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While many VPN protocols exist, few VPN providers develop their own.
Lightway, developed by leading provider ExpressVPN, is an outlier here.
What is Lightway?
AVPN protocolis what VPNs use to encrypt your data and transfer it.
It’s an integral part to any VPN.
Developed by ExpressVPN, Lightway launched back in 2020, replacing OpenVPN as ExpressVPN’s default protocol.
It is completely open-source and is available to view and download on GitHub.
Rust is more secure and naturally, through its own design, prevents attackers from exploiting memory vulnerabilities.
It also offers stronger protection and faster speeds.
Benefits of Lightway
What exactly is it that makes Lightway stand out?
Well, there are a few things: mixing security, features and ease of use.
With around 2,000 lines, it can run faster and preserve your devices battery life while using it.
Equally, Lightway comes with all of ExpressVPNs standard safety features.
In terms of software, Lightway uses the WolfSSL cryptography library and SSL/TSL protocols.
However, these are rather limited.
The most obvious problem is pricing.
ExpressVPN is by no means one of thecheapest VPN.
In fact, it is actually one of the more expensive VPNs currently available.
Lightway is exclusively found on ExpressVPN whereas many other VPN protocols are used across a variety of providers.
This is where a lot of other protocols likeOpenVPNand WireGuard have seen improvements over the years.
Another noticeable issue with Lightway is its lack of obfuscation features.
This is where a VPN disguises your traffic as regular, non-VPN traffic to bypass internet blocks.
While this isnt a necessary feature, it is useful and is found in a lot of ExpressVPNs competitors.
It is fast, efficient and a very secure option.
While an all-round sold option, the most notable drawback with Lightway is the entry cost.
In ourExpressVPN review, pricing is one of the key criticisms.
If it seems a little bit too steep, there are some other cheaper alternatives worth checking out.
