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 recommend by published price, refund terms and audits, never by commission. Surfshark and NordVPN both belong to Nord Security (the companies merged in 2022 and say they run independently). ExpressVPN says its ultimate holding company is Kape Technologies PLC. We hold all three to the same criteria.
Surfshark, ExpressVPN and NordVPN prices checked October 25, 2026, between 09:19 and 09:22 BRT, on the official US pages, in USD, before sales tax.
Quick verdict
- Pick Surfshark if price and renewal matter most. Starter is $67.23 for the first 27 months, renews at $79 a year, and the plan lists unlimited devices.
- Pick ExpressVPN if you want its longer public audit series and the bundled identity tools on higher tiers, and you accept paying more. Basic is $83.72 for the first 28 months, renews at $99.95 a year, and covers 10 devices.
- Skip both if you want a free plan, or you prefer an open-source, Switzerland-based provider (look at Proton VPN instead).
Our opinion: on published US prices, Surfshark is cheaper at every stage we compared. ExpressVPN’s case rests on audits and extras, not price.
Check Surfshark price · Check ExpressVPN price
Side-by-side table
| Surfshark | ExpressVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan, intro | Starter: $2.49/mo, $67.23 for 27 months | Basic: $2.99/mo, $83.72 for 28 months |
| Entry plan, renews at | $79/year | $99.95/year |
| Top plan, renews at | One+: $119/year | Pro: $199.95/year |
| Devices | Unlimited, all plans | 10 / 12 / 14 (Basic / Advanced / Pro) |
| Money-back | 30 days | 30 days, first-time users |
| Latest audit named by the company | Deloitte, ISAE 3000, published June 16, 2025 | KPMG, ISAE (UK) 3000 report dated May 8, 2025 |
| Country count listed | 100 | 113 |
| Legal base per its own pages | Surfshark B.V., Netherlands | Express Technologies Ltd, British Virgin Islands |
| Owner per its own pages | Nord Security group | Kape Technologies PLC (ultimate holding company) |
Pricing: intro vs renewal
Both brands show a low multi-year intro price, then renew at a higher yearly rate. Prices below are the official US pages in USD before tax. Surfshark’s pricing page carries a “Black Friday deal” banner, so intro prices may move.
Surfshark: Starter, One, One+
| Plan | Per month (as shown) | First 27 months | Renews at (yearly plan) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $2.49 | $67.23 | $79/year |
| One | $2.49 | $67.23 | $99/year |
| One+ | $3.99 | $107.73 | $119/year |
Surfshark’s terms list the standard (non-introductory) rates: Starter $18.95 a month on a 1-month plan, $79 on 1-year and 2-year plans; One $19.95 / $99 / $99; One+ $22.85 / $119 / $119, and say a 2-year plan renews for a 1-year term. The page offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, and Surfshark says to ask for a refund within 30 days of signing up. Its terms say the guarantee applies only to the initial purchase, with one refund per service, and that the Alternative Number feature and an anonymous Dedicated IP are non-refundable. Surfshark emails a reminder 30 days before renewal on non-monthly plans.
Intro plus one year of renewal (our arithmetic, before tax): Starter $67.23 + $79 = $146.23 over 39 months (about $3.75 a month); One $166.23 (about $4.26); One+ $226.73 (about $5.81).
ExpressVPN: Basic, Advanced, Pro
| Plan | Per month (as shown) | First 28 months | Renews at | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | $2.99 | $83.72 | $99.95/year | 10 |
| Advanced | $4.49 | $125.72 | $119.95/year | 12 |
| Pro | $7.49 | $209.72 | $199.95/year | 14 |
ExpressVPN’s order page says all amounts are in USD and sales tax is added at checkout. It also sells a monthly plan, whose price we did not capture, so we compare only the multi-year deals. Its refund policy covers 30 days for first-time users.
Intro plus one year of renewal (our arithmetic, before tax): Basic $83.72 + $99.95 = $183.67 over 40 months (about $4.59 a month); Advanced $245.67 (about $6.14); Pro $409.67 (about $10.24).
Our opinion: entry tier against entry tier, Surfshark Starter costs about $37 less than ExpressVPN Basic over the intro term plus one renewal year, and renews at $20.95 less per year. The terms differ (39 vs 40 months), so compare the monthly averages.
