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NordVPN

Large, fast, heavily-audited mainstream VPN from Panama.

nordvpn.com
89/100Overall score
Jurisdiction
Panama
Founded
2012
Owner
Nord Security (Nordsec Ltd)
Best price
$3.09/mo
Devices
10
Free tier
No
Privacy82
Security100
Transparency85
Value87
Ethics100

Best for

  • · Speed and large server choice
  • · Streaming and general use
  • · Audited no-logs at scale

Not ideal for

  • · Fully anonymous signup (email required)
  • · Open-source purists (apps only partly open)

Strengths

  • Six independent no-logs audits; RAM-only fleet
  • Fast NordLynx (WireGuard) protocol with post-quantum option
  • Huge network (~110 countries)
  • Panama jurisdiction outside the Eyes alliances

Weaknesses

  • Email required; no cash payment
  • Apps only partially open source
  • Part of the Nord Security group that also owns Surfshark
  • 2018 server breach (no user data, but a trust dent)

Full data sheet

Every attribute we track, coloured by whether it helps or hurts your privacy.

Company & jurisdiction
Based inPanama
Eyes allianceOutside 5/9/14 Eyes
Enemy of the InternetNo
OwnerNord Security (Nordsec Ltd)
ConglomerateNord Security
Founded2012
Logging
Traffic / activityNone kept
DNS requestsNone kept
TimestampsNone kept
BandwidthNone kept
Source IP addressNone kept

No-logs policy audited six times (PwC, Deloitte); all servers run from RAM.

Payment & anonymity
Anonymous signupNo
Accepts cashNo
Accepts cryptoYes
PGP keyUnknown
Protocols & features
OpenVPNYes
WireGuardYes
Proprietary protocolNordLynx
Multi-hopYes
ObfuscationYes
Kill switchYes
First-party DNSYes
RAM-only serversYes
Port forwardingUnknown
P2P / torrentingUnknown
IPv6Blocked
Encryption
Data cipherChaCha20 / AES-256
HandshakeCurve25519
Transparency
Open-source clientsPartial
Independent audits3
Transparency reportYes
Court / seizure-testedUnknown

Panama has no data-retention law. A 2018 breach of a rented Finnish server (disclosed 2019) exposed a TLS key but no user activity; Nord moved to RAM-only colocated servers afterward.

Infrastructure
Simultaneous devices10
Countries110
Serversn/a
Linux supportGUI app
Pricing
Month-to-month$12.99
Best $/mo$3.09
On plan2-year (Basic)
Free trialn/a
Refund window30 days
Free tierNo
Ethics
Logging policyConsistent
Marketing honestyNo overclaiming

Independent audits

  • Deloitte· 2025 · no-logs assurance
  • Deloitte· 2023 · no-logs assurance
  • PwC· 2022 · no-logs

Tiered Basic/Plus/Complete plans; higher tiers bundle a password manager and storage.

Sources

Last verified 2026-06-17. Point-in-time data, so always confirm on the provider's own site.

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