NordPass is the newest technology announced from NordVPN this year. This news comes just a few weeks after their announcement for NordLocker, a file encryption program.
What’s the big deal?
NordVPN claims this is not just any password manager, it’s a new generation password manager. We can expect some great features with this kind of bold claim.
The NordPass website currently features two tools:
Password Generator – this tool helps you generate a secure password. We noticed it’s not perfect though. Read our secure password guide and you’ll know why this tool is heavily flawed.
Password Strength Checker – as the name implies, this tool simply checks the strength of your password. It’s a decent indicator but you should also read the guide mentioned before.
NordPass Features
If you’re familiar with password managers, you’ll know they essentially provide several features:
Generating secure passwords
Storing passwords (safely)
Auto-fill login forms
Accessible anywhere (synced on cloud)
Well, NordPass doesn’t seem to be all that different. At all.
They do drop some buzzwords like “zero-knowledge encryption” and have nice graphics like the image below:
We do not yet know how this password manager will work nor how it will integrate with NordLocker.
As we mentioned before, NordVPN aims to become the all-in-one security solution for consumers and businesses. This means they want to be involved at every step of your interaction with everything tech-related.
As NordVPN says, “Passwords are like keys to a door” — we should keep in mind who we give the keys to, including NordVPN.
NordPass Early Access
There are 20,000 early access accounts available in total.
The first 1,000 will get 1 year of NordPassPremium for free. This is an indicator that NordPass may even have a free version.
The next 4,000 will get discounts and priority feature releases.
The last 15,000 will simply receive an invite to try out NordPassbefore it officially launches to the public, full scale.
At the time of writing, there are about 1,500 Early Adopters seats left. All 1000 NordPass Premium accounts have been claimed.
If you’re interested, sign up for relevant news directly from the NordPass website. The launch date is set to late 2019.
Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser, recently announced that they will release a premium subscription model in the upcoming fall of 2019.
What does this premium service look like?
Let’s first go over what we know:
Firefox is the third most used browser in the world across all devices.
Mozilla will launch a paid subscription in fall of 2019.
Current existing features will remain free.
Premium features will include a VPN and secure cloud storage.
Firefox VPN Price
Various sources report that Firefox VPN will use a freemium model.
Much like Windscribe, free users will have some bandwidth allowance at no cost. If users want to increase their bandwidth, they will have to pay the premium subscription fee.
At the moment, we do know that Mozilla has a partnership with ProtonVPN. The current subscription stands at $10 per month for ProtonVPN customers. Mozilla is processing the payments and customers subscribing from Firefox receive the same benefits as customers of ProtonVPN.
Mozilla Firefox VPN Features
The features are not known as of yet.
We can get some ideas from Mozilla’s partnership with ProtonVPN.
Since ProtonVPN does not have a Firefox addon, it is speculated that Mozilla Firefox’s development team can work side-by-side with the ProtonVPN team to create a seamless integration. Since the premium subscription model includes a VPN, it will either be built-in to the browser or will be a browser extension.
The Firefox VPN could use ProtonVPN as a backbone – building a VPN service on top of ProtonVPN’s service. For those who are aware of the white-labeling model, this is one option that Mozilla has. Part of the subscription fee will go to ProtonVPN since the entire VPN service will be using their architecture.
Mozilla Firefox VPN Launch Date
Dave Camp, senior vice president of Firefox at Mozilla has shared:
We will roll out a subscription service and offer a premium level. And the plan is to introduce the first one this year, towards fall. We aim for October.
Mozilla isn’t too late with timelines according to previous performances. They usually keep their timelines in check and we will most likely see the Firefox VPN before the end of 2019.
Unless you have been living under a rock throughout the past couple of years, you will know just how bad the problem has gotten with cybercriminals, hackers, businesses, and even government agencies going on the attack.
Some want to steal your data and identity whereas others want nothing more than to snoop on your internet activity. In both cases, it is a gross infringement of privacy and can be downright dangerous. This is why so many regular people such as you and I have turned to using a VPN for all online activities.
By encrypting your internet traffic and routing it through an encrypted tunnel, it prevents all of the above and more from happening. To any hackers or people eavesdropping on your activities, your internet traffic will look like garbled white noise.
Choosing the Right VPN for You
With so many options on the market—there are literally hundreds of different VPN services all saying that they are the best option—choosing the right one for you can be difficult.
We have spent our time picking apart each and every VPN currently available, put them to the test, and created comprehensive reviews to determine which ones are the best. In our opinion, we think that it is NordVPN that comes out on top of all the others.
That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?
You also found NordVPN to be a top pick and want to know what other, real users think. Where better to crowdsource real reviews other than Reddit?
What Does Reddit Think of NordVPN?
As you know, Reddit (reddit) is a news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content—text posts, images, and links—which can be voted up and down by the wider community.
This type of ecosystem, therefore, is perfect for helping determine what people truly think about a VPN service and, ultimately, whether or not a certain service, in this case NordVPN, is worth subscribing to.
While reading reviews of VPN services like ours is all well and good, the raw authenticity of reviews and opinions of real users cannot be matched.
