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Proton VPN vs ExpressVPN
Open Clients & Free Plan vs. RAM-Only Servers
Fact-checked and maintained by Softplorer Research
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Quick pick
→ Proton VPN is the more natural fit when open-source client apps across the supported platform set and a continuing free plan match how you want to evaluate a VPN.
→ ExpressVPN is the more natural fit when a documented RAM-only server fleet is the infrastructure property you care about most.
Proton VPN and ExpressVPN are easier to separate by asking what kind of trust signal you actually care about. One gives you open client code across the supported platform set; the other gives you a confirmed RAM-only server fleet.
Proton VPN: inspect the clients and try before paying
The client side is open
Proton VPN's client apps are open source across the supported platform set. Not all of ExpressVPN's client apps are open source. If your trust process includes looking at the software itself, that is a direct difference in this pair rather than a vague transparency claim.
There is also a continuing free route
Proton VPN has a continuing free plan. ExpressVPN does not currently offer a continuing free plan. That lowers the commitment to trying the service without turning a free plan into evidence about every other feature.
ExpressVPN: when the server-storage model matters more
RAM-only is the clean infrastructure difference
ExpressVPN's server fleet is documented as RAM-only. A full RAM-only fleet is not confirmed for Proton VPN. If the way the server fleet handles persistent storage is one of your deciding criteria, this is the part of the page to give real weight.
Client openness points the other way
Client openness is the part that points back toward Proton VPN. If source visibility is part of your minimum trust bar, give that difference real weight.
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