NordVPN Review

Streaming: Does NordVPN Work with Netflix?

Yes. NordVPN is one of the few VPNs that stays one step ahead of Netflix’s sophisticated blocking systems. The same is true for streaming services like Disney+, BBC, HBOMax, and others, where NordVPN has no problem unblocking content regardless of your location.

Arguably, the feature that most VPN users look for is the ability to unblock streaming services such as Netflix, HBOMax, or Disney+ in their countries. In other words, allowing them to choose which part of the world to connect from and thus enjoy streaming content reserved for certain regions.

However, there is a catch. Since these restrictions have to do with copyright, licensing, and distribution rights of the audiovisual material, streaming providers are very wary of VPNs. In other words, they have advanced detection systems that blacklist VPN servers to comply with legal restrictions.

Most users are unaware of this “anti-VPN” system and incorrectly assume that any VPN can stream Netflix content. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

At present, only a handful of VPN service providers manage to evade such detection systems. To do so, they use state-of-the-art algorithms running on their servers and top-notch DNS (Domain Name Systems). 

Having said all this, NordVPN is one of the few VPNs that allow you to enjoy Netflix in HD and 4K Ultra. Moreover, the NordVPN team constantly updates their algorithms to keep their servers in stealth mode 24/7. 

One of the things we like most about NordVPN is that this process is completely transparent to the user. NordVPN calls this feature SmartPlay, as it automatically combines VPN and Smart DNS services. All you have to do is choose a country and then continue with your Netflix session!

Whether you use NordVPN for work or pleasure, the ability to view content from any country is a huge advantage. Want to watch the latest season of your favorite Manga? Just connect to the Japan server. Need to watch content that is only available in Germany? You know what to do. 

P2P, Does NordVPN Allow Torrenting?

Yes, NordVPN has servers prepared to maintain a high level of encryption and at the same time eliminate the throttling limits that some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) impose on this type of traffic.

If you think that evading streaming providers’ detection systems is difficult, imagine how complicated it is to provide a secure, private, and fast VPN tunnel for torrent downloads. In addition to guaranteeing an extremely secure connection to evade any detection, they must also bypass the speed limits (throttling) that some ISPs have in place.

In that sense, NordVPN is one of the best and most secure services on the market. In fact, you can choose from a wide list of peer-to-peer (P2P) Specialty Servers around the world to make your downloading more efficient and secure.

In other words, if you download torrents daily, NordVPN will not disappoint you. 

But what if you are an experienced user who wants to configure your own settings to ensure the connection’s privacy?  In that case, you can create your own presets.

NordVPN Connection Presets (macOS)

There is no doubt that NordVPN has done an excellent job meeting the average user’s needs. By simply using the “Quick connect” button, you can establish a secure connection. By choosing a country, you can watch your favorite streaming service. Similarly, the P2P option gives you the ability to download content anonymously with no speed restrictions. However, NordVPN knows that there are users who are looking for a service that allows them to configure their own advanced settings. 

This is where Presets come into play.

When you open the macOS NordVPN app, one of the first options you have on your left is Presets. By default, NordVPN has settings for Downloads, Speed, and Browsing. For the average user, these settings are more than adequate. However, advanced users can take advantage of this feature to create their own custom settings. 

If you want to change the settings for Downloads, you can do so by modifying the protocol and the country from where the connection is made.

Additionally, you can choose whether or not to enable NordVPN’s CyberSec to protect you from cyber threats, as well as assign a keyboard shortcut to activate the Preset.

NordVPN’s flexibility is not limited to modifying the standard Presets; you can also create your own custom connections.

Depending on the type of protocol you choose, you can access advanced settings, such as choosing the server type.

The possibilities of this feature are endless. Common connections can be created and then accessed with just one click. No doubt, this could be one of NordVPN’s strongest features; however, it has one major drawback. This killer feature is only available for macOS. So, if you are a Windows user, you will have to wait until NordVPN makes this feature available for you.

