About NordVPN
NordVPN is a commercial consumer VPN service. A VPN routes your internet traffic through the provider's servers, which hides your activity from local networks and changes the location your connection appears to come from. NordVPN sells this as a subscription service with apps for common devices.
Beyond the basic tunnel, its feature set includes threat protection, a double VPN mode that routes traffic through two servers, and meshnet, which links your own devices together over private connections. It is aimed at individuals who want more privacy and security on public or home networks. Detailed feature and plan information is on the vendor's own website.
Key features
- Encrypted VPN connections
- Threat protection against malicious sites
- Double VPN routing through two servers
- Meshnet for linking your own devices
Good fit for
- →Protecting traffic on public Wi-Fi
- →Connecting personal devices privately
- Tags
- vpn
- privacy
- security
- meshnet
- threat-protection
- networking
- saas
NordVPN: questions and answers
- What is NordVPN used for?
- NordVPN is a consumer VPN service that encrypts internet traffic and adds threat protection, double VPN routing and a meshnet feature for private device links. It is a good fit for protecting traffic on public Wi-Fi and connecting personal devices privately.
- How much does NordVPN cost?
- NordVPN is a paid product with no free plan.
- Is NordVPN open source?
- No. NordVPN is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to NordVPN include OpenVPN, IPsec VPN Server and wg-easy.
- What are some alternatives to NordVPN?
- NordVPN competes with ExpressVPN, Surfshark and Proton VPN. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source NordVPN alternatives.
Open-source alternatives to NordVPN
See all
OpenVPN
Networking & VPN
OpenVPN is an open source VPN daemon
OSSvs NordLayer★ 15k
IPsec VPN Server
Networking & VPN
Docker image to run an IPsec VPN server, with IPsec/L2TP, Cisco IPsec and IKEv2. Auto-gene
OSSvs ExpressVPN★ 7.1k
wg-easy
Networking & VPN
The easiest way to run WireGuard VPN + Web-based Admin UI.
AGPL-3.0vs NordVPN★ 27kHeadscale
Networking & VPN
An open source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server
BSD-3-Clausevs Tailscale★ 44k
NetBird
Networking & VPN
Connect your devices, users, and agents into a secure WireGuard®-based overlay network wit
OSSvs Tailscale★ 30k
Nebula
Networking & VPN
A scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security
MITvs Tailscale★ 18k
SaaS alternatives to NordVPN
See all
ExpressVPN
Networking & VPN
Consumer VPN service with apps for desktop, mobile, routers and browsers
SaaS
Surfshark
Networking & VPN
Consumer VPN with unlimited device connections plus antivirus and data alert add-ons
SaaS
Proton VPN
Networking & VPN
VPN service from Proton with a no-logs policy and a free tier
SaaS
CyberGhost
Networking & VPN
Consumer VPN service with streaming-optimized servers and a no-logs policy
SaaS
Private Internet Access
Networking & VPN
Consumer VPN service with a large server network and configurable privacy settings
SaaS
Hotspot Shield
Networking & VPN
Consumer VPN with its own transport protocol and a limited free version
SaaS