What Reddit Thinks, Summed Up
There are lots of different subreddits we consulted with our research. Some of these subreddits include—
/r/VPN
/r/NordVPN
/r/VPNReviews
/r/NetflixViaVPN
Among others. On all the subreddits we visited, it was NordVPN-related reviews, opinions, discussions, and questions that got the highest number of upvotes. This is because NordVPN is a consistently-reliable, fast, secure, and trustworthy service that satisfies all its customers.
Reddit users had a lot of positive things to say, however, some of the most commonly praised aspects of NordVPN include—
Thousands of servers across over 60 locations worldwide;
A 30-day money-back guarantee, no strings attached;
Consistently fast servers with no bandwidth or speed limits;
A strict zero-logs policy that has been legitimized by a third-party audit by PwC;
Subscriptions starting from as little as $2.99 per month; and
A secure service that uses industry-leading encryption and tunnelling that does not leak any information or data.
What Reddit Thinks, A Deeper Look
Who better to turn to when gauging whether a VPN is worth subscribing to than those that use it day in, day out?
1. This user went all-out and wrote an entire review
/u/wombtemperture was so impressed by NordVPN that that he took it upon himself to write a full-on review—or, as he put it, an overview of his experience—of NordVPN. He spoke highly of NordVPN’s speed (“easily the fastest”), service (“They responded immediately…”), and pricing.
We did read this with a little skepticism thinking that it could easily be a NordVPN representative writing it, however, the reddit account has lots of recent activity.
2. This user wanted to know “Is [nordvpn] worth it?”
In typical reddit fashion, lots of responses very quickly came in—
Luckily, a few other reddit users provided answers with a little more detail.
3. This user was using Torguard and wanted additional opinions on NordVPN
It’s quite common that people will consult reddit when they are considering switching from one product to another, whether that product is a VPN or something else.
This user clearly has a need for a VPN service that is reliable and fast enough to handle peer-to-peer file sharing through BitTorrent. He or she is in luck—NordVPN has special P2P servers that are optimized for P2P activities and reddit quickly made the OP aware.
4. This self-titled “newbie” recommends NordVPN, too!
The newbie user covered all the important points actually. From streaming to gaming to privacy needs. NordVPN covers it all.
This user did not share their torrenting experience, although other user reviews can verify that NordVPN works flawlessly for p2p activities.
What’s Not to Love?
Personally, we think that NordVPN is the best VPN service that money can buy right now. For all the reasons highlighted above and more, we wholeheartedly recommend subscribing to them if you want a safe, fast, reliable, and affordable VPN.
If you would like to learn more about NordVPN, why not check out our comprehensive review of the overall product? We constantly update this to reflect any changes that take place, too.
Want to try out NordVPN for yourself? You can, risk-free!
Thanks to their 30-day money-back guarantee which applies to all NordVPN’s plans, you can get full and unrestricted access to NordVPN and put it through its paces yourself. If you aren’t satisfied (unlikely!) you can just email customer support and ask for a refund within 30 days of your purchase, no questions asked or strings attached.
NordVPN recently announced a new product in their pipeline: NordLocker.
Currently you can only sign up to their early access program by sharing your email address. They will send out a batch of invites — presumably journalists and reviewers first.
What is NordLocker?
In simple words, NordLocker appears to be a file encryption program.
But perhaps that’s selling the product short, because NordVPN boasts plenty of more features.
Right away we can see that NordLocker is for not only putting password protection on a folder, but they also hint that it’s meant for encrypting all kinds of files along with managing login credentials. Perhaps it integrates well with NordPass.
The types of files aren’t defined just yet, but from the website copy alone, we do not believe there is a file type restriction.
Not only do they encrypt your local files, but NordLocker also encrypts files on cloud storage as well.
We can deduce that NordLocker aims to be involved in every step of file storage and sharing – an add-on service one would use to maximize security.
In addition, NordLocker seems to have a “share” option – perhaps they are building their own cloud storage service?
We don’t see this happening in the near future, but it definitely opens up possibilities. The share option probably just integrates with other cloud storage platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox.
In sum, NordLocker aims to be:
A complete file encrypting program
A password manager
Possibly a cloud storage service
Intermediary file encryption between all points.*
*An intermediary file encryption is possibly the most ambitious goal that NordLocker has. They basically want to be involved in every step of file management and sharing.
One usecase we can see this happening is something like this:
You have sensitive files to share. Whether they’re legal documents or personal photos/videos or a password file.
You encrypt all the files with NordLocker. The program applies zero-knowledge AES-256 encryption to keep your files safe.
You upload your files on a cloud storage platform (perhaps NordLocker itself in the future).
You share your file with a friend, family member or colleague.
The receiving party uses NordLocker to decrypt the files you’ve encrypted.
In the case where someone got a hold of your encrypted files, they’d have no way to decrypt the files.
For those who are unfamiliar with file encryption, think of it as zipping up your files and unzipping (.zip, .rar files). There’s just the added benefit of applying encryption on your files.
NordLocker Policy
What we know so far:
There is no Terms of Service yet (the program is not out for public).
They do track website visitors and use cookies (one staying for up to 2 years).
They do not guarantee the security of any data.
They log information you’ve shared (like email address) as well as keeping an access log (e.g. your IP address, operating system, browser information).
The Privacy Policy, as it stands at the moment, is quite bare bones.
NordLocker Invite
Want to be one of the first to try out NordLocker?
