ExpressVPN levels up with new privacy and security features

ExpressVPN just launched a whole bunch of new products, officially expanding the popular VPN service into a full-blown security and privacy suite. The company behind one of our favorite VPNs is entering a new phase in its evolution—from a single-product VPN to an all-encompassing digital protection platform.

Now with just one subscription to ExpressVPN, you’ll gain access to not only the VPN itself, but three other protections: ExpressKeys, ExpressMailGuard, and a revamped Identity Defender app. Additionally, the company has plans to roll out its own AI platform called ExpressAI to subscribers at a later date.

All of these tools are available for Android and iOS users and while most of the new products are included with all subscription tiers—Basic, Advanced, and Pro—additional features for each are unlocked with the more expensive plans.

ExpressKeys

ExpressVPN introduced its password manager as an extra security feature within its VPN in late 2023. But now it’s separating the two and giving ExpressKeys room to grow on its own as a dedicated app for Android and iOS. 

This move signals a shift from “nice-to-have feature” to more of a core product for the company. The new ExpressKeys app is designed to allow for faster updates, deeper functionality, and more focused development.

The new app delivers all of the essentials users expect from a password manager—secure password generation, password autofill, secure credential storage for payment information, biometric unlock on mobile devices, automatic syncing across devices, and password health features. These are all alongside zero-knowledge encryption meaning only the user can access their data. 

Existing users of ExpressVPN’s Keys will be able to seamlessly switch as the integrated password manager sunsets after March 5 of this year.

ExpressKeys will be available to all subscribers of either ExpressVPN’s Advanced or Pro tiers.

ExpressMailGuard

The other new addition to ExpressVPN’s lineup is ExpressMailGuard, an email aliasing and inbox protection service. For those who aren’t familiar with an email protection system like this, they work by allowing users to generate disposable email aliases giving them much more control over spam, tracking, and unnecessary exposure online.

At its core, ExpressMailGuard is about total control over your inbox. Email aliases can be used for sign-ups, subscriptions, or any other dodgy online service. Messages sent to these aliases are then forwarded from ExpressMailGuard to the user’s real inbox such as Gmail, Outlook, etc. Aliases can be blocked with the click of a button should they ever start attracting spam or suspicious traffic.

A central dashboard shows which aliases are tied to which service, what’s being forwarded or blocked, and how email flows can be filtered or automated. 

ExpressMailGuard also works with any email service and any device, making it dead simple to create and manage aliases across all of your existing email accounts. As Shay Peretz, COO of ExpressVPN states, “ExpressMailGuard is like a VPN for email. We’re making it easy for anyone to protect their real email address, reduce unwanted exposure, and manage aliases in one place, no matter which email provider they use.”

ExpressMailGuard will be available to subscribers of all ExpressVPN tiers with unlimited aliases. Recipient email addresses, bandwidth limits, and alias domains are available to all tiers as well, but Advanced and Pro plans will include larger limits on all of these. Additionally, subscribers to the higher tiers will gain access to custom rule settings and other tweakable features.

Identity Defender

Finally, ExpressVPN is re-launching its Identity Defender security feature set as a standalone app. This will include all of the privacy and security tools it previously had such as monitoring of credit, public records, and online exposure, plus data removal services and identity theft insurance.

Rather than bundling all of these into the VPN and website, users can now access them via a fully distinct app. It might now sound like a big change, and for many users this is the least impactful upgrade. But from a developer’s point-of-view, making Identity Defender a standalone app allows ExpressVPN to streamline future iterations and updates without worrying about integration with either the VPN or website. Think of it as the company taking the training wheels off and allowing Identity Defender and its developers to expand on their own.

The new Identity Defender app is available now to all U.S.-based ExpressVPN subscribers.

You can subscribe to ExpressVPN here.