NordVPN Review

Premium Features Wrapped Up in One Awesome Package

In this NordVPN review, we're going to dig into the most important features that you should look for in a VPN and that NordVPN happens to offer — from its user-friendly interface, the NordVPN Chrome extension, and premium security features to its compatibility with all major devices. Whatever it is that you need, NordVPN has got you covered.

Optimal Security and Privacy Features

We’ll start our NordVPN review with the most important aspect any VPN can offer — security. The reason why NordVPN is one of the best VPNs on the market is that it offers a variety of strong security features. These include several choices of security protocols, NordVPN proxy, impenetrable encryption, DNS and IP address leak protection, a kill switch, a built-in ad blocker, and much more. Read on to find more about the premium features you can get once you subscribe to NordVPN.

Encryption

NordVPN offers strong AES 256-bit military-grade encryption that would take over a billion years to get through. Most industries and governments use this type of encryption to ensure that their confidential data is out of reach of hackers.

Security Protocols

While doing research for our NordVPN review, we discovered that the VPN provider offers several security protocols — OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, NordLynx, and L2TP/IPsec and PPTP (no longer supported).

• OpenVPN protocol comes in two versions — UDP and TCP. While UDP is considerably faster and, therefore, better for streaming, the TCP version is more secure. Both are available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.
• IKEv2/IPSec protocol — this protocol is great for boosting security and privacy, and it is available on all Apple devices.
• NordLynx protocol — this is the default protocol on NordVPN’s apps. It is based on WireGuard, but since that isn’t the safest protocol you'll find, NordVPN actually combined it with double NAT. Double NAT ensures that personal data does not end up on the server. The research for our review of NordVPN showed that NordLynx is available on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS.

DNS and IP Address Leak Protection

While investigating previous user experiences for a number of different VPNs, we found that, in some cases, users experienced having pieces of private information leaking through and revealing their identity to third parties. These leaks can happen when your DNS requests use regular traffic and not your VPN, which relies on technologies such as WebRTC.

To prevent DNS, WebRTC, or IP address leaks, NordVPN runs its own DNS servers. Essentially, this means that users will get better DNS leak protection and privacy than users of VPN providers without their own DNS servers.

Kill Switch

After going through some NordVPN reviews, we found that users love the fact that the vendor offers two kill-switch options.

The first option, the App Kill Switch, allows users to pick the apps that they want closed in case their connection fails. This kill-switch option is available both on Windows and Mac OS. It can be a good asset if you use your VPN for streaming since platforms won’t be able to detect your VPN and block you. While this feature isn’t automatic, you can easily turn it on and select the apps in your settings.

The second option NordVPN reviews rave about is the Internet Kill Switch, designed to completely shut down the internet access once not connected to the VPN. Of course, it also shuts down in case that your connection drops. While the Mac OS OpenVPN client doesn’t have this option, its IKEv2 client has both types of switches.

Split Tunneling

The split tunneling feature allows users to choose which apps they want to run through the VPN. This is an excellent feature if you want to browse certain websites with your real IP address while still connected to your VPN (e.g., you want to access your bank account but also want to keep streaming Hulu). However, NordVPN customer reviews are somewhat divided since, unfortunately for Apple users, the split tunneling feature is available only on Windows and Android at the moment.

Threat Protection

Something not many VPNs offer nowadays is their very own ad-blocker. Our VPN provider of the day features Threat Protection, an ad-blocker that blocks ads and tracking cookies, and, of course, fights malware.

No-Logs Policy

NordVPN's strict no-logs policy makes sure that your IP address, sensitive data, and online activity are not recorded. The service does retain some pieces of your data (e.g., your email address), but this does not affect your privacy whatsoever.

Something NordVPN reviews also mention is that the vendor keeps usernames and the timestamp of the last session while it’s active. This is because NordVPN offers up to six simultaneous connections, and to track how many devices are being used with a single account, they need to collect this data. This information is retained for up to 15 minutes after the session ends and can't be traced back to the user.

