If you’re short on time, here’s a brief overview of our thoughts on NordVPN. Keep reading to see our test results and our expert’s full opinion on the popular VPN service.

Pros

• Minimal data logging. NordVPN does a decent job of respecting user privacy. They only log email, payment, and customer service information.
• Internet-friendly location. Headquartered in Panama, NordVPN users don’t have to worry about the Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, or 14 Eyes Internet surveillance alliances. Nord will never be forced to surrender user data to the government.
• Connect multiple devices. One account can connect up to six devices to NordVPN.
• Top-notch Security: AES-256 encryption, NordLynx protocol, and advanced features like Double VPN and CyberSec.
• Extensive Server Network: Over 6,700 servers in 111 countries, providing excellent global coverage.
• Streaming Access: Unblocks major streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ with consistent performance.
• Advanced Features: Includes unique tools like Onion Over VPN and obfuscated servers for extra security.
• Reliable Service: 99.9% uptime guarantee with real-time monitoring and proactive server maintenance.

Cons

• Occasional Server Congestion: Some popular servers can become crowded, affecting speed.
• Limited Mobile Features: Some advanced features, like split tunneling, are not available on all mobile platforms.
• No Free Version: Only offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, with no long-term free option.
• Inconsistent Streaming Performance: Occasional issues with certain regional libraries or streaming platforms.

NordVPN’s Best Features

There are a lot of reasons why NordVPN is our top rated VPN, so let’s break down its top features and explain what makes this service great.

6,700 Servers In 111 Countries

When testing NordVPN, we never had to worry about finding a server to use. No matter where you’re located in the world, odds are that a Nord server isn’t too far away. What does that mean for user experience? Faster speeds, easier access to global content, and reliable security worldwide.

Internet-Friendly Location

NordVPN’s headquarters in Panama City fall outside of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes jurisdiction. If you’re unfamiliar with these terms, they represent surveillance alliances between countries. If a VPN company is based within the jurisdiction of an Eyes alliance, a government could potentially force them to hand over data about their users. Since we believe that VPNs are first and foremost a privacy tool, we love that we don’t have to worry about our data being compromised by international law when using this VPN.

Automatic Kill Switch

In an instance where the connection is lost with a NordVPN server, a kill switch will automatically sever your Internet connection, ensuring none of your data is leaked over an unsecured location. It may seem like an unnecessary feature with this VPN’s 99.9% server uptime, but you never know when the next storm or mass power outage is going to hit.

No Data Limit

Data usage is a sticking point in every review, so we’re happy to report that NordVPN offers their users uncapped bandwidth and unlimited data. When we stress tested their bandwidth, we were able to download a large file while streaming Netflix in 4K HD with no issues. Gamers shouldn’t have any issues, either. Several in the office have said that they’re able to play shooters like Fortnite and Valorant at high FPS while connected to this VPN.

Minimal Data Collection

NordVPN touts itself as a no-log VPN service, meaning they don’t collect any data on its users. While it’s not entirely true that they collect zero data, we were pleased with the amount of privacy they afford their users.

When we used NordVPN, our email address, payment data, the timestamp of our last session status, and customer service interactions were logged. They did not track the websites we visited, files downloaded, software used, our IP address, the amount of time we were connected, or the amount of data we used. The only data they log that can denote an identity is payment information, but it’s possible to use anonymous payment methods such as cryptocurrency.

Military-Level Encryption

When our data is encrypted, it means that our data is changed so that it’s not recognizable to anyone besides authorized users. It’s the main reason why we use VPNs, so it was nice to see that NordVPN has impressive standards. The company used IKEv2 and IPSec, which ensured that our VPN connection was maintained in case our Internet connection was lost. This was especially helpful when we switched from WiFi networks to mobile hotspots or used our own data. IPSec enhanced security further, either encrypting the data packet message or the entire data packet.

This VPN also uses AES with 256-bit keys, the same encryption standard that governments and cybersecurity experts like us recommend worldwide.

Double VPN

NordVPN also employed a double VPN, meaning that our data went through multiple servers to be encrypted multiple times. This concept, known as VPN server chaining of multi-hop, enhanced our security so that not even our Internet Service Provider knew what we were up to. Most VPNs only use one server, so we felt good knowing that our data had twice the encryption protecting it before it reached its final destination.

24/7 Customer Support

NordVPN offered several options for their customer service, like a 24/7 live chat, email support, and an in-depth database of submitted user questions to leaf through. When we wanted to dig into the details of what data was logged, we navigated to their privacy policy to read it for ourselves from their FAQ page. While it’s ideal if a VPN has a phone line to talk to a human as well, we felt that this VPN had a good smattering of resources.