Choosing VPN Protocol & Server (Windows)

The fact that the NordVPN Windows application does not have the convenience of Presets does not mean that a power user cannot set the protocol and country/server from which they wish to connect, it is just not quite as simple.

The first thing you need to do is click on the gear (settings) button at the top right.

On the next screen, you should look for the Auto-connect menu and disable the option to connect using the recommended VPN protocol and server automatically.

Once you have turned this option off, you will have the ability to choose both the protocol and the country/server of your choice.

If you think this procedure is a less convenient, that’s because it is. Compared to the macOS app, the Windows app requires more manual work, at least in that respect. 

Advanced users will be pleased to know that the Windows interface has a few tricks up its sleeves, though.

NordVPN Kill Switch

One of the features that many expert users look for in a VPN is the “Kill Switch.” 

What is a VPN Kill Switch? The Kill Switch is an advanced security mechanism that constantly monitors your computer’s connection. If the connection goes down, the Kill Switch prevents your device from browsing using an “insecure” connection.

There are many scenarios where a Kill Switch is extremely useful, most of them related to privacy and anonymity issues. Remember that your IP address is exposed without a VPN connection, which can be a serious inconvenience.

Now that you know what Kill Switch is and what it is for, it is time to talk about the implementation of this feature in NordVPN.

• System-wide. As its name suggests, this implementation comprehensively protects your device, i.e., it performs a system-wide network lock. This type of implementation is integrated into NordVPN applications for iOS, Linux, and macOS (IKE version). On Android 7.0 and later systems, you can enable this feature in the settings. Finally, on Windows, you can choose to use the system-wide Kill Switch or the app-level Kill Switch.

• App-level. This advanced version provides more granular control over the Kill Switch. Instead of disabling system-wide access to the Internet when the VPN connection drops, this mode shuts down the specified applications to prevent them from sending decrypted traffic. In theory, you can use this feature in both the Windows app and the OpenVPN version for Mac. However, note that the Mac version limits you to using only the OpenVPN protocol. If you are interested in this advanced Mac version, you can download it from the NordVPN website.

Configuring the Kill Switch in Windows is very simple. In settings, locate the corresponding menu and choose which mode you want to use.

In the top option (Internet Kill Switch), you can activate the system-wide mode. Just below that (App Kill Switch), you can activate the app-level mode and start adding the applications that should be closed when the secure VPN connection is lost. Note that this mode is only recommended for advanced users.

The macOS version (OpenVPN version) is similar to the Windows version, except that system-wide mode is enabled by default.

Specialty Servers 

Continuing with the advanced features of NordVPN, we have Specialty Servers. When we discussed NordVPN support for torrenting, we briefly mentioned one of these Specialty Servers, P2P. However, it is not the only Specialty Server offered by NordVPN.

• Standard servers. This is a typical VPN server that encrypts your traffic and replaces your IP address. It is the default option for most cases, such as surfing the web or watching Netflix content.

• Double VPN servers. You can think of this option as an advanced version of the connection achieved with standard servers. It consists of making a double connection, first from your device to a first VPN server and then from the first VPN to a second VPN server. The result is double encryption which provides an additional layer of privacy. This type of connection is only available for OpenVPN (UDP) and OpenVPN (TCP) protocols. 

• Onion over VPN servers. If the Double VPN is not anonymous enough for you, NordVPN offers you the option of using the Onion network. This connection consists of routing traffic from your device to a VPN server and then to the Onion network. 

• Dedicated IP servers. This type of connection is only available for OpenVPN (UDP) and OpenVPN (TCP) protocols and consists of routing traffic through dedicated IP addresses previously purchased by you.

• Obfuscated servers. This is one of the most advanced servers offered by NordVPN. The obfuscated servers are capable of bypassing country-wide firewalls. Few VPN providers offer this type of service, so it is a distinct feature of NordVPN.

Accessing these servers is very simple. In Windows, you have a list on the left side with the available servers.

Since some of these servers are only available with the OpenVPN protocol, you will need to change your preferences to see all available servers.

Additionally, if you hover over any of the servers, you will have the option to access the settings where you can choose the country or specific server you want to use.

