Overview

The company NordVPN is headquartered in Panama City and looks back at more than 10 years of experience. The global network of the VPN provider exists of more than 4434 server locations in 57 different countries.

NordVPN is perfectly suited for users who place high value on anonymity and security. No customer data are recorded in accordance with the “zero log policy” first introduced in 2008. The combination of double VPN encryption and the SOCKS5 proxy enables the VPN software to browse securely and anonymously in the decentral Tor network. The DNS Leak Resolver ensures protected and secure DNS requests, all servers and locations have anti-DDoS protection. The automatic kill switch function offers users reliable emergency connection interruption. Customers can pay for the VPN software anonymously using Bitcoins if they wish.

Users can contact NordVPN customer support per live chat, via email, and through the contact form. Questions are answered within 24 hours. In addition, customers benefit from the 30-day money-back guarantee.

Streaming

An increasing amount of companies – including Amazon, Netflix, and Sky – offer their customers various streamable multimedia content. Many series and televisions formats are actually only available through streaming services. New episodes of that favorite series are often not available yet in the streamer’s home country and can only be seen in the US because of licensing problems. Many American sports events have the same problem. IP blocking makes it impossible to access the streams from one’s own country. Aside from Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, television stations in the US and Great Britain also block access from other countries due to licensing issues.

VPN software allows users to change their IP and therewith their virtual location or, differently put, mask their actual location. They are virtually “residing in the desired country” and circumvent IP blocking. Streaming providers and websites locate the VPN users in the US and provide full access to films, series, and sports broadcasts.

NordVPN operates more than 4434 servers globally, of these 250 high-performance servers in the US alone. Even high-quality content in 4K resolution can be streamed thanks to a maximum download rate of up to 101 Mbit/s and unlimited data volume. Modern Smart Play Technology by NordVPN allows direct access to all streaming websites. Users automatically receive a dynamic IP address thanks to the enormous amount of free address and can also purchase a dedicated IP address. Up to 6 different devices like computers, tablets, smartphones, and game consoles can be used in parallel with one account. An app is available for mobile devices.

Filesharing

Audio CDs and DVDs are quite expensive. Therefore, file sharing is as popular as it ever was. A lot of people still regularly download files from the Internet, despite the great dangers and problems. The danger of getting caught is very significant without a secure encryption and reliable IP masking. This can rapidly lead to caution letters, resulting in serious fines.

VPN software completely anonymizes the user thanks to IP masking. The user does not need to have second thoughts about sharing files. The IP address of the user is encrypted, rendering it untraceable.  An activated kill switch ensures that data can also not be shared without protection by accident.

The user’s own identity can be excellently masked in combination with the double encryption offered by NordVPN. Files can be shared without restriction thanks to unlimited data transfer. NordVPN customers can use all common file sharing and torrent services thanks to peer-2-peer connection support. NordVPN offers its users optimized P2P data traffic with high download speeds of up to 101 Mbit/s. The SOCKS-5 proxy ensures maximum data transfer rates. The DNS Leak Resolver in turn ensures secure and protected DNS requests; no user data are logged in accordance with the zero log policy. The high-quality AES-256-CBC encryption protects these data 100 percent that they will not fall into the wrong hands.

Circumventing firewalls

State Internet censorship has been on the rise for years now. In certain countries, such as Iran or China, the censorship is especially draconic. Firewalls prevent access to most Internet content and services in public institution as well as companies. Many very important websites and services are usually affected such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia, and YouTube. These fundamentally important Internet services are not available because of this censorship. This is more than just a nuisance to users.

VPN software allows users to circumvent the firewall, one of the most important censorship measures. To do so, the software masks the actual IP address of the user. The address and all data communication is encrypted beyond recognition. Therefore, the connection is no longer recognized as undesired by the respective firewall, allowing for full access. Users can surf the Internet without restrictions and move around the web freely thanks to VPN software. They are no longer censored and can use all services on offer.

