NordVPN Review

NordVPN is known as one of the top, if not the top, VPN provider. To find out where it really stands in 2022, I decided to do this in-depth NordVPN review and see what’s there behind the curtain of reputation. With so many threats to online privacy and clampdowns on streaming services, I want to make sure that this provider can live up to its promises by answering these questions:

• Is NordVPN safe to use?
• Can this service unblock Netflix and other streaming services?
• Has NordVPN improved on its average speeds?
• Does the price compares to its features?

Spoiler alert: the answer to all these questions is “yes, absolutely.” But if you want more details, continue reading this VPN review.

Overview

To settle the price question first, I’ve learned that NordVPN offers a great cost-value ratio. It becomes apparent when you choose long-term plans. At the moment, you can get NordVPN for $3.71/month with 68% off.

Speed and performance

Our latest speed tests show that NordVPN is the fastest VPN on the market. That’s mainly because of the new tunneling protocol named NordLynx, a proprietary version of WireGuard. But how fast is NordVPN, exactly?

To answer this, we started running our in-house connection speed testing tool to collect long-term data. We installed NordVPN along with other providers in Germany, the UK, and the US.

Then we connected to VPN servers in those countries and checked the speeds daily. The results speak of themselves – none of the best VPN services could match NordVPN’s performance.

NordVPN 14-Day Speed Average

01.12 – 01.26

I also tested the connection speed with Netflix and other streaming services. It turns out it’s more than enough to watch in UHD (4K) without buffering. Of course, your location, ISP, and hardware will impact the results, but NordVPN is clearly the best option.

If you still have doubts, I suggest checking the results of NordVPN’s extensive speed test of tunneling protocols. It clearly shows that NordLynx increases performance by a significant margin.

What’s more, they asked AV-TEST, an independent IT company, to measure the speeds of the Top 7 VPN services. Unsurprisingly, NordVPN outdid all competitors.

Finally, NordVPN has started adding new 10 Gbps servers across the world that further improve the performance.

NordVPN servers

NordVPN server list is one of the best in the industry. It allows the company to provide truly global coverage and reliable connections all over the world. Even if you don’t have a particular location in mind, NordVPN can automatically select the best server for you based on their distance and load.

At the moment, NordVPN has 5200+ servers in 60 countries. While most of them are in North America and Europe, other regions have options as well.

NordVPN uses only bare-metal servers. This means that the servers are physically in the country you want to connect to. In contrast, virtual servers can be located in another region, which decreases performance.

Furthermore, all Standard servers are RAM-only, meaning they cannot store any information for a prolonged period. Once the server reboots or shuts down, all data is wiped out. This technology dramatically reduces the chance of someone tampering with user information on the data center premises.

NordVPN is also switching 1 Gbps servers to new 10 Gbps. Currently, more than 20% of the server fleet uses 10 Gbps, available in the US (New York, Seattle, Miami, Atlanta), the UK (London), and Japan (Tokyo). With the advent of 5G, NordVPN will be ready to handle increased traffic.

Last but not least, NordVPN is extending the range of self-owned servers, which are fully controlled by the provider. Most of the time, a third-party data center takes care of the VPN server fleet, but that comes with its own risks. Back in 2018, one of NordVPN’s servers in a colocation center was breached. It didn’t have any valuable data, but this event prompted the provider to look for a safer solution.

Server locations

NordVPN has a truly global server fleet, covering all continents except Antarctica. Most of them are in North America and Europe, but other regions haven’t been forgotten. Below is the list of servers according to the regions.

Specialty servers

In addition to the standard ones, there are also specialty servers optimized for addressing particular user needs. NordVPN allows you to choose from:

• Dedicated IP servers – for users who bought a dedicated IP address
• Double VPN servers – for multi-hop fans who want to send their connection via two servers
• Obfuscated servers – when you’re in a country with restricted internet access
• Onion over VPN servers – when you want to run Tor on top of a VPN
• P2P servers – optimized for torrenting, no bandwidth limits

Not all server types are available in every country, so you should check for the latest coverage updates on their website.

Plans and pricing: is NordVPN cheap?

For a top-tier product, NordVPN is very cheap. Here are the available subscription options and their prices:

• 1-month plan for up to 6 devices: $11.95/month
• 1-year plan for up to 6 devices: $59 ($4.92/month)
• 2-year plan for up to 6 devices: $89 ($3.71/month)

Naturally, it’s also possible to come across holiday promotions throughout the year with better prices. Naturally, special NordVPN coupon codes are also available and include better discounts than usual.

