Our verdict
NordVPN is one of the most complete VPNs we compare. It has our highest scores for speed (9.3) and travel (9.2) and is near the top for streaming. The main drawbacks are that it has no port forwarding and that the renewal price is much higher than the first-term price.
Speed
In independent tests from 2026, NordVPN kept about 94% of the normal download speed with its NordLynx protocol, and it came first among five VPNs in a separate lab test. On very fast connections it reached more than 1,200 Mbps on nearby servers.
Streaming
Netflix worked in most of the countries tested, with Japan the exception. Disney+ worked in most regions, and Amazon Prime Video, BBC iPlayer and Max also worked in tests.
Privacy and security
NordVPN is registered in Panama. Its no-logs policy has been checked six times by an independent auditing firm, most recently in February 2026, and all servers run on RAM only, so nothing is stored on disk. The apps are not open source, and one server was breached in 2018, which the company was slow to disclose.
Travel
NordVPN has servers in more than 110 countries, plus obfuscated servers and its own NordWhisper protocol for networks that block VPNs. Independent testers ranked it among the best VPNs for China, although results there can vary.
Torrenting
P2P is allowed on almost all servers, and there is a kill switch on every platform (app-level only on macOS). Port forwarding is not available.
Price and plans
Basic starts at $3.49 a month on the two-year plan, which includes three extra months, and then renews at $139.08 a year. Every plan covers 10 devices and comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The Complete and Prime plans add antivirus, ad blocking, a password manager, cloud storage and identity protection.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Fastest VPN in recent independent speed tests
- Reliable with the big streaming services
- Six independent no-logs audits and RAM-only servers
- Works on networks and in countries that block VPNs
Cons
- No port forwarding
- Renewal price is much higher than the first term
- Server breach in 2018