AirVPN vs ExpressVPN

Why Switch from ExpressVPN to AirVPN?

ExpressVPN markets itself as a premium privacy tool, but its corporate structure raises serious questions. ExpressVPN is owned by Kape Technologies (formerly Crossrider), an Israeli-founded company with a controversial history in adware distribution. Kape also owns CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, and ZenMate — consolidating multiple VPN brands under one corporate umbrella. ExpressVPN is registered in the British Virgin Islands, a jurisdiction that, while privacy-friendly on paper, offers no enforceable data protection rights comparable to EU law.

AirVPN is a fundamentally different kind of VPN provider. Founded by Italian activist and developer Paolo Brini, AirVPN is a community-driven project built on transparency and open-source principles. The Eddie client is fully open source, the infrastructure decisions are discussed openly with the community, and the Italian jurisdiction places AirVPN under GDPR — giving users real, enforceable privacy rights rather than marketing promises.

Feature Comparison

Feature	AirVPN	ExpressVPN
Price (annual)	€4.08/month	~€7.77/month
Data location	Italy 🇮🇹 (EU)	British Virgin Islands 🇻🇬
GDPR compliant	✅ Full (EU company)	❌ No (non-EU jurisdiction)
Open-source client	✅ Eddie (GPLv3)	❌ Proprietary
VPN protocols	WireGuard + OpenVPN	Lightway + OpenVPN
Port forwarding	✅ Up to 20 ports	❌ Not available
No-logs verified	✅ Yes	✅ Audited
Server locations	~20 countries	105 countries
Simultaneous devices	5	8
Kill switch	✅ Network Lock	✅ Network Lock
Streaming optimization	❌ No	✅ Yes
Cryptocurrency payment	✅ Bitcoin, Monero	✅ Bitcoin only

Pricing

AirVPN’s pricing is straightforward and significantly cheaper than ExpressVPN:

• AirVPN 1 month: €7.00/month
• AirVPN 3 months: €4.97/month (€14.90 total)
• AirVPN 1 year: €4.08/month (€49.00 total)
• AirVPN 2 years: €3.37/month (€80.80 total)
• AirVPN 3 years: €2.75/month (€99.00 total)
• ExpressVPN 1 month: €12.26/month
• ExpressVPN 1 year: €7.77/month (€93.24 total)
• ExpressVPN 2 years: €5.33/month (€127.86 total)

On an annual plan, AirVPN costs roughly half of what ExpressVPN charges. Over three years, the savings exceed €180. AirVPN also accepts Monero for anonymous payments, while ExpressVPN is limited to Bitcoin for cryptocurrency options.

Privacy & Data Sovereignty

AirVPN’s privacy credentials are rooted in verifiable technical measures and EU legal protections:

• Open-source client — the Eddie client source code is publicly auditable on GitLab, making hidden tracking or backdoors detectable
• Italian EU jurisdiction — AirVPN operates under GDPR, providing users with enforceable data protection rights including the right to access, deletion, and portability
• No mandatory VPN data retention — Italian law does not require VPN providers to retain connection logs
• Verified no-logging policy — AirVPN does not log connection timestamps, IP addresses, bandwidth usage, or traffic data
• Cryptocurrency payments accepted (Bitcoin and Monero) for users who want payment anonymity
• Community governance — infrastructure decisions and policy changes are discussed openly in AirVPN’s forums, providing transparency rare among VPN providers
• No corporate conglomerate ownership — AirVPN is not owned by a holding company operating multiple VPN brands, unlike ExpressVPN (Kape Technologies)

Migration Guide

Difficulty: Easy | Estimated time: 20-30 minutes

1. Create an AirVPN account at airvpn.org. You can sign up with just an email address, or use a disposable email for additional privacy. Choose a subscription plan and pay via credit card, PayPal, Bitcoin, or Monero.
2. Download and install Eddie — the open-source AirVPN client is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Linux users can also install via package manager repositories.
3. Configure your preferences — select your preferred protocol (WireGuard for speed, OpenVPN for maximum configurability), enable the network lock (kill switch), and choose your preferred server locations. Advanced users can fine-tune DNS settings, routing rules, and proxy configurations.
4. Set up port forwarding (optional) — log into the AirVPN website, navigate to the port forwarding section, and add up to 20 forwarded ports. This is essential for torrenting, game hosting, or self-hosted services.
5. Test your connection — connect to an AirVPN server and verify your new IP address using ipleak.net. Check for DNS leaks, WebRTC leaks, and confirm the kill switch works by temporarily disrupting your connection.
6. Cancel ExpressVPN — log into your ExpressVPN account, disable auto-renewal, and request a refund if within the 30-day guarantee period. Uninstall the ExpressVPN app from all devices.

Real-World Use Cases

A Berlin-based open-source developer uses AirVPN with port forwarding to host a personal Git server and development environment behind the VPN. The open-source Eddie client integrates cleanly with their Linux workflow, and the WireGuard protocol provides fast connections for SSH sessions and code pushes. The €49/year cost fits comfortably within a student-era budget.

A Milan-based journalist relies on AirVPN to protect source communications and research sensitive stories. The Italian jurisdiction means their VPN provider operates under the same legal framework they understand, and the no-logging policy has been consistently maintained since the service launched. Monero payments ensure no financial trail connects them to the VPN account.

A group of computer science students in Vienna shares an AirVPN family plan for coursework, research, and personal browsing. The advanced configuration options serve as a practical learning tool for networking concepts, and the port forwarding feature lets them run project servers accessible to classmates. At under €3/month on a 3-year plan, it is cheaper than a single coffee.

