Customers frequently mention the VPN Software (1-Year Subscription) is easy to use across multiple platforms and devices, provides top-of-the-line security, and offers seamless performance with a wide selection of servers. However, some customers have noted connectivity issues, reporting that the VPN is blocked by many sites and apps. Additionally, a few customers experienced reduced internet browsing speed while using the VPN.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 5 Showing 81-100 of 133 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Overall performance
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
this is great works great
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
i can use it to protect computer ,works as promised
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I can't really tell if it is working to keep me safer. However, it will not let me visit certain benign sites, and I have to turn it off to visit my usual sites. Therefore, it must be doing something. It also slows down my browsing slightly.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have no complaints. Fast connection and lots of servers options.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Security, Server selection
Cons mentioned:
Connectivity
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good service, very configurable
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
NordVPN is a Virtual Private Network provider which offers software solutions that allow you to connect to the internet without exposing your IP address or potentially your information to you internet provider and or other organizations. However I am not going to explain the reasoning or concept behind VPN any further. As VPN providers go, NordVPN offers numerous connection servers in a plethora of countries. I have installed and used the Windows and iOS versions and both perform equally well. You have can choose to allow the software to connect to the optimal server within the country you want to use (based on your distance and utilization of the server). You also have the ability to pick and choose the server based on distance and load. In addition you have other options for servers optimized for peer to peer file sharing solutions (P2P/BitTorrent), double hop VPN (to provide a more secure, more difficult to trace connection). In addition NordVPN does not log your activity when connecting to the internet. Bet you didn’t know most internet providers do. I used Netflix from “other countries” to view content not available in the US, I did have a problem connecting to Amazon, apparently they are trying to protect the authenticity of their reviews and also prevent people from seeking alternate pricing on items (did not know their pricing varies depending on market). I did occasionally have problems with performance while using the VPN, essentially connected to a server that became busier as time went on, however generally performance was good, and you always have the option of connecting to a less busy server with the various options you have within the app. The only dislike I had was with the iOS implementation which seemed to be really aggressive with disconnecting you from the VPN during periods of inactivity. I had not run into this as much with another VPN product I had been using. The Windows version also seemed to have a problem running the VPN service on my laptop, although this problem did not seem to occur on my Desktop. Ultimately I had to change a setting on the service to allow it to interact with the desktop. They offer a myriad of tutorials , support options and forums regarding their product. I know the basics in regards to networking, however the options and knowledge is available if you really want to explore. Granted many VPN providers do not let you go “under the covers” with configuring and using their product.
Pros:
- Wide selection of servers and countries to connect to
- A lot of options for VPN type (double hop, peer to peer)
- Reasonable pricing
- Advanced options to connect without using their client via OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP and IKEv2/IPsec
Cons:
- Had an issue with the Windows installation on one machine
- iOS version seems to be overly aggressive in disconnecting during inactivity.
- Servers do seem to reach capacity quickly, some form of load balancing/switching to less loaded server might be nice.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Purchased for travel purposes. Easily downloaded onto 6 devices. Set-up was super easy. Connection is quick on all devices. Had to change devices mid-trip when one device failed, and quickly removed and added to new device.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Overall performance, Security
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good VPN client at a premium price
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
NordVPN is a nice lightweight VPN client with over 4,000 worldwide servers and some of the strongest encryption around. This particular version simply comes with a key card and download link. I had no problems creating an account and the app is very easy to download, install and use, even for those who consider themselves as non-tech savvy users. The interface is very user friendly and easy to navigate. The client supports protocols like P2P and works with streaming services like Netflix that can be temperamental toward VPN servers. Performance is pretty good when connected to nearby servers, with no noticeable lag while browsing or streaming. Performance varies depending on the server, particularly when connected to any not geographically close.
Unlike some US and EU based VPN providers, NordVPN is based in Panama. By residing outside US and EU jurisdiction, they are not required to provide any info related to VPN usage to either government. As a result, NordVPN says it does not collect any user data for any reason, unlike some other VPN providers.
