ExpressVPN vs Surfshark

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

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.

SurfsharkTakes bitcoin

Unlimited devices and Deloitte-verified no-logs, from a company that merged into the same group as NordVPN in 2022.

Verdict: ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 5 against 2 for Surfshark. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides.

Criterion: Independent no-logs audits
ExpressVPN: 5
Surfshark: 2

ExpressVPN and Surfshark, 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 Surfshark compared fact by fact from their reviews; a check marks the side a decidable criterion favours.
Fact	ExpressVPN	Surfshark
Independent audits	5, latest 2025 (favoured on this row)	2, latest 2025
Real-world tests	1	0
Incidents on record	0	0
Market exits	1	0
Owner	Kape Technologies	Nord Security
Jurisdiction	British Virgin Islands	Netherlands
Eyes alliance	Outside	Nine Eyes
Price	From $2.99/mo on the 2yr plan	From $2.49/mo on the 2yr plan
Money-back	30 days	30 days
Crypto accepted	bitcoin	bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash, dogecoin
Anonymous signup	No	No
Free tier	None	None
Servers	Vendor states servers in 113 countries, all running from RAM under its TrustedServer design	Vendor states more than 4,500 servers across 100 countries, all upgraded to 10Gbps ports
Last reviewed	2026-08-26	2026-08-26

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

Surfshark

2025Audit by Deloitte: independent assurance that the service does not monitor or log user activity, announced June 2025
2023Audit by Deloitte: first Deloitte no-logs assurance engagement on the server configurations

Frequently asked questions

Is ExpressVPN or Surfshark better for privacy?

ExpressVPN carries more independent audits of its no-logs claim: 5 against 2 for Surfshark. We publish no rating for VPNs, so the audit count is the one criterion that decides. Audits, court and seizure records and incidents are dated on each review with their sources.

Can I pay ExpressVPN or Surfshark with bitcoin?

ExpressVPN takes bitcoin (processor: BitPay). Surfshark takes bitcoin, litecoin, ethereum, bitcoin cash and dogecoin (processor: CoinGate). Each review quotes the vendor's own refund sentence for crypto purchases verbatim.

Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Surfshark?

ExpressVPN: From $2.99/mo on the 2yr plan. Surfshark: From $2.49/mo on the 2yr plan. Money-back: ExpressVPN 30 days, Surfshark 30 days. Prices are from each vendor's own page as of the review date.

Where are ExpressVPN and Surfshark based?

ExpressVPN: British Virgin Islands (outside the five, nine and fourteen eyes alliances). Surfshark: Netherlands (nine eyes member). 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 Surfshark, each with its sources, and every VPN we review.

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