NordVPN review: still the pinnacle of VPNs in 2024

NordVPN is one of the most recognized names in the VPN industry. It is known for its extensive features and high-speed servers in over 100 countries. Its vast server network, cutting-edge security features, and performance have long played a key role in its push to the number one spot in our best VPN rankings, and our latest tests prove this isn't changing soon.

Whether you're considering NordVPN for secure browsing, streaming, or advanced privacy features, you’ll find something you like. That said, there are a few places where some of our other top five VPNs do something better. To help you better understand exactly how NordVPN stacks up, I’ll review their speeds, privacy track record, and customer support options to make the best comparison possible.

Features

With so many interesting extra features, you might think NordVPN isn't focusing on getting the basics right. That’s not the case. Everything you need to encrypt your internet traffic effectively is here: secure AES-256 encryption, running both OpenVPN and NordVPN’s proprietary WireGuard-based Nordlynx protocol. Built on top of these rock-solid foundations are client-specific features that improve your security, such as a kill switch that keeps your browsing traffic from being sent unencrypted if your VPN connection goes down.

Of course, all of the VPNs in our top five get these right. NordVPN's Meshnet, however, is a feature you won’t find an equivalent for. With Meshnet, NordVPN loans out some of its encrypted server infrastructure so you can build your own virtual private network. This feature allows all the devices connected to your NordVPN subscription to communicate securely over the internet as if they were on the same local network.

Meshnet therefore allows you to directly share files, host multiplayer games on LAN servers, and access remote workstations with NordVPN’s existing network security powering all of the connections. Plus, NordVPN’s audited no-logs policy and zero-trust encryption means you can be confident that nobody has access to your data or devices but you, which is a huge pro over other personal VPN tools I’ve seen.

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NordVPN’s servers aren’t just for file-sharing, there are also plenty of anonymity solutions. There’s Double VPN, which routes your traffic through two servers for an added layer of encryption, and Onion over VPN, which combines the security of NordVPN with the anonymity of the Tor network. Both solutions create more barriers between your real connection and your public IP, which makes it harder for a hacker to compromise your location at the cost of lowering your connection speeds.

Then there’s Threat Protection Pro, NordVPN’s answer to anti-malware detection in the VPN client. It’s not quite as powerful as regular anti-virus programs, but it works very well at blocking malicious files from being downloaded compared to other VPN malware blockers I’ve tested. The issue is that, unlike a normal AV, Threat Protection Pro won’t detect any local files that could be malicious. It’s strictly a web-based solution, so you’ll need to use it in tandem with a local AV.

Additionally, NordVPN launched some new online tools, Link Checker and File Checker, which add another layer of security by allowing you to check for threats before accessing files or links.

Features score: 10/10

Server network

A great all-rounder service. NordVPN doesn’t serve any region better than another VPN provider in our top five, but it does serve each region well. With 111 countries on the location list, NordVPN is only edged out slightly by Surfshark with 112. You’ve also got access to an impressive 144 locations, just a little below ExpressVPN and PIA.

You’re getting a respectable spread of locations across Europe, North America, and Asia, although Proton VPN does significantly better when it comes to providing connectivity to the Middle East and Africa. NordVPN does not have servers in countries with heavy internet censorship, such as Russia or China, but this is typical of most VPNs.

Server network score: 9/10

Apps

NordVPN covers all the major platforms you’d expect: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux. These apps are all pretty straightforward (except for the Linux client, which I’ll touch on in a moment). The Windows and MacOS versions both come with an onboarding wizard that walks you through all of the features you’ll find while using NordVPN. It’s a great way to introduce a new user to some of the slightly more advanced tools, including the kill switch, without being overwhelming.

NordVPN has recently overhauled its Firefox extension, building it again from the ground up to make sure it’s as secure as can be. This also means there are some extra features available now, such as location spoofing which returns a spoofed response when websites request your location. Unfortunately, the browser extension is still an inferior experience compared to the desktop apps. You can’t access specialized servers through the browser extensions and I’ve found that they connect slower than using the actual software client. Not exactly a deal-breaker, but you might want to look elsewhere if you’re only using a browser-based VPN.

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NordVPN also offers apps for less common platforms such as Amazon Fire TV and Android TV, alongside browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. These extensions are lightweight and easy to use, offering some of NordVPN’s functionality directly from the browser.

While the rest of the NordVPN apps have a graphical user interface, the Linux client is strictly a command-line-only affair. Frankly, if you’re a Linux user then it shouldn’t be too difficult to use, but it is a little disappointing there isn’t the same intuitive interface that you get on other platforms.

Apps score: 8/10

Ease of use

It’s pretty easy to get NordVPN up and running. There are no real issues with the installation process, you just download and enter your username and password to get started.

