SHORT ON TIME? HERE’S A QUICK SUMMARY
For the budget-conscious that wants to get the most for the least, you're in luck! NordVPN offers the best bang for your buck with robust security features, blazing-fast speeds, and a nice set of extras. While NordVPN shares the same technologies with other VPNs such as AES-256, IKEv2 / IPsec, and OpenVPN encryption protocols, what perked us up is its comprehensive set of advanced security features. It offers split-tunneling, obfuscated servers, Onion Over VPN, Cybersec, cloud encryption, Double VPN, NordLocker, NordPass, and more. While all these sound like tech mumbo-jumbo to you, no worries! We'll go into each feature down below. In addition, the company now has 5,364 servers in 59 countries. So far, NordVPN looks very promising on paper, but does it deliver?
For the budget-conscious that wants to get the most for the least, you're in luck! NordVPN offers the best bang for your buck with robust security features, blazing-fast speeds, and a nice set of extras. While NordVPN shares the same technologies with other VPNs such as AES-256, IKEv2 / IPsec, and OpenVPN encryption protocols, what perked us up is its comprehensive set of advanced security features. It offers split-tunneling, obfuscated servers, Onion Over VPN, Cybersec, cloud encryption, Double VPN, NordLocker, NordPass, and more. While all these sound like tech mumbo-jumbo to you, no worries! We'll go into each feature down below. In addition, the company now has 5,364 servers in 59 countries. So far, NordVPN looks very promising on paper, but does it deliver?
👍 PROS:
- Intuitive and user-friendly
- Tons of security and privacy features
- Strong encryption standards
- Located outside the reach of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes and 14 Eyes
- Impressive speeds even with long-distance servers
- Great for gaming
- Strong customer support with 24/7 live chat feature
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Works in China
👎 CONS:
- Servers can get congested every now and then
- Split tunneling is only available on Windows and Android
- No phone support
Get NordVPN - Protect your privacy!
Server Locations
“ ...the BEST thing about Nord is the Customer Service- it's there 24/7. You get a real person or if you want you can CHOOSE to chat with a bot. The people that work in Customer Service there, like the guy I spoke to tonight, go out of their way to make sure that ALL of your questions or issues are resolved.”
“ I've used NordVPN for around 2 years now and I'm pleased with it. On Mac and Windows it works perfectly and pretty much never had an issue. Barely even notice it's there, internet speed is pretty much always the same as if I didn't have it on (500up/500down mbs) ”
“ I am new to the concept of VPN, and their rep Dwayne was very patient in educating me on VPN and how to use their app. I am still testing out the product and learning, but I have a good feeling I will be a long term customer! ”
“ Love Nord. Customer service is outstanding. Will always use them for my VPN needs. I have a dedicated IP and it works flawlessly. Highly recommend to anyone in need of VPN services. ”
"Being based in Panama allows us to keep no logs of users' online activity (no IP addresses, browsing data, traffic information, etc.). This means that we are unable to link an individual user to a specific IP address, connection timestamp or other information that we do not collect. Therefore, even in cases we receive a rightfully served request, it might be impossible for us to identify a specific person or provide any identifying information related to that person."
When it comes to security, few other VPNs can match what NordVPN has to offer. There's more to it than the usual 256-bit AES encryption, automatic kill switch, and split-tunneling features. NordVPN offers multi-layered protection with a host of advanced security features, starting with a double VPN that encrypts your traffic twice. This is an excellent feature targeted towards journalists or political activists, or just anyone who wants to avoid surveillance by the authorities.
There's also Onion Over VPN, which combines the anonymity of Tor with the security of a VPN tunnel. The Reserved IP Address feature is also a nice addition. Similar to dedicated IP addresses, this simply means that your assigned IP address won't be shared with anyone else. This means you won't have to bother with CAPTCHA checks to prove that you're an actual person and not a bot. It makes online payments easy and reduces the risks of your IP address getting blacklisted from some websites.
