NordVPN Review 2025: Fast, Private and Superb for Streaming

8.8 / 10 SCORE NordVPN $4 at NordVPN Price $13 per month, $60 for the first year or $83 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $140 per year) Latest tests No leaks detected, 3% average internet download speed loss in 2025 tests Network 7,400-plus servers in 118 countries Jurisdiction Panama Score Breakdown Usability 8 /10 Value 8 /10 Speed 10 /10 Privacy 9 /10 Features 9 /10 Pros Extremely fast Lots of helpful privacy features Excellent for streaming Intuitive apps Large international server network Diverse device support Great value for the initial term Cons Extortionate renewal pricing Limited split tunneling control on Android NordVPN is an excellent all-around virtual private network that’s fast, excellent for streaming and packs advanced privacy features. A true household name, you’ve probably heard about Nord from your favorite podcast, YouTuber or via one of its plentiful banner ads peppered across the internet. I’ve even seen NordVPN commercials on TV while watching UNC men’s basketball games on ESPN. But popularity isn’t everything. Luckily, NordVPN lived up to the hype in my hands-on testing -- the company emerged head and shoulders faster than the rest of our top-rated VPNs, including ExpressVPN, Surfshark and Proton VPN. Whether you want to significantly beef up your privacy, stream foreign Netflix libraries in buttery-smooth 4K or travel internationally while enjoying internet services like you would at home, NordVPN is a solid choice. Its diverse capabilities make Nord a compelling option for everyone, from casual users to folks with critical privacy needs. Apps are intuitive on all platforms, working equally well for VPN beginners and privacy enthusiasts alike. In addition to its standard-fare VPN features, Nord includes advanced amenities such as double-hop and Onion Over VPN servers, which make it even harder to trace your traffic back to its source than a traditional VPN connection. Although I appreciated Nord’s competitive introductory pricing, its auto-renewal price hikes -- a disappointingly prevalent practice among VPN providers -- are steep, even compared to many rivals. Thankfully, you can avoid an expensive autorenewal by stacking subscriptions, but I’d like to see the same sort of transparency you’ll find with NordVPN’s approach to privacy mimicked in its pricing structure. Overall, NordVPN largely lives up to its braggadocio as a great virtual private network, but the hefty renewal rates make it less enticing as a long-term investment. Speed: Head-spinningly fast 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. Speed loss: 3% average internet speed loss 3% average internet speed loss Number of servers: 8,000-plus 8,000-plus Number of countries: 126 To assess NordVPN, I ran over 250 internet speed tests and was impressed at its blisteringly fast 2.9% average internet download speed loss, which left our other top VPNs in the dust -- Proton VPN was the closest with an average 16% 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.” NordVPN is the fastest VPN we tested -- I retained the bulk of my base internet speed. Screenshot/CNET 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 content Over the past year, Nord aggressively expanded its worldwide network of servers, which now sits at 8,000-plus servers peppering 126 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 (14,900-plus) but slightly fewer countries (122). 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. Cost: Competitive introductory pricing, but price hikes are exorbitant Key takeaway: Initial pricing is palatable, but NordVPN hikes prices more than competitors when subscriptions renew. That said, 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. Price: $13 a month, $60 for the first year or $83 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $140 a year) $13 a month, $60 for the first year or $83 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $140 a year) Money-back guarantee: 30 days 30 days Payment options: Credit/debit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.) Credit/debit cards, PayPal, Google Pay, Cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum, etc.) Available apps: Windows (x86 and ARM), MacOS, Linux (GUI and CLI), Android, iOS, iPadOS, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Kindle Fire, Oculus Quest, Apple Vision Pro, web browsers, routers Nord's annual plan 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, at which point you may want to change VPNs. However, like many of its VPN rivals, Nord slaps you with price hikes after your initial term, so your sweet introductory cost spikes from $60 for the first year to $140 upon renewal, which is a 133% price increase. While 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; class action lawsuits against NordVPN in California and North Carolina allege deceitful autorenewals. Although price hikes are the industry standard, Nord's is heftier than most. 