NordVPN Review

NordVPN is a reputable VPN service offering fast, stable, and encrypted connections. NordVPN offers multi-device security for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. Extra features include proxy extensions for web browsers Chrome and Firefox, supporting up to 6 simultaneously connected devices. NordVPN is the official cyber security partner of Liverpool FC.

Is My Privacy Protected with NordVPN?

NordVPN collects limited information from registered clients. This is clearly laid out in the Privacy Policy which details what type of information is collected, how it is stored, and how it is shared. NordVPN limits its collection of data to what is absolutely necessary for clients to use its services and support.

This VPN provider has a strict ‘No-Logs’ policy in place. No user activity is stored, recorded, logged, monitored, or shared with third parties. NordVPN does not record timestamps, bandwidth usage, IP addresses, traffic logs, or any session information of its users. Full anonymity is ensured online whenever you connect to one of the thousands of NordVPN servers in dozens of countries around the world.

The moment you connect your IP address with a NordVPN server address, all online communications are encrypted. Your ISP provider will not be able to see the sites you are connecting to once you are hooked up to a NordVPN server. This also prevents other third parties such as government agencies and hackers from intercepting your data. NordVPN is based in Panama, a country which does not enforce data storage and sharing with government authorities.

In order to derive maximum benefit from NordVPN, it is necessary to register an account and pay for premium services. Once you register, you have added peace of mind with an automatic kill switch in the event of a disconnect from NordVPN. This instantly severs your online connection to the net and protects your IP address from being exposed.

Basic information is collected such as your payment details and your email address. Clients must have access to a legitimate email address to retrieve password information and for verification purposes. NordVPN processes what it deems ‘limited technical information’ to better provide VPN services to its clients. This includes cookies, server load information, and customer service data. NordVPN requires anyone under the age of 18 to have adult consent to use its VPN services. With regards to storage of personal data, NordVPN maintains that personal data will be stored for a maximum period of 2 years after the services or the app was last used.

With respect to government subpoenas, national security letters, or secret warrants, NordVPN maintains what is known as a Warrant Canary. Due to the sensitive nature of government warrants, gag orders are often imposed on VPN providers preventing them from publishing information that they have been subpoenaed to turn over records.

To avoid alarming clients, NordVPN maintains a daily canary update which indicates that they have not received any national security letters, they have not received any gag orders, and they have not received any warrants from any government organisation. The latest warrant canary is published on the ‘About Us’ page of NordVPN.

How Much Is NordVPN? Is There a Free Trial?

Source: NordVPN Pricing

NordVPN offers a range of plans for registered clients. The most popular option is the long-term plan, otherwise known as the 1-year plan at $4.92 per month. This is available to clients at a price of $59.04 billed every 1 year. Other plan options include the limited 1-month plan at $11.95 per month, the 2-year plan at $3.71 per month ($89.04 billed every 2 years), and the 1-month plan at $11.95 per month ($143.04 billed every year).

With some 5159+ servers globally and up to 6 devices connected simultaneously, NordVPN offers a cost-effective solution for long-term clients. All the NordVPN plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Source: NordVPN Student Discount

Student discounts are available with an additional 15% off the price of the service by simply entering the discount code at checkout.  The 30-day money-backed guarantee is an assurance that you will receive your full payment if you are unsatisfied with the services provided by NordVPN. The short-term plans are a little more costly than other VPN options like Ivacy VPN with a 1-month price of $9.95 per month, a 2-year price of $2.25 per month, and a 1-year price of $3.33 per month.

VyperVPN offers personal and business services with the VyperVPN standard plan at a rate of $9.95 per month, and the premium plan at a rate of $12.95 per month. PureVPN is another top-tier VPN provider with a 1-month plan at a price of $10.95 per month, a 1-year plan at $3.33 per month, and a 3-month plan at a rate of $8.00 per month.

Source: NordVPN Student Discount

NordVPN offers multiple payment options including: UnionPay, iDEAL, Sofort, GiroPay, Visa, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Amazon Pay, Alipay, theory, Bitcoin and Ripple.

NordVPN Speed Test

The first step when conducting a speed test is to evaluate the performance of your upload and download speeds without a VPN connection. After downloading NordVPN, the download and upload speeds as indicated by the speed test were consistent with claims that NordVPN offers superfast servers everywhere and lightning speed. The NordVPN speed test will vary between countries, with local servers typically offering faster speeds than remote servers which offer slower speeds.

As a rule, you can expect any VPN service to generally slow down your download and upload speeds and substantially increase the ping time. After careful evaluation of multiple speed tests, you can expect performance of approximately 1/5 (20%) + of your regular speed when you’re not using a NordVPN. For example, if you currently enjoy a download speed of 150 Mbps and an upload speed of 50 Mbps, NordVPN will slow that down to approximately 30 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload. These figures are simply approximations from our findings, but they will vary from one client to the next. NordVPN for Chrome is one of the fastest around

Overall, NordVPN ranks alongside other top VPN services in terms of download and upload speeds.

