NordVPN UK review 2022: solid security, fast speeds, premium price
DO you want a UK VPN service with a reliable privacy policy and solid security features? If so, NordVPN may be the right choice for you.
We have tested NordVPN for roughly two weeks, and have summed up here everything you need to know before buying a subscription.
DEAL ALERT
Get 69% off NordVPN Plus
The VPN provider is currently offering 69% off its popular 2-year Plus plan, with an extra 3 months free.
The Plus subscription would typically cost has been slashed, so you will pay a one-off fee of £94.23, saving you 69% or £218.70 over the first 24 months.
The offer also applies to NordVPN's new Ultimate tier offering, which is currently discounted by up to 71%.
NordVPN is one of the few VPN services that have undergone a full privacy audit of no-logging users' activity.
The service also offers a reliable kill switch option, and a shared IP address feature to keep your traffic even more private (more on both later).
Keep reading for a full overview of NordVPN, including pricing, server details, and extra security options.
We have tested the service on Windows 11, but NordVPN is also available on Windows 10, as well as macOS, Linux, and Chromebook laptops and desktops.
The company also offers the service as a browser extension for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, and as apps for Android and iOS devices.
Down below is all you need to know about NordVPN, but if you need a quick reminder about what a VPN is or whether you should use one, you can check our dedicated articles linked here.
If you're comparing services, don't miss our CyberGhost VPN review and PIA VPN review.
NordVPN review: at a glance
Tested: January 2022, Windows 11
The first thing one notices when installing NordVPN is the atypical user interface of its client. You can still choose your server from a traditional list, but if you feel so inclined, you can connect to one using a handy map.
The rest of the interface is also fairly easy to navigate, though the client is overall slightly heavier than other VPNs we have tested.
In terms of security, NordVPN is among the best we had the pleasure to try, with all the basics covered, and then some more.
The company's privacy policies are also among the most transparent in the industry, mainly thanks to NordVPN operating under the Panama jurisdiction.
In addition, NordVPN successfully unblocks all main streaming services, including Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, Netflix, and Disney Plus.
Minor pet peeve includes NordVPN not always unblocking US Netflix, basic browser extensions, and not all servers supporting torrenting.
NordVPN Pros:
- Top-notch security features
- Audited no-log policy
- Unblocks most streaming services
- Fast speeds
- Vast server network
NordVPN Cons:
- Client slightly heavier than competitors
- Renewal prices above average
What is NordVPN?
As mentioned above, NordVPN is a Panama-based service that was first established in 2012, which makes the company a pioneer in the world of VPNs.
In the past decade, NordVPN has grown to be one the most relied-upon VPN providers in the world, particularly after two separate from auditing and assurance firm PwC Switzerland in 2018 and 2020, respectively.
The audits corroborated NordVPN's efforts, confirming the company does not collect (or log) traffic that passes through its servers.
Because of this trusted reputation, NordVPN has won four separate ProPrivacy awards, and today has a user base of 14 million.
The company also offers a number of advanced security features that are either absent from other VPNs or require extra add-ons, like the 'Alert' mode in Surfshark, for example.
When compared with other VPN services, NordVPN has more servers and faster speeds than Surfshark, but it's also more expensive.
It is still cheaper than ExpressVPN, however, while sporting a very competitive series of security features and a huge number of servers.
And if you're worried about compatibility, NordVPN is compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook computers, Android and iOS mobile devices, and even routers and smart TVs.
NordVPN UK Price: How much does it cost?
- NordVPN Basic, £10.19 per month -
- NordVPN Basic, £75.33 for 27 months -
- NordVPN Plus, £94.23 for 27 months (saving 69%) -
- NordVPN Ultimate, £148.23 27 months (saving £372.60) -
NordVPN is certainly at the pricier end of the VPN market.
With a basic price of just over £10 per month, NordVPN is not cheap, but it's still cheaper than ExpressVPN, for example.
