NordVPN Overview October 2020
If NordVPN really has all those premium features they promote, how can it possibly be so cheap? With this question in mind, I dug into NordVPN, hoping to find the catch and prove that it isn’t as fast and secure as their ads promise.
After testing it thoroughly for two weeks, I found that:
- NordVPN is much faster than it used to be — in fact, it’s now one of the fastest VPNs on the market.
- NordVPN is one of the only services that can reliably unblock Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Kodi, and other popular streaming services.
Regretfully, NordVPN still charges a higher price if you arrive on the homepage, so make sure you check out the hidden discount page to find the cheapest deals. You don’t have to commit to a plan immediately either as there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. But the bottom line is that I started using NordVPN and it’s now become my favorite choice on both my PC and mobile.
NordVPN Key Features
With a huge network of over 5,700 servers across 60 countries, fast speeds, and military-grade encryption, NordVPN is one of the best services available.
NordVPN offers industry-standard security features in its affordable subscription plan, including 256-bit encryption, OpenVPN/IKEv2/WireGuard protocols, a kill switch, DNS leak protection, and a strict no-logging policy. It also offers unique safety features that most other providers don’t, like double encryption, Onion Over VPN servers, obfuscated servers, and P2P support.
Additionally, NordVPN’s technology is so advanced that it is one of the few providers that can unblock Netflix and other top streaming sites. Most providers are blocked because of weak encryption or limited servers, but you won’t have to worry about that with NordVPN.
NordVPN is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It can also be used as a browser extension in either Firefox or Chrome, or as an app for Android, AndroidTV, and iOS. When you buy a subscription, you can use NordVPN on up to six devices. And if you experience any issues, 24/7 customer support is available via the live chat feature.
In this review, I test NordVPN thoroughly to see whether it lives up to its reputation. One of the most affordable VPNs on the market, you can try NordVPN out for just a few dollars a month, and get a full refund within 30 days if you aren’t satisfied. On top of that, you can also take advantage of the 70% discount that NordVPN is currently offering for a much better deal.
NordVPN Unblocks 400+ Streaming Platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, and More)
NordVPN has a feature called SmartPlay which claims to unlock over 400 sites with geo-restrictions. I tested geo-restricted content from the US, Australia, and Europe, including the regional news sites ABC News, France2, and SBS Australia. I also tested the streaming sites Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. The results? I was able to successfully stream all the content I attempted to watch on these sites.
NordVPN wasn’t able to unblock DAZN though (which has very sensitive VPN detection), but very few services are able to do this.
NordVPN Unblocks Netflix in More Than 10 Countries (Including the US)
I easily streamed Netflix US from my location in the UK with NordVPN
Netflix attempts to detect and block VPNs, and many VPN services fail to access it. I ran tests using Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and iPad and had similar results. I didn’t recommend NordVPN for Android TV and Fire Stick in the past as they weren’t supported, but I certainly do now that their new app fixed all previous issues.
NordVPN’s SmartPlay technology allows you to access local Netflix content (only in the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, Netherlands, Spain, and India) by connecting to one of those country’s servers. If you connect to any other server, NordVPN will take you straight to the US Netflix page. I thought I would be missing out on some local content because of this small restriction, but I found that these libraries contain 99% of Netflix’s exclusive shows anyway, so I didn’t need to access any other country’s library at all.
