NordVPN Review - Is This Leading VPN Service The Number 1 Choice?

Who Are NordVPN?

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs of 2022, and it has been on the market since 2012. NordLynx (based on WireGuard) is one of the most popular in-house tunneling protocols. It is based on one of the largest infrastructures and has over 14 million users worldwide. NordVPN, based in Panama, has a very strict policy about not collecting or sharing information about its users and doesn’t keep any logs.

In March 2018, a server in a Finnish data center was hacked. NordVPN claimed the breach ‘was made possible by poor configuration on a third-party datacenter’s part that we were never notified of.’ 

Subsequently, to show that it has a safe and secure system, it hired a company specializing in cybersecurity to test the security of its hardware and software security. Nord now regularly has audits performed by reputable independent audit firms every year to ensure that the VPN service is safe.

Recently, the company has launched a service called Threat Protection that protects users from all kinds of cyber threats. All at no additional cost to its users.

Bigger Is Better?

One thing is for sure: NordVPN is one of the biggest VPN providers. It has 5435+ servers in 60 countries and across five continents (Europe, Asia, Pacific, America, Africa). In France, there are 230+ servers. There are 440+ servers in the United Kingdom. There are 190+ in Australia and a huge 1970+ servers in 15 cities in the United States.

Like some of its competitors, such as VyprVPN or ProtonVPN, Nord owns and runs its own servers.

The service also has a wide range of dedicated servers, including P2P, Onion Over VPN, Double VPN, and Obfuscated (bypassing restrictions from repressive countries like China).

Cross-platform Connectivity

NordVPN now has a wide range of platforms covered. The service lets you connect up to six devices simultaneously and works with the most common OSes: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It also has extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Plus, an app for Android TV can be used to watch streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon.

There’s plenty of info on connecting to a VPN on a game console (Xbox, PlayStation, etc.) and a router or NAS (Asus, Tomato, Synology, Qnap, etc.).

Devices such as Internet boxes and Chromebooks, Kindle Fires, and Raspberry Pi can all be set up.

Any problems and the customer service is there to help out.

Top Level Security & Privacy Are Vital

NordVPN is based in Panama, which means it isn’t subject to the Patriot Act in the United States. NordVPN claims to have a very strict “zero log” policy.

The company ensures that it doesn’t collect any information about its users, whether their browsing history, content and search preferences, where they go and how long they spend there, their IP address, or how much bandwidth they use. Like most service providers, it keeps the information about the user account, like the user’s email address, nickname, payment information, and so-called “non-personal metadata,” to ensure the service works properly.

The VPN also has many advanced tools that change several safety settings. Besides the standard AES 256-bit encryption, the service has Double VPN servers that route the connection through another VPN to double the level of encryption.

It also has Wi-Fi and DNS leak protection features to redirect any requests sent to your ISP to NordVPN’s servers instead of your ISP’s.

NordVPN doesn’t support the PPTP, and L2PT VPN protocols like most other VPNs do. NordVPN thinks these protocols are now outdated.

There are three types of VPN protocols: OpenVPN (UDP or TCP), IKEv2, and their own, NordLynx. This WireGuard-based protocol is an ultra-fast, next-generation open-source protocol that is super easy to use.

First released in 2001, most VPN services offer OpenVPN, which is long thought to be pretty safe. Today, its architecture is so complicated and heavy that it has over 600,000 lines of code. WireGuard only has 4,000 lines, making it easier for VPN providers to set up and test.

This new protocol is easier to use, lighter, and faster than the old ones. It shortens the time to connect to the VPN server and improves the speed. It also has powerful next-generation encryption technology that makes it very safe. Many people use a VPN service called WireGuard now, but NordVPN says that this service doesn’t always keep your information safe.

User identities must be stored on servers and linked to an internal IP address given by the VPN regarding the specifics. NordVPN says that even though most of the market has already adopted this new protocol, it would still be risky for people to use it.

Instead, NordVPN wants to offer this new technology to its customers without sacrificing their security. To do this, the company has set out to find a way to solve the WireGuard privacy issue. These are the steps that led to the NordLynx project being born.

Based on WireGuard, has a double NAT (Network Address Translation) system that allows a VPN connection to be set up without storing identifiable data on the server and putting the user’s privacy at risk. NordVPN says NordLynx would be faster than the IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols. NordLynx is turned on by default, making Nord one of the fastest VPNs on the market.

