NordVPN is one of the best VPN out there in the market, as they say. But are those rumors or says of the official people true? So, here we are testing the NordVPN and verifying if all is true or not. The company makes very high claims- “Best VPN service provider in 2019,” and we could not wait to test Nord.
The marketing was good (we have to admit that), and they do get a lot of attention. Now its time to test if the claims are true and that NordVpn is as good as it claims
NordVPN is has a big base in Panama (a country in Central America) has no mandatory data retention laws, which is one of the major advantages NordVPN has from others. PricewaterhouseCoopers did the audit of the NordVPN and confirmed the company’s claim of not logging the user’s data as true.
The NordVPN has a network of more than 5100+ servers across 61 countries (truly massive) with special categories for different services like streaming, torrenting, etc.
If security is a concern, they have a very strong 256-bit encryption and compatible combination of well-secured protocols like OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec. This all sounds very promising, but there are more things about NordVPN to talk about and admire.
In this in-depth review, we will see every factor that makes or breaks the NordVPN and see if it lives up to the reputation and the name it carries.
General Overview of NordVPN-
The Nord VPN is one of the fastest and most reliable VPN that we have ever reviewed. This VPN has a lot of pros like advanced functionality, high security, privacy features, and with all this combined with the pricing puts it in the Users First Choice.
Nord VPN provides a set of exclusive functionalities, high security with trusted protocols, very strict “No Logging” policy, clean User Interface, and exceptional performance. Nord VPN has a smart play feature which basically unblocks the streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other streaming services. Nord VPN also has a feature called “WiFiSec,” which starts the VPN when connected to any WiFi network. This relieves the users from worrying about the risks of connecting to unknown networks.
Nord VPN Quick Glance-
| USER INTERFACE: | Clean and Easy to Understand |
| USABILITY: | Simple & Straightforward for any user |
| LOG FILES: | No Logging Policy |
| LOCATIONS: | 61+ countries, 5100+ servers |
| SUPPORT: | 24/7 available & knowledgeable |
| TORRENTING: | Torrenting Available |
| NETFLIX/ OTHER STREAMING PLATFORMS: | Available Anywhere & Anytime |
| ENCRYPTION/PROTOCOL: | 256-bit, OpenVPN, IPSec/IKEv2 |
| COST: | 1 month- $11.95 1 Year- $6.99/month 3 Years- $3.49/month |
| OFFICIAL WEBSITE: | NordVPN |
We’ll go through each and every point and give you the views and thought with the background checks of our testing review.
Speed & Performance of NordVPN-
In terms of speed and performance, NordVPN performs really well with high speeds for certain servers and just loss of around 25-30% of speed, which is very less than other VPNs.
When we select any VPN, speed is the key factor that cannot be compromised. Speed is one of the reasons why people are more inclined to use the NordVPN. Let’s have a look at speed test results. Here, we are using a 100 Mbps connection, which is most commonly used by people around the globe.
1) Speed Without using VPN-
As you can see, at my place without using the VPN, I get around 55 Mbps speed for downloading and around 52 Mbps for uploading.
2) The speed with using different locations-
2.1) USA (City- Seattle, WA)
When we tested the NordVPN for Seattle (Automatic selection for best speed), we got around 38 Mbps speed for downloading and 22 Mbps for uploading. Here you can clearly see that the downloading speed took a hit of 30%, and uploading speed took a hit of 55%. The uploading speed doesn’t matter much, but downloading speed does. The hit of 30% is quite normal and comparatively less than other VPN service providers.
2.2) UK (City- London)
When we tested the NordVPN for London (Automatic selection for best speed), we got around 47 Mbps speed for downloading and 21 Mbps for uploading. Here you can clearly see that the downloading speed took a hit of 15% (amazingly less), and uploading speed took a hit of 56%.
2.3) EU (City- Amsterdam)
When we tested the NordVPN for Seattle (Automatic selection for best speed), we got around 44 Mbps speed for downloading and 29 Mbps for uploading. Here you can clearly see that the downloading speed took a hit of 20%, and uploading speed took a hit of 45%.
