Introducing NordVPN
Founded in 2012 by four Lithuanian childhood friends, NordVPN is today the best-known VPN provider in the world, with over 14 million claimed users. The company is based in Panama, a jurisdiction with no data-retention obligations, which allows it to offer a genuinely credible no-logs policy.
NordVPN is owned by Nord Security, a group that also publishes NordPass (password manager), NordLocker (encrypted cloud storage) and NordLayer (enterprise VPN). This diversification has allowed the company to invest heavily in R&D, and you can feel it in the technical quality of the product.
NordVPN pricing in 2026
NordVPN offers three plans, each available on three different commitment lengths:
| Plan | 1 month | 1 year | 2 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | €12.99 | €4.49 | €3.09 |
| Plus (+ NordPass) | €13.99 | €5.49 | €4.39 |
| Complete (+ 1 TB cloud) | €15.99 | €7.39 | €6.29 |
Prices in €/month, billed upfront for the full term.
Our recommendation: Standard 2-year for the vast majority of users. The password manager bundled into the Plus plan is decent but not essential if you already use Bitwarden or 1Password.
Worth noting: NordVPN runs promotional offers very regularly (Black Friday, back to school, Christmas) with up to 72% off on the 2-year plan and 3 bonus months on top. Keep an eye on the offer page before subscribing.
Security and privacy
This is the area where NordVPN shines brightest. The service ticks every box of a modern, serious VPN.
Protocols and encryption
NordVPN offers three protocols:
- NordLynx: their in-house implementation of WireGuard, faster and more secure. It is the default protocol and we recommend leaving it as is.
- OpenVPN (UDP/TCP): the classic, compatible with everything.
- IKEv2/IPsec: handy on iOS if you run into connection issues.
Encryption is AES-256-GCM (or ChaCha20 with WireGuard), the military-grade standard used by banks and governments. There is no known attack capable of breaking it.
No-logs audited three times
This is the most important point and NordVPN excels here. The no-logs policy has been audited by:
- PwC Switzerland in 2018, 2020 and 2022
- Deloitte in 2023
The reports are public and confirm that no traffic data, no IP address and no connection timestamp is stored. Going one step further, since 2023 NordVPN has used a 100% RAM-based infrastructure: the servers have no hard drives, and everything is wiped on every reboot. If a server is physically seized, there is literally nothing to recover.
Advanced security features
- Kill switch (automatically cuts the internet if the VPN drops): effective, available on every platform.
- Threat Protection: blocks ads, trackers and malicious sites at the DNS level. Equivalent to a good built-in adblocker.
- Double VPN: your traffic is routed through two servers. Useful when privacy is critical.
- Onion over VPN: direct routing into the Tor network without installing the dedicated browser.
- Meshnet: a private network between your devices (free, even without a subscription).
Speed and performance
This is where NordVPN pulls ahead of all its competitors. Thanks to the NordLynx protocol, the speed loss is minimal.
Our measurements (April 2026)
Tests run from Paris on a symmetrical 1 Gb/s fibre line, three rounds per day over the course of a week.
| Destination | Without VPN | With NordLynx | Loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| France (Paris server) | 920 Mb/s | 870 Mb/s | 5.4% |
| United Kingdom | 920 Mb/s | 840 Mb/s | 8.7% |
| United States (New York) | 920 Mb/s | 720 Mb/s | 21% |
| Japan (Tokyo) | 920 Mb/s | 410 Mb/s | 55% |
Losses grow with physical distance, as you would expect, but they remain more than sufficient for 4K streaming, video calls and gaming on European servers. On a French or German server, you will not notice the difference at all.
Latency (ping)
- France server: +3 to +8 ms
- Germany server: +15 to +25 ms
- United States server: +85 to +110 ms
For competitive gaming, stick to European servers — the impact on ping is negligible on a nearby server.
Streaming: Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video
NordVPN unblocks absolutely everything we tried. We tested:
- Netflix: US, UK, Japan, Canada, Germany, Korea, India, Australia, France
- Disney+: US, UK, France
- Prime Video: US, UK, France, Canada
- BBC iPlayer: reliable with standard UK servers (no special servers needed)
- Hulu, Max, Peacock, Paramount+: all accessible from US servers
- Canal+, TF1+, France.tv: from abroad with a French server
Speeds are high enough to stream in 4K HDR without buffering on the major platforms. Over 15 days of testing we hit a single temporary failure on Netflix US, resolved by switching servers (30 seconds).
Ease of use
NordVPN’s apps are among the most polished on the market. The design was overhauled in 2023 and now includes an interactive map that makes server selection intuitive.
Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux: native apps with identical interfaces
- Android, iOS: seamlessly integrated into each OS
- Android TV, Fire TV, Apple TV: yes (Apple TV since 2023)
- Routers: compatible with ASUSWRT-Merlin, DD-WRT, pfSense
- Browser extensions: Chrome, Firefox, Edge (fast encrypted proxy)
You can connect 10 devices simultaneously on a single account, which easily covers an average household.
Installation
Allow 5 minutes at most: create an account, download the app, sign in, click “Quick Connect”. It really is accessible for a complete beginner.
Customer support
24/7 live chat in English, plus an extensive knowledge base (also available in French). Response times are around 2-3 minutes on average. The agents are technical and fix problems without going in circles.
French-language support is handled by email, with replies within 24h.
Detailed scoring
Our final score reflects an almost flawless product at this price point:
- Speed: 9.8/10 — Fastest in our tests
- Security: 9.7/10 — Triple audit, RAM servers, Panama
- Streaming: 9.5/10 — Unblocks everything, effortlessly
- Price: 9.0/10 — Excellent on 2 years, high monthly
- Ease of use: 9.6/10 — Polished apps, 5-minute install
Who is NordVPN for?
Ideal if: you want the best all-round VPN, no compromises, with maximum speed and rock-solid security. Perfect for streaming, remote working and day-to-day browsing.
Consider alternatives if: you are looking for the absolute lowest price (→ Surfshark), or you want fully open-source software (→ Proton VPN, Mullvad).
Our verdict
After several weeks of intensive testing, NordVPN remains our number one recommendation for 2026. The triple no-logs audit, the exceptional NordLynx speed, the reliable unblocking of every streaming service and the quality of the apps make it the most complete VPN on the market. At €3.09/month on a 2-year plan, it is also excellent value for money.
If you only choose one VPN in 2026, choose NordVPN.
✅ Strengths
- Fastest VPN thanks to the NordLynx protocol
- No-log policy audited three times
- Unblocks every Netflix catalogue
- Polished apps across all platforms
- Threat Protection (anti-malware) included
❌ Weaknesses
- Expensive monthly rate without commitment
- Not (yet) fully open source