NordVPN review: Frequently Asked Questions

NordVPN provides pleasant services like Netflix unblocking, streamlined P2P servers, accelerated NordLynx speeds, and Bitcoin support. Unblocking the BBC iPlayer has taken more time than average, and the application interfaces aren’t the fastest; however, overall, this is a VPN of consistency that offers all user levels.

So you want to know more about NordVPN, including how nice – and how quick – it’s a VPN provider and the recent updates about the service? Well, this article includes an extensive analysis of NordVPN with a wide range of performance checks, coupled with an overview of news about the service, plus an extensive FAQ to answer the most popular questions about this VPN.

But first, let’s start with a brief review overview for those who want a detailed review and simply want to know if NordVPN is worth buying and how it compares in short to rival VPNs.

NordVPN’s torrent support is a strong point, and there are many smart features on the privacy front that make you secure and anonymous. You will, of course, remember that the NordVPN reputation for security has in the past been tarnished by a hacking incident back in 2018. Still, the business has learned a great deal from this and since then introduced some commendable steps and audits (scrutiny that not many other VPNs put themselves under, it should be noted).

Performance levels are adequate, and this is one of the fastest VPNs ever we have checked, and it got us into what we wanted when we unblocked Netflix (or other streaming contents) (though sometimes only with the browser extension of the VPN).

The mobile application of NordVPN is better than most VPN providers, and its Windows client is usually really decent. Although the latter does have some strange quirks, nothing is excellent, and overall it’s relatively user-friendly. In other words, there are plenty of quality tutorials to help you set up a VPN and excellent customer service, which is all good for the less technologically experienced folks out if they are somehow in trouble.

An extensive network of servers complements all this well, and the commendable 30-day cash-back guarantee attached to NordVPN is worth mentioning. If you’re not satisfied, you will get your money back without hassles in the first month.

You will see NordVPN as a high-quality all-embracing VPN. It does everything to a high standard, and while some competitors achieve a better result in specific departments, NordVPN will not lead you wrong if you want it to work well – and above all, a reliable service.

NordVPN Review

Panama-registered NordVPN is a prominent VPN provider with 12 million clients worldwide. The business offers features, and there is more to discover.

How many NordVPN servers do you have? The NordVPN network has 5,421 servers spanning 59 countries in 81 locations.

How many Servers and Apps does NordVPN have?

Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and Android TV applications are available, and NordVPN also provides tutorials for setting up the service on several other devices.

How many devices can you use with NordVPN?

NordVPN supports six simultaneous connections, which means that you can use up to six devices, which is possibly sufficient to use all of your devices simultaneously.

Features

NordVPN provides many technical features you would expect, including OpenVPN support for high encryption and performance, a kill switch, and DNS leak security for WireGuard based NordLynx.

Not-so-ordinary extras include dual data encryption and Onion support for extra security and safety of advertising, malware, and phishing via CyberSec technology from NordVPN. P2P support is a big plus, and a transparent no-logging policy and NordVPN Panama Registration reassure that your internet activity will not be available to anyone else.

An odd Pause function allows you to close the VPN link after a given number of minutes and automatically restart the device. If you have ever disconnected from the VPN manually to carry out a specific local operation, you failed to reconnect; you’re sure it’s useful.

If you are intimidated by this overload or are just faced with unforeseen issues, the 24/7 support for NordVPN is ready to point you in the right way via email or live chat.

The price of NordVPN is reasonable, and if you are not entirely sure that this is the VPN for you, a 30-day cash-back guarantee offers you a risk-free way to sample your service.

Check out: Virtual Private Network (VPN) To secure your web traffic

NordVPN review: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• What’s New in NordVPN?

It was not too long before we looked at NordVPN for the last time, but the business was bustling.

The quick NordLynx protocol based on WireGuard provides instant connectivity and fast downloads on all platforms.

Infrastructure improvements include higher safety requirements for NordVPN data centers and audits to ensure they are being met. Both servers are now diskless RAM-based systems with no local storage, and the second audit of PWC Switzerland verifies NordVPN’s no-logging credential.

