NordVPN review: Cost, performance, geofencing, installation

NordVPN is a top-tier VPN service, offering a lot of features and usability in a well-rounded and protective service to help most iPhone and Mac VPN users.

A VPN is an important part of a modern day computing setup. With the continuing threats to personal security online, as well as a need to ensure as much privacy as possible, it’s become an invaluable tool.

While there are free VPN services available that can seem basic or dodgy, users concerned about their privacy and security tend to go for paid options. Services that can also offer more features to consumers do well in the overall VPN marketplace.

NordVPN is one of the biggest and long-standing providers of VPN services. With an assortment of plans available, it offers everything from a basic Mac, iPad and iPhone VPN to more advanced options that add in threat protection and data breach monitoring features.

It’s quite a compelling package to anyone wanting to be kept safe online.

NordVPN review – What is it?

NordVPN is, at its most basic, a virtual private network provider. Using apps and tools, users can tunnel their traffic through NordVPN’s servers to the Internet at large.

The connections are handled with AES-256 encryption using both OpenVPN an NordVPN’s Nordlynx protocols between the user and the NordVPN servers. This prevents anyone from checking out the data being sent from your devices or from easily tracing packets back to your hardware.

There’s also a no-logs policy that is regularly audited, which helps ensure privacy.

NordVPN as used on an iPhone

This functionality also includes being able to select which of its over 7,300 VPN servers that it operates in 118 countries around the world. Like other VPNs, you can elect to connect through a VPN in a different country and enjoy benefits like accessing regionally-limited content or shopping without being forced to a localized version of an online retailer.

As one of the major VPN services, NordVPN offers a lot of other features beyond the standard VPN access. A service which it has built up on over the years to become a premier offering.

NordVPN review – Device support

Part of the appeal of NordVPN is its extensive device support. Under one subscription, it can be used by up to ten devices simultaneously, making it handy for families and friend groups.

On the Apple side, there’s support for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS with dedicated apps to manage the connection. There’s also an app for tvOS, allowing for the VPN to be configured and used from the Apple TV.

Apps can be downloaded on other platforms too, including Windows, Linux, and Android.

If you want to cover all the devices on a household Internet connection, there is the possibility of configuring your router to funnel all traffic through VPN’s servers. This helps offer blanket coverage to all of your hardware, including those not specifically set up with VPN access, and while using only one of the ten available device slots.

Browser extensions can also be used, providing protection on a per-browser basis without affecting other apps on a device. This can be handy in situations where you can’t use a VPN with some apps, but that is the exception, not the rule.

With the sheer number of devices it can support, it would be a challenge to find some form of hardware that NordVPN simply won’t work with at all. It’s safe to say that the vast majority of internet-connected devices with some level of configurability can either work straight away with NordVPN, or be configured to in some way.

NordVPN review – Getting started and connected

The actual process of getting onboard with NordVPN is quite straightforward as far as apps go. After signing up and downloading the app, you log in and are then presented with a map of where you can connect through.

You do get asked if NordVPN can make some configuration changes to your iPhone or iPad’s settings, but after that, it’s plain sailing.

NordVPN’s iPadOS app looks a lot like the macOS version

Both on Mac and iOS/iPadOS, you are presented with a list of countries that you can connect through, as well as the map. The list will also bring up the list of recent connections, in case you regularly need to have a connection going through Bogota or Tokyo.

A simple click or tap on a country will establish the connection, with disconnection options prominently on display in the apps.

These direct connections to servers aren’t the only way to get online, as there are a few options which are referred to as Speciality Servers.

Under this category, you can use Double VPN, which routes traffic through two different VPN servers. This provides two layers of encryption, as well as IP protection, since the second server won’t have any information about your connection, other than details of the first VPN server.

Users of TOR, The Onion Router, can use Onion Over VPN as a further enhancement of their TOR experience for extra privacy. Onion Over VPN can hide the user’s IP address from the entry node, minimizing the possibility of being snooped in the Onion network.

There are other options, such as Peer-to-Peer or setting up a dedicated IP, but one of the more useful alternative connection types is Split Tunneling. You can set it so that some apps go through the VPN as you would expect, but others connect through your local connection instead.

This is a great option for some users, such as people who want to browse the Internet through their local connection but want to watch streaming services that are region-locked to another country at the same time. It’s a better alternative to manually switching the VPN on or off as you change tasks.

All of these connections and features are presented in a nice and clean app, dominated by a world map but still well presented across all platforms. Each includes search options for narrowing down servers, and easy access to other features included as part of the subscription.

As for the speed of the service, AppleInsider previously performed extensive testing across multiple VPN services, and NordVPN was among the fastest in the group.

At the time of this review, it’s safe to say that the connectivity available through NordVPN’s servers is still extremely usable by even the most demanding users.

Using a Mac mini on a fiber connection with far higher upload and download rates than the Gigabit Ethernet port can consume, local connection speeds reached an average of about 900Mbps down, 750Mbps for upstream.