All NordVPN plans offer the same suite of features (AES-256 encryption, NordLynx, OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec, DNS leak protection, kill switch, etc.) and allow up to 6 simultaneous connections.

There are anonymous payment options available, such as crypto or cash, for those concerned about privacy. However, you can also pay by any major credit card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, ACH Transfer (Plaid), Direct Debit, and AmazonPay, although the selection varies from country to country. Unfortunately, NordVPN no longer accepts PayPal, at least in the United States and the United Kingdom.

To try NordVPN risk-free, use the 30-day money-back guarantee. It comes with no strings attached and no small print. The only thing to be aware of is that you can’t get a NordVPN refund if you paid in Bitcoin or something similar.

There’s also a 7-day free trial on Android if you download NordVPN from Google Play Store. It requires entering payment details first, but you can use it on any supported device.

NordVPN cost may not be the lowest on the VPN market. That said, no other VPN offers as much value for money. For even more discounts, check NordVPN coupons and deals available right now.

In case you looked for NordVPN Christmas season deals – check this article.

Security and privacy

Many VPN services claim to provide complete anonymity on the internet, but only a few can back it up in features and evidence. NordVPN is one of the few, having these security and privacy features:

• • Military-grade encryption
  • Latest tunneling protocols
  • Kill switch
  • Minimal logging
  • Privacy-friendly jurisdiction

So how safe NordVPN is, really? Well, it’s safe enough to be favored by sensitive user groups, such as journalists and political activists, as well as those wanting to enjoy unblocked streaming content. It can back up its claims of top-notch privacy and security reliably and effectively.

You may have seen that NordVPN has suffered a security breach back in 2019, which has allegedly put a spot on its reputation. A hacker was able to break into the data center’s system and breach NordVPN’s server security.

However, as it turned out, the incident happened on one server in Finland, and it wasn’t possible to reach any critical infrastructure from it, to begin with.

In the aftermath, NordVPN has shut down the affected server and stopped using the Finnish data center. The company put some serious effort into increasing the security of all servers by announcing a bug bounty program and signing a partnership with VerSprite, a well-known cybersecurity consulting firm. They’ve also made an app security audit and found no critical vulnerabilities.

If you still ask yourself, “is NordVPN safe?” I suggest learning more about each security and privacy feature below and how they can help with securing your online activities.

Encryption

NordVPN comes with military-grade AES-256 encryption, which banks and government institutions use to protect their internet traffic. This is an extremely strong cipher – in fact, it’s so strong that a hacker using a brute force attack (where they try many combinations) would need billions of years to break it.

Moreover, NordVPN is raising the bar with an SHA-512 hash function, while most competitors still use SHA-256, which is shorter and less complex. NordVPN uses eight 64-bit words for encoding your credentials compared to eight 32-bit words, greatly expanding the number of possible combinations.

Tunneling protocols

NordVPN supports the following tunneling protocols:

• NordLynx (WireGuard)
• OpenVPN (TCP and UDP)
• IKEv2/IPSec

NordLynx is a proprietary version of a next-gen WireGuard protocol that gives you blistering speeds and even better security. NordVPN was one of the first to offer this tunneling protocol on major platforms. At the moment, NordLynx is the best option when choosing from all three.

OpenVPN is a reliable and time-tested choice with two versions. TCP is more secure and stable, while UDP gives you better speeds. However, compared to NordLynx, it’s still far behind. Therefore, you should use OpenVPN only when there’s no better alternative.

IKEv2/IPSec is available on all major platforms except Android. Mobile users like this protocol because of its ability to maintain a VPN connection while switching from cellular to wi-fi. Even though it’s faster than OpenVPN, it still cannot compete with NordLynx.

L2TP/IPsec and PPTP are no longer supported, even though some VPNs still use them. But that’s actually OK. These protocols are outdated both in terms of security and performance. You should avoid them at any cost.

NordVPN kill switch

This VPN offers not only a standard internet kill switch but also an app kill switch. A kill switch helps you stay secure by shutting off the internet connection if the VPN stops working. That way, your real IP address won’t be unintentionally revealed to third parties.

When you’re using the internet, NordVPN will shut off the connection if it stops working suddenly. However, the app kill switch will disconnect only certain apps in case of a VPN failure. For example, if you were using one browser for online banking, the connection would shut down, but you will still be able to browse and watch YouTube on the other without a VPN.