2.4) Asia (Singapore)
When we tested the NordVPN for Seattle (Automatic selection for best speed), we got around 40 Mbps speed for downloading and 12 Mbps for uploading. Here you can clearly see that the downloading speed took a hit of 28%, and uploading speed took a hit of 76%.
Here, the downloading speed matters much and not uploading in most of the cases. The results we got were pretty amazing, considering the location’s distance from the native testing location. We are impressed by the optimization and “Automatic Best Server Selection” process of Nord. Upload speed did take a major hit, and that was expected, but the overall speeds were still enough for buffer-free streaming and other bandwidth-heavy activities
Privacy-
For starters, the NordVPN is based in Panama, and Panama is far away from the Five Eyes surveillance. This is very advantageous as a user as the Five Eyes keeps the tab on the sensitive data of the user and share its information if required. This isn’t the case when it comes to NordVPN – a pretty strong advantage.
The NordVPN has a Zero-Log policy, which means, it does not keep any record of the user’s activity on the Internet while using the VPN.
Does NordVPN has Multiple Servers & Locations-
NordVPN offers its users a wide range for selection of 61 countries and 5100+ servers all over the globe to fulfill the requirements of even the most advanced users. All the regions in the list provide decent speed, including many of the remote regions like Africa.
The NordVPN plays a vital role in many Asian countries like China, where there are very strict laws in place with the usage of the Internet. The strong protection provides a bypass to security.
Is Streaming Available using VPN-
The NordVPN also provides the user guide on how you can use the VPN to access the streaming platforms. In the FAQ section, instructions and server suggestions for Netflix and other popular streams like Hulu, BBC, and Amazon Prime Video is readily available for all the users.
While doing our tests, we did test the popular streaming platform, Netflix, with different locations and servers, it performed flawlessly. The streaming experience was good, without any buffering. We could enjoy shows without any hassle.
The proprietary SmartPlay DNS feature of Nord plays a vital role in streaming, which results in an excellent experience of streaming. The feature fire up automatically without any configuration, which is also commendable.
Ad-Blocker-
NordVPN has a good ad-blocking and malware protection they term as “CyberSec.” It gives comprehensive protection from intrusive ads, malware, phishing attempts, and other threats.
The CyberSec features work perfectly; we did not have a single annoying pop-up ad during streaming content or browsing through the web. We also did not get any youtube ads which really impressed us.
CyberSec provides an additional security layer, and yes, it works perfectly, which enhances your experience overall.
It also provides a kill switch – an essential part of any solid VPN.
Free Trial-
Sadly, NordVPN doesn’t offer any free trial period, but it does come with 30 days money-back guarantee, which makes more sense than the free trial period.
You can check out exclusive deals with our affiliate offers.
Compatibility with Devices-
If you are worried about your device compatibility with the NordVPN, then please have a look below. NordVPN supports almost every device present in the market with its premium features and all.
Customer Service-
The quality of customer service is the best way to analyze the organization and to see if it truly values you as a customer.
And in case of a high-end VPN service like Nord The service was pretty good. They offer 24/7 live chat and a ticket system for customer support. There’s is a quick FAQ section available from the bottom-right button on the Contact Us page. I`m sure you will find it easily.
User Experience-
Till now, we have shared all the experienced except- User Experience. How it actually feels to use the NordVPN? Is it good? Is it easy to use?
We will start with the Nord Website; it is clean, straightforward, and simple to understand. When we subscribed to the service, the setup got automatically downloaded. After installation, which took us around 5 to 10 mins, we could see everything in a neat and clean manner.
Each and every feature which was presented on the website was right in front of us and not in any drop-down list or hidden in any way. The simple and clean User Interface adds the touch of friendliness.
Final Thoughts-
Do we recommend Nord? Yes, Absolutely. Is it worth your money? Again a BIG YES. It is a really high-speed providing VPN in 2019. It provides military-grade encryption and the right security protocols to keep your data safe. It has a strict zero-logs policy, confirmed by an external audit PrincewaterhouseCoopers.
All the Pros considering the points above, prove that it is worth every penny you spend on it. It is a little on the expensive side for a short-term subscription. But the yearly plans are better.
You can check out exclusive deals with our affiliate offers.