Nord VPN review 2023
Updated: 4 January 2023
From £2.69 per month
Protect up to 6 devices
Works on Windows, Mac, Android, IOS and more
Protect desktops, laptops, Smartphones, tablets
PRIVACY
10
SPEED
10
NETFLIX
9.9
VALUE
9.9
Our verdict:
“The best all round VPN”.
Review summary
One of the most popular VPN providers with over 12 million users across the world.
Best in class privacy and security features offering complete protection.
Protect up to six devices enabling all your gadgets to be protected under one subscription.
Android and IOS apps for mobile protection.
Enables streaming with Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video and all other major providers.
Supports torrenting and P2P networking through speciality servers.
Easy to install, set up and connect to.
Great value for money and 30 day money back guarantee.
Privacy and security features
Hide your identity online
Your IP address and location is hidden so that no one can identify you online, protecting you from prying companies, authorities and online criminals.
Next generation encryption
What you do online can be open for others to snoop around. It isn’t just hackers, but even your internet service provider could access your data for advertising purposes or even governments could demand access to your online data.
To ensure you maintain your online security Nord encrypts all of your online activity so that nobody can read it.
Block dangerous websites
Malicious and dangerous websites are blocked using Nord’s CyberSec technology.
Any website you are about to visit is cross referenced against a massive database of blacklisted sites so that you have a thick layer of protection against online scams and viruses.
Block ads and pop-ups
Nord hides pop-ups and advertising on sites to make life online a little less annoying and let you focus on the stuff you actually want to see.
Double VPN protection
When you connect to Nord VPN your traffic is hidden through two VPN servers, not just one. This offers double the protection and privacy compared to solutions that offer just single server encryption.
No Data logging
Nord does not record any details of your online activity. This means that you can rest assured that your privacy is completely protected.
Thousands of VPN servers worldwide
Nord offers access to almost 6,000 VPN servers spread across 59 countries across the world ensuring that your online activity is protected wherever you are in the world.
Automatic Kill switch
When you are connected to any VPN server, there is always the chance that the VPN server connection could be lost.
This means there is a risk that your privacy could accidently be compromised.
Nord protects against this through the kill switch feature which, if enabled, automatically takes your device offline should your VPN connection be lost, ensuring that you are always protected when online.
DNS leak protection
DNS leaks (link out) aren’t as well-known as other security risks but can result in your internet service provider or others being able to see the websites you visit and your online activity. Nord protects against DNS leaks giving the peace of mind that your online activity is secure.
Onion over VPN
Nord can combine the protection offered by The Onion Router (Tor) with another layer of VPN protection making it even more secure and protected from prying eyes.
Privacy and security – overall verdict
Nord offers the most comprehensive suite of privacy and security features of any VPN provider.
You can be sure that your online privacy is being protected and features such as the kill switch and double VPN offer additional levels of protection that are not standard with other providers.
On top of that, Nord does not log your online activity meaning you have the peace of mind that details of your online activity will not get into the wrong hands.
What country does Nord operate from?
We have already confirmed that Nord does not keep logs of users’ online activity, which is a big positive for securing your privacy.
The country where a VPN service operates from and the differing legal systems in countries can impact the likelihood of governments or authorities attempting to retrieve data from VPN providers.
Nord is based in Panama, which makes it very difficult for European or American authorities to demand data from them.
Even in the unlikely event that authorities were to demand information, Nord does not log any user online activity so they would not have any private data to provide, which is reassuring for all their users.
In summary, Nord VPN is located in Panama, a part of the world that enables them to maximise the privacy that they can provide to their customers.
Streaming – unblocking content
Unblocking Netflix and other streaming services abroad
Netflix and other streaming services have location restrictions that apply when connecting to your account abroad.
This means that you may not be able to watch your favourite shows when accessing your streaming account from a different country due to the differing rights restrictions in place in each country.
There is, however, a way to circumvent these restrictions and unblock Netflix and other streaming services using a VPN.
Nord offers VPN server locations across the globe, so connecting to a server located in your home country or any other country should enable you get around these restrictions and access to all your favourite shows and films no matter where you are in the world.
