NordVPN vs Proton VPN: which delivers better value in 2026?

NordVPN vs Proton VPN is a battle of true VPN heavyweights. Both come from reputable cybersecurity companies, Nord Security and Proton, and both have built strong reputations in the VPN market. They are high-quality services with their own advantages and disadvantages, so choosing between them can be difficult.

To help you make the right choice, I reviewed their privacy practices, tested their features, and compared how they perform in key areas like speed, streaming, and torrenting. Read on to find out which one comes out on top.

NordVPN vs Proton VPN: key differences and similarities

Proton VPN and NordVPN are among the best VPNs on the market. Even so, they have some differences that make them appealing to different users. Let's quickly overview those differences so you know which VPN is better suited for you.

Key differences

Below you will find the main differences that I identified between both VPN providers during my tests and an explanations for why they are important.

• NordVPN is faster than Proton VPN. In our latest tests, NordVPN delivered consistently higher download speeds and lower latency than Proton VPN, especially on nearby and mid-range servers. That makes NordVPN the better pick for gaming, 4K streaming, large downloads, and video calls where stable speed matters most. Proton VPN is still fast enough for everyday browsing, but experienced users will likely notice NordVPN’s edge.
• Proton VPN has a larger server network. Proton VPN offers servers in more countries and a broader overall network, giving users more location choices around the world. This can be useful if you need an IP address in a less common region or want nearby servers while traveling. In our experience, NordVPN’s smaller network is still well distributed, but Proton VPN gives more flexibility for global access.
• NordVPN unblocked more streaming catalogs. NordVPN reliably accessed more streaming libraries in our tests, including multiple Netflix regions, as well as other popular platforms. It also loaded content quickly with fewer buffering issues during playback. Proton VPN worked with several services, but NordVPN was more consistent when switching between regions.
• Proton VPN is open-source. Proton VPN’s apps are open-source, which means their code can be inspected by the public and security researchers. This adds transparency and can help users feel more confident about how the apps handle privacy and security. NordVPN uses closed-source apps, but it has still completed independent security audits and maintains a strong privacy track record.
• NordVPN uses RAM-only servers, Proton VPN does not. NordVPN runs its entire network on RAM-only servers, which means no data is stored on physical hard drives long term. If a server is rebooted or seized, stored information is wiped automatically. This adds another layer of privacy protection for users who want stronger safeguards.
• Proton VPN offers a free version. Proton VPN includes one of the better free VPN plans on the market, with no data caps and a strong privacy reputation. It is a solid option for light browsing, basic security on public Wi-Fi, or trying the service before paying. The tradeoff is fewer server locations and slower performance than its paid plans.
• NordVPN has proprietary protocols. NordVPN includes custom protocols like NordLynx and NordWhisper. NordLynx is NordVPN’s version of WireGuard, designed to deliver faster speeds while preserving privacy, while NordWhisper is built to help users connect on restrictive networks that may block VPN traffic. These tools give NordVPN more flexibility in difficult network conditions.
• Proton VPN offers privacy-focused servers. Proton VPN’s Secure Core feature routes your traffic through privacy-friendly countries before it reaches the final server. This can reduce the risk of surveillance or server compromise in higher-risk regions. It may slow speeds somewhat, but it is a valuable option for journalists, activists, and privacy-focused users.
• NordVPN offers more extra features outside the VPN. NordVPN bundles more tools beyond standard VPN protection, including Threat Protection Pro and Meshnet. Threat Protection Pro blocks ads, trackers, malicious sites, and some malware downloads, while Meshnet lets you create secure private connections between devices. For users who want an all-in-one privacy toolkit, NordVPN offers more value beyond basic tunneling.
• Customer support differs in practice. Both providers offer live chat and help centers, but NordVPN’s support was faster and more direct in my experience. I usually received quick troubleshooting steps from an agent, while Proton VPN support sometimes relied more on ticket-based follow-up. If responsive support is important, NordVPN has the advantage.

Key similarities

Since both NordVPN and Proton VPN are the standard of top-tier VPNs, naturally they come with a lot of similarities as well.

