ExpressVPN and Windscribe – At a Glance
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is an admittedly expensive VPN option. That said, the provider offers premium VPN service for that premium asking price. The VPN boasts comprehensive privacy and connection protection, a large global server network, impressive app support, and excellent customer support.
Windscribe
Windscribe provides fast, well-protected connections, protecting your online security and privacy. The provider offers app support for a large number of devices, plenty of support, and boasts a good-sized server network.
How to Choose a VPN
When you’re in search of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) provider to protect and enhance your online activities, you should consider several important features.
In this article, I’ll take a look at the performance of ExpressVPN and Windscribe in several service categories, declaring a victor for each category. I’ll then calculate the overall score and declare a champion.
By the end of this article, you’ll have plenty of information to make a VPN subscription decision.
Features of ExpressVPN and Windscribe
Connection Speeds
What are your favorite online activities? No matter what you enjoy doing online, a fast connection is your friend.
I perform my VPN connection speed tests on a regular basis, following these steps:
- I use a North American Windows server with a gigabit Ethernet connection.
- I use the VPN providers’ Windows app, configured to use the OpenVPN UDP connection protocol when available.
- I connect to VPN servers located in New York City, London, and Hong Kong. I connect to all three cities at three different times of day, over the course of three days.
- Once a connection is made, I use the Speedtest.net app to test each location’s connection speed. I restart the Speedtest in between each test.
You’ll most likely see different download speeds than I experienced in testing. Download speeds can be affected by various factors, such as your usual connection speeds, where you are located, and the VPN server’s location.
Both VPNs provided enough bandwidth to handle popular online activities. I saw one provider deliver speeds more than three times as fast as its competitor.
Windscribe’s average connection speeds measured in at 55 Mbps.
ExpressVPN’s download speeds averaged 175.9 Mbps.
Average Connection Speed Winner: ExpressVPN
| Provider | Avg. Connection Speed | Link |
| ExpressVPN | 175.9 Mbps | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | 55 Mbps | Visit Site
Read Review |
Pricing
Prices are on the rise these days, so many of us are on the lookout for ways to save money. However, you should never subscribe to a VPN simply because it charges a budget-friendly basement price.
While ExpressVPN is definitely not a budget-priced provider, it provides premium services for its rather expensive asking price. When you opt for a one-year subscription, your monthly cost will be about the price of a Big Mick combo at McDowell’s or one of its arch competitors. ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Meanwhile, Windscribe’s annual subscription rate comes in at somewhere around the price of a small cheeseburger combo. Windscribe offers a quite short three-day money-back guarantee.
You won’t see actual pricing in my articles, as VPN providers change their pricing and offer special deals on a regular basis. You’ll find current pricing on VPN providers’ websites.
Pricing Winner: Windscribe
| Provider | Money-Back Guarantee Period | Link |
| ExpressVPN | 30 Days | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | 3 Days | Visit Site
Read Review |
Privacy
There are plenty of groups out there that would love to see records of what you’ve been up to online. That’s why you should always carefully consider a VPN provider’s privacy protection features.
When considering a VPN provider’s privacy protections, ask these questions:
- Is the provider located in a privacy-respecting country?
- Does the provider save user logs on its servers?
- Does the provider accept cryptocurrency?
ExpressVPN is located in the British Virgin Islands and takes advantage of the country’s privacy-friendly laws by not saving any user logs of any kind. Pay with Bitcoin and use a disposable email address for an additional layer of privacy for your subscription payment info.
Windscribe doesn’t record users’ online travels, your real IP address, or their browsing history, but it does record their username, the time of their connection, and how much data they used during their VPN session.
Privacy Winner: ExpressVPN
| Provider | Privacy Ranking | Site |
| ExpressVPN | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | 4.5 | Visit Site
Read Review |
Online Security
When you’re online, there is a very good chance that someone is tracking your virtual travels. Bad actor hackers, advertisers, and the government are all looking to follow you around online.
A VPN keeps your online activities incognito by encrypting your connection, while also temporarily assigning a new address to your connected device. This helps prevent all of the above folks from following you around.
ExpressVPN makes use of AES-256 military-grade encryption, kill switch protection, and DNS/IPv6 leak prevention to protect your online activities from being monitored in real-time. VPN protocols in the provider’s apps include OpenVPN, Lightway, IKEv2, PPTP, and L2TP/IPSec.
Windscribe uses AES-256 encryption, IP/DNS leak prevention, and ad blocking to keep your online travels incognito. Available connection protocols include OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IKEv2.
Security Winner: It’s a tie
| Provider | Overall Security Score | Link |
| ExpressVPN | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | 5.0 | Visit Site
Read Review |
Simultaneous Connections
Many of us own more than one internet-connected device. This makes a VPN’s simultaneous connections limit an important consideration.
ExpressVPN allows users to simultaneously connect up to five devices to their servers.
Windscribe places no limit on how many devices you can connect at once.
Simultaneous Connections Winner: Windscribe
| Provider | Simultaneous Connections Allowed | Link |
| ExpressVPN | 5 | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | Unlimited | Visit Site
Read Review |
Streaming Support
Did you know that 85% of U.S. households subscribe to at least one video streaming subscription, and 60% subscribe to at least one paid music streaming subscription. 7% subscribe to six or more streaming services.
