ExpressVPN Pricing: How Much Does ExpressVPN Cost?

ExpressVPN is pretty expensive when it comes to the best VPN providers on the market. ExpressVPN pricing starts from $8.32 per month when billed annually for a full 12-month plan. Don't want to commit to long contract? The other two plans cost $9.99 per month for six months, and $12.95 per month for a single month.

For comparison, NordVPN costs just $3.99 per month on its two-year plan, while Surfshark is even cheaper at just $2.39 per month — yet they both offer comparable speeds and features to ExpressVPN.

Read on to find out exactly what you'll get for your money with ExpressVPN, and whether you should spend less on an alternative service.

In this guide:

• ExpressVPN Pricing Plans
• ExpressVPN Pricing for Business
• Does ExpressVPN Have a Free Version?
• Why Is ExpressVPN More Expensive Than Other VPNs?
• ExpressVPN Alternatives
• Verdict: Is ExpressVPN Pricing Good Value?
• ExpressVPN Pricing: Frequently Asked Questions

ExpressVPN Pricing Plans

Regardless of how you choose to pay, you'll get exactly the same features from ExpressVPN. There are no different packages or plans when it comes to features, as there are with other types of software — which at least makes ExpressVPN pricing easy to understand.

• The month-long plan is $12.95 per month, after which you'll have to renew
• The six-month plan costs $9.99 per month, resulting in a bill of $59.95 for half a year 
• The largest saving is available through the $8.32 per month annual plan and will result in the highest bill: $99.95 for 12 months

While the $12.95 one-month plan is pricey for a VPN, the annual plan brings the cost down to a more reasonable (though still at the higher end of the market) per-month cost.

All pricing has investigated and confirmed in December 2023.

ExpressVPN Pricing for Business

With more companies than ever before employing a remote or hybrid workforce, security is more important than ever. With a good VPN like ExpressVPN, you'll be able to ensure that your company data is safe, even if your employees are logging in from home or, heaven forbid, at a coffee shop with lax WiFi security. There's a reason why 1.6 billion people already use them.

Unlike other VPN providers, there are no ExpressVPN pricing plans specifically for businesses per se. The popular VPN provider actually doesn't offer business-specific features, but you can still bulk-buy ExpressVPN accounts for your employees. Quick note, each ExpressVPN license allows for up to five users.

The best part about this method of pricing, dubbed volume licensing, is that you'll actually save money on more licenses.  According to the ExpressVPN website, if you'd like to purchase ExpressVPN accounts in bulk in this way, follow these steps:

1. Purchase/Log into an ExpressVPN account.
2. Sign in to your ExpressVPN account.
3. On the dashboard for your account, select “Sign up for volume licensing.”
4. Choose the number of licenses you need.
5. Choose your preferred payment cycle.
6. Click on the “Complete your order” button.

For larger teams, this can make ExpressVPN more affordable than some of the best VPNs for business out there, although the overall price will of course be a bit higher. Just bear in mind that most “business VPNs” don't do the same thing as consumer VPNs, so it isn't really a fair comparison.

If you need to ensure your staff team can access a company server securely from multiple remote locations, go with a traditional business VPN. If you have individuals in your team that simply need a VPN to protect themselves on public wifi networks or unblock content that isn't available in their region, then go with ExpressVPN or NordVPN.

ExpressVPN payment options

ExpressVPN accepts payment through all major credit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and JCB.

It also supports Paypal and Bitcoin, as well as many other alternative payment methods, such as those available through the payment provider Paymentwall.

If you're interested in ExpressVPN's service, you may want to try the $12.95 plan for one month just to test it out. If you like it, you can then switch to the less expensive 12-month plan for the best savings.

ExpressVPN money-back guarantee

ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, with no questions asked. Just contact their Support team through live chat or email.

The VPN company does not offer a general free trial period, but the money-back deal is functionally the same. This makes it easy to sample the service at no cost, assuming you eventually decide that it's not quite what you're looking for.

Does ExpressVPN Have a Free Version?

No, ExpressVPN does not offer a free trial or a free plan tier. It's a premium VPN, not a freemium one.

At least, it doesn't offer a free trial in most circumstances: ExpressVPN does provide a free trial for “certain mobile devices,” according to its website, but it's only for 7 days. Remember, as we've already mentioned, ExpressVPN does offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so even if you pay the up-front cost, you'll be able to easily claim a refund if you're not happy with the service.

Some websites out there describe ExpressVPN's money-back guarantee as a “free trial” or even a “hack” – but this is slightly misleading. You won't get automatically refunded at the end of the month – you'll have to cancel of your own accord.

