Special Features
Double VPN system: Traffic is routed through two VPN servers and encrypted each time before it is passed through the next one.
Killswitch: When turned on prevents data leaks often a result of slight interruptions in internet service. It works by killing the connection altogether and reconnects when internet service is available and stable again.
No Logging Policy: NordVPN states that they do not generate or store any user logs which is excellent for Australians since Australia is part of the five eyes (a group of countries that share intelligence).
Dedicated Servers Task Centric Servers: NordVPN has servers best suited for torrent (P2P) and streaming services.
Military Grade Encryption: Advanced Encryption Standard with 256-bit keys.
Privacy & Anonymity
NordVPN offers AES-256-CBC encryption support via 2048-bit Diffie-Hellman key, what this means is that your connection is secure to the highest standard. However, that’s not all; the VPN is further backed by IKev2/IPsec support, which provides AES-256-GCM encryption supporting frequent key changes. So, even if attackers can penetrate one session, they can’t get through to the next. The latest encryption is available on both iOS and Mac devices by default. Though it may have to be turned on manually for Windows.
Apart from encryption, NordVPN ensures privacy especially using a technique called Onion over VPN that routes traffic through NordVPN’s servers first, then it is directed over the Onion network and finally to its destination. Yes, having two layers of privacy and security does slow down the internet but makes it near impossible for anyone to trace the connection back to you. Perhaps the best feature is you don’t have to understand how it works to make it work!
Speed and Performance
NordVPN’s primary focus is privacy and security, but speed is worth considering after all you don’t want to wait for a long time for your favorite websites to load. To check speeds we ran two types of tests. In the first set of tests we connected to only servers in Australia and in the second test we connected to servers in the US. Obviously, since the US is halfway across the world, there will be a higher latency. Though it’s worth examining since many Australians love watching American Netflix shows, so the speed has to be good!
In our latest testing on 15th May 2023, when connected to servers within Australia our download speed took a hit of about 8% on average (see graphic below). A 8% reduction in download speed is an excellent result compared to other providers we have tested. We strongly believe that you should only go for a VPN provider where you can live with the reduction in speed, otherwise we know you won’t use it! Though overall stability was fine across the multitude of times we connected, ran a speed check, then disconnected from the server.
Speeds, when connected to servers in the US, were a different matter. We saw a drastic 25% decrease in speed on average. The best server for some reason was in Washington which only slowed things down by 22%.
Unless you’re hooked up to a service offering speeds above 10Mbps, connecting to servers in the US and streaming content is going to be slow. However, connections to servers in Australia (locally) work fine for the most part.
Ease of use (Desktop and Mobile)
NordVPN is perhaps not one of the easiest VPN software to use on either mobile or desktop computers (mainly windows). While it isn’t complicated, the user interface is busy which can be intimidating to first time VPN users.
Windows and MacOS users are greeted with a map dotted with pins across various locations. Those pins represent countries where the service’s servers are located. You need to scroll to zoom into the continent and further to individual countries and then click on the pin to connect to the server in that region. Thankfully, there is also a standard list of all the countries to the left of the screen. Though it doesn’t tell you which city the server is located in.
On Android and iOS devices the UI would have been easier to use had it not been for the map that opens up. Users will have to either contend with having to pinch to zoom and choose a server or pull up the locations list to connect. Either way, the UI does take some getting used to.
Thankfully features like Double VPN, P2P, Dedicated IP, and Onion over VPN are a single click away. On the Desktop and Mobile version of the app, it is at the top half of the list, right above the list of countries. In all our testing of the P2P option in multiple locations, it has always been reliable with torrenting.
Number of Servers and Locations Across Australia
At the time of this update (May 2023), NordVPN has over 5670 servers in 60 countries. 190 of these servers are located in Australia with servers in most major cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth & Adelaide. When using NordVPN, you have the option of “quick connect” which will connect you to the most optimal server for your location, in the majority of cases this is just the closest server to you. Alternatively, you can select a city and any special features (see screenshot below).
NordVPN Customer Support
Apart from the extensive knowledge base, NordVPN offers both chat and email support. Chat support was friendly in our experience and answered all the questions we posted. However, email support can take up to 24 hours to reply. Those who need help can also open a ticket which also tends to take around 24 hours for the support team to answer. It isn’t the best, but they do solve your problem at least in our case.
Value for money
NordVPN isn’t the cheapest service around but it certainly one of the more privacy and security-focused ones. However, if security is your top priority, then it is worth the purchase. That said if you’d instead use something that’s fast and easy to understand then, unfortunately, NordVPN does not offer the best value.
Our Verdict
To most people, including ourselves speed, user-friendliness, and security matter a great deal. The map-based interface is awkward, and the speed is a bit of a letdown, but if you can put up with all of this in favor of ironclad privacy and security features then NordVPN is certainly worth a shot!
With an excellent 30 day money back guarantee we definitely recommend NordVPN
Visit NordVPN.com
