ExpressVPN is currently CNETs pick for the best VPN for Android, and its 8.8/10 score on our VPN rating scale also makes it the best VPN overall. Its a veteran VPN provider that consistently demonstrates a strong commitment to privacy and transparency. In our testing, ExpressVPN was excellent for streaming and the easiest VPN app to use on any platform, including Android. The catch is that ExpressVPN is one of the most expensive VPN providers currently on the market. The service costs $13 per month, $100 for the first year (then $117 annually), or $140 for the first two years (then $150 annually). This is significantly more expensive than Surfshark, which charges $48 for the first year or $56 for the first two years, with both plans renewing at $60 annually. NordVPN is cheaper than Express but pricier than Surfshark at $69 for the first year or $81 total for the first two years (Nord's one- and two-year plans rise to $140 annually upon renewal). Granted, ExpressVPN does bundle a password manager and identity theft insurance, but if you only need a VPN or don't plan to use Express for anything other than a VPN, you may be able to get cheaper service elsewhere. Nevertheless, it's tough to find a more user-friendly VPN app than ExpressVPN's. Although snappy enough for almost any online activity, ExpressVPNs speeds are not quite as fast as some of its competitors, based on our latest speed tests. In 2024, we measured a 24.8% average speed loss with ExpressVPN. This is still fast, given that many VPNs can cut your internet speeds by 50% or more. We saw substantially better speeds from NordVPN (11% speed loss), Surfshark (17% speed loss) and Proton VPN (21%). Still, ExpressVPNs speeds were largely consistent and aligned with our expectations across protocols and server locations. Overall, we registered the fastest speeds through ExpressVPNs proprietary Lightway protocol, which is engineered for speed and security. Speeds were generally faster to relatively closer server locations like New York City and the UK and slower to distant locations like Australia and Singapore. In any case, ExpressVPNs speeds were still fast enough for general browsing as well as for more data-intensive activities like streaming, gaming and videoconferencing -- especially if you use Lightway.