Whenever you enter unsecured Wi-Fi networks, applications on all devices can now automatically bind. Switching servers is as simple as selecting a new location (the current link needs not to be closed first), and it is easier for all apps to choose the quickest server available.

Several platform-specific enhancements, from dark mode to iOS to lower battery use on Mac, split tunneling in Android TV mode, and a more innovative Windows kill switch.

On the internet, NordVPN, its NordPass password manager, and the NordLocker cloud storage service are all now part of NordSec’s umbrella brand. The items do not change – NordVPN is still called NordVPN – but all can directly be accessed from a single Nord account to make it easier to handle.

This is an impressive list of improvements, especially as NordVPN previously had so many features. We will examine some of these more closely later in the study.

• NordVPN’s Plans and Cost?

NordVPN has a clear and simple price structure with four simple plans – a more detailed description can be found in our special NordVPN price and deals article.

If you pay for six months early in the monthly contract, you can choose to pay $11.95 a month or $6.58 for the annual deal. However, the two-year plan of NordVPN is the best value: it costs only $3.71 a month (to be charged upfront), which is a 69% discount compared to a standard monthly plan.

• Is NordVPN good value for money?

Yes, but business hunters will indeed find better offers than NordVPN elsewhere. For instance, the annual plan of Private Internet Access costs just $3.33 a month, while the two-year program of Surfshark costs only $2.49. Nevertheless, NordVPN is far from the most expensive VPN, and we believe it is reasonably expensive.

• What methods can you use for NordVPN payment?

NordVPN offers numerous payment options with card support, PayPal, Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies (via CoinPayments) and countless other systems (AmazonPay, UnionPay, SOFORT Banking, and more).

• Does NordVPN have a free version?

The business had a free trial long ago, but it was sadly discontinued because of bullying. NordVPN, however, has a 30-day cash-back guarantee, which is more than sufficient time for an impression of how the service works.

All are very straightforward and plain, too, without any sly small print clauses that suggest that the policy does not apply if you log on ‘too many’ occasions or move ‘too much data. Using the service to try it out, and if NordVPN doesn’t work for you, cancel in the first 30 days and get a complete reimbursement.

• Does NordVPN provide a good level of privacy?

The privacy value of all VPNs begins with encryption technology support. Nord VPN is handy in its AES-256-GCM encryption and supports complete secrecy to change keys periodically (this time with 4096-bit Diffie-Hellman). They are locked out of the next session even if the intruder manages to infiltrate one session.

Once related, NordVPN has other tricks to boost your privacy. These include Onion via VPN, which first routes the traffic over NordVPN’s network and then guides it via the Onion network to its final destination.

This double layer of obfuscation slows down the service, making it incredibly difficult for someone to retrace an action. Best of all, to do this job, you do not need to know or understand anything about Onion. There’s nothing to install or install; just use your client to attach via VPN routers to one of the Onion specialists at NordVPN.

NordVPN also provides a Double VPN system that re-encrypted and transmits your traffic to another VPN server before leaving for your destination. This may not be important or even useful for most people, but it’s there if you can find a reason to use it, and the technology won’t slow down as much as you would think. If not paired, a brief analysis of our review framework showed a download speed of 70Mbps, 55Mbps when using the best Double VPN for us (the UK to France).

• How secure is NordVPN?

Superbly stable. NordVPN has in its armory something to further strengthen your safety, and that is a kill switch. A kill switch has been implemented to avoid data leaks if the VPN link drops.

NordVPN stands out here because it has two kill switches. The general Internet kill switch blocks all network access while it is not connected to the VPN (it can easily be switched off if the link is uncomfortable), while the device kill switch closes your selected applications.

NordVPN also states that service blocks DNS leaks, and that has been verified in our controls with the DNS Leak Test, IPLeak, and other pages. Our DNS address is still the same as our IP address, without detecting DNS, WebRTC, or other leaks. Security and privacy are also tight overall. (For more information on services providing top-of-the-range safety, see our list of the safest VPN suppliers, where NordVPN ranks high).

• Does NordVPN ever have its security breached?

The less good news is that in 2018 a NordVPN server was hacked, and this, plus the lack of transparency of the business, should be a problem. However, we can see no signs that consumer privacy has been affected, and NordVPN has taken several measures to regain trust.

