VPN | NordVPN |
Based in | Panama |
Logs | No logs (audited) |
Price | $3.71/mo. |
Support | 24/7 Live chat |
Refund | 30 days |
Website | NordVPN.com |
Can one of the most popular VPNs on the market also provide premium speeds, fully-featured VPN apps, and strong security, despite the below-average price?
In this updated NordVPN review for 2021, I put the service through extensive testing to see how it compares to the competition. All test results are backed up with screenshots posted below in the review:
- Numerous speed tests conducted with NordVPN servers around the world
- Leak tests conducted on the desktop applications (checking for IPv4, IPv6, and DNS leaks)
- Testing the kill switch and all features
- Streaming compatibility checks with Netflix and other services
- Testing the specialty servers, including the Double-VPN and P2P servers
This NordVPN review is an in-depth summary of test results and research. Here is a brief overview of my findings:
Pros of NordVPN
- Strong privacy and security features
- Premium performance: fast speeds, great reliability, and instant connections
- Secure apps with no leaks
- Large and secure server network
- Great customer support
- Verified no logs VPN provider (audited)
- NordVPN based in Panama (good privacy jurisdiction)
- Extra security upgrades
- Full WireGuard support with NordLynx
- Works with Netflix and many other streaming services
- Fully-featured mobile clients
- Low prices and a good refund policy
Cons of NordVPN
- Big discounts only available for longer subscriptions
- No dedicated router app (but still works on routers)
Additional research findings
- Is NordVPN good for torrenting?
- Does NordVPN work in China?
- Can you get a Dedicated IP address with NordVPN?
So now let’s cut to the chase.
Pros of NordVPN
Here are the pros (advantages) of NordVPN.
1. Strong privacy and security features
NordVPN offers some solid features to enhance user privacy and security – above and beyond most other VPNs. Let’s take a look at NordVPN’s encryption and some of these enhanced features.
Strong encryption standards and VPN protocol selection
NordVPN’s OpenVPN clients use an AES-256-GCM cipher and HMAC SHA256 hash authentication. Additionally, NordVPN utilizes Perfect Forward Secrecy through a DHE-4096 key exchange. The AES-256-GCM cipher is also used to encrypt traffic with the IPSec/IKEv2 protocol.
In addition to OpenVPN and IPSec/IKEv2, NordVPN also supports the WireGuard VPN protocol directly in all VPN apps. NordVPN’s privacy-focused implementation of WireGuard is called NordLynx. You can easily switch between VPN protocols under Settings:

NordLynx (WireGuard protocol) offers serious performance and security advantages, which we will see further below.
NordVPN CyberSec to block ads, trackers, and more
NordVPN CyberSec is a security feature that blocks trackers, ads, and malware domains. I found it to work well in testing, effectively blocking all advertising/tracking domains on different sites I visited.
CyberSec is activated directly from within the NordVPN client, as you can see below.

There are three distinct benefits of CyberSec for NordVPN users:
- More privacy – In today’s world, ads are advanced tracking tools that record your online activities and match this up to your data profile. This is how ad networks come up with targeted advertising. Blocking ads via CyberSec is crucial for privacy reasons.
- More security – The CyberSec feature is also critical for security. Online ads are usually fed in through third-party domains, which can be malicious (see malvertising). These malicious domains will use ads as an attack vector to infect your device – even if you don’t click them. CyberSec protects you against this by blocking domains based on a real-time threat list.
- Faster page load speeds – Ads can eat up a lot of bandwidth and really slow down page load speeds, especially on mobile devices. Blocking ads can significantly improve performance, and help conserver your data plan.
NordVPN’s CyberSec feature is one of the best VPN ad blockers you will find.
Note: CyberSec uses real-time filter lists that are blocked via DNS requests. Therefore this feature is only active when connected to the VPN.
Double VPN (multi-hop)
NordVPN is one of a handful of VPN providers that offer multi-hop functionality – or in this case, double-VPN servers. With NordVPN’s double-VPN servers, your traffic is encrypted across two separate VPN servers before exiting onto the regular internet. This also offers some advantages.
- Double-VPN gives you an extra layer of encryption between your device and the regular internet.
- This could also protect you against a compromised data center. In a double-VPN setup, no single server can see both your IP address and sites you visit.
- Distributes trust across two different servers.

Using a multi-hop VPN is certainly not a bad idea. Surprisingly, performance with the double-VPN servers was excellent, with speeds ranging from 195 Mbps to 214 Mbps (screenshots posted below).
NordVPN currently offers 31 double-hop VPN configurations. These can easily be selected from within the NordVPN client. For those wanting a higher level of privacy and security, the double-VPN servers are a great option to consider.
Onion-over-VPN servers
If you are looking for additional encryption and anonymity beyond a single-hop VPN server, another option is to use an Onion-over-VPN server. NordVPN currently offers two locations for this: Netherlands and Switzerland.
The Onion-over-VPN servers encrypt traffic with the Tor Network, in addition to the regular VPN server. However, because the Tor network is very slow, your speeds will slow to a crawl. I’d recommend the Double-VPN servers instead, which offer extra encryption with great performance (around 200 Mbps).
2. Premium performance: fast speeds, great reliability, and instant connections
For this NordVPN I ran dozens of speed tests using different VPN protocols and also various servers around the world. My baseline speed for testing was about 480 Mbps on a wired ethernet connection (no WiFi). Overall, the NordVPN speed test results were phenomenal.
To get the best performance, I selected the NordLynx protocol in the Settings, and then tested different server locations.
First, I tested a nearby NordVPN server in Seattle, which gave me 445 Mbps.

