
The company operates under Panamanian law, and, while it does not release a transparency report, it does host a warrant canary on its site. When it comes to privacy, NordVPN says that it does not store traffic logs or IP addresses, and has gone so far as to commission an audit to prove it. Private Internet Access, ExpressVPN, and Golden Frog VyprVPN include this feature. One feature NordVPN does not include is split tunneling, which allows you to define which apps send data through the VPN and which do not. While I'm glad to see access to Tor available in all NordVPN's apps, its disappearing act confused me. When circumstances required that I reinstall the application later that month, I happened to notice that the feature had returned. When I initially tested NordVPN for macOS earlier in October 2019, this feature was absent. This makes it far harder for you to be tracked online, and grants you access to hidden services on the Tor network. One of the unique features NordVPN provides, and advertises, is access to the Tor network via a VPN connection. Most people probably won't need such advanced privacy tools, but NordVPN makes itself a real Swiss Army knife product by including them. NordVPN also has easy access to obfuscated servers, which are meant to be useful for bypassing censorship, although we do not test for that ability. Only ProtonVPN and Surfshark offer this feature among macOS VPNs I've tested. It features multihop VPN (which it calls double VPN), which routes your traffic through two VPN servers instead of just one for extra anonymity. NordVPN really shines with its host of network privacy tools. Private Internet Access has raised its limit to 10 simultaneous connections, and newcomer Surfshark places no limit on the number of devices. NordVPN also allows up to six devices to be used simultaneously on a single account, above the industry average of five devices. Notably, ExpressVPN and CyberGhost both offer servers in over 90 countries. It offers well over 5,000 servers-it and CyberGhost are the only companies that can make this claim-and offers server locations in 32 countries.
Nordvpn for mac os free#
If you absolutely aren't willing to spend money on a VPN, I recommend ProtonVPN, which places no data limit on its free subscription tier.Įven when you consider that there are free VPNs available, NordVPN goes a long way toward justifying its expense.

Of course, it's hard to beat free, and there are many worthy free VPNs to investigate. Norton Secure VPN, by comparison, costs just $39.99 per year. While you will see some savings by purchasing a long-term subscription with NordVPN, the service still costs a hefty $83.88 per year. NordVPN costs $11.95 per month, which is significantly higher than the $10.80 average I've recorded among the top-rated VPNs. Note that this review of the macOS client is the first since NordVPN disclosed that one of its VPN servers had been breached. I'll summarize the most important points here, but read my other view for a more in-depth view.
Nordvpn for mac os windows#
I closely examine all aspects of NordVPN in my review of the Windows client. Hiding your IP address also serves to make it more difficult to discern your physical location.

Anyone trying to track your movements across the web will have a harder time doing so while your VPN is running, since your true IP address is hidden behind the server's IP, and your traffic is mixed in with that of everyone else using the same server. Anyone watching along the way-whether it's your ISP or someone spying on your network-won't be able to see what you're up to.

When you activate a VPN, all of your data is sent through an encrypted tunnel to a server operated by the VPN company before exiting on to the public internet. We still believe it's an excellent product, but among the macOS VPN apps we've reviewed, ProtonVPN and TunnelBear VPN shine a little brighter, earning our Editors' Choice awards. For another, NordVPN is still working to improve security after a server breach shook confidence in the company. For one thing, NordVPN is seeing strong competition from more affordable alternatives with comparable products.

The high cost of NordVPN has always been balanced by heavy VPN firepower, a strong kit of privacy tools, and excellent user experience, but the calculus has shifted somewhat. NordVPN is a heavy hitter in the VPN world, boasting an enormous collection of servers and a formidable kit of privacy tools.
