Affiliate disclosure: VPN Vetted is reader-supported. Some links below are affiliate links (marked “sponsored”): if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We rank and recommend by published price, refund terms and audits, never by commission. NordVPN and Surfshark both belong to Nord Security (they merged under one holding company in 2022 and say they operate independently); ExpressVPN is operated by Express Technologies Ltd under British Virgin Islands jurisdiction, with ultimate holding company Kape Technologies PLC. We hold all of them to the same criteria.
NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Surfshark prices and offer terms checked October 23, 2026, between 09:12 and 09:13 BRT, on the official US pricing pages, in USD, before sales tax. Surfshark renewal table: same-day US capture at 01:14 BRT.
Verdict in 30 seconds
Pick ExpressVPN Basic if you want the lower long-run bill among these two premium brands. On today’s US pages, Basic is $83.72 for the first 28 months, then renews at $99.95 a year — flatter than NordVPN Basic’s jump from $94.23 for 27 months to $139.08 a year. ExpressVPN also publishes a recent KPMG no-logs assessment (as of February 28, 2025) that you can open after acknowledging the auditor’s terms.
Pick NordVPN if you want a bigger security bundle around the VPN. Basic already includes scam and phishing protection and Dark Web Monitor. Complete and Prime add antivirus, a password manager, 1 TB of cloud storage and (Prime) US identity-theft insurance. The trade-off is renewal.
Pick Surfshark instead if devices or upfront price matter most. Every Surfshark plan lists unlimited devices, and Starter/One cost $67.23 for the first 27 months — cheaper than either premium entry plan — with Starter renewing at $79 a year. Remember NordVPN and Surfshark share a parent group.
Our opinion: for a VPN-only reader comparing these two brands on published price and renewal, ExpressVPN Basic is the safer long-term pick on today’s numbers. Choose NordVPN when you will use the extras.
Check ExpressVPN price · Check NordVPN price
Side-by-side table
| NordVPN | ExpressVPN | Surfshark (value alt) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company / jurisdiction | NordVPN under Panama jurisdiction; parent Nord Security (Netherlands) | Express Technologies Ltd, British Virgin Islands; ultimate holding Kape Technologies PLC | Surfshark B.V., Amsterdam; part of Nord Security since 2022 |
| Entry 2-year intro | Basic: $3.49/mo, $94.23 for first 27 months | Basic: $2.99/mo, $83.72 for first 28 months | Starter: $2.49/mo, $67.23 for first 27 months |
| Published renewal (entry) | $139.08/year | $99.95/year | $79.00/year (Starter) |
| Devices | 10 at once | Basic 10; Advanced 12; Express Pro 14 | Unlimited |
| Refund window | 30 days from initial purchase | 30 days for first-time users (direct purchase) | Within 30 days of signing up |
| Latest no-logs check (provider) | Deloitte Lithuania, ISAE 3000 (Revised), report Dec 12, 2025 (sixth) | KPMG LLP, ISAE (UK) 3000 Type I, as at Feb 28, 2025 (announced Jun 25, 2025) | Deloitte no-logs assurance (provider blog) |
| Report access | Full report after Nord Account login | Full report after acknowledging KPMG terms | In the Surfshark account |
| Network size (provider claim) | Thousands of servers, 225+ locations | Servers in 113 countries | 4500+ servers in 100 countries |
| Checked | Oct 23, 2026, ~09:12 BRT | Oct 23, 2026, ~09:12 BRT | Pricing ~09:12 BRT; renewals 01:14 BRT |
Sources: nordvpn.com/pricing/, expressvpn.com/pricing, surfshark.com/pricing and surfshark.com/terms-of-service/pricing, plus the audit and support pages listed at the end. US view, USD. Taxes are extra where they apply.