The home page is a little more complex than providers like PIA and ExpressVPN, as there are both the connect button dashboards for the other tools you might be enrolled on if you’ve picked a higher tier subscription. If you aren’t bothered with the extra features, you can hit Quick Connect to connect to the fastest server and you’re done.

Ease of use score: 8/10

Speed and performance

NordVPN is known for its strong performance, so we took it for a spin to see how fast its servers are. Using the NordLynx protocol, NordVPN consistently achieved download speeds exceeding 950 Mbps on nearby servers and servers in the US. Very impressive, as most of the providers in our top five VPN list suffered heavy speed losses from crossing the Atlantic.

However, we did note that NordVPN was also the most inconsistent in terms of speeds, dropping by between 200-500Mbps throughout our morning testing. We also noted some significant jitter when connecting to the US during our evening tests, far more than any other provider except Surfshark, meaning anything with a high sensitivity to packet loss, such as online gaming, might be a little more difficult on NordVPN.

OpenVPN scores were much worse for NordVPN, achieving only 173 Mbps, although this isn’t surprising. Most of our top five VPNs only posted speeds of between 100-200Mbps when testing OpenVPN, although Surfshark posted nearly double the speed at 460Mbps. NordVPN’s OpenVPN results don't particularly stick out here, although its latency times crept up to almost 100ms during our PM tests. This is on the borderline of what’s acceptable for the UK to the US East, but we were still able to stream HD content from Netflix without any lag.

The main NordVPN apps are pretty quick at connecting, except for the Chrome browser. Most times I connected pretty much instantly on the desktop and mobile platforms, but I noticed that it was consistently taking up to around 4 seconds to connect to the VPN on Chrome. Not the worst, but PIA’s browser add-ons definitely feel quicker.

Speed and performance score: 9/10

Unblocking

NordVPN excels at unblocking geo-restricted content. It’s one of the best choices if you’re regularly streaming but we do some due diligence to ensure it stays that way.

To get an idea of what’s available, we test a range of Netflix locations (The US, Japan, UK, Canada, and Australia) to see how the VPN deals with it. NordVPN gave us access every single time, on the first try. Alongside the Netflix stress test, we also try to access Amazon Prime and Disney+. Full marks here, too.

Then, there are a bunch of smaller regional sites we try, such as BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, ITV, 9Now, and 10 Play. Yet again, NordVPN performed flawlessly. NordVPN really is a service that just works when it comes to unblocking streams. Just choose the location you need and that’s it.

Torrenting is a slightly different matter. While all servers are optimized for streaming, only certain locations are P2P-friendly servers. Speeds are decent enough, but with a lack of port forwarding, there’s no way to get the most out of your torrents without choosing a different provider like Proton VPN.

Unblocking score: 10/10

Privacy and Security

NordVPN does a lot of things well. When it comes to security? NordVPN is excellent. Why? Well, let’s start with the basics. NordVPN supports two VPN protocols: OpenVPN, which is considered the industry standard for high-security VPN connections, and its proprietary NordLynx, which uses WireGuard as a base for the lightning-quick VPN protocol that’s designed to work well with phones and mobile devices.

As far as encryption goes, Nord uses AES-256 on OpenVPN and ChaCha20 on NordLynx to secure your data. This means even if someone captures your encrypted data, it would take them millions of years to crack it. It’s about as secure as can be against current technology. NordVPN is also keenly aware of the threat that quantum computing poses against current encryption standards, and, while it hasn’t yet implemented quantum-resistant algorithms into the VPN, this is something in its pipeline.

Okay, so your data is virtually impenetrable to hackers on the outside. What about insider threats? NordVPN has you covered there too. It has a strict no-logs policy, meaning none of your browsing data is logged by its servers. NordVPN has undergone multiple independent audits to verify that it does not store any user activity logs, most recently by Deloitte in January 2024. This is in addition to software audits on NordVPN’s apps and audits on its overall server architecture.

Furthermore, NordVPN is headquartered in Panama, a country with no mandatory data retention laws. Even if NordVPN was served an unavoidable warrant, it’d have no data to hand over anyway.

NordVPN also includes several additional security features, such as a kill switch that ensures your online activities remain private even in the event of a VPN connection drop, DNS leak protection to stop your ISP from spying on you, and Double VPN, which routes your traffic through two servers for an added layer of encryption.

Finally, there’s the Threat Protection Pro feature. Going one step beyond NordVPN’s DNS-based block list, this tool offers advanced web protection, blocking malicious websites, trackers, and intrusive ads even when the VPN is turned off. To see how Threat Protection Pro builds on the normal Threat Protection tool, we put both to the test with 100 newly malicious URLs provided by the experts at OpenPhish.