We have tested these by attempting to access US only content for Netfix and YouTube from countries across Europe including the UK, Germany and France.
Nord enabled connection to VPN servers and unblocked this US content in all our tests. In some cases we had to try a few different server locations but in all tests we performed we were able to successfully access the blocked streaming content.
Prevent buffering when streaming
Buffering and slow connection speeds when streaming can often be down to bandwidth throttling by your internet service provider as they try to limit your usage.
Nord VPN protects against this bandwidth throttling and ensures that you get access to your full speed available when streaming so annoying buffering and loading should be a thing of the past.
Streaming – overall verdict
Nord VPN helps ensure you can unlock content and have a buffer free streaming service and is compatible with all major streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer.
We’ve performed our own tests and have successfully unblocked US content for Netfix and YouTube in numerous countries around Europe.
Nord protects also against bandwith throttling from your internet service provider and also enables you to access your streaming account when abroad without missing out on any of your favourite shows due to location restrictions.
In summary, Nord VPN is up there with the very best for unblocking streaming content from Netflix and other sites.
Torrenting and P2P sharing
Does Nord VPN support P2P sharing?
Yes, Nord VPN does support P2P sharing.
You can connect to P2P servers in locations around the world. These servers have been configured to optimise file sharing so that you can share at the fastest available speeds any time and any place.
How does Nord VPN make P2P sharing safer?
Hides your IP address
When P2P sharing anyone who uploads or downloads a particular file can see each other’s IP address.
By connecting to Nord VPN, your real IP address is replaced with that of the VPN server, ensuring that your privacy and identity is protected.
Online activity not logged
Nord does not log any of your online activity and that includes any P2P sharing. This gives you peace of mind that your activity will remain private.
No bandwidth throttling
Connecting to Nord VPN ensures that your internet service provider cannot detect your activity and therefore throttle your bandwidth to limit your usage. This is true of all VPNs, but some VPN providers actually throttle your bandwith themselves to limit P2P sharing.
Nord never throttles the bandwidth capability of its customers so you can rest assured that you will have your full speed and performance available at all times.
Full encryption
Nord encrypts all your online data and activity ensuring that your information remains private and away from prying eyes.
No privacy risk due to VPN dropping
Nord VPN has Kill Switch functionality that will take your devices offline if your VPN server connection drops. This means there is no risk of accidentally compromising your privacy when P2P sharing
Torrenting – overall verdict
Nord VPN supports torrenting through dedicated servers.
They also provide the highest level of privacy protection to ensure you remain safe when P2P sharing.
In summary, Nord VPN supports torrenting and provides all the tools required to protect your identity remain safe when doing so.
Speed and performance
All VPNs impact the internet speed for users to some extent due to the addition of an extra security layer.
The aim of VPN providers is to offer maximum privacy and security features whilst minimising the impact on internet download and upload speeds.
We already know that Nord provide some of the most comprehensive privacy and security features of any VPN provider and in this section we take a look at the impact on internet speeds through our own testing.
Speed test methodology
1. Internet connection speed for downloads and uploads measured without VPN. Results recorded.
2. A Nord VPN connection is established. The Quick Access feature is used to select the server.
3. Internet connection speed for downloads and uploads measured with VPN. Results recorded.
4. The % impact the introduction of the VPN layer makes on the internet connection speed is calculated
Speed test results
UPLOAD SPEED
86%
Based on our tests, the connection speed for uploads when using the internet with Nord VPN is 86% of the speed when going online without a VPN.
This is a 14% reduction based on our tests.
This is a relatively good result for a VPN and ranks Nord amongst some of the faster platforms.
DOWNLOAD SPEED
83%
Based on our tests, the connection speed for downloads when using the internet with Nord VPN is 83% of the speed when going online without a VPN.
This is a 17% reduction based on our tests.
Again, this is a good result for a VPN and the impact on user experience should not be noticeable.
It should be noted that the Quick Access feature was used to select the VPN server to connect to.
This saves you from having to manually select a server location yourself and is generally how most people will use the platform on a day to day basis.
However, we have found that the most speed efficient server isn’t always selected via this method of connection, so although the speed impact of Nord VPN in our tests is minimal, it may be possible to reduce even further if you manually select a server to connect to.