Using the same setup but connecting through a server on the other side of the Atlantic, the download rate erred a little down to 890Mbps on average, with upload still a very respectable 625Mbps.

Switching to more unusual countries didn’t cause too much trouble for NordVPN either. Connecting through Argentina, Speedtest saw the single-digit ping of UK and US connections turn to 213ms, but downloads and uploads were still 580Mbps and 240Mbps respectively.

Suffice it to say, the connectivity offered by NordVPN is more than enough for the average user to browse, stream content, or send the occasional large file without the VPN getting in the way.

NordVPN review – Other features

While VPN services are useful in general, there’s a lot more beyond that which NordVPN offers to paying customers.

One of these is Meshnet, a feature that uses the technology that drives a VPN to create the equivalent of a private VPN server. Devices included within a Meshnet can work with others within the group as if they’re on a secure local area network.

NordVPN’s Meshnet can act like a secure local network, but remotely.

This is something that people working from home can have to deal with to access a corporate network, but not typically for home use. The advantage here is that users could more easily connect to devices on their home network while remotely, without dealing with as much work to set it up in the first place.

Connecting to a home server in this way could provide a similar service as accessing cloud storage, but without the extra subscription, for example. Or a college student away from home could stay connected to their family’s hardware, watching content from a media server or playing games as if they’re on a local network with others.

On a more security-forward viewpoint, there’s also things like Threat Protection Pro, which is basically an anti-malware feature to block malicious malware from being downloaded or online trackers. This is more protecting your Mac from nasty things that come through via the connection, rather than performing any local scanning that you would get from an antivirus package, but it’s still nice to have.

There’s also a Dark Web Monitor, which is used to scan for data from breaches that could be tied to a user. For example, email addresses, passwords, addresses, or payment details.

It’s good that this is included, as there are some Internet users who may not necessarily consider this to be a potential danger to their personal data. At least by enabling this, those users could be alerted if a problem does arise in a breach.

You can also bundle in a password manager, which can secure your data and use it across devices. This is handy, especially if you live a multi-platform lifestyle, but less so if you’re too enmeshed in Apple’s Keychain.

NordVPN review – Pricing

NordVPN offers its services in a couple of packages, and in different plans. Depending on what you choose, the pricing can change wildly.

The cheapest option is the Basic plan, which provides access to the VPN on its own, with no real extra features. The second plan, Plus, adds in the Threat Protection Pro functions and access to NordPass, the company’s password manager.

The third plan, Complete, adds on top 1TB of encrypted cloud storage and the data breach scanner. Lastly, Prime adds in NordProtect, which includes identity and SSN monitoring, Credit monitoring, and insurances covering identity theft and cyber extortion.

On a per-month basis, the plans start from $12.99 for Basic, rising to $13.99 for Plus, $14.99 for Complete, and $17.99 for Prime.

The one-year versions are $59.88 for Basic, $71.88 for Plus, $83.88 for Complete, and $119.88 for Prime. These range between 56% and 67% cheaper compared to the per-month versions, but they only apply to the first 12 months of usage, with the discounts removed for the second year.

The two-year plans are similar in structure but with even steeper discounts, pricing them at $81.36, $105.36, $129.36, and $201.36 respectively. This again is 70% to 72% cheaper than their respective one-year counterparts when stretched to two years, but again the discount goes away when you start the third year.

The per-year plans are quite attractive options for consumers, especially when put against the month-to-month payments. That is, if you can afford paying for one or two years of service all in advance, and can remember to do something about the subscription when it comes up to renewal time.

NordVPN review – Jack of all trades, and mastering them too

NordVPN is a fairly safe option when it comes to VPN providers. It’s one of the major options on the market, one that everyone’s probably heard about, and one that boasts about its security and privacy credentials.

Extra security features are available, depending on which NordVPN package you subscribe to.

Indeed, it can back up its position on the market with an extremely easy to use and very competent package that users will find extremely useful. There’s also a lot for advanced users to like here, such as the extensive device support and the additional features, especially Meshnet.

While the packages can be added to, creating a well-rounded privacy and security experience for subscribers, it still requires potential buyers to think carefully about what they’re prepared to pay. The monthly plans are quite expensive, which makes the annual and two-year plans seem a lot more attractive, but only if you are mindful of the renewal cost.

Overall, there’s a lot to like about NordVPN’s offering here. Security, speed, and features-wise, there’s little to knock about the service.

NordVPN is a highly-recommendable tool for most Internet users to consider to keep themselves safe online.

NordVPN review – Pros

• Clean and easy to use interface
• Double VPN, Meshnet features
• Very fast speeds
• Extensive device support

NordVPN review – Cons

• High monthly plan pricing versus annual options

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Where to buy NordVPN

NordVPN plans are available as monthly, 1-year, or 2-year plans. The greatest savings can be found in the multi-year plans, which are up to 72% off at the time of this review, bringing the effective monthly cost down to as low as $3.39 per month (billed from $81.36 for the first 24 months depending on the level of service purchased).

You can find the latest VPN deals across providers in our dedicated roundup as well.