NordVPN & Streaming

One of the most popular use cases for VPNs is to stream shows, movies, sports, and music across a variety of services and websites. Not all VPNs are equipped to provide their users this experience, however. How does NordVPN work with world’s top streaming services?

• YouTube: NordVPN had no issues accessing US-only YouTube videos.
• Netflix: We were able to access Netflix’s full library from every server we tested, which is a rarity among VPNs. This VPN deserves credit for providing seamless Netflix streaming worldwide.
• BBC iPlayer: We were about to stream BBC content through NordVPN’s browser extension, but not the regular app.
• Amazon Prime Video: This VPN had no issues streaming Amazon Prime from both the browser extension and the regular app.
• Disney Plus: Disney+ is currently available in the US, UK, and Australia, and we were able to stream it from servers in each country successfully.

Overall, this VPN performed extremely well in our streaming tests. BBC iPlayer was the only service we encountered problems with, and we were still able to stream when we used the NordVPN browser extension. They also offer ample support documentation and FAQs on their website for users who who need tips for or assistance with streaming.

NordVPN & Torrents

While we typically prefer for all of a VPN’s servers to be P2P-friendly this VPN makes it about as easy as possible to connect to a server that supports torrents. In the app, a P2P option will automatically connect you to the best server for P2P file sharing for your location. If a torrent is started and you aren’t on a P2P server your traffic will automatically be re-routed to a server that supports torrents.

These two features make this VPN as good for torrenting as all of its major competitors. NordVPN also goes to great lengths to ensure their users remain anonymous, including a strict zero log policy excellent DNS and traffic leak protection, anonymous payment policies and privacy extras like the Tor network and Double VPN protection.

NordVPN Speed & Leak Tests

Maybe VPNs will sometimes slow down your Internet speed as the traffic has to go through an encryption server on top of a public network’s server. We still want to see fast Internet speeds while we’re connected, we made sure to test this VPN ourselves. Below is a screenshot of our results while connected to a server in Singapore. We’ve also included speed test videos of NordVPN servers in New York City, Sao Paulo and the UK.

DNS Leak Test

DNS stands for Domain Name Server and it’s the common name that goes with an IP address, such as Google.com. We put all the VPNs we review through a test to make sure that the VPN is successfully hiding our DNS when it’s connected; if it didn’t the VPN wouldn’t be doing its job. After being put to the test, this VPN passed our evaluation, meaning that there were no DNS leaks when connected to NordVPN.

WebRTC Leak Test

We also made sure to do a WebRTC leak test while using NordVPN. WebRTC is a collection of technologies that let web browsers communicate with each other to increase speed. This is great trust me, because it allows all the things we had going like Netflix, video chats and files we had to download to use less bandwidth. This comes at a cost the devices know each other’s private IP addresses. We use WebRTC to make sure that our IP addresses don’t leak when we’re using this VPN. This VPN passed with flying colors on both computer systems showing a different IP address than the real ones on our computers.

Ease Of Use

NordVPN is extremely user friendly. On the NordVPN website a VPN Apps link will take you directly to the download link for the device you’re using. Once the app is downloaded activating your VPN is as simple as clicking a button.

It’s truly set and forget. In the event you need assistance there are over 50 tutorials for every device, platform and operating system that this VPN supports. For DIYers there are even resources to turn your entire home network into a VPN-protected hotspot.

This VPN also has 24 hour live support on standby. When we tested their customer support services we reached prompt help over email, live chat, and the phone. There should be little to no concern about ease of use when it comes to this VPN.

NordVPN Price

Many people would wonder how much is NordVPN? We know that the bottom line matters when choosing a VPN so we gathered all the relevant information for you to compare services. For NordVPN we found the pricing structure pretty straightforward we got all the same perks with all the options but the thing that impacted the prices was the lengths of the contracts.

Video Review

In our video review we go through all these details again and you’ll get a better sense of exactly how we do all our testing to make sure we’re giving you as much information as possible on how to choose a VPN for you. We’ll also take you along on our process of testing NordVPN for speed and leaks.

NordVPN Company History

NordVPN was founded in 2012 by four childhood friends. Due to its extensive self regulation and loyalty to its users, the company has built a reputation on transparency, privacy, and integrity among VPN providers.

In March 2019, NordVPN was directed by the Russian government to join a state sponsored registry of banned websites. Doing so would prevent Russian NordVPN users from circumventing Russian state censorship online. Given one month to comply, the company shut down its Russian servers rather than compromise the Internet freedom of their users. As a result, this VPN still operates in Russia, but its Russian users have no access to local servers.

