This post was originally published on August 17, 2016.
ExpressVPN is proud to announce added security and privacy with the launch of a hidden service in the Tor network.
Hosting an onion service in the Tor network provides the following benefits to potential customers:
- Easier website access for people living and working in high-censorship countries.
- Greater privacy and anonymity for current Tor users.
New and curious? Check out the Beginner’s Guide to Tor.
How to access ExpressVPN’s .onion site
To access the onion service, follow these secure steps:
- Download the Tor Browser at the official website of the Tor Project. It’s available for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and Android.
- Navigate to http://expressobutiolem.onion and browse the site! It’s easy, safe, and anonymous.
Note: At this time, customer logged-in features are not available on https://expressobutiolem.onion. Stay tuned for future versions!
The Tor Browser is based on Firefox and has a similar look and feel. Open http://expressobutiolem.onion and browse as you would any other site.
As always, feedback (even the bad stuff) is appreciated: Contact Support if you find any bugs or additional issues.
ExpressVPN joins Facebook and others…
July 2013: DuckDuckGo (https://3g2upl4pq6kufc4m.onion/)
October 2014: Facebook (http://www.facebookcorewwwi.onion/)
December 2014: Blockchain (http://blockchainbdgpzk.onion/)
January 2016: ProPublica (http://www.propub3r6espa33w.onion/)
August, 2016: ExpressVPN (http://expressobutiolem.onion)
Why did ExpressVPN go to the trouble of creating a Tor site?
Not only does Tor provide its clients with strong anonymity, but it also hinders government censorship and network administrator controls. That way, users can reliably use the Tor network to access content from all around the world and communicate securely.
Although Tor users have always been able to reach our website and access content in countries where the expressvpn.com domain is censored, they previously had to rely on exit nodes. Exit node bandwidth is the scarcest resource in the Tor ecosystem. Exit nodes can also see your traffic and may attempt to modify it.
By offering an onion service, the ExpressVPN site will prevent exit node tracking and load faster for Tor users.
ExpressVPN felt these benefits were worth the significant cost of development, as the right to privacy is one of the core principles upon which our service was founded.
Learn more: What is Tor?
The Tor network is a decentralized proxy service.
Instead of routing traffic through a single proxy server, web traffic is sent through a layer of at least three servers and encrypted along the way. Unlike a regular proxy, which sees what you’re browsing and where you are at the same time, the Tor network separates this knowledge.
Servers are offered by volunteers and are not able to ascertain where you are and what you browse at the same time. Learn even more about how the Tor network functions in ExpressVPN’s Beginner’s Guide to Tor.
ExpressVPN is curious to hear what you think—try the new onion service and comment anonymously below!
Comments
How do I get on the Dark Net
For everything you want to know about the dark net: https://www.expressvpn.com/internet-privacy/tor/
Hi
Hi!
I notice the tor link is http. Expressvpn advises use only https. What gives?
Hi! The tor network uses its own tools to encrypt connections, which is why sites ending in .onion most of the time do not use https.
Mi pregunta es.. ¿Porque necesito Tor si ya tengo express PN?
Ho es necesario tener las dos para que funcione bien
STOP SENDING THIS POP UP!!
What pop-up? I had to click a link to get here. Clicking a link is not a pop-up ad. If you don’t click the link you don’t see this page. Stop clicking the link…. simple.
If you’re focused on maintaining your customers who are heavily invested in privacy, I’d strongly recommend against associating yourselves with anything with the Facebook name on it. “…joins Facebook…”, even with releases related to the Tor Network immediately threw up red flags for me. I, for one, will be watching ExpressVPNs moves with a heightened degree of scrutiny as my renewal date approaches.
It just means they are joining them in having a tor web page not sharing data or anything, I get what you mean but it’s no need for concern
They aren’t pairing with Facebook it’s just saying that they are joining them ( not in a literal sense) in having a web page on tor. It’s no need for concern and doesn’t imply data sharing anyway.
Right? I was really surprised to see Express associating with a company that can literally control people who are constantly using their services
The enemy is stopping me accessing Tor by:
“Firefox is currently configured to deny access by proxy server,
d
So cutee
Goodidea
Hi
I’ve been using TOR for years, it’s got a lot of hidden passages, to some seriously top secret.
