VPN providers often seem to forget that most people aren’t computer experts. For instance, they like to brag about things like their encryption algorithms, or how easily they can bypass deep-packet inspection, but it’s not always made clear how these features actually help you. Worse, potential customers frequently have to search the help center (or Google) for answers to fairly simple questions.

That’s where we come in. We’ll be comparing two of the most popular VPNs on the market ExpressVPN and VyprVPN side by side and breaking down exactly what each offers in plain English. We’ll also let you know what each advanced feature does and explain how you can use it in your day-to-day life as we go.

Highlights

ExpressVPN vs VyprVPN pricing

Generally, you can expect to pay a little more if you sign up for one month at a time. However, at $12.95 USD each, ExpressVPN and VyprVPN are on the higher end of the pricing spectrum. To their credit, though, both plans offer significant discounts for customers who are willing to commit upfront to a longer-term subscription.

ExpressVPN

  • Large network of high-speed servers
  • Strong security and privacy credentials
  • Unblocks plenty of popular geo-restricted services
  • Very easy for beginners to use

VyprVPN

  • No logs VPN with a wide range of security features
  • Works in China
  • Strong unblocking ability
  • Consistently high speeds

By signing up for a year of ExpressVPN coverage, for instance, the price drops by almost half to just $6.67 per month. Technically, it’s even lower than this since you get fifteen months for the price of twelve. By specifically targeting long-term subscribers, though, VyprVPN manages to provide far steeper price reductions. Its one-year plan costs just $45 ($3.75 per month) but you really might as well spend a little extra since two years of coverage is only $60 ($2.50 per month).

ExpressVPN and VyprVPN both come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. This means you can sign up and use either service for almost a month. If they fail to impress you, just cancel and get your money back. VyprVPN even lets you trial the service completely free for three days, although you will still have to provide payment information upfront. Also, to take advantage of VyprVPN’s trial, you have to create an account via the apps for Android and iOS.

Best Deal for ExpressVPN:Choose ExpressVPN’s one-year plan to get a 49% discount and an additional three months coverage for free.

Best Deal for VyprVPN:Save 80% with VyprVPN’s two-year plan.

ExpressVPN vs VyprVPN features

Good news for people with lots of devices: both of these VPNs permit up to five simultaneous connections. Further, each offers strong multi-platform support, although ExpressVPN has a command line-based Linux installer whereas VyprVPN has to be manually installed via the OpenVPN client. Both services can be installed on home routers, but ExpressVPN has custom firmware for certain routers that allows for simple setup. VyprVPN users must configure the service manually on compatible routers.

Both services offer split tunneling functionality which allows you to choose certain apps to bypass the VPN (for instance, if you don’t care about encrypting traffic from games or certain streaming apps). Neither VPN offers this feature in its iOS app, and it’s not available in VyprVPN’s Windows app either.

That said, we do like that VyprVPN has a specific page on its website that lets you know about any issues it’s currently having with certain streaming services. This prevents you from having to run through a series of tests with customer support, just to find that the problem is on their end after all. Plus, this status page shows that such issues are fairly uncommon. When problems do occur, VyprVPN tends to resolve them in a matter of days.

Which of these VPNs work in China?

China has some of the strictest internet restrictions in the world and as a result, most VPNs won’t work. If you’re wondering about ExpressVPN vs VyprVPN for China, you’ll be happy to know that they both let you bypass the Great Firewall and access the wider internet while in China.

ExpressVPN users don’t even have to do anything differently to browse freely in China. If you choose VyprVPN, you’ll have to turn on the Chameleon protocol but this only takes a second. Just navigate to Customize > Protocol and select Chameleon 256-bit encryption from the list.

Since most VPN websites are blocked outright, it’s vital that you install the VPN software before arriving in China. Although VyprVPN operates a few mirror sites that are currently accessible in China, there’s no guarantee they’ll be available when you arrive. As such, they shouldn’t be relied upon.

See also: VPNs working in China

Setup and Interface

Both ExpressVPN and VyprVPN have clean, easy-to-use desktop apps. ExpressVPN makes it quick and easy to get started, with a link to your most-recently-used server and a large, one-click connection button on the main screen. We also liked how neat the menus were: both the settings and server list are broken up into categories, which means that despite all the choices available, you’ll never feel overwhelmed.

VyprVPN’s app is a little different. It has three tabs that let the user swap between the main page, a full server list, and a settings page. Users can sort servers by their country, region, or speed, and there’s a quick-connect button for faster access next time. All customizable settings are on one screen, but this isn’t a problem since there aren’t very many of them.

ExpressVPN’s mobile apps are almost identical to the desktop versions. However, the settings have been pared down significantly, with only split tunneling, network protection, protocol selection, and auto-connection options still available.