The kill switches are not turned on by default. To do so, you’ll have to click the small Settings cogwheel in the top-right corner.

You can turn on one or both kill switches. For the app kill switch, you’ll have to add the apps that will use it.

I should note that the kill switch works differently on Android and iOS platforms. The former has a native Always-on VPN feature which is essentially NordVPN’s Internet Kill Switch for mobile. In the meantime, the latter works in the same fashion, but you can’t toggle it. On the other hand, even some well-known VPNs don’t offer a kill switch for iOS at all.

In my tests, I found that NordVPN’s kill switches are effective every time. When I tried to interrupt the VPN connection on several occasions, the internet traffic or app was shut down immediately every time.

IP and DNS leak protecion

NordVPN has IP and DNS leak protection. This means your identity won’t leak via your IP address, and your online activities won’t show via your DNS requests.

Of course, the only way to be sure is to run DNS and IP leak tests. Therefore, I connected to a French server and was assigned the IP address 185.128.25.222. Then I checked whether our IP address or DNS queries were leaking – here are the results:

• IP address: 185.128.25.222
• Location: France – Paris

This is the NordVPN-given IP address, meaning there is no IP leak.

• DNS address: 185.128.25.221
• Location: France – Paris

This is the IP address of a NordVPN DNS server in Paris, France. As you can see, the two IP addresses are connected. This means that there are no DNS leaks.

CyberSec

CyberSec is a browser security feature that stops ads and malware. If a NordVPN sees you trying to visit a dangerous website, it will block the access and notify you. For the sake of security, there’s no way to whitelist any of such sites unless you turn off CyberSec.

You can activate CyberSec from the Settings menu on your app. I recommend doing so if you value your privacy because most ads that you see are good at tracking your activity and building up your profile for target advertising.

Moreover, ads can link to websites with malware. Even if you don’t click on one, loading such an ad might be enough to infect your device. CyberSec checks the domain’s credibility in real-time and blocks malware-related ads.

Privacy-friendly jurisdiction

NordVPN is owned by nordvpn s.a. – a company based in privacy-friendly Panama. This is important because VPN service providers operate according to the laws of the country they’re based.

Panama is a small country in Central America that doesn’t require VPN companies to collect data on their users – a great thing for user privacy.

It also doesn’t belong to any far-reaching intelligence alliances like the Five Eyes global surveillance group. That allows NordVPN to have an honest no-logs policy, meaning they know very little about you and your internet activity.

Independently-audited no-logs policy

This VPN has a very clear Privacy Policy, showing their commitment to keeping no logs on their users:

NordVPN guarantees a strict no-logs policy for NordVPN services, meaning that your activities using NordVPN Services are provided by automated technical process, are not monitored, recorded, logged, stored or passed to any third party. We do not store connection time stamps, session information, used bandwidth, traffic logs, IP addresses or other data.

However, they take it a step further than anyone else on the market. Because users can’t see what happens behind closed doors, NordVPN decided to prove their no-logs policy and ordered an independent audit.

This no-logs audit was performed by the world-renowned accounting firm, PwC, who found no discrepancies between the no-logs policy and what the company does in practice. As a result, NordVPN is one of the few services to have an independently-audited no-logs policy.

In 2020, NordVPN repeated the audit by expanding the scope. It included interviews with employees, technical log inspections, and more. The special server types, including Obfuscated, P2P, and Double VPN, were also tested. Still, PwC came to the same conclusions – their no-logs claims could be mistrusted in no shape or form.

ioXt certification

NordVPN’s mobile apps for Android and iPhone have ioXt certificates. It means these apps had to pass meticulous security and privacy check to comply with the stern standards. It turns out that NordVPN managed to achieve the best possible score in categories such as Proven Cryptography, Secured Interfaces, and Verified Software.

The ioXt certificate guarantees that NordVPN runs a bounty program, maintains and updates its software, and has a patch policy. Additionally, iOS and Android apps secure the user’s IP, don’t log sensitive data, enforce strong server-side password policy, and detect credential guessing attacks.

Just like with the WireGuard protocol implementation, NordVPN is once again the pioneer of internet security. Therefore, its users can expect to benefit from the industry’s latest technologies and solutions.