NordVPN, along with five other VPN providers, is a founding member of the ‘VPN Trust Initiative’, a trade group founded to promote more self-regulation and transparency among the VPN industry. The organization is tasked with setting industry standards that protect the data and privacy of VPN users.

Breach History

On October 21, 2019 a NordVPN server breach was disclosed in a twitter post from a security researcher. The company confirmed that one of its servers based in Finland was briefly compromised in March 2018.

During the breach the attackers were able to perform man-in-the-middle attacks to intercept the data of NordVPN users. The cyberattack was the result of a vulnerability in a contracted data center’s remote administration system. According to this VPN the data center disclosed the breach on April 12, 2019 and the contract was ended immediately.

The company estimated that 20 to 70 active sessions were exposed during the breach. In an unrelated credential stuffing attack this VPN reported on November 1, 2019 that approximately 2,000 usernames and passwords were exposed. Here is what NordVPN said about the Oct 21 breach:

A datacenter in Finland we had been renting servers from was accessed without authorization. This was done through an insecure remote management system account that the datacenter had added without our knowledge.

 

Potential attackers could have gotten into one server and intercept the traffic and seen what websites people are browsing — not the content, only the website — for a limited period of time, only in that isolated region

 

The server itself did not contain any user activity logs; none of our applications send user-created credentials for authentication, so usernames and passwords couldn’t have been intercepted

 

In response, we have audited more than 4000 of our servers. We found few servers that could have potentially been at risk and either patched them or removed them.

 

In addition, we made sure that no datacenters we use have unpatched or undisclosed IPMI access. To prevent any similar incidents, among other means, we encrypt the hard disk of each new server we build, so no readable data can be accessed even if a server is accessed without authorization through a remote management system. The security of our customers is the highest priority to us and we will continue to raise our standards further and further.

How To Use NordVPN – How Does It Work?

NordVPN, a trusted provider for internet security and privacy more than 60 countries covered by its large server network. NordVPN also provides a free trial to give you the opportunity to experience features first. Learn more about NordVPN here and how you can use it to protect your data and keep you safe while browsing the web in 2023.

How To Use NordVPN On Your Device

A widely-used VPN service compatible with many platforms. Here are some guidelines for setting up and using this VPN service:

Download and install the NordVPN app Open the app and sign in
Select a server and connect Once connected, browse the internet as usual To disconnect,
click the Disconnect button in the app

How To Use NordVPN For Privacy And Security

An established leader in the virtual private network (VPN) industry, NordVPN has been serving users for many years. Some suggestions for keeping your personal information safe and secure while using it.

You should get started by downloading and setting up the NordVPN app. Once it’s downloaded and installed, launch it and enter your credentials to get started.

You must next pick a server to which you will connect. You can select a server located in any of the more than 60 supported countries, based on proximity or security priorities.

After you’re online, you can proceed with your normal internet activities. You’ll be able to surf the web in complete secrecy and safety thanks to the fact that all of your traffic will be encrypted and concealed from prying eyes.

How To Activate NordVPN

To activate NordVPN on your device, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to https://www.nordvpn.com/ and click the “Get NordVPN” button
2. Enter your email address and password and click “Sign In”
3. Click the “Pricing” tab and select a plan
4. Click the “Add Payment Method” button and enter your payment information
5. Click the “Activate Now” button
6. Log in to the NordVPN app and connect to a server
7. Once connected, you’re good to go!

How To Install NordVPN

1. Go to the NordVPN website and download the Windows client.
2. Run the installer and follow the instructions.
3. Once the installation is complete, open the NordVPN client and enter your login information.
4. Connect to a VPN server and enjoy safe and secure browsing!

How To Install NordVPN On Windows

1. Go to the NordVPN website and download the Windows client.
2. Run the installer and follow the instructions.
3. Once the installation is complete, open the NordVPN client and enter your login information.
4. Connect to a VPN server and enjoy safe and secure browsing!

How To Install NordVPN On Mac

1. Go to the NordVPN website and download the Mac client.
2. Run the installer and follow the instructions.
3. Once the installation is complete, open the NordVPN client and enter your login information.
4. Connect to a VPN server and enjoy safe and secure browsing!

How To Install NordVPN On iOS

1. Go to the App Store and search for NordVPN.
2. Download and install the app.
3. Open the app and enter your login information.
4. Connect to a VPN server and enjoy safe and secure browsing!

How To Install NordVPN On Android

1. Go to the Google Play Store and search for NordVPN.
2. Download and install the app.
3. Open the app and enter your login information.
4. Connect to a VPN server and enjoy safe and secure browsing!

How To Install NordVPN On Router

1. Go to the NordVPN website and download the router client.
2. Install the client on your router and follow the instructions.
3. Once the installation is complete, open the NordVPN client and enter your login information.
4. Connect to a VPN server and enjoy safe and secure browsing!

