By 
ExpressVPN and Proton VPN take different paths on Android. ExpressVPN leans into ease and wide coverage. Proton VPN leans into privacy and a strong free tier. The renewals decide the bill. Read the price rows before you buy. No link on this page pays us today. Every link is a plain link.
ExpressVPN vs Proton VPN on Android: quick summary
- Privacy vs ease: Proton VPN puts privacy first with Swiss roots. ExpressVPN puts ease first with a simple app.
- Speed: Labs split by metric. No single winner. Check the split below.
- Free tier: Proton VPN has a free plan with 10 countries, 1 device, medium speed. ExpressVPN has no public free tier.
- Price: Proton VPN Plus renews at $83.88 per year after a 24 month intro. ExpressVPN renews at $99.95 per year for Basic.
- Trust: ExpressVPN lists 28 audits. Proton VPN has 6 audits per CNET since 2019. Proton has 458 orders since 2017 all denied for VPN traffic identification.
- Apps: ExpressVPN has 495K reviews on the Play Store. Proton VPN has 1.44M reviews.
Speed: split by metric
CNET and PCMag disagree on speed by metric. Neither lab gives a clean win across all tests.
Treat speed as a tiebreaker only. Pick by privacy needs or ease of use first. Test on your own Android device if speed matters most for you.
Android apps: ease vs control
ExpressVPN (com.expressvpn.vpn) is simple to set up on Android. It focuses on quick connect with fewer menus.
Proton VPN (ch.protonvpn.android) gives more control and includes a free tier. It fits users who want more choice without paying first.
ExpressVPN has 495K reviews on the Play Store. Proton VPN has 1.44M reviews.
Price: renewals decide
Check the renewal row before you buy. Intro prices drop fast but renew higher.
| Plan | Intro | Renewal | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN Free | $0.00 per month | $0.00 per month | 10 countries, 1 device, medium speed, no credit card needed |
| Proton VPN Plus | $3.49 per month for first 24 months (billed $83.76, 65 percent off) | $83.88 per year | 10 devices, 20k+ servers in 140+ countries, highest speed |
| ExpressVPN Basic (1 year) | $6.24 per month for first 12 months (billed $74.85) | $99.95 per year | 30 day money-back guarantee |
| ExpressVPN Basic (28 months) | $2.99 per month for first 28 months (billed $83.72) | $99.95 per year | 30 day money-back guarantee |
| ExpressVPN Advanced (28 months) | $4.49 per month for first 28 months (billed $125.72) | $119.95 per year | 30 day money-back guarantee |
| ExpressVPN Pro (28 months) | $7.49 per month for first 28 months (billed $209.72) | $199.95 per year | 30 day money-back guarantee |
Both offer a 30 day money-back guarantee. Proton VPN's 1 year option exists in embedded pricing but the default tab shows 24 months.
The trap: the intro price is not the price you pay. Read the renewal row before you click buy.
Trust: the whole table
Look at audits, ownership, and past issues. Then judge.
| What I checked | ExpressVPN | Proton VPN | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audits | 28 audits listed. Most recent May 2026 (Cure53). | 6 audits since 2019 per CNET. Most recent Sep 2025. No own audit page at protonvpn.com/audit. | ExpressVPN |
| Ownership | Kape Technologies agreed to buy ExpressVPN for $936 million in September 2021 and completed the acquisition on 15 December 2021. vpnMentor owned by Kape and discloses tie. | Proton AG, Swiss based. | Tie |
| Leaks/issues | Windows split tunneling DNS leak affected 12.23.1-12.72.0 when active; 12.73.0 (7 Feb 2024) temporarily removed split tunneling, restored in 12.74.0 (21 Feb 2024). | 2021 incident involved ProtonMail (not Proton VPN); Swiss authorities ordered ProtonMail to log an IP under a binding order. No evidence Proton VPN logged IPs or was investigated by ESET. Transparency report reviewed. | Tie |
| Transparency | TrustedServer and Lightway audited. Policy audits by KPMG. | 458 legally binding orders since 2017. All denied for VPN traffic identification. | Proton VPN |
| Jurisdiction | British Virgin Islands. | Switzerland. Court-approved requests only under Article 271 of the Swiss Criminal Code; strict no-logs policy validated by audits. | Proton VPN for legal angle |
Proton VPN's transparency report states 458 legally binding orders since 2017. In every case authorities wanted to identify who was connected to a specific server at a specific time. All were denied for VPN traffic identification.
For ExpressVPN, see the trust page for the full audit list. For Proton VPN pricing and features see the pricing page.
Streaming, extras and Nigeria
Both can reach some regional libraries. No server count guarantees access. Features change over time so test on your device.
In Nigeria, direct naira prices were not visible on either vendor page on 26 October 2026. Pay by card or use a local reseller if needed. Watch card limits and avoid grey market shared accounts.
If you need to know whether you need a VPN, see Do you need a VPN on Android?.
Which one to pick
Pick Proton VPN if privacy and a free tier matter most. Pick ExpressVPN if ease of use and wide coverage matter most.
If speed is the only thing you care about, test both. The labs split by metric so no single winner fits everyone.
Read the renewal row before you commit. Test on your own device first. For the rest of the troubleshooting set, see Android problems hub.
Questions readers ask
Which one has better privacy?
Proton VPN has Swiss jurisdiction and a transparency report showing 458 orders since 2017 all denied for VPN traffic identification. ExpressVPN has strong audits and TrustedServer. Both take privacy seriously.
Is there a free option?
Proton VPN has a free plan with 10 countries, 1 device, medium speed. ExpressVPN has no public free tier.
Which renews cheaper?
Proton VPN Plus renews at $83.88 per year. ExpressVPN Basic renews at $99.95 per year. Check current prices on the day you buy.
Do they share ownership?
No. Proton VPN is by Proton AG. ExpressVPN is by Kape Technologies. vpnMentor is owned by Kape and discloses the tie.
Are there audits?
ExpressVPN lists 28 audits on its trust page. Proton VPN has 6 audits since 2019 per CNET. Proton has no public audit page at protonvpn.com/audit.
Comments
New posts held for reviewCouldn't load comments - the thread service didn't answer. Nothing is being hidden: no approved comments are saved with this page.
No approved comments yet - the first one is yours. New posts are held for review before they appear.