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ExpressVPN vs Proton VPN

Comparing
two VPNs
Decided by
Independent no-logs audits
Last reviewed
2026-08-26
ExpressVPNTakes bitcoin

Courtroom-tested no-logs claim and a bitcoin refund policy that pays back the coins you sent, from a company that also owns two rivals here.

Proton VPNTakes bitcoin

Five straight annual no-logs audits published in full, plus the only free tier here that a privacy-minded reader can honestly be pointed at.

No verdict

No verdict: both carry 5 independent audits, so the rows below decide by jurisdiction, price and how you want to pay.

Criterion
Independent no-logs audits
ExpressVPN
5
Proton VPN
5

ExpressVPN and Proton VPN, fact by fact

Every row is from the two reviews as of their review dates, with sources on each. A check marks the side a decidable criterion favours; rows without one are information, not a score.

ExpressVPN and Proton VPN compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
FactExpressVPNProton VPN
Independent audits5, latest 20255, latest 2026
Real-world tests10
Incidents on record00
Market exits10
OwnerKape TechnologiesProton AG
JurisdictionBritish Virgin IslandsSwitzerland
Eyes allianceOutsideOutside
PriceFrom $2.99/mo on the 2yr planFree tier, or paid VPN Plus
Money-back30 days30 days
Crypto acceptedbitcoinbitcoin
Anonymous signupNoNo
Free tierNoneUnlimited bandwidth, one device, servers in 10 countries, no ads
ServersVendor states servers in 113 countries, all running from RAM under its TrustedServer designVendor states thousands of servers, with paid plans reaching over 140 countries and the free tier limited to ten
Last reviewed2026-08-262026-08-26

No-logs evidence, side by side

Dated audits and real-world tests from each review. An empty column is a finding: the claim has not been independently checked.

ExpressVPN

  • 2025Audit by KPMG: third KPMG audit of the no-logs privacy commitments
  • 2024Audit by Cure53: fourth security audit of the Lightway VPN protocol
  • 2023Audit by KPMG: assessment of the privacy policy claims
  • 2022Audit by KPMG: no-logs policy and the TrustedServer architecture
  • 2019Audit by PwC: privacy policy compliance and the TrustedServer technology
  • 2017Turkish investigators seized a physical ExpressVPN server during the inquiry into the killing of the Russian ambassador to Turkey: The server produced no logs tying any customer to the IP addresses under investigation

Proton VPN

  • 2026Audit by Securitum: fifth consecutive annual no-logs audit of the production server infrastructure, report published in full
  • 2025Audit by Securitum: annual on-site no-logs audit of the server infrastructure
  • 2024Audit by Securitum: annual on-site no-logs audit of the server infrastructure
  • 2023Audit by Securitum: annual on-site no-logs audit of the server infrastructure
  • 2022Audit by Securitum: first annual no-logs audit, conducted on site

Frequently asked questions

Is ExpressVPN or Proton VPN better for privacy?

No verdict: both carry 5 independent audits, so the rows below decide by jurisdiction, price and how you want to pay. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay ExpressVPN or Proton VPN with bitcoin?

ExpressVPN takes bitcoin (processor: BitPay). Proton VPN takes bitcoin (processor: In-house). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Proton VPN?

ExpressVPN: From $2.99/mo on the 2yr plan. Proton VPN: Free tier, or paid VPN Plus. Money-back: ExpressVPN 30 days, Proton VPN 30 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are ExpressVPN and Proton VPN based?

ExpressVPN: British Virgin Islands (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). Proton VPN: Switzerland (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). A jurisdiction matters less than a court record showing what the provider could hand over; the reviews carry those where they exist.

The full reviews: ExpressVPN and Proton VPN, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

More comparisons

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