The operation in macOS is very similar, the list of servers located at the end rather than the beginning.

You may have noticed that the Obfuscated servers option appears on macOS, while on Windows, it seems to be unavailable. This is because you have to enter the Advanced Settings first to activate this type of server. 

Once you do so, you will be able to choose the server you wish to use. While this is an additional step, it at least provides the same features as the macOS application.

Although this type of server is an advanced topic, a point in favor of NordVPN is that they have a webpage that helps you to choose the type of server depending on the activity you want to perform. 

For advanced users, you can review VPN servers optimized according to geographic zones or protocols. You can even choose the server according to the city you need to connect from. All in all, it is a handy webpage that you can check out here.

Does NordVPN Support Split VPN Tunneling?

Yes, NordVPN supports Split VPN Tunneling, at least in its Windows and Android apps.

The use of specialized servers is not the only pro-feature offered by NordVPN. For those who make heavy use of VPNs, turning the service on and off can be annoying. You may wonder, why would anyone want to turn off their VPN? Well, if you live in Europe, for example, and connect to a USA server, you may block content from your own region! 

This is the idea behind Split Tunneling technology; it allows you to use a secure encrypted tunnel and at the same time browse as if your VPN was turned off.

NordVPN currently supports three types of Split Tunneling:

• App Exclusion. This mode allows you to choose which specific applications will be “outside the VPN tunnel.” For example, you can configure NordVPN so that Firefox is excluded, while all other traffic (including other browsers) continues to use the secure VPN connection.

• Inverse Split. This mode works opposite to the previous one. You configure which applications will use the VPN tunnel, while the rest will be left out of the encrypted traffic.

• URL Split. This mode allows you to choose which URLs will use your real IP address. Very useful for assigning only certain websites that you prefer to view with your local address.

Please note that this handy feature is only available for Windows and Android. If you are a macOS or iOS user, it is now your turn to wait until this function is ready for your OS.

Supported Protocols 

In the previous sections, we repeatedly mentioned that NordVPN supports different VPN protocols to establish a secure connection. Now, what are these protocols, and what differentiates one from the other?

• OpenVPN. Without a doubt, the most mature open-source protocol, which has proven time and again to be one of the most secure and flexible in all types of situations. It is also the preferred alternative for many expert users due to its robust encryption and compatibility with all types of devices.

• IKEv2/IPsec. This is a protocol developed by Microsoft and Cisco with a huge focus on providing a high level of encryption and stability even when switching Internet connections. Because of its stability and security, it is the default protocol used by NordVPN in its mobile apps. One of its most outstanding features is its ability to maintain a secure connection even when switching from WiFi to mobile data and vice versa. This makes it the ideal alternative for anyone who needs privacy and security on the go.

• WireGuard (NordLynx). This is the most recent and advanced VPN protocol currently available. It employs state-of-the-art cryptography far beyond those used by the OpenVPN and IPsec/IKEv2 protocols. Its high degree of security is the main reason why it is the default VPN protocol in NordVPN desktop applications. However, since it is not yet a fully mature protocol, it does not offer some of the more advanced features. It is speedy, making it a good choice for streaming or online gaming services. 

While the three VPN communication protocols used by NordVPN are by far the most sophisticated, they are not the only ones available. There are other protocols, which are not as secure or as fast but are still used by some VPN providers. Examples of these protocols are SSTP, L2TP/IPsec, and PPTP. If you would like to learn more about the pros and cons of VPN protocols, we invite you to read this interesting post from the NordVPN blog.

Supported Platforms

One of NordVPN’s strengths is that it can run on almost any device available on the market, including:

• Windows 10, 8, 7
• macOS 10+
• Linux
• Android 7+
• iOS 11+
• iPadOS
• Firefox
• Google Chrome
• Android TV
• VPN Routers

However, as you have seen throughout this review, the user experience (UX) is different from platform to platform.

While it is difficult to achieve a universal UI for mobile devices, we expect more standardization of the features available on Windows and macOS apps.

