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NordVPN Review

NordVPN is an excellent choice for many reasons. It’s blazing fast, trusted, and keeps up with the latest cybersecurity technologies. All of this is packaged into a highly affordable price in their 2-year subscription plan. Read our first-hand experience with NordVPN; or click here to visit them online.

About NordVPN

NordVPN has long been a personal favorite Virtual Private Network (VPN) service for several key reasons. I love the quality of service and find that it matches well with a highly competitive price. It isn’t the cheapest but has a depth of quality you won’t find in many others.

The company has grown like a weed and is looking towards cybersecurity as a whole. That ability to look past just being a VPN is impressive. It gives me great confidence in both their future and their concept of online privacy and security.

NordLynx, their adaptation of WireGuard, came out early and has been a winner for me ever since. Speeds are fantastic and rarely interrupted, offering a superior usage experience I can only otherwise attribute to a handful of VPN brands. 

NordVPN Features & Highlights

FeaturesDetails
HeadquarterPanama
Number of Servers5,200+
Servers in Countries59
Protocol SupportPPTP, L2TP, IKEv2, OpenVPN, NordLynx
LoggingNo
Kill SwitchYes
Muti-server hoppingYes
P2P / Torrenting Yes, specific servers only
Websitehttps://nordvpn.com/

There is a lot to love at NordVPN, and if I had to narrow it down, I’d say it falls to a few vital areas. NordLynx tops the list for sure, and I have to be impressed by their massive server network and hassle-free access to essential Netflix regions.

Great Network of Servers

NordVPN Has a Great Network of Servers
With a spread of over 5,200 servers, NordVPN is enormous but isn’t the most extensive network around. What impresses me is that they’ve managed to retain good overall quality instead of choosing to bolster up server count as a marketing tactic.

Access to Netflix US Content

Get Access to Netflix US Content with NordVPN
I love Netflix but hate the content blocking it implements based on region (or country). Netflix US has thousands of titles compared to its other locations, and NordVPN gives me access to all of them. After all, I pay the same Netflix fees.

NordLynx is Crazy Fast

NordLynx is Crazy Fast
NordLynx is a slight modification of WireGuard, supposedly the next generation of VPN protocol. I’ve tried both, and I have to say NordLynx seems to perform a lot better. The speeds obtained using NordLynx are ridiculously fast, even by my demanding standards.

NordVPN Pros & Cons

NordVPN Pros

  • Good protocol availability
  • NordLynx offers fantastic speeds hard to find elsewhere
  • RAM-only servers for greater privacy assurance
  • Reasonable prices for the quality of service offered
  • Server obfuscation helps mitigate websites blocking VPN access

NordVPN Cons

  • Prices have been increasing
  • Only a limited number of servers support P2P / Torrenting

Our Take on NordVPN Service

NordVPN is one of the rare cases that I recommend for almost everyone. Its far-ranging scope of capabilities makes it ideal for use virtually anywhere and anytime. The best part is that it comes paired with a price that remains quite reasonable.

The one downside I can see is that it may not be the best choice for fans of P2P. A limited number of servers to torrent from and lackluster torrent speeds are the cause of this. I don’t use NordVPN for torrents and rely on alternative services.

Is NordVPN Worth the Price?

NordVPN pricing
NordVPN Standard plan starts from as low as $3.69/mo with 2 years of subscriptions.

Unless you’re a torrent freak, then yes, NordVPN is worth every penny. They’ve balanced availability, performance, and price to the optimum, and unless you don’t want to pay what they’re asking for, then it should be your top choice.

NordVPN Speed Tests

I test NordVPN speeds fifteen times each month from three server locations. Each test links to the fastest server recommended by NordVPN (for that connection), allowing it to let me know what works best at the time.

This system works out the best to showcase the capabilities of their intelligent algorithm and actual usage speeds. Performance gets recorded for all tests on both upload and download speeds.

NordVPN Speed Test Summary

  • Singapore : Average Upload: 1.10 Gbps / Average Download: 1.33 Gbps
  • United States : Average Upload: 1.01 Gbps / Average Download: 1.04 Gbps
  • United Kingdom : Average Upload: 1.10 Gbps / Average Download: 1.33 Gbps

