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VerdictProton VPN, for most readers: open-source audited apps, a Swiss non-profit owner, port forwarding, a free tier, and censorship tooling built for Iran and Russia, at well under ExpressVPN's price. ExpressVPN wins for China and the UAE specifically, where its automatic obfuscation has the longer record, and for households that want the smoothest apps, a native Apple TV app and the Aircove router. The ownership gap is the widest of any comparison on this site: a non-profit foundation on one side, and on the other a company that also owns three of the largest VPN review sites.
ExpressVPN · 71Proton VPN · 78
Plotted at zero because untested: ExpressVPN: Speed, Proton VPN: Speed.
Round by round
Ownership
Proton VPN
Proton is controlled by the non-profit Proton Foundation. ExpressVPN is owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns vpnMentor, WizCase and SafetyDetectives. This is the largest ownership gap on the site.
Transparency
Proton VPN
Proton's apps are open source and its Securitum audits are published in full. ExpressVPN's apps are closed; its KPMG and Cure53 audits are summarised publicly with limited detail.
Censorship bypass
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN's Lightway obfuscation is automatic and has the longest record in China and the UAE. Proton's Stealth and alternative routing are stronger in Iran and Russia. Split decision; China is the more common destination, so ExpressVPN takes the round.
Streaming
ExpressVPN
Both unblock Netflix, iPlayer, Disney+ and Prime in user reports. ExpressVPN is more consistent with Hulu, has MediaStreamer for TVs and a native Apple TV app. Proton's free tier does not stream.
Price over three years
Proton VPN
Proton Plus about $5.24 a month once renewals are counted; ExpressVPN about $7.08. Proton also has a free tier.
Features
Proton VPN
Proton has port forwarding, Secure Core, NetShield, Tor, and a free tier. ExpressVPN has split tunnelling, Threat Manager, a password manager and Aircove. Proton's list matters more for privacy users; ExpressVPN's for households.
Speed
ExpressVPN
Lightway has tested slightly faster than Proton's WireGuard and reconnects faster; Secure Core is slower by design. Provisional until we test.
iOS app quality
ExpressVPN
In this month's App Store analysis ExpressVPN's app scores a little higher; Proton's has the better sentiment trend. Both are in the top tier; ExpressVPN carries a billing flag, Proton does not.
iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Router, Browser, TV
iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux, Router, Browser, TV
Devices
8
10
Countries
105
117
WireGuard
✓
✓
Kill switch
✓
✓
Obfuscation
✓
✓
RAM-only servers
✓
?
Open-source apps
✗
✓
Split tunnelling
✓
✓
Multi-hop
✗
✓
Port forwarding
✗
✓
Ad blocker
✓
✓
P2P allowed
✓
✓
Free tier
✗
✓
Netflix
Works
Works
BBC iPlayer
Works
Works
Works in China
Works
Unreliable
Works in UAE
Works
Works
Cash / crypto
crypto
cash, crypto
Live chat
✓
✓
iOS app score
78/100 (4.7★)
68/100 (4.6★)
Our lab test
Pending
Pending
iOS app quality
iOS app quality
App Store review analysis
2,870 most recent reviews across 6 storefronts, 2015-08-06 to 2026-09-04. Listing rating 4.68★ from 418,418 ratings. Version 12.71.0, released 2026-08-26.
78
Billing complaints 8.4%Sentiment improving last 90 daysCritical complaints 20%
iOS app quality
App Store review analysis
2,085 most recent reviews across 6 storefronts, 2018-11-13 to 2026-09-04. Listing rating 4.64★ from 101,311 ratings. Version 7.5.2, released 2026-06-08.
68
Sentiment improving last 90 daysCritical complaints 23.5%
The widest ownership gap on this site
Proton VPN is controlled by the Proton Foundation, a Swiss non-profit, since 2024. ExpressVPN is owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns CyberGhost and PIA, and — since buying Webselenese in 2021 — vpnMentor, WizCase and SafetyDetectives. Those three sites publish VPN rankings in which ExpressVPN tends to appear at the top. Nowhere on them would you learn the relationship without looking for it.
This does not make ExpressVPN a bad product. It is, in fact, one of the best-engineered VPNs available. It does mean that most “ExpressVPN vs Proton VPN” articles come from an ecosystem with a stake in one answer, and that a reader should know that before weighing the rest.
Where ExpressVPN is better
China and the UAE. Lightway’s obfuscation is automatic and has the longest record of any mainstream provider behind the Great Firewall and on Etisalat and du. Proton’s Stealth works in China but less consistently, and Proton’s website and app updates are blocked there.
Televisions and households. MediaStreamer for consoles and old smart TVs, a native Apple TV app, and Aircove, the only router sold with the VPN pre-installed. ExpressVPN’s apps are the smoothest on every platform. Speed and reconnect time, in published tests, favour Lightway by a small margin.
Where Proton VPN is better
Everything about trust. Open-source apps, audits published in full, a non-profit owner, and a record of contesting legal demands in Swiss court and publishing the outcomes. Censorship in Iran and Russia, where Stealth and alternative routing were designed and where Proton carries a large share of the traffic. Port forwarding, which ExpressVPN has never offered. Secure Core multi-hop through hardened servers. A free tier with no cap. And price: about $5.24 a month against ExpressVPN’s roughly $7.08.
The iPhone apps
Both are in the top tier of this month’s App Store analysis. ExpressVPN’s scores slightly higher; Proton’s has the better recent sentiment trend and no billing flag, where ExpressVPN’s carries one. On iOS the two are close enough that the ownership and price differences decide it.
Who should pick which
ExpressVPN if you will be in China or the UAE, if the household watches on Apple TV or wants a router, or if app polish is worth a premium to you. Proton if ownership, open source, price, port forwarding, the free tier, or travel to Iran or Russia decide it. A traveller who wants both could carry ExpressVPN as the primary and Proton’s free tier as the backup, which is the combination the China guide on this site suggests.
What we have not tested
Speed and leaks. Published tests favour Lightway slightly; our own numbers are pending, and the speed dimension is excluded from both scores until they land.
Frequently asked questions
Is Proton VPN better than ExpressVPN?
For privacy, transparency, price and censorship in Iran and Russia, yes. For China, the UAE, streaming on televisions and app polish, ExpressVPN is better and charges for it. Both are good products; the question is whether the premium buys what you need, and whether the ownership difference matters to you. On this site, it does.
Which is faster?
ExpressVPN, slightly, in published tests, and Lightway reconnects faster after a network change. Proton's Secure Core is deliberately slower. We have not yet run our own tests; the speed dimension is excluded from both scores until then.
Which works in China?
ExpressVPN, more reliably, because Lightway's obfuscation is automatic and its China record is the longest. Proton's Stealth works and its free tier is a useful backup; the China guide has current status for both.
Which is cheaper?
Proton, by roughly a quarter, and its free tier costs nothing. ExpressVPN is the most expensive major provider.
Which is more private?
Proton: non-profit ownership, open-source apps, published audits, and a record of contesting legal demands in Swiss court. ExpressVPN's TrustedServer and audits are credible, but Kape's review-site holdings are a conflict of interest and its apps cannot be inspected.
Does ExpressVPN have a free tier?
No; a 30-day refund on website purchases is the closest thing. Proton's free tier has no data cap and no ads.