• How does NordVPN protect against hacking?

NordVPN modified its entire network server only to run on RAM, without discs, meaning that there will not be local files to inspect even if a server was compromised in the future.

The company invited VerSprite Security Research Group to audit its apps to detect and resolve security problems. And a new bug bounty program has been launched, encouraging everyone to see and report security issues with the service (check the latest reports). Steps such as this cannot wholly compensate for the weak response of NorthVPN to the 2018 hack. However, they remain incredibly optimistic and open the company’s services to scrutiny rarely seen anywhere else.

• What is the logging policy of NordVPN?

NordVPN appears to have a strict policy on ‘no logs.’ Many VPNs say the same thing, but the privacy policy of the organization describes it more precisely than most and says:

‘Nord provides for a strict NordVPN Services No-log policy, which means that your Internet activity… is not tracked, registered, documented, stored or transmitted to any third party. We do not store timestamps for connections, bandwidth used, traffic logs, IP addresses or browsing information.’

This not only includes general logging of your Internet activities but also logging information such as the IP address when you communicate with the service and the IP you have been assigned. (They sometimes do some kind of session logging while other VPNs say “No logging,” so it is nice to see NordVPN exclude it).

• Can NordVPN support these claims?

A VPN can say something on its website, but you don’t have to accept NordVPN’s claims on confidence instead of most of the contest. In 2020, NordVPN contracted Price Waterhouse Cooper to conduct a second independent audit of its infrastructure and services and check that its explanation of logging policy is correct.

This was a complete project, NordVPN explained: ‘The project consisted of interviews with our staff, server configuration controls, technical log inspections, and other server inspections in our infrastructure. The practitioners of PwC Switzerland also verified that we use the configurations they had inspected.’

A blog post from July 2020 recorded PWC’s finding, ‘They did not see any indications that we breached our no-log pledge in any way.’

The report has nothing to do with technical information. There are still several legal limits on the content; for example, we cannot even quote from it. However, customers and trial users of NordVPN may take a look, and we must applaud the company for this move. That means that NordVPN has much more evidence than most other VPN providers to support its logging claims.

• How fast is NordVPN?

Although confidentiality is usually the top priority of a VPN, efficiency is nearly as critical. Uncrackable encryption is not just as attractive if it lowers the internet speeds to crawling, which is why we use intensive performance testing to verify all VPNs.

Our controls in the UK started with a sample collection of 25 NordVPN servers worldwide. In each case, we wanted to see how long it took for us to communicate, search for latency problems before ping-testing was carried out, and use geocentricity to validate the server where NordVPN said it was. None of these will give us precise download speed information, but they are essential for NordVPN use.

On two consecutive runs, we connected 24 of our servers for the first time. The 25th did not respond to any connection attempt, but everybody can often have a server down, and as NordVPN usually has a 100% connection record, this will not count us as a huge black mark.

At a typical 6 seconds, the OpenVPN link times were fair. Some of the best competitions are a little quicker – the average speed for ExpressVPN is around 4 seconds – but others are much slower, and NordVPN is good overall. (If you’re anxious about link times, you’ll get better results if you move to NordLynx, but we’ll talk more about that later.) The good news continued elsewhere with minor latencies, with each server in its announced position.

Our speed tests started with Ookla’s SpeedTest and TestMy.net to calculate the maximum output of NordVPN from a 600Mbps line European data center. The results were fair but not at 140-160 Mbps in the middle region.

To check the efficiency of OpenVPN, we performed the same tests in the USA using a 600Mbps thread. Results at around 75Mbps were deceptive, a fraction of the 125-300Mbps we saw in the previous analysis.

Luckily, this is not the end of the tale. When we return to our position and move to NordLynx, speeds are 340-350Mbps, ahead of most competitors.

While this is a fantastic outcome, you won’t necessarily see the same degree of change from all locations. When we tried to connect from the UK to Australia on a 70Mbps link, OpenVPN and NordLynx, for example, averaged around 40-50Mbps, probably because the distance was the most crucial factor.