Other technical features

The list of security features in the NordVPN suite is very impressive:

• Double VPN (multi-hop)
• Onion over VPN (integration with the Tor network for even more encryption and traffic rerouting)
• Split tunneling (Windows, Android, Android TV)
• Free SOCKS5 proxy
• Obfuscated servers (Stealth VPN)
  
• Invisibility on LAN
• Dark Web Monitor (macOS, iOS, and Android)

By meeting people’s significant security and privacy needs in high-stakes situations (think dissidents in totalitarian regimes), this service provides an answer for any everyday issue. Whether it’s anonymous torrenting you’re interested in or secure public wi-fi use, these features have you covered.

Double VPN, also known as multi-hop, is a feature that lets you connect to not one but two VPN servers. As a result, your traffic is encrypted two times for even better security and privacy. However, this feature works with OpenVPN protocol only and has a significant impact on performance.

Onion over VPN, or Tor over VPN, is a connection mode where you combine NordVPN with the Tor network. First, you establish a VPN connection and then launch the Tor browser that further sends the traffic via three nodes. This way, it becomes extremely hard to track you back, although that also reduces connection speed significantly.

Split tunneling is a great feature when you want to protect only some parts of your connection. For example, you may want to turn on split tunneling for torrenting and stream videos without VPN protection. It also lets you connect to your office network from home and still browse the web as if you weren’t connected to your workplace.

SOCKS5 proxy works somewhat similar to split tunneling. It allows you to use NordVPN for torrenting only. You can configure uTorrent or any other client to use the VPN server and leave the rest of your connection as it is so you can access local content unavailable in other countries.

Obfuscated servers, or Stealth VPN, is a feature for countries with restricted internet access. Many of them detect VPN traffic using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) and block it right away. When you turn on Obfuscated servers, you can bypass even the Great Firewall of China.

Invisibility on LAN is beneficial when you don’t want your device to be visible on your local area network. While it doesn’t make much sense when you’re at home, turning it on while on a public wi-fi is a good idea. If you can’t be seen on LAN, it’s much harder for malicious actors to gain access to your device.

Dark Web Monitor is a pretty unique feature. It checks if your email associated with the NordVPN account has ended up on a database with leaked data. If it does, you’ll get notified on your app. In such a case, you should immediately change the password of the compromised account, which can be anything from a Facebook login to your mailbox.

NordLynx – a safe implementation of WireGuard

NordVPN announced its proprietary NordLynx protocol at the end of July 2019, becoming the first major VPN to implement WireGuard. WireGuard is a super-secure tunneling protocol that has major performance benefits over other protocols. In April 2020, NordLynx became available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Perhaps most importantly, the WireGuard’s code is easy to audit because it has only 4,000 lines. Compare this with IPsec’s 400,000 lines of code, or OpenVPN+OpenSSL’s 600,000 lines. Bigger code means a bigger chance of someone finding an exploitable flaw.

To make NordLynx possible, they had to solve a privacy issue:

[WireGuard] can’t dynamically assign IP addresses to everyone connected to a server. Therefore, the server must contain a local static IP address table to know where internet packets are traveling from and to whom they should return. It means that the real IP address of a user must be linked to an internal IP address assigned by the VPN.

NordLynx fixes this WireGuard issue by developing a double NAT (Native Address Translation) system, allowing the VPN to establish a secure connection without logging any identifiable details.

Security and privacy aside, NordLynx provides significantly better speeds than OpenVPN or IKEv2 tunneling protocols. NordVPN ran more than 8,000 tests by following four different scenarios to confirm the results. Our speed test further asserts NordLynx as the ultimate protocol.

Anonymous purchase

NordVPN is one of a few providers that give users anonymous purchase options. Not only does it support multiple cryptocurrencies, but it also allows you to sign up without any personally identifiable information, such as your name, address, or contact details. The only thing you’ll need is an email address, which can be a throwaway account.

You can buy NordVPN using the following anonymous purchase options via CoinPayments:

• Bitcoin (BTC)
  
• Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
  
• Litecoin (LTC)
  
• BitTorrent (BTT)
  
• Dash (DASH)
  
• Tron (TRX)
• Monero (XMR)
  
• Zcash (ZEC)
  
• Ripple (XRP)
• Ethereum (ETH)

Optionally, you can pay with an FIO request without the need for a blockchain public address.

Last but not least comes the option to pay for NordVPN in cash by getting a subscription box at your local store. Those include Walmart, Target, and Amazon, among others. NordVPN security boxes are available in the US, Canada, the UK, and Germany.

