ExpressVPN vs Windscribe: which to buy in 2026?

Three differences decide this matchup. Price structure: Windscribe bills $69 every 12 months — $5.75 a month — and its homepage states the price you sign up at is the price you keep, while ExpressVPN’s $3.19-a-month intro deal renews at $99.95 a year once the first 28 months end. Paper trail: ExpressVPN’s no-logs policy passed its third KPMG assurance audit in 2025; Windscribe has no formal no-logs attestation — its most recent independent check is a Packetlabs security audit and penetration test from June 2024. And the trial path: Windscribe gives you 10 GB a month free with no card, while ExpressVPN’s 30-day refund is suspended for purchases made 11 Jul to 11 Aug 2026.

Every number here comes from the two vendors’ own pricing, server, and policy pages as of 23 Jul 2026, except where a third-party outlet is named. For how both rank against the wider market, start with our full VPN rankings.

ExpressVPN vs Windscribe, from each vendor's own pages on 23 Jul 2026

	ExpressVPN	Windscribe
Monthly price	$14.99 (Basic)	$9.00
Best paid deal	$3.19/mo intro — $89.32 for 28 months	$5.75/mo — $69 every 12 months
Renewal after first term	$99.95/yr (about $8.33/mo)	$69/yr — same as sign-up
Free plan	No — 3-day mobile trial	Yes — 10 GB/month
Money-back guarantee	30 days — suspended 11 Jul to 11 Aug 2026	7 business days, under 10 GB used
Simultaneous devices	10, 12, or 14 by tier	Unlimited
Server countries	113	69+
Protocols	Lightway, WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2	WireGuard, IKEv2, OpenVPN, Stealth, WSTunnel
RAM-only servers	Yes — TrustedServer	Yes — RAM disk, fleet-wide from Q3 2024
Latest no-logs audit	KPMG, 2025 (third)	None — Packetlabs pen test, Jun 2024
Jurisdiction	British Virgin Islands	Canada (Ontario) — Five Eyes
Ownership	Kape Group	Self-funded, independent

Which one costs less?

Windscribe, everywhere except ExpressVPN’s first term. Month to month, Windscribe charges $9.00 against $14.99 for ExpressVPN Basic. On yearly billing, Windscribe’s $69 works out to $5.75 a month, and it is not an intro rate — the homepage puts the policy plainly: “The price you signed up for is the price you pay. Forever.”

ExpressVPN’s two-year deal beats that for a while. Its $89.32 bill covers the first 28 months, about $3.19 a month. Then the intro rate expires and Basic autorenews at $99.95 a year — about $8.33 a month, roughly $31 more per year than Windscribe. That gap repeats every year you stay.

True cost	ExpressVPN Basic	Windscribe Pro
First term	$89.32 for 28 months ($3.19/mo)	$69 for 12 months ($5.75/mo)
Renewal	$99.95/yr	$69/yr — unchanged
Rolling monthly	$14.99	$9.00

Two footnotes on cheaper routes. Windscribe sells a custom Build A Plan from $3 a month — three locations minimum, at $1 per Pro location — if you only need a few countries. And ExpressVPN’s higher tiers are bundles, not better VPNs: Advanced ($16.99 a month) and Express Pro ($22.99) add an AI chatbot, a password manager, email relay, identity tools, and eSIM data, then renew at $119.95 and $199.95 a year. If the VPN is all you want, compare on Basic.

Can you try either one before paying?

With Windscribe, yes — the free plan is the trial. It gives 10 GB a month once your email is confirmed — 2 GB without — on unlimited connections, with servers in 10 countries and no app features held back. No credit card is required, and posting on X earns an extra 5 GB. It’s one of the two free plans covered in our best free VPN picks.

ExpressVPN has no free plan, only a 3-day trial through its iOS and Android apps. Its usual fallback, the 30-day money-back guarantee, loses effect for purchases made in the sweepstakes window of 11 Jul to 11 Aug 2026 — the order page’s own pricing table currently lists it as not applicable. Even in normal periods it serves first-time customers only and leaves out App Store and Google Play purchases. Unintended renewals get a 14-day refund window.

Windscribe’s refund is no safety net either: 7 business days, only if you have used under 10 GB, only on the first payment, and only once support cannot fix the technical issue you raised. Treat both refund policies as narrow — the free 10 GB is the practical way to test.

Which one is more private?

ExpressVPN has the stronger paper trail. Its third KPMG engagement — ISAE (UK) 3000 Type 1 assurance covering the no-logs policy and TrustedServer as of 28 Feb 2025 — reported no identified issues, and anyone can download it after accepting KPMG’s terms. TrustedServer runs every VPN server in RAM and reloads the full software stack on each reboot, with separate audits by PwC and Cure53 behind it. The company itself is registered in the British Virgin Islands — a jurisdiction, it says, with strong privacy laws.

