Review of NordVPN
- Rahul Manchanda
- Mar 23, 2023
- 24 min read
The excellent security, internet freedom, and total anonymity of NordVPN, a VPN with its headquarters in Panama, are frequently used to identify it. It is a premium service that comes loaded with a tonne of exceptional features, making it a full VPN. One of the most well-liked VPN service providers in 2023 is NordVPN. The question now is whether NordVPN has what it takes to compete for the top rankings in the sector. What distinguishing qualities does it offer? Learn more from this review.
This NordVPN review took us days to put together, and we are still updating it as the service makes new modifications every morning. We made an effort to cover all of the VPN's features in this review, point out any areas we felt may have improvement, and highlight the key benefits of NordVPN.
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days |
| Allowed concurrent connections | 6 devices |
| Supported streaming services | Netflix US, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime, and more |
| No logs policy | Yes |
| Encryption | DHE-RSA-AES-256 SHA encryption |
| Special features | Double VPN, Onion over VPN, Obfuscation tech, Kill Switch,SmartPlay tech, CyberSec, DNS Leak Resolver, |
| Customer support | 24/7 live support |
| Server locations | 61+ countries |
| Number of servers | 5400+ servers |
| Server Switches | Unlimited |
| Supported devices | Windows, Linux, Mac, iOS, iPhone, iPad, iPod,Android, Apple TV, Routers, Fire TV, Smart TV, Gaming consoles |
| VPN legal jurisdiction | Panama |
Any VPN provider has its ups and downs no matter how high they rank in the industry. NordVPN isn’t any different as it also has some pros and cons to mention before we kick off this review. Here they are:
When it comes to its compatibility with different systems and devices, NordVPN is among the finest VPNs. Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, Linux, ChromeOS, DD-WRT, and other popular operating systems are just a few of the platforms that are frequently supported.
Chrome and Firefox addons are both compatible. Additionally, NordVPN supports a variety of devices, like the Raspberry Pi, gaming consoles, smart TVs, routers, and more.
NordVPN now supports up to 6 concurrent connections, making it feasible for users to connect as many devices as possible to their accounts.
The desktop client for NordVPN provides a straightforward and easy-to-use interface. Additionally, this is very impressive given the vast array of capabilities offered by the client app.
According to your actual location, the "Quick Connect" button instantly connects you to the best server. Connecting to a server should take 20 to 30 seconds.
You can always choose to connect manually if you don't like the Quick connect option. To do that, go to the Servers page and scroll down to see the full list of available server locations.
Additionally, you have access to the settings page, where you can experiment with the features to tailor them to your connection. You have a variety of customising choices with the desktop version.
comparable to its desktop counterparts, the mobile client has a comparable look and most of the same capabilities. It may be avoided just as easily as with desktop client apps.
It didn't take long to connect to a server, and the app's settings allowed us to use all of NordVPN's functions; nothing was lacking. The app appears as follows:
Selecting a server was rather simple, as evidenced by the images above. We had the option of selecting Specialty servers from the server list, which included P2P-friendly and obfuscated ones.
The Kill Switch, Split-tunneling, and CyberSec technologies, on the other hand, were all present under the Settings area. More information on those will be covered later in the essay.
App Store Reviews
Over 8 million internet users globally used NordVPN in 2018, which is obviously far greater. We looked to the reviews the supplier received on the official App Stores since we had to see what all the hoopla was about.
First, we looked at the iOS App Store, where there were only positive reviews of the NordVPN app. The App Store lists NordVPN as having a 4.6 rating based on 9K reviews, which is quite good.
Next, we looked at reviews of NordVPN's service on the Google Play Store. With a rating of 4.5/5, NordVPN is still considered to be a very good service even though it is slightly lower than the one on iOS.
We witnessed a few negative reviews, which is to be expected. One claims that NordVPN frequently disconnects. Our tests, however, show that this didn't take place.
Trustpilot Review
If you didn't know, one of the best places to assess the reliability of a VPN is Trustpilot. We make use of it in our reviews to obtain a rough notion of what customers have had luck with.
Please be aware that we are covering all of our bases here, but we must first point you that NordVPN did not have a high reputation to begin with on Trustpilot. Trustpilot once penalised NordVPN for adding phoney reviews to boost their ranking.
This might have worked on other review websites, but Trustpilot is a reliable source, as we've already said. At the time, the website gave NordVPN an extremely poor "Poor" rating.
Despite this setback, NordVPN was able to recover and regain its good ratings based on the services it provides. Trustpilot now rates NordVPN as "excellent" with a rating of 4.5/5.
Naturally, we didn't end there. A comment we discovered that reads as follows proves that not all users of VPNs have the same experience
“How do I terminate my service? It's been a waste of money, and I have no idea what it accomplishes. When I tried to use it on my computer, it claimed that it was a virus and forced me to purchase a new one.
This review covers every aspect of NordVPN, and we used a rigorous evaluation procedure to make it flawless. When we review a service, we are objective and include every aspect, including any pros and cons.
We want to make it clear that we saw nothing of the such before you form a negative opinion of the service based on the aforementioned comment. In the Virus Scan section, you can verify that.
The largest network of servers and locations among the leading VPNs in the market is NordVPN's enormous network. The VPN has over 5413 servers that are evenly scattered across 61+ nations. Furthermore, we anticipate that this VPN will continue to expand its server spread.
We compiled the following list of this VPN's server distribution:
Americas
Notably, shared and static IP addresses are supported by each and every NordVPN server. Additionally, NordVPN now indicates the locations where the servers are located, whereas in the past they had trouble identifying the precise server regions.
Unique Servers
An interesting aspect of NordVPN is that it provides a variety of dedicated servers based on the work you want to complete. The special servers are listed here:
The performance levels of NordVPN amazed us. We only encountered a couple of small difficulties with the Windows client during initialization.
NordVPN's speeds fall short of those of other top VPNs, but for good reason. The remarkable levels of protection provided by the VPN are frequently blamed for the slower speeds.
But in order to understand precisely how the speeds differ on different servers, we had to run a number of speed tests. Our initial speed test was conducted without a VPN connection to give us a baseline. Here is a screenshot of the outcomes we discovered:
Now we established a connection to a server not very far from our actual location, and the screenshot below displays the outcomes we noticed:
The speeds we recorded were nothing short of astounding when we connected to Tor through VPN servers, which we had expected to deliver the slowest speeds.
It's not yet time to give up on NordVPN, but keep in mind that we always recommend taking our findings with a grain of salt. Overall, the VPN continues to provide limitless bandwidth. As a result, our VPN is not responsible for speed throttles.
Now we established a connection to a server not very far from our actual location, and the screenshot below displays the outcomes we noticed:
The speeds we recorded were nothing short of astounding when we connected to Tor through VPN servers, which we had expected to deliver the slowest speeds.
It's not yet time to give up on NordVPN, but keep in mind that we always recommend taking our findings with a grain of salt. Overall, the VPN continues to provide limitless bandwidth. As a result, our VPN is not responsible for speed throttles.
Some channels have nevertheless discovered a technique to stop VPN traffic and deny users access. To assess the reliability of each VPN we review in terms of unblocking, we subject it to a number of tests.
We evaluated NordVPN's performance using the top streaming services that are not blocked by VPNs, and the outcomes were as follows:
The most talked-about streaming service worldwide is Netflix. In actuality, it has the greatest global subscriber-rate.
With more than 182.8 million subscribers as of right now, Netflix is one of the biggest entertainment services in the world. Its entire catalogue isn't available, despite being accessible practically everywhere.
The geo-blocking of the channel is implemented by showing only a few titles in each nation. The version that can be accessed with a US IP address is currently the richest.
Even while a VPN gives customers a US IP address, not all of them can access Netflix US, as we previously explained. If the VPN isn't reliable enough, Netflix can tell if a user's traffic is originating from a VPN server. When it does, the following proxy error will show up:
Please excuse the interruption. You appear to be using a proxy or unblocker. Please stop using any of these services before attempting again. Code of Error: M7111-5059.
The proxy error mentioned above was never experienced with NordVPN. After connecting to an American server, the channel immediately gave us access to its US library. Look at this.
We were thrilled to learn that NordVPN successfully unblocked US Netflix. If you want to access the extensive library of Netflix video that is only available in the US and Canada, you can do so by connecting to a VPN. Additionally, the material is accessible in Ultra-HD resolution. Really impressive, no?
The Netflix model is the same as how Amazon Prime Video operates. It designates particular catalogues to particular nations, with the US edition being the richest to yet.
Additionally, VPN blocking is implemented, which made using NordVPN difficult for us. Unfortunately, despite using numerous servers, NordVPN was unable to access the US catalogue of Amazon Prime. Here is what we obtained in our initial attempts:
Our efforts to unblock the channel using NordVPN's Los Angeles server eventually succeeded. Here is a screenshot of our Amazon Prime Video account while we were watching Truth Be Told.
Despite a few small issues, NordVPN was still able to unblock Amazon Prime utilising part of its servers, which is still regarded as being of high quality. Let's go on to the last test in this division now.
Finally, we are relocating to the United Kingdom from the United States. Channel 4 and Sky Go are two excellent streaming options available in the nation.
However, since BBC iPlayer is one of the networks that employ VPN banning, that is what we will discuss today. More than 9.9 million successful requests are made on the channel each day, indicating its high popularity in the area.
The UK population can access a variety of content, but people outside the country cannot unless they obtain a UK IP address.
Even with that, getting access to the BBC is difficult because the channel has its own defences. In the case of NordVPN, that wasn't an issue.
We can state that NordVPN is one of the best services for unblocking geographically restricted content worldwide.
All of the biggest streaming services that ban VPN access were successfully unblocked by the VPN, which helped it rank higher in our reviews.
When you run a client software, SmartPlay, a unique Smart DNS for NordVPN, is frequently immediately activated, giving you access to censored and blocked websites.
You can combine the many benefits of a VPN with the lightning-fast speeds and amazing reliability of a Smart DNS thanks to the VPN's SmartPlay technology. Not to mention, it's simple to use.
Additionally, as the feature is included into the VPN server from the start, you won't need to manually update or activate it.
The act of torrenting is very popular among online users. They can access exclusive content including books, music, television shows, movies, and much more.
However, they also run the danger of jeopardising their privacy because they'll be disclosing private data while sharing a file. The reality is that anyone sharing the same file may see their IP address, which could result in hacker attempts.
Additionally, P2P activity is not tolerated in some nations, and users who engage in it risk facing legal repercussions for copyright infringement. The best approach to get around all of the aforementioned problems is for the user to conceal his or her IP address.
P2P activities are not supported by all VPNs, but NordVPN does. Although it doesn't let this on every server, there are a tonne of options available. The complete list is available here, and the torrenting-related ones have P2P mentioned beneath them.
Panama, which is the finest location for a VPN, has legal jurisdiction over NordVPN. The Panamanian government also constantly promotes online privacy and cybersecurity. This indicates that the Panamanian government opposes collecting user data and is consequently a strong supporter of VPNs.
Additionally, the nation is not under the observation of the NSA, GCHQ, or any other international organisation. All of these factors support NordVPN's smooth operation as it strives to uphold a strict no-logs policy.
However, NordVPN had a system breach in an incident that happened back in March 2018. It appears that unauthorised access was made to one of the Finnish data centres from whom they were renting servers.
Due to their stringent no-logging policy, this might not be a problem, but the thought of hackers having access to any user data may be concerning.
There have been no other reported breaches outside that one. We can affirm that NordVPN is 100 percent secure and upholds users' privacy.
NordVPN is undoubtedly worth looking into if you're searching for a VPN service provider that provides consumers with capabilities that aren't offered by others, especially when it comes to security and privacy.
With its special Double VPN security function, NordVPN ensures a double layer of security. Your traffic is often sent to a VPN server for encryption whenever you connect to a VPN before being sent out to the internet.
However, when using Double VPN, your communication is first tunnelled to one VPN server before being redirected to a second VPN server and finally reaching its destination. Double encryption is ensured by the feature.
You should be aware that using a multiple VPN will result in slower speeds. Furthermore, not all NordVPN servers offer this capability; rather, it's only offered on a select number of double-hop configurations, including Canada-US, Netherlands-Russia, Sweden-Netherlands, France-UK, Netherlands-UK, and Hong Kong-Taiwan.
Notably, the feature comes in handy for users in densely censored countries and areas where strict cyber-regulations apply.
A feature of NordVPN called CyberSec automatically bans dubious websites to protect your connection from cyberattacks. By preventing you from being under botnet control, the function also guards against falling victim to DDoS attacks.
By eliminating intrusive pop-ups, auto-play media, and other obtrusive advertisements on numerous websites, CyberSec also functions as an ad-blocker.