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 euro (about $6) 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 $79, 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 save money on your VPN plan by stacking 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 and want to keep the service longer, I recommend immediately canceling your auto-renewal, and purchasing another subscription plan before your membership expires. NordVPN bundles let you tack on goodies like password managers and security software Plan Basic Plus Complete Price $13 a month, $60 for the first year or $83 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $140 a year) $14 a month $71 for the first year or $108 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $180 a year) $15 a month, $84 for the first year or $135 total for the first two years (one- and two-year plans renew at $219 a year) VPN Yes Yes Yes Threat protection Pro anti-malware, advanced browsing protection and ad/tracker blocker No Yes Yes NordPass password manager No Yes Yes Data breach scanner No Yes Yes 1TB cloud storage No No Yes Dedicated IP Optional ($9 a month, $71 a year or $100 total for two years) Optional ($9 a month, $71 a year or $100 total for two years) Optional ($9 a month, $71 a year or $100 total for two years) Incogni personal data removal Optional ($11 a month, $81 a year or $121 total for two years) Optional ($11 a month, $81 a year or $121 total for two years) Optional ($11 a month, $81 a year or $121 total for two years) NordProtect Silver identity protection Optional ($15.49 a month, $90 a year or $132 total for two years) Optional ($15.49 a month, $90 a year or $132 total for two years) Optional ($15.49 a month, $90 a year or $132 total for two years) VPN providers have begun offering more privacy and security features, with Nord joining the fray. Nord sells tiered subscriptions that bundle in goodies like password managers and antivirus software. While its entry-level Basic tier sticks to VPN services, its Plus and Complete plans tack on assorted privacy and security amenities. For instance, higher-tier plans offer Nord’s Threat Protection Pro anti-malware software and NordPass, CNET's password manager pick if you regularly handle large file sizes. Complete tacks on 1TB of secure cloud storage. Additionally, you can pay for a dedicated IP address that only you can use (which could be helpful in bypassing CAPTCHAs), Incogni personal data removal and NordProtect Silver identity protection as paid add-ons across any of the three plans. Some subscriptions let you bundle your VPN service with anti-malware protection, shown here. Screenshot/CNET There are upsides to bundling privacy and security services. Paying one bill for multiple services may be more convenient and cheaper. 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. App performance: Intuitive, excellent for streaming and available on almost any device NordVPN's apps give you lots of useful data at a glance. Screenshot/CNET I tested NordVPN on a bevy of 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 are just as friendly to first-time users are they are to privacy enthusiasts. 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 list of countries. In May 2025, NordVPN launched its first Linux GUI app, which is easier to use for Linux beginners than a command-line interface app -- and you still have access to Nord's CLI app. NordVPN’s fast speeds and large global server roster make it fantastic for streaming I was able to access Netflix while connected to a Canadian server. Screenshot/CNET 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. Nord's server menus make it easy to change your connection. Screenshot/CNET 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. 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. 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. Mullvad and PIA are two 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. 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 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. Jurisdiction: Panama Panama Encryption: AES-256-bit encryption (OpenVPN), ChaCha20 (NordLynx) AES-256-bit encryption (OpenVPN), ChaCha20 (NordLynx) RAM-only servers Post-quantum protection Leaks: No leaks detected in 2025 testing 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'll find essential privacy features in NordVPN's apps, including a kill switch and split tunneling. Screenshot/CNET 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. Specialty servers and post-quantum protections are nice upgrades for power users Alongside its standard VPN connections, NordVPN offers Onion Over VPN servers, which use Tor and a VPN connection for enhanced privacy. Screenshot/CNET Aside from its standard VPN servers, Nord offers a few specialty servers for beefed-up privacy: Double VPN servers: Use two VPN connections instead of one to make it even harder to trace your internet traffic back to your machine when compared with a standard VPN connection. Use two VPN connections