Effective VPN or useless grigri? The truth about NordVPN

NordVPN is one of the main VPN services on the market with a substantial marketing budget: there are countless partnerships with Youtubers or influencers, or even advertisements on the Net or on television. NordVPN is the first service of this type that you think of when you hear “VPN” and it’s not for nothing. But beyond that popularity, is NordVPN really a good service?

Online protection

NordVPN offers a high level of security by using “military-grade” encryption: this argument is put forward and this is also the case with its competitors since all of them use AES-256 as an algorithm. On the protocol side, NordVPN is not original either withOpenVPN or IPsec IKEv2. However, the service also offers its own protocol based on WireGuard: NordLynx. Simply put, NordLynx is newer and more secure than the aging OpenVPN because it’s “shorter” and has less attack surface.

A good point for NordVPN, which has the merit of offering this little “plus”.

Nord VPN protects your sensitive data, such as your login details and online communications, by encrypting it and protecting it from prying eyes. This is especially important when using unsecured public Wi-Fi networks, where your data could be vulnerable. It is also a VPN known for its commitment to protecting the privacy of its users. It keeps no logs of online activity, meaning none of your browsing or login data is recorded. Additionally, NordVPN is based in Panama, a country that is not subject to European Union or United States data retention laws, further enhancing the privacy of your information.

Unknown features

NordVPN has a large network of servers spread all over the world. With over 5700 servers in over 60 countries, you can easily connect to a server in the location of your choice. This allows you to access geo-restricted content, bypass regional restrictions, and enjoy a borderless Internet experience. The service also has specialized servers. You are not obliged to use them, but there is a type of server with reinforced security via the Tor protocol, machines for streaming (constant speed), for P2P downloading (high speed) and of course the double system VPN that routes your traffic through two different countries. Difficult to be more complete at this level.

Finally, NordVPN is compatible with a wide variety of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux. It also offers browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox. So you can protect your devices and browse safely, regardless of the operating system you use. NordVPN supports 6 devices at the same time time and offers interesting features: split tunneling, kill switch, smart DNS, etc.

An easy-to-use interface for beginners, but very complete for “connoisseurs”

And the price in all this?

With NordVPN, the prices are decreasing, but the offer that is really worth the detour at the moment is the “Advanced” subscription for 2 years with a password manager and anti-malware protection. It amounts to paying €4.99/month instead of €13.99, i.e. a 52% reduction on the standard offer. This formula includes the VPN with its 5789 servers, anti-malware protection and an ad blocker. There is also a “Premium” version at €5.99/month with an additional 1 TB of encrypted storage space.

Too expensive ? There is also an Essential plan for €3.99 with only the cross-platform VPN. Afterwards, don’t forget that with NordVPN you also pay for marketing costs and 24/7 customer service. For more attractive prices, it will be necessary to go to the competition. The very good CyberGhost costs only €2.19/month for an almost similar service. Only the password manager, double VPN and Tor servers are missing.

It is up to you to make your choice !