BEST VPN SERVICES
Let us take a deep dive into both of these VPNs and figure out the winner of this Surfshark vs ExpressVPN battle.
Surfshark vs ExpressVPN Comparison 2023
In 2023 cybercrime and online hacking has grown at an exponential rate.
Using public Wi-Fi can easily be the reason hackers find your personal details and use them against you.
For that reason, 2023 has witnessed a growing interest in Virtual Private Networks for safety and security.
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) acts like a guardian between your data and third-party organizations or malicious hackers.
They prevent them from stealing your data by ensuring that it does not leak through servers. If for some reason, it does, a VPN has contingency plans for that as well.
Regardless, you need to be careful while choosing a VPN because you are not just selecting an application; you are choosing a system that will ensure the security of your most sensitive data resting in your devices.
If you do not want your data to become public property, you need to be mindful about which VPN you decide to purchase and what features they offer.
Of course, we understand that you do not have that much time to do extensive research on every VPN you come across.
For that reason, we have organized this Surfshark vs ExpressVPN article for you to meet some of the best VPNs in the market and see for yourself which one is the best of them all.
Surfshark
Surfshark VPN is based in the Virgin Islands. It is a VPN service provider that offers its users unlimited simultaneous connections for all their devices, including Linux, Mac OS, Android, Windows, IOS, Apple TV, etc.
It is also a very customer-oriented VPN; it is very ambitious to offer the best user experience that a VPN can.
- Surfshark is the best budget VPN
- 30-day risk-free trial
- Strict no-logs policy
- 3200+ servers in 95 countries
- Unlimited simultaneous device connections
- Great for: private browsing on a budget
- Compatible with: Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone & iOS, Linux, FireFox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and more
Regardless, to win this battle of Surfshark VPN vs ExpressVPN, Surfshark VPN must prove that it is better than ExpressVPN in all regards and vice versa.
To do that, we have selected a few specific elements where both these VPNs must shine to be declared a winner.
We will now look at each of these elements individually, starting with all the security features that Surfshark VPN offers.
Security Features
Surfshark VPN has an excellent security package called Surfshark One.
Although you need to pay additional fees of $1.49 monthly to enable these benefits, Surfshark One is still a feature-packed package that provides extra security for your data.
This will give you full access to antivirus, search, and alert features in Surfshark VPN.
Antivirus is Surfshark VPN’s own in-house production which claims to secure your device from malicious viruses trying to infect it.
A search feature allows you to search the web with utmost privacy.
Third-party websites and organizations will not be able to track your queries, and whatever you do on the internet will be private.
The alert feature is a little more advanced and exciting than these two.
This feature is spectacular because it gives you real-time updates and notifications of when your privacy is breached and when your data appears on the dark web.
Once that happens, the alert feature automatically begins to encrypt your data with higher security protocols so that further data leaks are eliminated.
It also brings down the already released information on the dark web using a few different security protocols. However, that is still in the works.
Besides that, Surfshark VPN offers an excellent split-tunneling feature with any subscription plan you opt for.
This feature allows you to enable any single application or a few applications of your choice to connect with the VPN rather than connect all your applications with the VPN server.
If you are wondering how you can use this feature, it will become very useful to you when you plan on playing highly intensive online games like Call of Duty or if you plan on downloading a lot of torrents.
Since Surfshark VPN allows P2P sharing, you can easily download as many torrents as you like.
The only problem we encountered while reviewing this feature was that it is only available on Android and Windows till now.
We are hoping that Surfshark VPN works on making this available to other devices soon because it is a fantastic addition to their arsenal of security features.
Furthermore, Surfshark VPN has a Smart DNS feature that can help you spoof your location on devices that do not prohibit VPN connection, such as Apple TV and gaming consoles.
In our test, we tried using this feature to connect our Android TV with Surfshark VPN, and it worked like a charm. We are confident that it will work just as well for you.
Furthermore, Surfshark VPN’s security features don’t just end there; it also offers you a Static IP where you get the ability to choose a single IP address for whenever you connect with the VPN service provider.
This can be very useful if you intend to host gaming or media servers. This feature is fabulous for protecting your original IP address as well.
This is because Static IP will never reveal your IP address; it will keep creating new IP addresses for you so that you remain unnoticed by your internet service provider (ISP).
