Mozilla VPN vs ExpressVPN: which VPN is better?
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Learn moreYou’ve probably heard of ExpressVPN, but did you know that Mozilla has a VPN too? It’s not just the creator of Firefox anymore – Mozilla VPN is a secure and reliable VPN service that aims to compete with the best VPNs on the market.
Mozilla VPN is powered by Mullvad’s server fleet, giving it great speeds and access to the latest tunneling protocols. But is that enough to compete with ExpressVPN’s proprietary protocols, impressive reputation for streaming, and thousands of servers located worldwide?
In this Mozilla VPN vs ExpressVPN comparison, we’ll analyze these two side-by-side to determine which VPN is superior. Keep reading for the full results to see who we declared the ultimate winner.
Mozilla VPN vs ExpressVPN
While Mozilla VPN has impressive security features and performance, it’s no match for the advanced development of ExpressVPN. Mozilla VPN, which is still in its early phases and only available in 17 countries, has a lot of catching up to do. For better streaming, security, and server count, ExpressVPN is the clear winner.
ExpressVPN | Mozilla VPN | |
⭐ Rating: | ||
🥇 Overall rank: | #4 out of #41 | #17 out of #41 |
🖥️ Servers: | 3,000 + servers in 105 countries | 500 + servers in 30 countries |
📖 No logs policy: | No logs | No logs |
💵 Price: | From $4.99/month | From $4.99/month |
🔥 Coupons: | ExpressVPN coupon 82% OFF | Cybernews VPN Coupons |
🔒 VPN protocols: | Lightway, OpenVPN, IKEv2 | WireGuard |
🍿 Streaming services: | Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more | Netflix US, 9Now, and more |
🖥️ Platforms: | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Firefox |
📥 Simultaneous connections: | 8 | 5 |
💁🏻 Support: | Knowledge base, FAQs, email, 24/7 live chat | Knowledge base, FAQs, email |
We spare no effort to test the products & their features. All information is gathered by our in-house research team & fact-checked by our team of experts. Discover the ins and outs of our testing procedures.
Speed performance: Mozilla VPN vs ExpressVPN
Mozilla VPN and ExpressVPN offer top-of-the-line protocols to optimize performance. ExpressVPN has its own proprietary Lightway protocol designed for speed and security while using less battery power.
While Mozilla VPN doesn’t have the extensive server network that ExpressVPN has, it does have the next-gen WireGuard protocol available for its users. This is the same protocol used by other top VPNs and can deliver fast speeds on servers worldwide.
Mozilla VPN only has servers in around 30 countries, though, compared to ExpressVPN’s 105. With fewer servers, there are greater chances of overcrowding and slower speeds. Plus, if one server goes down, you might struggle to find another in the location you need when the selection is more limited.
Plans and pricing
When comparing ExpressVPN vs Mozilla VPN, which offers the better value? Both providers have multiple plans to pick from depending on the subscription duration. Monthly plans cost a bit more but offer less commitment, while annual plans can save you money in the long run.
Plan | ExpressVPN | Mozilla VPN |
Monthly | $12.95/month | $9.99/month |
6-month plan | $9.99/month | ❌ |
1-year plan | $4.99/month | $6.99/month |
2-year plan | ❌ | $4.99/month |
Check the latest deals | Check the latest deals |
Before we break down these plans, we have to mention one major drawback for Mozilla VPN: it’s only available in 17 countries. These currently include the US, UK, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, and several places in Europe. It doesn’t offer concrete plans for increased availability but offers a waitlist on its website.
While Mozilla VPN does have some slightly cheaper prices than ExpressVPN, only a small portion of the global population can even take advantage of them. ExpressVPN does not have such tight restrictions, and its plans and pricing structure are more widely available.
Mozilla VPN is a bit cheaper for a short-term, monthly plan. If you live in Mozilla VPN’s tight service area and only need a VPN for a month or two, it could be a good match. However, if you live elsewhere and consider an annual plan, ExpressVPN can offer a better alternative.
In addition, ExpressVPN has a 7-day free trial available on mobile devices. So, you can test this provider for yourself before committing to a long-term subscription.
Finally, both Mozilla VPN and ExpressVPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. That means 30 days of testing out the VPN before your commitment is final. Simply request a full refund within 30 days of your purchase to get your money back.