NordVPN is a bit more expensive, even among the usually less expensive boxed VPN software. Whether or not the premium price is justified is purely up to the user. Some may like the ironclad no logging clause, particularly if the goal is total anonymity regardless of circumstances. Total anonymity isn't merely desired by shady individuals. There are millions of legitimate users who want to use the internet for totally legal and ethical purposes. However, they cannot do so openly due to residing inside countries that censor free speech and web access. For situations like that, NordVPN also has a feature called a kill switch which halts web traffic if the VPN connection is lost. This can prevent potentially harmful data from hitting the open web.
I really like NordVPN and appreciated the chance to try it out along with all the extra security features it offers. I currently only use a VPN for public and shared Wifi, so cost is a definite factor at the moment. I may eventually switch to NordVPN in the future but right now, I subscribe to a cheaper option that's roughly half the cost of NordVPN. When my needs warrant the extra security (and price tag) of NordVPN, it'll be first on my list of potential upgrade candidates.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I needed to renew my nordvpn subscription, best buy had the best one year deal. I bought the digital one then they send you a code. Just log to the nordvpn website enter the code on the coupon section and voila. I recommend it!
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great VPN
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Connects quickly while on WiFi and has minimal impact on data speed. I also like that you can connect to different countries in case a website or content is blocked.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Just right timing
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The free credit protection by Equifax expired and this offer fell right in line with my online protection outfit.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
If you don’t like people (ISP) snooping on you, a VPN is the way to go.
I downloaded the client and put in my info and within 2 minutes was up and running (sort of). With military grade encryption, Double VPN which is great. This feature is a game changer!! The first VPN knows your original IP, But with Double, when you log in the IP is changed then on to a second VPN it changes your IP again. So, with this tunneling, this adds a second layer of secrecy. And CyberSec which blocks malware and adds, is a new feature that separates itself from other VPNs.
This is one of the best Optioned VPNs out there.
Before I connected my average was: 70 down and 6 up. When I connected My Speeds were 8 mb down and 5 up. I was very disappointed. So (as the help section on the site suggests) I switched VPN areas from the US to Greece, Canada, Mexico, and Russia. This slowed my speed down more. So, I switched again to Demark and the speeds came back up a little. I tried a few others, the speed was down, border line unacceptable. I noticed at times that loading pages was so slow it timed out but I tried it again and again. Finally, after 30 seconds Google appeared. Then went on to other sites with no issues. I am sure that depending on the time of day there will be slow downs as more people will be signed in. As suggested I tried multiple areas and hosts that had less than 10% utilization. My speed was like being on a rollercoaster, speed up then down, then up…
I hit the Nord help area again and tried what they suggest and this fixed my issues for the most part. I would advise those with issues to go here for help.
After 10 minutes my speed was stable and almost matched my regular speed. I went to and tried multiple sites. I streamed, downloaded, uploaded with no issues. I guess you just have to be patient until you notice speeds are up the start your work. I was very happy with my test after a period of 15 minutes had passed since logging in. It literally changed my opinion.
I logged in to my Netflix account and started a movie, I had issues with this, even on servers that only had 9% capacity, my browser kept timing out. I then got an email from Netflix saying that suspicious activity was found and they automatically changed my password. So, take note this might not play well with Netflix. With my Hulu account, I could start a good stream and had no problems at all.
For best results, I would advise you to find a favorite server that gives you consistent results. For me the US, Canada servers were the best.
I also tested on my Android phone, and the app worked flawlessly and was just as easy to setup as the PC side.
I am giving this a 4 for the amount of options that are useful for VPN users. I would have given it a 5 had my speed been fast right off the bat and not 10 minutes after logging in.
