ExpressVPN vs TorGuard 2024

Doris Muthuri

Former Senior Writer

Both TorGuard and ExpressVPN are well-regarded VPNs with overall solid performance. TorGuard is primarily focused on security for torrenting, whereas ExpressVPN is known for its exceptional speeds and solid security, suitable for various online activities. But do these VPNs meet user expectations?

I tested and compared the features and performance of both VPNs side by side. ExpressVPN not only met but surpassed my expectations, offering robust functionality and excellent reliability. On the other hand, TorGuard was disappointing. It's costly, less effective for streaming, compatible with fewer devices, and overall slower.

My top recommendation is ExpressVPN. It’s fast and secure, and you can use it with most of your favorite devices. Plus, it offers responsive and knowledgeable 24/7 customer support, so you will never be stuck. ExpressVPN also comes with a trustworthy 30-day money-back guarantee, meaning you can try It without risk.

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Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

Streaming — ExpressVPN Works With More Platforms

The team and I tested both VPNs with various streaming platforms. ExpressVPN performed well with both international and regional streaming services. On the other hand, TorGuard struggled with most streaming services.

Our US colleague tested both VPNs on a variety of US platforms and found ExpressVPN to be superior. They had an easy time streaming Beautiful Wedding on Disney+ in HD without buffering. Our team members in the UK, Ireland, and Canada also experienced consistent, high-quality streaming on their local platforms with ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN also had no problems accessing Hulu, Prime Video, and more

On the other hand, my team and I couldn’t get TorGuard to work with most streaming services. When my colleagues in the US tried it, they couldn’t securely access Hulu, Max, and more. They could only watch Prime Video and ESPN, but they struggled with significant buffering while streaming. Similarly, our UK teammates couldn’t watch BBC iPlayer or Sky.

It always took more than 30 seconds for videos to load

Plus, ExpressVPN’s MediaStreamer (Smart DNS) allows streaming on devices that don't typically support VPNs, like smart TVs, PlayStation, Xbox, and more. It works with several platforms like Netflix US and UK, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and others. TorGuard also offers a Smart DNS feature, but you will need to buy it as a separate service.

I also like that ExpressVPN now offers an app specifically for Apple TV, which makes it easier to watch seasonal games on the big screen securely.

Winner

ExpressVPN can safely access almost all streaming services and is excellent for streaming in HD without buffering. TorGuard VPN only worked with a few streaming services.

Server Network — ExpressVPN Has Servers In More Countries

ExpressVPN has better global coverage, with 3,000 servers in 105 covering Europe, North America, South America, mainland Asia, and Africa. Plus, you can choose city-level servers with ExpressVPN in most locations; you can’t do the same with TorGuard.

TorGuard has a decent network with 3,000 servers across 50 countries, primarily in Europe and North America, and only one server location in Africa. Most servers are at the city level. However, unlike ExpressVPN, TorGuard does not own most of its servers, which could raise privacy concerns.

Winner

ExpressVPN's servers are distributed worldwide in 105 countries, so you won't have a problem finding one to access the content you need. TorGuard has a fair number of servers but in fewer countries.

Speed — ExpressVPN Is Significantly Faster than TorGuard

Our UK-based speed tester routinely evaluates VPNs using various server locations to check their performance over time on both local and long-distance connections. They tested each VPN with its fastest protocol — Lightway for ExpressVPN and OpenConnect for TorGuard Anonymous VPN — with a baseline speed of 254.31 Mbps.

ExpressVPN’s Lightway proprietary protocol is what gives it the edge. Our tests consistently show that it’s the fastest VPN protocol available.

For this comparison, ExpressVPN consistently outperformed TorGuard in speed across most servers. Speeds on nearby UK servers dropped by only 1%, and connections to the US showed just a 12% decrease.

With a speed drop this minor on local servers, you won't notice any difference

TorGuard was significantly slower on nearby UK servers, with a 28% speed drop. Distant servers were even slower. For example, when our UK tester tried the server in Japan, they had a 78% speed drop.

I wouldn't recommend TorGuard if you have a slow baseline connection

Here’s a brief overview of our speed test results:

Winner

ExpressVPN's unique Lightway protocol makes it the fastest VPN I've used, with barely noticeable speed drops on most servers.

Gaming — ExpressVPN Is Excellent for Gaming Without Lag

For gaming, you need a low ping, ideally under 100ms. As with our speed section, our UK-based speed tester conducted tests and compiled average results, starting with a base ping of 28 ms.

