ExpressVPN Review: Why I Rejected a $95 Commission

ExpressVPN pays affiliates $95 per sale. That’s one of the highest commission rates in the entire VPN industry.

I rejected it.

Why? Because ExpressVPN was acquired in 2021 by Kape Technologies - a company formerly known as Crossrider, which according to security researchers at Malwarebytes and others, allegedly operated a platform used to distribute adware and potentially unwanted programs.

In my opinion, recommending a VPN owned by a company with this documented history - no matter how much they pay - crosses a line even I won’t cross.

Let me show you exactly what most affiliate sites won’t tell you about who owns ExpressVPN now.

⚡ 30-Second Verdict

• Owner: Kape Technologies (bought ExpressVPN for $936 million in 2021)
• Kape was formerly: Crossrider (2011-2018), a platform allegedly used for adware distribution
• Kape also owns: CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, ZenMate, vpnMentor review site
• Commission: $95/sale (highest in industry - that’s why everyone recommends it)
• My commission: $0 (I rejected the partnership)
• Rating: 3/10 (technically works, but ownership history is disqualifying in my opinion)

Bottom line: In my opinion, trusting a company with Crossrider’s documented history with ALL your internet traffic is a risk I wouldn’t take when alternatives like Mullvad exist.

The $936 Million Acquisition Nobody Talks About

In September 2021, Kape Technologies acquired ExpressVPN for $936 million. This was publicly announced in press releases and SEC filings.

What changed:

• ExpressVPN is now owned by Kape Technologies
• Subject to Kape’s corporate structure and policies
• Your data potentially accessible to parent company

What most affiliate sites don’t mention:

• Who Kape Technologies is
• What Kape was called before 2018
• Why this ownership matters for privacy

I’m going to tell you exactly what they won’t.

Who Is Kape Technologies? (Formerly Crossrider)

The Crossrider Platform (2011-2018)

According to publicly available research and security reports, here’s what is documented about Crossrider:

2011-2016: Crossrider operated as a cross-browser extension development platform that provided tools for third-party developers to create browser extensions.

The Ad-Injection Concerns:

According to Malwarebytes’ documentation, extensions built using Crossrider’s platform were frequently flagged as Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs). As Malwarebytes stated:

“Crossrider is a term that is used for browser extensions and add-ons that were created using the Crossrider framework… These extensions typically inject advertisements into the browser…”

Google’s 2015 research on the ad-injection economy specifically named Crossrider as one of the businesses participating in this ecosystem.

What’s documented vs. what’s contested:

• Documented: Third-party developers used Crossrider’s platform to create extensions that injected advertisements
• Documented: Security researchers and antivirus companies classified these extensions as PUPs or potentially harmful
• Contested: Whether Crossrider actively created these programs or was negligent in policing their platform

Kape’s position: According to their statements, bad actors “misused” their platform and they shut it down in 2016 when they couldn’t adequately prevent abuse.

September 2016: Crossrider shut down the browser extension platform entirely.

2018: Company rebranded to “Kape Technologies.”

My opinion: Whether Crossrider directly created adware or “just” provided the tools that enabled its creation is, in my view, a distinction without much of a difference when security researchers documented that millions of users were affected. In my opinion, trusting a company with this documented history with ALL your internet traffic is a risk I wouldn’t take.

The Pivot to “Privacy” VPNs

After shutting down the Crossrider platform, the company began acquiring VPN services:

• 2017: Acquired CyberGhost for $10 million
• 2018: Rebranded company to “Kape Technologies”
• 2019: Acquired Private Internet Access for $95 million
• 2021: Acquired ExpressVPN for $936 million
• 2021: Acquired ZenMate (merged into CyberGhost)

Current VPN empire:

• ExpressVPN (flagship)
• CyberGhost
• Private Internet Access (PIA)
• ZenMate

The Man Behind It: Teddy Sagi

The consistent factor through all these changes: Teddy Sagi, the Israeli billionaire who was the primary investor in Crossrider and remains a major shareholder in Kape.