Unblocking 400+ Streaming Platforms Has Never Been Easier

During our research on streaming platforms for our NordVPN review, we found that the VPN provider seamlessly unlocks a number of popular platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube TV, HBO Max, HBO Go, Crunchyroll, MSNBC, Funimation, Peacock TV, DAZN, Roku, Hotstar, Fox Sport, Rai Play, AT&T, ITV Hub, Pandora, Globo, Globo SporTV, CW, Kodi, Sling TV, ESPN, ESPN+, ZDF, Salto, Yle, TF1, FuboTV, Paramount Plus, Stan, 7TV, TVING, 9Now, DirecTV, SBS Australia, 6Play, TG4, RTL, and more.

However, we’ll only go through unblocking some of the mentioned platforms and devices in our NordVPN review.

NordVPN & Netflix

We all know that Netflix has strong VPN detection, but NordVPN unblocks its content seamlessly, making the provider one of the best VPNs for Netflix. The service makes it easy to unblock Netflix in the US, UK, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Korea, Egypt, Mexico, Canada, and India. Keep in mind that connecting to a server in a country where NordVPN does not unblock Netflix will automatically redirect you to US Netflix.

NordVPN & Hulu

Our NordVPN review research has shown that the provider is one of the top VPN choices for Hulu as it lets you access Hulu's shows on all servers. Not only that, but you can also get access to Hulu’s entire add-on library in addition to Hulu + Live TV. Since you can also stream sports events on the platform, you'll be happy to hear that NordVPN's speed is good enough to let you enjoy any sports event without interruptions.

NordVPN & Disney+

All Disney + fans know that the US Disney + library always gets new releases first, so if you want to check them out even if you don't live in the US, you'll be happy to hear that NordVPN easily bypasses Disney Plus's geo-restrictions.

Compatible With All Types of Devices

As expected, NordVPN is available for download on a number of different operating systems and devices. However, something that came as a surprise while doing some research for this NordVPN review is that all apps have similar features and interfaces. Additionally, they look almost the same even on mobile, which we don't often see in VPN apps since they usually get rid of a lot of elements in their mobile versions. For example, comparing NordVPN vs CyberGhost, it’d be obvious that CyberGhost tends to focus on macOS, while our VPN of the day offers the same features to all users.

NordVPN is also one of the best VPN providers for Linux, offering an app for this operating system. It can be installed on Linux Mint, Elementary OS, and Debian.

It also works like a charm with Mac and Windows, with the only difference being that you get access to IKEv2/IPSec protocol on macOS. It is available on any iOS device starting with OS 11.0 and any macOS version as early as Sierra 10.12.

Smart TVs

NordVPN comes near the top of our list of the best VPNs for Firestick, being available for download on Apple TV, Android TV, and Amazon Fire TV Stick. They're all pretty easy to use and can be downloaded in a matter of seconds.

The research for our review of NordVPN, however, revealed that if you want to use your NordVPN on Firestick, you won’t be able to use your Amazon remote to control it. On the other hand, you can connect the NordVPN Android app to your Firestick or even use a mouse app. While this is not a huge problem, it can be inconvenient, especially since some VPNs allow you to easily connect your VPN to Firestick. So, when comparing NordVPN vs ExpressVPN in terms of Fire TV optimized apps, ExpressVPN definitely takes the crown.

With NordVPN, Apple TV can be easily unblocked using several different types of servers, and you can install it on your router, using a virtual router, or changing your DNS proxy. The interface is simple and user-friendly and allows the best streaming experience possible.

As for NordVPN on Android TV, you can download the app from the Google Play Store and start using your VPN as soon as you log into the NordVPN app on your Android TV.

Gaming Consoles

Doing our research for this review of NordVPN, we found that this provider is a serious contender for one of the best VPNs for gaming. There are two ways that you can connect NordVPN to Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox. The easiest way to do that is to change the DNS on your device. If you're not sure how it works, just check NordVPN's guide on their website. Another way to connect a gaming console to your VPN is to set up a hotspot on your computer or mobile device and use the VPN connection on the console.

