Home » VPN » NordVPN Review (2021)- A High Performance Security System

NordVPN Review (2021)- A High Performance Security System

We review one of the most trusted VPNs on the market to see how it compares to its competition.

Updated: Jul 26, 2022 10:08 am
NordVPN Review

In the modern age of viruses, hackers, and third-party companies that share your information like it’s going out of fashion, keeping your personal data safe couldn’t be of more importance. Luckily, you don’t have to go out and spend a fortune on a high-end security system for your data, you can just invest in a solid VPN that helps protect your personal information.

In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at NordVPN – one of the most trusted and popular virtual private network services on the market. We’ll be putting the popular VPN through its paces in a number of different scenarios to see how it stacks up against some of its main rivals.

So, with plenty to get through, let’s waste no further time and dive straight into it.

Excellent
NordVPN
NordVPN
Servers 5,200+
Devices 6
Server Locations 60+
Netflix Access? Yes
Encryption Type AES-256
IP Addresses Static, Shared, or Dedicated
PROS
  • Strict No-logs policy
  • One of the fastest VPNs on the market
  • Prioritizes your security
  • Use up to six devices
  • Comes with 30-day money-back guarantee
  • 15% discount for students
CONS
  • Whilst a dedicated IP is offered, it'll cost you extra

NordVPN Main Features

NordVPN comes equipped with a tonne of features that not only make usability a lot easier but also help to prioritize safety. We’ll be looking at each feature in more depth below, helping us to get a better overall picture of what this package offers.

For me, here are the main features that NordVPN comes equipped with:

Large Server Base

NordVPN has the biggest server base of any VPN service out there, offering up an impressive 5,200 servers across 60 countries. This allows users of almost any location to connect to a relatively close server – helping to increase both upload and download speeds whilst using the VPN. Furthermore, with a tonne of servers to use, you’ll be able to make use of a wide variety of content that is geo-blocked.

Server Base Nord VPN

Prioritizing Your Safety (In Panama)

NordVPN offers a tonne of features to protect your personal information. However, one of the best features is having a headquarters in Panama. Whilst that might not mean a great deal to you, it should – as it means NordVPN operates outside of Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes Jurisdiction.

These surveillance alliances can, if prompted, request personal data from a particular VPN that is operating within certain countries. Fortunately, Panama doesn’t fall within those jurisdictions, meaning at no point can anyone request your personal data.

Kill Switch

Another fantastic tool in the quest for maximum safety is the Nord’s Kill Switch functionality. Essentially, this will shut down your connection automatically if the VPN gets compromised. For example, if you’re downloading a large piece of content and the VPN connection was to drop momentarily, the kill switch feature would kick into gear and terminate the process (along with your internet connection).

NordVPN Kill Switch

This is a huge plus for users as it only strengthens the safety the service provides.

Strong Encryption

All VPNs come with some form of encryption – it’s effectively the feature that keeps your data safe when browsing the web. That being said, there are different levels of encryption, and Nord is renowned for providing extremely efficient encryption.

NordVPN makes use of AES with 256-bit keys – the same level of encryption that is utilized by cybersecurity specialists and governments. Whilst this level of encryption isn’t unique to NordVPN – also utilized by Surfshark and other VPNs – it still adds another layer of protection to your data when browsing the web.

Protocols

NordVPN makes use of two internet protocols for connecting to its servers – IPSec and IKEv2. Both have their own unique pros, working together for a seamless experience. IPSec would be used to establish and maintain encrypted connections for the devices we are using – whilst IKEv2 would re-establish the VPN connection if Wi-Fi was ever lost.

VPN Comparison

Split Tunnelling

Split Tunnelling is a great feature to have if you’re looking to split some of your network traffic via a local network and the VPN. You can choose which applications utilize the VPN and which get routed via the normal network in the settings tab.

Whilst this is a good feature to have, it does lessen the security of your overall traffic – something that is explained before activating the feature. That being said, it is a cool feature to have if you’re looking to access geo-blocked content whilst still maintaining some flow of traffic through the original network.

Upload & Download Speeds

Like any VPN test, upload and download speeds are hugely important. NordVPN claims to be one of the fastest services out there – it’ll be interesting to see how much of a speed reduction we receive whilst utilizing the VPN.

For the purposes of this test, we first reviewed our internet speed without the use of NordVPN to get a baseline. We then tested our internet speeds using the VPN in a number of different locations.