However, even with 40-50Mbps being a reasonable speed for such a large-distance link, NordVPN could be an intelligent performance option, with NordLynx now accelerating more local downloads.

• Can NordVPN unblock Netflix or other streaming websites?

A primary benefit of any VPN service is the ability to access geo-blocked websites. NordVPN does not precisely unblock any specific website or service but states that it helps you maintain access to your favorite websites and entertainment content and forget censorship’ sounds fair.

The only way to find out, then, is to measure NordVPN’s ability in this capacity and, by using US-only YouTube, we began our assessment of its forces. This straightforward test passes approximately every service, but we try to validate that a VPN does something helpful. Undoubtedly, NordVPN gave us complete YouTube access on each of our test servers.

BBC iPlayer is more challenging as the service is trying to block specific VPNs and proxies. There have been issues with unblocking the service with NordVPN in the past, and this investigation was no different because the BBC detected and blocked many servers. The NorVPN iPlayer troubleshooting page suggests that you last use your browser extension, which solved the issue to ultimately stream content.

We had similar problems in the previous study, but we could not download content from both the standard application and the NordVPN browser extension this time.

Netflix is usually the most significant obstacle, and many VPNs cannot unlock it, but NordVPN didn’t have any problems. Hence, we were able to work on each server we tried (again, that was using both the regular app and the browser extension). Even Disney+ couldn’t beat NordVPN by providing us access to its US, UK, and Australian servers.

NordVPN has managed a stable all-around release, with only the BBC iPlayer spoiling the picture (and even there, we got to stream content eventually). However, even better providers are around – see the best Netflix VPNs if you’re interested in seeing the best performers in this department.

• Is NordVPN support available if you cannot unblock Netflix (or any other service)?

Indeed, and should you encounter problems with your unblocking attempts, NordVPN is very helpful. The ‘How to use NordVPN to view Netflix safely’ supports several helpful tips like suggested servers. It’s worth checking out the knowledge base and speaking with the support team to access a specific site or content. Is NordVPN supportive of torrents? The short answer is yes.

• Does NordVPN support torrents?

While NordVPN claims to be the ‘Best VPN for P2P,’ it no longer addresses its P2P state on the front page. Torrents are not allowed on all servers, but the company is not restricting you to a few choices in Amsterdam. NordVPN operates hundreds of P2P-friendly servers in the United States, Great Britain, and many other parts of the world. Wherever you are, a suitable server should be nearby.

VPNs that only support P2P on many servers can be uncomfortable to use, mainly if you connect to a non-P2P server, start your torrent client and find it is not working. But NordVPN is more intelligent than you would imagine. An app ‘P2P’ choice lets you connect to the best P2P-friendly server without knowing its location. If you fail to do so, the service will automatically re-transfer your link to a torrent-friendly alternative if it detects P2P behavior.

• Is there anything else that makes NordVPN a decent torrent choice?

NordVPN has a range of other features combined with direct P2P support to make it a wise option for torrent users. There are no registration policies, DNS and traffic leak security layers, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies payment and privacy exhibits like Double VPN and Onion Over VPNs.

• Are any competing VPNs better for torrents than NordVPN?

NordVPN provides an excellent all-around torrent kit, but it is also worth considering ExpressVPN for torrenting. Both services have a similar core feature, and although ExpressVPN has not as many extras (for instance, no Double VPN), it supports P2P on every server and is probably more comfortable to use. So you can choose which of these variables you like more, as well as additional information in our roundup of the best torrent VPNs.

• How simple are NordVPN apps to set up

Register for a VPN, and you will probably want to install a client and test it immediately. Tap the VPN App link at NordVPN, and the website directly provides you with the app’s downloading link, along with more links for its other supported platforms: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, and Android TV.

The long list of 50+ tutorials from NordVPN discusses how to set up the service manually and covers 20 other platforms and system types (including the best Chromebooks via Chrome OS, Windows Phone, Raspberry Pi, routers, NAS devices, more).

Here is far more info than you might imagine. For example, NordVPN has 11 Windows tutorials covering standard client installation, OpenVPN installation, or a manual setup guideline on Windows XP, 7, 8, and 10 for different protocol types.