Other Nord Security products

If you want to stay safe online, using only a VPN is not enough. Even though NordVPN encrypts your traffic and hides your real IP address, there are many other ways third parties can tamper with your data. For this reason, Nord Security offers NordLayer, NordPass, NordLocker, and NordWL.

NordLayer is essentially a business version of NordVPN. No matter how good the latter is, it’s still aimed towards personal use and limited account sharing. In the meantime, NordLayer supports thousands of accounts and offers an easy way to manage their access. With more than 15 million users, this business VPN continues its painless growth.

NordPass is a highly-touted password manager for keeping your most important data secure. At the same time, it releases you from the burden of remembering all passwords or using the same ones on different accounts. NordPass supports multiple devices and works even when you’re offline. It also makes sharing passwords not only easy but safe as well.

NordLocker is a great way to encrypt files and store them on your device or back them up on a secure cloud. The most popular plan includes 2 TB of storage and 24/7 priority support. There are also customized options for businesses, including both Windows and macOS users. And just like NordPass, NordLocker allows sharing data hassle-free without ever losing control.

NordWL is for those who want to start their own VPN. It’s a set of tools, know-how, and infrastructure, including a dedicated manager for keeping things running smoothly. You’ll be able to create your own templates and browser extensions while tracking growth on an easy-to-use control panel. Finally, NordWL gives you well-documented development kits (SDKs) and modifiable APIs.

NordVPN device support

This provider supports a wide range of desktop and mobile devices, so they most likely support yours. It has apps for Windows 11, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV, plus browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

You can also manually set up NordVPN on a router, which negates the limit of simultaneous connections and allows to protect even more different devices, such as Apple TV or Roku. Then you have the SmartPlay feature, which combines the unblocking capabilities of Smart DNS with VPN protection. This way, you can connect various smart TVs and game consoles.

People often ask how many devices does NordVPN allow simultaneously. The answer is that you can use this VPN on up to 6 devices at the same time. That’s a pretty good benefit, but can VPN be shared? It turns out you can cover your entire household by installing NordVPN on a router or sharing it with your friends from all over the world.

The NordVPN apps are pretty uniform across the different platforms, with a simple interface that’s easy to use. They get bugfixes and updates regularly, minimizing the risk of someone exploiting any kind of vulnerability.

Desktop apps: Windows

When you launch the app, you’ll see a world map with server locations. You can manually choose the country you want to connect to or click the Quick connect button below the center. There’s also an option in some countries to search for specific servers by city.

Using dots instead of pins is a welcome change in NordVPN apps. Previously, you’d have to zoom in to the max when looking for a specific country in Europe. Moreover, the map contains markers for separate cities. That’s great when dealing with big countries like the US or Australia because connecting to New York instead of Los Angeles can have a noticeable impact on your speed and latency.

Another nice thing about NordVPN for Windows is server switching. Some providers require you to disconnect from your current server before choosing another one. In contrast, the NordVPN app does everything without requiring you to make that extra click, which can be irritating when you quickly need to compare prices in different countries.

You’ll see a cogwheel for the Settings menu on the top-right of the screen, where you can control all the security features, notifications, auto-connect settings, and more. I advise you to go over these settings because some defaults are not ideal for maximum security.

For example, you may want to turn on NordVPN when using public wi-fi automatically. Alternatively, you can choose trusted wi-fi networks that will block the auto-connect.

I liked NordVPN’s Pause option when you need to stop using a VPN for a short period. The problem with simply pressing Disconnect is that users tend to forget to reconnect. You can pause for 5, 30, or 60 minutes.

The available tunneling protocols are NordLynx and OpenVPN. While you can manually set up IKEv2/IPSec, it’s not worth the trouble while you have the option with the industry’s leading speed. Besides, NordVPN’s obfuscated servers work with OpenVPN (TCP) only.

Now are some of the latest updates for the NordVPN Windows version:

• Improved split tunneling performance
• Setting your dedicated IP for auto-connect
• Added the Japanese language
• Multi-factor authentication

Desktop apps: macOS

NordVPN actually has two macOS apps. There’s one on the App Store that requires 10.12 or later firmware. This app comes with NordLynx, OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPSec protocols. It also has a connection-level kill switch that you cannot turn off.

Another Mac app is available on NordVPN’s website. Known as the sideload version, it works with macOS 10.10 and 10.11 but offers only OpenVPN. However, this app has all the latest updates. Additionally, here you can set custom DNS servers and the app-level kill switch.