• Both passed our leak tests. In our tests, neither NordVPN nor Proton VPN exposed DNS requests while connected, which is exactly what you’d want to see from a trustworthy VPN. That means your browsing activity is less likely to leak to your internet service provider or other third parties. In day-to-day use, both providers handled server switching and reconnects without showing leak issues.
• Both are priced in a similar range. NordVPN and Proton VPN are both premium services, and their long-term plans usually sit in a similar price bracket. Exact pricing changes often with promotions, but neither provider is dramatically cheaper than the other at full value. In our view, the better choice often comes down to which features matter more to you rather than a small price difference.
• Both follow no-logs policies. Both providers state that they do not log browsing activity, connection timestamps tied to activity, or other identifying usage data. Just as important, both have undergone independent audits to verify key privacy claims. That added transparency gives users more confidence than relying on marketing promises alone.
• Both use strong encryption standards. NordVPN and Proton VPN both support AES-256 and ChaCha20 encryption, which are considered top-tier standards for securing internet traffic. For users, this means your data is strongly protected whether you are browsing on desktop, mobile, or public Wi-Fi. In practical terms, there is no meaningful security gap between them here.
• Both performed well for torrenting. Both VPNs handled torrenting reliably in our tests, with stable connections, solid speeds, and no obvious throttling. They also include key privacy tools like kill switches to help protect traffic if the VPN disconnects unexpectedly. NordVPN was usually faster overall, but Proton VPN remained a dependable option for peer-to-peer sharing.
• Both are based in privacy-friendly jurisdictions. NordVPN is headquartered in Panama, while Proton VPN is based in Switzerland, two countries known for stronger privacy protections and no mandatory mass data retention laws. That can be an advantage compared with VPNs based in more surveillance-heavy regions. For privacy-conscious users, both providers start from a favorable legal position.
• Both deliver the core VPN features users need. Each service includes essentials like a kill switch, split tunneling on supported platforms, modern protocols, and apps for major devices. In our experience, both also provide clean apps that are easy to use once installed. If you mainly want secure browsing and safer public Wi-Fi access, either provider covers the basics well.
• Both support up to 10 simultaneous connections. NordVPN and Proton VPN each let you protect up to 10 devices at the same time on one subscription. That is enough for many households with phones, laptops, tablets, and streaming devices. During testing, I found this generous enough for most users without constantly logging devices in and out.

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Speed, performance, and streaming

I tested NordVPN and Proton VPN for speed, performance, and streaming. Below, you can see my findings.

Proton VPN vs NordVPN: speed comparison

In terms of connection speeds, NordVPN is the fastest VPN on the market and was superior in all tested locations. Proton VPN demonstrated good results, offering speedy and stable worldwide connections.

Let's compare the speed results of NordVPN and Proton VPN. The tests were done with WireGuard for Proton VPN and NordLynx (based on WireGuard) for NordVPN, using Speedtest by Ookla, on Windows 11, i5-13600KF, 32GB RAM.

The baseline connection speed was 940Mbps download, 940Mbps upload, and 1ms ping.

NordVPN (NordLynx)

	Download	Retention	Upload	Retention	Ping
Local	899Mbps	96%	569Mbps	94%	2
London	859Mbps	91%	493Mbps	82%	38
New York	794Mbps	84%	200Mbps	33%	99
Perth	747Mbps	79%	91Mbps	15%	202
Tokyo	618Mbps	66%	76Mbps	13%	240

ProtonVPN (WireGuard)

	Download	Retention	Upload	Retention	Ping
Local	816Mbps	87%	229Mbps	24%	16
London	844Mbps	90%	890Mbps	95%	42
New York	746Mbps	79%	217Mbps	23%	108
Perth	509Mbps	54%	88Mbps	9%	232
Tokyo	553Mbps	59%	114Mbps	12%	266

NordVPN is faster than ProtonVPN overall. Proton VPN is a bit faster in remote locations, like Australia and Japan, but NordVPN is faster locally (Lithuania), in Europe (the UK), and in the US. Average global speed retention for NordVPN is 62%, while for Proton VPN it’s 60%. Proton VPN is similar to NordVPN when it comes to upload speed retention – 40% for Proton VPN vs NordVPN’s 38%.

