NordVPN Reviews

NordVPN offers a complete service in an intuitive client that combines great looks with customizable features so that both VPN beginners and experienced users can always get the best out of the solution.

The preconfigured settings are perfect for most users and because the servers are easily accessible on the main page and filtered by location, speed, or type (such as P2P, double VPN, dedicated IP, etc.), nothing needs to be set beforehand.

However, the most demanding users can always resort to HTTP and SOCKS5 proxies or unlock the advanced settings to change connection protocols, set up custom DNS, and access other features that alter the overall behavior of the VPN.

While NordVPN is great as a whole, if there’s something that stands out when looking at its individual parts, then it’s the company’s impressive investment in security.

Noteworthy security investments

Most VPNs nowadays already have their own share of security features, with kill switches and protection against DNS leaks, ads, and malware being some of the most common. Still, having these integrated into the software is not always conducive to them actually working properly, so it’s truly a charm to see that with NordVPN, everything is reliable and runs flawlessly.

Our tests showed no problems with DNS leaks and the kill switch also proved worthy of praise. Not only does it cut the internet off from the device but it also kills any selected apps when the VPN connection drops. This is especially excellent news for anyone using NordVPN for P2P sharing, for instance.

The unique double data encryption is one of the company’s biggest achievements. AES-256-CBC type protection is applied twice to the data transferred between the servers that support it.

Naturally, this has a negative impact on speed – even though our tests were surprisingly even – but it’s a feature that is still not very common these days and certainly deserves highlighting.

The browser extensions haven’t been ignored by NordVPN either. They block WebRTC and benefit from CyberSec, a feature that’s also available in the desktop client and acts as an ad blocker, protecting against malware, phishing, and other threats.

NordVPN holds some impressive numbers: 5,900+ servers in 60 different countries, including some locations that are not so commonly seen, such as New Zealand, Israel, Costa Rica, South Korea, Hong Kong, and more.

Running tests from Europe, the overall results show that speeds are consistent within different servers in the same region. The biggest surprise was Costa Rica which, despite the understandably high ping, produced better results than some of our closest locations.

A possible explanation for this is that, while still an ocean away, it’s the closest available server to NordVPN’s headquarters in Panama, and the low server traffic when testing likely helped as well.

The other locations produced the expected results, but a word of praise must be given to the double VPN servers, which don’t weigh too heavily on the connection. As shown in the results, connecting to Dublin and London produced arguably the same numbers, which is natural given their geographical proximity.

However, the latter used a double VPN server with the traffic routed through the Netherlands first. The only letdown was Indonesia, paying the price for its long distance, even on a direct connection.

As mentioned earlier, there were no problems regarding DNS leaks, and IP addresses were always attributed correctly, too.

Next to its outstanding desktop clients, apps, and overall clear and straightforward service, its privacy is where NordVPN really shines. Truth be told, there aren’t many VPN protocols to choose from in the advanced settings, but those that are available are the most reliable: OpenVPN (TCP and UDP) and IKEv2.

In addition, NordVPN uses the high-standard AES 256-bit encryption and it’s important to stress once again that this is applied twice on double VPN servers. Further contributing to this great picture of safety is NordVPN’s strict no-log policy.

Plus, since the company runs operations from Panama where “there are no mandatory data retention laws” – as stated on the official website – this can be considered trustworthy.

The pricing structure of NordVPN is similar in every way to the overall nature of the program: simple and attractive. Each of the three packages available – Standard, Plus, and Complete – can be purchased as a monthly, 1-year, or 2-year plan.

All options offer the same unlimited access and high security on multiple platforms, as well as basic VPN features like malware protection, tracker, and ad blocker. Higher-tier plans offer advanced features like cloud storage and NordPass, the company’s cross-platform password manager.

Longer-term plans are cheaper, so those who plan to want to stick with NordVPN for a while can save 54% and pay only $3.99 per month when going for the 2-year plan. There’s also the Ultra plan, which adds Incogni for $7.59 per month billed annually.

Moreover, there’s a 7-day free trial of the Android app and a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can fully test the service before committing long-term. Payment methods include credit cards, cryptocurrencies, and even alternative options such as PayPal and Amazon Pay.

In fact, not only will they help in understanding how the service works by providing answers to the most varied of questions, but they also give tips about which settings to choose in order to prioritize speed, security, or whatever purpose each customer will use the VPN for. Likewise, there’s no lack of manual set up tutorials for all kinds of devices.

Likewise, those who simply want a good VPN to protect themselves from online snoopers can rely on double VPN and traffic obfuscation servers, while video streamers will be thankful for a server network with great consistency to its connections.

Along with the liberty of choice given to each user to either customize their connection or go with sturdy preconfigured settings, it’s not hard to understand how NordVPN has already marked its position in the world as one of the best services for every privacy enthusiast.