ExpressVPN is owned by Kape Technologies — a large commercial group. PrivateVPN is independently owned and operated in Sweden. The products reflect different resource levels: ExpressVPN is built around a premium protocol engineering investment; PrivateVPN is a smaller service with fewer published verifications.

What you get that PrivateVPN doesn't offer

Lightway — a proprietary protocol with an independent audit of the implementation specifically. TrustedServer: hardware-enforced data non-persistence across all servers. ExpressVPN is designed for lower-friction connection across all platforms. Independently audited no-logs policy; PrivateVPN has no published third-party audit. BVI registration vs PrivateVPN's Sweden, a 14-eyes member. Eight simultaneous connections.

What you give up

PrivateVPN is independently owned — Kape Technologies owns ExpressVPN alongside CyberGhost and PIA. Port forwarding at PrivateVPN; ExpressVPN does not offer it. SOCKS5 proxy support. Ten simultaneous connections vs eight. Simpler corporate structure with no conglomerate parent.

What you get that ExpressVPN doesn't offer

Independent Swedish ownership — no parent group, no conglomerate structure. Port forwarding included. SOCKS5 proxy support. Ten simultaneous connections. Straightforward pricing without the premium markup ExpressVPN carries.

What you give up

No published independent audit — PrivateVPN's no-logs claim is stated but not third-party verified. Sweden is a 14-eyes member; ExpressVPN's BVI registration sits outside those frameworks. Lightway and TrustedServer are not available. ExpressVPN's cross-platform connection experience and streaming access reflect a commercial infrastructure investment PrivateVPN doesn't match.