Whenever VPNs are mentioned, NordVPN seems to be the name that pops out next. In fact, the company is believed by some sections of people to be the best VPN service provider in the world.
Well, with good marketing comes good appraisals like this sometimes. But it has usually translated into better service delivery? No! Only very few companies have been able to live up to the hype that preceded them. Does NordVPN fall into this category? Well, this is why we have put up this review and soon you’d be able to decide for yourself whether NordVPN is worth your time or not.
So without wasting time, let’s get this NordVPN review going!
A Few Quick Facts
Before we take a look at the advantages and disadvantages that come along with using NordVPN, let’s first consider some facts about the company.
NordVPN is a Panama-based VPN service provider which was established in 2012 by four friends, according to details on the company’s website. By late May 2016, the company released its Android app and followed it up with the iOS version the next month. October 2017 witnessed the release of the company’s Google Chrome Browser Extension, and Android TV was launched the following year.
The company boasts of 5,100+ servers in over 60 countries, with dedicated categories for security, streaming, and torrenting.
The Cyber protection offered by the company is backed up by strong 256-bit encryption and tight VPN protocol (IKEv2/IPSec and OpenVPN).
In November 2018, NordVPN became Liverpool Football Club’s first cybersecurity partner.
With these facts, it’s safe to assume that you now have a decent knowledge about the company’s background. So let’s go ahead and build on this strong foundation.
The Good Things About NordVPN
Bold claims like “the best VPN service in the world,” made me curious about the company. So I decided to give them a try. Below are some positives I discovered while using the much talked about, NordVPN.
Works Incredibly Well for Netflix and Torrenting 
I love downloading torrents and streaming Netflix videos, so this one got me!
NordVPN operates a lot of servers so their service is perfect for torrenting and beating geographical restrictions on Netflix.
When I first tried NordVPN with Netflix, it worked fine. However, not all servers responded. We all know that Netflix does a pretty good job when it comes to stopping IPs that belong to VPNs. But 5 out of 6 servers on NordVPN should work every time you try.
From my experience, you may have to test quite a few servers before you get one that works fine based on your location and internet strength.
If you are unsure about which server to use, their customer care service is available to answer whatever question you might have.
When it comes to torrents, NordVPN allows for a fast and safe surfing experience. In fact, the VPN service has two dedicated “P2P” servers that enhance safety and privacy while torrenting. All you have to do is to check the ‘specialty servers’ section of the app and you’ll find the P2P servers there.
You are in for a treat if you are looking to use NordVPN for Netflix and torrenting because there are very few VPN service providers that are better than it in this regard.
No Logging Policy
If you have ever heard people say that NordVPN doesn’t keep logs, don’t doubt it because they actually don’t keep logs. This is more than I can say about other VPN service providers.
It’s written boldly on their website also if you need an official confirmation.
However, I discovered that they do keep data from ‘not-too’ important sources such as email addresses, payment data, and service performance.
But these are data that you expect most VPN service providers to keep, so there is really nothing to worry about here. I also found out that the NordVPN payment processor isn’t tied to them directly, and this offers more security.
Impressive In-App Features
NordVPN offers exciting features regardless of the fact that it is relatively cheap.
- Up to six simultaneous connections allowed
- Netflix access
- Over 5000 fast servers
- Ad-blocker
- P2P servers for enhanced torrenting
- VPN servers that encrypt data twice
Aside from the fact that NordVPN is available on various platforms, there are tutorial videos to help guide you while you use the service. This includes protocol connectivity tutorials for different platforms.
Stable and Equally Impressive Speed
When I first tested NordVPN, the speed rate was what I was most eager to find out? Is it anything like what we have been made to believe?
Well, I have to tell you I wasn’t disappointed. While It is not fastest, the NordVPN speed was quite impressive. It’s fast enough to stream videos with 1080P quality, but you might not have as much joy when you are dealing with 4k ultra-HD videos.
Most average users won’t spot the difference, except you are on a really fast connection of 100 Mbps or even more. I was able to stream high definition videos for a long period without buffering. I even took things a little higher by playing fast-paced online games like Rocket league. The trick I employed was to choose a VPN server that was close to me or close to the game server.
Note: I must add that I did encounter some slow servers while searching for faster ones. NordVPN isn’t great at selecting fast servers so you have to find them by yourself.
No IP or DNS Leak 
While I have fairly enjoyed my experience with NordVPN, I never forget to check whether it’s leaking my IP or DNS.
To ensure I was getting an accurate result, I choose the USA location and I used several ‘leak checking’ sites including IPLeak.net to verify. The end result was very good and I am happy to inform you that with NordVPN, you do not have to worry about your DNS or IP being leaked.
Responsive and Sound Customer Care Team
Sometimes, even tech geniuses experience difficulties that may be solved only by a dedicated support team. Thankfully, NordVPN has all of that and even more. Recently, they launched a 24/7 live chat feature that will always be on standby to help customers who require assistance.
I had a few questions that I needed answers to, so I decided to try the LiveChat feature. The support staff was prompt to answer me. However, the answers he gave felt like they were ‘ready-made’. While it was helpful, the email support feature provided me with a support staff that sounded like he had previous technical experience.
You can always choose the support feature that you are most comfortable with. I prefer the email support, yours may be different.
Reasonable Pricing
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It doesn’t matter whether you are on a budget or not, NordVPN is quite affordable. When you consider all of the features you get to enjoy, purchasing it is a total no brainer!
For example, NordVPN’s two-year plan is available at $3.99 per month, the three-year plan is available at $2.99 per month, and the one-year plan costs a little bit more at $6.95. If you prefer the single month plan, then you’ll have to pay $11.99 which is a bargain if you considered all you stand to enjoy.
NordVPN is very cheap, especially if you decide to subscribe to a multi-year plan. You can even make the deal sweeter by sharing the bill with a close pal.
Except if a dramatic change occurs in the near future, NordVPN remains one of the cheapest VPNs available.
This NordVPN review will not be complete if don’t mention that all of the plans are covered by a 30-day money back guarantee. This means that you can get your money back if don’t like the service after you have made the purchase.
The Not-So-Good Things About NordVPN
Well, there are some things about NordVPN that are not so cool.
30 Days Money Back Guarantee
While I have not had a need for it yet, there are customers who have said that refunds could take up to 30 days after the request has been received. Out of curiosity, I asked one of their support staffs and the response I received was that it takes NordVPN 24 hours to process requests. However, banks may take up to 7 working days to make payments.
This isn’t an excellent customer experience, but it certainly doesn’t take the shine off NordVPN.
Some Servers Can Be Really Slow
While most of the servers on NordVPN are relatively fast, some like those of Malaysia and Thailand can be annoyingly slow. If you encounter any of these slow servers, all you need to do is to look for an alternative server that is faster.
Conclusion
Would I recommend NordVPN? Yes, I most certainly do. It is cheap, it works well and it does all of the basics really well too. So there is no big reason not to like it, except you have a personal preference.
If you don’t like the service, you can always use the money back feature provided by the company. But I doubt you need to use this feature.
Click Here to Learn More About NordVPN
I need a VPN service exactly for the reasons you mentioned… Streaming Netflix and downloading torrents because my country has actually banned them (the torrents).
I have researched about a couple more VPN services but based on my needs and the price, this NordVPN seems like the best choice for me!
Thanks a lot!
Thank you for the comment Harry.