I tested several fast-paced games with ExpressVPN and experienced no lag. I had a similar experience with TorGuard as my ping was only slightly higher.

My games loaded instantly on nearby servers

While both VPNs offered extremely high ping rates on long-distance servers, like Hong Kong, this is pretty common with most of these services. However, I’m handing ExpressVPN the win because its ping was considerably lower on long-distance connections. Plus, my games loaded on these servers (even if they were unplayable) — my connection often timed out with TorGuard.

Winner

ExpressVPN wins for gaming — it had a lower ping on most servers.

Torrenting — ExpressVPN Supports Torrenting On All Its Servers

ExpressVPN supports torrenting on all its servers. Unfortunately, TorGuard doesn’t support torrenting on its US servers. So, if you’re in the US, you’ll have to use slower mid- to long-distance connections for P2P traffic.

That said, both VPNs ensure your torrenting activities remain private by using strong encryption and a kill switch. The kill switch stops your internet connection if you unexpectedly disconnect from the VPN. They also both protect against IP and DNS leaks, preventing others from seeing your real IP address and stopping your ISP from slowing down your torrenting speed.

TorGuard has released its own torrent client that works seamlessly with its VPN service. This client focuses on improving your privacy and security on peer-to-peer networks. While this is nice to have, I didn’t have any issues using other clients like Bittorrent or Vuze with the VPN, so I never had to use it.

It’s important to note that we only recommend downloading files in the public domain. While torrenting is legal in most countries, downloading copyrighted files isn’t, and we don’t condone copyright violations in any form.

Winner

ExpressVPN allows torrenting on all its servers, while TorGuard US servers aren’t P2P-friendly.

Security — ExpressVPN Comes Out on Top With More Advanced Features

Both VPNs have robust security features to keep you safe online. They both offer essential features such as military-grade encryption, IP/DNS leak protection, and powerful kill switches to ensure your data always remains secure.

However, ExpressVPN stands out in a few areas. For instance, it offers a proprietary protocol, Lightway, that is designed to be lightweight to provide excellent speeds without compromising on security. Plus, the protocol has been independently audited twice, most recently in 2022 by Cure53. It found a few low-severity issues but confirmed on a re-test that these were fixed in early 2023.

If you don't have a preference, or aren't too sure which to pick, the Automatic setting works perfectly

On the other hand, TorGuard allows you to switch only between OpenVPN, OpenConnect, and WireGuard. WireGuard is fast, but it has several known security flaws. It also supports other protocols like IKEv2 and IPSec, but you will have to set them up manually.

OpenVPN allows you to choose your tunnel

In addition, ExpressVPN’s entire server fleet is RAM-only, which means that your data is never stored on a hard disk, and it’s wiped on server reboot. So, if a server was compromised, the amount of data available would be minimal. It was hard to confirm if TorGuard's servers are also RAM-based since this information wasn't available on its website. However, I asked customer support, and they confirmed it.

The only area where TorGuard stood out here was its kill switch, which you activate either in the App Kill or Network tab. That’s because there are technically two kill switches — the first shuts down applications if the VPN loses connection, and the second disconnects your internet. Unfortunately, both have to be configured manually, and it’s a bit confusing that these are two separate settings.

ExpressVPN’s kill switch, Network Lock, is pre-configured to simply block your internet if you lose your VPN connection. You don’t need to manually add any applications or network hardware in your app settings; it just works straight out the box.

Winner

ExpressVPN wins here for its fleet of RAM-only servers, proprietary Lightway protocol, and a pre-configured kill switch.

Privacy — ExpressVPN’s Privacy Policy Is Third-Party Verified

ExpressVPN maintains a strict no-logs policy, asserting that it does not keep any personal data. This claim is also supported by multiple independent audits, which enhances its credibility. Plus, other features, including the Lightway protocol and its mobile apps, have also been audited and verified over the years.

It feels refreshing to use a service that collects the bare minimum data it needs

ExpressVPN also quickly addresses privacy issues. In February 2024, when a bug causing DNS leaks with its split tunneling feature was discovered, the feature was immediately disabled. By April, a patch had been released to fix the leak. They also published a white paper on the problem for the cybersecurity community and arranged an audit to confirm the fix.

I also like that it’s based in the British Virgin Islands, which has less strict data retention laws and is not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance.

TorGuard VPN also has a no-logs policy that claims not to collect any identifiable data.

All the data collected is anonymized

However, TorGuard's privacy policy and its apps have yet to be independently audited. Plus, it’s based in the US, which is part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliances — a group of countries that share intelligence and surveillance data. This means that TorGuard is legally required to hand over user information to government agencies if requested.

