NordVPN is a really good VPN provider that offers a user-friendly app, customer service that is available 24/7 and the ability to surf incredibly securely.
What makes NordVPN unique?
NordVPN is one of the most popular VPN providers on the market and offers one of the most user-friendly solutions. The app is one of the best to use on mobiles and allows you to surf anonymously. Through their user-friendly design and high protection of private information, NordVPN is a competitive alternative to the other giants in the VPN market.
There is one particular aspect that makes NordVPN unique compared to the other VPN providers. NordVPN allows you to send your internet traffic through not just one, but two VPN servers. If you are a VPN user who really wants to surf anonymously, this can be very valuable. Although you probably won’t need it every day, it is appreciated if you ever have to send extra sensitive information.
In recent years, VPNs have gone from being a geeky obscurity to an online tool used by most people. The increasing demand has led to an increased supply, and today we can find many VPN options with different speeds and levels of security. In this article, we have taken a closer look at one of the larger VPN providers, namely NordVPN.
Why use a VPN?
In general, VPNs are used to secure internet data shared over public networks, ensure that online activity is kept private, and bypass geo-restrictions on the internet. A VPN is not the same as a proxy server, which is used to hide IP addresses, but does not encrypt data and therefore exposes the user to potential surveillance and hacking. VPN services create encrypted “tunnels” between the user’s computer and the server of the VPN provider, which gives the user more robust protection from various online threats.
NordVPN always protects you
Some VPN providers take the service to the next level, adding extra layers of functionality, integrating additional web security and delivering outstanding usability. Among their many features, you can find a large network of servers optimized for specific purposes, an automatic “kill switch” function that breaks the connection if the VPN should not work and double encryption options. In addition, NordVPN has a strict no-log policy, which means that NordVPN does not log your activity. Your privacy is therefore protected from everyone – even your VPN network.
NordVPN features worth noting
5,000+ servers in 60+ countries
No data is logged
Up to 6 connections at the same time
Automatic “kill switch” function
Extremely secure encryption (OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPsec protocol)
Compatible with most operating systems, such as Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and Linux
Includes a proxy extension for Google Chrome and Firefox
P2P sharing is possible
Double data encryption for increased anonymity
Onion over the VPN servers
Unlimited bandwidth
24/7 customer service
Accepts credit cards, GiroPay, Sofort, iDeal, Ethereum, Ripple, and Bitcoin
Specified IP addresses are available upon request, for a small fee
Free CyberSec security add-on (blocks dangerous websites, prevents the computer from participating in DDoS attacks, ad blocker)
30-day money back guarantee
Installing NordVPN
Once you’ve created an account, the rest of the setup is a simple download and install process. The company’s website offers several download links and instructions for the various operating systems and devices.
NordVPN is an easy to use VPN service, and allows the customer to select servers by either country or connection type. Once you have selected a suitable server, you can simply click the connect button at the top of the page. Overall, it’s a very good service for new VPN users who want security and anonymity without complicated settings.
Servers and locations
NordVPN has servers in 60+ countries around the world. Examples of locations where NordVPN has servers are USA, Canada, Brazil, UK, France, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, Singapore and Australia, Singapore, Japan, Thailand, UAE. South Korea, Full List you can get from here .
Depending on what you need, you can choose extremely fast servers to stream movies or use P2P networks, double VPN or Onion over VPN connections for enhanced anonymity. You can of course also choose a regular server to hide your IP address, encrypt your communications and prevent others from tracking your online activity.
Privacy and security
NordVPN saves neither usage nor session logs. The only data NordVPN saves from its users are their email addresses, usernames and payment information. The ability to use anonymous email and pay through Bitcoin, in combination with Onion over VPN and double encryption options, means that even the most anxious user can feel safe.
For those who mainly care about security, NordVPN recommends OpenVPN and I KEv2/IPsec encryption protocols. OpenVPN is the default setting in NordVPN’s Windows and Android apps, which use military-grade 2048-bit SSL encryption. The even more secure IKEv2/IPsec is the latest addition to the company’s security protocol, and is the default setting for iOS and macOS apps. It uses 3072-bit encryption and the “Perfect Forward Secrecy” system, which generates a unique private encryption code for each individual session.
NordVPN’s service also prevents unencrypted queries from DNS servers with a special tool, which ensures that all queries are safe and secure.
Performance
The biggest problem with VPN services is how it will affect your internet experience. To be able to test this, we have used the Ookla speed test, while connected to a Wifi network. Connecting to the geographically closest server resulted in an almost negligible decrease in download and upload speed.
Then we experimented with some randomly selected European servers, with mixed results from 0.12 Mbps to a record 58 Mbps on one of the French servers, which is higher than the speed without VPN.
As expected, the speed of the US servers was noticeably slower due to geographical distance, averaging 2 Mbps. However, it is possible to choose faster servers optimized for file sharing, which give better results.
If you’re just surfing around, you’ll hardly notice any downgrade in speed. You can also try some tricks to increase the VPN speed, such as adjusting the encryption levels or switching from WiFi to cable connection.
Website and customer service
NordVPN has a nice and well-planned website, which gives you all the information about tools, cost, available servers and customer service. The company offers 24/7 customer service through live chat and email.
The website also offers some extra tools such as encrypted proxy extension for Google Chrome and FireFox, which enables safe browsing without limits.
NordVPN Pricing 2022
A NordVPN membership is one of the best prices out there. Monthly payment is not unexpectedly more expensive.
All memberships provide unlimited broadband to up to six devices, including smartphones, tablets and routers. If you protect your router, it covers all devices connected to it, thus allowing for more connections.
The final verdict
To sum up our review, we’d say we’re extremely impressed with NordVPN. Simple enough for beginners but with a range good enough for the most security-conscious of users. NordVPN is clearly one of the best providers on the market!
TOR’s anonymization network
In addition, the service gives you access to TOR’s anonymization network. This makes it even more difficult to track your connection and makes it possible to reach hidden websites, albeit at a reduced speed. It is therefore no coincidence that NordVPN is often labeled as the most secure VPN provider in the world.
The company is based in Panama, which means that they do not have to comply with European and American regulations and are therefore not forced to disclose sensitive information. Instead, you can sit back and enjoy a connection through NordVPN’s military-grade encryption and not worry about your data being logged.
Great price for great service
NordVPN’s services are offered at a reasonable price, although it is a bit more expensive than other VPN providers. Like ExpressVPN, NordVPN’s offer starts at about 10 US dollars a month if you sign up for a monthly subscription. If you want the service for a longer period of time (more than a year), then the prices are much lower and you can use NordVPN’s awesome service for about 11 Euro a month.
If you doubt whether NordVPN is the right VPN service for you, NordVPN has a 30-day money-back guarantee. It allows you to have a free trial during which you can cancel the subscription and get your money back if you are not satisfied.
Few but well-chosen functions
In contrast to other VPN providers, NordVPN has few features. That their app has fewer functions is both an advantage and a disadvantage. On the one hand, you can say that other providers have more features than what an average user actually uses and thus make it more user-friendly. But on the other hand, it is also a disadvantage as many VPN services have many extra functions that surprise you positively.
If you enjoy watching Netflix and other similar streaming services, you can easily access these services with NordVPN, no matter where you are in the world. NordVPN’s app allows you to easily connect to servers all over the world, unblock pages and thus reach.
NordVPN – a really good choice
You can use up to 6 devices simultaneously during a subscription. This means that the whole family can take advantage of the service and enjoy surfing in a safe and fast way. The NordVPN app is easy to download and supports Chrome, Android, Firefox, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows.