ExpressVPN and Surfshark are two of CNET’s best VPN picks, both earning Editors’ Choice designations. ExpressVPN is CNET’s Editors’ Choice for best overall VPN, and Surfshark is CNET’s Editors’ Choice for best value VPN. Both are excellent options for anyone who wants a VPN that offers first-rate privacy protections but can also reliably handle geoblocks when streaming content online. While ExperssVPN is our recommendation as the best overall VPN, Surfshark remains the best value virtual private network on the market.
This comparison between ExpressVPN and Surfshark is based on extensive testing and thorough evaluations of each service’s overall value, privacy features and speeds. I conducted hundreds of individual speed tests for each provider to multiple locations and through multiple VPN protocols and platforms, along with leak tests and kill switch tests. I also carefully evaluated each provider’s features, privacy policy, terms of service, transparency efforts and customer support.
Both are first-class VPN providers, but ExpressVPN edges Surfshark in this head-to-head. Read on to find out why.
Read more: Best VPN Services of 2023
ExpressVPN vs. Surfshark
Price $13 a month, $60 for six months or $100 for a yearLatest tests No leaks detected, 18% speed loss in 2023 testsNetwork 3,000-plus servers in 160 locations across 94 countries Jurisdiction British Virgin Islands
ExpressVPN is currently CNET’s top overall VPN pick because of its strong commitment to privacy and transparency, excellent speeds and streaming capabilities. If you have critical online privacy needs, ExpressVPN is the way to go. And if you want to unblock a world of streaming options, ExpressVPN is the one for the job, too. Its interface is minimalist and easy to use across platforms, but has a lot of options for customization from its Preferences menu. ExpressVPN is a well-rounded service that performs admirably for virtually any VPN use case, whether you’re a beginner or advanced VPN user. It leans a tad toward the expensive side, but if you want a top-notch VPN experience it’s worth it — even if you only get five simultaneous connections.
Price $14 per month, $48 for the first year (then $60 annually)Latest tests No leaks detected, 17% speed loss in 2023 testsNetwork 3,200-plus servers in 100 countriesJurisdiction Netherlands
If you’re looking for a VPN that provides the most value for your money, Surfshark is the VPN for you. Despite its budget-friendly pricing, Surfshark is loaded with features, boasts a few unique privacy protections and unblocks more Netflix libraries than you can count. Surfshark is a relative newcomer to the industry compared to ExpressVPN, but it has already made a name for itself in the highly competitive VPN market. I’m impressed with how Surfshark continues innovating and improving its service on multiple fronts — and hoping it can continue to offer its favorable pricing.
Read our Surfshark VPN review.
Speed winner: ExpressVPN by a wide margin, thanks to Surfshark’s inconsistency and sputtering OpenVPN speeds
Finding the fastest VPN is a priority for most VPN users, so we put VPNs through rigorous speed testing. In my most recent speed tests in the first quarter of 2023, I registered an 18% average speed loss with ExpressVPN and an impressive 17% speed loss with Surfshark. The mere 1% difference in speed loss is marginal, with both able to handle internet-intensive tasks like 4K video streaming with aplomb.
ExpressVPN was consistently speedy regardless of which protocol, device or location I tested it through. The only other VPN that performed more consistently during my most recent speed tests was NordVPN. The best speed performance I got out of ExpressVPN was through the OpenVPN protocol from my testing location in Hungary, where I registered a 9% speed loss compared to my base speeds. The best speed performance I got through WireGuard with ExpressVPN was from my other testing location in Ohio, where I registered an 11% speed loss. And with ExpressVPN upgrading its server fleet to 10Gbps servers, I’m hoping to see even faster and more consistent speeds from the provider in the future.
Surfshark’s speeds through the WireGuard VPN protocol from Ohio were excellent, causing my speeds to dip below my base internet speeds a mere 9% on MacOS and 13% over Windows — about on par with the top speeds I saw from ExpressVPN. However, Surfshark’s speeds through the OpenVPN protocol on my Windows laptop cut my base speeds by a respectable 28%, with a modest 19% drop with OpenVPN on MacOS. In all, Surfshark is one of the fastest VPNs on the planet, alongside rivals like ExpressVPN and NordVPN.