This lack of congruency is evident even within the same platform, such as macOS, where there are two applications, NordVPN (IKE version), available in the App Store and NordVPN (OpenVPN version) available from the NordVPN website.

Needless to say, different graphical interfaces are confusing, especially for the average user.

You may think that this topic is irrelevant, but it is not. After reading this review, you may be hesitant to subscribe to NordVPN due to the simple fact that not all of its features are available for both macOS and Windows.

If you are a Windows power user, you may find it annoying to enable the Obfuscated servers option in the settings every time you need it. If you are a macOS user, it makes little sense to have two applications for the same task.

Given that NordVPN is one of the leading services on the market, we look forward to these issues being resolved over time, but for now, if you choose NordVPN, you will have to learn to live with these limitations.

NordVPN Servers Locations

A highlight of NordVPN is the huge number of servers available around the world. There are more than 5,300 servers distributed across 59 countries and 5 continents at the time of writing.

In the United States alone, NordVPN has almost 2000 servers in 15 different locations. Such a degree of flexibility is undoubtedly a great advantage for both work and leisure. We say this because the United States is one of the countries with the highest demand for streaming. The greater the number of servers, the greater the chances of having enough bandwidth to enjoy HD and Ultra HD quality TV shows and movies.

Despite its gigantic coverage, it should be noted that some specialized services such as Obfuscated servers, are only available from specific geographic locations.

Customer Support

When it comes to customer support, it’s hard to compete with NordVPN. In addition to regular channels like Live Chat, they offer a wealth of resources like tutorials, blog posts, support pages, videos, and more that answer 80% of issues related to connectivity, billing, features, etc.

In addition to their detailed blog posts, Live Chat, and comprehensive Help Center, you can also contact the support team via email. However, one surprisingly absent element is the lack of a contact phone number.

Although not listed as an official support channel, we have found during this review that NordVPN’s YouTube channel is also a valuable source of information for both the average user and advanced users.

In summary, despite their lack of a contact phone number, NordVPN’s customer support is one of the most resourceful in the segment. If you are comfortable with the self-service setup, you will be happy with the variety of detailed information available. However, if you prefer to speak to a live operator, then you should consider other options.

NordVPN Pricing

Although some reviews point out that NordVPN is an expensive VPN provider, an undeniable fact is that one of the most searched questions on Google is “why is nordvpn so cheap?

This discrepancy has a straightforward explanation. There are countless VPNs with prices below $2 per month (within a 24-month subscriptions). This obviously seems like a deal when you compare that figure with NordVPN’s regular price of $4.89/month (within a 2-year plan). The thing is you can’t compare apples to oranges.

If you have read the previous sections, you will have noticed that NordVPN has exclusive features, such as the ability to unblock Netflix and other streaming services, advanced protocols, and Obfuscated servers. So, if you want to compare the price of NordVPN, the smart thing to do is to look for a contender of similar stature. That’s the case with ExpressVPN.

ExpressVPN has similar features to NordVPN, so the comparison is much more valuable. That said, we provide the following comparison between NordVPN and ExpressVPN:

Monthly plan

• NordVPN from $11.95 per month
• ExpressVPN from $12.95 per month
• Winner NordVPN

Other plans

• NordVPN, from $3.67/month (2-year plan), from $4.92/month (1-year plan)
• ExpressVPN, from $9.99/month (6-month plan), from $6.67/month (15-months plan)
• Winner NordVPN

There are two aspects that we must also consider. The first has to do with the fact that both NordVPN and ExpressVPN offer seasonal discounts, so you can get a better price if you are patient enough. The second aspect has to do with the convenience of the plans. If you don’t feel comfortable purchasing a 2-year subscription, then ExpressVPN may be a better alternative.

All in all, our view is that, the value for money that NordVPN offers is tough to beat.

Testing NordVPN Security & Privacy

There are many ways to interpret the security/privacy of a VPN since there are no established standards in this area. Moreover, there are many websites that offer dubious privacy test results, as they are designed to favor a specific VPN provider.

