NordVPN has been on the market only a few years. But it’s growing pretty fast lately. The VPN is provided by a company in Panama, where there are no data retention laws. They promote an Internet without censorship or surveillance. So with their solution, it’s all about privacy. But they know what we want too: A high speed and a strict no log policy. All the details in my NordVPN review below.
NordVPN for maximum cyber security and torrents
I managed to get a trial version for my NordVPN review. I already knew NordVPN, but I had never tested it. And I can finally make a Nord VPN review for you guys.
I must say I’m quite impressed with the latest version of NordVPN. It may be one of the best VPN right now. It offers 3,300 worldwide servers, covering 59 countries. And it’s fast! The complete absence of logs makes it an optimal companion for those who use torrents and P2P.
As I said, NordVPN is registered in Panama. Since there are no mandatory data retention laws there, NordVPN can guarantee the safety of their users and leave no trace of their activities. And I like the fact they’re concerned about cyber security, web censorship, internet privacy and surveillance. Net neutrality is not the only problem we’re facing today on the Internet.
NordVPN also offers servers dedicated to other operations. I’ll review them in detail below.
NordVPN: Plans and pricing
The price of NordVPN is very competitive. And you can connect up to 6 devices simultaneously! There is only 1 package with everything included. You can only choose how long you want to subscribe to their service. You can subscribe here for 2 years for a price of £3.05 a month (that’s a 68% discount!). This is the most economical plan, by far.
If you decide to subscribe monthly, NordVPN is not cheap. The annual plan and biannual plan make NordVPN one of the cheapest VPNs on the market.
Click on the image to get the latest NordVPN discount, as there are always new promotions.
You can try NordVPN without risk for up to 30 days. Indeed, they offer a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee. This is a good point as you can really make up your mind with a 1 month trial. No need to rush, just use it normally.
Summary sheet for NordVPN
| Traffic data | Unlimited |
| Net Type | Private |
| Encryption | Military 256 bit |
| Server Switches | Unlimited |
| Servers | 3,300+ |
| IP address | Undisclosed |
| Protocols | PPTP, L2TP/IPSEC, OpenVPN (TCP/UDP), IKEv2/IPSec |
| Devices Supported | PC (Windows), Mac, Android, iOS |
| OpenVPN supported | Support for SSL-based OpenVPN protocol |
| Support type | 24/7/365 chat |
| Money back guarantee? | 30 days |
| Nations covered | 59+ Complete list on the website |
| Multi Login | 6 simultaneous connections |
The VPN NordVPN in details
Ultra Fast TV for streaming and online gaming
If you need to connect to American Netflix or play Xbox or PlayStation online games, you should use Ultra Fast TV servers. There are 2 servers available: USA and UK. And that’s where online tournaments are usually held.
These servers are the fastest. You can use them for HD streaming or online gaming. If you play video games, I would advise you to configure the connection manually.
NordVPN and Netflix, a happy wedding
Netflix works fine with NordVPN, you can access all Netflix catalogs including the United States, Canada, Italy, Norway, Sweden, France & UK Netflix.
Logs and NAT firewall
Two things here: No logs of any type are registered and all NordVPN servers have a NAT firewall.
Torrent and P2P
Port forwarding is not currently available. But you can download torrents and P2P.
The download speed is low with OpenVPN. I would recommend to setup configure a connection on a server with the PPTP protocol. This operation can be a bit laborious for the less savvy users. It’s authorized on the following servers: Brazil, Romania, Iceland, Isle of Man, Israel, Russia, Sweden, Lithuania, Hong Kong, Netherlands, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa.
Dedicated IPs
If you need a dedicated IP address, NordVPN can provide one for you. Once you paid the additional fee, you’ll get an IP address one of their 5 servers. As of today, there are 3 servers available in the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Double VPN for a double protection
If you are looking for a higher level of data encryption, Nord VPN offers the Double VPN. It’s a kind of multi-hop network. It means that the data are encrypted twice between your computer and the Internet.
Several Double VPN servers are available, check the NordVPN server page for the latest info. In the case above, the user connects to an Austrian server first, and then to a Dutch server before being connected to the Internet.
Tor over VPN for the ultimate protection
Tor is free software and an open network that helps you defend against traffic analysis, a form of network surveillance that threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships, and state security.
This technology is available on 2 servers: In Latvia and in Sweden. With this type of connection, the data is first encrypted by NordVPN. Then the encrypted packets go through several Tor hops before arriving at the destination. And it’s the same the other way round.
This is the optimal solution to navigate the deep web (connected to this server and using Tor). Note that the connection will be extremely secure, but not that fast.
CyberSec: Block ads and malware
While I think any censorship from a VPN provider is weird, the CyberSec feature is a great add-on. Because it’s more than an ad-blocker. And it could prove a life saver, especially if you’re not comfortable distinguishing good links from bad links.
When enabled, CyberSec will block known dangerous websites. So if you click on a fake link, you won’t get involved in a phishing scam and any other cyber threats. Also, it will protect your device from becoming part of a botnet, even if your device is already infected!
NordVPN Windows client: A clear interface
They did a good job with their client software. Indeed, when you launch the app, you arrive on a nice stylized map with all their servers. Each pin represents a country and if you click on one, it will automatically connect to this country.
However, if you prefer to get more info, you can click on the Servers tab. There, you will find the list of all their servers. And it’s very easy to browse their servers. Indeed, at the top, you’ll find their “special” servers and after that all servers sorted by country.
What are these special servers? Well, NordVPN offers 5 of servers: Double VPN, Ultra Fast TV and Dedicated IP (some of which are located in the UK), Onion over VPN, Anti DdoS and P2P servers, (but none located in the UK).
Furthermore, for each server you can see the load of the server and the distance. Also you have the download and upload speed available when you connect.
A few must-have settings
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- Settings 1/2
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- Settings 2/2
As with many VPNs, there are few options available. But at least there are the essential ones for any user, among them:
- Launch on Windows startup
- Selective Kill-Switch List (it’s possible to tell the kill switch which applications to shut down in the event of a VPN problem).
Fewer advanced settings
At the bottom of the Settings tab, you can click on Show advanced settings to get more options (you’ll have to confirm you know what you’re doing). And the most interesting are:
- Using Proprietary DNS Servers
- Protocol selection: OpenVPN/UDP or OpenVPN TCP
NordVPN native apps
Nord VPN offers native applications for each platform. Windows and Mac software are quite similar. And so are mobile apps on Android and iOS.
