NordVPN Review for March 2021 - VPN Service Provider Reviews

Item: NordVPN Review
Rating: 5

Friday, March 5th

2021 VPN Service Provider Reviews

TopConsumerReviews.com Best-In-Class Blue Ribbon Award

NordVPN

Cost: From $3.49 to $11.95 per month
30-day money-back guarantee

NordVPN is the only service we've reviewed that claims to have double the encryption of other services. That is, instead of only encrypting your data through the VPN one time as it is transferred, they encrypt it a second time to be confident nothing can crack your browsing activity.

NordVPN is one of the most cost-effective VPN solutions we've reviewed. They have anumber of plans to choose from:

$3.49 per month plan billed annually (3 year contract)
$4.99 per month plan billed annually (2 year contract)
$6.99 per month plan billed annually (1 year contract)
$11.95 per month plan billed each month

With all plans, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee if you decide NordVPN is not doing the job.

Their service provides anonymization of your IP address through their own servers and they do not log your traffic activity. If you have trouble with your VPN connection, your Internet traffic will continue to be protected via an automatic kill switch. The kill switch turns off Internet access for certain sensitive programs and your device is blocked from accessing the Internet outside of the secure tunnel until it's NordVPN can be fixed. The Desktop version of the kill switch lets you specify which applications need to be protected from exposure to an unsecure connection. Others will continue to work in spite of any interruption.

Another unique feature NordVPN offers that was not apparent with other services is an "onion" router. This is a nickname for the practice of changing where traffic enters and exits the world's networks. If data always takes the same route from one location to another, your location can be traced back to you. But by switching the "hops" around, you can more effectively hide where you are.

NordVPN allows up to 6 simultaneous connections. It works on a wide range of devices, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android operating systems.

Support for NordVPN is provided through self-service online support articles, FAQs, and email.

Of all the people who use NordVPN, many say they like the low price, ease of setup and use, high connection speeds, customer support quality, and wide support for devices and operating systems. Those who didn't like NordVPN said they perceived lower speeds after the initial trial was over.

We highly recommend NordVPN because it has the most user satisfaction in terms of the number of positive reviews we found online. We also like its cost relative to the features the service provides. NordVPN is the best VPN service available today.

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What's the Best VPN Service?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It does just what it says. It creates a virtual (as opposed to physical) private network for you by encrypting (or scrambling) each and every piece of data that goes from your computer out onto the Internet as well as any data that comes back to you from the Internet.

So, who needs a VPN? If you're concerned about the rising problem of "hackers" - people who infiltrate computers and networks to steal or misuse information - you should be looking at a VPN service. Or, if you think your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may log, monitor, or analyze what you do online, a VPN is for you.

Continue reading below

VPN Service Provider FAQ

What is a VPN and why do I need it?

A Virtual Private Network is security software that hides your personal identity and information from hackers, businesses, and government agencies. You will want to use a VPN if you're concerned about a person or entity finding out which websites you've visited and when or monitoring your general activities online.

Is a VPN a foolproof way to protect myself online?

Nothing in technology is 100% secure. You should research which VPNs offer the best security and choose from among those options. Every VPN provider is operated by human beings who can make mistakes. But there are several that have strict policies, protocols, processes, and procedures for ensuring that user data is protected.

How does a VPN work?

VPNs give you an alternative IP address to the one your hometown internet service provider will give you. The alternative IP address can be located in another town, region, or a whole other country entirely. It's usually up to you. When you browse with a VPN, it's harder if not impossible for a hacker, business, or government agency to trace your web activity to your precise location. Another thing a VPN does is fully encrypt or scramble your data transfers so that anyone trying to peek at your data stream will not be able to interpret what they see.

How hard is it to use a VPN?

In most cases using a VPN is very simple. You sign up for a pricing plan and then download the VPN software to your computer. Once you install the software, it may ask you for some information so it can configure your services. After it's done, every time you start your computer the VPN software can immediately begin hiding your activity online.

Are VPNs good for reasons other than security?

A VPN can be useful if you want to access websites, watch videos, or transfer file content to or from other countries that ban foreign IP addresses. For example, if you want to watch a streaming movie that is only available in the Netherlands, simply open your VPN software and choose an IP address location in the Netherlands. The VPN will make it appear to the movie streaming service as if you're online in that country. However, be aware that streaming video service providers are becoming increasingly sophisticated at detecting VPN use and blocking you. Be sure to research what you can and cannot do with a specific VPN.

Is my IP address logged by the VPN provider?

It could be, so definitely do your research. With some VPN providers, your IP address is fully logged or tracked. In that case, you are not 100% protected from inquiries by businesses or law enforcement organizations in the event that your connection is compromised or comes under suspicion of illegal activities. Even if a VPN provider says they don't log your IP address, it's not necessarily a good idea to take them at their word. Many VPN companies want to protect themselves first in the case of a court order or law enforcement action against any users on their service.

Is it illegal to have a VPN?

Most democratic countries do not have laws against using a VPN. In some countries, however, it is highly illegal to use a VPN. Be sure to read the terms of service of the VPN provider as well as research the laws in your country before buying, installing, or using a VPN solution.

Should I use a VPN at home?

You don't need to use a VPN at home if your connection is protected from intrusion by a properly-configured router and Wi-Fi access point. VPNs are most useful when you're connecting from a public hotspot such as at a cafe or library. But, home use still has the advantage of helping to further secure your data and hide your location from outside entities that try to watch what you're doing online.

Continued from above...

Millions of credit cards can be exposed online at any given moment as people purchase things from popular ecommerce sites. If the ecommerce site you're buying from doesn't bother to encrypt that information, a hacker can "sniff" that information right out of your connection with the website. Anything you type into a vendor's website form becomes fair game for identity fraudsters and thieves.

Furthermore, ISPs have been known to sell their user's information to marketers and advertisers. Or, they can use it to restrict (throttle) your bandwidth and block access to sites they don't want you to see.

Finally, a VPN is useful for people who live in countries where governments regularly censor information not flattering to the state, or that they deem to be harmful to their citizens. Protests, rallies, and citizen actions that get started online usually don't have a chance of being successful without some type of VPN service protecting the organizers from being spied on.

To choose a VPN service, you need to research their features and compare their costs, reputations, security, performance, and customer service. Some of the factors to use when researching VPN services include:

Features: Which VPN features set one service apart from all the others? Why is it important to have those features?
Cost: Are their free trials and/or money-back guarantees? Is there a way to save more in the long term by paying quarterly or annually, or even longer?
Reputation: How do current and former customers feel about their experience using a particular VPN solution? If they had a bad experience, how long had they been using the VPN?
Security: Are there redundancies and safety nets built into the system in case of failure? Are logs kept of your activities? Are there enough IP addresses and servers scattered throughout the world to more effectively hide every user's activity and location?
Performance: Are VPN connections significantly slower than unsecured connections?
Customer Service: How quickly and easily can you get help from the VPN provider? How is the follow-up done?

TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best VPN Services available today. We hope these reviews will help you find the right VPN service to make browsing the Web 100% secure!

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NordVPN Review