This is the fastest VPN speed test result we’ve gotten on Restore Privacy. It is much faster than OpenVPN, and is not far from my baseline speed.
Next I tested a NordVPN server in Los Angeles, which give me about 304 Mbps:

At over 300 Mbps, it is clear that NordVPN is in the “fastest VPNs” category. It even came out on top in the NordVPN vs ExpressVPN comparison.
Then I tested a NordVPN server in New York, and it was again very fast at 280 Mbps.

Next, I tested a NordVPN server in the United Kingdom. Here was the NordVPN UK server with speeds around 295 Mbps:

I’ve been running NordVPN speed tests for the past five years and these are the best speed test results I’ve ever gotten with NordVPN. It is clear that the WireGuard VPN protocol and the server network upgrades are really improving performance. We also used NordVPN for our WireGuard vs OpenVPN comparison, where we found WireGuard to be about 58% faster than OpenVPN.
NordVPN Double-VPN speeds
Lastly, I also ran a few tests with NordVPN’s double-VPN servers to check for speeds.
To access the Double-VPN servers, you’ll need to switch to the OpenVPN protocol.
First, I tested the double-VPN server configuration for USA > Canada and was able to get about 214 Mbps.

For a double-VPN connection, these speeds are excellent. Not only is traffic getting encrypted and routed over two servers, but this is also with the OpenVPN protocol, which is slower than WireGuard.
Next, I tested the double-VPN servers for Switzerland > Sweden and again got great speeds: 195 Mbps.

NordVPN significantly outperforms other VPNs that offer double-VPN configurations. You can see this in the NordVPN vs ProtonVPN article.
Reliability and connections
On the topic of performance, it’s also important to discuss reliability and connections:
- Reliability – I found NordVPN to be very reliable. The servers were consistently fast and I did not experience any dropped connections.
- Connections – When using the WireGuard VPN protocol, I found that NordVPN was extremely fast at establishing a connection — nearly instantly. While OpenVPN can take a few seconds (or longer), WireGuard offers near-instant connections. This makes switching VPN servers all the more quick and easy.
Conclusion on performance – With the latest round of speed tests for this review, I can conclude that NordVPN offers fast, consistent, and reliable speeds. This is the fastest I’ve seen NordVPN in all my years of testing it. It also consistently comes out on top in comparison with other VPNs, such as in the NordVPN vs IPVanish comparison.
3. Secure apps with no leaks
NordVPN also offers a nice lineup of secure apps (clients) for all major operating systems and devices:
- Windows
- Mac OS
- Linux
- Android and iOS (mobile)
- Android TV
Here were my main takeaways from testing and reviewing the NordVPN clients on Windows and Mac OS:
- Fully-featured – The NordVPN apps are loaded with features, to include specialty servers, leak protection, and startup/connection settings.
- Easy to use – Whether you are new with VPNs or a seasoned pro, you should find the NordVPN clients user-friendly and intuitive. Adjusting settings and selecting features is simple.
- Secure – Aside from the strong encryption we discussed above, NordVPN also secures data with a kill switch. This blocks traffic (or closes applications) if the VPN connection drops for any reason. We’ll examine this more below.
NordVPN Windows client
The NordVPN Windows client utilizes the OpenVPN and WireGuard VPN protocols and offers all features.
To connect to a server in the NordVPN Windows client, you can use the list on the left or click a location on the map. In the screenshot below, I’ve selected the double-VPN servers from the list of “Specialty Servers”.

I found connection times to be very good, with NordVPN quickly connecting to servers (no long delays). If you use the NordLynx (WireGuard) protocol, you’ll enjoy near-instant connections. After lots of testing and comparison, we have rated NordVPN as one of the best VPNs for PC users.
NordVPN Mac OS client
For this NordVPN review, I also tested out the Mac OS client. The Mac OS client offers all of the same features and a built-in kill switch that automatically blocks traffic if the connection drops.
With the Mac OS client, you can select between the following VPN protocols: IKEv2, OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, and NordLynx (WireGuard).

You can also check out our top-rated VPNs for Mac for additional options.
NordVPN kill switch
NordVPN is one of the few VPNs that offers two different kinds of kill switches. A kill switch is important because it blocks traffic if the VPN connection drops, which protects you from de-anonymization and your regular traffic being exposed.
In the screenshot below you can see the two different kill switches on the NordVPN Windows client:
- Internet Kill Switch – This will block all traffic if the VPN connection drops via the firewall (recommended).
- App Kill Switch – This will close applications if the VPN connection drops, but will not block traffic.

