An honest comparison with NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark. Including where they win.
They have thousands of servers and massive marketing budgets. We have 13 servers and no dark patterns. Here's how we actually stack up.
| Feature | NordVPN | ExpressVPN | Surfshark | RealityVPN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | Intro price for the first term, then the standard rate at renewal. Class action lawsuits filed in CO, IL, NY, CA, and NC.³ | Premium pricing. Renewal rate higher than signup rate. | $50.85 for the first 15 months, then $79 a year (Starter, 1-year plan). | Same price at renewal. No surprises. |
| Cancellation | Multi-step process through chatbot before reaching live agent. | Support chat required. Multi-step process. | Self-service option available. Includes retention prompts. | 2 clicks in account settings. Done. |
| Product scope | VPN + password manager + cloud storage + threat protection. 3 tiers. | VPN + password manager + ad blocker. Owned by Kape Technologies. | VPN + antivirus + search engine + alert system. 3 tiers. | A VPN and a content filter. One tier, everything included. |
| Simplicity | Desktop app with dozens of features and settings. | Polished but heavy app. Extension requires the desktop app. | Clean UI but growing feature bloat with each update. | Standalone Chrome extension. One button: connect. |
| Server count | 7,000+ servers in 118+ countries. | 3,000+ servers in 105 countries. | 4,500+ servers in 100 countries. | 13 servers in 11 countries. |
| Platform support | All platforms including routers and smart TVs. | All platforms including routers and smart TVs. | All platforms including routers and smart TVs. | iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and a Chrome extension. No router or smart TV apps. |
| Encryption | AES-256-GCM (NordLynx / WireGuard). | AES-256-GCM (Lightway / OpenVPN). | AES-256-GCM (WireGuard / OpenVPN). | AES-256-GCM (IKEv2/IPSec). |
| No-logs policy | Audited. Shares founders and parent company (Tesonet) with Oxylabs, a web data intelligence company.² | Audited. Owned by Kape Technologies (formerly Crossrider, whose platform was linked to adware distribution).¹ | Audited. Merged with Nord Security in 2022. | No-logs policy. Independent, no parent company. |
| Server speed | Fast. Shared with millions of users. | Fast. Shared with millions of users. | Fast. Shared with millions of users. | Uncrowded. Small user base = consistent speeds. |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days. Multi-step refund process. | 30 days. Straightforward process. | 30 days. Must go through support chat. | 30 days. Email or account settings. No maze. |
| Transparency reports | Publishes monthly transparency reports. | Publishes semi-annual transparency reports. | Publishes transparency reports. Has a warrant canary page. | Independent, no corporate parent. No activity logs. |
| Auto-renewal | Renews up to 14 days before expiry at higher price. | Auto-renews at higher rate. | Auto-renews at higher rate. Can cancel in account settings. | Same price. Cancel anytime in 2 clicks. |
1 Crossrider (renamed Kape Technologies in 2018) operated a cross-browser extension development platform. The platform was used by third-party developers for ad injection and adware distribution. Crossrider shut down the platform in 2016. Sources: Malwarebytes; Google/UC Berkeley ad injection study (2015); CyberInsider.
2 NordVPN's parent company Nord Security was co-founded by Tomas Okmanas and Eimantas Sabaliauskas, who also co-founded Tesonet. Tesonet is the parent company of Oxylabs, a web data intelligence platform. Sources: Tesonet Wikipedia page; Crunchbase; PCWorld.
3 Multiple class action lawsuits have been filed against NordVPN S.A. and affiliates regarding auto-renewal pricing practices. Cases filed in: U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado (Nov 2024), Southern District of New York (Mar 2025), Northern District of Illinois (Jun 2025), Northern District of California, and Western District of North Carolina. Sources: ClassAction.org; TopClassActions.com.
Big VPNs advertise low intro prices, but the renewal price is what you'll pay for years. Here's how renewal works on each VPN-only tier.
Intro price for the first term (27 months on the 2-year plan), then renews every year at the standard rate. 3 tiers — password manager, cloud storage and threat protection require a higher plan.
Intro price for the first term (28 months on the 2-year plan), then auto-renews every year at the standard rate. 3 tiers — password manager, identity monitoring and dedicated IP require a higher plan.
1-year plan: $50.85 for the first 15 months, then $79 every year after. 3 tiers — antivirus, private search and alerts require a higher plan.
The same price at every renewal, billed $49.99 once a year. One tier, all features included, no upsells and no surprise at renewal.
Checked September 19, 2026, US prices before tax. Surfshark: Starter 1-year plan, from Surfshark's official US pricing. NordVPN and ExpressVPN show prices by location, so we describe their renewal terms instead of quoting a number. Providers change and test prices — check each provider's website for current rates.
The major VPN providers have adopted billing practices that are now facing legal scrutiny. A few things to be aware of:
These are large, well-funded companies with solid encryption and huge server networks. They're not bad products. But we think the way a company treats its customers matters as much as the technology it ships.
Our approach: The price you sign up at is the price you renew at. Cancel in 2 clicks. 30-day money-back guarantee means 30 days from when you paid. No parent company, no data scraping side businesses.
30-day money-back guarantee. Cancel in 2 clicks. Same price at renewal.