That said, we have performed a series of tests to determine as transparently as possible the effectiveness of NordVPN.

The first of these tests is a DNS Leak Test. This type of test is useful to determine if your ISP can track the websites you visit.

In the image above, you can see the connection without NordVPN. As expected, there is a good chance that there is a DNS Leak.

Next, we clicked on NordVPN’s “Quick connect” button (we did not choose a specific server or protocol to increase privacy). The result is promising since, in addition to the IP change, it shows that there is no DNS leak.

The second type of test we performed was a WebRTC test. In simple terms, this test verifies that your IP address is not being filtered when you browse the web.

A noteworthy aspect of this test is that it has a lot to do with the browser you use. For example, if you use Safari, even without having NordVPN enabled, you can still get a good result.

But if you switch to another browser such as Firefox and repeat the test, your information is exposed.

As expected, NordVPN came out on top in this test, preventing your IP address from being exposed regardless of the browser used.

Speed & Performance

Like the case of VPN security, there is no 100% reliable test to measure the speed of your Internet connection. True, there are hundreds of sites and apps to measure the speed of your connection, but few explain that the results may not be consistent due to many factors such as network traffic, interference, service saturation, latency, and more.

Taking all this into account, we used the following procedure to give you a general idea of NordVPN speed.

• We made use of an ad-free and open-source test to measure the speed of the Internet connection.
• We used a 4G LTE broadband service as a base since it is slower and more limited than a wired service.
• Our tests were done from the America region using first servers in the USA, then in the UK, and finally in New Zealand.

The results obtained are fascinating.

The image above shows the reference speed (without NordVPN enabled) during one hour of the day with medium/high user traffic. Note the latency and retransmission values are typical of wireless broadband services.

The first test is a connection to a server on the same continent (America). Note that the drop in download speed is only 4.3%.

In the second test, we moved to Europe, where the results are, statistically speaking, the same. 

Finally, we did our third test in Australia, one of the furthest points from our location, and obtained a drop in speed of 7.34% and a slight increase in latency.

Responsibly, we must stress that these tests should be taken as a grain of salt. Nevertheless, they are useful for drawing some conclusions.

• Even when using a slow Internet connection, NordVPN produced meager download speed drops. This is partly due to the use of very efficient protocols such as NordLynx and IKEv2.
• The use of servers on other continents did not noticeably affect the transmission speed. This is excellent news for those who seek to use NordVPN to enjoy content from other regions.
• These outstanding results were obtained using the default connection recommended by NordVPN, without choosing the protocol or a specific server in each country. This shows that NordVPN has enough bandwidth due to its large number of servers (low traffic congestion).

Privacy: Does NordVPN Log My Data?

No, NordVPN doesn’t track, collect, or share your private information.

As mentioned, privacy is a huge and complex issue that NordVPN takes very seriously. In that sense, NordVPN has a strict logging policy.

• Zero-log policy. NordVPN doesn’t collect connection timestamps, session information, bandwidth usage, traffic data, IP addresses, or any other user data. 
• Constant auditing. To back up its promise of a no-log VPN policy, NordVPN is regularly audited by independent security experts.
• Based in Panama. Not being subject to EU or US jurisdictions, NordVPN has no legal obligation to share your data.
• Crypto friendly. While you can sign up using your credit card, debit card, and other traditional payment methods, NordVPN also allows you to pay using cryptocurrencies, thus adding an extra layer of privacy.

NordVPN Review: The Verdict

Few services are as complex as a VPN. They must offer a high degree of security but also need to be one step ahead of censorship and content blocking mechanisms. On top of all this, they must have an adequate UI that allows the average user to use technically advanced features without limiting expert users from taking advantage of their full potential.

In that sense, NordVPN is not perfect, but in our opinion, it comes as close to perfection as possible. It is one of the few VPN providers using the most sophisticated protocols on the market, specialized servers, and many pro-level features to offer you a top-notch service. If you are looking for a VPN that guarantees security, privacy, and convenience, NordVPN should be at the top of your list of options to consider.