Express VPN vs VyprVPN 2024

Agnieszka Stec

Cybersecurity Researcher

ExpressVPN and VyprVPN are top-tier services with some similarities. However, there are crucial differences between these VPNs that most reviews fail to explain.

I understand that not everyone is a VPN expert. So, I've broken down the key distinctions without the technical jargon to help you choose the best one for your needs.

Both VPNs stood strong when I tested them for speed, security, privacy, and more. However, ExpressVPN came out ahead in my tests because of its superior speed, larger server network, and more advanced security features.

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Short on Time? Here Are My Key Findings

Streaming — ExpressVPN Works With More Platforms

ExpressVPN is not only faster but also more reliable for streaming. Our international testers confirmed that it works consistently with streaming platforms licensed for their respective regions, and it worked well for me in the UK. My US colleague found that VyprVPN sometimes has problems with Netflix US, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

While testing it in the UK, I had HD-friendly speeds with all UK servers I tested

While both could handle 4K/UHD streaming, ExpressVPN was more consistent. I noticed VyprVPN's speed fluctuated a lot more. During my tests from the UK, I experienced more buffering when watching Suits on Netflix UK with VyprVPN but not with ExpressVPN.

Not all VyprVPN UK servers work with Netflix UK, but I eventually found one that did

Unlike VyprVPN, ExpressVPN has a Smart DNS feature called MediaStreamer. It lets you set it up for streaming on devices that don’t normally support VPNs, like some smart TVs and gaming consoles. I easily set it up on my LG smart TV in the UK, and within 5 minutes, I was able to stream on the big screen with no issues.

MediaStreamer works for a handful of popular streaming services. You can always reach out to support to find out if it’s compatible with platforms in your location. I confirmed with a support rep that it works with Netflix, Max, Amazon Prime Video (in the US), and BBC iPlayer (in the UK), while it regularly adds new services to the list.

Winner

ExpressVPN is the winner because it reliably works with more platforms. While both can handle high-definition streaming, ExpressVPN offers more consistent performance. Additionally, its MediaStreamer feature allows for wider device compatibility.

Server Network — ExpressVPN Wins With a Bigger Server Network

ExpressVPN’s network is over four times larger than VyprVPN and covers more countries. This means there’s a much higher chance of finding a nearby server or one in the country you need. Connecting to servers in distant countries can reduce your speed, so having servers close to your location is important.

While VyprVPN offers servers in most European and Asian countries, its coverage in Africa and South America is quite limited.

Neither VPN offers specialty servers for P2P or streaming, for instance. However, they both claim that their entire server fleets are optimized for any activity.

Winner

Although VyprVPN offers a decent number of servers and locations, ExpressVPN has much better coverage worldwide.

Speed — ExpressVPN Is Consistently Faster

I conducted speed tests across several locations to determine which VPN is fastest on average. I’m located in the UK with an average pre-VPN speed of 108Mbps (download) and 14Mbps (upload).

The servers I tested are in the US, the UK, and Japan. I used ExpressVPN’s own Lightway protocol and tested VyprVPN with WireGuard.

I experienced only a 7% speed drop on UK servers using ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol

Overall ExpressVPN outperformed VyprVPN, offering consistently fast speeds on long-distance servers. While both VPNs delivered excellent results on nearby UK servers, VyprVPN’s results while connected to the LA server were not great.

With VyprVPN, I experienced a 94% speed drop on a US server

Winner

Both VPNs are very fast while connected to nearby servers, but ExpressVPN is more reliable on faraway servers. Its download speed never dropped below 60Mbps — for streaming in UHD, you need at least 25Mbps, which VyprVPN failed to deliver in some locations.

Torrenting — ExpressVPN Wins With Port Forwarding

Both VPNs are good for torrenting, but ExpressVPN is slightly better. While testing its torrenting capabilities on nearby servers in the UK, download speeds were nearly indistinguishable. I downloaded 1GB file in 1 min 17 sec with VyprVPN and 1 min 19 sec with ExpressVPN.

In terms of privacy, ExpressVPN and VyprVPN are comparable. They both have IP and DNS leak protection to prevent the risk of hacking or DDoS attacks. Both VPNs passed my leak tests. They both also adhere to strict no-logs policies, which have been independently audited and proven. They both also offer RAM-only servers that wipe your data upon each reboot.

ExpressVPN allows port forwarding via router setup, which can provide faster speeds. By allowing peers to connect directly, it creates a larger number of nodes to connect to. VyprVPN doesn’t allow this — you can open all the ports by disabling the NAT Firewall, but it may leave you vulnerable.