Connecting You Up

After setting up an account on NordVPN’s site, you can download and install clients for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, etc.

The Modern graphics and clear and well-organized menus make the Windows version lot of fun and easy to use. It shows the last servers you chose, the dedicated servers (Double VPN, Onion Over VPN, Obfuscated, and P2P), and the countries you can select from.

It is possible to see how busy each server is by clicking on a destination. You can choose any of them, or it will automatically connect to the fastest server.

The graphical interface hasn’t changed in a while, so it might be time for a refresh.

Nord has paid a lot of attention to their Android and iOS apps, which have the same graphical interface and options as the PC version, but on a smartphone. We think it’s one of the best mobile VPN apps out there right now. An app that is still simple and easy to use.

To get to the “Settings,” look for the icon like a small toothed wheel. It has both general and advanced options.

One benefit of NordVPN is that both novices and experts can use it, making it a good choice. The service has both a simple interface and automated connection options for the former and more advanced options for the latter.

It is possible to start NordVPN when your computer boots up, set up DNS leak protection, or even use CyberSec, which protects the connection from malware, phishing, and ads.

CyberSec doesn’t mean you can go without an antivirus, but it can also help protect your VPN tunnels.

Like most VPNs, the service has a “Kill Switch” feature that stops internet access if the connection to a server is lost. This way, the user’s anonymity won’t be at risk.

An added feature is the “App Kill Switch” option, which lets you choose which apps must also be shut down in a power outage.

The Auto Connect option lets you set up the VPN to start automatically when opened. You can select a server and location that will start when you open the VPN.

The service has made a new extension for the Edge browser that can be found in Microsoft’s browser add-ons.

NordVPN also has a Dark Web monitoring feature that lets people see if their email address has been hacked. The new Threat Protection adds a complete security system against cyber threats, including an ad blocker and malware blocker.

The Need For Speed. . . NordVPN’s Performance

Using fiber-optic connections and choosing the fastest server available for each destination, Our Speedtest tests show that its servers are stable and fast whether they are in France, England, the US, Japan, or Australia.

The results are amazing if you don’t mind the big and unavoidable differences in ping between places due to their geography.

NordVPN’s infrastructure is good no matter where you go, you’ll always get the fastest connection possible. In the United States, we found all servers tested to be very stable and fast.

Streaming & More. . .

NordVPN doesn’t have servers specifically for streaming, but it’s usually fine to just choose the fastest server in the area where you want to watch Netflix, Disney+, Pandora, YouTube US, HBO Now, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, etc.

During our tests, we could not access the American catalogs of Amazon Prime Video because the VPN was always detected and blocked. A problem that we hadn’t had with NordVPN previously. That was a bit of a disappointment, even though it was top-notch at accessing other services.

NordVPN also has a lot of servers that are suitable for Peer to Peer, so you will be able to use BitTorrent, etc. Even though these servers are busy, Nord has a lot of them. You can connect automatically to the fastest server or location or choose a server with a low load rate. Overall, the speeds were very good, but they could be better.

Support When You Need It

If you need help with NordVPN, you can get help at any time of the day or night through a live chat. In 2018, this service was given an award for being very responsive. They usually respond to requests in two minutes or less, which is great for new and advanced users alike.

How Much Is NordVPN?

NordVPN is known for being very aggressive when selling its service. It was one of the cheapest VPNs on the market for a long time before raising its prices. All of its prices have gone up again recently.

The month-to-month subscription without a contract now costs $11.99 per month, making it one of the most expensive.

A long-term subscription (payable all at once) costs less and ranges from $4.99 a month for a year ($59.88) to only $3.29/month ($78.96) for a two-year subscription. These prices are only for your first subscription to the service and would revert to $99.48 a year afterward.

If you want to try out NordVPN’s VPN service for free, you can’t do that ATM. However, NordVPN’s subscriptions come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so there’s no risk.

When you checkout, Nord offers a couple of additional services, including the NordPass Premium service, which protects and stores your passwords ($2.49 a month). There’s NordLocker Premium, a secure encrypted cloud-based data store ($1.49 a month). The only downside to the latter is the rather meager 10GB of space.

Payment options include your regular credit or debit card, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, and various cryptocurrencies, including bitcoin.