A Kill Switch is also a feature of NordVPN's client apps. When your VPN connection drops, the feature turns off your device's connection to the internet.
When users wish to leave their gadget unattended but don't want to take the chance of being discovered, a kill switch is useful. Additionally, they will gain from the capability when switching between VPN servers.
Even though VPNs typically have a Kill Switch feature, NordVPN has elevated it. Users of the VPN can disable internet access for specific devices, servers, and apps.
If you want complete online privacy while connected to a VPN, a DNS leak might be disastrous. If a leak occurs, your DNS will broadcast unencrypted data to your ISP or any other snooping eyes, leaving you open to attack.
NordVPN has a unique DNS Leak Resolver feature built into its client apps to get around the problem. The function ensures that no data is unintentionally released through your DNS.
Although customers may have concerns about the feature's infectiousness, NordVPN appeared to have found a solution as our test revealed no DNS leaks.
You can connect to Tor, an onion router, using the NordVPN server's Onion over VPN capability. You can use the feature to connect to the Tor network without first downloading the Onion Browser.
to reach the Onion Browser as a result. To begin, you must establish a connection with a NordVPN network-connected Tor server. But bear in mind that this functionality slows down connections. As a result, Onion over VPN is only helpful if you wish to access censored or blocked websites.
One VPN that utilises what is regarded as the best security architecture for a VPN of its capacity is NordVPN. The VPN's OpenVPN protocol uses the popular DHE-RSA AES-256 SHA encryption setup.
This suggests that NordVPN uses HMAC SHA2-384 authentication and RSA-2048 encryption to ensure integrity. The VPN also employs the well-known Diffie Hellman key exchange (DHE), which has a perfect forward secrecy key length of 3072 bits.
NordVPN features limited double-hop technology, which enables double-encryption of your data, to improve your security.
Not only that. Before recommending a VPN, we put its service through a variety of tests and look for specific characteristics. The following are the things we look for:
Anyone should perform a virus check on an app before downloading and installing it on their device. A VPN could include viruses even though it is a security tool.
Before installing NordVPN on our PC, we ran the installation file through a malware check. The outcomes were outstanding, with 0 malware infections.
So, based on our findings, which were based on 72 reliable sources, it is completely safe for you to download and use the NordVPN app on your smartphone.
Another essential component of this study is DNS leak testing. In the event of a leak, the Internet Service Provider would have access to the whole user's browsing history.
The worst aspect is that they wouldn't even be aware of it, jeopardising all of their private activities when utilising a VPN.
Since using NordVPN, no such leaks have been observed. The outcomes we received are those of the server to which we are currently connected, including the rented IP address.
According to our tests, NordVPN can easily abide by its commitment to protecting the privacy of its users.
Security professionals can test a specific service thanks to third-party audits, which ensures customer transparency. To prove to clients that their claims are true, many VPN providers have done this in the past.
No different, NordVPN has previously undergone several evaluations of its service. Allowing VerSprite, a well-known security research organisation that focuses on software vulnerabilities, to scan their apps and identify any type of flaw would be one of them.
On NordVPN's website, it states that the following vulnerabilities were discovered:
The following vulnerabilities were discovered and fixed: 7 Low-level vulnerabilities, 6 Medium-level vulnerabilities, 4 High-level vulnerabilities, and 0 Critical-level vulnerabilities.
To support the assertions made by NordVPN about their product, a second audit was conducted. This one addressed their non-logging policy and the fact that they never, ever store personally identifiable user information.
You may read the whole audit here. PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, Zurich, Switzerland, conducted the audit.
Since its debut, NordVPN has undergone extensive testing, and the provider has never hesitated to supplement its already robust set of security measures.
This brings us to their WireGuard protocol adaption, called NordLynx. The double NAT (Network Address Translation) system was created by NordVPN in addition to the security and privacy the protocol offers.
This protects and secures users' networks without compromising their privacy because the protocol might not be sufficient on its own.
One of the few providers that supports WireGuard is NordVPN, and to top it off, they added an additional protection layer. According to our criteria, this is a fantastic technique to support their security claims.
A Warrant Canary demonstrates how open the VPN is with its users. Customers can be informed via a canary programme that their VPN service has been compromised and has been served with a subpoena by the law.