Windscribe’s record is real but different in kind. Packetlabs audited its FreshScribe server stack in June 2024 — a privacy and security audit plus penetration test, report dated 26 Jun 2024, covering the RAM-disk servers and how they prevent disclosure of personal data. Leviathan Security audited the desktop app in September 2021 and the mobile apps in March 2022. None of these is a no-logs attestation of the KPMG kind; Windscribe instead offers a Greek court case as its practical demonstration of how little its servers hold. Our guide to no-log VPN audits explains what separates an assurance engagement from a pen test.

Jurisdiction and ownership pull in opposite directions. Windscribe Limited answers to Ontario, Canada — Five Eyes territory — but the company is self-funded with no external owner. ExpressVPN sits outside the intelligence alliances yet belongs to the Kape Group, per its own trust page. On the documents, ExpressVPN takes this section; Windscribe’s counterweights are structural — a RAM-disk fleet since Q3 2024 and independence from any larger group.

Whose network is bigger?

ExpressVPN’s, clearly. Its server page lists 113 countries across 214+ locations. Windscribe’s own pages disagree with each other: the server-list heading says 69+ countries and 120+ cities, the FAQ on the same page says over 85 countries, and the upgrade page says 69 countries and 112 cities — so treat 69+ as the floor. One thing Windscribe does state that few rivals match: every location it runs is a physical server — nothing virtual anywhere on its map.

On speed, the vendors’ pages settle nothing and we run no benchmarks. Comparitech’s head-to-head puts ExpressVPN ahead, and ProPrivacy’s comparison points the same way — but those are their connections, not yours. For streaming, Cybernews and ProPrivacy report ExpressVPN unblocking services like Netflix, Disney+, and BBC iPlayer more consistently than Windscribe. Windscribe’s free 10 GB is the zero-cost way to check both claims on your own network.

What about protocols and devices?

Windscribe carries more connection tooling for hostile networks. Its homepage advertises up to six ways to connect, spanning WireGuard, IKEv2, and OpenVPN, and adds Stealth and WSTunnel — obfuscation built for networks that block standard VPN traffic. ExpressVPN defaults to Lightway, the open-source Rust protocol it built around post-quantum ML-KEM, runs a post-quantum-protected customized WireGuard on six platforms from iOS to Apple TV, and keeps OpenVPN and IKEv2 available.

On devices there’s no contest. Windscribe allows unlimited connections on every plan, free included; its terms bar sharing one account between people. ExpressVPN meters by tier — Basic covers 10, Advanced 12, Express Pro 14 — and the extra slots come only with those tiers’ higher prices.

Choose ExpressVPN if

• A formal no-logs audit matters: KPMG’s 2025 report is downloadable after accepting its terms.
• You want the wider map: 113 countries against Windscribe’s 69+.
• You’d rather your VPN sit outside Five Eyes: British Virgin Islands against Canada.
• You’re buying after 11 Aug 2026, when the 30-day guarantee applies again.

See current plans at ExpressVPN, or start with our ExpressVPN review for the full picture.

Choose Windscribe if

• You want a price that holds: $69 a year at sign-up and at every renewal, against ExpressVPN’s post-intro $99.95.
• Your household runs more than 14 devices — Windscribe sets no limit.
• You want to test properly before paying: 10 GB a month free, no card.
• You’re behind a network that blocks VPNs and want Stealth or WSTunnel obfuscation built in.

Try the free plan at Windscribe, or see our Windscribe review for the full picture.

Frequently asked questions

Is ExpressVPN better than Windscribe?

For privacy assurance, yes: ExpressVPN has a 2025 KPMG no-logs audit, British Virgin Islands registration, and 113 server countries. For value, no: Windscribe costs $9 a month or $69 a year with no renewal increase, allows unlimited devices, and includes a 10 GB free plan. Match the pick to which of those you weight more.

Is Windscribe really free?

Yes. The free plan gives 10 GB a month after you confirm an email — 2 GB if you don't — with servers in 10 countries, unlimited simultaneous connections, and no app features held back. No credit card is required, and posting on X adds another 5 GB.

Which is cheaper, ExpressVPN or Windscribe?

Windscribe, at almost every point: $9 a month against ExpressVPN's $14.99, and $69 a year against ExpressVPN's post-intro $99.95. The one exception is ExpressVPN's two-year intro deal — $89.32 for the first 28 months, about $3.19 a month — which undercuts Windscribe until it renews.

Which is faster, ExpressVPN or Windscribe?

We don't publish a speed winner — we run no benchmarks. Comparitech's and ProPrivacy's head-to-heads both put ExpressVPN ahead on speed, but those results come from their connections, not yours. Windscribe's free 10 GB plan lets you compare both on your own network before spending anything.

Has Windscribe been audited?

Not with a formal no-logs attestation. Packetlabs ran a privacy and security audit plus penetration test of Windscribe's FreshScribe server stack in June 2024, and Leviathan Security audited its desktop app in 2021 and mobile apps in 2022. Windscribe also leans on a Greek court case to show in practice what its servers keep.

What's the catch with each refund policy?

ExpressVPN's 30-day guarantee is paused for purchases made 11 Jul to 11 Aug 2026, covers first-time customers only, and excludes app-store purchases. Windscribe refunds only within 7 business days, only if you've used under 10 GB, only on the initial payment, and only when support cannot resolve the technical issue you reported.