Mozilla VPN vs ExpressVPN: which is more secure?
ExpressVPN | Mozilla VPN | |
Encryption | AES-256 | AES-256 |
HASH | SHA-512 | SHA-512 |
RAM-only servers | Yes | No |
Outside of the 14-eyes alliance? | Yes | No |
No-logs policy | Yes | Yes |
Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
Ad blocker | Yes | Yes |
DNS leak protection | Yes | No |
In testing Mozilla VPN vs ExpressVPN for security, both VPNs have plenty of features to keep your online activity safe and private.They offer a kill switch, high-level encryption, and hashing, and audited no-logs policies.
Unfortunately, Mozilla VPN pretty much stops there. ExpressVPN, on the other hand, is just getting started. This VPN goes the extra mile with RAM-only servers, DNS leak protection, and more.
Infrastructure
RAM-only servers are preferred by privacy enthusiasts since all the data is wiped clean with every reboot. ExpressVPN has embraced this technology, fully committed to using RAM-only servers worldwide.
ExpressVPN calls this feature TrustedServer, and promises that its servers never write any data to a hard drive. Its diskless servers even reinstall the whole software stack after every reboot.
Mozilla VPN, on the other, doesn’t offer RAM-only servers yet. It rents its servers from Mullvad, who has reportedly been testing out a conversion to RAM-only servers. While it’s still unconfirmed, Mozilla VPN might also make a move to RAM-only in the future.
Privacy
Both VPNs offer standard AES-256-bit encryption, a safe bet to keep anyone from spying on your online activity. This encryption cipher is used by all best-rated VPN providers on the market, the military, and government organizations because it is virtually impossible to crack.
Both VPNs also use the SHA-512 hashing algorithm, which is a step up from the commonly used SHA-256.
In the Mozilla VPN vs ExpressVPN privacy test, jurisdiction becomes the deciding factor. Mozilla VPN is based in the United States, which falls under the 5-eyes alliance and is subject to US data retention laws.
ExpressVPN, on the other hand, is headquartered in the British Virgin Islands. This is outside of the 5, 9, or 14-eyes jurisdiction, giving it freedom from any forced data collection. For those concerned about privacy, choosing a VPN outside of the alliance systems is a must.
Logging
Both Mozilla VPN and ExpressVPN promise a strict no-logs policy. They’ve both also sought independent audits to back up their claims.
Mozilla VPN had some rocky results when it underwent its only audit by Cure53. The audit exposed three total vulnerabilities, two were considered a medium concern, and one was considered a high concern. These are not ideal results for a VPN, especially if they are the only audit results on record.
ExpressVPN underwent an audit with PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the biggest names in independent audits. The results were much cleaner than Mozilla’s. They found ExpressVPN to be in accordance with its no-log policy, and posing no threat to your anonymity and data protection online.
Servers and locations
ExpressVPN | Mozilla VPN | |
Number of servers | Unlisted | 500+ |
Total countries | 105 | 30+ |
Virtual locations | Yes | No |
Previously, ExpressVPN advertised 3,000 servers worldwide. It no longer publishes an exact number, but we know that they have an impressive fleet with access to 105 countries. We can confidently guess it outnumbers Mozilla VPN’s offering of just 500+ servers in 30 countries.
ExpressVPN has both physical and virtual locations and only uses RAM-only servers. It’s also transitioning to 10Gbps servers to give even better speeds and performance to its large user base.
If you’re unsure which server to choose, you can use ExpressVPN’s Smart Location feature to help you. It will consider your current location to match you with a server that can give you the best speeds and performance.
Currently, Mozilla VPN has a small server fleet that only touches a few countries. Since this VPN is planning to expand its service area to more countries, it's likely that its server fleet will grow in the coming years as well.
Netflix and streaming performance
ExpressVPN | Mozilla VPN | |
Netflix | ✅ | ✅ (US library) |
Amazon Prime Video | ✅ | ❌ |
Hulu | ✅ | ❌ |
HBO Max | ✅ | ❌ |
Disney + | ✅ | ❌ |
BBC iPlayer | ✅ | ❌ |
If streaming is one of your top priorities with your VPN, you’ll want to pick one that can flawlessly unblock geo-restricted content across different streaming platforms. ExpressVPN excels at this. We tested it and found it can unblock Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, and several Netflix libraries.