Winner

Both VPNs offer top privacy features that ensure safe torrenting, and both have proven records of no-logs policy and no leaks. However, since ExpressVPN offers port forwarding and has better speeds overall, it wins in this category.

Gaming — Both VPNs Are Great For Lag-Free Gaming

It’s a tie here. For gaming, you want a ping lower than 100 ms. Both VPNs had low ping on servers close by, but high results on distant locations. This is pretty normal since the servers are physically further away.

I was able to play Rocket League without lag on local servers, but my game stuttered when I tried international ones. Since most services struggle to deliver low pings on distant connections, I wasn’t surprised. For this reason, it’s usually best to use servers close to your location.

When using domestic servers, I had no problem gaming lag-free with either VPN

While ExpressVPN gave slightly lower ping on almost all connections, there was a more significant difference when connected to each VPN’s LA servers. VyprVPN had the lower ping. Otherwise, these two VPNs are evenly matched.

Winner - draw

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ExpressVPN and VyprVPN are both great for gaming, with low latency on nearby servers. However, you might face some delays with international locations for both.

Security — ExpressVPN Provides More Features

Both VPNs are secure, but ExpressVPN wins this category with its ad blocker, Threat Manager feature, automatic obfuscation, and protection against WebRTC. VyprVPN still has great security features, but it just doesn’t match up.

Both VPNs provide reputable protocols, but they each have a proprietary one, too. However, these protocols differ in terms of the capabilities they were designed for.

VyprVPN’s Chameleon protocol uses obfuscation to overcome tough firewalls. This disguises your VPN connection as regular internet traffic to get around VPN blocks that you may encounter on public WiFi networks (like at school or work). So, for privacy, choose Chameleon — but for speeds, switch to WireGuard.

On the other hand, ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol is speed-optimized. It uses a simpler codebase which helps prevent slowdowns and preserve battery life, so it’s also a great option for mobile devices. However, if you’re facing network blocks, it’s best to select Automatic for the protocol. This way, ExpressVPN kicks in obfuscation to help overcome the block.

Both VPNs offer split tunneling features to help you avoid encrypting unnecessary traffic. You can choose which apps or websites use the VPN connection and which stay on your local network.

I like the clean look of VyprVPN’s feature, and it’s super easy to set up

One thing that VyprVPN has that ExpressVPN lacks is its Master Firewall. It’s essentially a NAT firewall that blocks unrequested inbound traffic. This prevents hackers and botnets from exploiting security flaws in your system that could otherwise leave you open to identity theft and spam. It’s on by default, so no additional configuration is required.

ExpressVPN’s Threat Manager blocks malicious sites and trackers, and it also has an ad blocker. After enabling it, I could see far fewer targeted ads. I searched for new shoes on Google, but to my relief, I wasn’t bombarded with shoe adverts on my social media afterward.

Enabling Threat Manager and ad blocker took me only a couple of seconds

ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer feature ensures its servers are always up-to-date. It checks for threats and vulnerabilities weekly, as well as ensuring the servers are running the latest firmware. Plus, the whole network is RAM-only, unlike VyprVPN’s servers.

Winner

While VyprVPN is definitely a secure VPN with some advanced features, ExpressVPN’s Threat Manager, automatic obfuscation, and TrustedServer features make it a winner.

Privacy — ExpressVPN Wins By a Narrow Margin

Both VPNs have had their security and privacy features verified by third parties, but ExpressVPN has undergone far more audits than VyprVPN has. This is due, in part, to the fact that it had performed feature-specific audits, whereas VyprVPN has had one company audit multiple parts of its service with the goal of looking for logs and leaks.

Still, ExpressVPN’s audits are more thorough overall, with the main advantage being that multiple parties performed its audits.

Uniquely, ExpressVPN is one of the few VPNs that disables WebRTC via its browser extension to protect you from leaks. WebRTC leaks can expose your real IP to the site you’re on, even when you’re connected to a VPN server, so this is an important privacy step.

The country your VPN is based in is important, too. After all, it must abide by the data-sharing laws of its home base. However, since both ExpressVPN and VyprVPN have verified no-logs policies, there isn’t much risk here. ExpressVPN is based in the privacy-friendly British Virgin Islands, but the situation is a bit more complex for VyprVPN.

According to its site, VyprVPN is based in Switzerland due to its strong privacy laws, and all of its customer data is stored on servers there. However, it operates an office in Texas, where most of its employees work from. The US doesn’t have favorable data retention laws, but I’m not too worried about this since all sensitive information is hosted in Switzerland.

Unlike VyprVPN, ExpressVPN allows you to pay with Bitcoin, providing an added layer of financial privacy when subscribing to its service.