Documented history:

• Convicted of insider trading in Israel in 1996 (served 9 months)
• Named in the Panama Papers leak
• Primary investor behind Crossrider/Kape

2023 Update: According to reports from Calcalist, Sagi’s holding company Unikmind purchased remaining shares and took Kape private, removing the company from public stock exchanges and reducing public disclosure requirements.

My Take

In my opinion, a company that allegedly operated a platform used for adware distribution for five years (2011-2016) pivoting to “privacy protection” VPNs is deeply suspicious.

Whether Crossrider directly created malware or “just” provided the tools for bad actors to create it is semantics - according to security researchers, the result was browser hijacking and ad injection that affected millions of users.

And the fact that Teddy Sagi - the money behind Crossrider - never left the company despite the rebrand is the critical detail most affiliate sites conveniently forget to mention.

The Review Site Conflict of Interest (This Is the Killer)

Here’s what makes this worse: Kape doesn’t just own VPNs. They own the “independent” review sites ranking them.

The $149 Million Review Site Acquisition

In March 2021 (6 months BEFORE buying ExpressVPN), Kape acquired Webselenese for $149.1 million (press release).

Webselenese owns:

• vpnMentor (major VPN review site)
• Wizcase (security review site)
• Other review platforms

Think about this math:

• CyberGhost acquisition: $10 million (2017)
• PIA acquisition: $95 million (2019)
• vpnMentor acquisition: $149 million (2021)
• ExpressVPN acquisition: $936 million (2021)

Kape paid more for a review site ($149M) than they paid for two VPNs combined ($105M).

In my opinion, you don’t pay $149 million for a review site unless those reviews are incredibly valuable to your business. And when your business is VPNs, those reviews become advertising, not journalism.

The Rankings Changed (Verifiable via Wayback Machine)

I analyzed vpnMentor’s rankings using the Wayback Machine to see what changed after Kape bought them:

Before Kape acquisition (February 2021): According to archived snapshots from early 2021, vpnMentor’s top recommendations included a mix of VPNs from various companies.

After Kape acquisition (June 2021 onwards): Analysis of archived pages shows that ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access - all Kape-owned VPNs - became prominently featured in top positions.

Note: I encourage readers to verify this themselves using the Wayback Machine. The pattern of rankings shifting to favor Kape-owned properties after the acquisition is observable in archived snapshots, though vpnMentor may argue these represent editorial decisions unrelated to ownership.

My opinion: When a company buys a review site for $149 million and that site’s rankings subsequently favor the buyer’s products, I believe that’s a significant conflict of interest regardless of the stated editorial independence.

The “Independence” Claims

Here’s where it gets ethically questionable in my opinion:

vpnMentor states on their site:

“Our reviews are not based on advertising”

Wizcase claims:

“We are an independent review site” and “believe in transparency”

The problem:

• Both sites are owned by Kape Technologies (public record)
• Both sites rank Kape’s VPNs at the top (observable fact)
• The word “Kape” appears only in tiny disclosure text most users never see

My opinion: Claiming to be “independent” while being owned by the company whose products you’re reviewing is misleading. It may be technically legal with buried disclosure, but I believe it’s deceptive to consumers who don’t know to look for that disclosure.

The Circular Money Machine

Here’s how the system works:

1. Kape owns the VPNs (ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, PIA)
2. Kape owns the review sites (vpnMentor, Wizcase)
3. Review sites rank Kape VPNs #1 (observable)
4. Users buy based on “independent” reviews (trust the rankings)
5. Money flows to Kape (from VPN sales AND affiliate commissions)

In my opinion, this is a vertically integrated marketing machine disguised as independent journalism.

Why This Is Worse Than Ziff Davis

I’ve written about Ziff Davis owning both PCMag and VPNs like IPVanish. That’s a conflict of interest too.

