Every six months or so I re-review all the best VPN services to ensure that when we recommend them to you, we have up-to-date information on their latest features and updates. I recently published my updated NordVPN review, and there were some very interesting things that came out of the process.
Here, I'll run down the four most interesting things I learned about one of the world's most famous privacy software providers – both good and bad.
Nord is seriously expanding
I've written solely about VPNs for almost five years, and over that time there has been a clear trend towards holistic privacy software suites all under the same brand. Proton arguably started this with its Mail, VPN, and Drive applications, but NordVPN has invested a huge amount into adding fresh features into its apps, and also developing new products.
For example, if you splash out on the Plus plan, you'll get access to Threat Protection Pro, which is a malware and phishing protection system. It performs pretty well, having been certified by AV comparatives, and is a nice addition to the NordVPN app. Whether it's worth an extra $0.90 per month I'll leave up to you.
When Tom's Guide visited Nord Security's HQ in the summer, we were introduced to a more ambitious venture, Saily. Seemingly unrelated to privacy and VPNs, Saily is an eSIM service that allows you to roam freely wherever you are in the world.
It's an interesting product that worked quite well when we tried it out, and it's clear that short of world domination, Nord Security – with NordVPN, Surfshark and Saily under its banner – wants to offer everything the connected individual could want for, at the very least.
It can still access streaming sites despite massive pushback
NordVPN doesn't like to talk about the gray area that is unblocking streaming services. While many other VPN providers do, Nord's high profile means that it tends to play it safe and focus on privacy – but in terms of performance, it's still the best of the bunch.
This is in the face of massive pushback from the best streaming services, which are well aware of the power of VPNs and invest significant resources in developing methods of stopping them.
This can be seen by the drop off in performance of many smaller VPNs when it comes to unblocking content. However, NordVPN – and a few top-tier competitors like ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and Proton VPN – was able to unblock every single service we tried it with on the first try.
This means that certain "features" like streaming-optimized servers aren't present in NordVPN's apps – every single server just works. This is a very impressive showing, and as a result, Nord sits at the top of my best streaming VPN and best Netflix VPN guides.
OpenVPN speeds aren't the best
Although I rate NordVPN as #1 in my overall VPN ranking, it's not necessarily the best choice for everyone. One area where NordVPN doesn't top the scoresheet is OpenVPN. I'll preface this by saying that NordVPN works with OpenVPN exceedingly well, but when it comes to speeds it's outperformed by a number of rivals.
If you're not sure, OpenVPN is a VPN encryption protocol which has been around for decades. Protocols are at the core of a VPN, and dictate how your data is encrypted and transferred. OpenVPN is typically slower than more modern alternatives like WireGuard, but it's still useful for very privacy-focused tasks, and currently the best protocol to use if you need your connection to be obfuscated.
Perhaps surprisingly, my pick as the best cheap VPN and Nord Security stablemate Surfshark absolutely crushed the competition when it came to OpenVPN performance. The peak OpenVPN speed that Surfshark delivered was a huge 950 Mbps, which is as fast as any VPN went in our testing, using any protocol. Other VPNs like Private Internet Access (260 Mbps) and Proton VPN (220 Mbps) also performed very well when using OpenVPN.
Compared to NordVPN's peak of around 170 Mbps, it's clear that if you're only going to be using OpenVPN, and if you have an incredibly fast base internet connection, NordVPN might not be the best choice. On the other hand, if that's not you, this whole section won't affect you at all.
Browser extensions are a priority
One area of improvement that surprised me is NordVPN's browser extension. Even the best Chrome VPNs are rarely top of a provider's to-do list when there are things like post-quantum protection to think about, but Nord's clearly got the capacity to do both.
Out is the old rudimentary extension, and in is a new shiny one that has enough features to outdo some of the simpler Windows VPN services I've tested. The interface is simpler than the desktop and mobile apps, with no map and just a list of servers, and no Double VPN, but the rest is all there.
Beyond the on-off button, you'll have the option to auto-connect when you launch your browser, split tunneling to choose which websites you send through the VPN, and a kill switch which blocks your internet connection until the extension is connected. You'll also get optional WebRTC blocking, and Threat Protection Lite, which is a DNS-based tool that blocks malicious websites.
Of course, the extension only protects your browser, so it's no substitute for the full application – and you need a full subscription to use it. However, it's impressively powerful, and a big step up from the one it replaced.
Bottom line
Clearly, NordVPN has the money and manpower to invest in smaller aspects of its business without sacrificing any others. What that means is, yes, it is something of a faceless corporation, but it also offers just about everything anyone needs from a VPN.
If it fixes the OpenVPN speeds by time my next review comes around, I'm not sure what I'll be able to find to complain about.
Disclaimer
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:
1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).
2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.
We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