VyprVPN maintains a consistent service across its mobile and desktop apps. Better yet, mobile users can take advantage of every feature too. In fact, there’s even a split-tunneling feature (called “Connection per app”) in the Android version that isn’t available on Windows.

Servers and performance

ExpressVPN has an expansive network, with more than 3,000 servers spread across 94 countries. This is an impressive number of locations, even for a major provider. However, VyprVPN won’t be beaten without a fight; while it has fewer servers, it still manages to cover 64 countries. Neither provider reveals exactly how many are in each location, so it’s difficult to tell which would be more reliable during peak times.

There’s a massive difference between these two services in terms of speed. ExpressVPN averages about 106 Mbps, with slight variations based on things like your distance from the server, current load, and so on. VyprVPN’s average speed, on the other hand, is only around 35 Mbps. This is still fast enough for HD streaming, but you may notice problems if multiple people in your home want to watch at the same time.

Read on to see which countries ExpressVPN and VyprVPN have servers in:

Both of these VPNs use virtual servers to provide access to far-flung places like Brunei and the Marshall Islands without having to physically maintain a server there. This is also how VyprVPN manages to offer servers in places with strict internet censorship like Russia and Saudi Arabia. Since the servers aren’t really in these countries, they don’t have to follow their laws.

On the other hand, if you don’t know the true location of your server, it’s difficult to know what information might be recorded. ExpressVPN and VyprVPN both have a no-logging policy, though, so there’s really no risk. To its credit, ExpressVPN provides a list of its virtual servers, but VyprVPN doesn’t.

See also: Fastest VPNs

Security

Whichever of these services you choose, you’ll be able to use the OpenVPN and IKEv2 VPN protocols to connect. Additionally, ExpressVPN supports PPTP and L2TP connections while VyprVPN allows you to use its proprietary, security-focused Chameleon protocol. For most people, though, OpenVPN will be just fine.

VyprVPN uses 256-bit SHA encryption whereas ExpressVPN uses 256-bit AES. Although these are different algorithms, in practical terms, there’s no real difference and both are considered uncrackable. ExpressVPN does have a slight advantage in that it uses 4096-bit RSA keys. These are longer and more difficult to crack than VyprVPN’s 2048-bit keys.

Each service also offers a kill switch that immediately stops sending data when your connection to the VPN drops. Although, VyprVPN provides this functionality in its Android app and ExpressVPN doesn’t. It’s worth noting though, that Android has similar functionality built directly into the operating system.

Privacy

ExpressVPN and VyprVPN are based in the British Virgin Islands and Switzerland, respectively. These countries have some of the strongest privacy protections in the world, and as such, there’s no need to worry about governmental snooping. Of course, neither VPN keeps any personally identifiable information so your activities can’t be traced back to you regardless.

If you’d like, you can even sign up for ExpressVPN almost completely anonymously by providing a disposable email address during registration and paying in Bitcoin. Unfortunately, you can’t pay for VyprVPN with cryptocurrency.

Configuration

When it comes to assigning you an IP address, ExpressVPN and VyprVPN work a little differently. With ExpressVPN, every user connected to a specific server shares the same IP address. Conversely, everyone using VyprVPN has a different IP address. So why does this matter?

Customer service

Both services offer a wide range of support, with a searchable knowledgebase full general information and more in-depth walkthroughs. Additionally, ExpressVPN has a solid range of setup guides on its YouTube channel, whereas VyprVPN’s page is only used to host ads.

Usually, you can contact ExpressVPN support staff 24/7 over live chat. However, due to coronavirus-related staff shortages, the provider has suspended this service and now takes all inquiries via email. To test how easy it is to get help when live chat isn’t available, we sent three questions to each VPN over email. Below, you’ll find the full table of results:

ExpressVPN’s email response time remained in-line with the results from previous tests. This is surprising given that the VPN only recently switched to using email as its main avenue for support. VyprVPN maintained impressive response times too, apart from one instance where it took more than two days to respond.

While both services used pre-written responses for some of our questions, they each provided an in-depth, step-by-step guide to configuring a VPN for Raspberry Pi, which was a bit unexpected but certainly welcome. Overall, the level of support is quite high and users are always encouraged to reply if they need further assistance.

The winner: ExpressVPN

It’s clear that these are both extremely versatile services. Despite being a very low-cost provider, VyprVPN manages to offer exceptional unblocking ability, powerful security features, and access to a wide range of server locations. It even bypasses Chinese internet restrictions, which many more expensive services struggle to do.

Ultimately, though, ExpressVPN is the better choice for most people. It is much faster, has more than three times as many servers, unblocks a greater number of Netflix libraries, and is easier to install on your home router. Additionally, it allows you to sign up almost completely anonymously with Bitcoin. Whether you want to access your usual streaming services abroad, torrent securely, or even just keep your browsing habits private, ExpressVPN has you covered. Indeed ExpressVPN tops our overall best VPN.