NordVPN wins on overall connections. Meanwhile ProtonVPN is better for long-distance connections – the speed retention is low in local servers.

Streaming and geoblocking

My tests showed that Proton VPN and NordVPN can easily bypass streaming service geo-restrictions. Together with the research team, we successfully unblocked Netflix and various other popular services, including Max, Disney+, Hulu, and more.

Additionally, NordVPN is at the top of our list of the best VPNs for Netflix. This provider is better at bypassing strict geo-restrictions and is overall more effective regarding streaming.

	NordVPN	Proton VPN
Netflix	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
BBC iPlayer	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Amazon Prime Video	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Hulu	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Max	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Disney+	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
YouTube	✅ Yes	✅ Yes

During our tests, NordVPN easily accessed Netflix and other popular streaming sites. The service supports streaming on all servers, and the speed results are enough to stream in HD or 4K video quality without stuttering.

Another feature that NordVPN offers is Smart DNS. This tool allows you to watch geo-restricted content on devices that don’t support VPN connections.

On the other hand, when the research team and I tested Proton VPN, we managed to unblock almost all streaming sites, as with NordVPN. Additionally, Proton VPN has optimized servers for streaming sites, so you’ll need to pick them for the best streaming experience.

A significant drawback for Proton VPN is that it lacks the Smart DNS feature, which means you won’t be able to stream geo-locked content on devices that don’t support VPN apps, such as smart TVs. Instead, you’ll have to install the VPN on your home router to unlock content on such devices.

Torrenting performance

The Cybernews research team tested NordVPN and Proton VPN in the torrenting category by separately downloading a 5.7GB Ubuntu ISO file using both VPNs. Naturally, they used each provider’s nearest server and fastest tunneling protocol for the best results. With NordVPN, it’s NordLynx, while with Proton VPN, it’s WireGuard.

If you decide to torrent, it's best to use a VPN when torrenting so that your ISP can’t monitor your activity (this is especially useful if your country forbids torrenting) or throttle your connection speeds.

NordVPN was overall faster than Proton VPN during our latest torrenting tests. It downloaded the 5.7GB test file in only 3m 53s, during which time the average download speed was 26.5Mbps. Additionally, post-quantum protection was enabled during this time, but it didn’t have a significant impact on overall performance.

Meanwhile, Proton VPN wasn’t too far behind NordVPN. It downloaded the test file in 4m 26s, and the average download speed was an impressive 23.3Mbps. Note that Proton VPN also offers port forwarding in specific locations, which should lead to better torrenting performance by allowing your torrent client to accept incoming connections from other peers. And while that may be true in certain situations, it didn’t help it outpace NordVPN during our latest tests.

Proton VPN vs NordVPN: cost comparison

Proton VPN is more affordable than NordVPN, and offers a free tier which could be the more appealing option for some users. Here’s a comparison of the providers’ starting prices for each subscription period:

Plan	NordVPN	Proton VPN
Free	–	$0.00
1 month	$14.99/month	$9.99/month
1 year	$5.49/month	$3.99/month
2 year	$3.49/month	$2.99/month
	Get 75% OFF NordVPN + 3 months free	Get up to 70% OFF Proton VPN

Note. Pricing was last checked in June 2026.

Proton VPN and NordVPN have several subscription tier options, which I will discuss separately. One common feature among the two providers is the 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing customers to get a refund without hassle during the first month of any subscription.

Proton VPN cost

Proton VPN’s most budget-friendly option is the free tier, which is an excellent advantage over NordVPN. Unsurprisingly, this version has some limitations over the paid plan, but nothing too severe. You have unlimited data, servers in five locations, no artificial speed limits, and no ads. However, you miss out on features like split tunneling, NetShield, and Secure Core. You also only get 1 device connection, compared to the 10 simultaneous connections you get with a paid plan. Still, it’s a worthwhile option if you just want the basics.