And, well, it’s clear Threat Protection Pro wins. Although the DNS-blocker worked well enough, with scores of 24% of malware links blocked and 34% of phishing links blocked (that’s better than any other provider on our top five VPN list, barring Surfshark), Threat Protection Pro worked significantly better with 79% of malware links blocked and 87% phishing links blocked. I should add that Threat Protection Pro is the only AV tool on our top five VPN list to receive a certification from AV-Comparatives, although it still lags slightly behind dedicated antivirus solutions like Bitdefender and Avast.

Privacy and security score: 10/10

Track record

NordVPN has a strong record when it comes to security, but it’s not without a few missteps. In 2018, it became apparent that one of its Finnish servers had been compromised through an undisclosed remote access management system. Although this was left by the data center providers, not NordVPN itself, it tarnished its reputation and prompted a complete overhaul of how NordVPN approaches security.

Since then, NordVPN has consistently invested in improving its service, with regular updates and enhancements to its apps, server network, and security features. With multiple audits in place demonstrating that NordVPN runs a reliable and trustworthy VPN service, it’s fair to say that this issue has been put to bed.

Track record score: 8/10

Customer support

NordVPN has a ton of resources to check out if you run into an issue while using the service. Your first port of call for customer support should be its live chat, which runs 24/7. It’s automatically staffed by an AI chatbot, who will direct you to the relevant articles on the site or escalate your issue to a live support agent.

In the rare case that it can’t solve your problem while chatting with a support agent, there’s also an email-base d ticket support system for the bigger issues.

Of course, this is all in addition to a fairly comprehensive FAQ section that covers install and usage guides for all of their platforms, alongside video walkthroughs. It's pretty useful for following along, although one or two of their videos are outdated.

Customer support score: 9/10

Pricing and plans

NordVPN’s pricing is slightly higher than some of its competitors, but you’re getting a lot of value for money. The Basic plan starts at $12.99 per month, but there’s also an annual plan that brings the price down to $4.99 per month for the first year. The real savings are in the two-year plan, which cut the price again to $3.09 a month with three extra months gratis. However, you should note that the yearly prices are an introductory offer and will increase upon renewal.

While NordVPN used to offer its Threat Protection Pro antivirus in the Basic plan, this is now locked into the Plus or Ultimate plan. You’ll still get the basic Threat Protection DNS blocklist in Basic, but it is disappointing to have most of the useful anti-malware features locked behind a pricier subscription fee.

Pricing and plans score: 8/10

Should you use NordVPN?

NordVPN remains one of the best generalist VPN services available, making it an easy recommendation. Offering strong security, fast speeds, and reliable unblocking capabilities, it's not only a strong option already, but it's also constantly improving too. Improvements such as revamped browser add-ons, server upgrades to Meshnet for better file sharing, and apps that better recognize server disconnections, all serve to create a wholly improved and capable VPN service.

It’s not perfect in every regard, though. If you need obscure VPN locations, you might need to check out ProtonVPN instead, and Surfshark’s a little more consistent with high speeds and connection quality. What you get when you buy NordVPN is the perfect all-rounder VPN that doesn’t do anything poorly. With a 30-day money-back guarantee, it’s worth a try before you go anywhere else.

Overall score 89/100

1. NordVPN – from $3.09 per month
The best VPN overall
Our latest testing proves that NordVPN continues to lead the pack in terms of providing the best VPN experience possible. Offering a superbly quick and secure VPN, alongside security tools to improve your overall online and on-computer security, NordVPN offers an impressive security package for a surprisingly low cost.

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NordVPN alternatives

1. Surfshark – from $2.19 per month
The best cheap VPN (and also the fastest)
Surfshark is a more budget-friendly option, offering unlimited simultaneous connections on a single connection with similar speeds to NordVPN. There’s also a security suite called Surfshark One which offers features you won’t get anywhere else, such as an identity generator and Surfshark’s own private search engine. and strong security features. It’s risk-free to try with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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2. ExpressVPN – from $6.67 per month
The best VPN for beginners and the most secure
ExpressVPN offers comparable speeds and security features to NordVPN, with a slightly higher price tag. In return, you get access to worldwide VPN servers powered by an in-house VPN protocol designed to obfuscate your VPN connection so ISPs can’t disconnect you from the internet. ExpressVPN’s unblocking capabilities are practically unparalleled, plus they have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

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3. Proton VPN – from $3.99 per month
A superb all-round VPN and online security alternative
Proton continues to provide one of the most widely-known security suites available. Offering features such as secure emailing, a password manager, and, of course, a VPN, Proton is able to offer a solution for almost any online security dilemma you may have.

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