Check NordVPN price · Check ExpressVPN price · Check Surfshark price
Price: intro vs renewal
Both brands advertise a low monthly average on the long intro deal, then auto-renew at a higher annual rate. ExpressVPN’s first term is 28 months (2 years + 4 months). NordVPN’s is 27 months (2 years + 3 extra). Surfshark’s Starter/One match NordVPN’s 27-month shape.
| Plan (2-year intro) | You pay upfront | First term | Published renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| ExpressVPN Basic | $83.72 | 28 months | $99.95/year |
| ExpressVPN Advanced | $125.72 | 28 months | $119.95/year |
| ExpressVPN Express Pro | $209.72 | 28 months | $199.95/year |
| NordVPN Basic | $94.23 | 27 months | $139.08/year |
| NordVPN Complete | $107.73 | 27 months | $219.48/year |
| NordVPN Prime | $188.73 | 27 months | $296.28/year |
| Surfshark Starter | $67.23 | 27 months | $79.00/year |
| Surfshark One | $67.23 | 27 months | $99.00/year |
| Surfshark One+ | $107.73 | 27 months | $119.00/year |
ExpressVPN’s cards state the renewal line clearly, for example: “Billed $83.72 for the first 28 Months. Then autorenews at $99.95 annually.” NordVPN’s offer terms say the intro price is “valid only for the first period of your subscription,” with yearly renewals charged “up to 14 days before the renewal” and an email notice first for plans longer than one month. Surfshark says it emails 30 days before renewal (except monthly plans) and lists standard renewal prices on its terms page.
Intro plus one year of renewal (our arithmetic, before tax):
- ExpressVPN Basic: $83.72 + $99.95 = $183.67 for 40 months (about $4.59 a month).
- NordVPN Basic: $94.23 + $139.08 = $233.31 for 39 months (about $5.98 a month).
- Surfshark Starter: $67.23 + $79.00 = $146.23 for 39 months (about $3.75 a month).
- ExpressVPN Advanced: $125.72 + $119.95 = $245.67 for 40 months (about $6.14 a month).
- NordVPN Complete: $107.73 + $219.48 = $327.21 for 39 months (about $8.39 a month).
The terms differ (40 vs 39 months), so compare the monthly averages. On VPN-leaning entry plans, ExpressVPN Basic undercuts NordVPN Basic after one renewal; Surfshark Starter undercuts both.
NordVPN’s pricing page shows a Black Friday banner; Surfshark shows a Black Friday deal label on One. Neither page we read stated a hard end date for those banners, so we do not invent one. Prices can change at checkout — check before you pay.
Devices and plans
NordVPN: every plan on the pricing compare table covers 10 devices at once. Tiers are Basic, Complete and Prime. Basic includes the VPN, scam and phishing protection (DNS) and Dark Web Monitor for up to 5 emails. Complete adds next-gen antivirus and an ad/tracker blocker (both desktop), a password manager, 1 TB cloud storage and richer Dark Web Monitor Pro monitoring. Prime adds US identity-theft insurance up to $1,000,000 and cyber extortion insurance up to $100,000 (HSB Specialty Insurance Company; US residents except New York).
ExpressVPN: device limits rise by tier — Basic 10, Advanced 12, Express Pro 14 simultaneous connections. Basic is the VPN-forward plan (with Lite Protection and a limited ExpressMailGuard relay). Advanced adds Advanced Protection (block ads, trackers, malicious sites and adult sites), ExpressKeys (password manager with built-in 2FA), broader ExpressMailGuard and Identity Defender with up to $3 million identity-theft insurance (American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida / Assurant; see the Advanced Tier summary of benefits). Express Pro raises Identity Defender to up to $5 million, adds ExpressAI and more MailGuard capacity.
Surfshark: pricing and FAQ state unlimited simultaneous devices on paid plans (free trial limited to 3 devices until the trial ends). Starter is VPN-forward; One and One+ add antivirus, Alert and (One+) identity coverage / Incogni as listed on the pricing page.
