Avast SecureLine vs NordVPN vs ExpressVPN – Obvious Winner in 2020

From 2016 to 2020, the size of the VPN market worldwide has increased from 15.7 to 27.1 billion dollars. In this rapidly expanding global market, there are a number of key players. Avast SecureLine, NordVPN, and ExpressVPN are 3 of the best performing VPNs.

In this review, we will be comparing these VPNs based on their speed, features, accessibility, server performance, and much more.

Brief Overview – Which is the better VPN

The features and performance VPNs offer can vary greatly depending on multiple factors. Accordingly, we have ranked each VPN depending on their performance.

#1 ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN has long been the king of VPNs. It provides the best speeds, stable performance, and supports consumers as well as professional applications. Therefore, ExpressVPN ranks as the best VPN on this list.

#2 NordVPN

NordVPN has always been the choice for people that want performance and value. NordVPN consistently delivers stable speeds ideal for streaming and file sharing. It does have a few rough edges. Which is why we ranked it as the second-best VPN on our list.

#3 Avast SecureLine

Avast SecureLine has paved its way into an already saturated market by providing value to its customers. Secureline’s innovative features have made it popular among its users, which is why it’s ranked as the third-best VPN on our list.

Avast SecureLine vs Nordvpn vs ExpressVPN – Price Comparison

Price plays a major role in the strategic placement of any product or service. VPNs generally offer heavy discounts for long-term packages to retain their customers. Let’s take a look at how each of the three VPNs stacks against each other when it comes to price.

Among the three VPNs, there are packages ranging from 1-month to 3-years. ExpressVPN has the most conservative options available, with 1-month, 6-month, and 15-month packages. It is also the most costly VPN to purchase, coming in at $12.95/month.

NordVPN is cheaper and has more options with 1-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year deals. It also offers up to 70% off at $3.44/month.Avast SecureLine has the most options available for its varied customer base. Customers can choose between a single device package and a 5-device package.

It’s also the cheapest VPN on this list. In addition, customers can also decide if they want a premium 1-year long customer support subscription for $19.99.

The Winner: Conclusively, Avast VPN wins the price comparison thanks to its varied billing options and add-on services.

Avast SecureLine vs NordVPN vs ExpressVPN -Speed Test

VPN speeds can vary greatly depending on the server’s proximity and infrastructure. Consistency and reliability are what make a VPN great. Hence, we performed our own comparison.

We began by establishing a benchmark.

Our ISP provides a 10mbps connection. The connection sustains a 10.1 Mbps download, and 10.23 Mbps upload. A low ping of 2 ms keeps the latency low.

Avast SecureLine Speed Test

Avast SecureLine performs on par with most other well-performing VPNs. It’s able to sustain a stable connection capable of streaming and most online activities.

ExpressVPN Speed Test

ExpressVPN offers stellar performance that’s unparalleled across the board. It’s able to sustain most of the bandwidth, and a reasonable latency.

NordVPN Speed Test

NordVPN is yet another promising contender. It provides great performance at a reasonable price.

The Winner: According to our speed test, ExpressVPN takes the first position, thanks to its higher than average speed and low latency. NordVPN ranks second while Avast SecureLine not too far behind.

Avast SecureLine vs NordVPN vs ExpressVPN –Ease of use (Setup/Interface)

VPNs need to be intuitive for the user while performing as expected. Most people who use VPNs are casual users that want additional security for work-related activities or streaming their favorite show.

Therefore, we compared Avast SecureLine, ExpressVPN, and NordVPN based on user accessibility.

Avast SecureLine

Avast works much the same way as most VPNs. The connect button automatically chooses the right server for you.

The “Change location” button lets you choose your location, as well as the recommended server for P2P sharing and streaming.

In addition, the settings window can be accessed by going to the menu. It provides options for startup preferences, kill switch toggle, and browser extensions.

ExpressVPN App Interface

ExpressVPN is one of the pioneer VPNs. Its user interface is reflective of classic software. The interface is easy to understand and a prominent connect button lets users automatically connect to the most suitable server.

Extended options let you select your favorite server from the list of their recommended servers.

The settings window provides a lot of connection options and preferences for users to fiddle with. Here, users can choose startup settings, their preferred security protocols, and much more.

NordVPN App Interface

NordVPN has the most modern UI. Every time you connect, the VPN shows a visual map of your server’s location. On the left window, users can easily see the various servers and locations available to them.

While the software is very user friendly, it still offers all sorts of advanced options for power users. From an internet kill switch to Obfuscated servers, to Custom DNS, NordVPN has all the options easily accessible in the settings panel.

The Winner: For us, NordVPN has the best user interface. We rank it on top due to its modern looks and accessible features.

Avast SecureLine vs NordVPN vs ExpressVPN –Features Comparison

There are certain industry-standard features that VPNs boast on their websites. Here is the list of some popular features supported by Avast SecureLine, ExpressVPN, and NordVPN.

In today’s highly competitive market, most VPNs offer a lot of value addition. VPNs differentiate themselves by creating a unique selling point. Avast SecureLine has done that by offering single devices and 5-device multi-login options. The single device option comes at a significantly lower cost, making Secureline the ideal option for many users.

Moreover, it supports all major security protocols in use today. And its security/encryption standards are on par with the best VPNs.

NordVPN also provides premium security. It also provides Native support for onion, and all the features found in a good VPN.

ExpressVPN too has added benefits of enhanced security and privacy ideal for professionals. In addition, it prides itself on offering compatibility for various platforms, such as mobiles, desktops, routers, and NAS storage devices.

The Winner: When it comes to features comparison, ExpressVPN takes the lead due to its all-encompassing features and superior compatibility with major devices and OS.

Avast SecureLine vs NordVPN vs ExpressVPN – Unblocking Capability

VPNs are capable of supporting region-free streaming, and most casual users connect to a VPN to stream their favorite shows. Therefore, this is a feature that all VPNs must support. This section compares how well each VPN performs when it comes to unblocking streaming websites.

Avast SecureLine

Avast SecureLine works like a breeze. After automatically connecting, it connects to Netflix in no time. Avast performs similarly with Hulu and BBC iPlayer. While we could easily connect to Netflix, Avast has very limited options. Due to its limited list of servers that may get banned by Netflix, it’s not the best VPN for streaming.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN performs flawlessly with all streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer.

NordVPN

NordVPN isn’t too far behind ExpressVPN. It successfully unlocked Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iPlayer in our test.

The Winner: Our unblocking capability comparison suggested that in this case, ExpressVPN again comes out on top, due to its robust infrastructure of servers, and higher speeds.

Server and Performance Comparison

Servers are what make the majority of a VPNs infrastructure, among other things. A robust network of servers indicates that a VPN can provide reliable service anywhere in the world. So, let’s take a look at the numbers.

• Avast SecureLine, since its a new entrant in the VPN market, has 65 servers in 33 countries.
• ExpressVPN has more than 3000 servers located in more than 94 countries.
• NordVPN has 5000+ plus servers in more than 59 countries.

These numbers give you an idea, but they don’t paint the whole picture. There’s a lot more to a VPN than its supported servers.

NordVPN has the most expansive and dense network of servers. This means it provides excellent performance in regions close to NordVPN servers. ExpressVPN has a more expansive network, with servers in more than 94 countries, but it’s not as dense as NordVPNs. Avast SecureLine fails to compete with these giants, as it has a much weaker infrastructure.

Now, let’s talk a bit more in detail about the kind of VPN servers they support and how well they perform. ExpressVPN and Avast SecureLine support traditional servers that focus on online privacy while users perform their everyday tasks such as banking, online shopping, work, streaming, etc. On the other hand, NordVPN supports some speciality servers intended for power users. It also provides native support for onion domains, which is not a common feature in most VPNs.