Simply head to NordLocker.com and subscribe to their mailing list on the front page. You will then be put on a waiting list.
We have no information as to how they will manage invites nor the launch date.
We believe it will be in the latter half of 2019 for macOS and Windows.
Both are known to be one of the cheapest VPNs available in the market. With that being said, do their pricing points measure up to their performance? Which can guard your privacy better? What about fulfilling your streaming needs?
NordVPN vs. PureVPN. A VPN that is known for its transparency and consistent overall performance versus a steady performing VPN with a customer base of over 3 million with an outstanding number of locations.
Which will prevail?
Before we start comparing, take the time to read our reviews for NordVPN and PureVPN to refresh your memory in full.
Good to go? Let’s find out which of the two will stand at the top!
NordVPN and PureVPN Comparison
It’s not always a walk in the park for VPN providers.
They must provide services which are not only satisfactory and feature-rich but at the same time, provide protection for the privacy of their users.
If you’re just starting out and you are unsure, we’ll be your guide. We’re going to make sure that by the time this VPN comparison ends, you’re certain to make a choice between the two.
Servers and Locations
Server and Locations are one of the things you need to consider when subscribing to a VPN. It’s a no-brainer that more servers and locations to connect to means more freedom on the Internet.
Both VPNs are not to be messed with in terms of server count – you got over 5000 for NordVPN and over 2000 for PureVPN. When it comes to location reach, both are considered satisfactory, with NordVPN’s reach extending to over 60+ countries as opposed to PureVPN’s 140.
At first glance, it may seem that NordVPN has a sizeable advantage because it nearly triples the servers PureVPN has to offer. But PureVPN has servers in over 140 countries! If you want localized content wherever you are, then it PureVPN is the winner.
But… do not forget that NordVPN is particularly selective in the server category – it optimizes your browsing or streaming experience and connects you to the best server possible. On top of that, the overall quality of NordVPN’s servers is simply better (keep reading on to find out why).
Another thing is that while NordVPN offers TOR integration, PureVPN hasn’t developed on this feature.
We believe NordVPN is your best bet. That being said, if you need localized content in your region, go with PureVPN.
VPN Speed and Performance
Our test when it comes to VPN Speed and Performance is noteworthy (we test from the US and EU to the US, EU, and Asia with a 100 Mbps connection); you can get a fairly good idea of how VPNs will perform at different locations.
And when we say that a VPN is slow, it really is.
For starters, NordVPN isn’t the fastest we’ve tried, but it keeps up to its name as a fast VPN.
On the other hand, PureVPN’s promise of being the “world’s fastest VPN service” is pretty deceptive. Its connection was far from fast and it was all over the place. Some servers were fast and some were slow. It’s a clear indication that it’s not consistent, so there might be times when your connection might not work at all, which is pretty much a hassle if you’re looking for an uninterrupted browsing session.
Netflix Test
Countless VPNs have tried to bypass its firewalls to futility. As such, when you look for a VPN you always make sure that it’s sturdy and diligent enough to provide servers which can break through Netflix’s hard shell.
For NordVPN, it’s a breeze. Its availability in 5 regions – namely the US, UK, Canada, Japan, and the Netherlands. It is a sure-fire way to guarantee customer subscription.
Yet again, PureVPN fails in this category. Well, sort of.
It advertises itself as capable of connecting to Netflix but only in the US. It’s not much considering other VPN providers offer more, but since the majority of users in the world tend to connect to the US, it’s still bearable – or so we thought.
Like its supposedly “fast” connection, its Netflix unlocking capability is close to being certified as non-existent. As of the time of writing in May 2019, feedback from several users regarding its capability to connect to Netflix US has been mostly negative, and PureVPN brushes this off through a basic FAQ which does absolutely nothing to mend the situation.
So there you have it, NordVPN has already won this particular fight before it even started.
Torrenting Policy
The number of VPN providers with torrent support is slowly decreasing and with copyright infringement lawsuits being rampant all over the Internet, it’s bound to decrease more.
Fortunately, these 2 VPNs are here to put up a fight. They both support safe and secure torrenting!
Both also allow unlimited torrenting on their dedicated servers which adds a little specialization to your experience.
With regard to torrenting policies, NordVPN clearly lays out all its cards on the table by informing the users about the basics and what is prohibited while PureVPN does not have any of those – which is kind of weird if you present yourself as a secure p2p connection provider.
The downside is that PureVPN blocks servers which are popular for torrenting activities which include the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
Conversely, NordVPN re-routes your Internet traffic to a more torrent-friendly location instead of blocking it. For one thing, it makes your p2p connection more secure because it’s segregated from your other VPN activities which are still connected to your original server.
Also, you’d really want to have super fast downloads when you torrent (which PureVPN obviously cannot provide) so you’d still go with NordVPN.
Pricing and Plans
For Pricing and Plans, we can say that these two are contenders for one of the cheapest VPNs on the market today.
NordVPN is priced at $2.99/month at most, while PureVPN is at $3.33/month. It’s only a 34-cent difference at this price point but what about longevity?
The price tag we previously mentioned entitles you to use NordVPN for 3 years and PureVPN for 1 year, respectively. If added up, the former can pile up to $107.64 versus the latter’s $119.88.
