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NordVPN vs Proton VPN

Which VPN Is Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Security
      IP And DNS LeaksKill Switch RobustnessMan-In-The-Middle Attacks
    Privacy
      Privacy PolicyCompany PracticesRegistration
    Performance
      Download SpeedUpload SpeedLatency
    Features
      DownloadsPlatform SupportProtocolsSimultaneous DevicesDestinationsSplit TunnelingHeadless Setup
    Comments

Products

NordVPN
Proton VPN

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated Jan 22, 2026 04:52 PM

SEE PRICE
NordVPN

Tested using Methodology v0.10.1

Updated Jan 22, 2026 05:12 PM

SEE PRICE
Proton
NordVPN Picture
Proton VPN Picture
Email Required
Yes
Torrent (P2P)
Yes
Data Limit
N/A
Email Required
No
Torrent (P2P)
Yes
Data Limit
N/A
  1. Recommended in 6 articles:
  2. VPNs
  3. iPhone
  4. Windows PC
  5. 3

Our Verdict

NordVPN

Proton VPN

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.

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Variants

  • NordVPN (Basic)
  • NordVPN (Complete)
  • Proton VPN (Plus)

Review

See NordVPN Review
See Proton VPN Review
5 
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Check Price

Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
Plus
Proton VPN
SEE PRICE
Proton
Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 

Main Differences for
Torrent

Threshold 

0.10

Torrent 
 

7.8
8.7

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

2.0
8.0

Registration 
 

6.1
8.2

Full Comparison

Security

IP And DNS Leaks 
 

9.0
9.0

IPLEAK.net Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN IPLEAK.net Screenshot

Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Wireshark IP And DNS Leak Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

No
No

In-Browser IP 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

In-Browser DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System DNS 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

System Traffic 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

Kill Switch Robustness 
 

2.0
8.0

Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Wireshark Kill Switch Screenshot

Leak Detected 
 

Yes
No

During VPN Software Crash 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During Loss Of Internet 
 

No Leak Detected
No Leak Detected

During System Reboot 
 

Leak Detected
No Leak Detected
Show Text 

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks 
 

8.5
8.5

Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Man-In-The-Middle Attacks Screenshot

TLS Interruption Risk 
 

No Evidence
No Evidence

Proper BGP Implementation 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Privacy

Privacy Policy 
 

3.0
5.8

Privacy Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Privacy Picture
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Privacy Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Investigation Notes

No-Log Policy 
 

0
3.0

Privacy Policy Audit 
 

4.5
7.5

Legal & Security Events 
 

8.0
10

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-15
2025-OCT-29
Show Text 

Company Practices 
 

5.0
6.7

Company Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Company Picture
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Company Picture

Investigation Notes 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Investigation Notes
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Investigation Notes

Parent & Affiliate Companies 
 

6.4
9.2

Marketing Claims & Practices 
 

8.2
7.2

Communication Transparency 
 

3.2
9.2

Security Audits 
 

5.0
10

Privacy By Default 
 

7.0
4.0

Terms Of Service 
 

1.0
0

Last Review Date 
 

2025-OCT-16
2025-OCT-29
Show Text 

Registration 
 

6.1
8.2

Payment Options 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Payment Options
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Payment Options

Email Required 
 

Yes
No

Password Required 
 

Yes
Yes

Cryptocurrency 
 

Yes
Yes

Cash 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 
Performance

Download Speed 
 

7.6
7.6

Without VPN 
 

1,057 Mbps
1,070 Mbps

With VPN 
 

233 Mbps
236 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-823.9 Mbps
-834.1 Mbps

Download Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Download Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
Proton VPN Download Speed Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool
Show Text 

Upload Speed 
 

7.7
7.8

Upload Speed Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Upload Speed Graph
 Preview Graph
Proton VPN Upload Speed Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Without VPN 
 

1,016 Mbps
1,007 Mbps

With VPN 
 

274 Mbps
293 Mbps

Speed Difference 
 

-742.0 Mbps
-713.6 Mbps

Latency 
 

5.5
4.4

Download Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Download Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
Proton VPN Download Latency Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Upload Latency Graph  

 Preview Graph
NordVPN Upload Latency Graph
 Preview Graph
Proton VPN Upload Latency Graph
 Compare in Graph Tool

Download Latency Without VPN 
 

149 ms
133 ms

Download Latency With VPN 
 

343 ms
532 ms

Download Latency Difference 
 

194 ms
399 ms

Upload Latency Without VPN 
 

153 ms
143 ms

Upload Latency With VPN 
 

476 ms
531 ms

Upload Latency Difference 
 

323 ms
389 ms

Combined Latency Consistency 
 

±56 ms
±73 ms
Features

Downloads 
 

9.5
9.5

Torrent Test Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Torrent Test Picture
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Torrent Test Picture

Torrent (P2P) 
 

Yes
Yes

Data Limit 
 

N/A
N/A

Platform Support 
 

9.3
9.3

Windows 
 

Yes
Yes

macOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Linux 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Protocols 
 

Protocol Results Table 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Protocol Results Table
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Protocol Results Table

WireGuard 
 

No
Yes

OpenVPN Over UDP 
 

Yes
Yes

OpenVPN Over TCP 
 

Yes
Yes

IPSec With L2TP 
 

No
No

IPSec With IKEv2 
 

Yes
Yes

Proprietary Protocol(s) 
 

NordLynx
Stealth
Show Text 

Simultaneous Devices 
 

9.1
9.1

Tested Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
10

Simultaneous Locations 
 

Yes
Yes

Advertised Max Simultaneous Connections 
 

10
10

Destinations 
 

8.6
9.6

VPN Destination Selection Example 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Destination Selection Example
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN VPN Destination Selection Example

Countries 
 

118
117

Countries With Multiple Cities 
 

9
15

Server Choice 
 

No
Yes

Split Tunneling 
 

8.0
8.5

VPN Disabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN VPN Disabled For App Screenshot

VPN Enabled For App Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN VPN Enabled For App Screenshot

Disabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Enabling Of VPN For Specific Apps 
 

Yes
Yes

Splitting Based On Address 
 

No
No

Ping Local Address - Same Subnet 
 

Yes
Yes

Ping Local Address - Different Subnet 
 

No
Yes

Headless Setup 
 

7.0
10

Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Headless WireGuard Connection Screenshot

Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot 
 

Compare High-Res
NordVPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot
Compare High-Res
Proton VPN Headless OpenVPN Connection Screenshot

Headless WireGuard Connection 
 

No
Yes

Headless OpenVPN Connection 
 

Yes
Yes

Check Price

Plus
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
Plus
Proton VPN
SEE PRICE
Proton
Basic
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Complete
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Ultra
NordVPN
SEE PRICE
NordVPN
 
Back to Top

NordVPN

Proton VPN

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 8 months ago

NordVPN vs Proton VPN: Main Discussion

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