NordVPN Review 2021, The fastest VPNs in the market

by Jones David

There are many reasons to choose a good VPN for your device, and many products to choose from. To choose wisely, it is crucial to look behind the flashy marketing promises. NordVPN is the most popular paid VPN service on the market. It offers a combination of great speed, strong security features, and an independently verified no-logs policy. And that’s not all – it’s also a great tool for streaming on platforms like Netflix, or torrenting.

But let’s dig a little deeper with this NordVPN review. How secure and privacy-friendly is it? And do the NordVPN apps justify the cost? Read on to find out.

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What is a VPN? Why is it needed?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. In the simplest terms, a VPN creates a personal network connection that you simply can access on your computer, laptop, or mobile device. As the name suggests, they make access to the Internet more private, which can make sharing information online safer. You can use a VPN to:

  • Bypass geographical restrictions on websites or streaming audio and video.
  • Watch streaming media like Netflix and Hulu.
  • Protect yourself from eavesdropping on unreliable Wi-Fi hotspots.
  • Gain a minimum of some anonymity online by hiding your true location.
  • Protect yourself from logging while torrenting.

Many people today use a VPN to torrent or bypass geographical restrictions to view content in another country. They are still very useful for protecting yourself while in a coffee shop, but that is not the only use anymore.

Why choose NordVPN?

NordVPN is ideal for streaming. For starters, it has one of the largest networks of any popular service, with over 5,000 servers covering 59 countries. It is able to unblock numerous popular streaming platforms, including BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. Furthermore, NordVPN allows you to choose a specific city to connect to, allowing you to bypass regional blackouts, such as those imposed by the NHL, UFC, and MLB networks.

This VPN cares about your security. It keeps your activities private at all times with a combination of 256-bit AES encryption, strict log prohibition policies, and perfect forward secrecy, as well as IPv6, DNS, and WebRTC leak protection.

NordVPN is a great choice for Netflix users. It unblocks US Netlfix alongside many other country versions of Netflix. It’s a good price, easy to use, and works with all popular devices and operating systems.

What’s new in NordVPN?

Since introducing NordLynx on Linux apps, the company has started rolling it out for Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS. NordLynx provides an ultra-fast VPN connection and guarantees bulletproof privacy for our users. Built on the backbone of techie darling WireGuard®, it is the next-generation VPN tunneling solution.

NordVPN has also passed a 2nd no-logs security assessment performed by industry-leading auditing and assurance firm – PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Switzerland. More on this later.

Features of NordVPN

SmartPlay

SmartPlay is a special feature to bypass streaming media blockades. It automatically kicks in when you use a NordVPN and try to access streaming sites like Hulu, HBO Now, and others. NordVPN also ensures that you can access the same content on devices that do not support their clients. Most devices with internet connectivity allow you to vary their DNS settings, which may be a gateway for his or her SmartDNS. This allows you to take advantage of their SmartPlay technology to remove blockages without the client.

So, if you are looking for a VPN with streaming media together with the most reasons, NordVPN has you covered. Just keep in mind that it is not a security feature, and it does not add an encryption layer when used without the client.

Specialty servers

The majority of NordVPN servers are standard. This means that when connected, they change your IP and location and provide all the encryption benefits. However, the service has quite a few specialized servers that have special use cases. Note that some of these will only appear when you have chosen the correct tunneling protocol.

  • Double VPN servers: combines two VPN servers to create a VPN-VPN connection. So, to reach your intended destination, your data goes through two of their servers for maximum privacy. It can be used with OpenVPN in UDP or TCP mode.
  • Onion over VPN servers: these servers combine the Tor network with VPN to make a VPN-Tor connection. Your traffic goes through the VPN server and then goes through (at least) 3 Tor nodes. This adds a layer of deception, making it harder to trace any online activity back to you.
  • Obfuscated servers: These servers are only useful in extreme cases of censorship and distort your VPN traffic to look like regular HTTPS. Governments that restrict VPN use sometimes rely on traffic analysis to block VPNs. Obfuscated servers solve this problem by fooling such analysis methods.
  • P2P servers: optimized for P2P traffic and best used when downloading files using torrents. However, they are excellent for any type of P2P traffic.
  • Dedicated IP servers: these will be reserved for those who have purchased a static IP. When you are connected, your IP will always remain the same. This can be useful if you are not so concerned about staying anonymous and have other uses. They are only available with OpenVPN in UDP or TCP mode.

Split tunneling

One of their most up-to-date and requested additions is that the split tunneling feature. This allows you to choose which apps to use the VPN connection for and which can connect normally. On Windows, you can set this to disable VPN for specific apps or to enable VPN only for selected apps. This allows you to better define how you want your VPN to be used in your setup. If you use a VPN to unblock streaming libraries, it makes sense to use it only for those apps (usually the browser app). That way, every time you start the app, you also enable the VPN.

The Android version has fewer customization options. It is only possible to configure apps via inverse split tunneling. That way, you can disable VPN for selected apps, which means they are routed directly through your ISP.