You can also turn on CyberSec to block ads and malicious websites and prevent malware attacks, phishing scams, and botnet control. And then there's NordPass - a sleek password manager that lets you store unlimited passwords, keep credit card details, and share notes such as WiFi passwords securely. Finally, there's NordLocker. It's a highly secure cloud storage platform that secures your files in a single click and backs them up on a private cloud. Neat, but you only get 3GB of cloud storage for free. If you need more, and you most certainly will, you can upgrade to 500GB for $3.99 per month.
NORDVPN KEY DATA
- Jurisdiction
- Panama
- Member of intelligence-sharing alliances
- ✕ NO
- Servers
- 5,324
- Server location
- 59 countries
- Simultaneous connection
- up to 6 devices
- Desktop apps
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Mobile apps
- iOS, Android
- Browser apps
- Chrome, Firefox
- Encryption
- AES with 256-bit keys
- Protocols
- OpenVPN, IKEv2 / IPsec, NordLynx
- DNS and IP leak protection
- ✓ YES
- Automatic kill switch
- ✓ YES
SEE WHAT USERS HAVE TO SAY
Trustpilot Rating: 4.0 out of 5,924 reviews“ ...the BEST thing about Nord is the Customer Service- it's there 24/7. You get a real person or if you want you can CHOOSE to chat with a bot. The people that work in Customer Service there, like the guy I spoke to tonight, go out of their way to make sure that ALL of your questions or issues are resolved.”
“ I've used NordVPN for around 2 years now and I'm pleased with it. On Mac and Windows it works perfectly and pretty much never had an issue. Barely even notice it's there, internet speed is pretty much always the same as if I didn't have it on (500up/500down mbs) ”
“ I am new to the concept of VPN, and their rep Dwayne was very patient in educating me on VPN and how to use their app. I am still testing out the product and learning, but I have a good feeling I will be a long term customer! ”
“ Love Nord. Customer service is outstanding. Will always use them for my VPN needs. I have a dedicated IP and it works flawlessly. Highly recommend to anyone in need of VPN services. ”
WILL IT KEEP ME SAFE AND ANONYMOUS ONLINE?
NordVPN was founded in 2012 and is currently headquartered in Panama. Great news for the privacy-conscious because this country has no mandatory retention laws. It is also not a member of intelligence alliances like Five Eyes or Fourteen Eyes. What does this all mean for you? It means NordVPN is not required to store logs, so you won't have to worry about the government agencies getting their hands on your carbon footprint - your IP address, online activities, browsing history, and more. True enough, when we checked NordVPN's privacy policy page, we found the following excerpt:"Being based in Panama allows us to keep no logs of users' online activity (no IP addresses, browsing data, traffic information, etc.). This means that we are unable to link an individual user to a specific IP address, connection timestamp or other information that we do not collect. Therefore, even in cases we receive a rightfully served request, it might be impossible for us to identify a specific person or provide any identifying information related to that person."
When it comes to security, few other VPNs can match what NordVPN has to offer. There's more to it than the usual 256-bit AES encryption, automatic kill switch, and split-tunneling features. NordVPN offers multi-layered protection with a host of advanced security features, starting with a double VPN that encrypts your traffic twice. This is an excellent feature targeted towards journalists or political activists, or just anyone who wants to avoid surveillance by the authorities.
There's also Onion Over VPN, which combines the anonymity of Tor with the security of a VPN tunnel. The Reserved IP Address feature is also a nice addition. Similar to dedicated IP addresses, this simply means that your assigned IP address won't be shared with anyone else. This means you won't have to bother with CAPTCHA checks to prove that you're an actual person and not a bot. It makes online payments easy and reduces the risks of your IP address getting blacklisted from some websites.
You can also turn on CyberSec to block ads and malicious websites and prevent malware attacks, phishing scams, and botnet control. And then there's NordPass - a sleek password manager that lets you store unlimited passwords, keep credit card details, and share notes such as WiFi passwords securely. Finally, there's NordLocker. It's a highly secure cloud storage platform that secures your files in a single click and backs them up on a private cloud. Neat, but you only get 3GB of cloud storage for free. If you need more, and you most certainly will, you can upgrade to 500GB for $3.99 per month.
