ZoneBlade vs ExpressVPN

The short answer

For a VPN in your browser, ZoneBlade is the better pick. It's free with unlimited data in 6 countries, needs no account, and gives each tab its own country with separate cookies. ExpressVPN has no free plan: its extension needs a subscription, and it can send different websites through different countries but not different tabs, so the same site can't be open in two countries at once. ExpressVPN suits people who want a paid VPN on their TV, router and phone.

Checked against ExpressVPN's own website and store listing on . Every claim about ExpressVPN links to its source.

Side by side

ZoneBlade and ExpressVPN, row by row.

Numbers link to their sources at the bottom of the page.

FeatureZoneBladeExpressVPN logoExpressVPN
Free planYesNo1Trial on phones only
Works without an accountYesNo2
Free dataUnlimitedNo free plan1
Countries on the free plan6No free plan1
No ads on the free planYesNo free plan1
Doesn't sell your data or share your connectionYesYes3
A different country in each tabYesPartly4Per site, not per tab
The same site in two countries at onceYesEach country keeps its own cookiesNo4
Countries1801135
Apps for your whole deviceNoChrome and Edge onlyYes6
Price, month to month$5.99Premium, monthly$14.997
Lowest price a month$4.00Premium, $47.99 a year$2.997First 28 months, introductory
ExpressVPN: who runs it
Express Technologies Ltd, British Virgin Islands; owned by Kape Technologies (UK) since 2021 [3]
ExpressVPN: extension
Needs a subscription. Proxy Mode covers the browser; Remote Control Mode runs the desktop app [2]
ExpressVPN: devices
10 to 14 at once, depending on the plan [7]
ExpressVPN: Chrome Web Store
3.3 stars from 2,800 ratings, 1 million users [8]
ExpressVPN: no-logs audit
KPMG, as of 28 February 2025 [9]
ExpressVPN: leadership
Its CIO entered a US deferred prosecution agreement in 2021 over earlier hacking work for a UAE firm; ExpressVPN kept him on [10]

Free against paid

ExpressVPN's extension needs an ExpressVPN subscription. There's no free plan; the only trial is 3 days on its phone apps, with sign-up, and otherwise a 30-day money-back guarantee.

ZoneBlade Free costs nothing, with no account, no card and no ads, and unlimited data in 6 countries. Both prices are in the table above.

Per site against per tab

ExpressVPN's extension can send chosen websites through a server country of your choice, so two different sites can browse from two countries. What it can't do is give two tabs of the same site different countries.

ZoneBlade does it by tab: name a Chrome tab group “US United States” and another “DE Germany”, and the same site opens in both, each country with its own cookies and sign-ins. You see both versions side by side, without one leaking into the other.

Privacy

Both say they don't sell your data. ExpressVPN's no-logs policy was checked by KPMG as of February 2025. It's owned by Kape Technologies, which also owns CyberGhost and Private Internet Access.

ZoneBlade, run by a UK company, keeps no record of the sites you visit and counts only how much data each device uses, by country.

Countries and devices

ExpressVPN lists 113 countries and apps for computers, phones, TVs, streaming sticks and routers. ZoneBlade Premium covers 180 countries, Free covers 6, and both work in Chrome and Edge only.

When ExpressVPN is the better pick

Choose ExpressVPN if you want a VPN on devices with no browser extension, such as a smart TV, an Apple TV, a Fire Stick or your router, and don't mind paying for it.

The verdict

For browsing in Chrome or Edge, ZoneBlade wins: it's free, with no account, and gives each tab its own country, where ExpressVPN works per site and only with a paid subscription. ExpressVPN is a paid VPN for TVs, routers and phones; for your browser, ZoneBlade does more and costs nothing to start.

Questions

Is ExpressVPN free in Chrome?

No. ExpressVPN's Chrome extension needs a subscription. ZoneBlade is free in Chrome and Edge, with unlimited data in 6 countries and no account.

Can ExpressVPN open the same site in two countries?

No. It can route different websites through different countries, but not two tabs of the same site. ZoneBlade's Each tab mode can, with each country's cookies kept apart.

Does ZoneBlade have apps for TVs or phones?

No. ZoneBlade works in Chrome and Edge. ExpressVPN has apps for TVs, phones and routers.

Sources

  1. 1https://www.expressvpn.com/features/vpn-trial
  2. 2https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn-setup/browser-extension-plugin/
  3. 3https://www.expressvpn.com/privacy-policy
  4. 4https://www.expressvpn.com/support/vpn-setup/browser-extension-smart-routing/
  5. 5https://www.expressvpn.com/vpn-server
  6. 6https://www.expressvpn.com/vpn-download
  7. 7https://www.expressvpn.com/pricing
  8. 8https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/fgddmllnllkalaagkghckoinaemmogpe
  9. 9https://expressvpn.com/blog/kpmg-2025-no-logs-policy-audit/
  10. 10https://www.techradar.com/features/expressvpn-and-project-raven-every-fact-we-know-so-far

Try ZoneBlade before you pay for ExpressVPN.

Free for good: unlimited data in 6 countries, a country in every tab, no account, no ads. Ready in a minute.

Add to ChromeIt's freeAdd to EdgeIt's free