UnblockMeVPN vs ExpressVPN: an honest comparison

We do not think we are the best VPN at everything. We are the best VPN for a specific set of use cases — mainly users who care about low-latency East Asia routing, Bitcoin payment, and independent ownership. ExpressVPN is genuinely excellent for a lot of other things. Here is the honest comparison.

Where ExpressVPN wins

• Global server count. ExpressVPN operates servers in 105 countries. We operate in 5. If you need servers in, say, Slovenia or Chile, we do not have them. ExpressVPN probably does.
• Streaming access to major international catalogs. ExpressVPN has invested heavily in making their IPs not-detected by Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and others. We do okay on most; ExpressVPN is usually better.
• Brand recognition. If your IT team or your CTO has to approve a VPN for a business trip, ExpressVPN is a name they know.
• Customer support volume. ExpressVPN has 24/7 live chat staffed by a large team. Our support is email, usually answered within a few hours.

Where UnblockMeVPN wins

• East Asia focus. We run a smaller footprint centered on Hong Kong and Tokyo as nearby options for East Asia. ExpressVPN also has Hong Kong and Tokyo, but its product is built as a much broader global network.
• Tokyo servers. We have Tokyo. ExpressVPN has Tokyo too, but our whole pitch is simpler East Asia-focused routing rather than a giant location catalog.
• Transport approach. We ship OpenVPN plus obfuscated transports tuned for restrictive networks. ExpressVPN leans on its own multi-protocol stack inside a much broader global product.
• Bitcoin payment via self-hosted BTCPay. We do not use a third-party payment processor for Bitcoin. ExpressVPN accepts Bitcoin via BitPay, which tokenizes customer information.
• Price. $3.99/mo on our 2-year plan vs $6.67/mo on ExpressVPN's 2-year plan.
• Independent ownership. We are POD RV LLC, a Hawaii entity. ExpressVPN is owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, and several VPN review sites. If conglomerate ownership bothers you, this is a meaningful difference.

Feature comparison

Feature	UnblockMeVPN	ExpressVPN
Hong Kong servers	1	Yes
Tokyo server	Yes	Yes
Server countries	5	105
Primary protocols	OpenVPN UDP/TCP + obfuscated transports	Lightway + OpenVPN
TLS-wrapped fallback	Yes	No public equivalent listed
QUIC-style obfuscated transport	Yes	No public equivalent listed
Bitcoin (self-hosted)	Yes (BTCPay)	BitPay (third party)
Card payment	Stripe (optional)	Standard card processing
2-year price	$3.99/mo	$6.67/mo
Devices per account	5 simultaneous	10–14 depending on plan
Audit history	Threat model published; no external audit yet	Multiple third-party audits
Ownership	Independent (POD RV LLC)	Kape Technologies

Who should pick ExpressVPN

• You need servers in specific smaller-market countries
• You stream Netflix and want the highest hit rate on international catalogs
• Your company requires a brand-name VPN for travel policy
• You want documented third-party audit reports on the no-log claim

Who should pick UnblockMeVPN

• You are in or traveling to East Asia and want Hong Kong + Tokyo as first-class options
• You pay in Bitcoin or Lightning and prefer a provider that does not tokenize you through a third-party processor
• You want nearby East Asia routing and a simpler product footprint
• You prefer an independently-owned provider over a conglomerate
• You want to pay less per month