Mozilla VPN, on the other hand, hasn’t yet perfected its streaming performance. We were only able to get the US Netflix library working. Other Netflix libraries and the other leading streaming platforms were not accessible with this VPN.
Torrenting
Both ExpressVPN and Mozilla VPN are P2P-friendly but don’t offer dedicated servers or ideal proxy options for torrenting enthusiasts.
ExpressVPN supports P2P file sharing on its servers, and we assume the Mozilla VPN also does. Although Mozilla VPN doesn’t make any clear statements about this, Mullvad does. Since the Mullvad network powers Mozilla VPN, we can make a pretty good guess that Mozilla VPN is also P2P friendly.
If you want a VPN that excels at torrenting with dedicated P2P servers, check out our guide to the best VPNs for torrenting.
Features overview
ExpressVPN | Mozilla VPN | |
Split tunneling | Yes | Yes |
SmartDNS | Yes | No |
Kill switch | Yes | Yes |
Ad blocker | Yes | Yes |
ExpressVPN is the winner in the features category. ExpressVPN is a more feature-rich provider, and the offered tools are more secure and better developed than the competitor. You can learn more about the features in our in-depth ExpressVPN review.
On the other hand, Mozilla VPN has a pretty impressive feature list for a new VPN player on the market. It offers the essential tools to protect your data and information online; however, it could work on developing additional tools to sweeten the subscription deal.
Split tunneling
Split tunneling makes it easy to control what activity you encrypt with your VPN and what apps use your local IP. Simply activate the split tunneling feature and add the apps you want to tunnel through your VPN.
Split tunneling can have some compatibility issues on Mac products but is generally available on Android and Windows.
ExpressVPN offers this feature on Android, Windows, and older macOS versions (not compatible with macOS 11 or above).
Mozilla VPN doesn’t offer split tunneling on macOS or iOS but does have this feature for its Android, Windows, and Linux users.
SmartDNS
If you want to stream geo-blocked content on a smart TV or gaming console, then you’ll love the SmartDNS feature. This feature lets you do exactly that, using the power of the VPN to get around geo-restrictions while streaming on a broader range of devices.
ExpressVPN has its own SmartDNS feature that it calls MediaStreamer. By using this feature, you can enjoy ExpressVPN’s excellent streaming performance on devices that don’t directly support the VPN app.
Unfortunately, Mozilla VPN has yet to offer a SmartDNS feature or streaming performance to match its competitor.
Kill switch
Want to make sure you never accidentally browse without VPN protection? A kill switch does just that. If your VPN connection drops for any reason, the kill switch cuts your internet connection altogether.
ExpressVPN calls its kill switch Network Lock. Simply tick the box in the settings to ensure you’ll be protected in case of unexpected connection loss.
With Mozilla VPN, the kill switch will be automatically activated. The only downside is there isn’t yet a way to turn it off, so you get non-stop protection but less control with its version.
Ad blocker
While ad blockers haven’t always been included in VPN subscriptions, they’re becoming increasingly popular. Ad blockers do more than the name suggests, as they can block ads, trackers, and suspicious websites.
ExpressVPN has recently rolled out its Threat Manager, it’s aimed at blocking trackers. With these blocked, you’ll have fewer third parties keeping an eye on what you do online. Also, it can reduce the number of targeted ads or sudden price increases that come with online data collection.
ExpressVPN’s Threat Manager is now available on macOS, iOS, and Linux. Plans for Windows and Android users are in the works.
Mozilla VPN offers a more traditional ad blocker that shields you from pop-up ads, especially those containing malware and phishing attempts. This feature even comes with some more advanced settings, where you can set it to standard, strict, or custom-level protection.
Platforms, interface, and ease of use
ExpressVPN | Mozilla VPN | |
Supported OS | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Firefox |
Other devices | Android TV, Fire devices, routers | ❌ |
Browser extensions | Chrome, Firefox | Firefox |
Simultaneous connections | 8 | 5 |
While ExpressVPN and Mozilla VPN both have sleek user interfaces, ExpressVPN has more compatibility options. It is compatible with the main operating systems and several other devices like Android TV and Fire devices. It also has browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.
