VPN means “Virtual Private Network.” The purpose of a VPN is to protect your online activity while you are browsing over the internet. Whether it can be the government, your ISP (internet service provider), or some random hacker trying to track your activity over the internet.
Not only that, the advertisements that you see on your browser or applications, are shown to you based on your online activity i.e. they track your pattern of browsing. If you use a VPN while you are online, all of the spy software that advertisers use will also be blocked, thus making your surfing over the internet ads free.
So, what is a good VPN composed of? Well, it would have good speed, carry the weight of multiple devices, can be accessed from anywhere, and most importantly does not collect data from its users.
NordVPN is one of those giant VPNs that protect you via a “Privacy Cloak.” That cloak will keep you protected from hackers, malware, etc. No one would be able to track your data as per its latest WireGuard technology. All in all, it’s one of the leaders in the VPN industry and there are several major reasons for it.
NordVPN - Review
When it comes to the speed and performance of a VPN, all that matters is:
- The speed remains consistent.
- The performance is efficient without any lagging.
NordVPN provides it all. The speed and the efficient performance. NordVPN unblocks all kinds of content and gives you access to that content that is inaccessible (even the geo-restricted content).
Using NordVPN will also unblock the Netflix libraries which are generally not streamed in your country (as per the licensing issues with countries). It also removes restrictions from other various streaming websites like Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Crackle, HBO Now, etc.
Nobody beats NordVPN in unblocking streaming websites and gives direct competition to Surfshark VPN.
With an extensive collection of servers from all around the world (62 countries), NordVPN can deliver the best user coverage one could ask for.
In this day and age, where “privacy of data” is a very sensitive issue. Everyone is asking these questions like, How can we protect our data? How can we strengthen our security? Is our data getting tracked, recorded, or breached by the governments, ISPs (Internet service providers), and hackers?
There are a lot of questions regarding privacy and security which require attention when committing to a VPN.
NordVPN is integrated with OpenVPN and it’s exclusively made NordLynx protocol (a WireGuard based technology). This provides you with the best and latest encryptions of your data thus enhancing the overall performance of the VPN.
The combination of these high-level military-grade protocols with features like Kill Switch, and DNS leak protection helps you in keeping your identity safe and secure.
Further, the Pause feature allows you the liberty to close the VPN connection whenever you want to. Afterward, the client will be connected to the VPN after a few minutes automatically. For instance, you can use the Pause feature to perform some task that you don’t want to initiate with a VPN connection, you can use the Pause feature then. Once you’re finished performing the task, you will be automatically reconnected to the VPN instead of manually reconnecting again.
Additionally, NordVPN comes with double data encryption, and also gives you access to Onion websites. The CyberSec technology will protect you from unwanted ads containing malware along with giving you an extra layer of protection against phishing attacks.
Since NordVPN is based in Panama, the laws about privacy there speak for themselves. It is nothing less than a reassurance that no kind of activity will be tracked (even in P2P interactions), and no logs will be kept of your internet browsing.
The 24/7 support offered by NordVPN also had some good reviews. Their customer support handle is pretty friendly with their customers in solving any types of problems faced by their clients. They give you customer support via Email or Live Chat.
Initially, NordVPN was not the first choice of the customers as per its high prices, although, once the market came to know about the amount of value NordVPN is delivering, people stopped worrying about the price tag. With their 30-day money-back guarantee, you can have a taste of what NordVPN has to offer, and if you are not convinced, you can unsubscribe to it anytime you want to.
NordVPN Specs
Servers | 5,400 |
Protocols for iOS | NordLynx - OpenVPN *IKEv2 (iOS & macOS only) |
Simultaneous Connections | 6 |
Locations | Diversified |
Free Version | No |
Block Ads | Yes |
Servers Locations | 62 Countries |
Benefits
- State-of-the-Art Security and Privacy
- One of the best Kill Switch
- DNS Leaks are heavily protected
- Offers Double VPN
Drawbacks
- Apps are a bit Slow
- Configuration is not User-Friendly
NordVPN Pricing
Generally, NordVPN will set you back almost $119 annually with their $11.95/month plan. If you go on to subscribe to their annual plan, you’ll pay a total of $59 for the first year at the discounted rate that they offer to their new clients, and afterward, you’ll be charged $119 for the second year at the renewal of your subscription.
Also, for their two-year plan, you’ll pay $89 for the two years, however, at the renewal of your subscription, you’ll have to pay $119 to revert to their annual subscription plan. We know that this price range is a bit steep in comparison to its other competitors like Surfshark VPN or ExpressVPN, yet NordVPN has a total of 12 million+ customers worldwide.
When it comes to the payment gateways that NordVPN allows, you can pay easily via:
Paypal | Yes |
Credit/Debit cards | Yes |
Other Online Payment Methods | Yes |
Cryptocurrencies | Yes |
One thing that must be kept in mind here is, VPN companies offer frequent promotions throughout the year so if you go at different times over the year to check out or subscribe to their VPN services, you might find varying prices.
If you go on now, when this review is being conducted, you’ll see that NordVPN with $11.95/months is a bit on a high range of price which makes it expensive to buy. In that particular matter, we advise you to always go for the long-term plan instead of monthly plans to save more than 50% of the cost.
