ExpressVPN vs IPVanish: where each one is stronger and what it costs you
ExpressVPN scores 4.77 and IPVanish 4.10 out of 10. ExpressVPN leads overall; the table shows where each one is stronger.
ExpressVPN vs IPVanish
| What we compare | ExpressVPN | IPVanish |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 4.77 (better) | 4.10 |
| Privacy and jurisdiction | 5.7 (better) | 5.0 |
| Security and protocols | 5.7 (better) | 4.6 |
| Price and fair terms | 3.1 (better) | 2.5 |
| Censorship bypass | 1.9 | 1.9 |
| Network and streaming | 4.6 (better) | 2.0 |
| Platforms and support | 7.1 | 8.1 (better) |
| Cheapest price, € a month | €2.57 | €2.06 (better) |
| Renewal vs first term | 2.8× (better) | 3.5× |
| Refund window, days | 30 | 30 |
| Independent no-logs audit | Yes | Yes |
| Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
| WireGuard | Yes | Yes |
| Obfuscation | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto payments | Yes (better) | — |
| Jurisdiction | BVI (outside 14 Eyes) | USA (5 Eyes) |
| Platforms supported | 12 (better) | 8 |
ExpressVPN scores 4.77 out of 10 against IPVanish's 4.10, taking four of six areas: privacy, security, network and price terms. IPVanish answers back where it counts for families and late-night troubleshooting: unlimited simultaneous connections and 24/7 live chat. Its intro rates are cheaper too, though the entry-level renewal bill erases that lead almost entirely.
Jurisdiction and logs: why ExpressVPN keeps a privacy edge
ExpressVPN's operator, Express Technologies Ltd., sits in the British Virgin Islands, outside every intelligence-sharing alliance; its parent is Kape Technologies PLC. IPVanish belongs to Ziff Davis and answers to US law, and the US is a Five Eyes country, so the jurisdiction credit goes entirely to ExpressVPN. IPVanish claws some of it back: its policy drops connection timestamps, keeping only aggregated session lengths, while ExpressVPN's notes the date of each successful connection plus per-account bandwidth totals. Both are credited with an independent no-logs audit (ExpressVPN names KPMG as the auditor), and neither stores the connection IP. How that policy holds up under US law is the subject of the IPVanish privacy review.
Security credits on each side
ExpressVPN can point to published DNS leak protection, its own Lightway protocol alongside WireGuard, and audits by KPMG and Cure53 covering its TrustedServer architecture. IPVanish brings Double Hop multi-hop routing and a public bug bounty, but it does not publish DNS leak protection or a security audit of its apps and servers. The shared toolkit covers the basics well: a kill switch (Network Lock on ExpressVPN), WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 and obfuscation. Against heavy censorship, though, obfuscation is all either one offers, which is why both land on the same low bypass score of 1.9.
Fewer platforms, higher support score: the IPVanish paradox
ExpressVPN covers 12 platforms, from game consoles and Fire TV to its Aircove router and browser extensions; IPVanish covers 8, missing consoles and Apple TV. Yet IPVanish wins this category because it runs live chat around the clock and publishes a server status page, while ExpressVPN does not publish 24/7 hours. The device limits push the other way: ExpressVPN caps you at 10 on Basic, 12 on Advanced, 14 on Pro, while IPVanish never meters connections.
Countries against servers: the network gap
Each provider publishes half the picture. ExpressVPN states 113 countries, 214 locations, 10 Gbps servers (40 Gbps on some) and a dedicated IP option, but no server count. IPVanish quotes 3,400 servers across 150 locations yet leaves out the country total, any 10 Gbps claim and dedicated IP. The missing country figure is what drags its network score to 2.0. Neither names a streaming service it unblocks or a public torrenting policy; ExpressVPN at least ships the MediaStreamer smart DNS, and IPVanish adds a SOCKS5 proxy.
Intro rate and renewal bill by plan tier
| Tier | ExpressVPN (28 months) | Renews yearly | IPVanish 2-year | Renews yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry | Basic, $83.72 ($2.99/mo) | $99.95 | Essential, $57.36 ($2.39/mo) | $99.99 |
| Middle | Advanced, $125.72 ($4.49/mo) | $119.95 | Complete, $74.16 ($3.09/mo) | $109.99 |
| Top | Pro, $209.72 ($7.49/mo) | $199.95 | Advanced, $86.16 ($3.59/mo) | $129.99 |
The entry row tells the story: $99.95 versus $99.99 after the first term, a difference of four cents. IPVanish's cheapest monthly rate in euros is €2.06 against ExpressVPN's €2.57, and both quote prices in dollars with tax excluded. IPVanish's renewal jump is ×3.49 against ExpressVPN's ×2.79, and it takes no crypto for anonymous billing, which together explain why its price-and-terms score trails despite the cheaper start. On bundles, ExpressVPN reserves the ExpressKeys password manager, holiday.com eSIM and Identity Defender for Advanced and Pro; IPVanish gives every plan 3 GB eSIM data (5 GB on Advanced) and adds antivirus plus 1 TB cloud backup higher up. Full tiers are on the ExpressVPN pricing page.
Refund rules and payment methods compared
Both promise 30 days, with catches on each side. ExpressVPN refunds first-time subscribers only (app store purchases go through Apple or Google); IPVanish covers yearly and 2-year plans but not the monthly one, and processes the refund automatically within 3 business days if you cancel in the Control Panel. Check the IPVanish refund page before buying a single month. On payment, ExpressVPN takes Bitcoin, which also switches off auto-renewal, while IPVanish accepts UnionPay, Amazon Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay but no crypto. Auto-renewal is on by default at both.
Short answers on ExpressVPN and IPVanish
Do the scores include speed or streaming tests?
No. VPNRadarLab scores what providers publish; no throughput or unblocking tests are run. "Not stated" means the provider does not publish a figure, never that the feature is absent.
Can you pay without a card?
ExpressVPN, yes, via Bitcoin (an email is still required, so anonymous sign-up is only partial). IPVanish requires a card or wallet and offers no crypto route.
Is IPVanish's device count really unlimited?
Yes, simultaneous connections are not metered on any plan.
Which one fits your situation
Privacy and travel: ExpressVPN, for the BVI jurisdiction, independent audits and published network numbers. Large household with many gadgets: IPVanish, since unlimited devices and round-the-clock live chat beat a device cap. One- or two-year budget: IPVanish starts cheaper, but budget for the renewal, where entry-level pricing converges. If neither fits, Surfshark appears on VPNRadarLab's better-value list for both.