A $12 difference in pricing is not a big issue for some, but if you want top-notch services, you might want to reconsider your options.
Alternatively, if want to pay on a monthly basis, PureVPN is cheaper at $10.95 compared to NordVPN’s $11.95 price tag.
At the end of the day, it’s all about performance. A $1 difference in pricing can make or break your browsing experience so choose carefully.
Refund Policy
Which begs the question – what if I’m not satisfied with the service? Can I just cancel it right away and get my money back instantly? For how long?
With both, yes, you can.
Both VPN providers have refund policies which give you lots of time to ponder if you want to stick around for their services.
As long as you do not exceed the time they provide, you can always get your money back hassle-free.
And if 30 days is not enough, PureVPN has an extra day allocated if you need a little bit of time to decide. It doesn’t make a big difference but at the very least, you know PureVPN values your time.
Payment Methods
Whenever you decide to pay your VPN subscription, you may ask, is there a VPN provider which caters to every possible mode of payment available in the market? Well, good news – PureVPN has almost all of it available in their payment section.
You can pay with basically anything available – credit cards, cryptocurrency, Paymentwall, BlueSnap, and even gift cards!
The three are not available on NordVPN as of now, but it has a decent line-up of payment methods which include cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, and XRP.
Gift card payments are rare to see, so it’s good to see that you can pay with those. However, we suggest that you pay with cryptocurrency to remain anonymous and to keep your identity and personal information secure.
Needless to say, the winner here is PureVPN.
Device Compatibility
In terms of device compatibility, NordVPN is available to connect to up to 6 devices as opposed to PureVPN which can connect you to only 5 devices.
1 device may not be enough to stir you away from the other but for locations with so many users, an additional device can mean so much.
If you’re looking to set up a VPN on your PlayStation or Xbox, that option is available for both services.
If you’re too lazy to set up your own router at home, both offer pre-configured routers to ease your troubles.
Sign Up Process
The usual sign-up process might be tedious for some, so users tend to favor simple over complicated ones. You also need to consider the personal details you’ll be providing so you’d want to make sure that you remain anonymous even if you’re just signing up.
You’re in luck because both VPN providers offer a pretty standard (and less tedious) sign-up process. All you need to do is log-in, choose your subscription plan and payment method, then install the VPN and that’s it. You’re ready to go.
On a side note, PureVPN even asks you if you’ve connected to a good server upon logging in. If not, they prompt you to contact support for technical assistance. Strange onboarding experience.
Product Interface
If you’re going to subscribe to a VPN and review its product interface, you have to consider two factors. First, its user interface (UI ) and second, user experience (UX).
Both VPNs offer a fairly decent UI, although NordVPN’s interface is slightly more appealable since its dark design tend to give it an illusion of space as opposed to PureVPN which is more cramped up.
As for UX, we’ve experienced slightly longer connecting times when we did the NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN comparison, but in this case, we didn’t see that NordVPN was outclassed in one way or another.
UI and UX may vary from one user to another so consider this a matter of personal preference.
Customer Support
24/7 chat support is a must-have for top-tier VPNs, and these two are no exception to the requirement.
For NordVPN, its good news. After all, it has one of the most commendable customer support in the VPN market, with the live agent properly responding to queries in a matter of seconds.
It’s not the case for PureVPN, though. At least for the agent’s responses.
It’s a given fact that customer service experience may vary at times, but there is a constant pattern here when it comes to negative feedbacks. Users claimed that some live chat agents are either unresponsive to the question or are just plain repetitive.
Whenever they have a query regarding technical support, agents would usually refer them to the FAQs section instead of providing a remedy readily available or guiding the user on how the problem would be solved. Also, conversations sometimes tend to get repetitive, which makes you doubt if you’re really talking to a live chat person.
Which begs the question – does PureVPN really read the feedback section they provide or is it merely there for the purpose of being there?
Product Documentation
No questions here. Both offer basic and informative documentation on their websites.
There’s your usual FAQ Section, guides and the very handy privacy blog.
It’s perfect for starters. You’ll have little to no problem navigating through both.
Logging Policy
One which has been audited by an independent auditor versus one with a history of a privacy breach? There’s a clear choice here, folks.
Always remember that VPN providers will always keep you assured that they never keep or store information about you. There’s a reason why you can’t fully trust any VPN provider.
However, it’s a different case altogether if there’s a paper trail to back such claim.
As we all know, NordVPN has undergone an audit recently. The independent auditor they decided to hire – none other than PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). In case you didn’t know, PwC is one of the Big 4 auditing companies in the world. Consequently, a certification from it proved beneficial to NordVPN as they have finally proven their no-logging policy.
On the other hand, PureVPN also claims to uphold a no-logging policy on its servers. How true does this statement hold?
2 years ago, PureVPN was caught in a controversy in which it helped the US government catch a supposed cyberstalking offender. Addressing the issue 1 year later, on May 25, 2018, the VPN provider said in a statement:
“We DO NOT keep any record of your browsing activities, connection logs, records of the VPN IPs assigned to you, your original IPs, your connection time, the history of your browsing, the sites you visited, your outgoing traffic, the content or data you accessed, or the DNS queries generated by you.”
