NordVPN Review
One of the very best VPNs comes with a costly subscription
Verdict
NordVPN is an expensive VPN service that justifies its cost with fantastic performance and plenty of features
Pros
- Large number of servers
- Wide range of security features and endpoints
- Clear, audited no-logging policy
- Great for streaming
Cons
- Relatively expensive
- Subscriptions renew at a higher rate
Key Features
- Connect up to six devicesNordVPN can be used on up to six devices simultaneously, with apps for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux and Android TV.
- Sixty countries to choose as endpointNordVPN has more than 5,400 servers in 60 different countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia.
Introduction
NordVPN is always a strong contender in our VPN tests, and it’d come out on top again for features and speed. However, it’s expensive and you’ll pay a bit more upon renewal, so make sure you need a VPN that does all of this before you buy.
Nord has some of the best VPN performances you can find, as well as a generous suite of features. I still find its YouTube-led advertising bombastic and excessive, but there’s a genuinely good service beneath all the hype.
Pricing and Subscriptions
NordVPN’s subscriptions are more costly than those of its rivals. You’ll also find that VAT is not included in the prices listed on Nord’s website, and is only applied when you get the payment screen.
The introductory subscription deals get better the longer you sign up for, although you have to watch out for a price hike on renewal. Renewing subscribers are charged the current full price, without the introductory discount that first-time subscribers automatically get. You may also want to disable auto-renewal.
Including VAT, a NordVPN subscription costs £12.47 per month, £64.62 for one year plus three months if you’re a new subscriber – this renews at the standard annual rate, which is currently £79.08 per year, and £93.64 for two years and three months, again for new subscribers. The two-year sub also renews as an annual subscription priced at £79.08.
In the USA, NordVPN costs $12.99 a month, $59.88 for a year and $81.36 for two years.
On NordVPN’s subscription page, you can also select more expensive subscription options which include the NordPass password manager and 1TB of secure cloud storage. Both are good things to have, but make sure you know what you want and what you’re getting: If all you need is a VPN, choose the NordVPN Basic tier.
No free tier or trial is available, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Features and Usability
- Supports a wide range of devices
- Lots of security features included
- Map-like interface is simple to use
NordVPN has switched away from using a US-style warrant canary to transparency reports, listing the number of DMCA requests it receives and the number of inquiries it gets from government institutions, as well as committing to updating the page if it is ever obliged to honour an order that results in the disclosure of user information.
This is unlikely, as NordVPN is a no-logging service with a long track record. The company also has regular audits of its no-logging policy and applications.
Following a security breach in 2018, the company took measures to demonstrably improve both its infrastructure and its customer communications, which it has done to my satisfaction.
You can connect up to 10 devices simultaneously to NordVPN – not quite up there with the nominally unlimited device counts of Windscribe and Nord’s sibling company Surfshark, but enough for most households’ day-to-day use.
NordVPN provides clients and connection instructions for a massive range of devices and platforms, including Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS and Android, routers, servers, plus an excellent proxying browser plugin.
Its VPN server features include obfuscation, onion over VPN (providing access to sites accessible via TOR) and servers that explicitly support peer-to-peer file transfers. There are also settings for almost every use case, from the vital kill switch to shut off internet traffic if your connection drops – enabled by default, making your computer invisible on your local network when connected or allowing RDP connections while the VPN is enabled.
NordVPN has been layering a lot of extra features onto its service, which have seen the addition of new screens and options.
The Windows client has sprouted several new tabs, and now opens on a rather cluttered home screen that includes activity summaries and quick activation buttons for Nord’s VPN, Meshnet file sharing, and Threat Protection modules. There’s a Quick Connect button for the VPN here, as well as your three most recently used endpoints, and you get a pull-down to give you granular control when you want to pause or disconnect your VPN, too.
My main complaint here isn’t that the multi-feature summary screen exists, but that it is cluttered, with small fonts and too many options hidden behind stacked collapsible sections.
Fortunately, a globe tab takes you to the old-school NordVPN interface, with a map and the same stacked collapsible pull-downs for extra configuration options used on the home screen.