If you are concerned about IP address leaks, it would be best to use the “Internet Kill Switch” as this will block non-VPN traffic via the firewall. And if you are using the Internet kill switch, then you probably don’t need to use the App kill switch.
NordVPN leak test results: no leaks found
I ran the NordVPN Windows and Mac OS clients through some basic VPN tests and checks to identify any leaks or problems. Additionally, I also tested out NordVPN’s kill switch to see if it was effectively working in both clients.
With the NordVPN Windows client, I did not find any IP address leaks or DNS leaks. In the screenshot below, you can see:
- the IPv4 address matches up with the VPN client (no IPv4 leaks)
- IPv6 is effectively being blocked (no IPv6 leaks)
- No WebRTC leaks (but this is blocked in your browser)
- DNS requests are being handled by NordVPN’s server (no DNS leaks)

I also found the Internet Kill Switch and App Kill Switch to work well – no issues or problems to report.
Mac OS leak tests – I ran the Mac OS clients through the same tests as above with the Windows client. The results were the same in that I did not find any leaks or problems. Additionally, the Mac OS kill switches worked correctly without any issues.
Android leak tests – Heinrich tested out the NordVPN Android client when working on the VPN for Android roundup. He found it to perform very well without any leaks or issues. Both Surfshark and ExpressVPN also offer good Android clients.
4. NordVPN’s large and secure server network
NordVPN boasts a huge server network, which currently includes over 5,400 servers in 59 countries. With a large server network, it is easy for NordVPN to unblock websites and other digital content. It also makes finding a fast and reliable server close to your location easy. This helps to minimize latency (ping), which is important if you need the best VPN for gaming.

NordVPN has announced significant network upgrades to further improve performance and also security. We’ll cover these more below in the security upgrades section, but first touch on one exciting area…
Colocated servers being deployed now
Most VPNs rent servers from third parties. While this is standard practice, NordVPN has decided to raise the bar by deploying their own hardware (colocated servers). The first location to receive NordVPN colocated severs was Finland. The rest of the network upgrades should be complete later in 2021.
High-speed colocated servers will set NordVPN apart from most other VPN providers.
NordVPN obfuscated servers
We have already covered the Double-VPN and Onion-over-VPN servers above. In addition to these specialty servers, NordVPN also offers Obfuscated servers.
The Obfuscated servers are available directly in the VPN client when you are using the OpenVPN protocol. These servers hide (obfuscate) VPN traffic to appear as regular HTTPS traffic and are useful in the following situations:
- When you need to get around VPN blocks at work, school, or restricted networks.
- To evade state censorship efforts and VPN blocks in certain countries, such as in China, UAE, and others.
The selection of obfuscated servers make NordVPN a great option if you need a VPN for the UAE, China, or any other restricted country. Note that some VPN providers utilize obfuscation through VPN protocol changes rather than specific servers, as we described in the Surfshark vs NordVPN comparison.
Does NordVPN use virtual server locations?
In the past, we have investigated the issue of virtual server locations. This is when a VPN claims to have a server in one country, but it’s actually in a different location. While there are justifiable reasons for doing this in some cases, transparency is also important.
In the case of NordVPN, we did not find any virtual server locations. Additionally, a NordVPN representative confirmed with me that no virtual locations are in use. In other words, NordVPN truly has servers in all of the advertised locations.
5. Great customer support
NordVPN offers 24/7 live chat support and the representatives are quite helpful.
Chat support is always available through the NordVPN website in the bottom-right corner. You don’t have to log in, simply click on the chat icon and you’ll be connected with a representative.
I tested out the NordVPN chat support a few different times for this review and it worked well without any issues.