Also, if you think that you do not want a long-term plan, then subscribe to its monthly package and try it out for the first month to get a good idea of what kind of a VPN is NordVPN and how its features can help you in your life.
Sadly, NordVPN discontinued its FREE Trial as according to them, the scammers were taking advantage of their FREE Trial, thus, they stopped giving free trials. Fortunately, the 30-day money-back guarantee is still on the table.
NordVPN Privacy & Security
As we here at TechNinjaPRO have always guided you to look for the below features whenever you are in the market to buy a VPN. These must-have features are:
- AES-256 military-grade encryption
- Security Protocols like OpenVPN TCP & UDP, IKEv2, WireGuard
- Identity protection & DNS leaks protection
- Kill Switch to block the internet once the VPN connection gets down
The first thing that comes first, NordVPN is thankfully integrated with all of these features along with its own NordLynx. The security and privacy offered by NordVPN go as follow:
- Simultaneous Connections: Unlike Surfshark VPN which allows you to make unlimited simultaneous connections, NordVPN only allows you to attach six devices simultaneously once you’re online. Most of the VPNs in the market only allow up to 5 simultaneous connections.
- Static IP Address: Although, it’s an add-on for $5.83/month, still it’s worth the money. Having a static IP address on a VPN prevents your connection from getting blocked, mainly if you want to connect to the same region again and again. You can get a static IP address from a wide range of options like:
- The USA
- The UK
- France
- Netherlands
- Germany
- Tor Network: NordVPN uses the Tor Network, which is specifically designed to make tracing almost impossible. No one would be able to track your activity, and you will also get access to the majority of the hidden websites which even the best VPNs cannot access.
- Double VPN: You might be familiar with multihop connections. NordVPn calls it Double VPN. What does this do? The main purpose of the Double VPN is to route your connection through a second VPN instead of just one. Let’s say that one of your connections gets compromised, NordVPN will assure your privacy & security via the second VPN server thus making your security air-tight.
- Split-tunneling: NordVPN recently introduced the feature of split-tunneling. This particular feature will route your traffic through a secure VPN connection in the clear. What makes this feature stand out is, you can allow/disallow your choice of applications to use the VPN connection while they run.
NordVPN Speed and Performance
We all have used free VPNs in the past whether it can be a small VPN product from the app store or the play store. One thing that is the most common among all the VPNs is, they undercut the speed of your internet connection and deliver slow browsing.
Now, huge VPN reviewing websites like PCMag and TechRadar perform variously and top-of-the-line tests to check out the speed and performance of each VPN (and they are the most accurate in our opinion).
PCMag uses the Ookla Speedtest tool. According to them, NordVPN fell in the top 10 VPNs category in 2020 during the speed and performance tests that were conducted. The recent tests that were done in 2021 to evaluate the speed and performance of NordVPN proved that they have greatly enhanced their stats by integrating efficiency into their product.
Further, NordVPN reduces download speed by 28% and upload speed by 24%. If we compare it to VPNs like Surfshark VPN and ExpressVPN, these are not bad results.
In the light of these stats, we should mention here that speed and performance are not the only criteria to consider while buying a VPN as the main purpose of the VPN is to provide you with privacy and security that will protect your identity, data, and surfing from tracking agencies, and hackers.
On the other hand, TechRadar also ran speed and performance tests on NordVPN. Their findings depicted that their nearest server gave them the results of 250-325Mbps with OpenVPN protocol, whereas, with NordLynx, they witnessed the downloading speed to reach almost 480-820Mbps.
However, when the same speed and performance tests were performed via the server of NordVPN which was far away from them, the downloading speed massively decreased and the results were pretty bad (even for a giant like NordVPN).
This gives rise to a major problem as many people do use VPNs to stream videos and access libraries of various websites like Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, Kodi, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Now, etc that are inaccessible in their countries.
Initially, the results that came were not impressive. The average came out to be 155-165Mbps. This is very low as most of the VPNs reach between the range of 250-350Mbps.
But all of that changed once they switched the protocols. By switching the protocols, the download speed went up to almost 500-700 Mbps. This massive change occurred as per the reason of WireGuard support that Surfshark is integrated with.
They also found that different servers delivered variable downloading speeds. So, if you go on to but Surfshark VPN, then to get the best downloading speed, you need to switch to various servers and protocols to hunt for the best downloading speed. Don’t worry, you won’t have to do that every time you log in via Surfshark VPN, you can just try this strategy the first time, and find the right server to download with an effective speed.
One thing that we should mention here is, NordVPN has 5,400 servers spread all across the world. That’s why no matter what kind of speed tests you run with as many servers as you like. The results will always vary.
At the end of the day, we’ll again say that the most important feature for a VPN is the privacy that it can deliver, and NordVPN delivers privacy like no other. Their uncrackable encryption says everything by itself.
NordVPN Netflix
Netflix is a major giant in the online streaming video industry. With its colossal following comprising hundreds and millions of subscribers worldwide, it has gotten the attention of filmmakers from all around the world.
