NordVPN Review 2024 - Before You Buy, Is It Worth It?

Exceptionally Fast Speed on All Servers

NordVPN is among the best VPN providers available for fast connection speeds. I ran several speed tests and tested gaming, browsing, streaming, and download performance while connected to the VPN. All of my tests led to impressive results, making this VPN a great choice if you don’t want to compromise on speed.

In my tests, I connected to NordVPN servers in the UK, US, Germany, and Australia and then used Ookla’s speed test tool to calculate speeds. Note that your experience may vary, as factors like location, baseline internet speeds, and local infrastructure all affect your overall speed.

Speed Test Results

All of NordVPN’s servers provided fast connection speeds. When connected through the proprietary NordLynx protocol, NordVPN delivered average download speeds of 348Mbps across 4 global locations.

Note that download speeds on long-distance servers were up to 60% slower than my baseline speeds, but this isn’t surprising. Nonetheless, NordVPN’s speeds always enabled UHD streaming, lag-free browsing, and smooth gaming.

Is NordVPN Fast Enough for Gaming? Yes!

I was impressed to see that NordVPN consistently delivers impressive gaming performance, ensuring that you can play your favorite titles without lag.

To test NordVPN’s gaming performance, I connected to a local VPN server and launched Call Of Duty: Warzone. I usually get about 45–55ms latency while playing Warzone, and it was 60ms when connected to a nearby NordVPN server. This minor ping difference didn’t make any noticeable impact on my experience, and I played entire matches without lag.

I also tried playing other titles like Tekken 8 when connected to NordVPN, and the experience was smooth. The ping between me and local opponents was about 20% higher than usual, but there wasn’t any packet loss, leading to smooth battles. Note that your own experience will vary based on your location, what server you play on, and the games you play.

Server Network — Large Global Network of Servers

NordVPN has a network of over 6,300 servers across 111 countries, including major cities in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and other regions.

I also like that NordVPN has incorporated a significant part of its network with 10Gbps servers. These provide much greater bandwidth and ensure consistently fast connection speeds. Plus, all of NordVPN’s servers run on RAM, meaning the data gets wiped on every server restart, so none of your browsing activity is stored.

NordVPN also provides colocated servers, which are entirely owned, operated, and maintained by the company. By taking complete server control, NordVPN can guarantee top-grade security, ensuring you stay protected against any interference that’s possible with third-party servers.

Besides the above, NordVPN has obfuscated servers that mask VPN traffic as regular traffic, offering privacy in restrictive countries. There are also double VPN servers that route your traffic through multiple locations and Onion over VPN servers that route traffic through both the NordVPN and Tor Networks. Plus, all these servers are easy to locate in the app.

Overall, NordVPN has an impressive server network that guarantees speed, security, and reliability. You can find a nearby server for fast speeds no matter where you are, and its various specialty servers add extra layers of protection.

Torrenting — Effective for Quick and Anonymous Torrenting

For fast and anonymous torrenting, NordVPN provides many P2P-optimized servers that deliver the quickest possible speeds to download files off the public domain. These P2P servers are available in 70+ countries, ensuring you can find a nearby server that’ll maintain a fast connection.

I tested NordVPN’s P2P servers with clients like qBittorrent and uTorrent, and I got consistently fast download speeds throughout my tests. The download speeds were only 20% slower than what I get with my baseline connection, while the upload speeds were up to 50% slower, depending on server distance.

SOCKS5 Proxy Servers — Faster Speeds at the Cost of Security

If you want even faster torrenting speeds, NordVPN provides SOCKS5 proxy servers, and you can get their details by logging into the web portal. These proxy servers change your IP address but don’t encrypt your connection, usually leading to faster download speeds. If you aren’t worried about encryption, this feature can help you torrent files even faster.

Does NordVPN Work in China? Maybe

Navigating the Great Firewall of China with a VPN can be a hit or miss, and NordVPN is no exception. When I contacted the app’s support, they said it won’t work in China if you’re using a Windows device. However, you might be able to use it in China by setting up a manual IKEv2 connection on Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux devices.

Remember that while this is a potential solution, its effectiveness may vary due to the constant escalation in censorship techniques. As such, NordVPN’s utility in China is best described as a “maybe” — effective at times but not consistently. If you need a VPN that works reliably in China, I recommend looking into ExpressVPN instead. It’s one of the few VPNs that works consistently in China.

Security — Comprehensive Security Through Multiple Advanced Features

Encryption — Military-Grade Encryption Ensures Data Privacy

NordVPN secures traffic with unbreakable AES 256-bit encryption, meaning no one can spy on what you’re doing online. Plus, it uses Port Forward Secrecy to add an extra layer of security by changing your encryption key in every session, preventing breaches caused by stolen keys.

VPN Protocols — A Good Blend of Speed and Security

NordVPN provides the NordLynx, OpenVPN, and IKEv2/IPsec protocols. NordLynx is the company’s proprietary protocol, combining WireGuard’s security and speed with “double NAT,” a system that ensures your data is never written to the server. This protocol is available on NordVPN’s apps on all platforms.

Note that the IKEv2 protocol isn’t available on Windows, meaning you can only set it up on Linux, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. Also, older protocols like L2TP and PPTP aren’t supported, but this isn’t an issue as they’re weaker in terms of security.

Kill Switch — Protects Your Privacy if the Connection Is Unstable

Many VPNs offer a kill switch, but NordVPN stands out by providing two types of kill switches. The first is the internet kill switch, which disconnects your entire connection if the VPN is unstable, ensuring you stay anonymous online. However, there’s also an app-specific kill switch that only quits selected apps when you’re not connected to NordVPN.

While the internet kill switch is more secure, I like the addition of the app kill switch because it won’t interrupt other important online activities if the VPN is unstable.

