NordVPN Review
Welcome to my NordVPN review, where I will go through all the benefits and features that this service offers. I am an avid VPN user and have tested nearly every single option that there is on the market. Hopefully, my experience can help you to make the right decision when choosing your VPN provider.
So what will I cover in this NordVPN review?
First, we will look at the main features such as how to set the VPN up, the pricing options, how reliable the service is and is NordVPN safe?
Then I will go into my full review and discuss the best features and what I like most about the product. We will also look at apps available on both desktop and mobile devices and look into NordVPN torrent options.
Here we go!
Ease of Use
Being one of the main providers of VPN services available today, Nord needs to be beginner friendly for those who have no experience with VPN’s in the past. Fortunately, this is the case and the setup and installation is a breeze.
There is a great user-friendly website that ensures you can easily follow the process of choosing a plan, paying for it and then start using the service. If need be, there are user guides that you can follow to ensure you are set up within moments.
What I like most:
- Very simple to download and install
- Automatic configuration for ease of use
- Easy to choose a range of servers in different countries
- Default recommendations for servers depending on your needs
- NordVPN torrent downloading does not compromise speeds
What I dislike:
- Certain protocols need to be set up manually which might be a bit tricky for beginners
- Cannot identify the exact city of the country VPN you are using
It wouldn’t be a proper NordVPN review is I didn’t list both pros and cons. Whilst I have listed a couple of negatives above, these do not detract from the quality VPN that it is. Setting protocols up manually will usually only be something that an expert does. Beginners can use the standard features of the VPN with no issues whatsoever. Also, most people will not need to know where the exact city of the server is, but you can still find this out by doing a check on the IP address with an external IP finder tool.
Payments and Pricing
There are a few plan options that you are able to choose from with this VPN. Monthly, yearly or 3 yearly. The prices change depending on the length of the plan you choose. Choosing the longest term plan will result in the cheapest option.
NordVPN is not the cheapest option on the market, but it is certainly one of the best options.
Currently, a monthly plan is priced at $11.95. A one year plan works out at $5.75 per month. The 3-year plan works out at $2.75 per month.
There is a great 30-day money-back guarantee to give you peace of mind. Simple try the service for 30 days and if you are not happy you can get a refund in full.
Please note: Subscriptions are automatically renewed each time. If you do not cancel then you will be charged again once your subscription has expired.
NordVPN usually offers great deals so remember to check on their website first to see what they currently offer.
Support
This is one of the main areas where NordVPN shines above the rest. They have a fantastic support team who are ready to help you out whatever the issue is. Chances are that you will not need to contact their support team, but if you do there are a number of ways to get in contact. As recommended, it is always best to check the guides and FAQ’s on the website to see if your query can be answered there. If not then you can contact the support team by either support ticket, email or LiveChat on the website. They do also have forums where you can post questions, however, your queries will be mostly answered by other users and therefore may not always be correct.
Whichever way you do choose to contact them you can be assured that you will receive a prompt reply.
Is NordVPN safe?
When a person is considering signing up with a VPN client, one of the first things they want is to get confirmation that it is safe to use.
Some VPN’s collect data and this is a concern for users, especially if they are using the service for downloading torrents illegally.
You will be pleased to know that Nord does not keep any data at all on your web browsing activities so you can be safe in the knowledge that everything you do online is safe and protected and no logs will be kept.
My Expert Detailed NordVPN Review
Out of all the VPN providers on the market, this is certainly in the top 3 of most popular VPN clients. But is it the best? From what I experienced there is not one “killer feature” that sets it apart from the competition, rather there is a combination of features along with fantastic speeds, careful attention to privacy and an awesome support team.
Before writing this NordVPN review I tried to investigate more thoroughly and pick out some negatives that I could write about. I have been using this client for so long and am yet to notice any negatives myself, so I wanted to see if other users had had any issues. Sure, there were a few negative comments as you can expect, but I would not find anything serious that was worth writing about. I think that there could be some improvements to the user interface of the desktop and mobile apps, but this doesn’t take away from the reliability of the product.
Security
When it comes to security, NordVPN is the winner! Its double VPN, very strict no-logs policy, and onion-over-VPN options are features that you won’t find with most other providers. Onion websites are sites you can visit with Tor.
Of course, there are the standard security features that you can expect to find with most good providers. These include 2048-bit encryption, security protocols (PPTP, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, SSTP, and P2P) and a kill-switch. Please note that the L2TP/IPSec protocols have to be installed manually.
The company is operated from Panama to “keep you safe from prying eyes” they say. I do not honestly believe they are physically located there though. There are many VPN providers who claim to be located on some small island somewhere. This is common for VPN providers to do as most providers want to keep themselves outside of the “14 eyes countries” when registering their business. Their physical headquarters are usually based somewhere else though.
So why do they do this? The main reason is that they are not required to provide user logs to governments. If they were registered in one of the 14 eyes countries, they may be legally required to keep user logs of their client’s online activity.
Security Features
I have tested NordVPN extensively for security flaws but could not find any. There were no DNS leaks, even when I tried to crash the app purposely to expose some holes.
