NordVPN Review 2025: NordVPN Review: Fast, Private and Excellent for Streaming

NordVPN is like The Flash — quick and easily recognizable. Chances are, you’ve heard of Nord from your favorite podcast, YouTuber or via one of its banner ads. I’ve even seen ads on TV while watching UNC men’s basketball games. With its excellent streaming capabilities, unique privacy features and mind-bogglingly fast internet speeds, there’s a lot to like. Nord has historically reigned supreme as one of the fastest VPNs on the market, and in my latest bout of benchmarking, it was blazing fast — my download speeds even improved on some servers. (I’ll explain later how that’s possible.)

Whether you want to stream foreign Netflix libraries, bypass throttling restrictions or beef up your privacy, NordVPN is a solid choice. Its snappy speeds won’t hinder 4K video streaming, online gaming sessions or work Zoom calls. You’ll enjoy user-friendly apps that are easy to navigate for beginners and privacy enthusiasts alike. Plus, Nord includes advanced privacy features, like double-hop and Onion Over VPN servers, which make it even harder to trace your traffic back to its source. 

While I appreciated Nord’s competitive introductory pricing, its price hikes — an unfortunate VPN industry standard practice — are steep, even compared to the VPN competition. Thankfully, you can avoid a pricey autorenewal by stacking subscriptions, but I’d like to see the same sort of transparency you’ll find with its approach to privacy mimicked in its pricing structure. Ultimately, NordVPN largely lives up to its braggadocio as a great virtual private network for everyone from privacy buffs to streaming fanatics, but the hefty renewal rates make it less enticing as a long-term investment. 

Speed: Head-spinningly fast

• Speed loss: 3% average internet speed loss
• Number of servers: 7,200-plus
• Number of countries: 118

To assess NordVPN, I ran over 250 internet speed tests and was impressed at its blisteringly fast 2.9% average internet download speed loss.

All VPNs slow down your internet connection at least somewhat. Connecting to the internet is like ordering food from your favorite meal delivery service: The fewer stops it makes, the faster it usually arrives at your doorstep. Accordingly, tunneling your web traffic through a VPN hides your public IP address for extra privacy but adds another “stop.”

In my 2024 testing, I clocked a best-in-class 11% average internet download speed loss, and Nord somehow whittled that down substantially this year. My download speeds when connected to the VPN were faster on MacOS, using both OpenVPN and the WireGuard-based NordLynx VPN protocols, than my base internet speeds. There are several reasons why this might be the case, like bypassing throttling restrictions or more efficient communication with servers than your ISP’s DNS servers. Your internet service provider needs to be able to read your IP address to throttle your speeds, so a VPN’s IP masking can actually speed up your connection if you’re experiencing throttling.

Although I experienced minor speed loss on Windows (11% with NordLynx and 21% with OpenVPN), it was virtually unnoticeable over my Google Fiber Wi-Fi. Normally, OpenVPN speeds are slightly slower than WireGuard, which proved true with Nord’s Windows app, but it was still pretty snappy. 

For reference, Netflix recommends a minimum internet download speed of 15Mbps for watching 4K ultra-high-definition videos. Most folks with a 50Mbps or higher internet connection shouldn’t notice any of Nord’s impact — you can expect best-in-class performance. 

Nord’s extensive global server roster is great for international travel and unblocking geo-protected streaming

Over the past year, Nord aggressively expanded its worldwide network of servers, which now sits at 7,200-plus servers peppering 118 countries. That’s among the highest of any VPN I’ve tested, edging out ExpressVPN (105 countries) and Surfshark (100) countries. Proton VPN has more servers (11,400-plus) but slightly fewer countries (117). Whether you’re gallivanting across the globe or want to unblock geo-restricted streaming content like foreign Netflix and Disney Plus libraries, NordVPN’s generous server network has you covered. 

Key takeaway: NordVPN is lightning-fast, keeping internet speed loss to a minimum, and in some cases even improving my internet speeds. Its large web of servers makes Nord one of the best VPNs for travel or accessing region-restricted streaming services. 