In all my interactions with NordVPN support, it did not take long to connect with a representative (under a minute). The support staff was helpful in answering all my questions.
Support with some of the larger VPN providers can be hit or miss. This is especially the case because support is often outsourced to third parties. NordVPN handles all support in-house with trained technicians (no external third parties).
6. NordVPN no logs policy (audited twice)
Another important aspect in terms of privacy is NordVPN’s logging policy. NordVPN is one of the few VPN services that has had its no-logs claims audited and verified. First, in 2019, NordVPN underwent a full audit to examine all aspects of the service and verify the no-logs policy. The audit was performed by PricewaterhouseCoopers AG in Zurich, Switzerland.
To further verify privacy claims, NordVPN recently completed a second audit that was published in July 2020. For this second audit, NordVPN expanded the scope with full access to servers, employees, and VPN infrastructure. Here were the key findings:
- NordVPN was audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, a reputable auditing firm based in Zurich, Switzerland.
- The auditors had full access to examine all NordVPN servers, interview employees, observe operations, and inspect configurations, databases, and any other relevant areas deemed necessary.
- The audit officially verified NordVPN to be a “no-log service” that remains true to its privacy policies.
- NordVPN does not store connection logs, IP addresses, traffic logs, or any internet activity information.
Here is a further explanation of NordVPN’s logging policy from their privacy policy:
NordVPN strictly keeps no logs of your activity online. That means we do not track the time or duration of any online session, and neither do we keep logs of IP addresses or servers used, websites visited or files downloaded. In other words, none of your private and secure data is logged and gathered at any time. As a result, we are not able to provide any details about your behavior online, even if you request it yourself. NordVPN is based away from the EU and US jurisdiction and is not required to collect your personal data and information– it means nothing is recorded, monitored, stored, logged or passed to third parties.
Overall, NordVPN is a solid choice if you are looking for a no logs VPN provider that has been verified and proven to be true.
7. NordVPN based in Panama (a good privacy jurisdiction)
Another advantage of NordVPN is that it is based in Panama. Panama is not a member of any international surveillant alliances (see the Five Eyes) and it remains an excellent jurisdiction for privacy.
As NordVPN explains this issue further on its website:
We are based and operate under the jurisdiction of Panama. There is no mandatory data retention law in Panama so we do not need to store logs which is perfect for a VPN provider.
Being based in Panama is indeed a good jurisdiction that gives NordVPN advantages over other VPN providers, as I also explained in my NordVPN vs PIA comparison.
8. Extra security upgrades
NordVPN is currently investing significant resources to improve security and network infrastructure, going beyond what most other VPN services offer. Here’s an overview of NordVPN’s security upgrades:
1. Ongoing security audit
NordVPN is one of the few VPNs that has undergone a full third-party security audit. Here is an overview of the security audit, conducted by Versprite, and the results:
We invited VerSprite, a leading security research group specializing in software vulnerabilities, to search our apps inside and out with total access to ensure they found everything possible. After analyzing our infrastructure, their team simulated malicious attacks on the apps from every angle (a penetration test) while also identifying internal architecture that could make the apps vulnerable to those attacks. As soon as they found and documented a vulnerability, they reported it to us so our team could get to work. Every single potential vulnerability they found was meticulously eliminated and then tested again.
NordVPN is continuing to work with Versprite and their in-house team of penetration testers to ensure the highest security standards:
- Comprehensive penetration testing;
- Intrusion handling;
- Vendor risk assessment;
- Source code analysis.
The main audit (and findings) were completed in late 2019, but it is a continual process going forward.
2. Bug Bounty Program
NordVPN has officially launched a bug bounty program and it is now live. They will reward anyone who finds security vulnerabilities with NordVPN.
Our job is to anticipate and prevent bugs before they ever go live. If one does slip past us, the next best line of defense is a vigilant and engaged cybersec community prepared to help catch and fix it before it puts anyone at risk.
3. Infrastructure security audit
Another aspect of NordVPN’s security upgrades is a full infrastructure audit. This includes all physical infrastructure of their VPN service, as they explain:
We are setting the groundwork for a full-scale third-party independent security audit in 2020. This will include and may not be limited to: infrastructure hardware, VPN software, backend architecture, backend source code, and internal procedures.
4. Vendor security assessment and higher security standards
This part of the security plan deals with the third-party data centers where NordVPN servers are physically located. This is a two-part plan. First, NordVPN will be upping their requirements for data centers. Second, they will also be implementing their own (self-owned) servers.
Right now, the majority of the datacenters we work with meet or exceed numerous stringent security standards. As we continue to review our infrastructure, however, we will hold the datacenters we work with to even higher standards than before.
At the same time, we will also begin to build a network of collocated servers. While still located in a datacenter, collocated servers are wholly owned exclusively by NordVPN.
5. Diskless servers
NordVPN has already delivered on their promise to convert all servers in their network to run in RAM-disk mode (without hard drives). This is a smart move that we’ve already seen with other VPN providers, such as ExpressVPN and also Perfect Privacy.
We are preparing a plan to upgrade our entire infrastructure (currently featuring over 5500servers) to RAM servers. These will allow us to create a centrally controlled network where nothing is stored locally.
NordVPN completed this network transition in September 2020 and now all of their servers run in RAM-disk mode.
9. Full WireGuard support with NordLynx
Some people are looking to use the (relatively new) WireGuard VPN protocol. There are many reasons for this:
- WireGuard is the fastest VPN protocol available (much faster than OpenVPN)
- WireGuard will connect faster and offer better reliability, especially on mobile devices
- Updated encryption algorithms are used with WireGuard
NordVPN is one of only a few VPNs that offer full WireGuard support directly in the VPN apps.