Privacy, audits and jurisdiction
NordVPN. Support says the service “is based and operates under the jurisdiction of Panama,” while parent Nord Security is based in the Netherlands. On February 3, 2026, NordVPN announced its sixth independent no-logs assurance engagement: Deloitte Lithuania ran a reasonable assurance engagement under ISAE 3000 (Revised) between November 10 and December 12, 2025, and issued the report on December 12, 2025. The full report is available after Nord Account login.
ExpressVPN. The privacy policy (last updated October 2, 2026) states headquarters and registered place of business in the British Virgin Islands, with Express Technologies Ltd operating under BVI law. It also notes that personal data is controlled by ExpressVPN, not by ultimate holding company Kape Technologies PLC. On June 25, 2025, ExpressVPN announced its third KPMG security audit of privacy commitments: KPMG LLP examined TrustedServer and privacy-policy claims as at February 28, 2025, under ISAE (UK) 3000 Type I, and said it provided reasonable assurance with no identified issues regarding technical safeguards against activity logging. The full report is available after acknowledging KPMG’s terms. ExpressVPN’s Trust Center also lists many Cure53 and other product audits (Lightway, apps, ExpressKeys, and more).
Surfshark. Surfshark B.V. is in Amsterdam and has been part of Nord Security since the 2022 merger; Surfshark says the companies operate independently with separate infrastructure. Its Deloitte no-logs assurance is described on Surfshark’s blog; the report is accessed in-account.
What this means. All three publish repeated independent checks. ExpressVPN’s latest KPMG report is reachable after accepting auditor terms (no account required to start that flow, per the blog). NordVPN’s latest Deloitte report needs a Nord Account. Our opinion: on report accessibility before you pay, ExpressVPN has a slight edge over NordVPN; neither matches an always-public report like some open-source rivals.
We did not measure speed or leaks, so we make no speed claims for either provider.
Apps and extras
Protocols and server tech. ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol (Rust core, open-sourced library) includes post-quantum protection by default per ExpressVPN and has Cure53 / Praetorian audits; ExpressVPN also markets TrustedServer (RAM-only servers). NordVPN’s protocol stack and server types are covered in the Deloitte engagement. Surfshark lists Dynamic MultiHop among extras.
Threat blocking and extras. NordVPN Basic includes scam and phishing protection via DNS while connected; Complete/Prime add antivirus, a password manager, 1 TB storage and (Prime) US ID insurance. ExpressVPN Advanced Protection, ExpressKeys and Identity Defender sit on Advanced and Pro, not on Basic’s headline VPN list. Surfshark One/One+ bundle antivirus and Alert; One+ adds identity coverage for eligible US residents (except New York) under HSB, plus Incogni for listed regions.
Use a VPN for privacy and security on networks you do not control, such as public Wi-Fi — see our best VPN for public Wi-Fi guide.
Who should pick which
- VPN-only, care about renewal among these two premiums: ExpressVPN Basic on today’s numbers.
- Want antivirus, password manager and cloud in one Nord account: NordVPN Complete (if you will use those tools).
- Need US identity-theft insurance from Nord: NordVPN Prime (US residents except New York; read the summary of benefits).
- Many devices or a whole household: Surfshark (unlimited devices) — and remember it shares a parent with NordVPN.
- Comparing NordVPN and Surfshark head-to-head: our NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison.
- Wondering if NordVPN alone is worth it: Is NordVPN worth it?.
- Tight budget: best cheap VPN picks.
For a deeper ExpressVPN-only walkthrough of Basic / Advanced / Pro, read our ExpressVPN review (publishing next). For Proton as a privacy-first alternative, see our Proton VPN review.
Check ExpressVPN price · Check NordVPN price · Check Surfshark price
How we evaluated
We read only official pages for NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Surfshark: pricing, offer terms, refund and cancellation terms, privacy policy, Trust Center / audit announcements and ownership disclosures. We recorded the date and time in BRT and read the US/USD view of each pricing page. We did not run our own speed, streaming, leak or hands-on tests, and nothing here is a test result. Opinions are marked as opinions. This is general information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Is NordVPN better than ExpressVPN?