I have found that VPN speeds through Windows machines tend to be marginally slower across the board than they typically are through a Mac, but other VPNs I tested through Windows didn’t register such a dramatic drop in speeds as Surfshark did. Losing more than three quarters of your base speed can be a real downer if you’re a gamer, torrenter or like to stream content. That said, Surfshark’s OpenVPN speeds through my Mac were fairly decent (19% speed loss).
Cost winner: Surfshark, thanks to its impressive suite of features at a significantly lower price
ExpressVPN is, by all measures, a premium VPN service. It’s top of the line when it comes to speed, privacy, features and unblocking capabilities. And, compared to the competition, it’s expensive. You can opt for a $13 monthly plan, biannual $60 tier (paid every six months) or a cost-effective subscription plan is its annual plan, which costs $100 per year.
For that price, you get eight simultaneous connections, access to a global network of servers spanning 105 countries, 24/7 live chat customer support, an easy-to-use app for all of your devices and unparalleled streaming capabilities. Additionally, you get access to ExpressVPN’s password manager, Keys, at no additional cost.
Surfshark is far easier on the pocketbook than ExpressVPN. Though Surfshark’s monthly pricing is slightly higher than that of ExpressVPN at $14 per month, its yearly rate is considerably cheaper at $48 for the first year (then $60 per year) — a savings of $40 annually after the promo pricing ends. And while we don’t recommend committing to any VPN provider for more than a year due to the volatile nature of the industry on the whole, you can get your first two years with Surfshark for $60 total (which then renews annually at $60).
If you go with Surfshark’s annual plan, you get a feature set comparable to ExpressVPN, for a fraction of the cost. And unlike ExpressVPN’s meager simultaneous connection limit of five, Surfshark allows for an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. In addition to that, you’ll get access to servers in 100 different countries, 24/7 live chat customer support, an ad and malware blocker, cookie popup blocker and split tunneling. And Surfshark’s streaming capabilities are constantly improving, putting the provider nearly on the same level as ExpressVPN in that regard. With Surfshark, you can unblock an impressive number of international Netflix libraries. And, following our previous Surfshark review, the provider improved significantly in its ability to reliably unblock Disney Plus.
Among CNET’s top VPN picks, ExpressVPN and Surfshark occupy opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to cost — NordVPN, Proton VPN and IPVanish fall somewhere in between. With ExpressVPN you get the quality that you pay for, and with Surfshark, you get tremendous value for the comparatively low price you pay (if you sign up for a longer-term subscription). Sure, ExpressVPN is well worth its premium price tag, but if you’re a casual VPN user who doesn’t necessarily need every bit of what ExpressVPN offers, Surfshark is more than capable of providing everything you need in a VPN at a lower cost.
Privacy and security winner: ExpressVPN, thanks to its TrustedServer technology and unmatched transparency efforts
ExpressVPN and Surfhark both offer excellent privacy for VPN users. Like CNET’s other top VPN picks, ExpressVPN and Surfshark both offer industry-standard (and virtually uncrackable) AES 256-bit encryption to protect users’ traffic. They both also offer standard privacy protections like a kill switch, DNS leak protection, no-logging policy and a RAM-only diskless server infrastructure. Both providers’ kill switch and DNS leak protection worked flawlessly during my testing. It’s a tight race here, but if I had to choose one for critical privacy needs, I would choose ExpressVPN.
ExpressVPN’s TrustedServer technology builds on top of the concept of a RAM-only diskless server infrastructure. ExpressVPN’s servers run on volatile memory, meaning that user data is never stored on a hard disk and is wiped when the server is turned off or rebooted. This makes it difficult for anyone to collect user information. And with TrustedServer, the entire software stack is completely reinstalled whenever an ExpressVPN server starts up. ExpressVPN says that this process helps mitigate risks of introducing vulnerabilities or misconfiguration.
