NordVPN was established in 2012 and is registered in Panama. Its parent company, Nord Security, also owns Surfshark VPN. It has servers in over 100 countries, apps on many different platforms, several additional features like obfuscation, multi-hop, a mesh network that can remotely connect your devices, and more.
Our Verdict
NordVPN is very good for torrenting. It allows you to download P2P files in most countries and doesn't have a data limit. Its security is acceptable, as it keeps your IP address and DNS queries within its tunnel while you use it. However, its kill switch doesn't work properly, as it allows some unencrypted traffic to leak past the VPN in the event of a system reboot or a software crash. It also lacks anonymity-preserving registration options, requiring an email address and password to create an account, but you can pay with cryptocurrencies.
Accepts cryptocurrencies for payment.
Proper TLS implementation doesn't leave you vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.
Doesn't leak your IP address or DNS queries.
No registration options that preserve anonymity.
Kill switch doesn't work properly.
NordVPN has acceptable security. It doesn't leak your IP address or DNS queries while you're connected to it, and it has proper TLS implementation, protecting you from man-in-the-middle attacks. Unfortunately, its kill switch doesn't work as intended, as it leaks some unencrypted traffic upon rebooting your system and after a software crash. This is a concern if you need all your traffic to be encrypted after a system crash.
Proper TLS implementation doesn't leave you vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.
Doesn't leak your IP address or DNS queries.
Kill switch doesn't work properly.
NordVPN has very fast download and upload speeds, so you can download files quickly with ample bandwidth for 4k video streaming. While its latency performance is decent, it's not the most consistent with occasional spikes that can interrupt online games and video calls.
Changelog
- Updated Jun 03, 2025:
We've added a link to our newly published 'Best VPNs For Mac' recommendation article in the Compared to Other VPNs section of the review.
- Updated May 14, 2025: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.9.1. This redefines what we consider to be a leak.
- Updated Apr 30, 2025:
We fixed an error that incorrectly listed NordVPN as not supporting IPSec with IKEv2 in the Protocols section.
- Updated Mar 31, 2025: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
Nord has four tiers that include different supplementary features in addition to the core VPN functionality. We bought and tested NordVPN Basic.
| Plan | Threat Protection Pro* | Password Manager | Cloud Storage | NordProtect** |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nord Basic | No | No | No | No |
| Nord Plus | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Nord Complete | Yes | Yes | 1TB | No |
| Nord Ultra | Yes | Yes | 1TB | Yes |
*Threat Protection Pro includes malware protection and an ad-blocker.
**NordProtect is an indentity theft protection service.
Popular VPN Comparisons
NordVPN is a full-featured VPN that's one of the biggest names in the industry. It performs comparably to most VPNs on the market in terms of performance, and like most, it fails the kill switch test. That could be an issue if you're concerned about any unencrypted data leaking from your system in case your device restarts or the VPN crashes. Nord has many additional services that come at an extra cost or are included with more expensive tiers of the service, like anti-malware software, a password manager, identity theft protection, and more.
Being one of the biggest VPNs on the market with the most publicity, NordVPN has faced criticism from users online about their aggressive marketing, and that they make unfeasible claims. Also, they have been subject to several security breaches and privacy issues over the years. Proton VPN generally has a better reputation for privacy and still offers many of the additional features that Nord does. Or if you don't need as many additional non-VPN features, Mullvad is an excellent option that has a great privacy record.
For our recommendations, check out our picks for the best VPNs, the best VPNs for Windows PCs, and the best VPNs for Mac.
NordVPN and ExpressVPN each have their pros and cons. Nord's biggest weakness compared to ExpressVPN is that its kill switch doesn't work as effectively, as it leaks some calls after a system reboot. On the other hand, Nord is significantly faster than ExpressVPN. Neither supports the WireGuard protocol but has its own proprietary protocols, Lightway and NordLynx for ExpressVPN and NordVPN, respectively. Also, NordVPN has a higher maximum number of connected devices, 10, compared to Express's 8.
NordVPN and Surfshark VPN are VPN services owned by Nord's parent company, Nord Security, but operate independently. The two generally perform similarly, but NordVPN has more consistent latency, while Surfshark's latency fluctuates more over time. Feature-wise, Surfshark supports WireGuard while Nord doesn't, and instead offers NordLynx, their proprietary protocol. Lastly, doesn't limit how many of your devices you can connect at once, while Nord has a maximum of 10.
NordVPN is a better VPN service than IPVanish. IPVanish leaks some system traffic and DNS queries, so third parties could potentially log your activities. It's also slower than Nord, doesn't have servers in as many countries, and doesn't accept cryptocurrencies as payment options. That said, it doesn't have a limit on how many devices you can have connected simultaneously, while Nord has a maximum of 10.
NordVPN and Proton VPN excel in different areas. Proton has better security as it has a functional kill switch that blocks your internet connection if the VPN client crashes or your system restarts. On the other hand, Nord has significantly better latency, so it feels significantly snappier when browsing the web and performs better in latency-sensitive tasks. Otherwise, the two VPNs have very similar feature sets.
Before subscribing to a VPN service, it's important to understand its limitations and how it actually works. VPN providers often make bold claims about how their service ensures privacy, but these claims don't always tell the full story.
Test Results
You can pay for NordVPN with Google Pay, credit card, debit card, PayPal, and a variety of different cryptocurrencies.
The kill switch doesn't work as intended, as network traffic leaks outside the VPN tunnel after a reboot. This can be problematic if you're concerned with keeping your traffic encrypted at all times, like if your system freezes and you have to restart it.
Like most VPN services, this VPN doesn't implement BGP properly on all its servers.
NordVPN delivers very fast and consistent download speeds that are well-suited for downloading large files quickly and streaming 4k content.
This VPN has consistent and fast upload speeds that are suitable for fast uploads and video calls.
This VPN has decent latency depending on the server you're connecting to. That said, it's not the most consistent, so you could experience occasional interruptions in latency-sensitive tasks like gaming or video calls.
This VPN has native apps for a variety of different Linux distributions, and you can also configure it manually.
It's also available on various platforms, including iOS, Android, smart TVs, and as Chrome and Firefox extensions. You can also install it on your router, so all of your network traffic goes through the VPN.
NordLynx is built around WireGuard, with the main difference being that it uses a 'double NAT' system that supposedly provides better anonymity for users connecting to their servers.