How is Customer Service at NordVPN?

Customer service at NordVPN is available in English. You can search the database of FAQs for questions and answers, with information provided on setup and installation, billing and accounts, VPN connections, and general information. NordVPN support is powered by Nanorep technology which is a self-populating, artificial intelligence system which learns from customer questions. Nanorep technology reduces the burden on live agents and makes it easy for clients to find what they’re looking for on their own, with self-service.

NordVPN features dedicated social media pages for YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. This VPN service also hosts an active blog with interesting articles related to privacy, safety, and security. The blog posts are written by writers with technical knowledge, and NordVPN invites feedback from clients. Dedicated email addresses are available to clients for business development ([email protected]), VPN for business ([email protected]), affiliate partners (affiliated NordVPN media.com), and the press area ([email protected]).

Business clients and personal clients will enjoy the live chat functionality over email since it provides instant feedback with trained customer service representatives. For most queries, the regular email address will suffice: [email protected] Customer service representatives respond to questions, queries and comments as quickly as possible, typically within 48 hours. The about us section of NordVPN does not reveal too much information about the company and its founders. It is licensed in Panama, with scant details about company members, or other identifiable information.

Features of NordVPN

NordVPN is a feature-rich service providing military grade encryption, double VPN, and CyberSec. With NordVPN, clients are assured of many value-added services and benefits including Onion over VPN, DNS leak protection, a strict no logs policy, and an automatic kill switch. NordVPN supports P2P communications and is fully compatible with all browsers, smartphones, PCs, tablets, and Routers. Browser extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox, and Windows and the NordVPN android interface is especially effective.

NordVPN features 5156 servers across 60 countries. In Europe, there are 2373 servers, in Asia-Pacific there are 478 servers, in the Americas there are 2227 servers, and in Africa, the Middle East and India there are 68 servers. The number of servers ensures that clients never have to worry about congestion when specific servers are overused. This increases your upload and download speeds, and facilitates rapid internet access. The VPN apps provided by NordVPN include options for Android, Windows, Mac OS, iOS (iPad and iPhone) Android TV, Firefox, Chrome, and Linux.

Source: NordVPN App Store                                                                    Source: NordVPN Google Play Store

NordVPN also features tutorials for dozens of platforms including Synology, asustor, ASUS, Socks 5, DrayTek, DD-WRT, Tomato, OpenWrt, QNAP, Western Digital, Raspberry Pi and others. For most people, it’s simply a matter of downloading the NordVPN mobile apps from the Google Play Store and the App Store. With NordVPN, clients can easily unblock all geo-restricted content online. Even with strict government censorship, NordVPN can bypass restrictions and allow unhindered access to content. This is ideal for Netflix, Hulu, BBC iPlayer and other online content.

The CyberSec feature is particularly impressive in that it automatically blocks suspect websites and prevents malware, adware, Trojans, botnet control, and viruses. It also blocks annoying ads from displaying. The 3-step process to signing up with NordVPN requires you to simply choose your plan from the 4 available options, create an account by inputting your email address, and then choose your payment method. NordVPN is Norton Secured for added peace of mind.

How Safe is NordVPN?

Based on the extensive testing that was undertaken, NordVPN offers secure browsing and enhanced anonymity. Users are assured of maximum privacy, safety and security, thanks to the no-logs policy of this company. Additionally, NordVPN is based in Panama, not one of the 14-eyes surveillance countries. As such, the Panamanian government does not require this company to maintain logs of its users. The Privacy Policy clearly indicates that this company does not maintain any traffic logs, IP addresses, timestamps, session information, or used bandwidth data.

Rather than using your real email address and a credit card or e-wallet, you are better off simply using a burner email and cryptocurrency for your subscription. It’s worth emphasising that NordVPN provides military grade encryption, double VPN, and CyberSec. These add additional layers of security to your network connection, making it much more difficult for bad actors to intercept your traffic. NordVPN has not been associated with WebRTC leaks, and the company provides in-depth assistance on how to disable this on your browser.

At the time of writing, no known vulnerabilities on Mac operating systems, Windows, or Linux devices were reported with NordVPN.

Bottom Line

After thoroughly reviewing NordVPN, its features, privacy policy, plans, and customer support, we can attest to the high quality of this VPN service. Whether you are looking to use a VPN for personal or business purposes, NordVPN certainly exceeds expectations. It is best to opt for a long-term plan to get most of value for your money. The automatic kill switch, and CyberSec features are useful additions to this VPN service. NordVPN is very popular in Canada and in North America as a whole.

That you can connect up to 6 devices simultaneously is also enticing to users. NordVPN has a stellar reputation among customers, as evidenced by the overwhelmingly positive Google reviews, App Store reviews, and Play Store reviews. Another nifty feature provided by NordVPN is the Warrant Canary. This is updated daily and indicates if any government subpoenas or official requests for user information have been made.