ExpressVPN has long been held in high esteem by VPN users young and old, yet it has always faced one problem that, in recent years especially, held it back. This problem (and a few others) recently came to the forefront during TechRadar's testing. We decided to drop the provider to third in our best VPN rankings, but since then, it seems ExpressVPN has taken notice. The issue in question? Price.
As such a longstanding titan of the industry, it's understandable that ExpressVPN would prefer to dictate the price point of its plans.
However, a shift towards sign-up offers and broader product offerings from the likes of NordVPN and Surfshark has resulted in ExpressVPN seeing its price become notably higher than its key competition... until now.
What changed?
The biggest surprise came as ExpressVPN, for the first time ever, lowered its prices.
The introduction of a two-year plan meant that ExpressVPN now matched its closest competitors in terms of subscription length options and, consequently, offered similar pricing to the likes of NordVPN.
ExpressVPN retained its one-plan-fits-all model, but the update meant that today's best VPN for beginners was now even more intuitive. Users had an easier time picking out a plan and saved money in the process.
This, however, didn't solve the other contributing factor to the price problem: extra features.
We regularly rank ExpressVPN as the most secure VPN available but, for most people, the value of a VPN plan is measured by the additional tools included in the subscription.
Identity Defender was a key part of ExpressVPN's solution to this problem. Now offering a wider suite of tools, ExpressVPN is looking to rival the variety of privacy and security options offered by NordVPN and Surfshark by offering:
- ExpressVPN Keys (password manager)
- Adult site blocking
- Threat Manager (ad, tracker, and malware blocking)
- Identity Defender (personal data leak monitoring, ID theft insurance, data broker removal)
- Credit Scanner ( credit score and activity monitoring, early fraud detection alerts, credit protection information, monthly credit reports on two-year plans)
How does ExpressVPN compare now?
I'd be lying if I said that these changes were enough to launch ExpressVPN right back to the top of our VPN rankings – but I'd also be lying if I said it wasn't a positive start to reclimbing the ladder.
ExpressVPN isn't alone in broadening its horizons and lowering its prices. With VPN deals constantly getting cheaper thanks to sign-up offers, it's going to take more than a price drop to begin the charge toward the top.
However, this does show a good change of tac for ExpressVPN, and the good ship cybersecurity will likely only benefit from it. The addition of the Credit Scanner feature results in ExpressVPN's two-year plan likely taking the lead over a NordVPN Ultimate plan, in fact.
ExpressVPN's package currently sets you back $4.99/month, while a NordVPN Ultimate plan is $5.89 per month. If you were to pick up a Nord Ultimate plan, you'll have access to:
- NordPass (password manager)
- Threat Protection Pro (ad, tracker and malware blocking)
- NordLocker (cloud storage)
- ID theft insurance
- Cyber extortion insurance
So, the key differentiator between the two is your preference for extras. Where ExpressVPN users could miss out on cloud storage, NordVPN users could miss out on data removal tools.
If you're looking for sheer value, it's the first time we can honestly say ExpressVPN is the better option, and it's likely that this will be an ongoing battle over the next year or so.
That's not to say the value is flawless. I've deliberately kept Surfshark out of this side of the debate as you can get everything that NordVPN or ExpressVPN offer for notably less with Surfshark. There's a reason it's today's best cheap VPN.
This raises an interesting question: should ExpressVPN drop its price or add more features next?
Is now the time to buy ExpressVPN?
The question of what ExpressVPN should do next is unanswerable right now. What I can say, however, is that this is the first time that security-focused folks can avoid lumping unnecessary costs into their monthly budget in order to check out today's best secure VPN. That's pretty awesome.
If ExpressVPN did add more features in the near future, it'd continue its challenge to NordVPN and Surfshark's dominance. Alternatively, if ExpressVPN focused on prices, I'd hope it didn't come at the cost of innovative features.
The good news is that pairing the launch of Identity Defender tools and its first-ever price drops suggests ExpressVPN is looking to navigate its way into a higher-value future for its customers, without leaving one or the other behind.
So, if you're on the hunt for a VPN, I'd use this time as a chance to think about what you want from a VPN. If ExpressVPN ticks all the right boxes for you – don't wait to get involved.