They explained that while the information they have provided may have lead to the arrest of the offender, they were only doing so pursuant to their existing Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Even so, there was still a breach of privacy involved. Sure enough, their past controversy and its consequences are debatable, but you can’t deny the fact that when this happened, their policies of keeping no-logs certainly became questionable.
IP and DNS Leak Test
If you are cautious about leaks happening on your IP address and DNS, read down below.
It’s reassuring to know that apart from an independent audit to back their no-log policy, there has been no experience of leaks whatsoever with NordVPN. All tests on its servers came clean with no hiccups.
However, for PureVPN, it’s a varied response.
There have been issues in the past of leaks from several users so some might be hesitant to try it. But as for us, we did our own test and there were no leaks.
So there you have it, no problems on both.
Encryption and Protocols
In terms of Encryption, both VPN providers are as good as military security would provide.
NordVPN uses the standard military grade encryption AES with 256-bit keys. PureVPN also uses the same.
Both companies offer their own ad-blockers and anti-malware solutions: CyberSec for NordVPN and Ozone for PureVPN.
There’s antivirus, IDS/IPS, URL filtering, content filtering, and ad blockers from both parties. These components help optimize the browsing experience of users by filtering harmful content and prevent threats from entering your server.
Of course, both VPN services have addon services you can purchase like a dedicated IP and business solutions.
For protocol options, NordVPN offers IKEv2/IPsec and OpenVPN.
At the same time, PureVPN also offers OpenVPN. If you want to switch devices, there are also a lot of options ranging from SSTP, L2TP, PPTP, IKEv2, and Stealth VPN.
Kill Switch
A kill switch is the parachute when you go sky diving. It’s your lifeline, your line of defense when using a VPN. It’s a must for VPN providers.
It’s supposed to work right away without hassle because when there’s a connectivity issue from any end, it’s a matter of time before you’re detected.
In this regard, NordVPN stands out because its kill switch is totally reliable. There has been no negative experience on the part of users in using the kill switch provided, so rest assured with this one.
For PureVPN, past user feedback revealed that in some cases of connection drops, the kill switch failed to activate. We couldn’t replicate this. But then again, user experience varies so if you’re feeling hesitant about this particular feature, feel free to drop out.
Business Acumen
One thing to note when you subscribe to a VPN service is its conduct of business. You know you’re safe if the people behind your VPN provider value their anonymity and identity.
PureVPN began as an experiment in 2006 by GZ Systems. It eventually succeeded and began to grow in the succeeding years – from server expansions in 2007 and 2009 to an Android and iOS app in 2011. Fast forward to 2019, the VPN is currently 3 million subscribers richer.
As for NordVPN, it was established in 2012 by Tefinkom & Co., S.A. aiming to liberate Internet experience. The name Nord is reflected in the manner that they conduct their business – they operate only at the highest standards possible. Today, NordVPN is one of the most secure and preferred VPNs in the market.
It’s standard practice for entities like these in the privacy industry to remain anonymous, and both have done their part in keeping their organizational tracks hidden. This is done in order to prevent the government from using the law to gain information that may be harmful to users of the VPN service… although PureVPN still helped the US government.
So if you’re engaging in any illicit activities, then it’s probably safer to avoid PureVPN.
Jurisdiction
Thankfully, both VPNs are outside the jurisdiction of the alliance.
PureVPN is located in Hong Kong while NordVPN is in Panama.
For your information, there is an organization called the Five, Nine, and Fourteen Alliance which call for the sharing of data among its members.
Consequently, they adhere to their policies and the government so if there’s a certain chunk of data involved in a controversy, one court order can expose all of it away.
That’s why you always need to bear in mind the logging and privacy policies and the base of operations of the VPN provider you are using.
That said, we believe NordVPN has an edge being located in Panama opposed to Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China. Panama simply is a better pick due to it being a safe haven for secretive companies.
Security and Policy Audits
You probably understand by now that for better transparency, VPN providers need to undergo audits in order to prove the truth behind their logging and privacy policies.
NordVPN clearly outmatches PureVPN in this category since they have undergone a third-party audit through PwC.
There’s no clear information as to when PureVPN will undergo this process up to this day, so we can only hope and wait.
Winner: NordVPN
Finally. The inevitable conclusion.
You should probably know it by now, but NordVPN is the clear victor here. NordVPN gives you a greater sense of security over PureVPN due to the top-notch service and features they provide, while PureVPN has some nasty history and are wrapped in a lot of negative reviews…
Now, you know what standards make a VPN stand out. Should you consider subscribing to another VPN, you will know what to look out for and what to avoid.
Congratulations! Go grab that $2.99/month offer right now!
An excellent number of servers and locations – Both have their own pros. NordVPN has a vast number of servers, while PureVPN stands out in terms of number of countries they cover.
Full support on torrenting activities – Both support anonymity and security when you torrent.
Cheap pricing point – Both belong to the cheapest VPNs available in the market.
Anonymous payment methods – Pay with cryptocurrency.
Amazing user interface and experience – Aesthetic interface and easy peasy browsing are present in both.
The main differentiators are listed on the sidebar.
Editor’s note: NordVPN loses out in locations – if you fall under one of those countries outside of NordVPN’s service range and require localized content (while ignoring the main differentiators), then it makes sense to get PureVPN… although we’d rather just get ExpressVPN instead for extended localizations. Curious about the comparison? Read our full comparison article if you want to know how NordVPN compares to ExpressVPN.