Configuring NordVPN For Different Devices

This sometimes has trouble connecting which can be frustrating for users. We will go over some troubleshooting steps that you can take to try and fix the issue.

Windows:

1. Open the NordVPN app and click on ‘Settings’.
2. Under ‘General’, toggle the switch next to ‘Launch on startup’. This will ensure that the NordVPN app starts up automatically whenever you restart your computer.
3. Click on the ‘Advanced settings’ tab and then select the ‘Protocol’ drop-down menu. Choose either UDP or TCP – we recommend UDP for the best speeds.
4. Next, select the ‘Kill Switch’ option and make sure that it is turned on. This will prevent any data from leaking if your VPN connection happens to drop.
5. Finally, click on the ‘OK’ button to save your changes.

macOS:

1. Open the NordVPN app and click on ‘Settings’.
2. Under ‘General’, toggle the switch next to ‘Launch on startup’. This will ensure that the NordVPN app starts up automatically whenever you restart your computer.
3. Click on the ‘Advanced settings’ tab and then select the ‘Protocol’ drop-down menu. Choose either UDP or TCP – we recommend UDP for the best speeds.
4. Next, select the ‘Kill Switch’ option and make sure that it is turned on. This will prevent any data from leaking if your VPN connection happens to drop.
5. Finally, click on the ‘OK’ button to save your changes.

iOS:

1. Open the Settings app on your iOS device and scroll down to the ‘VPN’ section.
2. Tap on the ‘Add VPN Configuration…’ option.
3. Select the ‘IKEv2’ protocol type and fill in the following information:
   • Description: NordVPN
   • Server: Enter a NordVPN server address (you can find a list of NordVPN servers here)
   • Remote ID: Leave this field blank
   • Local ID: Leave this field blank
   • Username: Your NordVPN username
   • Password: Your NordVPN password
4. Tap on the ‘Done’ button to save your changes.

Android:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device and scroll down to the ‘Wireless & networks’ section.
2. Tap on the ‘More…’ option and then select the ‘VPN’ entry.
3. Tap on the ‘Add VPN Network’ option.
4. Fill in the following information:
   • Name: NordVPN
   • Type: PPTP
   • Server address: Enter a NordVPN server address (you can find a list of NordVPN servers here)
   • PPP Encryption: Required
   • CHAP-Secrets: Your NordVPN username and password (separated by a space)
5. Tap on the ‘Save’ button to save your changes.

NordVPN Not Connecting? Here’s What to Do

If you find that your NordVPN connection isn’t working there are some steps you can take to try and fix the issue. First ensure you have an active internet connection. Next check to see if NordVPN is running correctly on your device. Finally make sure that NordVPN is connected to the correct server location.

Why NordVPN Might Not Be Working For Some Users

There are several reasons why NordVPN might not be working for some users. One possibility is that there is something wrong with this VPN software or app. Another possibility is that there is an issue with the user’s internet connection. Finally, it’s also possible that there is a problem with this VPN server.

Troubleshooting Steps To Fix The Issue

1. First, open the NordVPN app and click on the “Status” tab. If “Connected” appears in green next to your current location, then your connection is set up correctly. If it does not, you’ll need to troubleshoot the issue.
2. Make sure NordVPN is up to date.
3. Reboot your device.
4. Clear your browser’s cache and cookies.
5. Try a different browser.
6. Make sure that you’re using the correct VPN server address and port number
7. Try disabling your firewall and anti-virus software. Many times, these programs can interfere with VPN connections and cause them to fail. Once you’ve disabled them, try connecting to this VPN again.
8. Make sure that you’re using the correct VPN server. You can find a list of all of their servers here: https://nordvpn.com/servers/. If you’re not sure which one to use, you can contact NordVPN’s customer support for help.
9. Change your NordVPN protocol settings
10. Restart your computer and try connecting again
11. Try connecting to another website or service and see if that works correctly. If it doesn’t, there may be an issue with your internet service provider (ISP) or router. In that case, you’ll need to contact your ISP or router manufacturer for help.
12. If none of these steps fix the problem, then you can contact this VPN’s customer support for help. They may be able to resolve the issue for you or give you some advice on how to fix it. You can reach them by phone, email, or live chat.

Contact NordVPN’s Customer Support

If you ever run into any issues when using NordVPN, their customer support team is available 24/7 to help you. You can contact them through email, live chat, or telephone. They also offer helpful online documentation including articles on setting up your device and FAQs for common problems. With friendly and helpful customer support, NordVPN is a great choice for reliable internet security in 2023.