NordVPN always offers its users enough free IP addresses with more than 4434 servers located all over the globe. Dedicated IP addresses can be purchased in addition to the dynamic IP addresses. The server locations are distributed over the whole world. The servers of the company cover all continents – apart from Antarctica. Data are always secured using a modern AES-256-CBC encryption. This reliably protects them from third-party access. NordVPN uses a special SOCKS5 proxy for secure and fast surfing. Users have access to more than 3,000 proxies in total.

Security & anonymity

The Internet unfortunately also offers more criminally inclined users a land of opportunity. The number of hacker attacks and cases of cyber criminality has risen significantly over the last few years. Personal user data are misused for, among other things, advertising purposes and turned into cold hard cash. Public networks – such as the ones found in train stations, airport, and cafés – are dangerous for users. Experienced hackers can gain access to banking data with ease; authorities and companies can spy on users’ browsing behavior and use this to their own advantage.

VPN software enables users to surf the Internet anonymously and without restriction from a secure data tunnel. The software masks the real IP address of the user and makes all data communication unrecognizable. The IP address and user data cannot be decrypted, not by hackers and not by companies or governments.

Table 1: Protocols

All data exchange is encrypted with NordVPN. Users who have additional demand for Internet anonymity and security can – in addition to this standard service – use an exclusive feature: Server links can be replaced by 2 server nodes encrypted at both ends using a high-quality AES-256-CBC encryption. This double encryption is military grade and meets the highest demands for anonymity and security. NordVPN uses DNS Leak Resolver technology to make sure that unencrypted DNS requests outside of the VPN tunnel are not allowed. The VPN provider only works with its own DNS servers. This guarantees anonymity and data control at all times. No customer log data are stored. Users can preconfigure software and websites that are automatically closed in case of connection loss thanks to the emergency disconnect (kill switch). This avoids these sites or programs being exposed.

Table 2: Summary of anonymity and security features

Performance

NordVPN offers its customers almost global coverage thanks to its high server density with more than 4434 servers in almost 57 different countries. This reliable coverage offers users one decisive advantage: The software automatically changes servers in case a server is overloaded or offering less-than-optimal performance; users need not fear connection interruption. Connections are always reliably established, taking only 7 seconds to establish on average. In addition, users benefit from a low ping time of only 5 milliseconds and unlimited data volume.

Table 3: Performance data

The actual status of all active servers is shown in real-time so that users can get an overall impression of NordVPN server performance beforehand. The maximum download speed is 101 Mb per second, uploading is fast as well with up to 85 Mb/s.

User-friendliness

The VPN software can be installed within a few minutes. The NordVPN software does not just function on all common versions of Windows, it also supports Macintosh OS X and Linux systems. In addition, there is a mobile app for the mobile operating systems Apple iOS and Google Android as well as for BlackBerry mobile devices. Users with a game console can manually configure the software. The following video shows in detail how easy and accessible it is to operate the VPN software in practice.

If a customer is not satisfied with the service, they can use the money-back guarantee within the first month. Users with problems or questions should first contact the friendly support service. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Customers can ask their questions per email, over social networks or the live chat, or by creating a support ticket. Customers can additionally access the extensive knowledge database.

The following table shows which devices and platforms can use the VPN software of NordVPN. The mobile app on smartphones and tablet and the desktop software can be quickly installed.

Table 4: Device compatibility

Bottom line

There is no doubt in our minds: The experienced company NordVPN certainly ranks among the best VPN software providers. The company stands out by its more than 4434 servers worldwide as well as high upload and download speeds. NordVPN especially wins users over with its double encryption and intelligently functioning DNS Leak Resolver. NordVPN offers many important features such as SOCKS-5 proxy and an automatic emergency disconnection. Configuration and operation is intuitive and even suited for less-experienced customers. The no log policy ensures that customer data are not recorded and do not fall into the wrong hands.

NordVPN stands out with its excellent value for the money. It is very well suited for users who attach great value to anonymity and security. Customers can pay for the service completely anonymously using Bitcoins and can benefit from the 30-day money-back guarantee. Users who still have to make up their minds can test the software out at no financial risk.