NordVPN apps for Mac and Windows have a pretty similar interface and feature set. Both offer AES-256 encryption, the CyberSec suite of features, a kill switch, and much more. That being said, split tunneling is unavailable on macOS.

Both Mac versions also have a new feature named Presets. It allows you to create shortcuts to your favorite apps and sites that you launch after turning on the VPN. You can choose server, protocol, protection level, and up to 6 links for each preset.

Here are the key NordVPN for Mac updates:

• Handy shortcuts to Presets, Statistics, and Preferences
• Dark Mode
• Multi-factor authentication
• Advanced kill switch now available on OpenVPN

Desktop app: Linux

NordVPN for Linux will require a bit more work to set up, as is typical for Linux clients. While it lacks the GUI (Graphical User Interface) of Mac and Windows versions, it offers the same features, although with command lines.

You can install .rep or .deb packages on most Linux distributions, such as Debian, openSUSE, or Fedora. NordVPN’s website also has tutorials for installation.

Let’s check what’s new in NordVPN for Linux:

• Multi-factor authentication
• Support for IPv6
• More user-friendly password entry

Mobile apps: Android and iOS

Android and iOS apps offer a great experience on mobile. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the NordVPN mobile experience is pretty close to the desktop one. You’ll find most of the features available on Windows and Mac, plus some unique options.

Both apps look and work pretty similarly. With the advent of Dark Mode, you can make them fit your smartphone’s theme. To use NordVPN on your mobile device, you either press Quick Connect for the best server or choose one yourself. In the latter case, you can scroll the alphabetical list or click one of the dots on your map. The only minor difference is that the iOS app doesn’t show which tunneling protocol you are using.

Moving on to the features, we find that the iOS app has a kill switch integrated into it. Android users will have to find the Always-on VPN option in their phone settings. Additionally, NordVPN for iOS doesn’t have split tunneling, which is important for torrenting and optimizing performance.

NordVPN for Android has NordLynx and OpenVPN tunneling protocols, while the iOS app also offers IKEv2. Both offer CyberSec and Dark Web Monitor and one unique feature. The Android app has Tapjacking protection that warns you whenever malware adds a screen overlay to trick you. In the meantime, NordVPN for iOS allows setting Siri shortcuts for (dis)connecting.

You can find the mobile apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play. There’s also an APK file available if you want to download and install the Android app manually.

Let’s see what the latest additions to NordVPN for Android are:

• Location pins replaced by location bubbles
• Bottom navigation bar
• Security score to make yourself safer online

In the meantime, the iOS app now has:

• Protection streak challenges you into using NordVPN continuously
• Bottom navigation screen
• Multi-factor authentication

Web browsers: Chrome, Firefox, and Edge

NordVPN has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. These are listed as proxy extensions, but they will help you change your IP address, protect your communications, and block ads and trackers. Browser add-ons are especially convenient when you need to quickly use a VPN on someone else’s device without installing the app.

Unlike NordVPN’s desktop and mobile apps, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browser extensions don’t have a server map. If you don’t want to use Quick Connect, you can either use the A-Z country list or search for the right one. Additionally, you will see your most recent connections, allowing you to connect once more with a mere click.

Some VPN providers offer free browser extensions, which are more of a marketing trick. They usually provide only a few locations and no extra features, such as malware blockers. That’s not the case here – NordVPN’s browser extensions for Edge, Firefox, and Chrome come with the complete server list, AdBlocker, and WebRTC blocker.

Another new feature for NordVPN browser add-ons is called the Bypass List. It allows you to choose which websites will use a proxy connection and which ones will be loaded without using the extension. That is especially convenient if you want to browse two different versions of the same website for price comparison.

You can download the extension for your browser from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Browser Add-ons, or Microsoft Edge Add-ons website. NordVPN Chrome extension has been downloaded more than 1,000,000 times, which is ten times more than the Firefox counterpart. Launched in December 2021, the Edge add-on has 8,000+ users so far but the number won’t be accurate as you can also get it from the Chrome Web Store.

Finally, don’t forget that just like any extension, NordVPN for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge protects only your browsing efforts. If you want to torrent safely or play video games without the risk of a DDoS attack, use one of the desktop or mobile apps.

Which other platforms does NordVPN support?