But Kape’s situation is worse:

Ziff Davis owns:

• Smaller VPNs (IPVanish, StrongVPN)
• Review sites that at least admit the relationship

Kape owns:

• The BIGGEST VPN (ExpressVPN - $936M acquisition)
• Multiple top-tier VPNs (CyberGhost, PIA)
• Review sites that claim “independence”

Scale matters: Kape controls an estimated 25%+ of the VPN market and major review platforms (see the full monopoly map). That’s not just a conflict of interest - in my opinion, it’s market manipulation through controlled “independent” reviews.

”But They Changed Management!” (The Defense Kape Uses)

Every time Kape’s Crossrider history comes up, they point to the same defense:

What Kape says:

• Crossrider co-founders (CEO Koby Menachemi and CTO Shmueli Ahdut) left the company
• Platform shut down in 2016
• Different leadership, different business focus
• “We’re a privacy company now”

What Didn’t Change (Documented Facts)

Teddy Sagi: Still the major shareholder. The money behind Crossrider never left. According to reports, his company Unikmind took Kape private in 2023.

Company structure: Same corporate entity, just renamed from Crossrider to Kape in 2018.

Transparency: Taking the company private in 2023 reduced public disclosure requirements - moving in the OPPOSITE direction of transparency.

The Timeline That Concerns Me

What concerns me about the “changed management” defense is the timeline:

Timeline:

• September 2016: Crossrider announced platform shutdown
• 2017: Company (still operating as Crossrider) acquires CyberGhost
• 2018: Rebrands to “Kape Technologies”
• Post-2016: According to security researchers, extensions created on the Crossrider platform continued to be detected and flagged by antivirus software for years after the platform allegedly shut down

My interpretation: The fact that Crossrider-based software was still being detected by security tools years after the claimed shutdown, and while the company was positioning itself as a “privacy” business, raises questions in my opinion about how thoroughly they distanced themselves from their past operations.

My Opinion on the “Changed” Defense

I don’t care if they fired the co-founders and hired new executives. The primary investor (Teddy Sagi) never left. The corporate entity is the same. And taking the company private in 2023 suggests they want LESS transparency, not more.

In my opinion, trusting a company with this documented history with ALL your internet traffic requires a level of faith I don’t have - especially when alternatives like Mullvad (proven no-logs via police raid) and ProtonVPN (Swiss privacy laws) exist.

Whether Kape has “changed” or not, the history is undeniable and the risk isn’t worth it.

ExpressVPN-Specific Issues

Beyond the ownership concerns, ExpressVPN itself has some issues worth mentioning:

The Daniel Gericke Controversy

ExpressVPN’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) is Daniel Gericke, a former NSA hacker who worked on Project Raven - a UAE intelligence operation.

Documented facts:

• Gericke entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Justice Department
• Admitted to providing hacking services to the UAE
• Agreed to pay $335,000 as part of the settlement

ExpressVPN hired him AFTER this became public.

To be fair, this happened BEFORE Kape acquired ExpressVPN. But it’s still concerning that a “privacy-focused” VPN hired someone with documented ties to government surveillance operations.

British Virgin Islands Jurisdiction

ExpressVPN is based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), which sounds privacy-friendly in marketing materials.

Reality:

• BVI is a British Overseas Territory
• Subject to UK influence and legal requests
• Not as “privacy-protective” as marketing suggests
• Does jurisdiction even matter? (Spoiler: Not as much as VPNs claim)

My take: The jurisdiction is marketing theater. What matters more is who owns the company and whether they’ve been tested (like Mullvad’s 2023 police raid).

Closed Source Software

ExpressVPN’s apps are closed source. You cannot verify their code.

Compare to:

• Mullvad: Fully open source on GitHub
• ProtonVPN: Open source apps
• ExpressVPN: Closed source - trust us

In my opinion, “trust us, we’re privacy-focused” rings hollow when you won’t let anyone verify your claims.

Post-Acquisition Changes

After Kape acquired ExpressVPN:

• Terms of Service updated to reflect Kape ownership
• Privacy policy changes
• Now subject to Kape’s corporate policies
• Data potentially accessible to parent company

ExpressVPN claims nothing has changed operationally. But ownership changes ALWAYS matter, especially when the new owner is Kape.