I would recommend this to friends and family.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
NordVPN (1-Year Subscription) - Android|Mac|Windows|iOS
The NordVPN has been a very good VPN client to use. There are many servers in many different countries to connect to. If you have not tried a VPN before this is a good place to start. A VPN gives you an extra bit of protection against the baddies on the internet. Use it along with the private browsing mode in your favorite browser and you will have an added level of security that you could not otherwise. The software is very easy to use and I do like the way it brings up the connection screen on bootup. This is a reminder to use your service or don’t if you don’t think it’s needed. But this keeps you from forgetting it’s there whenever you need it. I did quite a few speed tests from many of the available servers and I did get good ones and not so good. And like any internet connection the actual speed you get will vary widely. Another nice feature is I have been getting emails from NordVPN that are not spam but they give you information on how to take advantage of features and other software that can help up the safety level even more. If you're new to using a VPN the NordVPN is a great place to start. It is very highly rated, easy to use and if you are a person who likes to use public hotspots its a must have utility. I would never connect to a public hotspot without a tool like this, highly recommended
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
In today’s world, internet access is essential to everyday living. As we’ve become more and more dependent upon internet access, we’ve come to expect freely available wifi wherever we go. At one time, free wifi hotspots were a differentiator for restaurants, hotels and coffee shops, but now it’s an expected perk wherever we go. But while ubiquitous wifi has been a blessing, its unencrypted nature has also opened up yet another avenue for “the bad guys” to get to our data.
What to do? As I’ve been investigating options, there weren’t many that were realistic. I’ve even resorted to staying off hotel wifi altogether, but that cripples my ability to get things done. One option that was very intriguing was called Tiny Hardware Firewall. The idea is to purchase a small, battery-powered router with VPN software that you can take with you to create a private hotspot for several devices. While I think this is a very good idea, I’m not crazy about the $99 per year VPN fees. I don’t mind paying for the up-front hardware costs, but after that, why should I have to pay such a high price for VPN software?
That’s when I found NordVPN. It’s the highest-rated VPN on several review sites, and has a much more reasonable yearly cost (if you take advantage of one of their multi-year specials). So, I decided to give it a try. In short, NordVPN is effective and very easy to use.
Installation is a breeze. There are clients available for Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, and Chrome extensions. Setting up an account was quick and easy, and it was a quick download and install for each platform. By default, you can use the auto-connect feature to find a server near you. From there, you get a new IP address and you’re protected! Nord is based in Panama, which is a good thing because Panama is one of the countries that don’t share information on logging. While I’m not using a VPN to anonymize my internet activity, for those who are sensitive about privacy, this is important.
One thing I was initially worried about was the impact of a vpn on my speed. Doing a before/after speed test, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the impact was negligible. After all, a big hit to my throughput speed would mean that I wouldn’t use it. NordVPN only impacted my speed by about 5%, which I think is worth the added protection.
NordVPN also includes some extras, like an automatic kill switch in case you unexpectedly lose your vpn connection. A feature named CyberSec automatically blocks malicious websites, malware and unwanted ads. This is a great bonus.
Setup on iOS devices was just as easy. The only additional step is that you are asked if you want to set up a VPN profile in your settings. Saying yes will allow this to be done automatically, and you’re ready to go. When Nord is protecting you, you’ll see a small “vpn” in the top left corner, next to your connection strength icon.
The one thing that I’d like to see is a better solution for Chromebooks. NordVPN does have a Chrome extension that works just as easily as their other versions, but this only protects your activity within Chrome. Now that Chromebooks support Android apps, those need to be protected as well, and the Chrome extension doesn’t do that. You can get a NordVPN Android app which can protect your Android activities, but this doesn’t protect your web activities. You can manually set up a VPN connection in settings, but newer Chromebooks cannot be set to not use the IPv6 protocol, and NordVPN doesn’t support IPv6, so I couldn’t get this approach to work. ChromeOS is evolving rapidly, so I hope a comprehensive solution for ChromeOS will be forthcoming.
