ExpressVPN vs Smart DNS Proxy 2024

Doris Muthuri

Former Senior Writer

ExpressVPN and Smart DNS Proxy are pretty different in terms of features and capabilities. One is well-known in this industry for its extensive features and strong performance. The other is not as popular and claims to offer a combination of proxy, VPN, and SmartVPN services. Although they share some features, they’re not operating at the same level of service.

The team and I tested and compared the features and performance of each VPN for streaming, gaming, and torrenting. ExpressVPN completely exceeded our expectations with more robust security features, better customer support, and faster speeds. Smart DNS Proxy could barely keep up with this industry giant. I've clearly outlined the results so you can easily compare them.

My top recommendation is ExpressVPN. It's fast, dependable, and offers a large selection of servers globally. Plus, it prioritizes your privacy and security more than Smart DNS Proxy. You can even try it out risk-free for 30 days, as it’s backed by a trustworthy money-back guarantee.

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Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

Streaming — ExpressVPN Has Faster Speeds For Watching in UHD

Both VPNs can securely access the most popular streaming services from anywhere. However, ExpressVPN’s excellent speeds allowed my team and me to stream in HD without buffering. While Smart DNS Proxy worked fine for streaming, we sometimes struggled with low-quality videos due to its slow speeds.

Smart DNS services are popular for streaming because they can access streaming services from abroad without slowing down your stream too much. These also work on devices that don’t normally support VPNs, like older smart TVs.

However, smart DNS services don’t encrypt your data, which is why they’re faster. That’s why I recommend using one in combination with a VPN, as it gives you all of the streaming benefits without risking your data.

ExpressVPN's smart DNS, known as MediaStreamer, makes it possible to access UK and US streaming services in UHD. Our UK colleagues tested it with ITVX and BBC iPlayer on their smart TVs and could watch without buffering. Accessing services on the big screen is just as easy as streaming on smartphones, tablets, or computers with ExpressVPN.

They had no issues watching live TV securely, either

In comparison, Smart DNS Proxy’s SmartVPN servers have a built-in smart DNS service. There’s no extra setup required, which makes accessing a variety of platforms a little more beginner-friendly.

My colleague reported that buffering got worse during peak times

Our US tester used Smart DNS Proxy with popular streaming services, and it worked with most of them. They tried it with Peacock and could stream in HD with the SmartVPN. However, when they tried it with platforms like Hulu and Amazon Prime Video, their video quality was always low. No matter which platform they tried, they had consistent buffering issues.

Winner

While both VPNs can access a range of platforms, ExpressVPN wins here because you can access a variety of libraries in the best possible quality from anywhere with no buffering,

Server Network — ExpressVPN Has More Servers in More Countries

ExpressVPN boasts a vast network with servers in many countries, all optimized for activities like streaming and gaming. Plus, each server works with its automatic obfuscation feature, which helps bypass stringent network blocks in places like schools and offices.

On the other hand, Smart DNS Proxy has a smaller server network, which can cause overcrowding and slow connections. This limited network may also mean you're less likely to find a server close to your location, potentially resulting in slower VPN speeds.

Winner

ExpressVPN has a far larger worldwide server network, which helps to reduce server overcrowding.

Speed — ExpressVPN Offers Excellent Speeds Over All Distances

Our UK speed tester tested each VPN using their fastest protocols — Lightway for ExpressVPN and OpenVPN TCP for Smart DNS Proxy. They started with a baseline internet speed of around 249.85 Mbps.

ExpressVPN’s Lightway is a propriety protocol that was designed to be as lightweight as possible, which means it offers great security without sacrificing your speeds. On the other hand, OpenVPN is a popular and secure open-source protocol. Still, in my experience, it’s not often it can outperform other industry protocols like WireGuard, let alone proprietary ones.

Our tester noticed no difference in load times on servers near them

In speed comparisons between ExpressVPN and Smart DNS Proxy, ExpressVPN clearly performed better. It delivered faster speeds on both nearby and distant servers.

Smart DNS Proxy is significantly slower, particularly on servers that are more than 5,000 miles away. This is made even worse by its limited server network, which can make it challenging to find a nearby server. For instance, the closest server to my location in Nairobi was South Africa.