Cost: Competitive introductory pricing, but price hikes are highway robbery

• Price: $13 a month, $60 for the first year or $81 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $140 a year)
• Money-back guarantee: 30 days
• Payment options: Credit/debit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.)
• Available apps: Windows (x86 and ARM), MacOS, Linux (CLI-only), Android, iOS, iPadOS, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Kindle Fire, Oculus Quest, Apple Vision Pro, web browsers, routers

NordVPN’s monthly pricing is more than Proton, the same as ExpressVPN and cheaper than Surfshark. For annual plans, Nord starts at a reasonable $60 a year, significantly undercutting ExpressVPN while matching Proton and being more expensive than the wallet-friendly Surfshark. You can save even more with a two-year plan, but I don’t advise signing up for more than a year with a VPN provider considering how quickly the landscape changes. Your fast, private VPN could suffer slower speeds or a data breach during that time.

However, like many of its VPN rivals, Nord slaps you with price hikes, so your sweet introductory cost spikes from $60 for the first year to $140 upon renewal. Thankfully, you can stack subscriptions, so if you’ve got a NordVPN one-year plan and purchase a discounted annual plan during a Black Friday sale, you can extend your coverage. 

While Nord isn’t alone in price hikes — Surfshark, Proton VPN and ExpressVPN also jack up prices on their one- and two-year plans — its autorenewal pricing is borderline extortionate. But you don’t have to take my word for it; there’s a class action lawsuit against NordVPN in California and North Carolina alleging deceitful autorenewals. 

Although price hikes are the industry standard, I’d like to see more transparency from Nord to match their privacy transparency. The subscription renewal prices page is linked directly from the checkout page, but I’d prefer no price hike or, at the very least, a more reasonable renewal bump, like from $60 to $80 a year. By comparison, Mullvad doesn’t hike the price at all, priced at $5 a month whether you stay on its monthly plan or purchase multiple years of service. Both Surfshark and Proton slap you with autorenewal price hikes, but much more reasonable than Nord; Surfshark from $48 a year to $60, and Proton VPN from $60 to $80 annually. 

NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re unsatisfied with your service. There are many payment options, from the usual suspects like credit and debit cards or PayPal to cryptocurrencies. Paying with crypto doesn’t offer total anonymity but can be tougher to trace back to the buyer than more traditional payment methods, so it’s nice to have for privacy-conscious buyers. I like how you can even snag NordVPN in-store at some brick-and-mortar retailers, like Best Buy.

Pro tip: You can stack subscriptions with NordVPN to avoid a pricey auto-renewal. For example, if you’ve got six months left on an annual plan, you can get another year’s worth of service during a Black Friday sale, which adds 12 months to your existing package. If you sign up for a Nord plan and want to keep the service for longer, I recommend immediately canceling your auto-renewal, and then getting another subscription plan before your membership expires.

NordVPN bundles let you tack on goodies like password managers and security software

One of the trends I’ve noticed in recent years is that VPN providers now offer more privacy and security features, with Nord joining the fray. While its entry-level Basic tier sticks to VPN services, its Plus, Complete and Prime plans tack on assorted privacy and security goodies. For instance, you’ll get Nord’s Threat Protection Pro anti-malware software and a password manager across all three higher-tiered plans. Complete and Prime tack on 1TB of secure cloud storage, while Prime throws in credit monitoring, identity theft insurance plus a slew of other benefits. 

There are upsides to bundling privacy and security services. Having one bill to keep up with instead of multiple may be more convenient, and you might get cheaper pricing than going a la carte. But if there’s a data breach and the company you’re using for a VPN, password manager and anti-malware protection gets compromised, that’s more data in one stolen basket and you’ve then got to shop around further. Whether you choose to bundle or not, I appreciate how Nord still offers a VPN-only plan, unlike ExpressVPN which forces you into a pricey subscription.