Like what?
The CIA got to him already
lool
Very interesting, nice. hi
Best app
Hi Norm, please contact our Support Team and they will help you fix this ASAP.
Hi Johnny 5, my VPN doesn’t work for last four days and chat with virtual helpers didn’t find satisfactory solution. I am so disappointed
Hi Johnny5,
I appreciate your article. It has educated me.
However, what I don’t quite understand is that once i type expressbutiolem.onion via Tor browser and it opens the express VPN page, how do I browse further? Is the Express VPN page is some sort of search engine now? I really don’t understand this part. Could you kindly explain?
Hi Charlton!
expressbutiolem.onion is our website on the Tor network. You can use the Tor network to also look at other websites and use search engines like Duckduckgo.
Express VPN, is so awesome?! The epitome of total security?!!` I ALWAYS log-in!!
Many YEARS later and never “hacked” or any other problems!!!!
BRAVO and continue to provide such GREAT protection (service)?!! I will always
be a loyal & supporting client?!!
me too!
So something I don’t understand as the article didn’t explain.. when you use TOR over ExpressVPN are you automatically connected to ExpressVPN’s nodes in the TOR network or is there a client or browser configuration that you need to do?
No, so, whenever you are, let’s say, in a country that blocks expressvpn.com, now you can use the TOR browser to access the ExpressVPN website through their .onion link, instead of using their main link. Now people who were previously censored from ExpressVPN’s website can access a TOR version of that same site. From there they can access their account, download the VPN app, and so forth.
Nice and helpful.
Hi A, he’s a troll baiting you
Hi
Hello.
I am very happy using ExpressVPN except for one thing. My Outlook 2003 does not send emails when VPN is on. Instead, the outgoing email goes into the Outbox and sits there until VPN is turned off. It then gets sent normally. The VPN doesn’t affect the incoming mail. Is there anything I can tweak?
Hi Sam, please contact our Support Team. They will help you get it sorted, pronto.
Dear Sam,
This might happen when you use the mail services of your internet provider; they sometimes do not enforce the mail client to send your username and password if connected on your home connection when sending email. (It’s default behavior of outlook to not do this unless you tick a box somewhere in the settings.)
To rule out this possible cause configure the mail account in outlook to authenticate when sending mail:
1- From the Tools menu, select “Email Accounts.”
2- Select “View or change existing email accounts” and click “Next.”
3- Select your Email account and click the “Change” button on the right.
4- Click the “More Settings” button in the bottom-right corner of the E-Mail Accounts window.
5- In the Internet Email Settings window, click the “Outgoing Server” tab.
6- Ensure that the box next to “My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication” is checked.
7- optional/bonus: you might want to check if you are using an encrypted connection to the email servers. most providers support this nowadays: Click the “Advanced” tab and make sure that you have selected “This server requires a secure connection (SSL)” under incoming and outgoing servers. when you tick the box for the Outgoing server, the port number is usually not changed automatically. first try to fill in port 587. if that doesn’t work try 465
Constables admit card
Express VPN for my Android is never able to remain connected any time I am in a hospital
I have the same problem. I have it set to go on when Android is started. What am I doing wrong? Advice is welcome.
Some hospitals or really any organization with “free wifi” might use a firewall that can detect the encrypted tunnel that a VPN creates and boot you from the network until your connection request doesn’t have encryption. There are several reasons they may do this: 1 – To protect their network from traffic the firewall cannot see, this can protect the network from malware or a virus which is good for the organization but not for your privacy.. 2 – less likely but could still be a reason is that they want to see your information, to collect it and sell it and depending on your countries laws, this is completly legal, hence why having a VPN is a good idea in the first place if you want your data to be protected.
I’m having trouble staying connected on my android and I’m still not connected on my laptop thats filled with Spyware adaware windows10 Microsoft and Comcast im still not le to stop them at any cost what can I do. They ha e changed my passwords usernames and will not let me do much of anything to the point that I want to trash a certified refurbished piece of junk
I am content with my use of expressvpn with Windows 10.
I almost never use TOR.
But I think you guys are making a great initiative with your cooperation with TOR !
Great work keep doing it !