TrustedServer, along with ExpressVPN’s apps, browser extension, router, VPN protocols and no-logs policy have all been independently audited in the past year. The company’s 12 independent audits in 2022 are a testament to its commitment to transparency and go well above and beyond what most of its other peers in the VPN industry offer.
Surfshark, by comparison, has gone through a mere smattering of independent audits over the past few years. Surfshark’s browser extensions were audited in 2018, its server infrastructure was audited in 2021 and it went through its first no-logs audit in January 2023. Three audits is better than none, but Surfshark can still do more to boost its trust and transparency.
That said, Surfshark’s Nexus network technology is a neat innovation that includes features that help boost user privacy. Through the Nexus network, you can route your VPN connection through multiple servers of your choosing at once on Surfshark’s network, rather than just one server or a preset combination of two servers. This helps add an extra layer of protection. In addition to Surfshark’s Dynamic MultiHop, the Nexus network offers other innovative privacy features like an IP Rotator that periodically changes your IP address without disconnecting from the VPN and an IP Randomizer that changes your IP address each time you visit a new website. ExpressVPN currently doesn’t offer multihop connections or IP rotator/randomizer features.
ExpressVPN and Surfshark compared
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| ExpressVPN | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $13 per month, $60 per 6 months, $100 per year | $14 per month, $48 for the first year (then $60 annually) |
| Avg. % speed loss | 18% | 17% |
| Server network | 3,000 servers in 105 countries | 3,200-plus servers in 100 countries |
| Encryption | AES 256-bit | AES 256-bit |
| VPN protocols | OpenVPN, Lightway, IKEv2 | OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2/IPSec |
| Jurisdiction | British Virgin Islands | Netherlands |
| Compatibility | Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Fire TV, Apple TV, routers | MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Fire TV, routers |
| Simultaneous connections | 8 | Unlimited |
Bottom line
ExpressVPN is for you if you need a VPN that can protect your privacy in situations where your online privacy is a critical consideration. The VPN’s TrustedServer technology, privacy-friendly jurisdiction in the British Virgin Islands and comprehensive list of independent security audits help reinforce its commitment to user privacy. Whether you need privacy in the face of online surveillance, or if you’re a doctor, lawyer, journalist, dissident, whistleblower, activist or anyone else who requires heightened online privacy, then ExpressVPN is the way to go.
Or if you’re a casual VPN user simply looking for a fast VPN that’s easy to use and can unblock a world of streaming options while hiding your activity from your ISP, then ExpressVPN is a great option too — as long as you don’t mind paying the premium.
On the other hand, if you’re a casual user on a budget and want a VPN that can get the job done for less, Surfshark could be the VPN for you. Though Surfshark isn’t quite at the level that ExpressVPN is in terms of privacy protections and transparency, Surfshark has a few unique privacy features like MultiHop and IP Rotator/Randomizer that may appeal to certain users who want to add an extra layer of protection to their traffic.
And because Surfshark offers unlimited simultaneous connections, it’s also an excellent option for folks with lots of connected devices or anyone with a large family or group of friends they want to share an account with.
FAQs
Which VPN is better, ExpressVPN or Surfshark?
It depends on what you want out of your VPN. If price is your primary concern when choosing a VPN, go with Surfshark. If you have lots of devices you want to connect at once, Surfshark would be the best choice again. If critical privacy is your main concern, go with ExpressVPN. For the best overall speeds and the best geoblock circumvention, go with ExpressVPN too.
Is the price difference between ExpressVPN and Surfshark worth it?
If your online privacy is of critical importance, then yes, the higher price you pay for ExpressVPN is worth it. If you’re a casual user who doesn’t require all of that and doesn’t want to pay a premium for their VPN, Surfshark is a worthy alternative that shouldn’t be considered a downgrade.
Can you try ExpressVPN or Surfshark for free?
Surfshark offers a seven-day free trial if you download and sign up on Android, iOS or MacOS. Just remember to cancel your trial before the seven days is up if you don’t want to continue with the service, to avoid getting charged. Both Surfshark and ExpressVPN offer 30-day money-back guarantees as well. If you purchase a subscription and decide that you’re not satisfied for whatever reason, you can request a full refund within the first 30 days of purchase.
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