Express VPN has been in the business for some time now, we are going to take a deep dive into seeing where the service has been and where it’s going.
We hope you enjoy this article by Value Pal Nation.
Is express vpn safe?
The simple answer to this question is that Yes, it is entirely safe to use. It is one of the best VPN Services in the world.
When it comes to VPN service, there are four factors which matter the most.
• VPN Location: This factor is the most important factor. ExpressVPN operates from the Brtish Virgin Islands. It doesn’t come into the jurisdiction of countries like the US or UK. Which means that ExpressVPN is not bound to give access to authorities for surveillance.
• No Logs Policy: ExpressVPN is the strict adherent of the No Logs Policy. The company doesn’t log any of your online activity. However, they do log the information like the amount of the data transfer, VPN locations being used, etc.
• Encryption: ExpressVPN uses AES-256 encryption. It is the same encryption used by the US Government, Military and Banks.
• Number of Servers: ExpressVPN has more than 2000 servers around the world. It is great to have a great number of servers because it can help you bypass censorship. Moreover, all of the ExpressVPN servers are private zero-knowledge severs. It means that no one will be able to know what you are doing online.
These are the three factors which are very important when you are determining if it is safe to use the service or not. ExpressVPN tick all three boxes.
Moreover, it also comes with unique features like Kill Switch & Anonymous payment. All in all, it is safe to assume that ExpressVPN is one of the most secure VPN services in the world.
If you visit the official website of VPN Express, you will see straight away that the company claims to be the “#1 Trusted leader in VPN” due to its great download speed, superior level of security, the easiness of setup, and user-friendliness.
In this ExpressVPN review we will figure out whether these claims are true or is VPN Express just another hype project.
Privacy and Security
Let’s get straight to the point that worries most Internet users. Is ExpressVPN safe?
ExpressVPN was launched in 2009 by the company Express VPN International Ltd which is registered on the British Virgin Islands.
The fact that this company is registered on the British Overseas Territory may be beneficial for the securitization of their customers’ sensitive data because this territory is not under the direct rule of the United Kingdom, which is a part of the UKUSA Agreement that is basically the consortium of different international intelligence agencies.
Moreover, the British Virgin Islands don’t come within the purview of any data retention laws which gives even more confidence in the level of privacy protection provided by ExpressVPN. The second question that determines the degree of anonymity provided by this service: does ExpressVPN keep logs?
The company answers that question quite clearly in their privacy policy section by stating that they never keep logs of customers’ activities as well as logging or browsing history, traffic directions.
ExpressVPN also doesn’t save such information as timestamps and duration of online sessions. However, it doesn’t mean that they don’t keep any information whatsoever.
Since it is a comprehensive Express VPN review, we will also share the information that you may not find in other ExpressVPN reviews. So, despite company’s statements that they abide by the strict no-logging policy, ExpressVPN does collect the following information about their users:
- The date of Express VPN download and the date of the app being successfully activated;
- All dates when a user launched his or her VPN software, when he or she was using the Express VPN coupon;
- The location of preferred servers;
- The daily volume of traffic.
While it may raise concerns in some users, we can assure you that it is a standard data gathering procedure performed by all other VPN providers solely for the purpose of improving the user experience.
As for the provision of secure browsing experience, ExpressVPN applies a rather wide set of measures which includes the AES-256 encryption, an industry standard encryption technology used by all respectable VPN providers.
The additional encryption of all data which pass through their servers is ensured by the TCP/UDP OpenVPN protocols as well as L2TP/IPSec and PPTP. The user can choose the required protocol manually or let the VPN client choose the necessary protocol automatically and switch them in accordance with the user’s browsing needs. ExpressVPN also utilizes RSA certificates in order to secure their users from probable cyber-attacks known as the man-in-the-middle. In the course of this attack, the hacker intrudes into the process of communication between the server and the user and gathers the sensitive data, such as banking details, personal correspondence, data exchange etc.
However, the RSA certificate allows distinguishing the trusted websites from the malicious ones and blocking the access to data flow for the former.
ExpressVPN also uses HMAC (Hash Message Authentication Code) to make sure that the information, which passes through their servers, can’t be stolen or changes by any third party.
They also have the control and data-channel encryption which helps to detect even the smallest intrusion into the data exchange carried out through their servers, and also encrypt all information that passes through websites that belong to third parties.
Finally, ExpressVPN employs the so-called perfect forward secrecy technology which makes sure that even if your device gets hacked and the perpetrator gets hold of the information that went through the Express VPN servers, he will be able to see only the data from the last hour of browsing.
The rest of the information will be encrypted by the virtue of the secret key that changes every sixty minutes.
This ExpressVPN review is only gaining its pace, but you already can see from this ExpressVPN review stands head and shoulders above its competition, particularly when it comes to privacy and security.
And even if they do collect a small amount of non-sensitive data, they amount of measures which are taken to protect the user anonymity is almost unprecedented.
Therefore, the first conclusion of this ExpressVPN review is that this service definitely gets the highest marks for maintaining the safe browsing environment.
Servers and download speed
Currently, ExpressVPN offers its customers the opportunity to engage in safe browsing by virtue of more than 2000 servers in 148 locations which are scattered around 94 countries.
It is not the largest number of servers per provider but given their level of protection and download speed, of which we will tell later in this ExpressVPN review, it is safe to say that Express VPN is deservedly called in other Express VPN reviews one of the best providers in the industry.
