Last tested: March 2026 · Tested from Brisbane, QLD on 100Mbps NBN
Speed Test Results — Australian Servers
All speed tests were conducted on a 100Mbps NBN FTTP connection in Brisbane using the Lightway protocol. Tests ran between 7–9 PM AEST on weeknights during peak congestion to reflect real-world conditions.
| Server Location | Download (Mbps) | Upload (Mbps) | Ping (ms) | Speed Retention |
|---|
| Sydney, AU | 95.2 | 40.1 | 16 | 95% |
| Melbourne, AU | 91.7 | 37.8 | 22 | 92% |
| Brisbane, AU | 96.4 | 41.3 | 6 | 96% |
| Perth, AU | 84.9 | 34.6 | 48 | 85% |
| Singapore | 81.3 | 32.7 | 89 | 81% |
| US West (Los Angeles) | 65.8 | 24.9 | 155 | 66% |
| UK London | 58.2 | 21.4 | 268 | 58% |
Key takeaway: ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol is genuinely fast. We recorded the highest speed retention of any VPN we've tested on Australian servers — 96% on the Brisbane server is outstanding. Even the Perth connection, which suffers from cross-continent latency, held at 85%. International connections to Singapore and the US are more than adequate for HD streaming.
Streaming: What Works in Australia
We tested all major Australian and international streaming services over two weeks in March 2026. Here's what actually works:
- Netflix AU ✅ — Works perfectly on Sydney/Melbourne servers
- Stan ✅ — Reliable on all Australian servers
- Kayo Sports ✅ — Works domestically and from overseas
- Binge ✅ — No issues on any AU server
- Disney+ ✅ — AU and US libraries both accessible
- Paramount+ ✅ — Works on AU servers
- 7plus ✅ — Works from overseas via AU servers
- 9Now ✅ — Works from overseas via AU servers
- ABC iView ✅ — Works from overseas via AU servers
ExpressVPN is arguably the most reliable VPN for streaming we've tested. Every Australian service worked without issue, and we had zero blocks during our two-week testing period. The MediaStreamer DNS feature also lets you unblock streaming on devices that don't natively support VPN apps (smart TVs, older gaming consoles), which is a nice bonus.
Honest note: The MediaStreamer feature doesn't encrypt your traffic — it only handles DNS routing for unblocking. If privacy is your concern alongside streaming, stick to the full VPN app.
Privacy & Security Deep Dive
Jurisdiction: British Virgin Islands. Like Panama, the BVI has no mandatory data retention laws and no intelligence-sharing agreements with Five Eyes nations. For Australians subject to our metadata retention scheme, this is exactly what you want in a VPN provider's home base.
Logging policy: ExpressVPN maintains a strict no-logs policy. They do not record browsing activity, connection logs, traffic data, DNS queries, or IP addresses. The only data collected is your email, payment info, and anonymised diagnostic data (which can be opted out of).
Audit history: ExpressVPN has been independently audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers (2019) and Cure53 (2022, multiple audits covering Lightway protocol, browser extensions, and server infrastructure). The Cure53 audits are particularly noteworthy as they specifically examined the Lightway codebase and found no critical vulnerabilities. Additionally, the Lightway protocol source code is open-source on GitHub — a rare transparency move.
Encryption: AES-256-GCM on OpenVPN, ChaCha20/Poly1305 on Lightway. Both are military-grade and considered unbreakable by current computing standards. Perfect forward secrecy is enabled by default, generating new encryption keys for every session.
Kill switch: Called "Network Lock" — we tested it by forcibly dropping the VPN connection mid-session. Traffic was blocked within 1 second on both Windows and macOS. The kill switch is enabled by default, which is the right call — many VPNs leave it off and most users never think to enable it.
DNS leak tests: Zero leaks across all tested servers. All DNS queries routed through ExpressVPN's private, encrypted DNS servers running on each VPN server (not centralised).