This VPN has an app for Android TV devices. Therefore, if your smart TV uses Android as its OS, you can use the VPN service and its Custom DNS server. There’s also an app for Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick. Here’s a tutorial on how to install NordVPN on your Amazon Fire device.

While some providers offer the Smart DNS tool for connecting smart TVs, game consoles, and similar devices without encrypting their traffic, NordVPN has chosen another path. By combining VPN and Smart DNS, they’ve created the aforementioned SmartPlay – a tool that unblocks content and keeps you safe at the same time.

You can manually configure NordVPN on most routers. The majority of firmware supports the freeware OpenVPN client, but some use the IKEv2 tunnel. Additionally, if you have a Synology, QNAP, AsusTor, or Western Digital MyCloud NAS server, chances are it will work as well.

This service also works with OpenVPN open-source software. Of course, that means you won’t be able to use any other tunneling protocol, which is a pity given how fast NordLynx is. Finally, while NordVPN doesn’t have an app for Kodi, it works great with this media player.

Is NordVPN good for streaming?

NordVPN is the best VPN for streaming. It unblocks multiple services from all over the world and provides excellent speeds. That means you’ll be able to watch your favorite TV shows and movies in UHD (4K) without buffering. Here’s the list of content platforms available with NordVPN in 2022 from anywhere:

What’s more, NordVPN has apps for Android TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick if you want to watch your favorite movies or shows on a big screen. And if you configure it on a router, you can use its unblocking capabilities on a wide variety of smart TVs and game consoles, including Roku.

Alternatively, use the SmartPlay feature, which combines Smart DNS and VPN protection. It will also help combat bandwidth throttling which ISPs often use. Finally, depending on your skill level, using SmartPlay can be easier than manually configuring your router and streaming device.

Netflix with NordVPN

In short, NordVPN is the best VPN for Netflix. It has proven successful, time and time again, at unblocking Netflix US from anywhere. Netflix was available on every US server I tried in my tests – that’s quite a stunning achievement.

The situation was just as good in other popular locations. I was able to watch Netflix libraries in Japan, the UK, Canada, Australia, and the Netherlands. A few servers I tried were blocked, but there were always more in the same country that worked. While I haven’t tested other countries, I’m pretty sure there shouldn’t be any problem accessing their local Netflix versions.

Unblocking Amazon Prime Video and other platforms

In addition to Netflix, NordVPN also unblocks Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and many more streaming websites.

Buffering time will mostly depend on the distance to the VPN server but if you have a decent internet connection, watching in HD or 4K is entirely possible.

Once again, if you fail to unblock a certain platform, try a few other servers first.

Torrenting with NordVPN

NordVPN is the best VPN for torrenting. It even has P2P-optimized servers in more than 50 countries, along with military-grade encryption and unlimited bandwidth. Thanks to NordLynx, a proprietary WireGuard tunneling protocol, you will enjoy the best possible P2P-sharing speeds that’ll help you finish all downloads in no time!

Torrenting and using BitTorrent-based streaming apps (such as Kodi or Popcorn Time) can be risky. Luckily, this service meets all the criteria for being a privacy-first torrenting VPN. It has an independently-audited no-logs policy, no leaks, and a reliable kill switch that works either on the app or connection level (just don’t forget to turn it on!).

Additionally, NordVPN is one of the few VPN services that offer a free SOCKS5 proxy. This is a convenient way to protect yourself from those situations when you load up your torrent client but forget to turn on your VPN. You can set up a SOCKS5 proxy on all popular P2P clients, such as uTorrent, BitTorrent, Vuze, or Deluge.

Finally, if you want to learn more about torrenting with this provider or find instructions on setting up its SOCKS5 proxy on your P2P client, head straight to the NordVPN support page.

Customer support: 24/7 live chat, email, and tutorials

NordVPN has excellent customer support that will answer most or all of your questions. Your support options include:

• Chatbot
• 24/7 live chat support
• Email
• FAQ
• Knowledgebase

I tested NordVPN’s 24/7 live chat and found the waiting times to be less than a minute most of the time. All agents were polite and resourceful. And should you contact customer support via email, expect an answer on the same day.

Live chat and email

One way to access live chat is to visit the NordVPN website and click on the Support widget button at the bottom-right of your screen. A window will appear with a search box, FAQ, and an option to choose between email or live chat. You might also get a chatbot instead, which will allow you to contact a live person anyway.

