ExpressVPN and Surfshark are two well-known VPN providers that share several core features but differ meaningfully in their overall scores and specific category performance. ExpressVPN earns an overall score of 68%, while Surfshark scores considerably higher at 87%, making Surfshark the stronger performer by most objective measures in this comparison.
Both providers offer WireGuard, a kill switch, split tunneling, P2P and torrenting support, and a bug bounty program, meaning their baseline feature sets are essentially identical. Where they begin to diverge is in privacy auditing and application quality. Surfshark holds an 85% privacy audit score, reflecting a more thoroughly verified and transparent privacy posture. ExpressVPN scores only 23% in this category, which is a notable gap that privacy-conscious users should weigh carefully. ExpressVPN is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, while Surfshark operates under Netherlands jurisdiction, a country subject to EU data regulations and the Nine Eyes intelligence alliance. Neither jurisdiction is universally preferred, and users should consider their individual threat models when evaluating this distinction.
In terms of raw performance, both providers achieve a perfect 100% in speed testing, meaning neither should be a limiting factor for bandwidth-intensive activities. Streaming performance is also identical, with both earning 100%, suggesting comparable ability to access geo-restricted content. Customer support is another area where both providers are evenly matched, each scoring a full 100%.
The application and interface experience shows a moderate difference. Surfshark scores 100% on the graphical user interface compared to ExpressVPN's 90%, and Surfshark also edges ahead in the broader application category with 80% versus ExpressVPN's 73%. These scores suggest Surfshark delivers a more polished and user-friendly experience overall. Ethics scores are tied at 67% for both providers, indicating comparable standing on corporate responsibility and transparency practices outside of formal auditing.
Pricing data was not available for either provider at the time of this comparison, making a direct cost-per-value assessment difficult. However, based on available category scores, Surfshark's higher overall rating combined with its stronger privacy audit performance suggests better verified value for users who prioritize security documentation alongside usability.