instead of one to make it even harder to trace your internet traffic back to your machine when compared with a standard VPN connection. Onion over VPN servers: Use a VPN and Tor to make it harder to follow your internet traffic back to your device than with a standard VPN connection. Use a VPN and Tor to make it harder to follow your internet traffic back to your device than with a standard VPN connection. Obsfuscated servers: Try to hide the fact that you're using a VPN, which may help you stay private in situations like on school Wi-Fi or in certain countries where content may not load properly with a VPN. Obfuscation attempts to hide your VPN usage, but it's not a guarantee that your virtual private network will remain undetected. Try to hide the fact that you're using a VPN, which may help you stay private in situations like on school Wi-Fi or in certain countries where content may not load properly with a VPN. Obfuscation attempts to hide your VPN usage, but it's not a guarantee that your virtual private network will remain undetected. P2P servers: Optimized servers for file-sharing protocols, like BitTorrent, so you can upload and download privately. Double VPN and Tor over VPN servers both add another level of encryption on top of a VPN connection, but using different methods. 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 than with a traditional VPN connection. Each is a good option for people with critical privacy needs, at the cost of slowing your connection speed. Nord’s obfuscated servers try to disguise the fact that you’re using a VPN. Some apps, websites or internet networks (like school Wi-Fi) may not work properly with VPNs, so you may not be able to load different apps and sites. Using obfuscated servers may solve the issue, but doesn't guarantee that your VPN connection will go unnoticed. If you decide to try obfuscated servers, always be aware of local laws or terms of service. Many folks use VPNs for torrenting, and NordVPN offers P2P-optimized servers. It doesn't have port forwarding, which may improve upload and download speeds or help start torrents with few seeders (uploaders). But in my testing, NordVPN was still fast and capable of downloading even torrents without many seeders. Plus, port forwarding can be a security risk, so many VPNs don't support it -- of our top-rated VPNs, only Proton VPN has port forwarding. Post-quantum protection helps guard against potential decryption fueled by quantum computing, but is relatively rare in the VPN industry. Nord brought this protection to its entire fleet of apps -- Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS/iPadOS and even Android TV as well as Apple TV. You can easily toggle it on and off, but it’s only available with NordLynx, not OpenVPN or NordWhisper. 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. You can easily enable NordVPN's scam call protection from within the NordVPN Android app. Screenshot/CNET NordVPN offers scam call threat protection on Android. While many mobile carriers offer spam call filtration, and you can often enable settings directly on your Android or iPhone to weed out scam calls, it's a nice feature that makes NordVPN an even more compelling mobile VPN. Nord undergoes annual audits and publishes a regular transparency report No-logs policies are an important part of VPN's privacy stance, the foundation of trust that the company isn't recording data of your web activity. While zero-logging policies are tough to prove with complete certainty, third-party audits can back up VPN provider claims as important trust signals. In Nord's fifth annual audit last year, Deloitte found 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 3,001,848 DMCA requests and 88 inquiries from government agencies between April 1 and July 1, 2025. As of Aug. 11, 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 didn't.) Still, if you need even stricter privacy, Mullvad doesn’t require an email for signup, further minimizing your identifiable connection to its service. Nord's privacy policy is largely standard fare, but could be clearer about a few details 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. NordVPN overhauled its privacy policy in 2025, and I like how reader-friendly it is. There are summary sections providing helpful overviews of different sections to help you skim rather than read every word. 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.” I do 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. Final thoughts: NordVPN is fast, private and exceptional for streaming NordVPN is an outstanding VPN for various types of 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, double VPN servers are even more private than a standard VPN connection and there's post-quantum encryption across all of its apps. 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, such as Surfshark, Proton VPN and Mullvad. Ultimately, NordVPN is fast and full of helpful privacy features, working just as well for streaming buffs and privacy enthusiasts alike.