Even if you subscribe to every single streaming service, you won’t be getting all that you could be from your subscriptions. This is because streaming services usually restrict access to their content on a country-by-country basis, meaning you might not have access to all of the streamer’s content when you’re abroad.
A VPN temporarily assigns a fresh IP address to your connected device, making it appear as if you and your device are connecting from another country. This allows you to regain access to content that might normally be unavailable to you when traveling or living abroad.
ExpressVPN provides reliable access to numerous streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, Showtime, Channel 4, CBC, CTV, 9 Now, Sling TV, Hotstar, Hallmark Movies, Sky, Fubo, and other streaming services.
Windscribe doesn’t claim to be able to unblock any geo-fenced content, instead it focuses on providing protective VPN services. I tested Windscribe with several popular streaming services in several locations and the provider failed to provide access to any of them.
Streaming Support Winner: ExpressVPN
| Provider | # of U.S. Streaming Services VPN Unblocks | # of International Services VPN Unblocks | Link |
| ExpressVPN | 20+ | 5+ | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | 0 | 0 | Visit Site
Read Review |
BitTorrent Support
BitTorrent is a reliable way to share files with other users on the internet. File sharing is legal in most countries and many reputable organizations use BitTorrent to share files and documents among their employees. However, it is illegal to share copyrighted content, including music and movies. This means that film studios and record companies pressure ISPs to block or throttle file sharing activity, even if the files being shared are illegal.
Luckily, a VPN can help when this happens, as a VPN encrypts your internet connection, while also temporarily assigning a new IP address to your connected device. This hides your online activities in an encrypted tunnel, while also keeping your actual IP address a secret.
ExpressVPN happily allows P2P activity on its global server network. The provider even goes so far as to offer a P2P how-to guide on their website.
Windscribe allows P2P activity on all of its global server network.
BitTorrenting Winner: It’s a tie
| Provider | # of Countries Where VPN Allows BitTorrents | Link |
| ExpressVPN | All of them | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | All of them | Visit Site
Read Review |
Global Server Coverage
Look for a VPN provider with a large global server network, covering as much of the globe as possible. This will help ensure that you have access to content around the globe. Also, look for a provider with more than one server location in each country. This helps ensure that a single server won’t be overloaded by too many connections.
Windscribe’s network has over 480 server locations in 69+ countries.
ExpressVPN has over 3,000 servers located in 94+ countries.
Global Server Coverage Winner: ExpressVPN
| Provider | Server Count | Countries | Link |
| ExpressVPN | 3,000+ | 94 | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | 480 locations | 63 | Visit Site
Read Review |
Multi-Platform Support
Those of you that own multiple connected devices will appreciate VPN services that provide native app support for a large number of devices.
ExpressVPN provides top-notch app support, offering apps for Windows, macOS (with native Apple Silicon support), iOS, Android, Android TV, Linux, Chrome OS, and Amazon Fire TV platforms. Browser extensions are available for the Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi, Brave, and Firefox platforms.
ExpressVPN offers custom firmware for select routers, as well as setup instructions for using the service with other routers. The provider also offers a pre-configured “Aircove” router that is ready to go right out of the box. Multiple brands of pre-configured routers are available through the FlashRouters.com website.
Windscribe offers app support for the macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Android TV, Huawei, and Amazon Fire TV platforms. Users can also manually set up Linux devices to use the VPN. Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browser extensions are also available. The provider is compatible with DD-WRT and Tomato routers, as well as its own proprietary Invizbox VPN router.
Multi-Platform Support Winner: Tie
| Provider | Platforms Supported | Browser Extensions? | Router Support? |
Link |
| ExpressVPN | 8 | Yes (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, and Vivaldi) | Yes – Offers firmware for select routers, Flashrouter options, and Aircove router. | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | 8 | Yes (Chrome, Edge, and Firefox) | Yes – On DD-WRT and Tomato routers, as well as its proprietary VPN router. | Visit Site
Read Review |
Customer Support
Both Express and Windscribe are easy-to-use and reliable. However, it’s likely that you will have a question from time to time. That’s where the provider’s customer support comes into play.
ExpressVPN offers round-the-clock customer support, with 24/7 live support chat, email support, and a searchable support library.
Windscribe customer support also offers 24/7 live support chat, a trouble ticket system, a searchable knowledge base, and a support bot (named “Garry”).
Customer Support Winner: Tied
| Provider | Customer Support Rating | Link |
| ExpressVPN | 5.0 | Visit Site |
| Windscribe | 5.0 | Visit Site
Read Review |
And The Winner Is…
Windscribe and ExpressVPN both provide comprehensive VPN services. However, one provider scored much better than its competitor in numerous categories.
ExpressVPN took the title this time around, thanks to its wins in the Connection Speeds, Privacy, Streaming Support, and Global Server Coverage arenas.
Windscribe was tops in just two categories, Pricing and Simultaneous Connections.
The VPNs tied in the Online Security, BitTorrent Support, Multi-Platform Support, and Customer Support columns.
For more information or to purchase a subscription, visit ExpressVPN.
