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Surfshark vs ExpressVPN (2026)

Full comparison based on April 2026 testing. Speed, privacy, streaming, price, and who each VPN is actually suited for.

9

Surfshark

VS

8.6

ExpressVPN

Quick verdict

Surfshark wins overall (9/10 vs 8.6/10)

Surfshark costs roughly 70% less than ExpressVPN on long-term plans while delivering comparable streaming unblocking. ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol is consistently faster, but Surfshark's speed is more than adequate for streaming and browsing. Unless you specifically need ExpressVPN's speed advantage or router app, Surfshark offers significantly better value.

Score breakdown

8.8
Speed
9.8
8.6
Privacy
8.1
8.7
Servers
8.4
8.9
Streaming
9.5
9.8
Value
7.2
9.1
Ease of Use
9.6
Surfshark
ExpressVPN

Full feature comparison

Feature
Surfshark9/10
ExpressVPN8.6/10
Our Score98.6
Monthly Price$2.19/mo$8.32/mo
Servers3,200+3,000+
Countries100105
Simultaneous DevicesUnlimited8
Speed (tested)695 Mbps (91%)755 Mbps (98%)
No-Logs Policy
Independently Audited
Kill Switch
Ad Blocker
Streaming
Torrenting / P2P
Port Forwarding
Obfuscation
Double VPN
RAM-Only Servers
JurisdictionNetherlands (EU jurisdiction)British Virgin Islands
Money-Back Guarantee30 days30 days

Who should choose which

Choose Surfshark if:

You need Surfshark for households with many devices (unlimited connections) or want to save substantially on a long-term plan without sacrificing streaming reliability.

Full Surfshark review →

Choose ExpressVPN if:

You need ExpressVPN if you travel frequently to restrictive countries, depend on consistently fast connections for work, or want the most mature router app in the category.

Full ExpressVPN review →

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