The Affiliate Commission Scam

Here’s why every VPN review site ranks ExpressVPN #1:

ExpressVPN affiliate program pays $95 per sale (one of the highest in the industry).

Compare commission rates:

• ExpressVPN: $95/sale
• CyberGhost: $135/sale (also Kape-owned)
• NordVPN: ~$40/sale
• ProtonVPN: ~$25/sale
• Mullvad: $0/sale (no affiliate program)

Simple math for a review site:

• Recommend ExpressVPN: 1,000 sales = $95,000
• Recommend Mullvad: 1,000 sales = $0

Guess which one gets ranked #1?

Why I Rejected ExpressVPN

I was offered the ExpressVPN affiliate partnership. Standard $95/sale rate.

What I could make:

• 100 sales = $9,500
• 500 sales = $47,500
• 1,000 sales = $95,000

Why I rejected it:

In my opinion, recommending a VPN owned by a company with Crossrider’s documented history - regardless of how much they pay - crosses a line I won’t cross.

Even swimming in the affiliate cesspool, some lines shouldn’t be crossed. This is one of them.

Technical Performance (Because It Does Work)

To be fair: ExpressVPN’s technical performance is solid.

What works well:

• Fast servers (good WireGuard implementation)
• Works with Netflix reliably
• 3,000+ servers in 105 countries
• Kill switch works
• Split tunneling available
• Good mobile apps

My rating if ownership didn’t matter: 7/10 for technical performance

My rating including ownership: 3/10 overall

Why the dramatically lower rating?

In my opinion, technical performance becomes irrelevant when trust is compromised. A VPN handles ALL your internet traffic - banking passwords, medical searches, private messages, everything.

It’s like evaluating a hotel based on amenities while ignoring that the owner has a documented history of installing hidden cameras. Sure, the beds might be comfortable and the WiFi fast, but that’s not really the point, is it?

When alternatives like Mullvad (proven no-logs via police raid) and ProtonVPN (Swiss privacy laws, transparent ownership) exist, I believe choosing ExpressVPN requires accepting unnecessary risk based on technical conveniences.

Pricing: $12.95/Month (Or $6.67 on 2-Year Plan)

ExpressVPN pricing:

• Monthly: $12.95
• 6-month plan: $9.99/month
• 12-month plan: $6.67/month (requires 2-year commitment)

Compare to alternatives:

• Mullvad: €5/month forever (no tricks)
• ProtonVPN: $9.99/month or $3.99/month (2-year)
• NordVPN: $12.99/month or $3.99/month (2-year)

ExpressVPN is one of the most expensive VPNs on the market. You’re paying premium prices for a VPN owned by a company with a problematic history.

My take: In my opinion, you can get better privacy (Mullvad), better value (NordVPN), or better transparency (ProtonVPN) for less money.

User Sentiment and Community Discussion

ExpressVPN maintains an active subreddit (r/ExpressVPN) where users discuss their experiences.

In my observation based on browsing the subreddit, common discussion topics include:

• Questions about speeds and performance
• Technical support requests
• Discussions about the Kape acquisition
• Users asking whether they should switch providers

My opinion: The community discussions around ownership concerns are worth reading if you’re considering ExpressVPN. User sentiment can provide valuable perspective beyond official marketing claims.

🔍 Verify This Yourself

Want to see the raw data behind my claims? Check out the data spreadsheets - technical details, ownership records, pricing, and more.

Don’t trust my review. Verify these claims:

1. Kape acquisition: Search “ExpressVPN Kape acquisition $936 million” - public record
2. Crossrider history: Search “Crossrider Malwarebytes adware” - see the reports
3. vpnMentor acquisition: Search “Kape Webselenese acquisition $149 million”
4. Rankings changed: Use Wayback Machine on vpnmentor.com (before/after Kape)
5. Commission rates: Search “ExpressVPN affiliate commission” - see the $95/sale
6. Daniel Gericke: Search “Daniel Gericke NSA UAE Project Raven”
7. Teddy Sagi: Search “Teddy Sagi Kape Technologies” - see the ownership
8. Took private: Search “Kape Technologies private 2023 Unikmind”

Everything I’ve stated is verifiable through public sources, security researchers, and archived websites.

