Has ExpressVPN just become a bargain?

When you purchase through links in our articles, Future and its syndication partners may receive a commission.

It feels like ExpressVPN has been taking a bit of a hit here at Tom’s Guide lately. After holding the top spot in our best VPN guide for several years, it dropped to #3 after our last ExpressVPN test for a variety of reasons.

ExpressVPN was really expensive and, compared to providers like NordVPN and Surfshark, offered relatively few additional extras that would justify its high price. Of course, it’s flawlessly coded, easy to use, very secure, and great for unblocking streaming sites – but in a world where people always want more, it didn’t seem like enough.

But when it first happened, a big change occurred alwaysExpressVPN lowered its prices. The new 2-year plan brought the monthly price down to just a few dollars over its biggest competitors, and while it’s still a bit pricey, it’s not quite as eye-popping.

More interesting, however, was the launch of the Identity Defender feature in early November 2024. This is essentially fraud and identity theft insurance, clearly modeled after NordVPN’s cyber insurance package. With today’s launch of the all-new NordProtect, I thought it would be interesting to compare NordVPN’s prices side-by-side with ExpressVPN’s – and the results surprised me.

Price preferences

ExpressVPN and NordVPN take a completely different approach to pricing. ExpressVPN is happy to charge a slightly higher price and give you something everything It has something to offer, while NordVPN likes to give you the choice of what you want to pay for.

For example, with ExpressVPN’s 2-year plan – which currently costs $4.99 per month – You receive:

• ExpressVPN

• ExpressVPN key (password manager)

• Adult website blocker

• Threat Manager (an ad, tracker and malware blocker)

• Identity Defender (data leak monitoring, identity theft insurance, data broker removal)

The NordVPN Basic 2-year plan – which currently costs $2.99 ​​per month – offers:

Move up the tiers and opt for the NordVPN Ultimate plan, which includes tons of extras and costs $5.89 per month. You receive:

• NordVPN

• NordPass (password manager)

• Threat Protection Pro (more powerful ad, tracker and malware blocker)

• NordLocker (cloud storage)

• Insurance against identity theft and cyber extortion

Now, the two competing plans are pretty similar – NordVPN Ultimate offers cloud storage, ExpressVPN offers a personal data removal service – which shows that ExpressVPN actually looks like pretty good value for money. In fact it is cheaper.

Nord Security’s brand new product, NordProtect, launched on November 11, 2024, includes cyber insurance and a range of other credit-based protections. This is available on the impressively named NordVPN Prime plan – but at $7.89 per monthIt’s far more expensive than anything ExpressVPN offers. However, keep in mind that these features are – at least for now – unique to NordVPN.

What’s the point?

It’s clear that the market responds well to updated VPNs that have tons more features – NordVPN certainly wouldn’t release all of these additional tools if no one was using them. ExpressVPN was left in the dust for a while, with only its high price and sleek suite to boast about.

And that’s nothing new. I’ve written before about why VPNs try anything. But as a neutral who cares about the privacy of his readers – not the feelings of VPN companies – I’m happy to see ExpressVPN developing these tools, if for no other reason than fair competition between the market leaders.

Which one is really cheaper?

That’s the crux of the question, and honestly it depends on what you want from your VPN. If you’re just looking for a VPN for Netflix and want peace of mind when browsing the internet, NordVPN’s Basic plan is cheaper – you don’t pay for things you don’t use.

Despite the (welcome) discounts, ExpressVPN still suffers from a rigid pricing structure that almost too generously offers everything for a single price.

However, if you’re looking for a comprehensive privacy suite and you’re tempted by the NordVPN Ultimate or even Prime plans, ExpressVPN may – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – look like this a little bargain in comparison. When it comes to quality, there are hardly any differences between the two providers. So if you’re guided by price, ExpressVPN could be the right choice.