Atom
vs
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN
Comparison · August 2026
ExpressVPN is what most “best VPN for China” lists hand a tourist. Atom is what you buy when you want the address to be yours.
| Atom | ExpressVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Dedicated household node | Shared consumer app |
| Month-to-month | $49 | $12.95 |
| Best billed / mo | $29.08 ($349/year) | ~$6.67 (2-year promo) |
| IP | Dedicated. Never shared. | Shared. Dedicated IP is an add-on. |
| Who is on it | One household | 8 devices, many strangers on the IP |
| When it is ready | Reserved on pay. Live in ~15 min. | Install tonight. |
| China in 2026 roundups | Our product: hard-network travel, up to ~100 MB/s on a clear path | Often the traveler #1 — testers still disagree year to year |
Snapshot as of August 2026. Consumer prices move. How we compare.
ExpressVPN won the consumer story: a polished app, a 30-day refund, and 2026 roundups that still put it first for a short China trip. Month-to-month is about $12.95. The two-year math is about $6.67 a month. You share the IP. That is the product, and it is a good one for that job.
Atom is not that job. $49 a month, or $349 a year, buys a dedicated machine and a dedicated IP for one household. Pay, the reservation is instant, we spin the box in about 10–15 minutes.
If you want the easiest store app tonight, buy Express. If you want nobody else on the address, buy Atom.
Express looks cheaper because you are renting a seat, and because two-year prepay hides the monthly. Atom looks expensive because the unit is the node. Dedicated-IP add-ons on consumer apps ($10–$18 extra) still sit on shared infrastructure. That is not the same object. Methodology.
Public 2026 tests often praise Express for first-try connects on a trip. We are not here to strip that medal. We are here to say: a shared good app and a private node are different shelves. Plan ahead either way — install before you fly. With Atom, order before you fly.
Different units and different machines. Express roundups in 2026 quote tens to low hundreds of megabits. Atom quotes up to about 100 MB/s (megabytes) on a clear path. Hotel Wi‑Fi still sets the floor. See methodology.
You can. That is a sticky address on their network, not a private machine. Atom vs a dedicated-IP add-on.
Also: China travel · Terms