There is also a free VPN Chrome extension available, but it is important to know that this is not a standalone VPN and is, in fact, a proxy that allows you to change your IP address on the click of a button. This is not a security issue, however, it would be better if they connected the chrome app to the full VPN.
In addition, there is a new security feature that doubles up as a malware detector and an ad-blocker. This is known as the CyberSec feature and comes in very handy when browsing the web. I do not use it all the time, but when I access online wallets for my cryptocurrency portfolio, I will use it to ensure that I am not getting phished.
There is a “double” VPN feature which encrypts your data twice. This feature is something that the provider is proud of and what separates them from the rest. The thought behind this is that if ever one of their servers is attacked, you will have another layer of protection (think of a safe inside another safe)
Is NordVPN safe with these features? Absolutely
NordVPN Speeds need Mentioning
You may think that you can just run a normal speed test while connected to your VPN to see the correct speeds, however, this speed test is quite misleading.
There are a number of things your internet connection speed is determined by and these are as follows:
- The location of the server – If you connect to a server that is far away from your location it will be slower than connecting to one nearer to you. So if I just want to hide my IP address, I choose a server in your own country.
- What time you connect – Let’s say that you connect to a server in the UK and are based in the US. You may discover that the speeds you get are much faster in the evenings than they are in the mornings. Why is this? It is because it is peak time in the UK and the server speeds will fluctuate throughout the day depending on what time it is and how many users are logged in at certain times.
- The server you connect to – If you want to stream from a Dutch TV site, you really want to be connecting to a Dutch server or multiple Dutch servers if you can. A server in Germany cannot show you how fast your speeds will be in the Netherlands. Similarly, if you want to watch the UK version of Netflix, you want to be connecting to a UK server.
- How many users are logged onto the same server – Say you connect to a server in New York and only a few other people are connected to that same server, the speeds are going to be fast compared to if you connected to a server in LA that had double the amount of users. The number of users using a server at any one time will play a big part in what speeds that the server can provide.
There is no need to screenshot you guys my internet speeds as it will not provide any value to you. What I should tell you though is that I use a lot of different VPN’s on a regular basis. Each VPN provider that I use has their own perks, but I do find that some of them will buffer when streaming movies for instance. With NordVPN, this has never been an issue.
The reason there is no speed issues or buffering with NordVPN is due to the fact that they are constantly adding new servers in new locations. In fact, only last year there was an availability of 1000 servers and as of today, there are now a total of 4,000 available. That is a huge jump in just a year!
This is a strong indication that they are vying to become the number one provider on the market, and I think they will achieve this, probably within the next 12 months.
NordVPN Torrent and P2P
I won’t go into too much detail regarding torrenting, but I just wanted you, readers, to know that I had no issues at all when downloading my favorite movies and music. Some VPN providers do not actually allow torrenting or P2P, but thankfully Nord not only supports it but also offers military-grade encryption too.
Because there are no bandwidth limits the speeds remain very fast. As always, ensure that you connect to a server nearest to you to get the maximum download speeds.
You may not be aware but when people download content from you via torrents or P2P, they can actually see your IP address. In fact, the IP address of anyone participating in the same P2P network is available to see. This, of course, could pose a security threat and open the door to hacking of some sorts. Therefore, it is always best to connect to a VPN and Nord is certainly one of the best for speed and security.
Available for All Devices
As with many other VPN’s, there is a range of apps that can be downloaded to your devices to ensure that you can connect to your Nord VPN. Currently, the client is available on the following: VPN for Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, Android TV, Chrome, Firefox.
NordVPN for Mac
NordVPN for Android
NordVPN for IOS
Each can be downloaded and installed from their respective stores.
Each app is very simple to install and there are user guides and manuals available for each platform if you need some help with the setup.
Inside the apps, there are standard profiles that you can choose from to ensure that you are connected to the best server for your needs. If you have the experience then you can also customize your server manually.
With this VPN you can connect to multiple devices at the simultaneously, ensuring that you are protected if you are using your desktop computer and phone/tablet at the same time etc.
Please note that there are fewer servers available on the apps than there are on the desktop version.
Unblock Netflix
Netflix is common in many households these days and is available on smart TV’s, Android, iOS or can be watched simply via the website.
If you are familiar with Netflix you will know that without a Netflix VPN you can only access content that is available within your country. Using a VPN takes away this block, allowing you to connect to any country server to see the content that Netflix offers there. Please note though that some VPN providers do not get around this block, however, NordVPN does bypass this block!
When testing I had no issues connecting to the US and viewing US content on Netflix. I also successfully connected to the BBC iPlayer in the UK and accessed sling TV from my computer with no problems.
So There you Have it
This is the end of my NordVPN review. Hopefully, you can take something away from it to make an informed decision whether this is the right VPN provider for you.
Just remember…Nord has everything to offer and is great for both beginners and the more advanced. A big bonus is that it is very affordable too.
So, if you want a high-quality VPN client that is trustworthy and secure, NordVPN should be your first choice
NordVPN has been on the market only a few years. But it's growing fast lately. The VPN is provided by a company in Panama, where there are no data retention laws. They promote an Internet without censorship or surveillance. So with them it's all about privacy. But they know what we want too: A high speed and a strict no log policy.