Winner

ExpressVPN's privacy policy is confirmed by independent audits and benefits from being based in the privacy-friendly British Virgin Islands.

Works in China — ExpressVPN Is More Reliable for China

Even the best VPNs sometimes fail in China due to the constantly evolving technology landscape. However, ExpressVPN is known to work in the country. While customer support can't guarantee perfect performance, ExpressVPN does work more constantly than other VPNs on the market.

It also offers an alternative website for users in China, where the main site is often blocked. However, I recommend installing ExpressVPN before traveling to China to ensure secure internet access.

On the other hand, TorGuard customer support told me that they can’t guarantee its reliability in China, but it does have many customers within the country.

Winner

ExpressVPN is more likely to work in China and offers a mirror site, so you can download it while in the country.

Installation & Ease of Use — ExpressVPN Is More Intuitive

Both VPNs are straightforward to set up and use, but ExpressVPN's apps are cleaner and more intuitive. Features have a simple on-off toggle, and the app is pre-configured, so you don’t even have to dive into the settings menu.

The menus also offer a brief explanation of what each feature does

In comparison, TorGuard's interface is somewhat clunky and has advanced features that are harder to locate. For instance, it took me a minute to figure out how to use its ad blocker correctly.

To turn on the ad blocker, you need to go into DNS settings, which isn't very clear

Both VPNs are compatible with common devices like Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. They also both support Linux, but ExpressVPN offers a full GUI (graphical user interface) app, while you have to use TorGuard via the command line. Similarly, while both are router-compatible, ExpressVPN offers a beginner-friendly native app — you have to manually install TorGuard to your router’s firmware.

Winner

ExpressVPN’s apps are intuitive and beginner-friendly, and it’s easy to find the settings you need. However, TorGuard’s settings are hidden in some odd places.

Reliability & Support — ExpressVPN Has a Highly-Responsive 24/7 Chat Support

Both VPNs are fairly matched on paper — they both offer live chat, a knowledge base, and an FAQ, plus support via email. I also like that TorGuard has active user forums.

ExpressVPN's live chat support is excellent—responses are nearly instant, and the agents are knowledgeable and friendly. Unfortunately, I couldn’t say the same for TorGuard’s live chat. While it claims to have 24/7 live chat, it’s actually only available for a few hours a day, and it was never available while I was testing.

With TorGuard, you’ll typically be directed to its email or support ticket channel. I found both were fairly prompt, but given that most VPNs offer 24/7 live chat these days, it was a little frustrating to wait for an answer that other services would’ve solved in minutes.

Winner

ExpressVPN’s 24/7 live chat agents are super knowledgeable. TorGuard’s support isn’t bad, but it was frustrating that the advertised 24/7 live chat wasn’t actually available.

Tips on Choosing Between ExpressVPN vs TorGuard

Here are the key factors I used to determine which VPN is better:

• Smooth streaming. My global team and I tested the VPN services on local platforms to check if we could stream in high quality without any interruptions.
• Fast speeds. No matter what you need a VPN for — streaming, browsing, or torrenting — it must be fast enough to prevent lag and interruptions. Our dedicated speed tester tried a variety of servers from each VPN to determine which provided the best experience.
• Extensive server network. I reviewed the server networks of each VPN to confirm that each offers a large network. Having more servers improves your chances of finding a fast server and avoids slowdowns caused by overcrowding.
• Robust security features. I examined the security features of each VPN, including encryption standards, security protocols, and leak protection, to ensure your data always stays safe online.
• Respectable privacy practices. I checked the privacy policies of each VPN to ensure they follow a strict no-logs policy, ideally confirmed by an independent audit. It's also better if the VPN is located in a country that is not part of the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance.
• User-friendly. I confirmed that the VPNs provide easy-to-use apps for all major platforms and devices.
• Reliable money-back guarantee. A solid money-back guarantee reflects confidence in the service. I have reviewed and tested the refund process for both, verifying that they stand by their guarantees.

ExpressVPN vs TorGuard — Reddit Opinions

ExpressVPN is highly regarded for its reliability and performance, with many long-time users considering it the best VPN available. I found a few Redditors from more restrictive countries, like Russia, praising its service. ExpressVPN’s users value its large network of servers and its ability to bypass strict firewalls effectively.

The long-term customers also understand that the same technology might not work for everyone

Unlike ExpressVPN, there aren’t many positive things to read on Reddit about TorGuard. There are several threads with users claiming that it might leak your data. This is understandable given the lack of third-party audits on its service.