No Logging Policy

NordVPN claims not to collect logs about users’ activities. Its no-logging policy explains: ‘Nord guarantees a strict no-logs policy for NordVPN Services, which means that your internet activity…will not be monitored, recorded, logged, stored, or passed on to any third party. We don’t store connection timestamps, bandwidth used, traffic logs, IP addresses, or browsing data. Nord also claims not to collect session logs, which many VPNs do and still claim to be ‘no-logging.

Well, it comes back to the audit. PricewaterhouseCooper examined NordVPN’s servers in-depth and compared them to the provider’s stated policy. The audit is available online for Nord users, and it found “no signs that [NordVPN] had in any way violated [its] no-logs promise.

Netflix and other streaming services

The streaming performance of any VPN is becoming increasingly important, and it’s clear that NordVPN has gone to great lengths to ensure that its customers can access both domestic titles and geo-blocked services and shows. While guarantees of access to certain services are not given locally (unlike Surfshark, for example), there is some reassurance that your favorite sites will be unblocked.

Starting with the great, NordVPN’s performance as a Netflix VPN is excellent. In our tests, we were able to reliably unblock US Netflix, and on every server, we tried. That’s impressive, considering how much work Netflix puts into trying to stop VPN access. Plus, Nord is also great for accessing UK, Canadian, Australian, and Japanese Netflix libraries.

YouTube is usually a walk in the park, and as expected, it was no match for Nord. Even Disney+, with its Netflix-surpassing VPN detection, couldn’t stop us from accessing the service from UK, US, and Australian servers. NordVPN unblocked BBC iPlayer with no problems and caused no proxy errors.

NordVPN for Torrenting

NordVPN boasts on its site that it is the “Best for P2P. While we’d take that with a grain of salt, it’s certainly encouraging that it openly advertises this fact – although it’s no longer the main feature of its homepage. You get access to “hundreds” of torrent-friendly servers worldwide, and while that network won’t be as widespread as a VPN that has every server P2P-enabled, it should give a pretty good spread.

One problem with VPNs that aren’t fully P2P optimized is that when you’re connected to a non-torrenting server, you may find that when you start your torrenting client, it just doesn’t work. However, NordVPN has taken the pain away by automatically redirecting you to a server that is capable if it detects P2P traffic.

Combined with Nord’s excellent no-logging policy, good speeds, features like Double VPN and Onion over VPN, plus good DNS protection, it’s a decent choice for torrenting.

How secure is NordVPN?

NordVPN is one of the most secure VPN providers. They use a solid military-grade cipher to encrypt your connection that is routed using only secure tunneling protocols. As for privacy, their server farm runs RAM-only, and their privacy policy has been independently verified twice. The most important area for VPNs to get right is security. After all, you are routing your Internet traffic through a third party – it had better be secure. NordVPN has about 14 million customers, so the stakes are high.

Encryption

After creating your account and installing your client, you’ll hook up with any server on NordVPN’s network. This connection is encrypted, making your traffic unreadable to outside viewers. To do this, NordVPN uses the AES-256-CBC cipher, which is that the gold standard. Many VPN services and financial institutions believe this to encrypt data.

When your connection is initiated, you access the server by using the SHA-512 hash function. This distorts your data into 512 binary digits, which are meaningless data files to outsiders. These are then compared to the cryptographic hashes generated and stored on their servers when you created your account, and if they match – you can get in.

It’s worth pointing out that many competing VPN providers use SHA-256. So NordVPN is really pushing the limit here in terms of what is possible. The SHA-512 feature not only increases the length of the hash – it is also algorithmically more complex, providing much better security for its users.

Tunneling Protocols

Your data is transferred between your device and the VPN using tunneling protocols. NordVPN supports these:

  • OpenVPN (UDP/TCP): unlike many VPN providers, NordVPN lets you choose between the UDP and TCP versions, so you can choose a more secure (TCP) or faster (UDP) method. You will find it available for all clients.
  • IKEv2/IPsec: best used on mobile devices because you can seamlessly switch between wifi and mobile data. Unfortunately, it is only available for iOS (client), Windows, Linux (manual installation), and macOS (on the sideloading app).
  • WireGuard (NordLynx): this traditional modification of WireGuard randomizes your IP address with each connection. So it’s much better than the vanilla WireGuard protocol, which uses the same IP address for every connected user. It’s also ridiculously fast and is the #1 enabler of making other tunneling protocols obsolete. You can find it on all apps. NordLynx connection speeds have improved dramatically since it was first introduced. Now it really makes little sense to choose OpenVPN in terms of security and speed.

Kill Switch

An effective kill switch can make a world of difference. Suppose you are trying to remain anonymous, but your connection to the VPN server drops. In that case, you could expose your location and IP and not even know it.

For this reason, NordVPN has a system-wide kill switch, as well as an app kill switch. The former disables all Internet access when the client detects that you are not connected to a VPN. The latter will close selected apps when you disconnect from the VPN or the connection drops. Imagine you use a VPN for torrenting and you don’t want P2P traffic to go directly through your ISP. You can set up a kill switch by adding a µTorrent client. If the VPN connection is lost, the app will be closed to prevent data leakage.

