ExpressVPN vs Surfshark
Updated 19 June 2026- Overall winner: ExpressVPN
- Side-by-side on speed, price, streaming, privacy & devices
- Both backed by a money-back guarantee
ExpressVPN is the better VPN overall, scoring 9.9 to Surfshark's 9.2 and winning on raw speed, streaming reliability and privacy. After running both side by side, ExpressVPN simply felt faster and unblocked more libraries on the first try. The single biggest reason to pick Surfshark instead is money: at $1.78/mo on the two-year plan it costs less than two-thirds of ExpressVPN's $2.79/mo, and it covers unlimited devices versus ExpressVPN's eight. If you want the best performance, go Express; if you want the best deal across a whole household, Surfshark is hard to beat.
ExpressVPN vs Surfshark: side by side
| ExpressVPN | Surfshark | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 9.9/10 | 9.2/10 |
| Speed (US-East, 1 Gbps) | 478 Mbps | 421 Mbps |
| Price (2-year plan) | $2.79/mo | $1.78/mo |
| Servers | 3,000 | 3,200 |
| Countries | 105 | 100 |
| Simultaneous devices | 8 | Unlimited |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
Speed figures from our Q2 2026 benchmark (US-East, 1 Gbps line). Prices in USD, verified 2026-06-16. Green = category winner.
Category by category
Speed
Winner: ExpressVPNExpressVPN wins on speed, hitting 478 Mbps on our US-East 1 Gbps line versus Surfshark's 421 Mbps, the difference you'll feel on 4K streams and big downloads.
Price
Winner: SurfsharkSurfshark wins on price, undercutting ExpressVPN at $1.78/mo on the two-year plan against ExpressVPN's $2.79/mo.
Streaming
Winner: ExpressVPNExpressVPN wins on streaming with a 9.9 score to Surfshark's 9.2, unblocking more catalogs cleanly and reconnecting faster when a server gets flagged.
Privacy
Winner: ExpressVPNExpressVPN wins on privacy with a perfect 10 versus Surfshark's 9.1, backed by the longest independent audit history in the category.
Value
Winner: SurfsharkSurfshark wins on value, scoring 9.6 to ExpressVPN's 8.5 by packing the full feature set into the lowest price.
Devices
Winner: SurfsharkSurfshark wins on devices with unlimited simultaneous connections, comfortably beating ExpressVPN's cap of eight.
Choose ExpressVPN if…
Choose ExpressVPN if you want the fastest everyday speeds, the most reliable streaming, and the strongest privacy track record, and you're willing to pay a little more for a top score of 9.9. It's the pick for serious streamers, frequent travelers, and anyone who treats privacy as non-negotiable.
Choose Surfshark if…
Choose Surfshark if you want the best price-to-features ratio at $1.78/mo and need to protect unlimited devices, ideal for big households or anyone wiring up phones, laptops, tablets and TVs all at once. You give up a little speed and streaming polish, but the value is unmatched.
Bottom line
ExpressVPN is the overall winner at 9.9, taking speed, streaming and privacy, so it's our default recommendation. But Surfshark scores a strong 9.2 and is the smarter buy if budget or device count drives your decision: $1.78/mo and unlimited connections make it the best value in the category.
ExpressVPN vs Surfshark — FAQ
Is ExpressVPN or Surfshark better?
ExpressVPN is better overall, scoring 9.9 to Surfshark's 9.2. It wins on speed (478 vs 421 Mbps), streaming (9.9 vs 9.2) and privacy (a perfect 10 vs 9.1). Surfshark is the better choice only if price or device count is your priority.
Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Surfshark?
Surfshark is cheaper. On the two-year plan it costs $1.78/mo at 88% off, while ExpressVPN runs $2.79/mo at 79% off. Both come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test either risk-free.
Which is faster, ExpressVPN or Surfshark?
ExpressVPN is faster. On our US-East 1 Gbps line it averaged 478 Mbps compared to Surfshark's 421 Mbps. Both are quick enough for 4K streaming and gaming, but ExpressVPN's extra headroom shows up on large downloads and busy connections.
Which VPN is better for streaming and multiple devices?
For streaming, ExpressVPN is better, with a 9.9 score versus 9.2; it unblocks more libraries cleanly and recovers faster when servers get flagged. For device count, Surfshark wins outright with unlimited simultaneous connections against ExpressVPN's limit of eight, making it ideal for large households.