This is helpful if you want to use a VPN in a highly sensitive censorship area.
Furthermore, Surfshark VPN offers a kill switch and an Obfuscation feature that add to the robust security offered by this VPN.
A kill switch helps terminate your connection with the internet if your VPN stops working so that data leaks are prevented.
While an Obfuscation feature will help you spoof locations and regions where VPN services are either blocked or restricted.
Judging from this, we can see that Surfshark VPN offers excellent security features. Now let us look at the speed and performance it provides to make everything run smoothly and fast.
Speed and Performance
Surfshark VPN offers you an average speed of 41 Mbps and a burst speed of 273.2 Mbps.
These numbers are enough for you to safely browse the internet, stream videos online, and play high-intensity games.
Additionally, Surfshark VPN is one of those VPNs that can unblock Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney Plus, etc. So do not worry. Your entertainment through this VPN service is guaranteed.
Moreover, recently Surfshark VPN has incorporated WireGuard protocol which offers a robust internet tunnel. This protocol also provides high-speed internet.
Add that with speed you already get from Surfshark VPN, and you have one of the fastest VPNs in the market.
However, where there is extreme speed, there is also danger. With a VPN, with high-speed internet comes the risk of data leaks.
We were apprehensive about this aspect of our research, so we wanted to be absolutely sure about the results.
Thankfully, while using Surfshark VPN at its highest speed, we detected no data leaks at all.
This is because Surfshark VPN has IPv6, IPv4, WebRTC, and DNS leak servers to prevent data from leaking through the servers.
Knowing that Surfshark VPN has many protocols in place increases our confidence in the VPN.
The technical security protocols put by Surfshark VPN are top-notch protocols that are very useful for all VPN service providers.
However, only Surfshark VPN uses all of them in a single application. For that, Surfshark VPN wins in this element of Surfshark vs ExpressVPN.
Customer Service and Support
This is an aspect where Surfshark VPN is the definite winner.
In terms of customer service and support, Surfshark VPN gives you the flexibility of a thirty-day money-back guarantee and a free trial if you do not want to invest in the VPN before taking it out for a spin.
With that, Surfshark VPN has excellent 24/7 live chat support where you can immediately get answers to all your problems regarding the VPN.
We found Surfshark VPN’s live chat support to be very impressive. We received the answers to our problems in a matter of minutes.
Surfshark VPN also has a great support system with numerous articles and FAQs regarding major issues you could face with this VPN.
These articles are curated very well and compiled efficiently so that customers can quickly find what they are looking for.
Pricing
This final variable decides whether a VPN is worth the hassle. Price is paramount when it comes to VPN.
A VPN must have a budget-friendly price so that users can consider subscribing to its plans.
If you cannot make up your mind about one, Surfshark VPN has three different subscription plans for you.
The first subscription plan is for one month, which will cost you $12.95 every month. This is very expensive, and we recommend that you don’t sign up for it.
Instead, we recommend you sign up for the second subscription plan, which offers you 12 months of subscription and premium features while asking for only $3.99 in return.
However, if you are looking for a longer commitment, you can purchase Surfshark VPN for 24 months for a nominal price of $2.30 monthly.
This is very good if you are looking to commit to this VPN and are confident that its services are what you need right now.
Alas, regarding price, we are confident that Surfshark VPN has the edge over ExpressVPN.
That being said, it is now time to look at what ExpressVPN offers.
ExpressVPN
When it comes to ExpressVPN, you know right off the bat that it is a trusted VPN used by over three million users worldwide.
That makes us question what is so special about this VPN. It can unblock streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus.
Yes, it has a ton of servers worldwide but does it offer enough functionality to compete with the likes of Surfshark VPN?
Let us first compare the security features offered by ExpressVPN and see if it can hold its own stand against Surfshark VPN.
Security Features
Having good security features is crucial for all VPN service providers. This is because their number one job is to protect their user’s data against tracking and hacking.
If a VPN fails to do that, it fails as a VPN.
ExpressVPN tries to battle the idea of not being a good VPN by offering users the functionality of a Smart DNS.
This allows them to unblock geographically restricted content as streaming services like Netflix and BBC iPlayer.