TrustedServer technology: Every ExpressVPN server runs entirely on RAM — no hard drives. This means the entire server stack (OS, VPN software, configurations) is loaded fresh on every reboot. If a server is seized or compromised, there's literally nothing stored to extract. This was verified by Cure53's infrastructure audit.
App Experience
ExpressVPN's app design philosophy is "simple first." The main screen shows a large power button with your selected location underneath. Click the button, you're connected. That's it. No maps, no dashboards, no metrics cluttering the interface — just a clean, focused connection experience.
Clicks to connect: One. Open the app, hit the button. To change server, it's two clicks — hit the location selector, choose a new server. The app remembers your most recent and favourite locations for quick access.
Server selection: Servers are organised by recommended (fastest for your location), recent, and all locations. You can search by country or city, and the app indicates latency for each location. There's no individual server selection — ExpressVPN automatically routes you to the best server in your chosen location ("smart location").
Settings: Minimalist but sufficient. Protocol selection (Lightway UDP/TCP, OpenVPN, IKEv2), kill switch toggle, split tunnelling, startup preferences, and shortcut links to frequently used apps/websites after connecting. Advanced users might wish for more granular control, but the target audience will find everything they need.
Mobile vs desktop: The iOS and Android apps are near-identical to desktop. Clean, simple, one-tap to connect. The Android app supports split tunnelling; iOS does not (Apple restriction). Both mobile apps support Lightway, which is excellent for battery life compared to OpenVPN.
Pricing Breakdown
All prices in AUD, current as of March 2026:
| Plan | Monthly Cost | Total Cost | Savings |
|---|
| Monthly | $12.95/mo | $12.95 | — |
| 6-Month | $9.99/mo | $59.94 | 23% off |
| 1-Year | $6.67/mo | $80.04 (+ 3 months free) | 49% off |
Money-back guarantee: 30 days, no questions asked. We tested the refund process — it was processed within 3 business days via live chat.
Payment methods: Credit/debit cards, PayPal, Bitcoin, and various other methods including Mint, iDeal, and UnionPay. The Bitcoin option is solid for privacy-conscious users.
The elephant in the room: ExpressVPN is expensive. Even on the annual plan, $6.67/month is more than double what you'd pay for Surfshark or CyberGhost on their long-term plans. You're paying a premium for best-in-class speed and the polished experience. Whether that premium is worth it depends entirely on your priorities.
Who Should Use This VPN
Best for:
- Speed-obsessed users: If you refuse to compromise on connection speed, ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol delivers the best results we've measured on Australian connections
- Streaming power users: The most reliable unblocking we've tested, plus MediaStreamer for devices that don't support VPN apps
- Privacy-conscious users: BVI jurisdiction, TrustedServer (RAM-only), multiple independent audits, and open-source Lightway protocol
- Frequent travellers: Works reliably in restricted countries like China and the UAE where many VPNs fail
Not ideal for:
- Budget-conscious users: At roughly double the price of competitors, it's a hard sell if cost is your primary concern — check Surfshark or PureVPN instead
- Large households: 8 simultaneous connections is decent but falls short of Surfshark's unlimited devices or TorGuard's 12
- Power users who want granular control: The simplified interface means fewer advanced configuration options compared to competitors
How It Compares
ExpressVPN sits at the premium end of our Australian VPN rankings. It outpaces NordVPN on raw speed (marginally) but costs significantly more. Against Surfshark, it wins on speed and server reliability but loses badly on price and device limits. Compared to ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN is faster and better for streaming, while ProtonVPN offers stronger privacy credentials with its Swiss jurisdiction and fully open-source apps.
The question is simple: do you want the absolute best performance, or are you happy with 90% of the performance at half the price? If it's the former, ExpressVPN is your answer. If it's the latter, NordVPN or Surfshark will serve you just as well for most use cases. For our full breakdown, see our best VPN for Australia guide.