As we’ve already covered above, WireGuard speeds with NordVPN are amazing. The upgraded security and encryption with WireGuard are additional benefits to consider.
In terms of privacy, NordVPN has gone to great lengths to ensure NordLynx ensures user privacy remains protected. To do this, they have implemented a “double NAT (Network Address Translation) system” with NordLynx. NordVPN explains the benefits as follows:
The double NAT system allows us to establish a secure VPN connection without storing any identifiable data on a server. Dynamic local IP addresses remain assigned only while the session is active. Meanwhile, user authentication is done with the help of a secure external database.
To use WireGuard with NordVPN right now, simply go into the settings and select NordLynx from the available VPN protocols.
10. Works with Netflix and many other streaming services
As is the case in all of my VPN reviews, I ran NordVPN through a number of tests to see how well it works with Netflix and streaming services.
I used NordVPN servers in the US to access my American Netflix account. Everything worked perfectly without any issues, as you can see here:

In the screenshot above, you can see the Netflix movie I was streaming with the connected NordVPN app in the background (right). NordVPN did well in all these tests. It unblocked Netflix without any issues and gave me fast speeds for HD streaming without interruption.
With NordVPN you can get full access to the following Netflix regions: US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Japan, Australia, India, and Italy. (Other regions may also work, but were not tested for this review.) With full regional support, NordVPN is definitely one of the best VPNs for Netflix.
Other streaming services – NordVPN works with other streaming services, such as Hulu, Amazon Prime, DAZN, and others. It is also a great VPN for Disney+, which offers lots of content in 10 different regional libraries. With the latest test results, NordVPN is one of only two other VPNs that work with BBC iPlayer (ExpressVPN is no longer working).
Note: If you have any trouble getting Netflix to work with NordVPN, simply ask support. The live chat representatives will tell you exactly what servers to use.
11. Fully-featured mobile clients for Android and iOS
Many VPNs skimp on their mobile VPN apps. That is not the case with NordVPN.
The NordVPN clients for Android and iOS offer full support for the following features:
- OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols
- Specialty servers (Double-VPN, Onion-over-VPN, Obfuscated, and P2P servers)
- Built-in leak protection settings
Here is a look at the NordVPN Android client:

It took the top spot as the best VPN for Android, even beating out ExpressVPN.
12. Low prices and a good refund policy
NordVPN is one of the cheapest VPN services you will find that is still good quality.
At the time of this review, NordVPN is offering a discounted two-year subscription price. The savings here are indeed significant, dropping the price down to only $3.71 per month.

Below are the NordVPN subscription prices:
- $3.71/month for the 2-year plan
- $9.00/month for the 6-month plan
- $11.95/month for the 1-month plan
The longer plan at only $3.71 per month makes NordVPN the best cheap VPN that is under $4 per month.
You can pay with all major credit cards, Amazon Pay, Alipay, UnionPay, and even a variety of cryptocurrencies. One drawback, however, is that NordVPN is no longer supporting PayPal payments in the US.
If you are hesitant about the two or two-year subscription plans, NordVPN also offers shorter duration subscriptions, but they are more expensive. (I’m also maintaining a NordVPN coupon page to track the latest offers and deals.)
NordVPN refund policy (30 days)
NordVPN provides a 30 day money-back guarantee, which is quite generous for VPN standards. The refund policy does not include any hidden clauses or restrictions.
Cons of NordVPN
Now we’ll examine the cons of NordVPN.
1. Big discounts only available for longer plans
One gripe I have with NordVPN is that the discounted rates are only available with the two-year subscription. Two years is a long commitment to make for a VPN service. Although the 30 day refund window gives you plenty of time to test everything.
Along these same lines, the one-month deal is rather pricey at $11.95 per month. This is more than three times the monthly price of the two-year plan. But steep discounts for long subscriptions are becoming more common in the industry – so it’s not surprising.
2. No VPN router app (but still works on routers)
Some VPN services, such as ExpressVPN and VyprVPN, offer a dedicated router app for certain router models. This makes it easier to get a VPN up and running on your router.
Currently, NordVPN does not offer any VPN router app. Nonetheless, you can still use NordVPN with a router. Here are three ways to do that:
- Get a pre-configured router from an outlet such as Sabai Technology or FlashRouters. These will be somewhat expensive, but it will be ready to use with NordVPN right out of the box and pre-configured with the router firmware you need.
- Get a VPN-enabled router that can be used with a VPN without any flashing required. The best selection of VPN-enabled routers comes from Asus. Asus offers numerous routers that can be easily loaded with OpenVPN configuration files (from any VPN provider) and be working in just minutes.
- Flash your existing router. This can be tricky and somewhat risky (bricking your router), so you will want to proceed with caution if you go down this route. The degree of difficulty will depend on the router you are using.
Tip: When using NordVPN on a router, connect to the nearest server with the lightest load.
Overall, not having a router app is not really a dealbreaker since there are still many ways to use NordVPN on a router. And as always, NordVPN support can help you get everything set up correctly.
Additional research findings
Here are the additional research findings for this NordVPN review, based on my own tests.
Is NordVPN good for torrenting? (Yes)
NordVPN is an excellent choice if you need a good VPN for torrenting. Here are three reasons why.
- Fast and consistent speeds – This will be useful when torrenting large files.
- Leak protection – The NordVPN apps come with built-in leak protection settings. This allows you to torrent for hours without worrying about your IP address being exposed.
- Safe jurisdiction – NordVPN is based in Panama. Unlike the US and Europe, Panama does not have draconian copyright laws. NordVPN can simply ignore DMCA/copyright requests from other countries.
Additionally, NordVPN also has dedicated P2P servers. These servers are listed under the “Specialty servers” and are fast and ideal for torrenting. I tested out the NordVPN torrenting servers and everything worked well.

