If 2024 was about maintaining the status quo, 2025 was the year ExpressVPN aggressively adapted its business model and technical backend to meet modern users where they are. For a provider long known for its high prices and rigid structure, the past 12 months have marked a significant shift toward flexibility.
According to Andreas Theodorou, head of technical and strategic communications at ExpressVPN, the defining theme of the year was ensuring that high-level privacy tools are not just available, but “accessible” and technically robust enough to survive the next generation of threats.
“While many people choose to focus on the negatives and sensationalize the cat-and-mouse game that is cybersecurity, there are some real positives that deserve our attention,” notes Theodorou.
Breaking the price barrier
Perhaps the most immediately tangible change for consumers in 2025 was ExpressVPN’s abandonment of its single-tier subscription model.
For years, the service operated on a simple but rigid principle: one price for everything. However, as the market became saturated with cheaper competitors offering unlimited connections, this model faced increasing pressure.
ExpressVPN responded by restructuring its offering into three distinct tiers: Basic, Advanced and Pro. This move was not just about competing on costs; it was about modernization.
By “offering Basic, Advanced and Pro plans, we’ve made privacy more accessible, tailored to each user’s needs by starting at a lower cost and including more simultaneous connections across the board,” says Theodorou.
This change allowed the vendor to shake off criticism that it is too expensive for the average user, while simultaneously catering to power users who need to secure a household full of devices.
By unbundling features, ExpressVPN has effectively lowered the barrier to entry, ensuring that budget constraints don’t force users to settle for lower encryption.
Solving the MacOS and Quantum Puzzle
While the marketing team focused on pricing, the engineering division spent 2025 tackling two of the industry’s toughest technical challenges: Apple’s ecosystem and the looming quantum threat.
MacOS users have long suffered from limited functionality compared to their Windows counterparts, particularly when it comes to “split tunneling,” the ability to route specific applications through the VPN while leaving others on the direct Internet connection.
Changes to Apple’s operating system architecture have made this implementation notoriously difficult to implement securely.
Split tunneling on MacOS is notoriously difficult. »
Andreas Theodorou, Head of Technical and Strategic Communications at ExpressVPN
“Split tunneling on macOS is notoriously difficult,” admits Theodorou. “But we’re happy to be one of the few VPN providers that can offer it to users in a way that meets Apple’s security standards compliance expectations.”
This achievement is significant. Many competitors have quietly abandoned this feature on macOS due to the technical overhead of maintaining it. By resolving it, ExpressVPN has reaffirmed its commitment to the Apple ecosystem.
Simultaneously, the company looked toward the era of quantum computing. In 2025, ExpressVPN has been pushing for industry-wide standards for post-quantum cryptography (PQ). Rather than keeping their innovations proprietary, they focused on open standards.
“Helping the industry with a repeatable implementation of PQ WireGuard was another point of pride for us,” says Theodorou. “We want to ensure that everyone can protect themselves from quantum threats. » This focuses on the “store now, decrypt later” threat, ensuring that data captured today remains secure even when quantum computers become capable of breaking current encryption standards.
Navigating a Changing Landscape
Beyond their own product, ExpressVPN executives took note of broader changes in the digital rights landscape throughout 2025. Theodorou highlighted the often overlooked academic work underpinning consumer privacy, specifically highlighting the Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS).
“While academia is often overlooked, this year’s PETS featured a remarkable range of discussions that will help shape the future of privacy and technology for years to come,” he observed.
He also highlighted the integration of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) as a major win for 2025.
With the evolution of ZKP standardization by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the integration of big players like Google Wallet, the technology is moving from niche theory to consumer reality. “It’s exciting to see how the world of online security will evolve,” added Theodorou.
However, the year was not without losses. Theodorou noted the departure of Cindy Cohn as executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) as an important moment for the industry. “Cohn was and is an inspiration to many people around the world…and has had a huge impact on the world of digital privacy.”
What is planned for 2026?
Looking ahead, ExpressVPN appears poised to capitalize on the structural changes made in 2025. The roadmap suggests a quick start to the new year.
“We think 2026 will be a big year for us,” predicts Theodorou. “ExpressVPN has a range of exciting products and updates coming in the first quarter.”
While specific feature sets remain secret, the strategy appears to revolve around a holistic approach to user protection that goes beyond simple IP masking. Theodorou hints at “interesting projects to help promote online security protection without sacrificing privacy.”
This phrasing suggests a move toward more active threat blocking or identity protection features that operate strictly within a privacy-preserving framework, likely leveraging the ZKP advances praised earlier by Theodorou.
The road to follow
ExpressVPN closes 2025 after successfully navigating a difficult transition. By diversifying its prices, it protected its market share against cheaper competitors. By solving macOS’s split tunneling problem and democratizing Post-Quantum WireGuard, it proved that it still has the technical prowess to dominate the market.
For the user, the message for 2026 is clear: ExpressVPN is no longer just high-end luxury; it is an accessible and adaptable tool, ready for the post-quantum era.