On the iOS and macOS apps, you download from the App Store, the system kill switch is enabled by default and built into the client. You won’t see an icon, but it will disconnect your connection if the connection to the VPN is lost. On Windows and macOS (sideload app), you can also configure the kill switch on a per-app basis. On Linux and Android, you can only enable a system-wide kill switch.

It wouldn’t hurt if their feature handling was more homogeneous. That said, as a user, you get a functional system-wide kill switch on all platforms. On some, you can even configure it for specific apps. Considering that some platforms, like iOS, rarely have such features, that’s a technical achievement in itself.

ioXt certification

NordVPN is one of the few service providers on the market that has ioXt certified mobile apps. This confirms that they meet strict security standards. Not to mention that the application bar involves rigorous testing of the service’s privacy policies and customer security.

NordVPN, for example, is a level 4 on the vulnerability reporting program criteria. Not only does it accept external submissions, but it also has a public inquiry reward program. Even when it comes to password management, they received a level 4 ranking. Authentication is not just a requirement. Apps API requires reauthentication for sensitive transactions. You can read the full report here.

Only recently has this certificate been applied to VPN apps. Previously, it was only exclusive to IoT devices. This new change also means that only a handful of VPN services can boast of having it. ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access are other VPNs that have received this certification. NordVPN, of course, is ahead of the other industry leaders.

Performance of NordVPN

NordVPN’s speeds are lightning fast. Especially when using their NordLynx protocol. The only recorded drops were in Argentina and Australia, the farthest locations from Europe. Everywhere else, speeds were much better, even in remote areas. For example, the speed in Latvia had only a 6% drop. The connection to Florida, USA, dropped by only 15% despite the large distance increase. These are amazing figures.

Even when we look at the older protocols, the speeds are high. IKEv2, despite being less secure than WireGuard, still manages to overtake NordLynx. The worst recorded reduction was 99% in Argentina, the lowest – 7% in Latvia. So it has its applications too.

As expected, the OpenVPN (TCP) version is quite slow, but that is a trade-off for security. While the numbers don’t seem impressive at all, that’s pretty much a standard of what you see across the board with many competitors. OpenVPN (UDP), however, is a much faster option. Depending on the location, the reduction in speed can be as minimum as 3% (UK) and as maximum as 87% (Japan).

However, the NordLynx and OpenVPN (UDP) have the luxury of speed reductions as minimum as 13% in terms of upload speed. IKEv2 and OpenVPN (TCP) will be much slower the further away you are. Keep this in mind if you plan to upload large data files.

This data shows us that NordVPN is indeed a pretty fast VPN. If you choose a location that is not too far away, you will hardly notice that you are using a VPN. If the location is further away, there will be some speed drops, which in some cases can be solved by switching tunnel protocols. Otherwise, the service provides all the tools to ensure that you don’t have to wait long for web pages to load and videos to buffer.

Customer support

NordVPN has quite a few support options, as you would expect from a premium service. Their support webpage with guides and FAQs aside, they also have a Chatbot to guide you to the solution for the most common problems.

The best thing is that you get 24/7 live chat and email support. With the former, you can get a response in minutes. The customer support agents I was assigned were helpful and knowledgeable. If your problem is a bit too complex to solve via chat, they will contact you via email. Still, they responded within a few hours, which is great.

Overall, NordVPN’s customer support is good. You can also contact their support agents through live chat, even without registration. The accessibility and quality of the help offered are the top qualities of this VPN service.

Final words

Despite an over-the-top approach to marketing, NordVPN delivers on its promises. Their pricing leaves little room for doubt when considering their encryption capabilities and privacy practices. Plus, their move for better transparency and server control makes them a worthy recommendation when considering longer pricing plans. Overall, with NordVPN, you get great value in terms of connection speeds, usage options, and other features.

Pricing

NordVPN has no elaborate pricing schemes or complex plan options. All of their subscription levels come with the same features and benefits. They also allow up to 6 simultaneous connections, so you get a pretty good value. In total, there are three price tiers that differ in their length and subscription price.

The longer the subscription, the more affordable it is. If there’s any chance you’ll use a VPN for longer than 5 months, you’re shooting yourself in the foot by not taking out an annual plan. For example, for 6 months each month, separately would cost you a total of $71.70. So it makes more sense to pay $59 and take the whole year. The same goes for the longest plan: in 8 months, you could spend the same amount for individual months, which would allow you to buy a two-year subscription.

As for payment options, there are quite a few of them. You will find the usual credit cards, PayPal, AmazonPay, Sofort, and even prepaid cards. There is also the option to pay via iTunes or Google Pay if you find that more convenient. For the most privacy-conscious, there are also options to buy with cryptocurrencies and even from stores.

With longer subscriptions, NordVPN is on the lower end of the price spectrum. Given the package of features and subscription benefits, the price seems like a bargain.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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