The NordVPN app will automatically connect to the fastest P2P server for a given country you select. Additionally, you can also manually connect to certain torrenting servers through the NordVPN app.
When torrenting with NordVPN, be sure to enable the kill switch to protect your IP address in case the connection drops. You can also find guides showing you how to setup NordVPN with uTorrent and BitTorrent clients on the NordVPN website.
Does NordVPN work in China? (Yes)
Many people are looking for the best VPN for China that will provide privacy and access to online content. In this case, NordVPN is a great choice. It offers built-in obfuscation features that will conceal VPN traffic and get around the Great Firewall of China.
To use NordVPN in China, simply connect to one of the Obfuscated servers in the VPN client. When you use one of these servers, the NordVPN client will automatically obfuscate your VPN traffic to make it appear as regular HTTPS encryption. This makes NordVPN a great choice for China or anywhere else that VPNs are blocked.
Can you get a dedicated IP address with NordVPN? (Yes)
Yes, NordVPN offers dedicated IP addresses which can be added to your VPN subscription.
NordVPN also gives you the option to get a dedicated IP address, which may be beneficial in some use cases. They offer dedicated IP addresses for the following locations:
- United States (Buffalo, Los Angeles, Dallas)
- Germany (Frankfurt)
- United Kingdom (London)
- Netherlands (Amsterdam)
The cost for a static IP address from NordVPN is $70 per year, regardless of the location you choose. NordVPN is probably the best VPN for a static IP. You can purchase a dedicated IP address by contacting NordVPN support to arrange the IP location you want.
NordVPN review conclusion
I’ve been testing NordVPN for about five years now, as both a personal user and also for VPN reviews. This NordVPN review for 2020 is one of the best I’ve published, simply because of the good test results. With this level of performance, NordVPN is a premium VPN at a very reasonable price.
NordVPN has made major improvements over the past six months in many areas and continues to get better. Here’s what stands out to me with the latest review:
- Faster speeds and better reliability throughout the server network
- Improved application stability and features (CyberSec)
- Big security upgrades, to include an ongoing third-party audit and bug bounty program, rolling out self-owned servers, and converting the network to run only in RAM-disk mode
- Full support for the WireGuard protocol directly in the VPN apps
- More support for Netflix and other streaming services
While there are a few minor drawbacks, NordVPN is a solid choice and is one of our top recommendation in the best VPN report.
It’s great to see NordVPN continuing to improve and upgrade their service with the latest developments. If you want to test-drive this VPN, give it a shot with the coupon below.
NordVPN Cyber Deal is Now LIVE
Get 68% off NordVPN plus a FREE gift added to your subscription (1 month to 2 years free).
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Alternatives to NordVPN
Click the VPN name below to read our full review – or grab the discount for the best savings. Both of these VPNs have a 30 day money-back guarantee.
You can also check out our guide on the best VPNs for 2021 for other recommendations.
If you have used NordVPN, feel free to share your honest review (good or bad) below.
Hi Sven: Based on your detailed reviews, I switched over to Nord today and experienced just an epic nightmare, and I really want to make you aware and make your readers aware, as I am sure thousands of your readers rely on your expertise. Also I’d like to get your thoughts. My OS is Mac, Big Sur. I purchased the 1 Nord VPN year plan to try out Nord, and I was instructed to download the IKEv2 protocol package from apple’s app store, which I did. Launched the app, and was able to connect to several countries (so far so good).
Then I tried to explore Nord for all its options and tried switching the to the OPEN VPN (UDN) and (TCP) protocols (the reason was because i wanted to see how the double hop and obfuscated servers worked which are not available on the IKEv2 protocol). That was a complete failure. I couldn’t connect to any websites at all. I also selected Nordlynx protocol for its speed (which is supposed to run specifically with the IKEv2 protocol) and that had same result. The only thing that worked was the IKEv2 protocol.
I couldn’t go onto or gain any access to any websites anywhere unless I used the IKE protocol. I spent 3 hours roughly with Nord’s customer support- the first two reps were utterly useless. A supervisor got on later and basically conceded that the earlier rep was clueless. This was pretty disappointing. Nevertheless, to make an extremely long story shorter, the supervisor tried to figure out why I could only use the IKEv2 protocol, and not the other protocols.
He was not able to figure it out, and I asked for a refund (regrettably), which they said they gave me (said will show up in next 5 or so days), but which was hugely disappointing as I was really looking forward to using Nord. Also, even in IKEv2, there were some websites I could not access fully (not sure why, but I couldn’t download their content such as music, videos, etc… ).