Devices and extras
Devices. Surfshark’s pricing page says you can protect as many devices as you like, on every plan. ExpressVPN caps devices by tier: 10 on Basic, 12 on Advanced and 14 on Pro. For a big household, Surfshark is simpler. For one person with a phone, laptop and tablet, 10 is plenty.
Extras. Surfshark’s renewal-terms page lists what each plan includes: Starter is VPN plus Alternative ID; One adds Antivirus, Alert and Search; One+ adds identity-theft coverage (US residents, except New York) and Incogni. ExpressVPN’s tiers differ clearly. Basic lists Lite Protection and 10 MB ExpressMailGuard. Advanced adds ExpressKeys, Identity Defender (the page says $3M in identity-theft insurance, provided by Assurant) and an eSIM. Pro adds a dedicated IP, ExpressAI and $5M of coverage. These are ExpressVPN’s descriptions; we did not evaluate the insurance terms.
Privacy and audits
We attribute each privacy claim to the company or auditor that made it. An audit is a snapshot of one period, not a guarantee.
- Surfshark: On June 16, 2025, Surfshark published a Deloitte assurance report under ISAE 3000. Surfshark says the scope included interviews, its standard, static and multiport server types, configuration and deployment, and privacy settings. Customers can read the report in their Surfshark account.
- ExpressVPN: Its KPMG page lists a KPMG LLP ISAE (UK) 3000 report dated May 8, 2025. ExpressVPN’s blog (June 25, 2025) says it covers its no-logs policy as at February 28, 2025, as a Type 1 report, with “reasonable assurance” and no identified issues. Type 1 describes a point in time. ExpressVPN’s Trust Center lists more audits, including Cure53, Praetorian, KPMG, PwC and F-Secure, and its blog says 23 third-party audits are published.
Our opinion: ExpressVPN has the longer public audit list, while Surfshark’s newest audit is dated about five weeks later (June 16 vs May 8, 2025). Neither is newer than NordVPN’s December 2025 report (below). We have not read any of the reports ourselves.
Ownership and jurisdiction
Surfshark announced a merger with Nord Security on February 1, 2022, and described the two as “autonomous companies relying on separate infrastructures.” Its privacy policy (updated October 12, 2026) names Surfshark B.V. in Amsterdam and says it is based in the Netherlands jurisdiction. Its terms of service say the contract is governed by British Virgin Islands law, so read both pages if jurisdiction matters to you.
ExpressVPN’s privacy policy (updated October 2, 2026) says its headquarters and registered place of business are in the British Virgin Islands, that Express Technologies Ltd operates under BVI law, and that its ultimate holding company is Kape Technologies PLC (UK). It adds that ExpressVPN, not Kape, controls the personal data it handles. We are not giving legal advice.
Using a VPN with online services: know the rules
Whether a VPN is legal depends on your country. Some online services restrict VPN use in their own terms, and a provider’s marketing does not override your local law or a service’s rules. We did not evaluate either provider for any such use, and we do not recommend using a VPN to break a law or a service’s terms.
Who should choose which
Choose Surfshark if you have many devices, want the lower price at renewal and are fine with a Netherlands-based entity inside the Nord Security group.
Choose ExpressVPN if you value its longer list of published audits, want the identity-protection bundle on Advanced or Pro, and accept $99.95 to $199.95 a year at renewal.
Skip Surfshark if you value a longer series of public audits, or if the renewal ($79 / $99 / $119) matters more to you than the entry price.
Skip ExpressVPN if a low entry price or unlimited devices is your priority.
Skip both if you want a free plan, or prefer an open-source, Swiss-based provider such as Proton VPN (see our Proton VPN review and Surfshark vs Proton VPN).
Also consider NordVPN
NordVPN (same owner as Surfshark) lists Basic at $3.49 a month, $94.23 for the first 27 months, renewing at $139.08 a year, with 10 devices and a 30-day money-back guarantee. NordVPN’s pricing page also shows a Black Friday banner today, so its intro prices may change. Its sixth no-logs assurance engagement, by Deloitte Lithuania, produced a report issued December 12, 2025, the newest named audit among the three. Our opinion: it costs more than Surfshark at renewal, but is the pick if audit recency matters most. Read our NordVPN vs Surfshark, NordVPN vs ExpressVPN and ExpressVPN review. Our Surfshark review is coming.
