ExpressVPN Vs. Proton VPN (2024 Comparison) (2024)

Table of Contents

Show more

ExpressVPN is known for its high-speed connections and strong emphasis on security and privacy. It operates thousands of servers across 105 countries, offering a wide range of geographic options for businesses looking to manage their digital presence globally. ExpressVPN stands out with its robust features for enhanced online security and privacy. It offers TrustedServer technology, a network lock kill switch and private DNS. With up to eight simultaneous connections, it’s user-friendly and backed by 24/7 live chat and email support.

Proton VPN, launched by the team behind the respected Proton Mail service, is built with a strong focus on security and privacy. Based in Switzerland, a country known for its strict privacy laws, Proton VPN benefits from strong legal protections. Proton VPN stands out with its commitment to a no-logs policy, ensuring that it does not track or record user activity. It has a network of 4,500-plus high-quality servers in 90-plus countries, optimized for high security and speed. Proton VPN is particularly noted for features such as Secure Core architecture and Tor over VPN, enhancing protection against network attacks.

To make it easier for you to evaluate which VPN is better for your needs, here is a head-on comparison between ExpressVPN and Proton VPN.

Security and Privacy

Both VPNs employ AES-256 encryption, which is the industry standard for secure data transmission. ExpressVPN and Proton VPN support multiple security protocols to cater to different needs, such as speed and enhanced security. However, Proton VPN’s Secure Core architecture provides an additional layer of security by routing traffic through multiple servers before leaving its network, making it highly resistant to network-based attacks.

Performance and Speed

ExpressVPN is renowned for its exceptional performance and speed due to its proprietary Lightway protocol, which is designed to be lightweight and fast, ensuring quick connections and minimal impact on download and upload speeds. The broad server network also helps maintain higher speeds as users can often connect to a server that is geographically closer to them and not congested.

Proton VPN also offers very competitive speeds, especially since the introduction of the WireGuard protocol, which is known for its high-speed capabilities and advanced ChaCha20 encryption cipher. WireGuard helps in reducing latency and increasing speed, making Proton VPN a strong contender in terms of performance.

Customer Support

Both services provide excellent customer support, but Proton VPN includes a more extensive knowledge base, potentially reducing the need for direct contact to resolve simpler issues.

Choosing the right VPN service for a business involves assessing features and performance and understanding how these align with budget constraints and value for money. Both ExpressVPN and Proton VPN offer a range of pricing plans that cater to different business sizes and needs, from individual use to larger enterprise solutions. Proton bundles its VPN with other offerings—Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive and Proton Pass in its Proton Unlimited plan.

ExpressVPN offers a simple pricing structure with three plans. Despite its relatively higher price point, ExpressVPN justifies the cost with comprehensive access to all its servers, consistent performance and proprietary security protocol. The annual plan offers significant savings, making it an attractive option for businesses looking to minimize long-term costs.

Proton VPN provides a more segmented offering with its free and tiered paid plans. The free plan is a good starting point for businesses testing the waters, though it’s limited in features and server access. The paid plans are more expensive but offer advanced features, including Secure Core and Tor over VPN, which are beneficial for businesses that prioritize maximum security and privacy.

For small to medium businesses that need dependable and fast VPN access with robust customer support, ExpressVPN’s annual plan may be the better choice, especially for those who can commit to a longer-term arrangement for better savings. On the other hand, Proton VPN’s tiered options allow businesses more flexibility to scale up or down based on their current needs and budget, with the Plus and Unlimited plans offering distinctive features that enhance security beyond standard VPN capabilities.

Before making a final choice you should explore reviews of the tools under consideration. Reviews offer insights into real user experiences, highlighting strengths and potential issues. Here’s how ExpressVPN and Proton VPN stack up according to user feedback on some of these platforms.

As you can see, ExpressVPN boasts high review scores. Users frequently praise its fast connection speeds and ease of use, highlighting the VPN’s reliability for streaming and general internet access. The effective unblocking of geo-restricted content and its ability to maintain fast internet speeds also makes it popular among users. However, some users feel that the cost is higher compared to other VPN services, though many feel the quality and reliability justify the premium price.

Proton VPN’s reputation on review platforms presents a mixed picture. Most users commend its robust security features and strict privacy policies. However, most users report issues with customer service and speed, especially on servers located far away.

In Forbes Advisor’s list of Best VPN Services of 2024, ExpressVPN was awarded best VPN for dependable streaming and Proton VPN was judged best for open-source privacy protection. Proton VPN is also the best free VPN for enhanced anonymity. To help you evaluate some more VPN software in addition to these two, here is a comparison of five more VPN services.

Most VPN services listed here offer the cheapest price when you choose their annual or two-year plan. They also offer a money-back guarantee of anywhere between seven and 30 days. This should be sufficient for you to test their features and evaluate suitability for your unique needs.

Both ExpressVPN and Proton VPN offer the most fundamental VPN features, such as strong encryption, a no-logs policy, a kill switch, a widespread network of servers, etc. However, each has its own nuances when you dive deeper and those have been discussed. Your choice should depend on what aspect of the VPN service is most critical to your business needs.

For instance, if you need a robust and speedy VPN for daily, intensive online activities such as video conferencing, large data transfers or managing a globally dispersed team, ExpressVPN would be more suitable. However, if you operate in the law, healthcare or financial services sector, where transparency and data security are more critical, Proton VPN could be your VPN of choice.

ExpressVPN is best for:

• Nontechnical users
• Businesses that need very high-speed internet access 24/7
• Organizations that need to reach wide geographic locations

Proton VPN is best for:

• Businesses that need maximum security and privacy
• Technical users who want control over advanced customizations