- It's hard to find a NordVPN review without huge claims.
The best and most secure are just a couple of terms
that are easily thrown around,
and I've even been guilty of this.
But it's been years since I started using NordVPN
and this seasoned experience is what I'm delivering today.
No pros or no cons for this provider shall remain unsaid.
(mellow upbeat music)
But in order to give enough time to each point,
I will release four more special videos going in depth
in specifics of NordVPN's reliability, features, and speed.
But for now, let's figure out why most NordVPN reviews
believe this is a VPN worth using.
The first point is user interface,
after all, it's the first thing you experience
after launching the app.
NordVPN greets you with a rather minimalistic
server choice window
next to visually policing map interface.
No other VPN gives such sleek first impression.
And even though the likes of Surfshark and ExpressVPN
can do certain things better,
first impression is everything.
Naturally, it helps that the rest
of the interface is streamlined.
All important features have their own separate tabs,
while the general, apps, and security settings
are kept in one place.
The security being another pro point
entirely answering the question, is NordVPN safe?
A lot of VPN providers don't see value
in going beyond basic encryption,
a kill switch and maybe specialty servers,
these things are often enough
to satisfy users' safety requirements.
That's part of why NordVPN
stands out from the crowd so much.
For instance, take their RAM-only servers.
These servers wipe all user data contained
on them after a reset,
which is significant but rare privacy boon.
So rare, I can count my fingers all the providers
who went through the trouble
of changing their whole server fleet to RAM servers.
Okay, how about all the additional security features?
Ranging from integration
of an extremely secure onion router peer-to-peer system
to a genuine anti-malware tool,
I consider them to be the main selling points of NordVPN.
On the topic of that, when you ask yourself,
"Is NordVPN worth it?"
Threat protection is what answers this question.
This reliable feature is capable of stopping malware
from infecting your device.
While it's common to have features blocking ads,
trackers, and access to malicious websites,
NordVPN once again took extra steps,
and this is the approach I respect.
Of all the competition,
I can only compare Surfshark versus NordVPN in that regard.
But even Surfshark's antivirus
is just a paid add-on not a core feature.
Talking about core features and going beyond,
Meshnet is yet another recent edition
that's hard to find in other NordVPN review videos.
Which is a shame,
as Meshnet is a game changer in the industry
making NordVPN the first VPN capable
of creating secure LAN connections
between dozens of devices at once.
While I can see this feature
being primarily used for business purposes,
I have used Meshnet for organizing LAN parties
and file transfers between my friends.
It's very useful actually.
But all those pro points prove
that NordVPN is rather secure and versatile.
Is NordVPN good enough speed wise?
To answer that, let me introduce you to NordLynx.
This is one of the few proprietary protocols
in the VPN industry.
But comparing two of the biggest examples,
ExpressVPN versus NordVPN,
their proprietary protocol are on very different levels.
As it stands right now,
ExpressVPN's Lightway doesn't hold a candle to NordLynx.
In the two years of experience,
I've had a few speed bumps with NordVPN,
but overall the connection is quite reliable.
Looking at the screen,
you can notice that NordLynx manages to retain
about 90% of my baseline speed.
So if you are looking for a VPN
with dedication to security and performance,
it's a good time to click that link in the description
and grab a NordVPN coupon code for a significant discount.
That said, you can also try to take advantage
of another pro point, a NordVPN free trial.
Is NordVPN free on all platforms, though?
Yes and no.
You must have an Android device to sign up for a free trial
and only after that can you switch to any other device.
Which ties in well with yet another pro point
worth discussing, compatibility.
All VPNs have apps for major platforms,
but what about Smart TVs,
streaming devices, like Kodi or Fire Stick, or browsers?
Many VPNs leave those without attention,
while NordVPN has apps and extensions
for all things possible,
well almost, but a bit later about that.
Actually, no, let's get straight into cons
with this first one, router support.
While there are tutorials for routers and NordVPN,
install it on one, I dare you.
After seeing that those tutorials only cover a small portion
of router manufacturers, and they're pretty complicated too,
I won't recommend a beginner to try it out.
That's where the ExpressVPN versus NordVPN comparison
goes in favor of the former.
It has an excellent interactive tutorial
and a router applet,
something I definitely wanna see introduced
to NordVPN in the near future.
Though that definitely will not fix the issue
of NordVPN macOS apps.
Yes, plural, since NordVPN has two apps for macOS,
each with different set of features and restrictions.
The usual NordVPN download
on macOS goes through the Apple Store,
resulting in the app with missing features.
The only way to get those features
is to download another version from NordVPN's website.
Slightly aggravating, I know,
considering that there are some features
that make a difference,
like split tunneling,
which Apple considers to be a taboo
for iOS devices specifically.
No wonder NordVPN doesn't have split tunneling
on iOS devices.
But while it's an issue of an industry in general,
it's not something I'm willing to overlook.
The same goes for torrenting servers.
NordVPN offers a list of locations
where P2P is allowed and optimized.
But let's be real,
all it does is limit our choice of locations for torrenting,
which is extra annoying considering that Surfshark,
a VPN now considered part of Nord Security,
doesn't have limitations like that at all.
And since I've gone on this tangent,
why can't NordVPN have the unlimited devices limit
similarly to Surfshark?
Six devices is hardly a fair number.
To conclude this NordVPN review, even with these downsides,
NordVPN often overwhelms most of the competitors,
especially when it comes to dedication
to security and privacy.
But I'm not done here,
in coming days I will go deeper
discussing reliability, features, speed,
and an alternative way to use NordVPN on a daily basis.
So stick around for the video coming tomorrow,
and make sure to leave your comments
and grab a discount deal while you are at it.
(upbeat music)