Compare / NordVPN

NordVPN review

Mainstream VPN, Panama · Nord Security · Last checked November 2026

Affiliate disclosure: some links to the platforms on GetVPN.now may earn us a commission if you sign up or pay. It never costs you more, and no platform pays to be listed or to change what we write. How we rate

NordVPN is run by nordvpn s.a., which says it operates under Panamanian jurisdiction; its parent, Nord Security, is based in the Netherlands and since 2022 also owns Surfshark (the two say they run independently). It is one of the most widely advertised VPNs, and the evidence behind its no-logs claim is also among the deepest: six no-logs assurance engagements since 2018, the first two by PwC and the last four by Deloitte, the latest published in February 2026 under the ISAE 3000 standard.

The black mark is old but worth knowing. In March 2018 an attacker got into one NordVPN server in a Finnish data center through a remote-management tool the data center had left open, and an expired internal key leaked. NordVPN said the server held no activity logs, but the breach only became public in October 2019.

Its default protocol, NordLynx, is WireGuard with a double-NAT layer so servers don't store a fixed user-to-address table, and NordWhisper is built for networks that block VPNs. There's no free plan, but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee on new subscriptions and a 7-day trial in some countries. See how it stacks up in NordVPN vs ExpressVPN and NordVPN vs Surfshark.

The facts

Price & refund

NordVPN's own pricing page blocked our checker, so these are Gizmodo's US prices published Oct 21, 2026 (before tax; promos change): Basic, the cheapest tier, is $3.49/mo on the 2-year plan ($94.23 for the first 27 months), $5.49/mo for 1 year ($65.88) or $14.99 month to month, and Gizmodo lists the renewal as $139.08 a year. The 30-day money-back guarantee covers only your first purchase of a new subscription, not renewals; Apple App Store and Amazon Appstore purchases are refunded by those stores. A 7-day free trial is offered in 15 countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, but only on 1- and 2-year plans of the top tiers (Prime, Ultimate Max, Ultra or Complete Max).^[1][2][3]

Owner & jurisdiction

NordVPN says it is based in and operates under the jurisdiction of Panama, and that its parent company, Nord Security, is headquartered in the Netherlands. In 2022 Nord Security and Surfshark merged under one holding company; Surfshark says the two operate independently.^[4][5]

No-logs audits

Deloitte Lithuania ran NordVPN's sixth no-logs assurance engagement over a month at the end of 2025, under ISAE 3000 (Revised), covering standard VPN, Double VPN, Onion Over VPN and obfuscated servers; it was published in February 2026. The fifth, also by Deloitte, had access from November 18 to December 20, 2024 and also covered P2P servers. The first two checks, in 2018 and 2020, were done by PwC. Separately, Cure53 ran a security audit of NordVPN's systems in May, June and October 2025 and found no critical flaws.^[6][7][8]

Breaches & incidents

In March 2018 an attacker got into one NordVPN server at a Finnish data center through an insecure remote-management system the provider had left, and an expired internal private key leaked; NordVPN said the server held no user activity logs, and the breach became public only in October 2019. In October 2026 Nord Security patched a Windows app flaw (CVE-2026-106030) that let a local, low-privileged attacker stop unprotected Windows services; app version 8.12.0.0 and later are not affected.^[9][10]

Protocols & free plan

NordLynx (NordVPN's WireGuard-based protocol, the default in its apps), OpenVPN over UDP or TCP, and NordWhisper, recommended for restrictive networks. Port forwarding works only with the paid Dedicated Server add-on, not on standard servers or with a Dedicated IP. NordVPN sells only paid plans; the free option is the 7-day trial described under price.^[11][12][1]

Visit NordVPN · Compare all platforms