Norton undeniably offers one of the best antivirus packages out there but, for our money, they haven't yet had one of the best VPNs on the market. That might be about to change however, as a number of new upgrades have just launched on Norton VPN.
Our final judgment is still in the works (watch out for a comprehensive review soon) but looking at the facts, there seem to be some serious steps forward for Norton VPN.
For a start, Norton has updated its no-logs policy, a crucial part of any VPN winning your trust. Audited in April 2024, the new policy received a low-risk rating by Cyber Risk consulting firm VerSprite.
Further third-party tests conducted by Passmark also revealed that Norton VPN is now a contender for the fastest VPN, with download speeds only behind the supremely fast Surfshark. In fact, in the US, it appears to offer the fastest speeds bar none – but we'll wait for our own extensive VPN test results first before we make any real judgments.
Note: We have edited this article to clarify our statements on Norton VPN's macOS kill switch.
New features
Introduced with this new update is a brand new VPN protocol, Mimic. This protocol is designed to help with IP address obfuscation – hiding the fact that the user is even using a VPN at all. Mimic uses a combination of AES-256 and Post-Quantum Encryption to imitate a regular HTTPS connection and stop websites from going into restricted modes when they detect a VPN is in use.
We've seen leading VPN providers like Surfshark and NordVPN offering antivirus-style protection features recently, and the newly revived Norton VPN doesn't miss a chance to go back to its roots. Both a password manager and an anti-scam tool are present.
The latter sounds very similar to Nord's Threat Protection Pro, but that's no bad thing. When enabled, the app will scan suspicious URLs, links and pictures for any sign of a phishing scam or malware.
On top of that, the VPN overhaul also includes a dark web monitoring tool to warn you if any private information has made its way there, and comprehensive family controls.
Norton VPN also now includes a feature that streaming fans will appreciate: it has reportedly expanded its content access system worldwide. That means if you want to spoof your IP address to stream region-specific content in another area then you won't need to find a designated "streaming" server. Any server will do. Whether it has the same level of success unblocking services as the best streaming VPNs, we do not yet know.
Apologies, Apple users
If you're looking for one of the best iPhone VPNs or the best Mac VPN, then you should probably go elsewhere.
Curiously, the revamped VPN has still not introduced a kill switch – a privacy feature often regarded as a non-negotiable – to the Mac or iOS versions, despite it being present on Windows and Android.
Mac and iOS devices are also missing out when it comes to encryption. WireGuard, the newest and fastest encryption protocol that top VPNs use is only available on Windows and Android. So, that begs the question of whether you'll be able to get those suped-up connection speeds when using an Apple device...
Prices and plans
Norton VPN has three different subscription tiers, with the level of your subscription not just altering the features you get access to, but also the number of devices you can install the VPN on.
For $49.99 per year ($4.17 per month), the basic Norton VPN Standard subscription covers just one device, and includes the VPN itself, optimized content access, ad blocking and a choice of 4 protocol options (on Windows and Android at least). For most, a single install will just not be enough.
Coming in at $109.99 per year ($9.15 per month) is the middle-of-the-range Norton VPN Plus tier, which will probably be enough for most individuals. It includes up to 5 connections and 10 GB of backup storage as well as tools for malware protection and dark web monitoring plus a password manager.
Finally, the Norton VPN Ultimate plan costs $129.99 per year ($10.83 per month). Aimed primarily at families it includes coverage for 10 devices, 50 GB of backup storage and extensive parental controls. it also includes access to Privacy Monitor, a service similar to the likes of Incogni, which will remove your name from various online databases.