A shield icon takes you to NordVPN’s Threat Protection tools, including a web protection module that blocks known malicious sites, as well as trackers and ads, and a feature that removes tracking elements from URLs you copy. There’s also a file protection mobile that scans your downloads for malware. You can optionally enable cloud-based file protection, which uploads suspicious executable files to NordVPN for analysis – I’m pleased to see that this is off by default. There’s also a vulnerability scanner that alerts you to software that you should upgrade for security reasons.
The File transfer feature allows you to send files to either one of your own devices or one belonging to a friend, as long as both have an active NordVPN subscription. I found it easy to quickly transfer files between a Windows and a Linux PC on different networks, and was pleased to find that the Linux command line tools provided one-to-one equivalents of the Windows client’s features.
Meshnet goes even further by creating a virtual LAN of sorts, allowing other authorised devices to connect to yours as through via a local network – ideal for virtual LAN gaming sessions. You can even use your Meshnet connected devices as VPN endpoints.
Performance
- Ranked in the top three during the latest performance group test
- Great support for video streaming
NordVPN topped our latest performance tests with speeds of 288.8 Mbit/s from its UK endpoint, 302.4 Mbit/s in the Netherlands and a very impressive 259.2 Mbit/s in the US. It’s in a class alongside ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, Tunnelbear and Surfshark in reliably approaching or exceeding our no-VPN reference scores.
NordVPN uses its NordLynx protocol by default for its desktop clients, and its performance is consistently impressive. NordLynx is an implementation of WireGuard protocol with extra security customisations. Performance is excellent – credit to Nord’s high-quality network infrastructure.
This VPN service’s video streaming is as good as ever. You don’t need to use any kind of specialist endpoints, which is convenient for anyone who wants to keep their VPN connected at all times without having to use split tunnelling to get access to iPlayer or Sky.
| VPN Provider | UK | Netherlands | United States | Average |
| NordVPN | 288.8 Mbps | 302.4 Mbps | 259.2 Mbps | 283.47 Mbps |
| Reference Group Average | 240 Mbps | 316 Mbps | 47.97 Mbps | 201.32 Mbps |
| Reference (no VPN) | 219.05 Mbps | 210.43 Mbps | 144.51 Mbps | 183.81 Mbps |
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Should you buy it?
If you want a fast and fully featured VPN:
NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs currently available, while also offering an abundance of security features – SurfShark is currently cheaper and quicker, but nothing else is.
You want a cheap VPN:
NordVPN is one of the most expensive options, and has no free tier other than the 30-day trial.
Final Thoughts
If money is no object and you want fast speeds, plenty of features and reliable performance, NordVPN is the way to go. Although I’m not a fan of renewal price increase and its Windows app is getting a little cluttered, it’s hard to argue with the array of features NordVPN has to offer.
The file transfer and Meshnet features in particular bring something new and useful to the table, on top of cross-platform support, high speeds and reliable access to streaming services without having to resort to split tunnelling.
NordVPN has a claim to being the best VPN. Surfshark, owned by the same company, is better if you’re on a budget, while Private Internet Access is an absolute bargain by comparison. ProtonVPN Plus is comparably priced and similarly feature-packed, while Perfect Privacy should be your first choice if you need proven security.
If your VPN requirements are modest, then ProtonVPN Free and Windscribe are both excellent free alternatives.
How we test
All speed tests are run across a fibre connection with a maximum tested connection speed of 980Mbps, which means that we’re able to get a good idea of the upper threshold of each VPN service’s speed at the time of testing.
We test multiple endpoints from each provider in three locations: the UK, the Netherlands and the US.
We research security and no-logging claims.
We inventory and test client features on Windows and Linux.
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FAQs
Yes. It maintains a policy of not retaining any directly identifiable user data, and indicates that it hasn’t received any warrants from government organisations. It doesn’t have the rock-solid credibility of ExpressVPN, which has suffered and survived server seizures without loss of customer privacy, but NordVPN provides credible security against ISP or local network snooping, and the ability to watch streaming media from anywhere in the world.
No, although it does have a 30-day free trial.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
