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

If you want the best VPN all-round, go with Surfshark’s discounted 2 year deal; and 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

Surfshark vs ExpressVPN pricing

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.

Surfshark

  • Offers strong speeds and access to 3,200+ servers worldwide
  • Capable of unblocking a wide range of region-locked streaming services
  • Major security and privacy focus
  • Has no connection limit

ExpressVPN

  • Huge network of high-speed servers
  • Best in class for security
  • Unblocks major streaming platforms from abroad
  • Privacy-first VPN that accepts Bitcoin

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 two six-month subscriptions totalling just $77.88. If you’re considering this, though, you really may as well just get the two-year subscription since it works out $18 cheaper.

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

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 tools that alert you to any data leaks you may have been affected by. It also lets you search anonymously. 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.

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. However, in our tests, the only real difference between these two VPNs was that Surfshark worked consistently with BBC iPlayer while ExpressVPN has begun to struggle with this service of late.

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

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

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:

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

Users can connect via the OpenVPN and IKEv2 protocols, whichever service they choose. That said, ExpressVPN also supports the older L2TP protocol, which is easier to block but more secure.You’ll also have access to the faster, privacy-focused WireGuard and Shadowsocks protocols if you’re a Surfshark user, or Lightway, a similar protocol exclusive to ExpressVPN.

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. We’re not entirely sure how this feature works, but other VPNs achieve similar results by reshaping your data to hide the easily-recognizable signs of VPN traffic.

Privacy

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.

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.

Configuration

These services both use a shared address system, meaning that everyone on a particular server shares the same IP address. This enhances your privacy by making it more difficult, if not impossible, to tell which user accessed which websites.

Neither VPN really allows users to obtain a dedicated IP address. You can connect to the same Surfshark server each session, ensuring you have the same IP address at all times. Similarly, neither offers a NAT firewall, largely because they block all incoming requests by default.

Customer service

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:

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 unblock 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.

See also:

  • Zenmate vs ExpressVPN
  • NordVPN vs ExpressVPN
  • NordVPN vs Surfshark