Daily Test Results

Test Singapore United States United Kingdom
1 Download: 1.29 Gbps
Upload: 1.07 Gbps
Download: 619.39 Mbps
Upload: 852.36 Mbps
Download: 1.45 Gbps
Upload: 1.12 Gbps
2 Download: 1.38 Gbps
Upload: 1.15 Gbps
Download: 741.83 Mbps
Upload: 858.98 Mbps
Download: 1.40 Gbps
Upload: 1.05 Gbps
3 Download: 1.28 Gbps
Upload: 1.19 Gbps
Download: 902.09 Mbps
Upload: 906.52 Mbps
Download: 1.26 Gbps
Upload: 1.12 Gbps
4 Download: 1.47 Gbps
Upload: 1.05 Gbps
Download: 793.79 Mbps
Upload: 880.77 Mbps
Download: 1.33 Gbps
Upload: 1.02 Gbps
5 Download: 1.32 Gbps
Upload: 1.07 Gbps
Download: 1.26 Gbps
Upload: 1.16 Gbps
Download: 1.32 Gbps
Upload: 1.17 Gbps
6 Download: 1.29 Gbps
Upload: 1.16 Gbps
Download: 1.13 Gbps
Upload: 1.13 Gbps
Download: 1.31 Gbps
Upload: 1.09 Gbps
7 Download: 1.41 Gbps
Upload: 1.09 Gbps
Download: 1.16 Gbps
Upload: 1.26 Gbps
Download: 1.27 Gbps
Upload: 1.12 Gbps
8 Download: 1.27 Gbps
Upload: 1.19 Gbps
Download: 1.13 Gbps
Upload: 1.25 Gbps
Download: 1.27 Gbps
Upload: 1.03 Gbps
9 Download: 1.38 Gbps
Upload: 1.06 Gbps
Download: 853.78 Mbps
Upload: 748.26 Mbps
Download: 1.46 Gbps
Upload: 1.13 Gbps
10 Download: 1.26 Gbps
Upload: 1.07 Gbps
Download: 846.41 Mbps
Upload: 956.96 Mbps
Download: 1.29 Gbps
Upload: 1.07 Gbps
11 Download: 1.39 Gbps
Upload: 1.07 Gbps
Download: 1.33 Gbps
Upload: 1.06 Gbps
Download: 1.30 Gbps
Upload: 1.07 Gbps
12 Download: 1.25 Gbps
Upload: 1.07 Gbps
Download: 1.41 Gbps
Upload: 1.17 Gbps
Download: 1.29 Gbps
Upload: 1.15 Gbps
13 Download: 1.29 Gbps
Upload: 1.04 Gbps
Download: 1.42 Gbps
Upload: 1.04 Gbps
Download: 1.36 Gbps
Upload: 1.19 Gbps
Test Singapore United States United Kingdom

Click here to visit NordVPN online

How To Setup NordVPN

Download NordVPN app for Windows
Click the right platform for your device on the downloads page of the NordVPN website to get to the right app.

NordVPN installation is slightly different depending on your platform. However, the overall concept is similar; get, install, then sign in. The walkthrough for the setup process reflects this but is geared towards Windows users, so you may find it works slightly differently depending on your device of choice.

Overall Setup Process

  1. Visit the NordVPN website’s download page
  2. Select the platform on which you want to install NordVPN 
  3. Download the file, then launch it and follow installation instructions
  4. Launch the NordVPN app and sign in with your credentials

Once you launch the NordVPN app, you need to do little except select the server to which you want to connect. It will work fine with default settings, so it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie unless you know what you’re doing.

For more advanced users, you can click on the gears icon to get to the settings page. Here you can access the fine details, including protocol selection, startup settings, and more. If things go south, it isn’t the end of the world; just reach out to their customer support for assistance via the website.

NordVPN Windows Application

NordVPN Windows Application

NordVPN’s Windows app is a little special. It makes use of a map you can click and drag to navigate. On that map, you can select the server to which you want to connect and just click on that country. Alternatively, use the list on the left navigation bar.

NordVPN macOS Application

NordVPN macOS Application

The macOS app for NordVPN is similar to that for Windows, but there are some extra options. Notably among them is the “Presets” option available in settings. It lets you empower NordVPN to make settings changes based on specific use cases such as faster browsing or downloads. It’s a neat addition.

Click here to visit NordVPN online

NordVPN User Reviews

In Summary

Quality service, competitive pricing, consistent speed and performance – NordVPN has long been the favorite VPN provider for many.

It isn’t the cheapest but has a depth of quality you won’t find in many others.

Click here to order NordVPN online

Good product, no complaint

Rated 5 out of 5
August 23, 2021

I like the security that NordVPN offers me and thanks to it I don’t need to hire an additional insurance, because NordVPN allows me to encrypt my IP and all the main data of my connection are totally protected. The service offered by NordVPN is safe and reliable.

Also, I love that I can use NordVPN both from my cell phone and from my PC and it always runs smoothly, it really keeps the browser fluid.

NordVPN is without a doubt the best platform on the market, and its cost compared to the quality is very low. It offers a varied list of many IP addresses from anywhere in the world.

The platform itself is very friendly and easy to understand and provides you with a variety of tools to make your experience the best.

Alex M

NordVPN is one of our favorite VPNs!

Rated 5 out of 5
July 14, 2021

One of the better-known VPNs, NordVPN’s Panama headquarters makes it a top choice for the privacy-concerned, as Panama isn’t a member of any international surveillance alliances. We had fun watching other countries’ Netflix from a server in the United States with impressive speeds.

Aliza Vigderman – Security.org

Helen Chan

Helen Chan is a writer and mother of one. Despite her background in business, her love for tech has resulted in extensive experience in web connectivity and security.
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