In addition, if you pick one of the long-term plans, you can grab substantial discounts, down to less than £4 per month.
Of course, this is a relatively standard formula in the world of VPNs, and if you opt for a two-year Surfshark subscription, the monthly price goes down to just £3.20.
Still, we argue that NordVPN is excellent value for money, thanks to its impressive security features and privacy policy.
In addition, a NordVPN subscription gives you instant access to the company's secure cloud storage NordLocker (3 GB only without Premium) and the NordPass password manager (with certain limitations).
You can purchase 500 GB of additional storage space on NordLocker, for £2.29 per month or for a flat fee of £27.48 for the one-year plan (saving you 41% on the monthly price).
Moreover, NordVPN has recently introduced a premium tier of subscriptions, which cost a few more pounds (check image above for details) when compared to the Standard offering but comes with a number of extra benefits.
These include the full capabilities of NordPass, a data breach scanner, and 1TB of encrypted storage space.
NordVPN: server and server locations
At the time of writing, NordVPN offers roughly 5200 servers in 60 countries.
While the number of countries included in the list is not particularly extensive (Surfshark has servers in 65 countries and ExpressVPN in 94), the sheer number of servers is one of the highest on the market.
Because of the substantial number of servers available, users are also able to select servers from a number of specific cities in the US, France, Germany, India, France and Canada.
Additionally, NordVPN offers three types of specialty servers: Double VPN, Onion Over VPN, and P2P (Peer-to-Peer) servers.
The first category enables traffic to be encrypted and sent through two
servers, adding an extra layer of security.
Onion Over VPN, on the other hand, works as a standard server, with the only difference being that traffic is also routed through the , again, adding an extra layer of security.
Finally, P2P servers are optimized for fast and secure file sharing, for instance, when downloading from torrent files.
NordVPN: security and privacy
From a security standpoint, NordVPN uses AES encryption standard with 256-bit keys, which is considered state-of-the-art at the time of writing.
The company offers three different types of VPN protocols: IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN, and NordLynx, the latter of which is designed to preserve speeds without compromising security.
Additionally, NordVPN comes with extra security features, including a kill switch, split tunnelling (on Android and Windows), and dark web monitoring.
As of September 2020, NordVPN said its entire VPN server structure was running on diskless RAM servers, which means that no data is stored locally.
The company is also reportedly working on a network of owned exclusively by NordVPN, which will be accessible only to its staff.
It's worth noting in this section that, following events that unfolded in March 2018, NordVPN confirmed one of its servers in Finland was hit by a security breach, though
According to the firm, the breach was made possible by poor configuration on a third-party data centre’s part that NordVPN was never notified of.
The investigation that followed suggested that when the data centre became aware of the intrusion, they deleted the accounts that had caused the vulnerabilities rather than notifying NordVPN of their mistake.
The VPN provider also confirmed that, as soon as they learned of the breach, the server and their contract with the provider were terminated and the company underwent an extensive audit of its service.
NordVPN: speed and performance
The NordVPN client and apps are easy to use, and despite having a Windows client slightly heavier than competitors, it is light enough for its impact on most computers' memory to be negligible.
It is also great to be able to access advanced-security VPN options like Double VPN and PS2 servers with a simple click.
In terms of speeds, NordVPN is one of the fastest VPN services we have tested.
Down below is a breakdown of speeds using different server options.
As you can see, NordVPN performed reliably across different server options, delivering speeds that were very close to those reached not using a VPN.
We had some mixed results with Double VPN servers, as the connections had sudden dips in download or upload speeds. However, this may just be caused by traffic going through two different servers.
One of the things we were happy to notice was that ping did not particularly deteriorate no matter the type of server we chose (with the option 'Best Server' on).
Low ping is synonymous with low latency in the gaming world, so we're happy to recommend NordVPN if you're looking for a VPN for your online gaming sessions.