How we evaluated
We read the official US pages for Surfshark, ExpressVPN and NordVPN (pricing, refund terms, privacy policies, audit announcements and the Surfshark terms table) and recorded the date and time in BRT. We did not run our own speed, leak or hands-on tests, so nothing here is a test result. Audit scope is as the companies describe it. Opinions are marked as opinions. This is general information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Is Surfshark better than ExpressVPN?
On published US prices, Surfshark is cheaper at intro and at renewal, and lists unlimited devices. ExpressVPN has the longer public audit list and bundled identity tools on higher tiers. Which is “better” depends on whether price or audits matter more to you.
Which is cheaper after renewal?
Surfshark. Starter renews at $79 a year, One at $99, One+ at $119. ExpressVPN renews at $99.95 (Basic), $119.95 (Advanced) and $199.95 (Pro).
How many devices do Surfshark and ExpressVPN allow?
Surfshark lists unlimited devices. ExpressVPN allows 10 on Basic, 12 on Advanced and 14 on Pro.
Which has the more recent audit?
Surfshark published a Deloitte ISAE 3000 report on June 16, 2025. ExpressVPN’s KPMG ISAE (UK) 3000 report is dated May 8, 2025. NordVPN’s newest Deloitte report was issued December 12, 2025.
Do both have a money-back guarantee?
Yes, 30 days each. ExpressVPN says it applies to first-time users; Surfshark says to ask within 30 days of signing up.
Can I use a VPN anywhere, with any online service?
Not necessarily. Legality depends on your country, and some online services restrict VPN use in their terms. Follow local law and each service’s rules. We have not evaluated either provider for that.
Surfshark vs ExpressVPN vs NordVPN: quick take?
Surfshark is cheapest at renewal ($79 on Starter), ExpressVPN has the longest audit list, and NordVPN has the newest audit (December 12, 2025) with the highest Basic renewal ($139.08).
Who owns Surfshark and ExpressVPN?
Surfshark merged with Nord Security (announced February 1, 2022). ExpressVPN says its ultimate holding company is Kape Technologies PLC, and that it is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands.
Verdict
Surfshark wins on price, renewal and device count. ExpressVPN wins on audit history and bundled identity tools, at a higher price. If you simply want the lower bill for the same job, choose Surfshark. If audits and extras matter more, choose ExpressVPN, and set a reminder for the renewal date either way.
Check Surfshark price · Check ExpressVPN price
Sources (official pages, checked on October 25, 2026)
- Surfshark, pricing (US/USD): https://surfshark.com/pricing (~09:19 BRT)
- Surfshark, renewal prices: https://surfshark.com/terms-of-service/pricing (~09:22 BRT)
- Surfshark, Deloitte no-logs assurance (June 16, 2025): https://surfshark.com/blog/surfshark-audit
- Surfshark, merger with Nord Security (February 1, 2022): https://surfshark.com/blog/surfshark-merges-with-nord-security
- Surfshark, privacy policy: https://surfshark.com/privacy-policy
- Surfshark, terms of service: https://surfshark.com/terms-of-service
- ExpressVPN, order page (US/USD): https://www.expressvpn.com/order (~09:19 BRT)
- ExpressVPN, privacy policy (updated October 2, 2026): https://www.expressvpn.com/privacy-policy
- ExpressVPN, KPMG report page: https://www.expressvpn.com/security-audit-reports/kpmg-privacy-policy-2025
- ExpressVPN, KPMG audit blog (June 25, 2025): https://www.expressvpn.com/blog/kpmg-2025-no-logs-policy-audit/
- ExpressVPN, Trust Center: https://www.expressvpn.com/trust
- ExpressVPN, refund policy: https://www.expressvpn.com/support/manage-account/what-is-expressvpns-refund-policy/
- NordVPN, pricing (US/USD): https://nordvpn.com/pricing/ (~09:21 BRT)
- NordVPN, sixth no-logs assurance engagement (February 3, 2026): https://nordvpn.com/blog/nordvpn-no-logs-assurance-engagement-2025/