Here are the results:

VPN Internet Speeds Table

As you can see from the table above, speeds were (relatively speaking) pretty decent across the board. Hong Kong seems to be the anomaly at the moment – but after several tests, using both PC and laptop, the results were fairly conclusive.

internet test w o vpn Copy

For users that want to maintain a strong home internet connection, using the VPN in your home country saw only small dips in internet speed. We recorded a 19.46% reduction in internet speed when using NordVPN in the same country – not only protecting our connection but also allowing us to maintain good speeds.

internet speeds with uk vpn Copy

Italy didn’t produce the best speeds, neither did Hong Kong – however, Japan was surprisingly good – with speeds reducing by 31.14%. Whilst the ping wasn’t amazing, (442ms) both upload speed and download speeds were very respectable.

internet speed in japan Copy

Layered Encryption

In Nord’s quest for maximum security, the company employed a ‘double VPN’ structure that would see numerous servers used to gain multiple layers of encryption. This functionality is better known as multi-hop or VPN server chaining – enhancing the levels of security you achieve whilst using the network.

A lot of the VPN services on the market only offer up a single layer of encryption, meaning hackers only have to get through one layer to gain access to your data. With NordVPN, even if the hacker manages to get through one layer of protective encryption, they won’t be able to gain access to your data.

Excellent
NordVPN
NordVPN
Servers 5,200+
Devices 6
Server Locations 60+
Netflix Access? Yes
Encryption Type AES-256
IP Addresses Static, Shared, or Dedicated

Layout And Ease Of Use

I’ve used NordVPN for some time now and the layout isn’t spectacular, but it does the job and is easy to navigate. The main screen utilizes a map decide that shows all the server locations NordVPN has to offer. On the left-hand side, users will be able to see all the recently connected servers, speciality servers, and all the countries that offer up a server from NordVPN.

NordVPN layout

On the right, you have a map of the earth with blue dots signaling where servers are located. You can zoom in to a specific area and connect to a server by clicking on the blue dots. A notification bar at the bottom of the map tells you whether or not you’re protected and if you are actually connected or not.

The settings menu can be found at the top right of the screen and offers up plenty of features. Alongside account settings, advanced settings, referrals, and discovery, users can also set up bespoke settings for ‘Auto-connect’, ‘Kill Switch’, and ‘split tunnelling’ features.

NordVPN connected

Overall, the layout of NordVPN is incredibly straightforward. If even you have no experience using a VPN  in the past, you’ll easily be able to navigate and set up the application thanks to its ease of use.

Customer Support

Like any good VPN service, NordVPN offers up 24/7 customer service in case you run into any issues during your subscription period. NordVPN offers up several options as far as customer service is concerned, with 24/7 live chat being the most utilized by users. Alongside this, you have email support, an in-depth database of submitted FAQs, and a tonne of other helpful resources as well.

Unfortunately, NordVPN doesn’t offer up a telephone line for speaking to an actual human over the phone. Whilst this is the case, most issues can be resolved by browsing through the data on the website. However, if you are still experiencing issues, you can simply fire up the 24/7 live chat and a person will answer your question.

We had a good experience using customer support with NordVPN. Whilst it isn’t as good as the NordVPN Teams support, it isn’t far off.

How Much Does NordVPN Cost?

So, how much do all these features and benefits cost you? Well, NordVPN seems to be fairly reasonably priced (when considering the features), offering up a selection of different subscription packages that range from a month to 2 years (plus 3 months free).

Below are the current prices and subscription terms:

NordVPN Pricing Subscriptions

Like most VPN subscriptions, the longer you commit to NordVPN the lower the price will be. A single month is the most expensive subscription on offer, retailing at $11.95 per month at full price. Upping your subscription to a year will see that drop by over 50%, and two years will see it drop further – including three months free.

While these are the full prices, deals are available at various times of year – so keep your eyes peeled for a decent offer on a longer-term subscription.

Excellent
NordVPN
NordVPN
Servers 5,200+
Devices 6
Server Locations 60+
Netflix Access? Yes
Encryption Type AES-256
IP Addresses Static, Shared, or Dedicated

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it, our comprehensive review of NordVPN, one of the most trusted virtual private networks on the market. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed using NordVPN – it offered up all the features I want alongside an easy-to-use interface that allowed me to easily access the features on offer.

Nord’s VPN provide a tonne of servers across a large expanse of countries, provide excellent encryption and protection, as well as a plethora of features that really did help me prioritize safety. Whilst prices are in line with some of the top-end competitors in the space, NordVPN still offers fantastic value for money, especially if you opt for the longer-term subscriptions on offer.

With plenty of people becoming more accustomed to virtual private networks – mainly thanks to hackers and third-party companies rinsing your data – NordVPN could be exactly what you’re looking for. Right now, it’s arguably the most complete package on the market.

Excellent
NordVPN
NordVPN
Servers 5,200+
Devices 6
Server Locations 60+
Netflix Access? Yes
Encryption Type AES-256
IP Addresses Static, Shared, or Dedicated

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