ExpressVPN vs Surfshark: Is the Price Difference Justified?
ExpressVPN is one of the most expensive mainstream VPNs. Surfshark is one of the cheapest. When two products occupy such different price points, the question is never which one is technically better — it's whether the better one is worth the premium.
We tested both in 2026 to answer that question directly.
The Price Gap
Surfshark's 2-year plan costs around $1.99/month. ExpressVPN's equivalent plan runs $2.79/month for the basic tier — but the fully-featured plan is $3.59/month. On a 24-month commitment, that's a difference of $38-$96.
For that premium, ExpressVPN needs to deliver meaningfully better performance in areas that affect your daily experience.
Speed: ExpressVPN Is Faster, But Not by Much
ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol is among the fastest VPN protocols available, rivaling NordVPN's NordLynx. In our 2026 tests, ExpressVPN averaged 10-15% faster on long-distance connections compared to Surfshark's WireGuard implementation.
The practical impact? If you're connecting from Europe to US servers or vice versa, ExpressVPN gives you noticeably better throughput. For same-country connections, the difference is rarely perceptible.
Both VPNs are fast enough that neither will bottleneck a standard internet connection. The speed difference matters most for high-speed connections (200 Mbps+) where the VPN overhead becomes the limiting factor.
Streaming: ExpressVPN Is More Reliable
ExpressVPN has built a strong reputation for unblocking streaming services consistently. In our tests, it accessed Netflix US, UK, Japan, and Australia without switching servers. BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Disney+, and Amazon Prime all worked on the first attempt.
Surfshark also unblocks streaming, but requires more server-switching when IP addresses get flagged. Approximately 1 in 5 streaming connections on Surfshark required manually switching to a different server in our testing — not a dealbreaker, but additional friction.
Works in China: ExpressVPN Wins
This is one of ExpressVPN's clearest practical advantages. It consistently bypasses China's Great Firewall — one of the few VPNs that can do this reliably in 2026.
Surfshark does not work reliably in China. If you travel to China or live there, this comparison ends here: ExpressVPN is the answer.
Device Connections: Surfshark Wins
Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections. ExpressVPN allows 8. For individuals, 8 is sufficient. For families or users with many devices, Surfshark's unlimited policy is a meaningful advantage.
Privacy: Essentially Equal
Both VPNs have audited no-logs policies and strong encryption. ExpressVPN's TrustedServer technology runs entirely from RAM — no data is written to disk and servers are wiped clean with every reboot.
ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands. Surfshark is in the Netherlands. Both are outside Five Eyes intelligence alliances, though the Netherlands is part of Nine Eyes. For most users, neither distinction changes anything practical.
Customer Support: ExpressVPN Wins
ExpressVPN's 24/7 live chat support is consistently rated among the best in the VPN industry. Response times are fast and agents are technically knowledgeable.
Surfshark also offers 24/7 live chat, but support quality is more variable. Simple questions get quick answers; complex technical issues sometimes escalate slowly.
Who Should Pick Which
Choose ExpressVPN if:
- You travel to or live in China
- Streaming reliability without troubleshooting matters most
- You want the fastest possible speeds
- Customer support quality is important to you
- You have a budget that allows for a premium service
Choose Surfshark if:
- Price is a significant factor
- You need unlimited simultaneous device connections
- China access isn't required
- You're happy to occasionally switch servers for streaming
The Verdict
ExpressVPN is technically the better VPN. Surfshark is the better deal for most users.
The price premium buys you faster speeds, more reliable streaming, China compatibility, and better support. Those advantages are real. But for users who don't travel to China and can tolerate occasional server-switching for streaming, Surfshark delivers 85% of ExpressVPN's value at half the price.
Start with Surfshark. If the streaming reliability or speeds frustrate you after a few weeks, upgrade to ExpressVPN knowing exactly what you're paying for.