Speed – overall verdict
The impact on internet speed of connecting to Nord VPN is minimal and should not be noticeable.
Given the privacy features offered by Nord, the speed is very good.
In our testing we have come across a couple of slightly faster solutions, but in general these tend to have fewer privacy features.
Overall, we can say the Nord offers very fast VPN connection speeds, among some of the best available.
There are slightly faster solutions based on our testing, but the differences are minimal and none of those offer the complete security package that Nord provides.
Using Nord VPN in a country with internet restrictions and censorship
Nord VPN supports connection from within countries that have censorship and internet restrictions.
Even though you are in a censorship region, by connecting to a server in a country that does not apply online censorship you can get around any regional firewall by essentially making it look like you are not located in that country.
Ideally Nord would need to be downloaded prior to accessing from a restricted internet region as it may prove difficult to download from directly within that region.
Connecting to Nord VPN from a restricted internet region should be straight forward and the Quick Access function should automatically connect you to an appropriate VPN server with one click.
If Quick Access struggles to connect you automatically, you can manually select a VPN server.
Make sure that the server you connect to is located in one of the countries listed below as these do not apply online censorship so you should be able to browse freely once connected:
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Canada
- Japan
- Singapore
Pricing and value for money
How much does Nord VPN cost?
Nord VPN has plans that work out at under £3 per month.
It is significantly cheaper to go for annual plans rather than paying a monthly amount. The 3 year plan works out at the cheapest at less than £3 per month whereas the monthly payment plans cost £9.20 per month, which is a very big difference.
Is there a free version?
There is not a completely free version of Nord VPN.
Nord does however offer a 30 day money back guarantee. This means you can try out the cheapest package risk free and cancel if you decide it’s not right for you.
What do you get for the price?
All the subscription packages provide exactly the same protection with access to all Nord’s privacy and security features for up to 6 devices.
It works out cheaper to take one of the annual subscriptions, but the cover is identical.
Value for money – overall verdict
Nord’s pricing is very competitive, particularly the annual plans and offers excellent value for money.
There are cheaper VPN solutions on the market, but these do not deliver as well on on elements of privacy and security and usability.
Overall we think Nord VPN is well worth the cost and offers comprehensive online protection as well as speed and performance for just a few pounds a month.
There is also the added bonus of a 30 day money back guarantee, which means you can try out Nord risk free to see if it’s right for you.
Installing Nord VPN on your devices
Once you’ve chosen your subscription plan you’ll need to get Nord installed on each of the devices you want to protect.
You can protect up to 6 devices simultaneously.
Once installed you can enter your subscription plan logon details and start the protection.
Nord is simple to install, but slightly different based on the type of device.
We’ve summarised the steps for the most common devices below.
Note, there are more manual installation options available for those who want to use a different user interface than the Nord standard platform, for example those who prefer to use the OpenVPN platform to connect to VPN servers.
These manual installations, however, are a little more advanced and more complicated. The vast majority of users should find the simple installation steps detailed below sufficient.
Windows laptop or desktop installation
Go to nordvpn.com/download/windows/
Click on download.
Go to your Downloads folder and double click on the NordVPN.exe file.
Follow the step by step instructions to install the Nord VPN application onto your computer.
Once installed, open the Nord VPN application on your computer and enter your username and password details that you selected when you purchased your subscription plan.
Mac laptop or desktop installation
You can download the Nord VPN Mac app from the App Store.
Alternatively, there is the option of downloading the OpenVPN version directly from the Nord website.
Depending on which download method you choose you will get a slightly different user interface.
In general we’d recommend using the App store.
However, the OpenVPN application version available directly from Nord can be more compatible with older Macs and is also more likely to be usable in countries that have internet restrictions.
Once installed, when you open up the Nord VPN application on your Mac for the first time you will then be prompted to install some additional software called Helper. This software is required to be able to connect to the VPN servers so agree to this and download this software.
Finally, logon to the Nord VPN application using the details you selected when purchasing your subscription.
IOS mobile app download
For your iPhone or iPad you can download the Nord VPN IOS app from the App Store
Enter your username and password to logon to the app. These are the logon details you selected when purchasing your plan.