Company Background

AirVPN was founded in 2010 by Paolo Brini, an Italian software developer and digital rights activist. The project grew out of Brini’s involvement in the European digital rights movement and his conviction that privacy tools should be transparent, community-driven, and open source. Unlike most commercial VPN providers, AirVPN was not created to maximize revenue — it was built as an activist project that sustains itself through subscriptions.

AirVPN operates as an Italian entity, with servers distributed across approximately 20 countries in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The company deliberately maintains a smaller, carefully managed server network rather than expanding rapidly with rented infrastructure of questionable quality. Each server is selected based on the hosting provider’s privacy policies, network quality, and jurisdiction.

The community-driven nature of AirVPN is one of its most distinctive features. Major infrastructure decisions, feature additions, and policy changes are discussed openly in AirVPN’s forums, where users can ask questions directly to the operators. This level of transparency is virtually nonexistent among large commercial VPN providers. The Eddie client’s open-source codebase on GitLab has been reviewed by independent security researchers, and AirVPN publishes transparency reports detailing any legal requests for user data — all of which have resulted in no data disclosure, because no logs exist to share.

Security & Compliance

AirVPN implements robust security measures with a focus on verifiability and transparency:

• Open-source Eddie client (GPLv3) — full source code available on GitLab for independent security auditing, ensuring no hidden trackers or backdoors
• WireGuard protocol support with modern cryptography (ChaCha20, Curve25519, BLAKE2s) providing fast, secure connections with a minimal attack surface
• OpenVPN protocol support with AES-256-GCM encryption and 4096-bit RSA keys for maximum security in environments where WireGuard is blocked
• Perfect forward secrecy ensuring that compromise of one session’s encryption keys cannot be used to decrypt past or future sessions
• DNS leak protection with AirVPN’s own DNS servers, preventing DNS queries from leaking outside the VPN tunnel
• GDPR compliant as an Italian company under EU data protection law, with enforceable user rights including data access and deletion
• Network lock (kill switch) that blocks all internet traffic if the VPN connection drops, preventing accidental IP exposure
• No-logging policy verified through consistent transparency reports and the absence of any data disclosure in response to legal requests

Integration Ecosystem

AirVPN provides advanced integration options designed for technically proficient users:

• Eddie client for Windows, macOS, Linux (including ARM), Android, and iOS — open source and fully configurable
• WireGuard and OpenVPN configuration files available for manual setup on any device or router supporting these standard protocols
• Router compatibility with OpenWrt, DD-WRT, pfSense, OPNsense, and other advanced router firmware through standard OpenVPN or WireGuard configs
• Port forwarding (up to 20 ports per account) for hosting services, torrenting, gaming, and self-hosted applications behind the VPN
• SOCKS5 proxy support for routing specific application traffic through AirVPN without a full system VPN tunnel
• SSH and SSL tunneling options for bypassing VPN blocks in restrictive network environments
• API access for programmatic server status queries and connection management
• Custom DNS configuration allowing users to specify their own DNS resolvers or use AirVPN’s no-logging DNS servers

Who Should Switch?

AirVPN is ideal for:

• Privacy advocates who want a VPN with verifiable open-source code and EU legal protections
• Developers and sysadmins who need port forwarding, advanced configuration, and protocol flexibility
• Students looking for affordable, high-quality VPN protection on a tight budget
• Linux users who want a native, well-maintained open-source client with full GUI and CLI support
• Anyone uncomfortable with ExpressVPN’s ownership by Kape Technologies and its non-EU jurisdiction

The Bottom Line

ExpressVPN offers a polished, user-friendly experience with a massive server network and strong streaming performance. If ease of use and geo-unblocking are your top priorities, ExpressVPN delivers on those fronts.

But if you care about transparency, open-source verifiability, and real EU data protection, AirVPN is the principled choice. The open-source Eddie client means you do not have to take anyone’s word for it — you can verify the code yourself. Port forwarding, advanced configuration, GDPR jurisdiction, and a price tag roughly half of ExpressVPN’s make AirVPN the smarter option for anyone who values substance over marketing polish.

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Looking for more European alternatives in this category? See also: Mullvad VPN, IVPN, and ProtonVPN.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Eddie client and why is it open source?

Eddie is AirVPN's official desktop client, fully open source under the GPLv3 license. The source code is publicly available on GitLab, allowing anyone to audit it for backdoors, tracking, or security flaws. Open-source VPN clients provide a level of trust that proprietary clients from companies like ExpressVPN cannot match, because claims about privacy can be independently verified.

Does AirVPN support WireGuard?

Yes. AirVPN added WireGuard support alongside its long-standing OpenVPN implementation. You can use WireGuard for faster speeds and lower latency, or OpenVPN for maximum compatibility and configurability. Both protocols are available on all servers and can be switched freely in the Eddie client or via manual configuration.

Can I use AirVPN for torrenting and port forwarding?

Yes. AirVPN is one of the few VPN providers that offers port forwarding on all plans at no extra cost. You can forward up to 20 ports per account, which is essential for torrenting, hosting game servers, or running self-hosted services behind the VPN. Port forwarding is configured through the AirVPN website and works immediately.

Is AirVPN as fast as ExpressVPN?

AirVPN offers competitive speeds, particularly on WireGuard connections. While ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol may edge ahead in some speed tests due to its larger server infrastructure and network optimization, AirVPN's WireGuard speeds are excellent for daily browsing, streaming, and downloading. Most users will not notice a meaningful difference in everyday use.

How does AirVPN's Italian jurisdiction affect privacy?

Italy is an EU member state, meaning AirVPN operates under GDPR — one of the strongest data protection frameworks in the world. Unlike VPNs based in the British Virgin Islands or Panama, AirVPN's EU jurisdiction provides clear legal protections for user data. Italy does not have mandatory data retention laws for VPN providers, and AirVPN's verified no-logging policy means there is no data to hand over even if requested.