If you are not sure which location to pick, for instance, for your Express VPN torrenting needs, you can always use a special feature which is called the Smart Location, and the software will automatically pick the server that’s the most suitable for you in terms of download speed, latency etc.
The software itself is fully compatible with all popular devices, operating systems, and routers. Interestingly, this provider also offers their users a chance to use the so-called stealth servers located in Hong Kong. These servers were designed specifically for the users of ExpressVPN China so that they could bypass the country’s official firewall which is called the Great Wall. It is impossible to test this server if you are not a resident of China or the nearby Asian countries, though other Express VPN reviews claim that this server is working quite efficiently.
Another interesting feature that’s worth mentioning in our ExpressVPN review is the availability of the Dark Web website or the onion website. Basically, it is a mirror the official ExpressVPN website that can be accessed only through the Tor browser.
Now, let’s get back to one of the main subject of our ExpressVPN review which is the download speed. It was mentioned in other Express VPN reviews, as well as proven by various speed test which we ran on our own, that ExpressVPN download and upload speed is one of the fastest, if not the fastest, in the industry.
According to the results of our speed tests, the Express VPN torrenting speed amounts to the impressive 85 Mbps while the upload speed was considerably lower at 52 Mbps, with the ping of 40 ms.
These results are characteristic of the EU servers, particularly, the Amsterdam server, whilst the servers in the United States and Asia displayed a much lower download/upload speed: 60 MBps and 30 Mbps, respectively.
ExpressVPN plans and download
The ExpressVPN review wouldn’t be complete without the detailed description of company’s pricing policies. ExpressVPN offers its users 3 types of service plans:
- 1-month which costs $12.95;
- 6-months that come at a price of $9.99 per month;
- 12-months offered for $8.32/month which is currently the most lucrative deal as the customer is offered an opportunity to save as much as 35%.
It should be noted, that like any other respectable VPN service provider, ExpressVPN ensures the 30-day money-back guarantee, which allows the user to thoroughly test the software before finally buying it. As you can see, the ExpressVPN costs slightly higher than other VPN providers though it is fully justified by the level of security, the dowload ExpressVPN speed, the swiftness of ExpressVPN torrent, and the overall quality of services.
To download Express VPN, the user simply has to choose the plan, provide the valid email address and pay for their services using a wide range of payment methods, from the conventional Visa, Mastercard and American Express to Bitcoin, Webmoney, and Alipay.
In order to get a better deal out downloading ExpressVPN, you can use a discount ExpressVPN coupon1, which come in the form of randomly generated codes, distributed through various affiliated websites. As of September, the ExpressVPN coupon2 provides users with an opportunity to get as much 49% off any service plans mentioned in this ExpressVPN review.
Therefore, if after reading this and other Express VPN reviews, you decide to download it, make sure to use the ExpressVPN coupon which you can easily find on any major website that contains ExpressVPN reviews, including ours.
After you perform the Express VPN download, you can download it on multiple devices.
The official website doesn’t state exactly on how many gadgets you can download ExpressVPN though, according to other Express VPN reviews, it is possible to use ExpressVPN for torrenting or any other online activities on as many devices as the user wants, as long as he enters the correct Express VPN activation code which usually consists of 23 characters.
This procedure has to be carried out only once. When you have successfully completed the download ExpressVPN and used the ExpressVPN coupon, you can connect up to three additional gadgets to the existing account.
ExpressVPN Netflix unblocking capabilities
Certainly, this ExpressVPN review must include the information about its ability to allow users from all countries to have access to all popular entertainment services, particularly Netflix.
Perhaps you even saw the information in the Express VPN review that Express VPN not working with Netflix, but we can assure you that the ExpressVPN Netflix unblocking works just fine.
There is even an entire section on the official website where they explain how to bypass the restrictions using the unblocking feature and stream the content at the high Internet speed.
All you have to do to start watching all of the magnificent TV shows on America’s most popular streaming platform is to perform the following steps:
- Download Express VPN client and install it on your device;
- Choose one of multiple servers located in the United States. You can pick the highest-performing US server by carrying out the speed test. The higher is the Speed Index, the better will be the quality of streaming;
- Log in to your Netflix account and then just enjoy the content.
Since we’ve touched upon the topic of the download ExpressVPN speed, it is necessary to mention the ExpressVPN torrenting capacity.
Our ExpressVPN review, as well as someone else’s Express VPN review, must have already given you the hint that this VPN is one of the fastest in the entire industry, so it is no wonder that the combination of ExpressVPN and torrent go together perfectly, like peanut butter and jelly.
For the ultimate Express VPN torrent experience, especially in the Express VPN China case, don’t forget to choose the appropriate server and check its efficiency by running some speed tests.
Once you have hit the sweet spot in terms of ExpressVPN download/upload speed, you can start using the Express VPN Netflix or torrent without fearing that someone may track down your activities.
The bottom line
We would like to finalize this ExpressVPN review listing all pros and cons of this online anonymity tool.
Pros
- Express VPN download/upload speed is superior to almost all other VPN’s.
- Strict policy regarding logs;
- Download Express VPN for a big variety of servers;
- Express VPN download safety, great security and privacy features ensured by strong encryption and the usage of different protocols.
Cons
- ExpressVPN price is more on the expensive side of things;
- ExpressVPN review states that it allows only three devices to be connected simultaneously.
We are certain that after reading this ExpressVPN review, you have fully realized all the benefits that you can reap by performing Express VPN download and using this amazing software. To conclude this ExpressVPN review, we would like to say that you have to try Express VPN download client for at least a month. Perhaps it will turn out to be the best purchase you have ever made.