The quantity of content available on Netflix is almost limitless. The way Netflix operates is, it signs a legal contract with the country it is serving in and buys the copyrights of that content via license agreement. As per that licensing agreement, Netflix cannot broadcast those Shows outside of that country’s territory. Thus, a Netflix Library has to be created which is wholly dedicated to that particular country.
For instance, a person in the UK will only have access to the content available in the Netflix UK library. That user cannot access the content of the Netflix US library as per the legality of the content uploaded.
This is where VPN comes in. If you log on to your Netflix account via a VPN, you’ll be able to gain access to the Netflix library of your choice and watch the shows you always wanted to.
You can connect to the following list of servers to gain access to various Netflix Libraries via NordVPN.
Servers | Netflix Library |
---|---|
United States | Netflix US |
Canada | Netflix CA |
United Kingdom | Netflix UK |
India | Netflix IN |
France | Netflix FR |
Italy | Netflix IT |
Finland | Netflix FI |
Germany | Netflix DE |
Poland | Netflix PL |
Netherlands | Netflix NL |
Australia | Netflix AU |
Spain | Netflix ES |
Netflix ES | Netflix KR |
Turkey | Netflix TR |
Brazil | Netflix BR |
Japan | Netflix JP |
NordVPN Application Set Up
The setup of NordVPN’s applications is pretty straightforward. You just need to sign up for the VPN and then install it instantly by following simple easy to follow steps.
Once you sign up and go on to download the NordVPN application for your device, NordVPN automatically offers you the app for the device via which you are logged into your NordVPN account. In addition to this, the VPN also offers you app links for other apps it provides like:
- Mac
- Android
- iOS
- Windows
- Linux
- Android TV
Furthermore, NordVPN offers a great range of tutorials which an average user or a beginner can follow to manually set up the VPN client on their respective devices such as cell phones, PCs, and even routers. It also offers apps for Chromebook, ChromeOS, Windows Phones, NAS devices, Raspberry Pi, and several other platforms.
The VPN also tells you how to set up a VPN manually and guide you on various protocol types.
NordVPN Support
Similar to many other VPNs, NordVPN also delivers support to its customers via its support website.
They have numerous questions already answered in advance and are distributed in various categories. You can search for a query in the search box and you’ll find the answers you are looking for.
To be honest, their customer support is not up to the mark. Its competitors are far more ahead in providing support, delivering information, giving instructions, and taking care of their entire clientele. NordVPN’s customer support is a bit tricky to deal with.
You need to find information by clicking on various buttons, going through a number of articles, and finally reaching out to your solution. So, you need to do a lot of work just to get the information you require.
However, once you get to the tutorials and guides, you’ll find the steps, directions, etc very easy to follow.
Other than that, the chatbot integrated into their website is a perfect example of what NordVPN is capable of. The use of the latest AI technology in their customer support depicts their state-of-the-art management system. You can ask anything related to a VPN to that chatbot and it will fetch you the required information.
Also, it offers 24/7 live chat support where you can directly talk to a real human being (representative of NordVPN). You can jot down your query and you’ll get a very relevant response within minutes.
Furthermore, the Email Support takes a little longer and you may not get a response for hours. However, the response that you’ll get will be relevant and will solve your problem.
Products Like NordVPN
Final Opinion
NordVPN has a lot of servers and has one of the best no-logging policies in the world of VPN industry. Obviously NordVPN is not cheap, or even one of the fastest VPNs in the market, however, it is the most powerful VPN we have seen in the market.
With their continuous improvements and professional services, NordVPN still remains unbeatable.
If you are still not convinced, you can go on to read the Surfshark VPN Review here for comparison OR check out our list for the Best VPN services in 2022.
The Best VPN Services - Comparison Chart
Servers | Location of Servers (Countries) | No-logs | Kill Switch | Unlimited Bandwidth | Jurisdiction | Simultaneous Connections | Encryption | Free Trial | Pricing | |
NordVPN | 5,400 | 62 | Panama | 6 | AES-256-GCM | $4.92/month (1-Year) | ||||
ExpressVPN | 3,000+ | 94 | The British Virgin Islands | 5 | AES-256 | $4.92/month (1-Year) | ||||
SurfSharkVPN | 3200 | 65+ | The British Virgin Islands | Unlimited | AES-256 | $2.49/month (1-year) | ||||
PureVPN | 6,500 | 140 | Hong Kong | 10 | AES-256 | $4.00/month to $24.00/month(1-Year) | ||||
AtlasVPN | 700+ | 27+ | Delaware, USA | Unlimited | AES-256 | Free Version | $4.99/month(1-Year) | |||
ProtonVPN | 1,246 | 55 | Switzerland | 4-10 | AES-256 | Free Version | $4.00/month to $24.00/month(1-Year) | |||
VPNUnlimited | 500+ | 80 | NewYork, USA | 5-10 | AES-256 | $4.99/month(1-Year) | ||||
CyberGhost | 6,000 | 88 | Romania | 1-7 | AES-256 | $3.99/month(1-Year) | ||||
HotspotShield | 1,800 | 80 | United States | 5 | AES-256 | $7.99/month to $11.99/month(1-Year) |