Or would you like to know how NordVPN can be set up as a proxy for Socks 5 or browser? Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, uTorrent, BitTorrent, Vuze, Skype, Deluge, and more tutorials. No problem.

• How excellent is the NordVPN Windows client?

As we already reported, installation is a breeze. NordVPN makes installing the Windows software fast and straightforward. We visited the download page, our platform was detected, the Windows download connection was shown, and we took the program and installed it in less than a minute.

By showing the several server positions on a map, the client opens. That works much like every other dynamic map that you have used – left-click, hold and drag, drag the mouse to zoom, hover your mouse over the highlighted position to see a tooltip of your name – and left-clicking connects you to the service at any point.

While it looks fine, it isn’t a very convenient device. For example, to reach a particular European site, you would have to zoom in to the correct zone on the map and do not overlap the site markers and, if the geography is not your strong point, hover your mouse cursor over any marker until the tooltip gives you the place name you need. (Not everyone looks at a text-free map and recognizes instantly which country is Slovakia and Hungary, for example). When you leave the program, your map position and zoom level are lost, too, so restart your machine and restart.

Fortunately, a more regular alphabetically ordered list of countries is shown in the left sidebar. You can scroll to the country you need, click a button, and link to the best server there. Very fast. Very easy.

Tap the More button, and NordVpN will show a list of servers grouped by city or a specific server ID (‘US #3678’). Alternatively, type in any city’s name in a search window, and you can see matches when NordVPN has servers.

Separate Specialty Lists allow you to choose servers for one task: P2P, use Onion over VPN, double Double VPN encryption, or give you a dedicated IP. This function is very much like the regular list, so for example, you can click on P2P and let the app choose the best server for you or search the complete list and choose something manually.

The Favorites system is gone, replaced by an extended list of the last ten places you selected. That is likely to suffice most users, but we struggle to see why the app couldn’t help Favorites and the recent list.

We have written in previous reviews on the Windows client’s sluggish link times, but this has changed considerably. Over the past year, OpenVPN connection times have fallen from 25-30 seconds to 10-12 seconds, usually cutting NordLynx to 2-6 seconds.

The customer takes care of the rest of the link, updates the GUI to show its status and the location, and uses Windows desktop alerts to inform you when the VPN is switched on or off.

Simple to switch servers, too. If you are linked before you can open another, you don’t have to close the link. Only click on any server, and the client will disconnect and reconnect to your option automatically.

Click the NordVPN tray icon right, and you’ll see a list of your new connections, so it’s easy to re-access them. This is an absolute convenience that can seldom mean that you have to open the entire application.

Tap the disconnect button, and you will find choices for 5, 10, or 15 minutes to pause your connection. If you need to use a website that doesn’t fit the VPN easily, press ‘Pause,’ choose your favorite interval, and then the client disconnects. If you have done, press ‘Resume’ to restore the VPN, but the client automatically reconnects after your selected time when you forget.

It is a small but welcome addition that reduces the risk of finding yourself from Vulnerabilities for long periods unintentionally.

Apart from that, an exciting Settings dialogue has some great plus points. For example, it does not enable you to launch NordVPN on startup. You can also automatically make the client link if you have access to an unreliable wireless network and specify a specific country or area.

The kill switch from NordVPN (a method for preventing data leaks when the VPN link drops) also has more power than others. An internet kill switch prevents all Internet access except that you are connected to the VPN, while a separate kill app switch closes those VPN applications (your torrent app, for instance).

We have tried many ways of forcefully closing the VPN, but we have been adequately blocked and warned of the issue by the customer in all situations. The only small omission is that the client has no ‘auto attach’ function, allowing users to restore their links manually.

OpenVPN TCP and UDP, along with NordVPN’s own NordLynx protocol support. There is no help from IKEv2, but you are unlikely to need it from our experience with NordLynx so far.

Expert level features include the option for VPN connections to set your desired DNS. Most users should probably leave it alone, but switching DNS could boost the browsing speed, help block access to malicious websites or give other advantages if you know what you’re doing. Better still, you can add several DNS servers and switch between them, if necessary.