The Winner: NordVPN is the best in servers and performance comparison. It takes the lead due to its dedicated IP, native support for onion, and reliability.

Security Protocols Comparison

Security protocols are algorithms designed to encrypt data. All VPNs today use military-grade, 256-bit encryption. Over time, security protocols have evolved to provide improved performance and efficiency.

Here is a table of supported protocols for each VPN.

NordVPN supports popular security protocols like OpenVPN, as well as its own open-source protocol, Wireguard. The main benefit of Wireguard is that it’s much faster than the protocols being used today. However, it is still in the beta testing phase and has very little adoption in the VPN market.

ExpressVPN takes a different approach altogether. It supports all major security protocols like PPTP. Older protocols like PPTP may be less secure but are one of the fastest ones available. PPTP is considered obsolete by many due to its sub-par security. But, because it offers excellent speeds, it can still be used for streaming and casual browsing.

Avast SecureLine supports all mainstream protocols. Although it’s limited in terms of the adoption of various protocols, it uses OpenVPN, which is the market standard for most VPNs. While it’s certainly not a bad VPN, it still has a long way to go before it can be on par with industry giants such as ExpressVPN.

The Winner: Concluding our security protocol comparison, we put NordVPN on top. That is because it’s leading the charge for innovation and newer security protocols that offer a more robust framework for privacy on the internet.

Privacy / Data required to Sign-up

VPNs offer a secure line of payment, but they require contact info and billing information from their customers. Having multiple payment options is always a plus point.

Similar to most of our Comparisons, ExpressVPN and NordVPN offer the most payment options. In addition to the methods mentioned above, ExpressVPN also supports Giropay, Yandex, Klarna, and many other payment options for users in America, Europe, and Asia as well. However, NordVPN does not support PayPal, which is a bummer for people that prefer using this payment method.

On the other hand, Avast SecureLine offers credit card payment or PayPal. Although it’s limited in terms of payment options, Credit card and PayPal should be enough for most people. However, Avast does take the lead by offering a 7-day free trial for potential customers.

The Winner: ExpressVPN comes out on top in our payment options comparison, owing to its support for payment methods popular in different regions and not just the USA.

Avast SecureLine vs NordVPN vs ExpressVPN –Customer Service Comparison

For all tech-related products and services, customer support is essential for success. Especially if the product is to be used by casual users who aren’t well versed in technology. Therefore, we took it upon ourselves to determine which VPN has the best customer service.

We compared each VPN on their response times, Live Chat support, and how knowledgeable their representatives were. But before we dive deeper into our comparison, let’s take a look at the various modes of customer support available by each VPN.

Our comparison will primarily be based on each VPN’s live chat support, as it is the most accessible way to troubleshoot.

Avast SecureLine does not offer a Live Chat button on their website. This might be due to the fact that they charge $20/year for a premium customer support service, and are keeping the 24/7 live chat option only for subscribed individuals.

ExpressVPN, on the other hand, has a good reputation for its customer service. Unfortunately though, due to the ongoing pandemic, ExpressVPN has relieved some of its staff, which is why their live chat support is unavailable.

However, their email response was great and their response team got back to us in a short while.

In comparison, NordVPN performed much better than the competition. Their live chat feature works like a charm, and their representative was able to diagnose our issue quite easily. Here is a screenshot of our exchange.

The Winner: When it comes to customer service comparison, NordVPN is the clear winner. Although NordVPN has an unnecessarily long process if you call them, their troubleshooting guides and customer support response are the best in class.

Conclusion

In the end, it’s time to summarize everything. ExpressVPN is hands down the number 1 VPN on this list, if you’re willing to pay a little extra. NordVPN has a reputation for stable connections and reasonable speeds, so it comes in at the second position.

Avast SecureLine is a new VPN, and although it’s not a bad option, there are better alternatives available.