ExpressVPN review for crypto users
Last reviewed 2026-08-12
Ownership disclosure
ExpressVPN is the easiest of the three VPNs we review, and it has taken bitcoin longer than almost anyone, but read this disclosure first: since a $936 million acquisition in 2021 it has been owned by Kape Technologies, the holding company that also owns Private Internet Access and CyberGhost. That means two of the three VPNs we review share an owner, and by May 2026 roughly 70% of the commercial VPN user base sat under just four holding companies. Common ownership does not make a product bad, but it concentrates trust, and you should know about it whenever a review site (including this one) lists both brands.
The product itself holds up. ExpressVPN is legally based in the British Virgin Islands, which has no data retention requirements, and it has accepted bitcoin since June 2014 through BitPay: pick BitPay at checkout, pay in BTC or several other coins, and only an email address is required. Its TrustedServer design runs servers from RAM only, so nothing on a server survives a reboot, and the Network Lock kill switch cuts traffic if the tunnel drops.
The tradeoff is price. ExpressVPN generally costs more than NordVPN or PIA for comparable features, and the Kape connection means picking it over PIA does not diversify your ownership exposure the way it might appear to.
- Owned by
- Kape Technologies
- Jurisdiction
- British Virgin Islands
- Price
- Typically the priciest of the three we review; monthly, 6-month, and 12-month plans, cheaper per month on the longer terms.
- Pay with bitcoin
- Yes
What it does for a bitcoin user
- Accepts bitcoin through BitPay since June 2014, with only an email address required
- British Virgin Islands jurisdiction, outside US and EU data retention regimes
- TrustedServer RAM-only servers wipe on every reboot
- Network Lock kill switch on desktop and mobile
- Owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns Private Internet Access and CyberGhost
What it will not do: bypass KYC, hide on-chain activity, or make using geo-blocked exchanges safe. Details in the VPN guide.
Pros and cons
What works
- Longest bitcoin payment track record of the big VPNs, accepting BTC via BitPay since June 2014
- BVI jurisdiction has no mandatory data retention law
- RAM-only TrustedServer design limits what a seized server could reveal
- Consistently easy apps across platforms, a fair pick for beginners
What to watch
- Owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns Private Internet Access and CyberGhost, so two of the three VPNs we review share one owner
- Usually the most expensive of the three for comparable features
- BitPay checkout still requires an email address, and bitcoin payments are pseudonymous, not anonymous
Frequently asked questions
Can I pay for ExpressVPN with bitcoin?
Yes. Choose BitPay at checkout and pay in bitcoin or several other coins. Only an email address is needed to register, a setup ExpressVPN has offered since June 2014.
Who owns ExpressVPN?
Kape Technologies, which bought it for $936 million in 2021. Kape also owns Private Internet Access and CyberGhost, so several major VPN brands share this one owner.
Does ExpressVPN keep logs?
It states a no-logs policy and runs RAM-only TrustedServer infrastructure, so server contents are wiped on every reboot. It is based in the British Virgin Islands, which has no data retention requirement.
Is paying with bitcoin anonymous?
It is pseudonymous rather than anonymous. You avoid handing over card details and a billing address, but the payment is visible on the blockchain and ExpressVPN still has your email address.