Leak Protection — Never Leaks Any Identifying Information

I was pleased to see that NordVPN passed all leak tests and always kept my actual location and IP address hidden. To test this functionality, I connected to different NordVPN servers and ran various leak tests. My IP address and other identifying information were never leaked, and each test showed the location and IP of the NordVPN server I connected to.

Split Tunneling — Great Feature but Not Available on All Devices

NordVPN has a split tunneling feature that lets you specify which apps should use the VPN tunnel. This feature is helpful when you only need to use a VPN on specific apps while ensuring you can still access region-specific banking and other services without disconnecting from the VPN.

Split tunneling in NordVPN is easy to set up on all its apps. Just navigate to the settings menu and choose which apps are allowed to bypass the VPN tunnel. You can also configure it inversely and make it so that only specific apps use the VPN while the rest bypass its tunnel. Note that Nord VPN’s split tunneling functionality isn’t available on macOS and iOS.

Threat Protection — Powerful Security and Quality-of-Life Tool

Threat Protection is a standout NordVPN feature that keeps you safe online and blocks annoying ads. You can easily enable it from the app’s interface, and it’ll instantly start improving your online protection. It blocks ads, trackers, and malware while you’re surfing the web, and it also blocks malicious downloads and spots any vulnerable apps on your device.

In my tests, Threat Protection reliably blocked ads on most websites I visited. Note that NordVPN’s Google Play version doesn’t include an ad blocker because of Google’s ad policy. However, you can get this feature if you get NordVPN on your Android via a .apk file from its official website.

Meshnet — Unique Feature with a Wide Range of Use Cases

NordVPN’s Meshnet feature lets you create a secure private network that connects up to 50 devices. You can link your devices together, remotely access them, share files between them, and even send traffic through them. This feature is incredibly useful, and one particularly innovative use is setting up a virtual LAN party with friends.

Dark Web Monitor — Informs You if Any Sensitive Data Gets Leaked

NordVPN’s Dark Web Monitor feature continuously scans the dark web to ensure that your personal information isn’t exposed. If your data is found, NordVPN will alert you so you can take immediate action to protect yourself. This feature allows you to rest easy, knowing that your information is safe.

NordPass — Securely Stores All Your Passwords

NordPass is a secure password manager that lets you easily store, organize, and access your passwords from any location or device. It eliminates the need to memorize complex passwords. NordPass employs a zero-knowledge architecture, ensuring that only you have access to your stored passwords—not even NordVPN staff can see them.

NordLocker — Encrypted Storage for All Sensitive Data

NordLocker provides encrypted cloud storage for all your sensitive files and data. You can get it separately or as part of NordVPN’s Complete subscription, and it’s a worthwhile utility to have. This feature ensures your sensitive files are safe from malicious third parties and easily accessible whenever you need them.

Invisibility on LAN — Hides You From Other Local Network Devices

NordVPN can ensure your device remains hidden from others on the same local network, bolstering your security. While this provides an added layer of security, it can hinder access to LAN-based services like shared printers or files. Thankfully, you can easily toggle this on or off within NordVPN’s settings.

Privacy — Verified and Independently Audited No-Logs Policy

No-Logs Policy — Strong Commitment to Zero Data Storage

NordVPN’s no-logs policy means your online activities are always private. The service doesn’t track, collect, or share your private data — it doesn’t even log your IP address. This is a reassuring commitment to privacy and is a must-have for anyone who values privacy.

Company Jurisdiction — Outside of any Intelligence-Sharing Countries

NordVPN is headquartered in Panama, outside the 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance’s jurisdiction. Also, the Republic of Panama doesn’t have any data retention laws, meaning NordVPN isn’t required to store your data or collaborate with international surveillance efforts.

Independent Audits — Proven to Be True to Its Word

NordVPN’s no-logs policy has been independently audited and verified 4 times over the years, further cementing its commitment to privacy. It’s been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers AG and Deloitte, two highly renowned names. The audits proved that the app doesn’t monitor or log any user data, thus ensuring complete privacy.

I was pleased to see that NordVPN offers many responsive support channels, including 24/7 live chat, email support, and a highly detailed knowledge base. Of all the options, live chat is the best way to get help, as it’s the quickest way to contact an agent.

24/7 Live Chat — The Easiest Way to Get Help

NordVPN’s live chat proved to be the best support channel in my tests. It’s easily accessible from NordVPN’s support page, and it’ll connect you with an agent within a few minutes. I frequently contacted live chat during my tests, and the agents always gave detailed answers to each of my questions.

Note that NordVPN’s live chat initially connects you with a bot that automatically generates responses to help resolve basic queries. If these aren’t enough, you can simply ask the bot to connect you with an agent.

Email Support — Detailed, Professional Responses

If you don’t need an urgent response, NordVPN’s email support is a great alternative support channel. You can easily contact it by sending an email to support@nordvpn.com. Whenever I contacted email support, I got answers within 24 hours.

Responses through email support are always more detailed, so this channel might be better if you have a long query.

Online Resources and FAQs — Informative and Helpful

For basic troubleshooting and FAQs, NordVPN has a detailed knowledge base with lots of helpful information. It has billing tips, connection troubleshooting guides, and general information that’ll help you run NordVPN properly on your device.

NordVPN’s knowledge base also has a helpful search function where you can type your query to get relevant results. I wanted to learn more about its obfuscated servers, so I typed “obfuscate” in the search bar, and the knowledge base instantly showed relevant and informative support articles.

In-App Ticketing — A Convenient Time-Saver

For added convenience, NordVPN has an in-app ticketing system that lets you report issues or ask questions without exiting the app.

In-app ticketing is available in NordVPN’s desktop and mobile versions, making it easy to report problems on any device.