9Ranks Compares NordVPN and ProtonVPN

NordVPN has a well-earned reputation as one of the best VPNs in the world. The Panama-based company operates outside the jurisdiction of the Five Eyes spying conglomerate, and its no-log policy ensures users enjoy personal and professional privacy. NordVPN has over 5500 servers, strategically located throughout 60 countries. The servers provide extremely fast VPN service, with the average speed loss remaining below 10%, and the maximum around 25% in the majority of countries. NordVPN has proven effective against the Great Firewall of China when using the proprietary NordLynx protocol.

To help you assess whether NordVPN is right for you, here are three issues to consider:

Security

Every VPN is designed to mask your IP address and encrypt your data as it travels to and from your computer. To do so, NordVPN uses AES-256-CBC, which is one of the strongest encryption standards in human history. The "256" refers to the length of the key used for encryption, based on powers of 2. For example, if you raise 2 to the 3rd power, you get 8. Raise 2 to the 16th power, and you get 65536. But when you raise 2 to the power of 256, you can a ridiculously long number that wouldn't be worth typing out. Let's just say the number is over 80 digits long.

If you're encryption key is "2 to the power of 3," someone only needs to try 8 combinations, which is easy. Even 65536 combinations (2 to the power of 16) is relatively easy with a good computer. But there isn't a computer on the planet that has the power to process 2 to the 256th power combinations in a useful amount of time. A supercomputer would need over a million years to try each and every combination. NordVPN also has a proprietary protocol, NordLynx. According to the NordVPN support page, Nordlynx "helps you connect to NordVPN servers faster and improves your VPN connection speeds without compromising security or privacy." Simply stated, your data is safe with NordVPN.

User Experience

From signing up to logging on, NordVPN offers a pleasant user experience. There are versions available for MacOS, iOS, Windows, Android, and Linux. For all but the Linux version, NordVPN provides an easy-to-use graphic interface. Linux users, however, will have to use the terminal window to enter the relevant commands. Families and business will enjoy MordVPN's Meshnet system, which allows you securely to connect several devices. Mom, dad, and the kids can all connect to a shared PC, and the same can be done for a few employees at the office. Meshnet will allows you to share files securely. Utilize NordVPN's port forwarding, and you can also share gaming servers.

There are a few other services you can get from NordVPN. They have a password manager called NordPass, which stores all of your passwords under a master password. That way you only need to remember one alphanumeric string, rather than dozens. You can even link it to the biometric features on your phone and laptop. NordPass will even generate extremely strong passwords for you.

You can also purchase NordLocker, which lets you store up to one terabyte of information (1000 gigabytes) in a secured cloud. NordLocker can encrypt your files so no one else can use them, even they manage to access them. If you're looking for a VPN with a static-IP option, you're in luck. You can add it to the shopping cart when purchasing a NordVPN service plan. Perhaps the only real downside to NordVPN is that it's limited to 6 devices at a time. In order words, if you have a business with 15 computers running on VPNs full time, you'll need several subscriptions, or you'll need to run the VPN through your router. Alternatively, you could consider a signing up for a business account.

Prices and Plans

NordVPN offers a wide variety of pricing options, based on the tier of service you want, and the length of your subscription. There are 3 tiers: Standard, Plus, and Complete, each offering more services that the last. There are also 3 subscription plans: monthly, annual, and bi-annual. The Standard plan offers the basics: a VPN, malware protection, and a tracker/ad blocker. The Plus plan includes those services, as well as the NordPass password manager and the Data Breach Scanner. The Complete plan is the Plus plan plus NordLocker (1TB of encrypted cloud storage, and a file encryption tool).

As with most service providers, the longer your subscription, the lower your relative monthly payments. If you think of a monthly subscription to the Standard plan as the measure, you'll find that the 2-Standard plan costs around a third of that price, and the Complete plan costs about half. If you're worried about such a long commitment, remember that NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. You're better off subscribing to the 2-year plan and cancelling after a month if you don't like it, versus paying 3 times the amount for a one-month test run.

Switzerland is the most privacy-oriented country in the developed world. Its official policies and laws regarding personal privacy and internet privacy are in stark contrast to the invasive approach taken by countries such as the United States, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates. It's no surprise, therefore, that one of the most secure email providers in the world was founded in Switzerland. Proton Mail is the preferred email provider for anyone looking to communicate privately. Journalists and political activists benefit greatly from features like "self-destructing emails" that erase themselves after a preset amount of time.

With the success of Proton Mail, the developers turned their attention to other security matters, including ProtonVPN. The VPN benefits from the same Swiss privacy laws, in addition to which ProtonVPN doesn't store anything useful. None of your activity is logged, and that's a claim that's been proven in court and via third-party audits. ProtonVPN is known for its many premium VPN features, in addition to the complete security suite.

Security

ProtonVPN operates on servers owned and operated by the company and connected to the Internet via a proprietary network. Unlike some VPNs, which share share servers amongst themselves, ProtonVPN's servers are off limits to everyone but a select number of employees. For encryption, ProtonVPN uses AES-256, which the standard used by all the top VPNs, including NordVPN. In addition, ProtonVPN released its Stealth protocol in 2022. This protocol hides the fact that you're using a VPN, making it even more difficult for your traffic to be blocked or controlled. Stealth seems to have been a response to complaints that ProtonVPN wasn't successfully circumventing geo-restrictions imposed by streaming sites.

Overall, ProtonVPN's security is top tier. It even has a Secure Core setting that routes your activity through ProtonVPN's most secure server fleet. Those who seek security above all else should consider ProtonVPN, unless they're planning to use a VPN in China. For some reason, ProtonVPN's methods have not proven effective against China's hyper-restrictive firewall. On the other hand, their VPN is only one of several products available from Proton AG, and if you add the email system and the secured cloud you have a very safe environment for your personal data.

User Experience

ProtonVPN has a simple user interface that VPN users should find easy to understand. There are versions available for computers (Windows and MacOS), mobile devices (iOS and Android), and extensions for Chrome and Firefox. The Linux version is arguably the best in the business. It's compatible with all the major Linux distros and derivatives, including Fedora, Manjaro, Arch, Debian, and Ubuntu.

The interface provides a map of the world with indicators showing where servers are located. There's a complete list of the servers, categorized by country. Users can create Profiles with their preferred settings, and the buttons for Port Forwarding, Secure Core servers, and the Kill Switch are right next to the rest of the settings. While connected to a server, the ProtonVPN interface provides real-time performance tracking, as well as a clock of the session. If you're not happy with the speeds you're getting, make sure to turn on the Speed Accelerator, which can boost speeds by up to 400%.

Prices and Plans

ProtonVPN's prices are somewhat confusing, because the VPN pricing page doesn't mention the other products the company offers, nor does it mention the prices for various package deals. As a result, you might get the impression the VPN is only sold separately, with monthly, annual, and bi-annual subscriptions available. However, if you go to the Proton Mail page you find that the Proton Unlimited package costs only a bit more than a ProtonVPN subscription. That's quite surprising given that Proton Unlimited includes not only the VPN but all the other services offered by the company: Proton Mail, Proton Calendar, and Proton Drive.

That's no small detail. Those other services are quite useful, particularly Proton Mail. After all, there's only so much a VPN can do, and protecting your emails requires specific coding. If you regularly send sensitive information via email, Proton Mail is an essential tool. It's one of the preferred options for journalists, physicians, attorneys, and political activists. Similarly, Proton Drive is one of the safest ways to store private and secret data, while Proton Calendar is an essential planning tool for small companies.