ExpressVPN is a company that was founded in 2009 and has more than 3 million users thanks to a network of more than 3000 servers in 94 states. The company is based in the British Virgin Islands, with the advantage that the laws of that state offer more privacy than the US or most European countries. Since 2019, and for the first time in the VPN industry, all of ExpressVPN’s servers run 100% on volatile memory (RAM), not hard drives.
Why use a VPN?
With a VPN, your IP address as well as your location will remain secret because your connection will become encrypted in order to resist any surveillance attempt from a third party, nobody will be able to read or intercept your data when you are connected. The encryption of the internet connection is very useful when connecting to a public Wifi network. It is indeed this type of network that hackers choose in priority to analyze all our data and recover passwords or banking information.
Servers available in 94 countries
Pour utiliser votre VPN, il vous suffit de choisir un serveur dans une liste correspondant à différents pays. In just a few seconds, you will then be able to browse under cover of an IP address other than the one assigned to you by your Internet service provider.
ExpressVPN Pricing
ExpressVPN is obviously more expensive than its competitors: those who would like to commit only for a period of 6 months can benefit from a package that costs $9.99 per month, or a total of $59.95. But the most interesting package is the 12-month one since it offers an excellent 35% discount: it costs $8.32 per month, for a total of $99.95. There is also a monthly rate, but the price is higher: $12.95.
For these 3 packages, you benefit from a 30-day money back guarantee, which is always convenient for testing a product. Customer support is available 24/7.
Payment methods: credit card, Paypal, SEPA transfer, and even in crypto currencies via the Bitpay application.
Installation of ExpressVPN
The VPN is available on Smartphone, tablet, computer, or router, for 5 devices.
You can install your VPN on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Amazon Fire TV, Kindle Fire, Apple TV, Android TV, Xbox, Playstation devices. There are also extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge browsers. The big advantage of installing the VPN on your router is to protect all your devices at the same time, which only counts for one device, your router, leaving you the possibility to use your VPN on 4 other devices, on your smartphones for example.
ExpressVPN technical features
1/ Kill switch
This security measure is very important because it allows you to monitor your IP address at all times: if the IP address used by the VPN suddenly changes, then this means that your internet connection is no longer secure, and you are using the IP address of your internet service provider again. The VPN will then instantly cut your connection. La connexion restera interrompue jusqu’à ce que le VPN parvienne à redémarrer correctement.
This security measure is particularly useful if you regularly connect to your bank’s website. In case you still want to access the internet but the VPN doesn’t restart, you can simply turn off the VPN. Your internet connection will be accessible again but it will not be secure.
2/ Split tunneling
This option allows only part of your Internet traffic to pass through the VPN while the rest uses the Internet normally. ExpressVPN allows you to choose which applications should bypass the VPN or, on the contrary, which ones should be used with the VPN. The menus are clear, it is impossible to make mistakes. The applications installed on your computer are displayed in a menu, you just have to make your choice by checking boxes.
Split tunneling is very useful if you want to keep your computer’s IP visible from your printer or smartphone, while using your VPN for other cases: you just need to add the applications that manage your printer or smartphone, while keeping your VPN running for other applications and websites. This way, you don’t need to completely turn off your VPN to perform certain actions, a practice that could expose you to personal data leakage. On the other hand, you can choose one or more applications that will use ExpressVPN, while all your other applications will run without using the VPN.
3/ Security protocols
ExpressVPN offers the OpenVPN protocol (UDP + TCP) as well as theLightway protocol (UDP + TCP). Lightway is the open source VPN protocol from ExpressVPN. It is similar to the WireGuard protocol, but uses wolfSSL encryption to improve browsing speed, making it faster than the OpenVPN protocol. Very useful for mobile devices, the Lightway protocol avoids connection interruptions.
4/ TrustedServer technology from ExpressVPN
The usual way of operating servers is based on hard disks, which keep all data until they are erased and replaced by others. So there is a risk: all this data contained on hard disks could be threatened if a third party were to hack into the server.
With TrustedServer technology, the server runs entirely on volatile memory. Since RAM needs energy to store data, all information on a server is erased every time it is turned off and then on again, preventing data and potential intruders from siphoning off data from the machine.
TrustedServer thus guarantees that no data can remain on the hard disk, even by accident. In addition, this procedure ensures that all servers load up-to-date code when they restart. All software, including the operating system, is freshly executed from the last read-only image each time the server is rebooted, minimizing the risk of vulnerability or misconfiguration.
5/ Torrenting and Streaming
Streaming platforms lock content by geographic region because of broadcast rights. By changing your IP address and geolocation with a VPN, you can bypass these restrictions and access Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Showtime, etc… Regarding P2P downloading, you can of course download files safely and quickly with hundreds of P2P-optimized servers around the world, without bandwidth limits.
6/ Use of private and encrypted DNS
The DNS (Domain Name System) is a directory of all websites and services. These services are usually managed by ISPs, but ExpressVPN protects your Internet traffic and DNS queries by running its own encrypted DNS records service on each VPN server, thus ensuring the privacy of your Internet connections, as well as the absence of censorship by blocking DNS records.
ExpressVPN server locations
Americas
Argentina, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, United States (Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Lincoln Park, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey, New York, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Seattle, Tampa, Washington DC), Uruguay, Venezuela.
Europe
Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (Marseille, Paris, Strasbourg), Georgia, Germany (Frankfurt, Nuremberg), Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy (Cosenza, Milan), Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands (Rotterdam, The Hague), Northern Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain (Madrid, Barcelona), Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, UK (Docklands, East London, London, Wembley). Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Asia Pacific
Australia (Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan (Shibuya, Tokyo, Yokohama), Japan (Shibuya, Tokyo, Yokohama), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore (CBD, Jurong, Marina Bay), South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Middle East and Africa
Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Kenya, South Africa.
FAQ
Does ExpressVPN keep logs?
The servers only keep the essential data to keep your VPN connection running smoothly, and nothing is kept once you have finished browsing the internet.
Does ExpressVPN hide my IP address?
Yes, you just need to connect to the server of your choice (choice of 94 countries) to hide your IP address and watch your favorite content in private wherever you are.
Am I allowed to use a VPN in China?
Although many VPNs are blocked in China, there is no official ban on using VPNs. ExpressVPN works in China.
Does a VPN hide your activity from your ISP?
Yes, a VPN hides the details of your browsing habits from your ISP.
Is it possible to use ExpressVPN on a router?
Yes, setting up a router with a VPN connection can be convenient if you want to protect many devices. Your router will only count as one device.
How many devices can I use simultaneously with ExpressVPN?
You can use up to 5 devices. If you want to use more of them, just install the VPN on your router, then you can use the VPN on an unlimited number of devices.
Which routers does ExpressVPN support?
The main compatible routers are:
– Asus routers (Asus RT-AC56R, Asus RT-AC56S, Asus RT-AC56U, Asus RT-AC68U (jusqu’à v3), Asus RT-AC87U).
– Routers Linksys (Linksys EA6200, Linksys WRT1200AC, Linksys WRT1900AC 13J1, Linksys WRT1900AC 13J2, Linksys WRT1900ACS, Linksys WRT1900ACS V2, Linksys WRT3200ACM, Linksys WRT32X.
– Routers Netgear (Netgear R6300v2, Netgear Nighthawk R6400v2, Netgear Nighthawk R6700v3, Netgear Nighthawk R7000, Netgear Nighthawk R7000P.
Other VPNs here .
