPN’s support pages didn’t do the trick. It was only after Googling “total av support chat”, that I found a link to the live chat, which falls under the Total AV website.

You may prefer to search for answers yourself, in which case you have the option of consulting the respective support centers of Total VPN and ExpressVPN. Total VPN’s help center is fairly simple, offering a small set of articles which cover installation, basic troubleshooting, account issues, and billing. However, it lacks advanced setup guides and video tutorials.

ExpressVPN’s support center is much more comprehensive and features detailed troubleshooting guides and setup instructions for advanced devices like routers. Their 24/7 live chat is immediately accessible from the support page and many guides feature annotated screenshots and even video tutorials.

Which is better overall: Total VPN or ExpressVPN?

There are some areas in which Total VPN has the edge. For starters, it’s the only one of the two VPNs to come bundled with an antivirus. The fact that this is the best antivirus around is a major selling point, particularly if you’re looking for more comprehensive protection from threats. Total VPN also stands out for offering phone support.

It’s also worth pointing out just how easy to use Total VPN is, with its apps arguably even more beginner-friendly than those of ExpressVPN. At just $29 for the first year of a Total VPN subscription, it’s very difficult to argue with the value offered.

Yet ExpressVPN ultimately wins, standing out for its significantly faster server speeds and larger server network. ExpressVPN offers more extras which include a password manager and a Smart DNS service. It supports a broader range of platforms and allows up to 14 simultaneous connections depending on your subscription tier, compared to just five with Total VPN.

Notably, ExpressVPN is the only one of the two to operate a no-logs policy and its British Virgin Islands jurisdiction is likely to be far more appealing than Total VPN’s UK headquarters. Overall, ExpressVPN is the better VPN overall, but it’s a close call.

VPN testing methodology

With Total VPN and ExpressVPN ranking among the best VPN services we’ve tested, they clearly share a lot in common. Comparing them head-to-head and attempting to determine an overall winner required putting the two VPNs through a series of tests. Below, we explain our VPN testing process.

• Connection speed: One of the most important factors to consider with VPNs is speed. The fact is that some VPNs are too slow for streaming, torrenting, or gaming. We found the fastest VPNs by connecting to VPN servers in different locations and comparing the results between VPNs and with our own base connection speeds.
• Server network: The server locations you have access to directly impacts the online content you can access. It can also influence your connection speed, since connecting to servers closer to your location usually provides better performance. We compared the server networks of Total VPN and ExpressVPN, highlighting any differences.
• Security features: We looked at the VPN and encryption protocols offered by Total VPN and ExpressVPN, tested their kill switches, and ran DNS and IP leak tests while connected to their servers. As part of our security testing, we also compared their extra security features in order to better judge which VPN offers the best overall protection.
• Privacy policy: One area in which VPNs can vary significantly is logging. Indeed, some VPNs such as Total VPN keep identifying logs of users while others like ExpressVPN operate strict no-logs policies that have been independently audited. We read their respective privacy policies to make sure exactly what, if anything, they’re logging.
• Unblocking ability: Not every VPN excels at bypassing geo-blocks. Streaming platforms present a problem for many VPNs due to their efforts to discourage VPN use, usually by blocking VPN IP addresses. We connected to Total VPN and ExpressVPN servers and attempted to access the likes of Disney+ to see how they compared.

You can find out more about how we test VPNs in our VPN testing methodology. This goes into greater detail regarding our tests concerning speed, security, privacy, unblocking, and support.

Total VPN vs ExpressVPN FAQs

Other relevant comparisons:

• TotalVPN vs Surfshark
• TotalVPN vs NordVPN
• ExpressVPN vs NordVPN
• ExpressVPN vs PrivateVPN