Key takeaway: NordVPN’s one- and two-year plans are a great initial value, but ridiculous auto-renewal prices are too pricey. If you go with Nord, I suggest canceling your auto-renewal and stacking subscriptions to avoid a hefty price hike.

App performance: Intuitive, excellent for streaming and available on almost any device you can think of

Sometimes, it can feel like you need a computer science degree to operate a virtual private network. Thankfully, NordVPN is just as easy to use for a first-time VPN user or a privacy enthusiast. I tested on a bevy of different devices, including a Windows PC, MacBook Air, Android phone, iPad, Chromebook, Nvidia Shield TV, Android TV box, Amazon Fire TV Stick and Apple TV. I was pleased to find a largely consistent experience across devices. Nord’s apps are intuitive with a slick, modern layout that makes hopping on a server and changing settings a breeze. It’s not as minimalist as ExpressVPN, but the Nord apps aren’t difficult to use. There’s merely more going on visually than with competitors like Surfshark and Express, like Nord’s easy-to-navigate VPN server map.

There’s an Apple TV app and an ARM for Windows app, so you can use Nord on virtually any device. The streaming app for Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV devices is more subdued, forgoing the visual map in favor of a simple to peruse list of countries. Although there is a Linux app, it’s command-line only, which isn’t as easy to use. However, NordVPN told me that a Linux GUI app is in the works, with a slated release by the end of the first quarter of 2025.

NordVPN’s fast speeds and large global server roster make it fantastic for streaming

NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for streaming from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other services. Its top-notch speed loss makes Nord an excellent option for watching 4K UHD videos. Meanwhile, its plentiful servers make geo-unblocking content a breeze. I had no issues using a VPN for US-only streaming services like Max, Peacock, Paramount Plus, Hulu and Crunchyroll. 

I easily unblocked several international Netflix, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime libraries: I effortlessly accessed Netflix UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, South Africa, Romania and Japan, enjoying M3GAN on Netflix with a Canadian server and Star Trek: The Next Generation using a Romanian server (both titles are unavailable on Netflix in the States). Unfortunately, Netflix Egypt wouldn’t load — it just showed US content — so if you want to watch any of the Arabic-only videos there, I’d recommend Proton VPN or ExpressVPN.

I also used Nord to stream Longlegs from Amazon Prime Video UK, Prey on Disney Plus (usually a Hulu exclusive in the US), Murdoch Mysteries from CBC and The Jetty on BBC iPlayer. I did have to try a different UK server for Amazon Prime Video UK and another Japanese server for Netflix Japan, but one quick server change sorted out any issues. Whether you want to cut through regional sports blackouts, watch foreign content libraries at home or access your streaming apps while traveling abroad, NordVPN works like a champ for buffer-free streaming. You even use a VPN to save money on streaming service subscriptions.     

Meshnet is a neat feature for secure file sharing or creating a personal VPN server

NordVPN includes a nifty feature called Meshnet that lets you create a network of linked devices. You can then securely share files, host LAN parties for gaming or even bypass Netflix and Disney Plus password-sharing crackdowns using Meshnet. I toggled on Meshnet in the Nord app on my Windows PC, Android Phone and my Chromecast with a Google TV Android TV box. Using Meshnet, I could seamlessly share files between devices as if they were all on the same Wi-Fi network. 

Because Meshnet lets you route your traffic through a device, thereby creating a personal VPN server, you can even circumvent password-sharing restrictions. I routed traffic through a Geekom AS5 Windows mini PC, so my phone and Chromecast showed the same IP address when selecting that device as a VPN server. Accordingly, if I went on vacation at my parents’ beach condo, I could enjoy Netflix without verifying that I was away from home since it would look like I was still at my house. Outside of using your streaming services such as Netflix and Disney Plus from anywhere, Meshnet is a handy inclusion with tons of different use cases, like managing a home server from afar or sharing large files securely in a remote work environment.