NordVPN Servers

NordVPN has 5,460+ servers in 60 countries. NordVPN reviews show that users enjoy that they can choose from different types of servers according to what they need at any given moment. This VPN service also stands out from the competition with how easy it is to choose the servers — comparing NordVPN vs SurfShark, for example, would prove the latter is not as user-friendly as NordVPN.

For example, you can use obfuscated servers that are perfect for heavily restricted countries, dedicated IP servers where you'll get an IP address that only you can access, and P2P servers that let you send and receive files with other users. On top of that, you can use double VPN servers that send traffic through two servers, making them highly secure.

A High-Speed VPN With a Quick Connect Feature

Our research for this review of NordVPN shows that the company really stepped up its game in 2021. According to SpeedTest, it is the fourth-fastest VPN in the world right now, preceded by Hotspot Shield, ExpressVPN, and Avira.

Despite being 9.3 times slower than the winner, NordVPN outperforms IPVanish, Norton Secure VPN, PIA, and TunnelBear. You won’t see any major difference comparing NordVPN vs IPVanish speed-wise, as the former is 9.3 times slower than Hotspot Shield and the latter is 9.4 times slower than the winner. On the other hand, if you compare NordVPN vs PIA, the results may surprise you — PIA is over 20 times slower than NordVPN.

While researching speeds for our NordVPN review, we also found that you may experience a slowdown of 5% while using the Quick Connect feature, which is extraordinary.The feature connects you to the closest NordVPN server and allows seamless streaming, gaming, and browsing. Additionally, connecting to a server in a nearby country can slow down your speed by up to 6.50%, which is, again, probably the best slowdown rate you could hope for.

Our review of NordVPN also shows that the service works great when connected to international servers. While its speed may vary from one location to another, it’s safe to say that NordVPN is reliable and rapid-fast, especially if we were to compare it to its less popular counterparts like NordVPN vs ProtonVPN for example.

Torrenting With NordVPN

NordVPN is an awesome choice for torrenting for a number of reasons that we already listed — it has a kill switch, DNS leak protection, optimized P2P servers in 45+ countries, and it is based in a privacy-friendly location. This is why most NordVPN customer reviews you’ll come across say that the VPN provider makes torrenting on uTorrent, qBittorrent, BitTorrent, Pirate Bay, Deluge, Vuze, Kickass Torrents, RARBG, Kodi, Transmission, and Popcorn Time a breeze. When using NordVPN, torrenting does not slow down speeds, and you won’t experience any lags. If we were to compare NordVPN vs TunnelBear in terms of torrenting, the latter would definitely lose, seeing as how it has only 350+ servers worldwide. Additionally, users rate NordVPN as the best VPN for Tor due to the provider’s Onion Over VPN feature, which helps Tor users enjoy maximum security.

Customer Support

NordVPN support allows you to troubleshoot on your own before actually contacting the vendor’s employees. One of the things that set the NordVPN customer service apart is that you will find a lot of helpful articles on different services not only in English but also in French and German. NordVPN customer reviews also show that most users manage to get in touch with NordVPN in a matter of minutes, either via live chat or email.

Pricing

While you can’t get NordVPN free, the VPN provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee that applies to all three NordVPN plans, which can be seen as a NordVPN free trial as you can get your money back in a matter of days, according to most NordVPN reviews. NordVPN pricing is as follows — $11.95/month for the monthly plan, $4.92/month for the one-year package, and $3.49/month if you subscribe for two years.

With NordVPN sometimes offering sales, there’s a chance that you’ll find a NordVPN coupon if you do some digging around. But if you were hoping for a NordVPN lifetime plan, we’ve got bad news for you — the vendor no longer offers this type of plan. Still, the NordVPN price for the two-year plan is fairly low to take the sting out.

Our Verdict

After going through all NordVPN features, it’s safe to say that this service is where budget-friendly meets high-quality. Our NordVPN review further highlights it as  an excellent choice in terms of security and privacy, streaming, device compatibility, etc.