Both are known to have high Internet speeds, torrenting support, and secure encryption. There are notable differences in most aspects. This comparison will go into details for each important feature which you should definitely consider before subscribing to a VPN service.
NordVPN vs IPVanish. One of the most reputable VPN at the cheapest pricing range vs. a lesser-known VPN which boasts 40,000+ shared IPs.
Which will prevail?
(If you have little to no knowledge on both and want a full breakdown of both VPNs, check out our review of NordVPN and IPVanish first before you proceed.)
It’s actually a fairly one-sided comparison… well, let’s read on to find out which is the better VPN (and a better decision) out of the two.
NordVPN and IPVanish Comparison
There are several factors to consider to measure how well a VPN performs. But ultimately, most casual people prefer-rich VPNs while hardcore privacy advocates prefer VPNs that can safeguard their identity and privacy.
VPN reviews may help you dive deep into one specific service, but it’s a smart idea to compare one service from another to easily see the differences between your options.
Make no mistake, both options may seem dependable. But at the end of the day, there can only be one winner between the two.
Servers and Locations
One measure of a “good” VPN depends on the number of servers that it can offer to its users. After all, you would want to connect to different servers around the world with freedom. It’s a given and must-have feature for VPNs. The bigger the server count, the more resources a VPN provider has to manage them. That’s a good thing.
Fortunately, when it comes to servers, both offer good numbers – NordVPN with over 5,000 and IPVanish with over 1,300 which includes 40,000+ shared IPs! Localization, in general, is also not an issue with both being available in 60+ countries.
Both VPNs have around 50% of their servers in the US and UK alone. If you always connect to either one then there’s no problem with that.
Given these stats, NordVPN outperforms IPVanish on this section based on the number of servers and the variety of countries available.
Another bonus that you can get with NordVPN is TOR integration. On the other hand, IPVanish doesn’t necessarily promise this feature. They have an article on their website saying they received “feedback” from an IPVanish user indicating TOR integration works. That’s not really reliable.
Clearly, NordVPN wins this one with a higher server count, locations and TOR integration.
VPN Speed and Performance
In case you didn’t know, we value VPN speed and performance. Whenever we review a VPN, we always take the time to test its speed out using from three continents using a 100 Mbps connection. Essentially, what’s the use of subscribing to a VPN if it’s not fast?
Both offer fast Internet speeds, but you can clearly see who has the advantage.
IPVanish optimizes its Internet speed through the use of tier-1 optic fiber servers. This is possible because its parent company, Highwinds Network Group, is a premium Content Delivery Network provider. On the other hand, NordVPN uses a smart routing system which connects you to the fastest server available based on your location.
These features give both VPNs an edge. But IPVanish’s speeds were slightly slower (~5%) according to our speed tests.
NordVPN wins, only if you’re a speed queen.
Netflix Test
Netflix is, apart from high speeds, one of the primary reasons you need to consider when subscribing to a VPN. Geo-restricted content is the norm nowadays and even if you want to watch your local content, Netflix may have blocked your VPN’s IPs.
So, how do the two VPNs fare up?
Remember what we said earlier about IPVanish having servers that are mostly located in the US and UK? You’d probably think that with its vast access to both regions, there is also a big probability that you can access content which is only restricted to that region.
Well, we’ve got bad news. Unfortunately, IPVanish does not support Netflix. The streaming giant has blacklisted most of IPVanish’s servers, and it seems that the company has given up in trying to unblock Netflix. It’s hard to believe that a VPN at this pricing range would not have the capability to access Netflix. On rare occasions, you might connect to a server that works. But this is rare.
But even if that’s the case, IPVanish still offers some websites with geo-restricted content you might want to access, such as HBO, NBC Sports, and CBS All Access, among others. Still, Netflix is on top of the priority list for most people, including us. If you care about this above all else, then you can just rule out IPVanish here.
As for NordVPN… you quickly realize how they’ve amassed such a huge customer base. The VPN is one of the best out there with unlocking capabilities for the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Japan. What more can you ask for?
To sum up, NordVPN KOs IPVanish with this one.
Torrenting Policy
We are pretty strict when it comes to torrenting policies – we simply do not condone pirating of copyrighted content. (That’s our legal statement!)
That’s why we always make sure to clearly lay out the torrenting policies of the VPNs we review. Some VPN providers’ policies can end up revealing your activities. Scary stuff.
Fortunately, both VPNs offer a secure P2P connection as well as additional points that will keep you hidden (more on this as we go down the comparison).
But naturally, when you torrent, you may want faster downloading speeds as well.
IPVanish’s Internet speeds offer a decent performance which extends even to torrenting, but unfortunately, it has no dedicated servers.
NordVPN, on the other hand, has dedicated servers to optimize your torrenting activity, which makes it faster.
Make no mistake folks, it’s another win for NordVPN.
Pricing and Plans
It’s one thing to have good download and upload speeds and anonymity on the Internet, but at what cost? Some privacy-centric folks say there is no price for freedom, but maybe you’re a budget-advocate.
Luckily for you, both are reasonably cheaper than most VPNs in the market which begs the question – which is cheaper? Which is a better deal?
