About ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN's extension does two jobs. In Proxy Mode it is a standalone browser proxy that sends only your browser's traffic through ExpressVPN servers, with no desktop app needed. In Remote Control Mode it drives the ExpressVPN app on Windows, Mac or Linux, so the whole device is covered. The Chrome version also spoofs geolocation, blocks WebRTC leaks and has Smart Routing rules for choosing which sites use the proxy.
Its audit trail is the longest here. Cure53 has tested the extension itself three times, most recently in June 2024, when it found two issues, one of medium severity, which were fixed and retested. KPMG has assessed ExpressVPN's no-logs claims about its TrustedServer system, most recently as of 28 February 2025. The extension's source is on GitHub under GPL-2.0, though the last public commit dates from March 2024.
The warning is ownership. Kape Technologies has owned ExpressVPN since 2021, and Kape was called Crossrider until 2018, a company whose tools were widely used to inject ads and which Malwarebytes classed as adware. Kape says it has left ad tech, and we found no evidence against the extension. There is no free plan, and the Chrome rating is a modest 3.3. Choose it if you value its audits and accept that history.
Pros and cons
- Works as a standalone proxy or as a remote control for the desktop app
- Cure53 has audited the extension three times, most recently in June 2024
- KPMG assessed its TrustedServer no-logs claims, most recently as of 28 February 2025
- Source code published on GitHub under GPL-2.0
- Owned by Kape Technologies, formerly the ad-tech firm Crossrider
- No free plan; it needs an ExpressVPN subscription
- Chrome rating of 3.3 from about 2,800 ratings, and the Firefox version needs the desktop app
Permissions
It requests access to all websites, proxy control, web requests, cookies, privacy settings, tabs and native messaging, which it needs to route browser traffic through the proxy, spoof location and talk to the ExpressVPN desktop app.