Legally, they are unable to tell their users, but a Warrant Canary is a circumvention of this prohibition. Given that few VPNs provide that, NordVPN has an advantage over its rivals because it has one on its website.
As of 2020-12-31, according to NordVPN's Warrant Canary, the company has not:
Letters of National Security.
Orders for humour.
any government organization's warrants.
Warrant Canaries are an excellent way to build trust between a company and its customers. By the looks of it, NordVPN is doing a good job.
NordVPN features an excellent, round-the-clock customer support system. We were really delighted with their live chat assistance, which is available around-the-clock and features a real person on the other end. In our evaluation, we spoke with an agent who was prompt, kind, and provided us with thorough answers to all of our inquiries.
You can always use their ticketing system if you don't want to use the live chat feature. Even better, you may use the VPN's categorised tutorials to sort by the problem you need help with.
They mostly offer support in the following areas: billing, connectivity, general information, and getting started. There is also a search panel where you can look up just about everything related to the VPN, a FAQ area, and troubleshooting tips.
The website of NordVPN is always being updated with fresh content. You can feel the site's luxury vibe after taking a quick look at it.
clients can choose the language of their choice on their website, which will help all clients. 20 languages are available for selection, including:
There are four plans offered by NordVPN. Its subscriptions offer the same features as all top-rated VPNs, but the length of the subscription varies.
Here is what each of the price plans includes after we reviewed them all:
Conclusion: Compared to other top VPN companies, NordVPN is significantly less expensive in the long run.
With its numerous payment options, NordVPN leads the pack among the best VPNs, which currently only offer a few. It might be argued that NordVPN and Norton Security have teamed to safely accept all forms of payment, including all major credit cards, AliPay, UnionPay, virtual currencies, and many more.
Notably, the VPN no longer takes PayPal as a method of payment. Here's what Deacon, the agent at the time, had to say after speaking with their first-rate technical support:
"Unfortunately, PayPal payments are no longer accepted. In order to have total control over our customers' purchasing experiences and to reduce security risk, we have decided to stop supporting PayPal. Now that we have a self-hosted, unified payment system, we can manage all client information and recurring subscriptions without sending it to a third party. If this has caused you any inconvenience, we apologise.
We were very satisfied with their cryptocurrency payment option, it should be noted. With no need to submit personal information, you can pay for your plan using different crypto-currencies while retaining your online privacy.
Refund Policy
Without a question, the 30-day money-back guarantee offered by NordVPN is a key selling factor. In other words, you have a full 30 days to test the VPN, and if during that time you run into a problem that can't be fixed, you can always request a refund. This money-back guarantee enables you to take use of the VPN's trial without taking any financial risk.
Note: After a protracted conversation with NordVPN's financial support representative, we discovered that the VPN's plan purchases made through the App Store or Google Play Store are not subject to the 30-day refund policy. You will therefore need to personally request a refund from the shops.
There is currently no way for you to take advantage of a NordVPN free trial. This well-known VPN service once provided a free 7-day trial.
A free trial is no longer a possibility, though, as consumers would misuse it. However, you can take advantage of their 30-day money-back guarantee.
What NordVPN offers is a feature-packed, premium service that is mainly designed for an ultimate online experience while keeping you private and secure. The VPN lives up to the hype by its excellent combination of features and functionalities.
NordVPN is based in Panama, which is a big plus for its quest to keep zero logs. Moreover, the VPN is also stable, reliable, and works well with Netflix US as well as other major streaming outlets.
All these are great features that are enough to allow you to experience the full potential of the internet. What’s more, NordVPN has the cheapest subscription plans in the VPN industry, coupled with an impressive 30-day money-back guarantee.
In conclusion, NordVPN checks many, if not all, of the boxes. This particular VPN company has you covered regardless of whether you're looking for an affordable VPN service that gets around geographical restrictions on streaming services like American Netflix or just want to safeguard your privacy and online security.
We unquestionably advise utilising NordVPN if you're seeking for a long-term VPN. What do you think, then? Is NordVPN a service worth using? Comment below with your thoughts and let us know. You may always check out our most highly rated NordVPN alternatives if you feel like this VPN service isn't ideal for your needs.
I'm Rahul Manchanda, content writer and seo engineer , I love Photography,travel and nature. I'm working as a writer and blogger with experience of 10 years until now.
Sign up for free and be the first to get notified about new posts.