So far, NordVPN seems to be the solution I’ve been looking for. The license allows up to 6 devices simultaneously, which is enough for me to protect devices for me and my wife. I’ll see how it goes in long-term everyday usage, but right now I think NordVPN is the way to go.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Nord VPN helps to keep your connections safe on an unsafe internet. You should not count on it to mask your location for streaming services, however.
I’ve researched VPN services a fair bit before trying Nord’s offering. Some were reported as having buggy software, others have limited servers, and a few don’t have a reputation that’s any better than the people you’re trying to protect against! Nord has none of those issues. You just have to consider what you’re getting a VPN for. Nord works great if you’re looking to keep your data from being “overheard” while your at a coffee house or in a hotel on an open WiFi network. It also has servers all over the world which will allow you access to SOME sites which restrict themselves to certain countries. However, with the increased popularity of VPN services has come greater sophistication from sites to determine where you are located and what rights you actually have.
This “intelligence” can sometimes get in the way of sites functioning properly. I had difficulty using Amazon for shopping as well as some smaller e-commerce sites. They either failed to load at all or loaded with missing pictures and other elements. I have a very fast connection at home (Verizon Gigabit). I noticed no lag in downloads or general web performance other than certain elements not loading.
I would put Nord VPN above average in terms of the number of servers and the options associated with them. You can choose a service based on what’s near or based on services such as an ability to strip out ads, Onion encryption which masks the final destination by hopping through multiple nodes, or Double VPN encryption. These are not services which everyone needs. Those who need them will find Nord VPN not only easy to use, but easy on the wallet, as well with very competitively priced subscription options. There are many worse options, but nothing which is much better.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
These days, securing your online activity against anyone who might be interested in exploiting it has become an increasingly difficult task. VPNs have long been recognized as one of the more effective ways of doing this, as when used correctly they can provide nearly completely anonymous browsing, but finding a good one is a lot harder than you might think. Some keep their own logs of user activity, which can end up being sold off to the exact same people you're trying to avoid having that data. Others can suffer from unreliable or highly congested connections thanks to not having enough servers to meet demand. And some are fine, but require too much technical knowledge for a layman to use properly.
NordVPN, through use of sometimes gratuitous technical overkill and a surprisingly straightforward interface, seems very well protected against all three of these concerns. The box advertises that setting it up is as simple as creating an account and flipping a switch on an app, and they aren't lying. And yet it still provides a wealth of advanced tools for the more technically inclined to set up the precise VPN setup they need for specific applications. And it does all of this without maintaining any logs whatsoever of your activity.
There are a few hurdles to overcome when using it, mostly related to the fact that it's somewhat overzealous by design when it comes to security. Any website or service which checks against the physical location of the servers making login requests as a security precaution is likely to flag your activity as suspicious when you login through the VPN, and unless you take steps to make sure that you're always using the same proxy it's likely that you'll get these repeatedly since it tends to rotate you around whatever country you happen to be in. It'll also try its best to block anything which it thinks might be trying to redirect you somewhere it shouldn't, and it does throw up a fair amount of false positives which can shutdown even major sites. And while it does its best to minimize the increased lag time inherent with any kind of proxy routing, it's really not hard to notice the loss in performance you get with the VPN turned on. I certainly wouldn't advise using it for much 4K streaming, particularly if your goal is to stream content from another country.
That said, these are problems you are going to have with any VPN service worth having. And if you've already decided that you need a VPN to provide yourself with some added security, having one this overzealous is probably a feature. The only real downside I can name is that it provides so many options that it's very hard to imagine anyone making regular use of all of them, so you're probably going to be paying more for extras you don't need. But speaking for myself, if I'm going to be using a VPN for anything I want it to be one that I could use for everything. And NordVPN is by far the most impressively comprehensive consumer grade option for that I've seen thus far.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This 1 year subscription in a box for NordVPN was super easy to setup, and is now running seamlessly on my desktop computer, notebook computer, and mobile phone. This product comes in a cardboard box, but the only thing inside is a card with a printed activation code and website address. You'll use that to set up your account, which is super easy. Just go to the website, enter your email address, select a password, and type in the code. That's it. I had an account with a year of service within 2 minutes of opening the box.