Thanks to these speeds, streaming performance was also solid across the board. We watched Netflix using servers in Japan, South Africa, and the UK, and we did not experience any issues.
There were a few micro lags when we tried to stream Netflix using a couple of U.S. servers, but changing the server fixed the issue.
How many devices can be supported on NordVPN?
One NordVPN account can secure up to six devices at one time.
The service can also be installed on home routers, in order to secure all the devices connected to the home Wi-Fi.
The number six is fairly average in the world of VPNs, with ExpressVPN's basic offering, for instance, covering up to five devices, and CyberGhost seven.
If you're looking for a VPN subscription covering an unlimited number of devices, SurfShark may be the one for you.
NordVPN: is it any good?
NordVPN is a serious VPN service with a substantial number of great security features and a twice-audited privacy policy.
The service is easy to use, has a wide variety of servers options, and fairly solid speeds across the spectrum.
NordVPN also offers 24/7 customer support via email or live chat. We have tested the latter and were connected with a live agent in less than a minute.
The service unblocks most streaming websites, (though a couple of servers in the U.S. gave us minor lagging issues) and can download torrents too (via the P2P server option).
NordVPN's price is a little above average, but all in all, we argue it is well worth its price.
- NordVPN, from £2.79 per month -
NordVPN FAQs
Do you have additional questions about how to use NordVPN? We have included here a selection of them, to help you make an informed decision.
How to use NordVPN
Using NordVPN is very easy. After having purchased a subscription and downloaded the program, all you have to do it log in using your credentials.
After that, simply double-click on a server to connect. To disconnect, just hit the "Disconnect" button at the bottom on the user interface.
How to cancel NordVPN
Should you decide that NordVPN is not the right VPN service for you, cancelling is a straightforward process.
To cancel the automatic renewal of your subscription, head to , log in, and open the 'Billing' section.
Once you're in that screen, open the 'Subscription' tab, and press on the three vertically stacked dots next to the 'Change Plan' button, and click Cancel auto-renewal.
NordVPN also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee policy, so if you follow the above procedure within 30 days from your original purchase, you'll also receive a refund.
Is NordVPN free?
No, NordVPN is not free. The service starts at £10.19 per month if you opt for a monthly subscription, and down to £2.79 if you opt for the 2-year plan.
For more information about NordVPN's price please refer back to the Pricing section of this review.
Is NordVPN safe?
Yes, NordVPN is one of the safest VPN service out there, and one of the few that has undergone a third-party security audit.
Does NordVPN work with Netflix?
Most NordVPN servers work with Netflix. Occasionally, you may have to manually switch server for Netflix to work, but the process is very straightforward.
How to use NordVPN on Xbox?
There's no dedicated NordVPN app for Xbox. However, it is possible to install the VPN service to work with your Microsoft consoles.
Installing a VPN on a gaming console may potentially grant you access to better deals on games by changing your location to a country where they’re cheaper.
It may also enable you to unblock and purchase region-restricted games, as well as protect yourself from certain network attacks while playing online.
There are two ways to use NordVPN on Xbox consoles, either via compatible routers, or using a Windows PC.
NordVPN has created dedicated guides for both methods, and you can find them .
Can you install NordVPN on Fire TV Stick?
Yes, ! To install NordVPN on your Fire TV Stick just open the Amazon app store and look for the NordVPN application.
Once it's installed, simply log in with your credentials, and connect to a server just like you would on a desktop or mobile device.
How we test VPN services
Our experts at The Sun use to test the speed of the VPN services we review. We are based in London, and currently testing speeds via Wi-Fi. All tests are conducted using the same machine and at the same distance from the router.
We test and review each VPN using the same processes, and judge them by the same criteria each time.
These criteria are price, server quality and location, security and privacy, speed and performance, and number/type of supported devices.
All of our reviews are editorially independent and free from bias.
Make sure you know your country’s laws and regulations if you’re unsure about how you're using a VPN service.
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