ExpressVPN price and plans — is it good value?

ExpressVPN is a popular VPN and one of the best VPNs overall. It's easy to use, making it ideal for beginners, and it boasts class-leading privacy and security.

In our ExpressVPN review, we found the British Virgin Islands-based service is a speedy and secure VPN, but as with most VPNs, there is a choice of subscription plan and each has its own different price. In general, it's worth bearing in mind that the best VPN deals are for the longest subscriptions.

The provider has overhauled its prices and plans, with a tiered system now being offered. There are three VPN plans to choose from – ExpressVPN Basic, ExpressVPN Advanced, and ExpressVPN Pro – and each tier is designed for a different type of user.

Whatever subscription you opt for, ExpressVPN isn't the cheapest VPN. Entry-level plans are more affordable than ever but getting your hands on extra features requires a more premium subscription.

Let's take a look at the three tiers of ExpressVPN plans.

Express VPN price

ExpressVPN has three types of plan, each with one-month, one-year, and two-year subscriptions available.

For all plans, a two-year subscription represents the best value. You'll pay more up front but it works out cheaper per month.

You'll also receive extra months of VPN protection for free. The one-year plans come with an extra three months, while two-year plans come with four.

It's worth bearing in mind that all subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee should you change your mind. So it's perfectly possible to sign up, test it out for a month, and then claim a refund if you're not a fan.

ExpressVPN Basic

Best deal: $3.49 per month for 28 months of protection.

The cheapest plan is ExpressVPN Basic. You'll get the core VPN features, such as 3,000+ servers, post-quantum encryption protection, RAM-only TrustedServer technology, streaming unblocking, and a verified no-logs policy.

There's also protection for 10 devices, and DNS-based ad-blocking.

Extra features are no longer included as standard. If you want these then you'll have to subscribe to a more expensive plan. But if you just want an simple and effective VPN, ExpressVPN Basic is the plan to choose.

• 1 month: $12.99 per month
• 1 year + 3 months: $4.99 per month ($74.85 up front pre-tax)
• 2 years + 4 months: $3.49 per month ($97.72 up front pre-tax)

ExpressVPN Advanced

Best deal: $4.49 per month for 28 months of protection

This plan is most similar to ExpressVPN's previous offering. ExpressVPN Advanced includes all core VPN features and raises the number of devices protected to 12.

You'll get many more extra features with this plan. This includes the Keys password manager and Advanced Protection (threat manager, ad-blocking, and parental controls).

For those in the US, a majority of the Identity Defender suites is also bundled in. There's identity monitoring, up to $1 million in ID theft insurance, and credit monitoring.

Identity Defender is a US-exclusive. If you live in another country, you will not have access to it.

In addition, you'll get three days of unlimited holiday.com eSIM data and Aircove router discounts of up to 50%. A 25% discount is included with one-year plans and a 50% discount with two-year plans.

• 1 month: $13.99 per month
• 1 year + 3 months: $5.99 per month ($89.85 up front pre-tax)
• 2 years + 4 months: $4.49 per month ($125.72 up front pre-tax)

ExpressVPN Pro

Best deal: $7.49 per month for 28 months of protection

ExpressVPN Pro is the premier plan and isn't for everyone. It includes everything offered in previous plans and you'll get protection for 14 devices.

Dedicated IP is the big addition with this plan, something that is usually only available as a paid add-on – costing between $3.99 and $8.99 per month.

Dedicated IP is a unique, location-fixed, IP address that only you can use. Regular VPN IP addresses are shared with other users, so having a Dedicated IP can improve performance and reduce CAPTCHAs.

ExpressVPN Pro includes the full Identity Defender package, adding monthly credit reports and data removal services.

There's five days of unlimited eSIM data and the one-year plan has a 50% Aircove router discount, with a 75% discount included with the two-year plan.

This plan won't be for everyone. If you're not going to use Dedicated IP, you'll likely be better off with ExpressVPN Advanced. Likewise, if you're not in the US or won't make full use of Identity Defender, this plan may not be for you.

However, if you know you'll use everything offered, ExpressVPN Pro represents good value.

• 1 month: $19.99 per month
• 1 year + 3 months: $8.99 per month ($134.85 up front pre-tax)
• 2 years + 4 months: $7.49 per month ($209.72 up front pre-tax)

Express VPN price comparison

ExpressVPN has never been known as a cheap VPN but this pricing change does make it more affordable, albeit with a loss of some extra features.

Its price change brings it more in line with its competitors, most notably NordVPN and Proton VPN. The three providers' cheapest plans all sit around the $3 to $3.50 per month range. However, Proton VPN only has one tier of plan, costing $3.59 per month.

The change to a tiered structure matches the approach of NordVPN and Surfshark.

NordVPN has NordVPN Basic, NordVPN Plus, Nord VPN Complete, and NordVPN Prime, with NordVPN Ultra and NordVPN Ultimate also available in certain regions.

Surfshark has Surfshark Starter, Surfshark One, and Surfshark One+.

Right now, all ExpressVPN plans are roughly $0.50 per month more expensive than their NordVPN counterparts. NordVPN two-year plans start at $3.09 per month, with its most expensive plan – NordVPN Prime – costing $6.99 per month.

Not a lot separates NordVPN and ExpressVPN now both have a tiered structure. NordVPN slightly edges things in terms of core features and price, but ExpressVPN is far simpler to use and protects more devices.

Both have implemented post-quantum encryption and have high standards of privacy and security. It's best to compare both providers and see which one best suits your needs.

Surfshark starts at just $1.99 per month, much cheaper than ExpressVPN Basic. It's one of the best cheap VPNs and also one of the fastest VPNs we've tested, with some excellent security features to boot.

Compared to ExpressVPN its feature-lite and not as simple, but its cheap price could be seen as a big draw.

What makes ExpressVPN so good

The keyword here is simplicity. We consider ExpressVPN to be one of the best beginner VPNs and the easiest to use.

Its simple interface helps it stand out from the pack on both desktop and mobile (where NordVPN struggles), while 24/7 support and a one-click connect function make it a fantastic introduction to the world of VPNs.

As for privacy, with servers in 105 different countries and leading encryption and obfuscation, it's amongst the very best on offer.

If you're not that security conscious then you'll be pleased to know that ExpressVPN is also one of our top picks for the best streaming VPN. It can bypass blocks on major streaming services to unlock geo-restricted content with ease.