It’s no surprise that Mozilla VPN keeps its focus on Firefox. It only supports a Firefox browser extension and no other devices outside the five main operating systems.
Both VPNs are evenly matched with 5 allowed simultaneous connections.
Desktop apps
ExpressVPN makes it easy for beginners with a simple interface that is easy to find your way around. While some VPNs have a less developed macOS app, that’s not the case with ExpressVPN. Its Window and macOS apps are pretty evenly matched, offering almost all of the same great features.
When it comes to Mozilla VPN’s desktop apps, you’ll find the Windows version to outshine the one for Mac. Windows will have the most features, considering split tunneling isn’t yet available through Mozilla on macOS. For Linux users, you can use the command line only.
Mobile apps
Comparing ExpressVPN vs Mozilla VPN, ExpressVPN has more developed, feature-rich mobile apps. The design is sleek, the menus are easy to navigate, and the apps have all settings and features you need.
Mozilla VPN is lacking in both of its mobile apps. The Android app is a bit better than the iOS version, but you won’t find the functionality as developed as it is with ExpressVPN.
Customer support
ExpressVPN | Mozilla VPN | |
24/7 Live chat | ✅ | ❌ |
Phone | ❌ | ❌ |
Email / Ticketing | ✅ | ✅ |
Articles or guides | ✅ | ✅ |
FAQ / Forums | ✅ | ✅ |
If you have trouble with your VPN, excellent customer support can make a big difference in the user experience. Both ExpressVPN and Mozilla VPN have an extensive knowledge base to explore, with articles, how-to guides, tutorials, FAQs, and much more.
If you need help from a customer support team member, ExpressVPN is easier to get in touch with on-demand. It offers a 24/7 live chat so its users can get help anytime they need it without long wait times.
Mozilla VPN doesn’t have a 24/7 live chat for its users. It has an email/ticketing system, which ExpressVPN also offers. With this, you must submit a description of the issue you’re facing and wait to hear back from an expert.
Mozilla VPN can take an unpleasantly long time to get back to you, but ExpressVPN will usually respond within a few hours.
Mozilla VPN vs ExpressVPN – which one wins?
ExpressVPN | Mozilla VPN | |
Streaming | ✅ | ❌ |
Pricing | ✅ | ❌ |
Security | ✅ | ❌ |
Privacy | ✅ | ❌ |
Speed | ✅ | ❌ |
Features | ✅ | ❌ |
Torrenting | ✅ | ✅ |
Server locations | ✅ | ❌ |
Ease of use | ✅ | ❌ |
Customer service | ✅ | ❌ |
The winner of this comparison is clear: ExpressVPN is the better choice. Mozilla VPN seems like it is just beginning its growth, with its limited service area and small server fleet. It might take some time for Mozilla VPN to catch up to the industry leaders, so, for now, ExpressVPN reigns supreme.
Especially when it comes to streaming, the number of servers, and extra privacy features, ExpressVPN obliterated its competition. The two were more competitive in pricing and security features, but ExpressVPN still came out on top each time.
Is Mozilla VPN better than ExpressVPN?
No, Mozilla VPN is not better than ExpressVPN. MozillaVPN is only available in 17 countries at this time, while ExpressVPN appeals to a global audience. ExpressVPN can offer thousands of servers in 105 countries, while Mozilla VPN has around 500 in only 105 countries.
Is Mozilla VPN safe?
Yes, Mozilla VPN is safe. It uses the secure, next-gen WireGuard protocol and offers standard encryption ciphers. It has a strict no-log policy, although it is located within the 5-eyes jurisdiction. It also has a kill switch and ad blocker for added security.
Which is cheaper – Mozilla VPN or ExpressVPN?
ExpressVPN can be cheaper than Mozilla VPN. The annual plan with ExpressVPN is slightly cheaper than Mozilla VPN’s annual option. For short-term, monthly plans, Mozilla VPN has a better price. Keep in mind that Mozilla VPN is currently only available in 17 countries.
How does Mozilla VPN compare to other VPNs?
Mozilla VPN is still quite limited when compared to other VPNs. While it does offer WireGuard protocol, good encryption, and a no-logs policy, Mozilla VPN’s server count and availability are low. It only has around 500 servers worldwide, and its subscriptions are only available in 17 countries.
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