Greetings,
Rob Talboom, ExpressVPN-user.
hi
i want find port this vpn expressvpn for set in proxy ( internet download manager).
ip: 127.0.0.1
port : ???
but port how must i find?
Hi.
I just downloaded and installed TOR browser. Opened the ExpressVPN.onion site without problem, BUT when I try to login I get an “Unable to connect to the page” error message.
Can you help me? Thanks
When to launch I2P site?
This is just the Best service ever been using it for 6months and it does exactly what to says and that is it keeps you protected at all times….trust me i surf all over!!!!
Hi Magda, please contact the Support Team and they will help you.
using exptressVPN for a few months now.never had any issue.so i higly reccomend it for your vpn provider.
Many thanks for your kind words, Jeff! We’re really glad ExpressVPN has helped you and your friends 🙂
Hi,
Unfortunately it doesn’t work for me. I get this error:
The proxy server is refusing connections
Firefox is configured to use a proxy server that is refusing connections.
Check the proxy settings to make sure that they are correct.
Contact your network administrator to make sure the proxy server is working.
Hi Adam. That seems to be an issue with either the Tor Browser or the way you configured Tor to work. Make sure you are connected to the internet and are using the Tor Browser.
Lexie
Trying to access via Tor Browser V. 7.0.6. using address expressobutiolem.onion (note: expressobutiolem.onion is exactly what I pasted into the address bar) returns error message:
“Unable to connect
Firefox can’t establish a connection to the server at http://www.expressobutiolem.onion.
The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.
If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer’s network connection.
If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Tor Browser is permitted to access the Web”
Other .onion sites are loading normally. Any suggestions? Thank you for your time and expertise.
Hi S. The correct url for our onion site is http://expressobutiolem.onion (without the www). I fear your connection error was our fault, though. Should be all working now!
Hi Lexie,
Thank you for your reply. I understand the correct address is http://expressobutiolem.onion, the www. was added by, I’m assuming, a redirect or some other server-side setting. Unfortunately, the site is still not working, it is returning a 504 Gateway Time-out error.
Hi! I can now confirm that the site is definitely up, and has been up for the past days. Maybe there is an issue with the Tor Browser? Are you using the latest version? Are you able to navigate to expressvpn.com on the Tor Browser, or other onion sites like https://facebookcorewwwi.onion ?
Lexie
I can access the expressvpn onion page but the exact same thing happened to me when I try to log in to my account
The other nite when the new upgrade was downloaded I ran into a small problem and thought that someone in engineering or support should see this as I had worked in Building Control Systems for 30 years and a lot of that was in tech support answering questions about the software. I have a snagit to show but do not know how to attach it.
Hi Everett, please contact the Support Team directly and they will help you.
I have used your service for two months.
I would know how it works. I must say VPN works good.
When I need the service in the furure I will use it again.
At the moment I don’t need it anymore. That’s why I will not prolongate the contract.
thanks
Your comment has yet to be assessed
Do you have vpr on trial. Can download but if the vpr is on, I can not stream to the TV. Then I have to drop the vpr. Can they still check me when I’m streaming to the TV via the mobile phone? Then play downloaded movie from Netflix but without vpn. Because I can not stream from mobile to tv with vpr. Do you understand me?
Hi Heidi, please contact support and they will help you.
It’s the sixth day into ExpressVPN and I gotta tell ya, it was an instant success. I’m new to VPN’s and just came off from someone elses 30 day trial that I had to cancel. I had a speed reduction while using their service, 65 – 80 percent while working throughout the trial period with them for a resolve, but was not to be. The very first speed test with ExpressVPN was so enlightening. I never expected such an improvement over the last VPN. I made a simple protocol change and I became even more enlightened. And when Lexie said to get in touch with customer support for an “immediate response” she wasn’t kidding. Twice I had a question on how best to use ExpressVPN with my system and the answer came in “seconds” via live chat. And I’ll go as far as saying, if all this isn’t worth one or two more dollars a month, than you should get out more often..LOL. And the education is ongoing. Never before heard of a Tor onion service, now via ExpressVPN, I can never say that again. I’m gonna try it out. In short, Thanks ExpressVPN!