My Verdict: 3/10 (Ownership Is Disqualifying)

Technical performance: 7/10 (it works well) Trust in ownership: 0/10 (disqualifying in my opinion) Overall rating: 3/10 (can’t recommend despite technical competence)

What ExpressVPN Gets Right:

✅ Fast servers ✅ Works with Netflix ✅ Good app design ✅ Reliable connections ✅ Wide server coverage

What Disqualifies ExpressVPN (In My Opinion):

❌ Owned by Kape (formerly Crossrider, whose platform was allegedly used for adware) ❌ Kape owns “independent” review sites ranking them #1 ❌ Teddy Sagi (Crossrider investor) still involved ❌ Took company private in 2023 (less transparency) ❌ Closed source (can’t verify claims) ❌ Most expensive VPN with questionable ownership

Bottom line: Technical performance doesn’t matter if you can’t trust who owns the company. In my opinion, there are alternatives with cleaner histories that deserve your money instead.

Better Alternatives (What I Actually Recommend)

For Privacy: Mullvad VPN ⭐ #1 Choice

• Commission I make: $0 (no affiliate program)
• Why: Proven no-logs (2023 police raid), open source, €5/month
• Rating: 9/10

For Balanced Option: ProtonVPN

• Commission I make: $25/sale (vs $95 for ExpressVPN)
• Why: Swiss privacy laws, legitimate company, transparent
• Rating: 8/10

For Streaming: NordVPN

• Commission I make: Standard rate
• Why: Works well for Netflix, reformed from 2018 breach, not ex-malware company
• Rating: 6/10 (reformed villain, but competent)

What I DON’T recommend:

• ExpressVPN (Kape-owned, $95 commission)
• CyberGhost (Kape-owned, $135 commission)
• Private Internet Access (Kape-owned)
• Any VPN ranked #1 on vpnMentor (conflict of interest)

The Bigger Picture: It’s Not Just ExpressVPN

This isn’t just about one VPN. Kape’s strategy reveals something bigger about the VPN industry:

The playbook:

1. Buy VPN companies
2. Buy review sites
3. Have review sites rank your VPNs #1
4. Claim “independence”
5. Pay massive affiliate commissions
6. Control the entire ecosystem

In my opinion, this is market manipulation disguised as independent journalism, and most users have no idea it’s happening.

Why it matters: VPNs handle ALL your internet traffic. If you can’t trust who owns the VPN, the technical features don’t matter.

Final Word: Trust Has to Be Earned

ExpressVPN might have great speeds. It might unblock Netflix perfectly. The apps might be beautiful.

But in my opinion, none of that matters when:

• The owner (Kape) was formerly Crossrider (whose platform was allegedly used for adware distribution)
• The same owner bought “independent” review sites and ranks themselves #1
• The primary investor (Teddy Sagi) took the company private in 2023
• Alternatives exist with cleaner histories

That’s why I rejected the $95 commission. And in my opinion, that’s why you should reject ExpressVPN too.

Transparency Note: ExpressVPN offers a $95/sale affiliate commission - one of the highest in the VPN industry. I rejected this partnership because I believe recommending a VPN owned by a company with Crossrider’s documented history crosses an ethical line I won’t cross. I make $25/sale from ProtonVPN and $0 from Mullvad. This review reflects my honest opinion based on documented facts about ownership, history, and conflicts of interest.

Legal Note: This review discusses documented facts about corporate ownership, acquisitions, and security research findings. Where I express opinions about trustworthiness or make recommendations, these are clearly marked as my personal opinions based on publicly available information. I encourage readers to verify all facts independently using the sources provided.