Nord’s split tunneling lets you selectively enable a VPN, but I’d like more control on Android

Nord’s apps have split tunneling, which lets you use a VPN for some apps but not others. I streamed M3GAN on Netflix UK with a VPN while excluding my Steam games app to enjoy faster download speeds while installing Life is Strange. But Nord’s Android split tunneling only lets you exclude apps from using a VPN, meaning the default behavior is to tunnel everything through a VPN. By contrast, Surfshark and Proton let you route only selected apps or choose apps to bypass a VPN for more split tunneling flexibility. 

Helpfully, there’s an option to select all apps on your device that don’t play nicely with VPNs, so I was able to quickly bypass a virtual private network connection for the Sonos app and keep it on my local network. But I’d like to see both ways of split tunneling on Android. I’d at least like a way to select all apps to exclude, then uncheck a handful.

As expected, you won’t find split tunneling on MacOS or iOS/iPadOS — Apple’s networking infrastructure complicated split tunneling for VPNs starting in 2020. PIA is one of the few Mac VPNs that offer split tunneling. 

Customer service is good, and it’s easy to get a real person

Despite its user-friendly nature, you may need assistance with app installation, billing or something else. NordVPN provides 24/7 customer support via email and live chat, but no phone. Many companies, including NordVPN, offer live chat via a bot first. I asked Nordbot a question about renewing subscriptions, and it gave me a clear, detailed answer that included information regarding stacking subscriptions. The info was helpful, easy to understand and I liked the transparency that I was talking to a bot. 

But not all questions are so swiftly handled by bots, so I requested a real person by simply typing “real person.” Thankfully, I didn’t have to jump through any hoops and was connected to a customer service representative, Pedro. (If you’re reading this review, hi Pedro!) Pedro was friendly and informative, answering my queries about the process for upgrading NordVPN plans mid-subscription.

If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you can peruse Nord’s many resources like its blog and help center. I followed its instructions for setting up a VPN hotspot using a Windows PC. The explainers and tutorials were clear and simple to follow.   

Key takeaway: NordVPN’s user-friendly apps and exceptional streaming service unblocking make it a solid option for everything from maintaining privacy to streaming buttery-smooth 4K movies and shows.

Privacy and transparency: Nord packs plenty of neat privacy features, but could make its privacy policy a little clearer

• Jurisdiction: Panama
• Encryption: AES-256-bit encryption (OpenVPN), ChaCha20 (NordLynx)
• RAM-only servers
• Post-quantum protection
• Leaks: No leaks detected in 2025 testing
• Independently audited
• VPN protocols: NordLynx (WireGuard-based), OpenVPN, NordWhisper

While VPNs are great for entertainment purposes, like streaming videos and gaming, they’re privacy tools at their core. NordVPN ticks a lot of boxes, starting with its privacy-friendly jurisdiction in Panama, which sits outside of the Five, Nine and 14 Eyes data-sharing alliances. The company offers industry-standard privacy features alongside advanced options. It has a kill switch that cuts off your internet connection in case of an unexpected internet interruption. During my testing, its kill switch successfully kept my public IP address hidden and worked flawlessly on all platforms. 

You can pick between the OpenVPN or WireGuard-based NordLynx VPN protocols, both of which use cutting-edge encryption (AES-256-bit with OpenVPN and ChaCha20 with NordLynx). Nord is also debuting its proprietary NordWhisper VPN protocol first on Windows, Android and Linux with other platforms to follow. NordWhisper tries to hide the fact that you’re using a VPN by masquerading as traditional web traffic, and may be beneficial when trying to use a virtual private network in countries where VPNs are frowned upon. 

Like many competitors, NordVPN relies on RAM-only servers, so the server stack completely reboots after each session, meaning no data from your VPN session is saved to a hard disk. There are debates among VPN providers about the privacy and security benefits of RAM-only server infrastructure versus full-disk encryption, and I feel at ease with either one. Like most VPN services, Nord maintains a strict no-logs policy, but its RAM-only servers mean that there’s theoretically no user browsing session data to share at all.