Android mobile app download
Download the Nord VPN Android app for your mobile or tablet from Google Play
Logon to the app using the username and password you selected when registering your account.
User experience
Its very important for a VPN to be easy to use and intuitive so that users are clear about what level of protection they have and how to change features and settings.
We’ve taken a close look at the way the Nord VPN platform operates and it’s user interface across devices to determine how enjoyable an experience it is for users.
Note, the user experience screenshots below are from the Windows application; The applications for mobiles and other devices differ slightly in style but the overall experience and navigation remains consistent with the below.
Logging into Nord on your devices
When you first open up the Nord VPN application on your device you will be prompted to enter your username and password. These are the details that you chose when purchasing your package.
You will only have to logon once and your credentials will be remembered for subsequent times you open up the application.
Open the Nord VPN application on your device.
Enter your username and password as selected when you bought your Nord VPN subscription.
Configuring your VPN settings
Once logged in you can use Nord straight out of the box, but we’d recommend spending a couple of minutes reviewing your settings to ensure that you use the platform in the most efficient manner taking advantages of it’s main features.
Launch the Nord application on your devices automatically
You can amend your settings to automatically fire up the Nord VPN application fires up every time you logon to your device.
This saves you from having to open up the application each time, which you may inadvertently forget to do.
This setting won’t automatically connect you to a server (we’ll come to how you can do that next) but will make sure the application is ready to go for you to connect.
If you want to make sure the Nord application runs when you turn on your device go to settings / general and tick the launch at startup option.
To stay protected, we recommend setting Nord to launch automatically every time you turn on your device. This will serve as a reminder and make it less likely that you will ever forget to connect to a server.
To do this, go to settings / general and tick the launch at startup option.
Automatically connect to a VPN server
Another key consideration is whether you want the application to automatically connect you to a VPN server as soon as you open up the VPN app.
You can set if you want to automatically connect to a particular location or if you just want to automatically connect to the fastest available server wherever it is located.
We’d recommend using this feature as it makes sure you get device protected without you having to remember to connect. You still have the flexibility to go and change your server connection should you wish to if you think there might be a faster connection or you want to connect to a different country.
To automatically connect to a VPN server on startup of your device go to settings / auto-connect and tick the ‘when app launches’ option.
You can also set what your preference for this automatic connection is, selecting a particular location if you wish or if you just want the most efficient server available at the time then tick the ‘choose a VPN protocol and server automatically’ option.
Enabling the kill switch to ensure you remain protected
Finally, take a moment to consider whether you want to enable the kill switch.
Enabling this will ensure that you are always protected online.
Should your VPN connection drop for whatever reason, you will be taken offline.
This removes the risk of accidentally compromising your privacy and continuing your browsing and activity outside the protection of a VPN.
You can easily get back online by re-establishing your VPN connections.
We’d recommend enabling the kill switch, particularly if you are likely to be performing any sensitive activity or torrenting where protecting your privacy at all times is paramount.
To enable the kill switch go to Settings/Kill Switch and tick the ‘Internet Kill Switch’ option.
How to connect your device to a VPN server
Nord makes it pretty straightforward to get your devices connected up to a VPN server.
If you’ve configured your settings to automatically connect to a server, as described above, then you should be good to go without any further action needed.
However, if you haven’t done that and want to connect your device to a server of your choice, or if you want to change the server that you are connected to then that’s really easy to do too.
Connecting to the fastest available VPN server
On the application front page you will be given the option to ‘Quick Connect’.
Selecting this will connect you to the fastest available server with just one click. This is usually a server quite close to your location and will be chosen automatically to give you the best available performance.
Click on ‘Quick connect’ to easily connect to the fastest available VPN server.
If you want to manually select a server then click on the country from the list on the left hand side and you will be given the option of either selecting a specific server, or connecting to the fastest available server in that country.
Choosing a specific VPN server location
You can manually select a server from a particular country or location should you wish via the list of locations provided.
This is useful, for example, if you are looking to unblock a website or streaming service and need to connect to a VPN server in that particular location.
