ExpressVPN gets a big speed boost with newly launched Lightway protocol

ExpressVPN is one of the most popular options in the VPN space, offering a variety of server locations and apps on a number of platforms. In our experience, the speeds are generally good, but things could definitely be a little better when streaming video.

Now ExpressVPN has introduced a new protocol called Lightway, which the company developed in-house to provide improved speeds and a faster connection process.

The company also claims less processor load (which allows for better energy efficiency) and the ability to stay connected when your device changes network.

What can you expect from Lightway?

Three quick speed tests on the Netflix-supported website fast.com showed an average download speed of 41 Mbps for the legacy protocol when connected to New York. The Lightway protocol provided an average download speed of 39 Mbit / s.Three tests on the legacy protocol to Sweden showed an average download speed of 49.3 Mbit / s, while tests with the Lightway activated an average speed of 50, 6 Mbit / s resulted.

In the meantime, our own Dhruv Bhutani reported that Lightway was consistently faster for him when testing it, occasionally delivering almost twice the download speed. One of the biggest differences came when connecting to the UK, as Dhruv reported speeds of 110Mbps over Lightway compared to 69Mbps with the old UDP protocol.

This isn’t exactly a scientific test, then, but it does suggest that Lightway should deliver faster speeds in most (but not all) conditions. However, the new protocol consistently delivered connection times of less than three seconds in our short tests, compared to a little over five seconds with the older protocols.

The Lightway protocol is available on ExpressVPN for Android, Linux, Mac, Windows, and routers. The company confirmed that the protocol will also be available for the iOS app. You can try ExpressVPN using the button below.