ExpressVPN vs Proton VPN

This is a clean trade rather than a close call, which makes it one of the easier comparisons on this site. One of these is quick and closed. The other is slower and open. Almost everything else follows.

The gap you notice on a call

ExpressVPN starts loading pages sooner than Proton VPN, and Proton is the slowest here to do it. On a page load that is a second you shrug at. On a video call it is the difference between sounding present and sounding like you are on a bad line, and it is the most common reason people abandon Proton VPN after paying for it.

If your day contains calls, weigh this more heavily than the feature tables suggest.

What you are allowed to inspect

Proton VPN's clients are open source. That means the claim that the app does what it says is checkable by somebody who does not work there, which is a different category of assurance from a report commissioned by the company. Outside auditors have inspected Proton's servers five years running, most recently in June 2026.

ExpressVPN's apps are closed and have not been examined since 2024, and its most recent review covered a single day rather than a period. It is owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns two rivals; ExpressVPN does at least say so.

Proton also has port forwarding, which ExpressVPN lacks entirely, and a free plan with no data cap and no expiry that lets you find out how the speed feels before paying. ExpressVPN has obfuscation that works without setup, and a browser extension that stands alone.

Which should you choose?

Choose Proton VPN if you want software an outsider can audit, if you need port forwarding, or if you would rather test a VPN properly than trust a refund window. Choose ExpressVPN if you spend your day on calls and a slow first load would drive you back to no VPN at all.

The useful move here is that you do not have to guess. Proton's free tier costs nothing and carries no expiry date, so you can find out in an evening whether its speed is a problem for the way you actually work.