Winner

ExpressVPN wins thanks to its location in the privacy-friendly British Virgin Islands, cryptocurrency payment options, and more thorough audits.

Works in China — Both Work, but ExpressVPN Wins With Its Mirror Site

At the time of writing, both VPNs are known to work in China. They use obfuscation to make your VPN traffic look like regular traffic. With ExpressVPN, you need to enable Automatic for the protocol, while VyprVPN can only work in China with its Chameleon protocol enabled.

Unlike most VPNs, ExpressVPN provides methods for signing up from within China. The country blocks most VPN sites, so you’d need to already have the app installed before arriving there. However, ExpressVPN’s support can provide a mirror URL to anyone outside of China. This can be shared with someone who is already in the country and needs a way to sign up.

It’s worth keeping an eye on this, though. China’s firewall is regularly updated, so even top services can struggle to work.

Another advantage is that ExpressVPN and VyprVPN both have Hong Kong servers. This way, users in China have a nearby connection option to reduce speed loss from using servers far away.

Winner

ExpressVPN and VyprVPN are two of the few services that are known to work reliably in China. However, ExpressVPN has a slight advantage with its automatic obfuscation and because it offers mirror links for signing up within the country.

Installation & Ease of Use — ExpressVPN Wins Thanks To Better Router Support

Both VPNs are fast to install and are good for beginners. They each have very simple apps that are similar on all devices, so there’s very little learning curve involved. Each VPN offers apps for the most commonly used devices, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and more. They can also be configured for use with Linux.

Both VPNs have a setting that will choose the fastest server for you — this option is called Smart Location for ExpressVPN, and VyprVPN simply calls it Fastest Server.

It’s easy to navigate ExpressVPN’s server display with clear labeling

Although the apps look different, they have similar settings. You’ll find them under Customize in the VyprVPN app or Options for ExpressVPN.

Both VPNs are highly customizable

The main difference here is whether you want to install the VPN on your router or not. ExpressVPN has an app for routers, but VyprVPN requires manual setup. I had ExpressVPN up and running on my router within 10 minutes, but VyprVPN’s instructions were quite difficult, and it took me over 30 minutes to get the VPN working on my router.

Winner

Your personal preference for specific features will likely determine which service you find more user-friendly. For me, ExpressVPN wins with easier router setup.

Reliability & Support — Both Services Offer Excellent Customer Support

There’s not much difference here. Both have great customer support teams, with live chat being the most efficient way to get in touch. I usually had a reply within a few minutes. Both websites are also easy to navigate.

Winner - draw

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Both ExpressVPN and VyprVPN have good, responsive, and knowledgeable support via different channels.

Tips on Choosing Between ExpressVPN and VyprVPN

• Smooth streaming — VPNs can help you stream your country’s licensed content without handing your data over to advertisers. Overall, ExpressVPN works with more services than VyprVPN, but I recommend asking their customer support teams about the specific sites in your location.
• Fast speeds — You’ll need a speedy connection to stream, browse, game, download, and more without lag. Both VPNs offer great speeds, but ExpressVPN is more consistent overall.
• Server networks — The more servers available, the less congested each one will be. ExpressVPN covers 105 countries, while VyprVPN has coverage in 70 countries. A wider server distribution is advantageous for easily finding a fast, nearby connection.
• Robust security features — The main benefit of a VPN is data security, so you’ll need one that offers military-grade features. Both VPNs have you covered with the essentials, but go for ExpressVPN if you want more advanced features, like malware protection.
• Respectable privacy practices — You need to be sure that your chosen VPN isn’t selling your data on the side. Both are audited, no-logs VPNs. However, ExpressVPN allows Bitcoin payments for added privacy and has undergone more thorough audits.
• Easy to use — A VPN should have intuitive apps that make securing your connection easy. Overall, the two VPNs offer wide compatibility and are easy to set up and use, but ExpressVPN is better for routers because of its native app.
• Trustworthy money-back guarantee — This will let you test the VPN, knowing you can get a refund if you’re not satisfied. Both offer trustworthy 30-day money-back guarantees.

ExpressVPN vs. VyprVPN — Reddit Opinions

ExpressVPN and VyprVPN are typically compared by Redditors for China, and users agree that the former is more reliable within the country. While these threads are over 5 years old, this matches our knowledge that ExpressVPN tends to work more consistently.

For the most part, Reddit recommends ExpressVPN for its reliability. On the other hand, VyprVPN isn’t as favored, as users faced issues with their details being shared with third parties. Since then, VyprVPN has been bought by a different company, which introduced a no-logs policy that’s been independently verified.