We have rounded up all the best free VPNs in the past, although a lot of free VPNs come with their own drawbacks as well: Most come with heavy bandwidth limitations or speed throttling, almost all offer limited features, and a few even come with dangerous security risks that may leave your information more exposed than if you'd avoided a VPN at all.

Why Is ExpressVPN More Expensive Than Other VPNs?

Even at its cheapest, ExpressVPN still costs $8.32 per month, which puts it solidly at the higher end of the scale for VPNs – many of which are available for $3 to $5 per month.

Put simply, ExpressVPN justifies this price by offering a superior service to almost all competitors. The exception to the rule is NordVPN, which offers a faster VPN service, a password manager, and encrypted cloud storage space for almost half the price of ExpressVPN's package.

The company runs and maintains a scaled-up and highly secure network, which is what its customers are paying for. ExpressVPN comes with all the basic features you need to stay safe online, including a kill switch, AES-256 encryption, and private DNS servers.

However, it also provides advanced features too like Threat Manager, which prevents your device from communicating with servers that are listed on ExpressVPN's “blocklist” of trackers and malicious web pages (currently available on Mac, iOS and Linux – Windows and Android provision coming soon).

In the table below, we compare ExpressVPN's pricing and features to some of its main competitors, along with our independent test findings:

Compared to the competition, $8.32 a month can seem like a lot. But consider what it's protecting you against: Unsecured information could lead to identity fraud, or money lost to phishing attempts. If you're interested in staying safe online, and you need a reliable service, paying the cost of a cup of coffee a month for the privilege makes sense.

Is ExpressVPN better than the cheaper competition? Ultimately, you'll need to decide that for yourself, based off your budget and need for security. We can confirm it's one of the most secure options out there.

ExpressVPN Alternatives

Here are a few other top VPN services. We've vetted them all, and found that while some have strengths that others don't, they're all relatively secure and worth considering.

NordVPN – best overall VPN

While any VPN is going to lower your internet speeds a little bit, NordVPN only does so a little, putting it ahead of ExpressVPN in our tests:

Overall, our internet speeds decreased by just 13% while we were connected to NordVPN's network, and 23.1% when connected to ExpressVPN's. These were both good results, though, and ExpressVPN by no means “feels” slow when you use it.

On top of being a speed demon, NordVPN offers a great suite of features as well, rivaling ExpressVPN's options. We've compared ExpressVPN vs NordVPN  in more detail, so check this out if you're interested in learning more.

One other big benefit: NordVPN can cost very little – provided you nab the best discounts!

PureVPN – best for saving money

PureVPN is one of our top-rated VPNs, thanks to an impressive collection of features and a simple approach. The interface is easy to use, the features offer plenty of options for connecting third-party apps, and the package comes with some extra security functions that other VPNs don't have. These security bonuses include Ozone, an antivirus that blocks internet security risks before you notice them, and Gravity, an ad blocker.

Best of all, it's a cheap service: go for the discounted two-year plan through this link, and you'll pay just $2.91 per month.

IPVanish – best for VPN experts

If you know your way around a VPN, you'll likely want one with detailed, granular features and settings. A power user will benefit from gaining the ability to customize their VPN protocol or to pick the best type of leak protection. On the flip side, if you're not an expert, you might get bogged down in the details.

IPVanish delivers those features, along with a speedy connection and global server coverage. Prices are pretty cheap too, at around $2.96 per month when paid annually on a two-year deal.

TorGuard – best for file-sharing

TorGuard is a great option for users interested in peer-to-peer file sharing while retaining privacy. While we at Tech.co don't condone any illegal activity, such as sharing copyrighted materials, there's nothing wrong with the act of file-sharing itself. TorGuard keeps you safe during the process, thanks to high-quality leak protection functionality and consistently high speeds for a VPN.

On top of all that, it can also unlock Netflix – something that only a handful of VPNs can boast.

Paid annually, TorGuard is about $9.99 a month, making it a fairly expensive service. One downside: It can be intimidating to casual users.

CyberGhost – best for VPN newbies

CyberGhost aims its service at VPN beginners, prioritizing ease of use. It'll automatically block ads, trackers, and malicious websites. Plus, users can just pick one out of a series of “modes” when signing on – Surf Anonymously, Torrent Anonymously, or Unblock Streaming are a few examples. This gives them an easy way to get the best server for their needs, even if they don't have any technical knowledge.

The trade-off is that it's a pretty slow VPN, sometimes slowing connection speeds by over 60%. Sign up for two years at a time, and it'll cost you just $2.19 per month – plus, you'll get two months free.

ExpressVPN Referral Program

ExpressVPN offers one extra way to save a little money on your plan: Any ExpressVPN users who successfully refer a friend to the service will receive a free 30 days of the service for both them and their friend. You can refer as many friends as you want and get a further 30 days for each one.

Frequently Asked Questions