Just to inform you, NordVPN is our no-brainer VPN because it’s a complete package at a low price. At $2.99/month for 3 years, no other VPN measures up. It’s like getting a filet mignon for the price of a McDouble.
IPVanish has a decent plan at $6.49/month for a year (which you can even reduce to $5.20/month through a tricky sign-up process). It’s neither cheap nor costly but so far, NordVPN has been winning in every feature comparison. Is it worth getting a more expensive VPN that has fewer features?
If we compare these two price points, NordVPN’s $2.99 is cheaper than IPVanish’s $5.20; that comes out to a difference of $2.21 which is almost another month of NordVPN’s subscription.
If you’re looking for a VPN you can use in the long run for less the money, then you’d definitely want to subscribe to NordVPN.
Refund Policy
Subscription to VPNs is a fairly done deal, but there can be times where you’re left dissatisfied with your subscription. Often times, you would want to cancel your subscription and that’s where refund policies come in.
IPVanish’s refund policy lasts for 7 days. Some terms and conditions apply (such as where you signed up from), but the nice thing is, you don’t have to contact support to get your money back. You can simply do it all under the account dashboard once you log in.
NordVPN, on the other hand, offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s more of a hassle since you’d have to contact support and tell them about your situation, but rest assured: you will get your money back.
So, a hassle-free refund process from the IPVanish account dashboard vs. a 30-day money-back period from NordVPN… it’s a tie here.
Payment Methods
For payment methods, there’s a clear winner between the two.
IPVanish offers the usual payment methods which allow you to pay with your credit card or Paypal.
NordVPN offers the same payment methods and more… some of which even include various cryptocurrencies.
Just a heads up – it’s 2019 now, folks. Limited payment methods are a thing of the past, and if you don’t accept cryptocurrencies as payment then you will lose market share of privacy seekers.
We have to hand the win to NordVPN on this one.
Device Compatibility
When it comes to the device compatibility, IPVanish bests NordVPN – the former offers a connection to 10 simultaneous devices as opposed to the latter’s 6.
Both provide the option and instructions on how to manually set up your router at home (or office), so you can have unlimited devices using the VPNs.
In case you’re not technically not adept, you can also opt-in to buy pre-configured routers from both VPN providers’ sites.
NordVPN, however, edges this comparison because they have more compatibility with various versions of Windows as well as various devices like BlackBerry, Raspberry Pi, etc.
Sign-up Process
If you’re paranoid about compromising your privacy, you would want to sign-up anonymously; providing a little less information than usual.
Well, you’re in luck because both offer a fair and hassle-free sign-up process. In addition, IPVanish offers a little bit of a discount on your subscription in case you take too long to decide whether you want to go with it or not – it pays you forward for being indecisive. Cool beans.
It’s as easy as 1-2-3 for both. Just remember that you remain a bit more anonymous with NordVPN since they accept cryptocurrencies.
Product Interface
It’s difficult to be objective in this particular area since users have their own preferences.
But, if you’re looking for a VPN that’s easy to use on the outside, you can rest easy knowing that both offer an amazing user interface and experience.
There’s your usual sign-in page, server list and connect button for both. For NordVPN, there are quick launch buttons available to connect to the fast server possible and even some recommendations on what to watch on Netflix!
Alternatively, if you’re into visuals, IPVanish’s beautiful interface provides a graph that is readily accessible. It’s cool to visually see how your connection measures up with all the green and light green waves.
As for user experience, both do not disappoint. This varies from one user to another, so at the end of the day, it’s all a matter of personal preference.
Customer Support
Not all people know how to use a VPN initially (even though it’s fairly easy). On top of that, your identity is always at risk. As such, 24/7 customer support is a must for a VPN provider available in the market.
Satisfyingly, both provide outstanding customer support. Both have real representatives waiting on the other line for inquiries.
As for waiting time, NordVPN outmatches IPVanish on this one, since you might have to wait up to 2 to 3 minutes as opposed to NordVPN’s almost instant response. To be fair, it may not be as fast as NordVPN but it is commendable.
We would take a second or even a couple of minutes in live chat delay as opposed to email and ticket support.
Product Documentation
Apart from the usual inquiry on customer service, VPN providers usually document information regarding the services they provide, instructions on VPN use or other things of concern.
There is a huge range of content you can go through with both NordVPN and IPVanish.
As expected, you can find some privacy issues being discussed on both so that’s another plus. You get to know what’s going on in the industry in addition to all the bulk of technical guides.
Logging Policy
Do you value privacy greatly? If your answer is yes, you might want to focus reading on this one.
Most VPN providers nowadays claim to have a no-log policy on their website. But if you’re wary and you like to be cautious, you know that there’s always more than what meets your eyes.
You can never be 100% safe with VPNs. Promises are great but if they fail to protect your anonymity, where’s the good in that?
No-log policies mean that your activity or your connection is not monitored and recorded. This means, in theory, you are safe to log into important services and browse the web without watching your back at all times.
The safety of NordVPN’s no log policy has been “verified” – it’s been audited and tested to be free from logging by PwC. The recently-acquired PwC certification is sure to give you a certain sense of security as it did with us.
As for IPVanish, we cannot say the same.
For starters, it’s based in the US. As you may know, the country has one of the strictest privacy laws around the world (in fact, the US is the founding party of the Five Eyes Alliance). They may claim to honor their flawless no-log policy, but is it really the case?
