ExpressVPN is my top choice for anyone who needs a VPN while traveling. It’s a well-established provider that offers city-level access to servers across the US Plus, some of its plans come bundled with useful bonus tools – including an eSIM with unlimited data for several days.
ExpressVPN launched a free VPN service called EventVPN in September 2025. I haven’t tested the free version yet, but it seems promising: Users get access to servers in over 35 countries with zero data limits. (Proton Free limits you to servers in 10 randomly selected countries, while TunnelBear’s free tier caps you at 2GB of data per month.) The only catch is that EventVPN makes you watch ads before each session. I will update this guide with my thoughts once I have tried them.
Read Mashable’s full review of ExpressVPN.
ProtonVPN may have a large global server network, but ExpressVPN has a few advantages over its competitor when it comes to mobility. First, it’s an extraordinary VPN provider with servers in all 50 states of the US. (ProtonVPN and other top VPNs stick to major US cities.) Anyone working or living abroad will have no problem accessing content at home. Additionally, ExpressVPN Pro and Advanced subscribers get access to the holiday.com eSim with several days of unlimited data, among other additional privacy features that make its plans a decent value. An eSim will allow your phone to connect to a mobile network outside your country without an actual SIM card.
ExpressVPN’s large presence in the US also makes it great for unblocking local content – say, regional sports or adult sites. (For legal reasons, I’m not telling anyone to break the rules or violate the terms of use of streaming services.) VPN servers that are closer to your real location, will be faster and more reliable than those that are further away.
Broadly speaking, ExpressVPN has more than 3,000 servers in 105 countries around the world. That’s a very small network overall, but there’s still a good amount of geographic diversity. ProtonVPN’s network is bigger and more spread out, while TunnelBear has more servers but less reach.
ExpressVPN’s privacy and transparency practices are top-notch. Its privacy policy is detailed and clear about the type of data it does and does not collect. Most importantly, it never records users’ browsing history and other sensitive data. This policy has been tested in independent testing along with ExpressVPN’s applications, server technology, browser extension, and more. (The company began conducting these audits in 2018, and as of 2022, has passed nearly 20 of them.) It has been issuing transparency reports twice a year since 2024, but its claim of no logs has been held up in court before then. Like ProtonVPN, it offers a bug bounty program.
In my testing, browsing while connected to ExpressVPN servers doesn’t feel any different than browsing unsecured. It had no noticeable effect on my connection speed. It also managed to open streaming services in the UK, no problem. You get 10 to 14 connections at a time, depending on your subscription tier. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee and include 24/7 live chat support.
The ExpressVPN app has a clean Corporate Memphis look, and is very easy to navigate. As for features, you can enable a kill switch and a tunnel splitting tool that allows you to choose which apps and websites are sent through your VPN tunnel. ExpressVPN does not have the usual advanced VPN tools like multi-hop and Tor over VPN, which provide additional layers of security. However, there is a well-built “ShuffleIP” feature that changes your IP address every time you visit a new website, making it difficult to track.
As a final note, I think it’s important to mention that ExpressVPN’s parent company doesn’t have the best reputation in the cybersecurity space. My take is that the severity of its problems depends on your use case. Privacy concerns and users with important VPN needs will likely use them as reasons to ditch ExpressVPN altogether, but casual users may be inclined to mix them up. For more details, read my full ExpressVPN review.