The second option is the cheapest Proton VPN Plus plan. It’s the go-to Proton VPN plan if you only want the service without the provider’s other products, such as Proton Pass and Proton Drive. The monthly option costs $9.99/month, the annual plan is $3.99/month, and the longest two-year plan costs $2.99/month. This subscription unlocks all of Proton VPN’s features, including VPN Accelerator, NetShield, Secure Core, and more.

The final option is Proton Unlimited, which unlocks all Proton products, including the VPN. The monthly subscription costs $12.99/month, the annual alternative is $9.99/month, and the two-year option is $7.99/month. Besides, with Proton VPN, you also get the premium versions of Proton Mail, Drive, Calendar, Pass, and Wallet.

NordVPN cost

NordVPN’s alternative to Proton VPN’s free tier is the 3-day free trial. It unlocks the provider’s cheapest Basic plan, but there are some caveats. Namely, this trial is only available on the Google Play Store, and you have to provide your credit card details to qualify.

Budget-conscious users should consider NordVPN’s most affordable Basic plan, which only unlocks the provider’s core VPN features. The most significant drawback is the absence of Threat Protection Pro. This plan costs $14.99/month when paying monthly, $5.49/month annually, and $3.49/month for the two-year plan.

The second tier is Plus, which unlocks Threat Protection Pro and includes NordPass. This well-balanced subscription costs $19.99/month on the monthly plan, $6.49/month on the annual plan, and $4.49/month when signing up for two years.

The third option is Complete, which adds NordLocker to the previous plan’s benefits. Opting for this subscription will set you back $19.99/month on the monthly plan, $6.49/month on the annual plan, and $4.49/month on the two-year plan.

The highest tier of NordVPN plans is Prime, which includes Coveron (formerly NordProtect) in addition to everything from the previous plan. NordVPN’s most expensive plan costs $29.99/month when paid monthly, $8.99/month when paid annually, and $7.49/month when picking the two-year plan.

Server locations

Currently, Proton VPN has more servers than NordVPN. NordVPN has 9,500+ servers in 149 countries, while Proton VPN has around 20,300 servers across 148 countries. Both providers offer specialty servers, such as obfuscated and P2P servers.

I noticed that the server numbers of these two providers tend to fluctuate, making it difficult to determine with certainty how long one will remain in the lead over the other. Either way, both Proton VPN and NordVPN offer expansive server networks with numerous options.

Why does a large server network matter? An extensive server fleet helps bypass geo-restrictions, which is excellent for avid streamers. Specialty categories, such as obfuscated and P2P, enhance security and performance for torrenting. Overall, a larger server network means faster, more reliable, and flexible VPN connections, making it easier for users to maintain privacy and access content globally.

Obfuscated servers

Both NordVPN and Proton VPN offer a version of obfuscation – masking your VPN traffic to appear as regular traffic, which allows bypassing strict censorship and firewalls. NordVPN offers obfuscated servers, while ProtonVPN offers a Stealth protocol.

NordVPN vs Proton VPN features

NordVPN and Proton VPN offer extensive feature sets that include essential security tools for daily browsing and powerful extras for niche situations. However, in my opinion, NordVPN has a more comprehensive package that will be more beneficial to the average user.

For example, it includes Smart DNS for streaming on smart TVs and Threat Protection Pro to protect your device even when you download malware. Meanwhile, Proton VPN’s unique perks, such as Sentinel and port forwarding, are only useful in very specific circumstances.

	NordVPN	Proton VPN	Winner
Double VPN	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Tie
Split tunneling	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Tie
Smart DNS	✅ Yes	❌ No	NordVPN
Stealth VPN	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Tie
Ad blocker	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Tie
Threat Protection Pro	✅ Yes	❌ No	NordVPN
Password manager	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Tie
Dedicated IP addresses	✅ Yes	✅ Yes, for business users	NordVPN
AI-powered privacy	❌ No	✅ Yes, Proton Sentinel	Proton VPN
VPN Accelerator	❌ No	✅ Yes	Proton VPN

Ad blockers and anti-malware

Compared to Proton VPN, NordVPN offers more advanced threat protection. NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro goes beyond basic ad/tracker blocking, which it does by inspecting web traffic for malicious domains, downloading threats, and other suspicious activity in real time. This ensures your chances of facing malware and phishing decreases significantly. Visit our detailed NordVPN review to learn more.