Years ago, IPVanish lead the US Homeland Security to an arrest of a Comcast user. This goes to show that while they may have vocally expressed their desire to uphold their no-logging policy, this incident clearly falls short of that promise.
Fast forward to the present, the company went under major ownership change and promised the same thing again.
Both may advertise no-logging but words and representation alone without proof is simply not enough. When you take that into consideration, NordVPN boots IPVanish out of this category.
IP and DNS Leak Test
If your VPN provider clearly shows leaks in your IP and DNS information, do yourself a favor and just throw your subscription away.
You can rest assured because both showed no leaks – tried and tested.
Always remember that if your IP and DNS is leaked, you risk exposing yourself to possible intrusion and privacy invasion. The least you can do to prevent that from happening is to get a premium VPN.
Encryption and Protocols
Most encryption and protocol standards are safe for the average user. Usually, it’s down to preference.
Keeping your information safe means encrypting all the data. Most VPNs offer the standards; both offer 256-bit AES encryption.
If you’re looking for the real deal, you got it.
In addition, NordVPN also offers IKEv2/IPsec as protocol choices so you’re not out of options. This goes the same with IPVanish, which offers IKEv2/L2TP. Both also offer OpenVPN which is pretty much the industry standard as far as open-source goes.
You can feel confident in whatever your online activities may be since both VPN providers will encrypt your data even when you’re connected to public networks.
Kill Switch
If you’re paranoid about detection through the leaks of any kind, don’t worry – both VPNs utilize a kill switch.
The kill switch is readily available so your connection will drop immediately as soon as there are issues between you and the VPN server.
Just make sure your kill switch is enabled and you’re good to go.
Jurisdiction
As a VPN user, you must ensure that your VPN provider stays away from trouble. Five, Nine, Fourteen Eyes – you always have to check where your VPN operates.
We are pleased to inform you that NordVPN operates in Panama, so it’s 100% certain that it operates outside of the jurisdiction of any surveillance alliances.
A little trivia: Panama operates independently and is often non-compliant with privacy or transparency laws so there’s no chance of intrusion to your privacy.
But for IPVanish, this does not look too well. Being based in the US means a lot of things – and investigations.
Security and Policy Audits
There are numerous reasons to subscribe to a premium VPN and one of those reasons in 2019 should be transparency. If your premium VPN provider is willing to undergo an extensive audit regarding its services, great. But if not, there are other ways to prove it. Take PIA‘s court defense for example.
As expected, NordVPN has an answer. They have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, one of the “Big 4” auditing firms in the world. What’s more convenient is that the audit documents are available for public viewing, thus solidifying its claims with transparency.
IPVanish, on the other hand, does not have an independent audit to boast but they made a statement about their continuous commitment to privacy and other precedents.
In their blog, they’ve stated that:
“Prior to the acquisition, the StackPath team performed an independent audit on the IPVanish platform to ensure that no previous traffic records or VPN logging systems existed. No history of logging was found during this audit.”
There might have been an audit of some sort prior to its acquisition, but it pales in comparison to NordVPN. Also, given its past controversy, users might have reservations subscribing to IPVanish. It’s hard to trust your VPN when you know there’s some history of privacy breach involved and its new owner claiming it didn’t happen.
Business Acumen
When you weigh down these two VPNs based on their business practices, it almost seems like an unfair comparison.
NordVPN was founded by Tefinkom & Co., S.A. in Panama sometime in 2012, and there’s no question that it’s one of the best VPNs available in the market today.
IPVanish, on the other hand, was founded by a subsidiary of Highwinds Network Group in Florida in the same year. The company was acquired later acquire by StackPath in 2017.
VPN companies tend to work in the shadows where they don’t share information about their employees – especially their founders or officers. With NordVPN, this is the case.
StackPath (IPVanish) is a private company as well, but their officers’ names are publicly known.
One major downside to IPVanish is its history and the Internet does not forget.
IPVanish was asked by the US Government (asked, with no warrant) to provide the IP address and timestamps of a Comcast user. Users were left disappointed because while IPVanish claimed to provide utmost anonymity to their users, they kept extensive logs of all activities. While this was before the acquisition by StackPath and its new CEO claiming that there are no logs, how do we go about verifying and trusting this information post-factum?
Winner: NordVPN
Our final say?
It’s an overwhelming victory for NordVPN.
NordVPN has more servers vs. IPVanish, 100% Netflix unblocking, dedicated torrent servers and proven transparency with audit documents from a well-respected auditor.
IPVanish may have tried to put up a fight, but it comes nowhere near the top-tier VPN in this comparison.
With all these facts we’ve given, you now have all the information you need to make a smart decision.
Safe torrenting – You can torrent all you want without detection on both.
User interface – Both visuals and experience are user-friendly and satisfactory.
Product documentation – It’s the usual basic tips and instructions for both, but it helps.
Surf the net securely and without prying eyes – Both offer no IP or DNS leaks. Also, a kill switch for both is readily available.
Customer support – Superb, responsive live chat on both. Even though IPVanish’s customer response is a little bit slower than NordVPN, it still keeps up.
The main differentiators and why NordVPN is the winner vs. IPVanish are on the sidebar.