I found that live chat support agents are top-notch, very responsive, and knowledgeable. I had to wait a few minutes at most before the agent was assigned. The response times were even shorter, and I had to wait for an answer only if the question was more complex.

If the issue is too difficult to solve during a chat session, you can expect an answer via email within hours. I was happy that they were ultimately able to solve every issue that I had.

FAQ and knowledge base

Both the FAQ and the knowledge base sections are detailed and cover the most common issues. The FAQ is divided into two parts – VPN Setup Tutorials and category questions. The former covers major platforms and other devices, while the FAQ itself has more than 20 entries.

When it comes to the rest of the knowledge base, it’s divided into three big sections: General info, Billing, and Connectivity.

General info covers the features and SmartPlay. The Billing section talks about payments and subscriptions. Finally, the Connectivity has a dedicated section for all major platforms plus SOCKS5 proxy, routers, and NAS devices.

Overall, there are more than 150 articles, so you should be able to find answers to most questions in an unlikely scenario where live support goes down.

NordVPN videos to watch in 2022

Find out about our NordVPN speed test results and what’s changed over the years, or simply watch the video version of this review.

How NordVPN compares to other providers

There are more great VPNs that compete with NordVPN. Here are a few comparisons with the toughest opponents:

• NordVPN vs ExpressVPN vs Surfshark – which one wins the triple comparison?
• NordVPN vs ProtonVPN – do you really need that much security?
• NordVPN vs PureVPN – can it unblock something that NordVPN can’t?
• NordVPN vs Private Internet Access – is more popular always better?
• NordVPN vs IPVanish – is losing in all categories a sign of weakness?

Conclusion: should you get NordVPN?

Yes, you should get NordVPN. It’s definitely one of the best VPNs on the market right now and the VPN global leader in many ways. Additionally, it’s the fastest VPN service you can get in 2022.

NordVPN has faultless privacy and security features, with industry-leading encryption and next-gen NordLynx tunneling protocol. The kill switch is reliable, and CyberSec blocks ads and malware from infecting your device. What’s more, Obfuscated servers will let you use NordVPN in China and other internet-restricting countries.

Based in Panama, a country with no data retention laws, NordVPN is in a good position for retaining its independently-audited no-logs policy. This provider offers enough privacy even for journalists and political activists.

NordVPN’s can get around Netflix and other streaming blocks, and the P2P-optimized servers are good news for torrenters. You can connect to 60+ servers in 60 countries.

While NordVPN doesn’t offer native router support, few other providers do. Besides, you can set it up manually by following step-by-step instructions. And should you have any questions, its strong customer support is ready to help you out 24/7.

To sum up, if you want an industry-leading VPN for entertainment, security, privacy, or all of the above, you absolutely can’t go wrong with NordVPN.

FAQ

Is it safe to use NordVPN?

It’s absolutely safe to use NordVPN. It’s one of the most secure and private services available today. It has a strict no-logs policy, military-grade encryption, and other necessary features to protect your personal data.

NordVPN vs ExpressVPN – which one is better?

Our research shows that NordVPN is better than ExpressVPN. It’s much cheaper and offers more in terms of performance. What’s more, ExpressVPN has recently been acquired by Kape Technologies, a company with a less than stellar reputation.

If you still have doubts, check our in-depth ExpressVPN vs NordVPN comparison.

How many devices does NordVPN allow per account?

NordVPN allows six simultaneous connections per one account. If you set it up on a router, you’ll be able to protect any number of devices in your household.

How to get NordVPN for free?

There’s no way to legally get NordVPN for free. It has a 7-day free-trial on Google Play Store, though. Furthermore, you can try it risk-free for 30 days.

Where is NordVPN based?

NordVPN is registered in Panama, a privacy-friendly country with no data retention laws, far away from the Fourteen Eyes intelligence alliance members.

Does NordVPN unblock Netflix?

Yes, NordVPN unblocks Netflix in multiple countries, including the US, the UK, Australia, and Japan. It will also help you watch other streaming platforms, such as Amazon Prime Video or Disney Plus, from anywhere.

Can I download torrents with NordVPN?

Yes, you can. NordVPN has fast P2P-optimized servers all over the world. Additionally, you can benefit from a SOCKS5 proxy and protection against bandwidth throttling.

Does NordVPN work in China?

Yes, NordVPN works in China. It can bypass the Great Firewall of China and avoid Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) thanks to its Obfuscated servers. NordVPN is also great against any type of surveillance, keeping you safe online.