NordVPN vs ExpressVPN for Canadians (2026)

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Short answer

Pick NordVPN if you live in or travel to Alberta and want a Calgary server, or if you want a choice between three plan tiers on 1-year and 2-year terms. Pick ExpressVPN if the renewal price matters most to you, or if you need more than 10 devices on one plan. On privacy, both have had their no-logs claims checked by large audit firms more than once.

This comparison is an editorial assessment from each provider's published pages, checked on October 6, 2026. We did not run our own tests; our review method explains why.

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Check ExpressVPN's price

Side by side

Price and renewal

Neither provider showed us Canadian dollars. Both pricing pages showed euros when we checked on October 6, 2026 from outside Canada. Providers set prices by location, so your checkout will show the amount in your currency. We have not converted anything.

NordVPN. The 2-year Basic plan was EUR 3.49 a month, or EUR 94.23 for the first 27 months, renewing at EUR 139.08 a year. Complete was EUR 4.49 a month (renews EUR 219.48 a year) and Ultra EUR 6.59 a month (renews EUR 269.88 a year). NordVPN also sells 1-year plans, from EUR 5.49 a month on the Basic tier.

ExpressVPN. The 2-year Basic plan was EUR 2.49 a month, or EUR 69.72 for the first 28 months, renewing at EUR 79.95 a year. Advanced was EUR 3.99 a month (renews EUR 109.95) and Express Pro EUR 6.49 a month (renews EUR 179.95). We only saw 2-year plans in the page text.

ExpressVPN costs less on both counts at the entry level. The renewal difference is the larger one: on the Basic plans, EUR 79.95 against EUR 139.08 a year. Our cheapest VPN in Canada page adds other providers to the comparison.

Servers in Canada

NordVPN lists Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. ExpressVPN lists Montreal, Toronto, a second Toronto location and Vancouver. If you are in Edmonton or Calgary, NordVPN has the nearer server. Everywhere else the coverage is close. Neither lists a city in Atlantic Canada, so readers in Halifax or St. John's will connect through Montreal or Toronto with either provider.

Worldwide, NordVPN's server page states "7,130 ultra-fast servers covering 150 countries", and ExpressVPN's says it has servers in 113 countries.

Protocols and apps

Both providers offer standard protocols and one of their own.

• NordVPN: NordLynx (its default, based on WireGuard), NordWhisper, IKEv2/IPSec and OpenVPN over UDP or TCP.
• ExpressVPN: Lightway over UDP or TCP, WireGuard, OpenVPN over UDP or TCP, and IKEv2.

ExpressVPN offers plain WireGuard as an option. NordVPN builds its default on WireGuard under its own name. Our VPN protocols guide explains the differences between these protocols.

Privacy and audits

NordVPN says it "operates out of Panama", and its parent company, Nord Security, is headquartered in Lithuania. Its no-log page says PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Switzerland reviewed its no-logs claims in 2018 and 2020, and Deloitte in later years (2022 to 2025 are mentioned). The page is inconsistent on the total, so we do not give a count.

ExpressVPN says in its privacy policy that its headquarters and registered place of business are in the British Virgin Islands. The same policy names "its ultimate holding company, Kape Technologies PLC (UK)". ExpressVPN has published a PwC audit of its TrustedServer setup (2019), a KPMG audit of its privacy policy and a Cure53 audit of TrustedServer (2022), and Cure53 and Praetorian audits of Lightway (2024).

Both publish several outside audits on their own sites. Neither is based in Canada.

What they have in common

Neither showed a free plan on the pricing pages we read. Both offer a 30-day money-back guarantee and servers in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Both offer IKEv2 and OpenVPN alongside their own protocol, and both have paid outside firms to review their privacy claims and published the results.

Both also follow the same pricing pattern: a low monthly rate for a long first term, then a yearly renewal at a higher amount. The size of that jump is where they differ most. On the Basic plans we read, NordVPN's first 27 months cost EUR 94.23 and each following year EUR 139.08. ExpressVPN's first 28 months cost EUR 69.72 and each following year EUR 79.95. Whichever you choose, note the renewal date when you sign up.

Which to choose

• You live in Alberta or travel there: NordVPN, for the Calgary server.
• You plan to keep the VPN for years: ExpressVPN, for the lower renewal price.
• You have 11 to 14 devices: ExpressVPN Advanced or Express Pro.
• You want a company registered in Canada: neither is; Windscribe is registered in Ontario.
• You want a 1-year plan: NordVPN shows 1-year prices; we did not find them for ExpressVPN.
• You have more than 14 devices: neither plan is enough; Surfshark allows unlimited devices (see NordVPN vs Surfshark).

See NordVPN plans

See ExpressVPN plans

For the full detail on each, read our NordVPN review and ExpressVPN review.

Common questions