Using Nord VPN for P2P sharing and torrenting
Nord offers dedicated P2P servers that are optimised and configured for torrenting to ensure the fastest possible speed and performance.
It’s simple to connect to one of these P2P servers form a menu option on the left hand side of the application.
In the same way as connecting to a normal server, you can decide whether to select to the fastest available P2P server or select a specific server in a specific location if you’d prefer.
Click on the ‘P2P’ menu item on the left hand side of the application.
You can connect to the fastest available P2P server or you can select a server location of your choice.
Extra protection by connecting to Nord’s double VPN servers
For those looking to take their privacy and security protection up to another level Nord gives you the option of connecting to a double VPN.
As the name suggests, this routes you through not just one layer of VPN protection, but doubles up with the protection of two VPN tunnels simultaneously.
Connecting to a double VPN is just as simple as connecting to a single server and you can do so via the menu option on the left hand side of the application.
Again, you can select the locations of the two servers from what is available, or let Nord do the heavy lifting and select the most efficient server combination available.
Click on the ‘double VPN’ menu item on the left hand side of the application.
Nord can automatically select the most efficient server combination available or you can select the two servers you want manually.
Customer support
We all have issues with technology from time to time, and that includes with even the best VPN solutions.
When that happens, you want to be sure that the support and guidance is readily available to get you back up and running as soon as possible.
We’ve road tested the help and support that Nord VPN provides to see if it matches the high quality of their platform.
There are 3 channels through which Nord offers support and assistance: the Help Centre, live chat, and email each of which can be accessed directly from the Nord VPN website.
Live chat
If you need to contact someone, the live chat support is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. You can access this directly from the Nord website.
The chat is open for questions on connectivity, billing or any other general issues you may be facing.
The responses are immediate and in our experience the advice given enables you to quickly resolve any issues you may have.
Email support
If you have a more in depth query, you can email Nord at [email protected].
The responses are quick, within hours in our experience, but we’d recommend taking advantage of the live chat feature if you can as this will likely help you resolve your issue even quicker.
Tutorials and online help
Nord offers a comprehensive ‘help center’ area of it’s website that contains tutorials and guides for customers that cover the main issues that may arise when using their service.
The areas covered by this online resource include:
Connectivity issues
If you’re having trouble connecting to a VPN server, Nord offer a number of troubleshooting articles that may help. They offer advice for different device types and also advice to help solve connectivity issues that may be down to location.
Streaming support
Help and guidance for unblocking and connecting to streaming services on various devices around the world.
Billing troubleshooting
If you have any queries or questions about your Nord subscription billing then a good place to start is Nord’s website Help Center which has a dedicated section to address such issues. The articles cover assistance with payment amounts and refunds as well as advice on changing your subscription plan.
Other guides
There is also a section for general advice and tips on Nord’s website. These cover useful topics ranging from setting up Nord on various devices to how to ensure you can take advantage of the available privacy features.
Customer support – overall verdict
If you should encounter any issue as a customer of Nord, we would always recommend initially taking a quick look at their help center as it is very thorough and comprehensive. You will more than likely find a solution here and it may save you from the trouble having to contact them directly.
Should you wish to contact Nord, their 24/7 live chat feature means that help is always just a click away. We’ve tested out the live chat responses and the support staff are very knowledgeable and have a good level of technical knowledge.
If the live chat does not resolve your issue either, then a ticket can be raised. The turnaround time for tickets is very quick, with our experience the ticket being resolved within hours of the ticket being raised.
Overall, Nord offer excellent support, both online resources and support staff, should you need it. Support staff have a good level of technical ability ensuring customer issues are resolved quickly.
Nord VPN – Overall verdict
Nord VPN is our overall top VPN recommendation.
The privacy and security protection is the best and most comprehensive of any service we have tested.
The speed and connectivity is also excellent, amongst the fastest. No other VPN we have tested offers such speed coupled with the top level privacy and security functionality that Nord offers.
Streaming and P2P functionality is also excellent with VPN servers across the globe making unblocking services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video is remarkably simple and with optimal performance.
If you’re looking for an all-round VPN solution with excellent privacy features, speed and customer service and all at a competitive price then you can’t really go wrong with Nord VPN
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