If you have a slow baseline connection, you'll probably struggle with Smart DNS Proxy

Here’s a snapshot of the speeds recorded by our UK-based speed tester:

Winner

Thanks to its proprietary protocol, Lightway, ExpressVPN consistently gave us faster speeds on all servers. Smart DNS Proxy was slow on most servers.

Gaming — ExpressVPN Offers A Lower Ping

Ping measures how quickly your commands register on-screen, making it a key statistic for gaming. A ping under 100 ms is ideal for smooth gameplay, though lower is better. As with the speed section, our ping rates were measured by our UK speed tester with a baseline ping of 28 ms.

ExpressVPN gave us a lower ping on most servers that we tested.

I used ExpressVPN to play Roblox and Valorant and experienced no lag while gaming with friends.

I played for hours and never experienced delays

Smart DNS Proxy's latency was almost always higher than when connected to ExpressVPN. When I tested a server in South Africa, closest to my location in Nairobi, my character frequently froze, making the gaming experience unenjoyable — my ping was 134 ms.

However, when my colleagues in London tested it, they had a decent experience playing Apex Legends on Proxy Smart DNS’s London server. Most VPNs will slow you down on long-distance servers. So, I recommend using a VPN with nearby servers for uninterrupted gameplay.

Winner

ExpressVPN offers lower ping across the board, even on mid-distance connections.

Torrenting — ExpressVPN Is Faster and More Secure For Torrenting

ExpressVPN works great for torrenting, and all of its servers are P2P friendly. It offers fast speeds and robust security and privacy features to protect you while using P2P networks. It maintains a strict no-log policy that has been independently audited, and its RAM-only servers ensure your online activities aren't stored or shared.

Smart DNS Proxy supports torrenting on all its servers, and four of these servers are optimized for torrenting. However, these servers, including the torrent-optimized ones, generally perform slower than ExpressVPN's.

I tested both VPNs from Nairobi and connected to the nearest server — a 5 GB copyright-free file took only 17 minutes to download with ExpressVPN, whereas it took 41 minutes with Smart DNS Proxy.

While it lacks advanced security features such as split tunneling and RAM-only servers, Smart DNS Proxy does provide essential security features to protect your data during torrenting. However, it's important to note that the VPN only offers a kill switch for Android and Windows. A kill switch is crucial for all devices to prevent data exposure on P2P servers.

Winner

ExpressVPN has excellent speeds and impressive protection, while Smart DNS Proxy VPN has only basic security features and struggles with downloads.

Security — ExpressVPN Has Excellent Security Features

ExpressVPN has more advanced security features than Smart DNS Proxy VPN.

I especially like ExpressVPN’s proprietary protocol, Lightway, which is designed for faster speeds without compromising on security. Lightway is also open-source, which means that anyone can examine its code for vulnerabilities.

The Automatic option selects the best protocol for you based on your network

ExpressVPN uses its own private DNS servers across all its locations. This setup keeps your DNS queries within ExpressVPN's secure network, shielding them from external parties. Plus, it improves query speeds and prevents malicious attacks like DNS hijacking.

Overall, Smart DNS Proxy is significantly less secure and lacks several features offered by ExpressVPN. It doesn’t offer obfuscation, RAM-only servers, or split tunneling. It did, however, consistently pass IP and DNS leak tests. But I feel that this is a bare minimum feature for any VPN.

The VPN kept my real location and identity hidden

Winner

ExpressVPN provides advanced security features, including RAM-only servers, a kill switch, and private DNS servers. However, Smart DNS Proxy only provides the bare minimum.

Privacy — ExpressVPN’s Privacy Policy Is More Reliable

The general privacy policy on the Smart DNS Proxy website states that it does collect some identifiable data. I contacted support to ask whether the VPN has a different privacy policy but received no response. So this is pretty concerning. What's more, I couldn’t find any information about the privacy policy being audited.

In comparison, ExpressVPN has a strict no-logs policy that is clearly documented in its privacy policy. It has also been audited and verified by different independent security firms, including Cure53, KPMG, and PwC.

It only stores your email and billing information

Both VPNs are located outside the jurisdiction of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance. This means that they are under no obligation to share data with any government bodies.

Winner

ExpressVPN has a clear privacy policy that has been verified by multiple independent parties.

Works in China — ExpressVPN Is More Reliable in China

The Great Firewall of China is frequently updated, making it difficult for even the best VPNs to work reliably in the country. Smart DNS Proxy is among those that cannot guarantee to work in China. When I contacted customer support, the agent said that it does work within the country, but it depends on your ISP.

On the other hand, ExpressVPN is known to work reliably in China. While it's not guaranteed to work all the time, it functions more consistently than many other VPNs. It also has servers in Macau and Hong Kong, which are not subject to the mainland's VPN data regulations.

In China, VPN websites are typically blocked, making it difficult to download apps once inside the country. I like that ExpressVPN provides alternative download options through mirror URLs, which its support team can give you via email.

Winner

While it may not work all the time, ExpressVPN is the best-known reliable option for China.

Installation & Ease of Use — ExpressVPN Is More Intuitive

ExpressVPN is pretty easy to install and use. It took me about 3 minutes to install it and connect to a server in Kenya. I especially like its Smart Location feature, which suggests the best server for you based on distance, speed, and latency. Whenever I used this option, the decrease in speed was barely noticeable.

Besides Smart Location, ExpressVPN also shows Recent and Recommended locations

I had some issues while installing Smart DNS Proxy VPN. Subscribing to the free trial was straightforward, but after downloading the Windows app, it wouldn't work at all. Despite entering the correct login details, I kept receiving an error message.

I contacted support, and although the agent tried to help with the issue, I still wasn’t able to solve it. Interestingly, when my colleague signed up for a free trial with their details, they had no issues installing and launching the app.

I tried changing the password but it still didn't work

Smart DNS Proxy VPN has native apps for Windows, Android, macOS, and iOS. You can also manually set it up on Ubuntu, ChromeOS, Android TV, routers, and Roku.

ExpressVPN supports these devices and several more, including Linux and Firestick, and has various browser extensions. It also sells pre-configured VPN routers (Aircove and Aircove Go), which is handy if you don’t want to dive into your device’s settings.

Winner

ExpressVPN is intuitive and easy to install and use, and it supports a ton of different devices and operating systems.

Reliability & Support — ExpressVPN’s Support Is More Responsive

Both VPNs are fairly matched here, offering the same support channels. However, the way these channels are implemented is what sets them apart. While both offer 24/7 live chat support, ExpressVPN's support is efficient and friendly, with agents who respond quickly.

In contrast, Smart DNS Proxy uses an AI chatbot for its live chat, which often provides unhelpful generic responses. When requesting to speak with a human agent, the bot instructs users to send an email instead. I received an email response nearly 48 hours later. Some of my emails also didn’t get a response.

Winner

ExpressVPN’s chat support is more responsive, and you can talk to a real human straight away

Tips on Choosing Between ExpressVPN vs Smart DNS Proxy

Here are the features I checked when comparing ExpressVPN and Smart DNS Proxy VPN, including tips on how to test them yourself:

• Smooth streaming. My global team and I tested the VPN services to see if we could stream in the best available quality without interruptions.
• Fast speeds. This is essential for high-bandwidth activities such as streaming, gaming, and downloading. I tested both VPNs to evaluate their performance over both short and long distances.
• Large server network. I assessed their server networks because having more servers typically means it's easier to find one nearby, which can lead to faster speeds. Plus, a larger network helps reduce overcrowding.
• Robust security features. I reviewed each VPN's security features, focusing on encryption standards, security protocols, and leak protection to guarantee your data's safety.
• Respectable privacy practices. I checked whether the VPNs keep logs and have undergone an independent audit. It's preferable if they are based in a privacy-friendly location, not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance.
• Easy to use. An easy-to-use app ensures a smooth experience. I assessed the user interface, setup, and navigation of both apps and found them to be user-friendly.
• Reliable money-back guarantee. A reliable money-back guarantee shows confidence in the service. I reviewed and tested the refund process for both, confirming that they honor their guarantees.

ExpressVPN vs Smart DNS Proxy — Reddit Opinions

ExpressVPN has many long-term fans. Many users support it for its reliability and performance, often calling it the best VPN available. Fans also appreciate ExpressVPN's extensive server network and its effectiveness in circumventing strict firewalls.

On the other hand, some Redditors feel that Smart DNS Proxy is too pricey. It has bare-bones privacy features and doesn’t even work with all streaming services. Some users say that they get a ton of buffering while streaming with Smart DNS Proxy, which is what my team and I found while testing.