Registered in Panama, NordVPN is considered as one of the best VPN providers, offering plenty for a reasonable price. It has one of the largest server counts on the market - 5,100+ in around 60 countries (these numbers tend to change quickly in this business).
NordVPN: Plans and pricing
NordVPN offers multiple pricing options. The least cost-effective one is the one-month plan that costs $11.95, followed by the 1-year plan with the price of $6.99 billed monthly. The 2-year subscription is quite cheaper, only $3.99 per month, while the 3-year option will give you the most for your money, with the price tag of only $2.99 per month.
If you’re still not convinced, you can sign up for a seven-day free trial, which is in fact a monthly subscription but it’s billed only if you don’t cancel the free trial before the seven-day period expires.
Paying for the service is possible via major credit cards and cryptocurrency. There is also a 30-day money-back guarantee if NordVPN does not deliver on its promises.
NordVPN also offers some price deductions for students and certain non-profits, besides providing free emergency VPN in cases of extreme privacy violations.
NordVPN: Features
NordVPN has features that would satisfy most VPN enthusiasts. First of all, it has a kill switch, whose purpose is to protect your sensitive data from leaking into the outside world in case your VPN connection is terminated. Kill switch immediately terminates all internet traffic.
All streaming fans will love its Smart Play which is an encrypted smart DNS used by NordVPN to bypass geographical restrictions of various media streaming websites by automatically rerouting users’ requests through a remote server based in a location where access to those services is allowed.
Another feature worthy of mentioning is the automatic connection option, or Quick Connect, as NordVPN calls it, which allows the app to choose the best server for your network at any given moment.
One of the features that separates NordVPN from its competitors is the CyberSec technology, which is basically an ad blocker in addition to preventing malicious sites from infecting your device.
NordVPN can be simultaneously activated on up to 6 devices, whereas installing it on a router removes this limitation, allowing you to connect as many devices you want. However, keep in mind that not all routers support NordVPN or VPN in general, so make sure you check that out before purchasing the service.
NordVPN: Privacy and logging
NordVPN offers strong privacy protection with the implementation of the AES-256-GCM encryption and IKEv2/IPSec and OpenVPN connection protocols.
Additionally, it provides a double VPN protection by directing your traffic through two VPN servers, along with offering its Onion Over VPN feature, which adds the regular VPN to The Onion Router (Tor) for even stronger security.
NordVPN maintains a strict no-logging policy, promising not to monitor, record, log, store or pass information about your activities to third parties. It also promises not to store connection times, session information, bandwidth use, traffic logs, IP addresses, or other data. This policy, along with other claims by NordVPN, was confirmed in a public audit by Price Waterhouse Cooper.
And if that does not give you peace of mind, NordVPN is registered in the Republic of Panama, a country that has no laws requiring data storage.
NordVPN: Performance
NordVPN has excellent performance considering the prices. Upon testing, there were some connection issues at the very beginning, only to become more reliable later. Connection times and download speeds proved superb, with expected poorer performance for servers far away and/or with less adequate infrastructure.
NordVPN: Netflix
NordVPN unblocks Netflix. In fact, it is considered one of the best choices for attempting to access this geo-blocked service that is always on a mission to block certain VPN addresses. NordVPN is still fighting off this practice rather successfully. Not only that, but this VPN provider also allows easy access to other geo-restricted content, such as BBC, Amazon Prime, Pandora, Showtime, Hulu, Kodi, certain Youtube channels, and more.
NordVPN: Torrents
Although torrenting is not supported on all servers, NordVPN is considered as one of the best choices for exchanging large files via torrenting apps. The website has plenty of tutorials on selecting the best server for such purposes, and when in doubt, just contact the NordVPN customer service that will be happy to help you.
NordVPN: Client setup
NordVPN supports all major platforms and some that are not so major. For example, you can set up the clients manually on routers, Chrome, OS, Raspberry Pi, Windows Phone, Sabia, and many many more.
The extensions for Chrome and Firefox will keep your browsing data safe from deciphering, even if the websites visited are not protected by HTTPS. The extensions also allow disabling the WebRTC protocol automatically used by these browsers. Namely, the WebRTC protocol may reveal your IP address to third parties, so NordVPN’s browser protection prevents this.
Installation of the apps on all the major platforms is rather easy and intuitive, as is their use. If you need to install the client on less popular platforms, there are plenty of user manuals accessible on NordVPN’s website, including customer support agents available 24/7.
NordVPN: Support
As already mentioned, NordVPN has friendly customer support ready to answer all your questions and address all your issues. Regardless of your timezone, you can contact them any time and receive a prompt response, either via live chat on the website or email message. The website also has a large help section if your inquiry is among the frequently asked questions.
NordVPN: Conclusion
NordVPN is a good value VPN provider that will not drain your budget yet will provide all the VPN necessities you need. With strong encryption and verified privacy policy, your data will be safe while you access geo-restricted content or share large files via P2P. The apps are very user-friendly and if you get stuck anywhere, NordVPN’s professional customer support is there to help you out at any time of day or night.