This feature also helps you connect a VPN with devices that do not support VPNs, such as TV and gaming consoles.
ExpressVPN has a Tor protocol that allows users to browse the internet like a ghost since their online activity is protected by encryption and other hackers or third-party organizations cannot view your online activity.
Another encryption protocol introduced by ExpressVPN is their Lightway protocol.
This protocol is designed with speed and privacy in mind. For users of ExpressVPN, this means better security and faster internet speed.
With that, ExpressVPN has a kill switch and a no-logs policy, which we found to be good enough for a VPN of this magnitude.
However, ExpressVPN’s security features and benefits end right here. As a VPN user, you can only expect average security from this VPN.
In terms of Surfshark vs ExpressVPN, Surfshark VPN wins this round.
Speed and Performance
In terms of speed and performance, ExpressVPN surpasses Surfshark VPN. Our tests revealed that ExpressVPN consistently provided faster internet speed than Surfshark VPN.
The average download speed provided by ExpressVPN was 60 Mbps. The maximum burst speed could reach 500 Mbps.
This makes ExpressVPN a fantastic option for anyone who wants to enjoy torrents or 4k video streaming.
As mentioned earlier, fast-speed connectivity has one huge drawback: data leaks.
VPNs are usually tested in this aspect, and we are sorry that ExpressVPN does not combat Surfshark VPN in this respect.
While looking for data leaks, we noticed there were no leaks through the DNS servers, but there were significant leaks through WebRTC in Windows and Mac OS.
This shows that in the comparison of Surfshark vs ExpressVPN, ExpressVPN fails regarding security and encryption.
Data leaks can compromise a lot of your sensitive data, and you won’t even know about it before it is either too late or misused.
That is why choosing a good VPN with good security features has been a driving force in this guide.
However, let us now look at the price point that ExpressVPN has to offer before we announce the winner of this showdown.
Pricing
ExpressVPN is not a cheap VPN to purchase, that’s for sure.
Even though it offers a money-back guarantee incase you want to cancel which shows confidence, some users may not even consider purchasing this VPN after looking at its price.
Like all other VPNs in the market, ExpressVPN also has three different subscription plans that users can sign up to.
The first subscription plan offered by ExpressVPN is a 1 monthly plan which will cost you $12.95 if you decide to make the purchase.
The second VPN will cost you $9.99 and give you 6 months’ worth of subscriptions and premium features.
The lowest that ExpressVPN has to offer is a 12 months plan for $6.67. By all means, that still is a lot to ask for, considering you aren’t getting much functionality in return.
The Verdict
Let’s review; ExpressVPN is a fast VPN service with minimal security features, prone to data leaks, and not so budget-friendly price.
We cannot see how ExpressVPN can justify this price point.
On the other hand, Surfshark VPN is fast enough for the majority of users even though it is not as fast as ExpressVPN; it is not prone to data leaks thanks to its robust encryption protocols, and it has more security features than ExpressVPN by a long shot, and it has a budget-friendly price point.
We are sure you know where this verdict of Surfshark vs ExpressVPN is leading. Surfshark is the clear winner of this showdown.
It has better security features than ExpressVPN and is more affordable than ExpressVPN. We highly recommend giving Surfshark a try.
We are confident that you will not regret using it.
- Surfshark is the best budget VPN
- 30-day risk-free trial
- Strict no-logs policy
- 3200+ servers in 95 countries
- Unlimited simultaneous device connections
- Great for: private browsing on a budget
- Compatible with: Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone & iOS, Linux, FireFox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and more
FAQs
How Do I Choose a VPN?
When choosing a VPN, you need to be sure about what you will use the VPN for.
Usually, you might use a VPN so that other organizations cannot track you or so that you can unlock geo-restricted content in your location.
For these purposes, we recommend that you go with Surfshark VPN as it is the winner of this article and a fantastic VPN for your day-to-day use.
Should I Use a Free VPN?
No, we recommend that you do not use a free VPN site. Most prominent reason for saying this is because free VPN services do not have enough security features to keep your data safe.
In fact, in some cases, using a free VPN may also reveal your IP address to the authorities, compromising your location and allowing them to track you.
It is always better to use a paid VPN than a free VPN as they are more complacent.
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Written by Trevor Cooke
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