In addition, in exploring the Nord interface, at the very bottom right of the interface there is a globe or a circle. If you clicked on it, which I did, it brought up a menu allowing you, among other things, to access your activity logs including your nordlynx logs, your openvpn logs and your application logs. These were stored directly on my computer’s cache folders in the containers for NordVpn. I was in disbelief, after expecting a complete no logs policy. Now it could very well be that my understanding of what Nord is doing is not that sophisticated as I am a newbie to VPNs, but it just doesn’t seem to add up. And it especially seemed odd in light of the fact that they have passed audits on these issues. Are they storing logs or not. How is it that I could download the above logs if Nord has a no log storing policy?
I am pretty bummed that this VPN both didn’t really work the way it was supposed to, and that Customer Service didn’t seem to know what they were doing (until I got to the SV), and then that they couldn’t resolve the issue.. I am Also concerned about the logging policy, but I could be misunderstanding what logs were being kept.
Anyway, I really hope you can look into this in the same rigorous manner as you do your reviews, because as I noted above, I am sure thousands of your readers really rely strongly on your expertise and reviews.
At this point, I may try Surfshark, as I don’t know what other really great VPN options are out there in safe jurisdictions, but the whole thing is just puzzling. I cannot understand for the life of me why Nord couldn’t get it to work properly on my computer. I had tunnelbear for a month and it was easy as could be. Open app, select a country and your done. Obviously, in light of where it’s located, and Nord’s cutting edge encryption etc., I wanted a better jurisdiction and more speed, and so that’s why I tried Nord.
One other thing, Several times, when I logged onto a certain country in Nord and then ran the VPN leak tests (as I did every day with tunnelbear when I had that), Several of the Nord leak tests indicated that I was in a country other than the country I had selected. For example, when I selected Bulgaria, some of the leak tests said I was in the UK, when I selected the United States, it said I was in Belgium. This seemed very odd, so your thoughts on that would be appreciated as well.
I downloaded copies of the entire transcript of the chats I had with Nord support, just to go back and try and understand it, but any thoughts you have on this would be appreciated. Many thanks,
Hi Reg, I ran tests with Mac OS and the NordLynx protocol and was able to hit speeds of 445 Mbps. OpenVPN was also impressive with speeds over 200 Mbps and no bugs or problems identified. Perhaps this is an issue with your version Big Sur? We’ll check it out, but as of now, we have not had any of these problems with NordVPN on Mac OS.
THanks Sven, I could not even use the open vpn protocols or nordlynx. Could not get onto any websites using them. I was only able to use the IKEv2 protocol. ANy insight you might have would be greatly appreciated. I think Big Sur is up to 11.2.2 version currently. It is just bizarre that it was a complete failure for me.
Also, maybe double check those log that you could access at bottom if interface. Do you have any thoughts on that? Thanks again.
Can you do LiquidVPN? I’ve heard that movie companies sued the VPN, so can you check if it has no logs?
I have been a user of this service for a few years . I have done some shady stuff online pretty regularly , and I never got a knock on the door . However , keep in mind that I am always connected to the service , and I do my shady stuff under Linux . I deal with trading sensitive , potentially illegal, data . My biggest complaint with them now currently is they block certain ports used by things such as telnet .
I have always appreciated your site Sven and respected your opinion… but I bitterly wish I didn’t sign up with Nord. My connection is continually dropping and the Android app is unreliable so I always have to double check that it is connected before browsing the web (for those times that it is no longer my phone has been accessing content direct from my carrier).
Some people might think this is a bot or some sort of competitor, but hopefully it will inspire others to write about their bad experiences too until there are too many comments to ignore.
Ah well… only 1 year 11 months to go…
Will, they give you a full 30 days to test anything, and then cancel for a refund if you have issues, which is a big refund window. We’ve had great experiences with Nord in our tests and also use it personally. I don’t have an Android device to test it, but Heinrich does. We’ll double check everything with the next update to this review.
Sir – I’m hoping I’m misunderstanding something about this service. I just signed up for Nord VPN because of your review. Then I read what cookies it puts on your system – from google analytics, bing, twitter, etc. I’m trying to get a more private browsing experience and this VPN I just paid $100 to is installing cookies from the exact companies I’m trying to escape from? Please read their cookie policy and let us know if we should still trust them, thanks. I’m planning on uninstalling within the 30 day money back window if my understanding is correct, or if I don’t hear back. Apologies if I’ve rained on anyone’s parade or from a misunderstanding on my part.
“installing cookies”
Ken, don’t confuse basic cookies and analytics on the website with the VPN service itself. The VPN is not installing cookies, it is blocking cookies and trackers, such as when you enable NordVPN’s CyberSec feature. So website does not equal VPN.
Also, from someone who runs a website, nearly every website you will find on the internet, including VPN websites that allow you to log in, will have cookies, and need to have cookies. Analytics are also important, such as Google Analytics, which are necessary in a world where the vast majority of traffic (and customers) come from Google search and/or Google Ads. So yes, it’s not perfect, but again, this is the website, not the VPN itself.