A bonus feature called “Obfuscated Servers” states that it can help you communicate even in countries and locations that block VPNs. And you can also block advertising and malicious websites that CyberSec from NordVPN, which is disabled by default.

Complete it all, and while the Windows client of NordVPN does have some problems, it is usually well presented and simple to use. Once you’ve got some initial configuration problems, this is a convenient place to display and monitor your VPN status. (By the way, you should also check out our selection of the best Windows 10 VPNs).

• How good is the NordVPN Android app?

The NordVPN Android application is one of the most successful, with over 10 million downloads and an excellent Google Play rating of 4.2 (even ExpressVPN ‘just’ manages 3.8).

Although we never believe the app store ratings are proper, we watch 1-star reviews for VPN applications because users blame them for many other network and Internet problems. Rating 4.2 is undoubtedly a real accomplishment, and NordVPN is also highly ranked in our list of the best Android VPN applications.

The configuration follows the same path as every other service. Click Install, download the app, and you can tap it to open it.

The application opens with the computer’s top section, where your places are on a global map, and the bottom section is reserved for a server list. You know the fundamental concepts here already, as they are identical to every other plan you have ever used: pinch to zoom in the region where you need to, drag around, and tap a place marker to bind to it. But it’s not convenient.

Do this in Europe, say, and you could face 40 locations but no text captions, so you need to know where Macedonia is on the map if you want to pick Macedonia. And switching elsewhere in the world might take somewhere else to zoom, pan, and zoom around. Although this isn’t hard, you need more time than you want to navigate the app interface.

Fortunately, the NordVPN Android app, like the Windows customer, also supports a list of traditional countries. Swiping up provides you with an alphabetical list of countries, and you can scroll down to the USA (or anywhere else), tap, and link to the country’s best server immediately. If you need more control of your location, tap a Menu button and show the complete list of places in that country.

You can also extend locations to list all your servers, but this probably won’t help you because there is no server load or details. A capable Settings box begins with the CyberSec ad, phish, and malware-blocking option for NordVPN.

An intelligent auto-connection function offers all sorts of options. For example, you might automatically set up the app to connect to all Wi-Fi hotspots, apart from your home and other trusted places, and then activate the VPN when you know you need it.

The application does not have a kill switch of its own. Still, basic instructions demonstrate how to install one on your computer (System Settings > NordVPN settings > Enabling ‘Always on VPN’ and ‘Blocking VPN Connections’). Recent additions include NordVPN support for a fast NordLynx protocol (you can still use OpenVPN TCP or UDP if you prefer).

And the features continue to come with the ability to set a personalized DNS server, split tunnels to disable VPN for unique apps, and even tap jacking security (you get an alert if a malicious app overlays a window on your screen to trick you into acting).

So the app isn’t perfect, and we don’t know that the interface map element adds a lot. However, otherwise, it’s a good, functional app that easily outperforms most of the competition.

• How good is the NordVPN iOS app?

With precisely zero surprises, the NordVPN iOS app has been installed quickly. Find it, install it, open it, log in, and you’re ready to go.

Initially, the software offers the same somewhat uncomfortable map interface as other customers, although the iOS developer has slightly improved its work. You can’t get as near as possible to the Android app, which means that the individual place markers never overlap and hide each other. And the lower panel reduces the space for a Quick Connect button when the map is shown, leaving the full-screen real estate for map information.

We also do not think that a map is the best way to move between locations, and if you approve, the standard country list will be shown. Here you can connect to any country with a tap or, if you prefer, select individual areas and servers.

Over the past year, the specialty server list has improved and contains all the server forms that you can use in other apps: Double VPNs, Offset, Dedicated IP options, P2P servers, and onions over VPN-supported applications.

Check out: Important Reasons Why Online Banking Still Needs VPN

The app is much more configurable than other iOS contestants. With the kill switch and the CyberSec malicious website block, an auto-connecting function may automatically connect to the VPN on unreliable networks, only on Wi-Fi, or maintain the VPN continuously active.

If this isn’t easy enough, you can add NordVPN connections inside the app to Siri. As NordVPN points out, it’s as easy to communicate as ‘simply ask Siri.’

Another function that can help you restore broken settings and link you again might be a Reset VPN Profile.