And how can I trust “Express” right now I select San Francisco and my IP traces to New Jerzy ? WTF
Hi Dick, thank you for bringing this up. Do you mean the IP is shown as being in New Jersey on “IP checker” sites? Or you can trace the ping to New Jersey? Our servers definitely stand in the locations that they claim to be, but sometimes third-party services might recognize the IP address as belonging to somewhere else, either because it previously belonged to a server somewhere else, or because they use other measurements to detect what location an IP belongs to, and these measurements can often be off.
Lexie
Good VPN SERVERS
I like
I too
Thanks not good at this I am thring
Your link is not working. http://expressobutiolem.onion page cant be displayed. connected to chessington on vpn if that helps.
Are you using the Tor Browser? Are other pages working? We are not aware of any outages of the site.
Lexie
I have an iPad latest software and would like to use a T Browser you do not recomend the apps in the Store so how do I get one?
Unfortunately the Tor Browser is not yet available for iOS, but it will be soon!
There are now Tor Browsers available in the Apple App Store. Both I’ve used, one is called Tor Browser and the other for $1.99 is called Red Browser(which was having WebRTC leak in earlier versions, but has since been fixed.)
i got 6 months vpn exp. i want to change it to 1 year ? can you help me ?
I am really happy with your decision to do this. I tried 5 VPNs and you guys are by far the best and TOR makes me feel much better secured.
ONE COMMENT/SUGGESTION FOR YOU
Off point with this blog (apologies), but I couldn’t find an area more suitable for this.
AVG sells a package deal with a VPN as part of the overall bundle (think it was HMA). Perhaps a thought for you guys.
Great work. I recommend you guys to all my friends. Customer Service has always been great too. People are probably thinking I work for you at this point, lol.
Thanks
I am not able to get connected even though it’s been hour now.
Hi Siviwe,
Are you referring to our .onion site, or our VPN service? Whenever you have a problem, get in touch with Support for an immediate response!
Lexie
I’m connecting through the family wifi will they get notification that someone is downloading
Hi,
As long as you are connected to a VPN, your family or Internet Service Provider will not be able to see what you are downloading.
Lexie
hi, as a trader i have a an account with a broker.
i wanted to prevent my own broker from knowing my password and my account with them. i heard these days some broker become a thief accessing their customer/clients account behind their customer back and stealing money,
can vpn hide my financial details like credit card details , password and my broker account.. from rouge broker..???
if so you could tell me how or any other to do this..?
Hi! As your account is with your broker, they are unfortunately in total control of your login and data. After all, if the account is on a server they own and control, they need to authenticate you. If you experience a rogue broker, your only option is to leave them and carefully monitor your identity and financial accounts to prevent them from exploiting the information they have about you.
I’m trying to get my money back. Signed up two days ago and couldn’t get it to connect to my smart TV. Just can’t be bothered anymore….
Sorry to hear! You can always contact our support team with help for connecting your smart TV, or to get your money back. We have a 30 day return policy, no questions asked.
I earlier made good use of your services while working overseas. However, now I no longer see that I require the VPN services for my simple computer usage. How do I contact Express VPN to discontinue services and stop my service fee? Thank you.
Hi Gary! Sorry to see you no longer need us! You can log into your account and manage your subscriptions here or write our support center about discontinuing your service.
Lexie
Hi how come before I could go from Canada to the US Netflix and now it’s not letting me start a movie? I keep getting an error message to close all proxy un-blocker?
Hi! To get a fast response for your connection issues, always direct them to our support center!
Lexie
I noticed that ExpressVPN also stays on when im not on wifi . What is the proper way to maximize security and privacy when im using my cellular carrier network ex. 3g or Lte etc.. ty
If you cannot trust your mobile data network, or it blocks some of your browsing, a VPN works just as well as on wifi.
I’ve been using Express VPN for several months now with no problems.
I use it to watch UKTV, access websites that are blocked in my location. However, my number one reason is that someone is trying to trace me through my private IP address. Is it possible for someone to use dedicated software to see my private IP address when I access sites through VPN and would using onion give me any greater privacy?
A very well funded and malicious actor that is able to control and passively monitor large portions of the internet, for example a nation state, might be able to correlate the packages leaving your network at home with those entering and leaving our network. Tor routes your network through multiple nodes, making this correlation analysis much more difficult.
Our advice would be to always stay connected to the VPN, and use the Tor Browser on top for when your anonymity is highly important.
Lexie
Are so ExpressVPN can reviel identity to those with resources. So I am not really safe even with tor. Is that true.
There are a few ways an Internet Service Provider could identify VPN traffic and throttle it, though likely they wouldn’t do it through IP ranges, as those change very often. What speeds do you get throttled to? Have you tried connecting to a separate server?
For fast and immediate customer support, please always contact ExpressVPN Support!
Hi again. There is no possible way we are able to identify, monitor, log or de-anonymize your Tor traffic.
please help me.
I don’t know how to use express vpn in Samsung galaxy note 3.
>>when using vpn time mobile balance dedicate or not dedicate.
I am living in singapore.
please help me.
Hi! Did you download the ExpressVPN for Android App? Are you able to connect? You can connect through mobile data or Wi-Fi. You can also always contact our support with any questions. They will reply to you immediately.
Hi, i have a question, I’m client expressvpn by a couple of months:
this new site that you created (.onion on tor), only function that has this new .onion, to get more privacy when you renew or create a subscription with your vpn service?
thanks for your answer and sorry for my english
Hi Alex,
Thank you for using our service! The main benefits of this onion site are that you can access our site, support, blog and your admin panel from locations where our site is currently blocked, and you don’t have access to our VPN (for example because there is a problem with your connection, or your subscription is expired). As long as you can connect to ExpressVPN, just stay connected and nothing will change for you.
Lexie
Hi I’m new at this , vpn lately I been getting emails from my internet provider about copyrights. question is using this vpn will stop them from looking into my activity? btw I’m using google chrome. thanks!
Hi Tony,
When you use a VPN, your Internet Service Provider is no longer able to see what you are doing online, or selectively throttle your traffic. You will install an app that protects all your internet traffic, not just your browsing. Therefor it does not matter what browser you are using.
Lexie
Hi. I notice that Telstra do know I am using a vpn and throttles me as when I turn it off or access router else where no using vpn speed is back to normal. Can you confirm. I suspect they know Ip ranges of vpn services and block or throtttle.
I use my iPhone a lot for my work and personal as far as the internet goes. Will there be a browser coming out that will work on iOS?
Hi Mike! The “Tor” Browsers currently available in the App Store are not genuine, we don’t recommend you to download them. But it’s very likely that an official iOS version will be available in the future!
Lexie
Not a comment but a question:
I have a vpn (we don’t keep logs blah blah) service. It is gr8 with all the crypto overlays so everything is good BUT……. My friend used bittorrent to download a movie. BUT…… I got an email from the VPN service…. Sony Pics picked up the VPN IP (that being the VPN exit node IP address). They required me to admit My system broke copyright etc etc cease & desist blah blah. Then I realized that the VPN had to know it was my IP at the entry node.. The VPN of course knew it was my system because (naturally) the VPN client has to sign in to the entry node. They were obviously pressured to act by the authorities. My question is…. how would this (being pressured by the authorities) NOT happen if I got an ExpressVPN account and use it?????
grateful for a cogent answer
regards blooz
Hi Blooz, ExpressVPN keep no activity or connection logs. We can’t share anything, as nothing exists to share.
I cant get this to work http://expressobutiolem.onion says its non active , am I not protected by signing into VPN than opening TOR ?
Hi Charles, do you have the Tor Browser installed? The .onion link only works in the Tor Browser. It should work perfectly fine to first connect to the VPN and then open the Tor Browser.
Lexie
He is good at well
Me like
My security program, 360, asks me not to load this program because it has a potential for Trojan horses and criminal activity. How does VPN protect me against this potentially dangerous condition?
Hi Neville,
A VPN does not protect you against trojan horses or criminal activity. Always keep your system up to date and only install programs that you trust! You can verify the authenticity of the Tor Browser by following these steps.
Lexie
I can’t sign into Netflix. Are you stopping me?
Hi Ronald, ExpressVPN don’t stop anyone from doing anything online. Please get in touch with support if you’re still having difficulties.
I’ve been using TOR for years, it’s got a lot of hidden passages, to some seriously top secret sites.
like what?