It depends what you need. On published 2026 US pricing, ExpressVPN Basic renews cheaper than NordVPN Basic. NordVPN wins if you want the larger security suite on Complete/Prime. Our opinion: pick by extras vs renewal, not by brand noise.
Which is cheaper after renewal?
Among the entry plans on October 23, 2026: Surfshark Starter renews at $79/year, ExpressVPN Basic at $99.95/year, NordVPN Basic at $139.08/year, before tax.
How many devices does each allow?
NordVPN: 10. ExpressVPN: 10 (Basic), 12 (Advanced), 14 (Express Pro). Surfshark: unlimited on paid plans (trial capped at 3 devices).
Have both been independently audited?
Yes. NordVPN: Deloitte Lithuania, sixth engagement, report issued December 12, 2025. ExpressVPN: KPMG LLP, ISAE (UK) 3000 Type I as at February 28, 2025 (announced June 25, 2025). Surfshark also publishes Deloitte no-logs assurance.
Should I get Surfshark instead?
Yes, if unlimited devices or the lower Starter/One intro bill matter more than either premium brand’s extras. Factor in that Surfshark and NordVPN share Nord Security ownership.
NordVPN vs ExpressVPN for privacy?
Both publish no-logs policies and recent independent audits (ExpressVPN: BVI + Kape holding; NordVPN: Panama jurisdiction, Netherlands parent). ExpressVPN’s latest KPMG report opens after auditor terms; NordVPN’s Deloitte report needs an account. Our opinion: close on policy claims; ExpressVPN edges on report access before purchase.
Verdict
ExpressVPN wins on entry-plan renewal and device scaling to 14 on Pro. NordVPN wins on bundle depth if you will use Complete/Prime extras. Surfshark wins on devices and upfront price when that is the job. If you pick NordVPN Basic, budget for the $139.08 renewal — or cancel inside 30 days.
Check ExpressVPN price · Check NordVPN price · Check Surfshark price
Sources (official pages, checked on October 23, 2026)
- NordVPN, pricing and offer terms (US/USD view): https://nordvpn.com/pricing/ (~09:12 BRT; same numbers as 01:10–01:15 BRT same day)
- NordVPN, sixth no-logs assurance engagement (Feb 3, 2026): https://nordvpn.com/blog/nordvpn-no-logs-assurance-engagement-2025/
- NordVPN Support, where is NordVPN based: https://support.nordvpn.com/hc/en-us/articles/19441152966161-Where-is-NordVPN-based
- ExpressVPN, pricing / order (US/USD): https://www.expressvpn.com/pricing (~09:12 BRT)
- ExpressVPN, third KPMG no-logs / privacy audit (Jun 25, 2025): https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/kpmg-2025-no-logs-policy-audit/
- ExpressVPN Trust Center (audit list, TrustedServer, Lightway): https://www.expressvpn.com/trust
- ExpressVPN Privacy Policy (BVI; Kape holding note; updated Oct 2, 2026): https://www.expressvpn.com/privacy-policy
- ExpressVPN refund policy (30-day, first-time users): https://www.expressvpn.com/support/manage-account/what-is-expressvpns-refund-policy/
- ExpressVPN cancel subscription: https://www.expressvpn.com/support/manage-account/cancel-expressvpn-subscription/
- ExpressVPN Lightway: https://www.expressvpn.com/lightway
- Surfshark pricing (US view): https://surfshark.com/pricing (~09:12 BRT via Apify)
- Surfshark renewal prices (US view): https://surfshark.com/terms-of-service/pricing (01:14 BRT same day)
- Surfshark merger / Nord Security ownership: https://surfshark.com/blog/surfshark-merges-with-nord-security