The Protocol menu offers a broader range of choices, including NordVPN’s NordLynx based on WireGuard and OpenVPN UDP or TCP and the IKEv2 applications, than for Windows and Android apps.

NordVPN has also provided dark mode support so that the app is now in line with your iDevice theme. Overall, NordVPN’s iOS app is a big service plus. If you are slow to see other VPNs, where iOS users get the absolute minimum of features and functionality, try it (also check out these other great choices for the best iPhone VPNs).

• Does NordVPN have browser extensions?

NordVPN has browser extensions, which can be helpful if you only want to secure your browser. While VPN customers are usually easy to use, connecting can still take some work. You can need to find and open an app, locate and search the list of countries. For example, if you need to unlock a website on your Windows laptop, select your chosen choice, wait to see if your app is linked, and finally turn back to your browser.

NordVPN provides Chrome and Firefox proxy extensions to simplify this by selecting a VPN site, connecting, and disconnecting directly from your browser window.

The Chrome extension was added to our address bar with a NordVPN icon. We taped this and signed in when requested.

The extension GUI has not the map you can see in the app customers, but that is no significant loss. Instead, a Quick Connect button connects you to the fastest server and a search option that allows the country only to be selected. (It is not possible to choose a server by town or region.)

A small Settings dialogue allows you to block Chrome WebRTC leaks, reduce privacy risks, or enable the security of CyberSec ad, malware, and phishing. You won’t be overwhelmed by the feature set, but the extension is quick and straightforward to use. You can connect in a few clicks, and since this is only a proxy that protects browser traffic, the link times are almost instantaneous.

We’ve tried out the Firefox add-on for NordVPN, too. Often VPN functions can be different from browser plugins, but not this time – NordVPN’s Chrome and Firefox add-ons have the same interfaces and processes.

• How do NordVPN extensions compare to competitors?

Overall, this isn’t a setup, as you can see with some of the contests. ExpressVPN’s browser extensions monitor and function with the complete ExpressVPN client, so they secure your entire device once you allow them within your browser. (ExpressVPN ranks highest among the best browser extensions in our selection). NordVPN extensions are simple proxies, protecting your browser by themselves.

Nevertheless, the procurement method is perfect for unlocking the website. The connections are much more comfortable, and NordVPN can be used inside a browser in some cases (if some of your apps don’t use a VPN or the VPN hampers your device efficiency, for example). We are glad that NordVPN provides browser extensions at all – most VPN providers don’t – which in general is a plus point.

• What (NordVPN) customer service is available?

The first line of customer service from NordVPN is its website support. Articles are classified into many categories, and a search box helps you to find keyword content.

The platform is not as well structured as we would like. For example, go to the support site of ExpressVPN, and you will be faced with the options ‘Get instructions,’ ‘Make troubleshoots,’ and ‘Contact support.’ At NordVPN, it is necessary to learn a little more about the ‘FAQ,’ ‘General Data,’ ‘Billing,’ ‘Connectivity,’ and sometimes it took a bit of effort.

However, once you come to the tutorials and guides, you will love it a lot, with many informative but easy setup and trouble resolution advice.

If you can’t find what you need, an excellent chatbot provides immediate and knowledgeable assistance. NordVPN has a web page where, for example, you can download individual OpenVPN settings but not the entire package. We have typed the connection ‘Where I can download all ovpn files,’ clicked the suggested ‘OpenVPN configuration files’ link, and bot sent a link to the ‘OVPN configuration files all zipped up.’

If the bot cannot help you, NordVPN provides live chat support with real people 24/7, and it works exceptionally well in our experience. We asked a simple question and, within a few minutes, got a warm response from a support agency.

Email support is also present. Answers take a little longer, hours rather than minutes, but this is comparable to many other VPNs. NordVPN responses have usually been reliable and thorough enough to solve our problem.

Final Thoughts

NordVPN has tonnes of servers and is an attractive VPN provider and an outstanding non-logging audit. It isn’t the cheapest, quickest, or most efficient VPN we have seen. Still, recently the company has introduced several welcome updates and improvements, and in general, it’s the finest, and most users have got decent results.