In addition to its quintessential privacy features, Nord packs a power user punch with specialty servers and post-quantum protection.

Specialty servers: Tor over VPN, double VPN and obfuscated servers

Aside from its standard VPN servers, Nord offers a few specialty servers for beefed up privacy. Both operate similarly by adding another level of encryption on top of a VPN connection, but using different methods. A double VPN, or multi-hop, adds a second VPN tunnel, making it even more difficult to trace your internet traffic back to its source. Likewise, Onion over VPN servers use a combination of Tor (The Onion Router) and a VPN to make following your web traffic back to you even harder. Each is a good option for people with critical privacy needs.

While NordVPN’s specialty double VPN and Tor over VPN servers boost your privacy, they slow down your internet speeds. Essentially, each time you add another “stop” to your internet traffic, it’s slower than if you were just communicating directly with your internet service provider’s DNS servers. A standard VPN connection is probably fine if you want to stream geo-protected content, bypass throttling restrictions or add basic privacy from your ISP. But folks with critical privacy needs, like investigative journalists, political activists or asylum-seekers, may appreciate some of Nord’s more advanced privacy amenities like Onion over VPN and multi-hop servers. 

Nord’s obfuscated servers try to disguise the fact that you’re using a VPN. Some countries, apps, websites or internet networks (like school Wi-Fi) frown upon VPN usage, so you may not be able to load different apps and sites. Using obfuscated servers may solve the issue, but before trying them out, I recommend ensuring that you’re complying with local laws or terms of service. 

Advanced privacy and security features 

In September 2024, NordVPN announced its rollout of post-quantum encryption, starting with its Linux app. As quantum computers continue advancing, the threat of data breaches may increase. I was pleased to discover that Nord brought post-quantum protection to its Windows and Android apps with iOS/iPadOS and MacOS to follow in 2025. You can easily toggle it on and off, but it’s only available with NordLynx, not OpenVPN. Because NordLynx usually offers faster speeds without compromising privacy, that’s not a downside — in my daily use, I typically left Nord on auto-connect or selected NordLynx.

Nord undergoes annual audits and publishes a regular transparency report

NordVPN promotes its strict no-logs policy, and while zero-logging policies are tough to prove with complete certainty, third-party audits can back up VPN provider claims. In Dec. 2023, Deloitte audited NordVPN’s infrastructure, finding no evidence of logging. 

In 2024, Nord shifted away from a warrant canary to publishing quarterly transparency reports, a move I appreciated. While the reports are pretty barebones, they’re nonetheless helpful for seeing the number of DMCA and government institution requests the company received as well as how many orders Nord complied with. According to the report, Nord received 10,358,304 DMCA requests and 280 inquiries from government agencies. 

As of Jan. 14, 2025, Nord has disclosed limited user information once. NordVPN told me via email: 

“In October 2024, NordVPN received a legally binding warrant from the Panamanian prosecutor’s office as part of a criminal investigation. This warrant was issued in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations, and we were legally required to provide the user data in our possession.”

“It is important to note that, according to our privacy policy, the only information we could supply was payment-related details and confirmation of the account linked to the email address provided by the authorities. We do not collect or store any logs of internet traffic, or other information regarding users’ online behavior. Thus, we had no such data to share. Ensuring the security and privacy of our customers remains our top priority.”

That doesn’t necessarily make me hesitate to use Nord. The best we can hope for in these situations is for companies to maintain user privacy while complying with local laws. In fact, you can think of this situation as a test of whether Nord actually doesn’t log user data (it doesn’t log user data). Still, I can see this being a concern for folks with serious privacy concerns, such as asylum-seekers, political activists or investigative journalists. Because many VPN providers like Nord require email-based accounts, there’s a paper trail. If you need even stricter privacy, Mullvad doesn’t require an email for signup, further minimizing your identifiable connection to its service.