Thank you so much for the clarification! I was confusing the two. And also many thanks for your wonderful website – tons of good info here for those of us who don’t wish to be someone else’s product anymore. Am using Brave and have switched to Swisscows for my search engine, also on your recommendation. Keep up the good work!
Hi Sven, I have read your wonderful site for some time now. I rarely read any review sites for VPNs because of the ads, and I know you generate commissions through your reviews, but the fact you promote the cheaper ones tells me you put truth before profits, and for that I applaud you.
I have a few questions if you don’t mind answering:
I have been with PIA for years. I have changed my mind based on what I learned today on your site about them, can’t believe I didn’t read it before now but that new employee and the Japanese fraud thing is scary. What I always liked about PIA is the ‘real world test’ they received with subpoenas etc, and no data handed over as they didn’t have it. My suspicious head wonders however….. if that could be a set up. Call me paranoid, but IF they were an NSA or CIA front, let’s just imagine for a second! IF they were, then it would be perfectly reasonable that they would do something like that since they are running it anyway! Not suggesting they are, but anything is possible in this world we live in.
Anyway – NordVPN, I have never tried it. One of the few I haven’t tried. Perfect Privacy I tried – terrible and mostly I was disguested with their so called support for the prices they charge. I unsubbed in less than 2 days! Express looks good but again i tested their customer support (many times) and they were all useless at best, liars at worst (and I dont use that word lightly).
Time to try Nord I think and I will be buying through your link to say thanks for your effort on this detailed review, great work. A couple of questions about the service:
1. Is it possible to do double hop AND dedicated IP? I get so much trouble with bank account issues, payments held etc, using PIA. I would love to get a dedicated IP if that might help avoid spooking my bank manager when I buy two things in five minutes from two different locations 3000 miles apart!
2. Obfuscation – I have never looked into this subject but would that help avoid the problems I get with payment holds and the like? Does it actually work, does it REALLY look like normal traffic? If so, that could really help avoid triggering security blocks.
3. Wireguard – I have never used this. I don’t get why people rave about this so much. How does it compare to OpenVPN? Is it more secure/private in any way? I don’t care about speeds as all VPNs offer good enough speeds for me, so I would be interested to know what else wireguard brings to the table.
again – thanks for the effort and apparent honesty in this review.
“Is it possible to do double hop AND dedicated IP?”
No, I don’t think this is possible. However, if you switch to Nord, try the service as is first (without the dedicated IP) because I typically do not have issues with using the VPN and also accessing bank accounts.
“Obfuscation…”
This is a feature to use in a restricted network where VPNs are getting blocked, such as in China or the UAE, or perhaps a work or school network that blocks VPNs.
“WireGuard…”
Yes the performance difference is huge, including fast download speeds and near-instant connection. It also works a lot better on mobile devices than OpenVPN.
Thanks Sven, well I think it’s about time I checked out Wireguard then! I didn’t think it was faster. I used it once with PIA and it was slower, so I gave up and never tried it again. That was some time ago though.
I was about to try NordVPN – I contacted them and asked about Double Hop. They replied “We do not support Double Hop VPN”. I suspect that ‘support guy’ got it wrong so I have asked for clarification. However I also realised they only support 6 devices, I need more than that, only one or two more, but it’s a deal breaker for me sadly. Express is just way too expensive, PIA is out now thanks to your article! So I am wondering who you would recommend offering maybe 8+ devices and double hop?
I love the idea of double hop mainly because I can make sure i hit the target sites from a local (country) IP but my traffic can leave the jurisdiction beforehand. That’s a nice setup!
I did try Perfect Privacy in the past and won’t be trying them again. Any suggestions would be great if you have any, thanks
“So I am wondering who you would recommend offering maybe 8+ devices and double hop?”
Maybe check out Surfshark. They give you unlimited devices, double-hop VPN servers, and are even cheaper than NordVPN.
Surfshark review here
Hi Sven,
Under the heading “1. Big discounts only available for long plans” you write:
“Three years” should be “Two years”.
Thank you Robert, I just fixed it.
Hello sir,
went for the 2 years deal based on your review and got disappointed. Impossible to keep a stable connexion wether i would be downloading, surfing or gaming.
Never experienced this with vpn.ac which i’ve been using for 2 years,also based on your review. So for now i’ll stick with these guys, even though app is less fancy.
Nord is getting a lot of bad reviews on their googleplay app page recently. Maybe something went wrong
“Colocated servers would really set NordVPN apart from most other VPN providers. The only other VPN to offer this is VyprVPN.”
That’s wrong as OVPN also offering this feature from always.
https://www.ovpn.com/en/network
Yep, I missed that with OVPN, but it’s still correct that most other VPNs do not offer colocated servers.
What are the advantages of colocated servers?