Next step is to download the NordVPN client, login with the email address and password used during account setup, and turn on the VPN service. The NordVPN client is available for Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS. I tried it on three of those four platforms, and found the same straightforward look and feel on all three. The interface is intuitive, and makes it easy to tell whether you're connected to the service.
If you don't need to mess with the advanced features, there's the option to quickly connect. For those with more complicated needs, there are a variety of options, like choosing servers based on where they're located (appear to the Internet as if you're coming from a specific country), what special connections they offer (like Peer to Peer file sharing or Onion Over VPN). There's also a double-VPN option, where your network traffic is routed through multiple servers to make it even harder to be tracked.
There's also a Chrome extension, which I was able to use on my Chromebook, but only web browsing was protected. NordVPN supports L2TP/IPSec, however, which allowed me to protect all traffic from my Chromebook. It was a few more steps to set up (there's a tutorial on the NordVPN website), and it's not as secure as using the NordVPN app, but is a lot better than no protection at all.
Any VPN service is going to cause some reduction in speed. I found that NordVPN had moderate slowdowns... around 25% slower than without using the VPN, which is similar to other paid VPN services I've used (and better than most free VPN services).
Overall, I feel like NordVPN offers high quality VPN protection at a reasonable price. The client software is simple and easy to use for a novice, while anyone who needs the more advanced features can find them in the settings menus. Overall, I'm happy with the product and would recommend it to others.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
When I got this, I followed the card in which it told me to download the program, which I did. Then, I attempted to sign up, but didn't realize I had to go to a different website address to create an account and put in my activation code that was in the box. So I did that and then it was easier. In fact, I had downloaded from the MAC store first and inadvertently bought a monthly subscription that I cancelled right away, because I was looking for a way to enter my activation code somewhere.
That issue in the rear view mirror, I've been very impressed with the performance so far. It connects each time I open the lid of my MacBook and also when I ask it to connect on my phone. You can scroll to where you want to connect to, and then connect. I picked the USA of course, but it isn't clear what area of the USA that server # 123 or 456 is located. I found it said some servers were overloaded when looking at the list, so I picked others that didn't say that. On the MAC, you can say CONNECT from the icon at the top of the screen and pick USA without figuring out which server to use. That was easy. On the iPhone, I did a quick connect and it figured out to use the USA and connected very fast.
Coming over from a competitive product, I'm very impressed with the performance. I was used to endless attempts to connect when I opened up my MacBook, but now I am very happy seeing NORDVPN connect.
They say that they don't keep logs, keep your info secure, etc. That is good. You do have to register to use the product, which I understand but don't like - I'd prefer to just activate without having to create an account and at renewal time remind me and let me but it from PayPal or whatever.
Performance was awesome - using speedtest.net I didn't find any slowdown from when I wasn't using the VPN - this is a big improvement over the other product I was using. I hope this works out as I expect it will, but so far I'm very impressed in particular comparing it to a competitive product.
Macbook and iPhone performance are excellent - give it a try, you won't be disappointed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
That's the question everyone should be asking themselves. If you think you're safe, you're wrong.
It's a brave new world out there filled with a lot of good information, but also filled with scum who do nothing but troll for unprotected users. A misnomer is that if you have virus protection that's good enough. WRONG!! I mentioned this because a few people I spoke with thought they were protected well enough.
As the times change so does what we the end user must do to protect our privacy. I've read some extremely articulate reviews, so I will keep mine simple.
Super easy to set up on my androids and home computer. A large selection of servers and set up options.
BUT..... there's always a but or two isn't there? To do banking at home, I had to suspend service. That kind of defeated the purpose somewhat. The same was true with a lawful streaming service I belong to. Changing servers helped that issue however.
You'll notice 3 stars. That was due to the cost, and not the service. A smart consumer might be able to find the same service at a reduced price. Due diligence is a wonderful thing.