Thankfully, the data Nord had to hand over was minor — confirming payment-related information and the existence of an account tied to an email address (not providing any other account-related information). While true anonymity doesn’t exist, you can take certain precautions, like paying with cryptocurrencies and using a burner email address, to make it harder to trace things back to you. And complying with one out of 280 legal requests in a year is a good batting average, especially considering the limited scope of the information handed over.  

Privacy policy: Largely standard stuff with an overhaul on the horizon

A crucial part of our VPN testing is poring over privacy policies. While it’s a best practice to read the fine print, not everybody has time to trek into the often obtuse labyrinth of legalese that comprises many privacy policies. Overall, NordVPN’s privacy policy is pretty paint-by-numbers. But NordVPN told me via video call and reiterated over email that it has a privacy policy revamp in the works. Once that’s published, I’ll dive in and update this section.

I liked how well-organized the information was, which made it relatively easy to scan — some privacy policies seem as though you need an advanced law degree to parse the data. It’s less digestible than PIA’s outstanding privacy policy but better than many I’ve slogged through. Overall, it reaffirms Nord’s commitment to maintaining user data confidentiality. Notably, in its Requests for data section, the privacy policy states: “…we do not log users’ browsing history, traffic information, or IP addresses used to access the internet via our services. This means that we are not able to link shared IP addresses of VPN services to an individual user or otherwise individual users based on data that we do not process. Therefore, even if we were to receive a rightfully served request, it might be impossible for us to identify a specific person or provide any identifying information related to that person. In cases where, following an appropriate legal process, we are obligated to comply with a request and we are able to identify a specific person, we will provide the limited data we process as per our Privacy Policy given it falls within the scope of the request.”

I think a few areas could be more explicit, such as a section regarding the sharing of personal data in the event of a business transfer:

“We may share your personal data in those cases where we sell or negotiate to sell our business or go through a corporate merger, acquisition, consolidation, asset sale, reorganization, or similar event. In these situations, Nord will continue to ensure the confidentiality of your personal data.”

These instances aren’t entirely uncommon. For instance, NordVPN and Surfshark merged in 2022, while Kape Technologies bought ExpressVPN in 2021. 

Nord said via email about its business transfers clause, “This is a standard clause, used by the legal team to cover some theoretical possibilities in edge cases.” 

I don’t agree entirely about this, and would like more transparency about what specific data could be transferred in the event of a sale. There’s nothing especially troublesome in its privacy policy, but Nord has some room for improvement with its language surrounding business transfers, which I’m hoping to see in its upcoming privacy policy update.

Key takeaway: NordVPN includes a bevy of niche yet useful privacy features, undergoes regular audits and publishes quarterly transparency reports. While its privacy policy is pretty decipherable, I’d like to see it become even more reader-friendly. Additionally, while the average person who wants to stream from Netflix or BBC iPlayer may not be concerned, some folks with critical privacy needs (like political activists or asylum-seekers) may be worried about its disclosure of limited user data to the Panamanian government. 

Final thoughts: NordVPN is fast, private and exceptional for streaming

NordVPN is an outstanding VPN for various users, from paranoid torrenters to streaming fanatics and frequent international fliers. Its generous server network gives you a lot of connectivity options, plus you’ll find some unique privacy features. Notably, Tor Over VPN servers make boosting your privacy with Tor more user-friendly, and Meshnet offers many solutions, like secure file sharing between remote PCs or bypassing streaming service password-sharing crackdowns. 

Despite many of its power user amenities, Nord remains intuitive enough for less tech-savvy users. Although its one- and two-year plans are competitively priced at the onset, I was disappointed in Nord’s deceptive price hikes, which seem to contradict the transparency so prevalent throughout the rest of its VPN offerings. That’s not to say you shouldn’t use NordVPN — you’ll just need to babysit your subscription more so than companies with little to no price hike. Ultimately, NordVPN is fast and full of helpful privacy features, working just as well for streaming buffs and privacy enthusiasts alike.