On the other hand, Proton VPN’s NetShield is primarily a DNS‑level ad/tracker blocker. It's still a great tool for improving privacy, but if you need truly comprehensive protection against malicious files and advanced threats, I recommend Threat Protection Pro.

The Proton Sentinel high-security program may be of interest to anyone with exceptional security needs. It’s an advanced system that combines AI technology and human analysis to ensure all your accounts are well-protected from hacking attempts and suspicious log-ins.

Split tunneling

NordVPN offers split tunneling on its Windows, Android, and Android TV apps, while Proton VPN provides it on Windows, Android, Android TV, Linux, and its browser extension. Both services offer the same functionality, but split tunneling is slightly faster with NordVPN due to its higher overall speed.

You can enable split tunneling to exclude certain apps or websites from your VPN connection. If you prefer your VPN to encrypt all traffic, you can keep split tunneling turned off.

NordVPN’s version of split tunneling is quite configurable: you can disable and enable a VPN connection for the apps of your choice. However, you can’t configure it with IP addresses. This feature is available in the Windows and Android NordVPN applications. Proton VPN’s split tunneling feature is also advanced. It allows you to include and exclude apps and IP addresses from the VPN tunnel.

Unfortunately, neither VPN includes split tunneling on their macOS apps, leaving Apple users without this benefit. As such, if you need split tunneling on Mac devices, I recommend Surfshark, which offers the feature on all mobile and desktop operating systems except Linux. Check our Surfshark review to learn more about this top-tier VPN service.

Double VPN and Secure Core

Double VPN, or Secure Core for Proton VPN, is a feature available with both providers. With NordVPN, the feature is available as the Double VPN server category, while Proton VPN’s Secure Core is available only with a premium subscription. It is an additional protection layer, though not every user might need it. Double VPN allows you to connect through two different VPN servers for extra anonymity. When I tried using it with both providers, I found that the internet connection was significantly slower. On the other hand, there was no leakage of IPs or DNS.

Meshnet (NordVPN)

Meshnet is a free tool that allows connecting with remote devices to create LANs or share files. Essentially, with it you can create your own private network. It works great for secure gaming servers, for example.

Port Forwarding (Proton VPN)

Proton VPN includes port forwarding with its paid plans, for all operating systems except Android. It is also only available with P2P servers. Generally, a port forwarding VPN is useful when you require fast and stable connections for big file transfer.

Dedicated and static IP addresses

NordVPN offers dedicated IP addresses at an additional cost of $3.69/month. You can choose a server from 28 locations. The dedicated IP being a paid option makes sense – it’s a finite resource, and unlike shared IPs, can’t be reused for a number of clients.

Proton VPN also offers dedicated IPs for business clients. It’s unclear how much it costs or for which locations it’s available, as you can only rent it by consultation with the Proton VPN sales team.

Specialty servers

Proton VPN and NordVPN offer specialty servers for specific tasks. For example, Proton VPN has Tor over VPN servers. You can connect to the server first and then to the Tor network, adding an extra layer of security when using Tor. Read more about Proton VPN specialty servers in our detailed Proton VPN review. Additionally, the provider has dedicated servers for P2P connections, ensuring a more secure and faster torrenting experience.

Similarly, NordVPN offers Onion over VPN for extra security through the Tor network. It also has specialized P2P servers for optimal torrenting speeds, and a SOCKS5 proxy that you can bind to your torrent client to mask your IP address.

Other security tools

It shouldn’t surprise you that Proton VPN and NordVPN offer other security features, some of which are exclusive to these providers. Below, I discuss their kill switches, threat protection features, and DNS leak protection.

Kill switch

Proton VPN and NordVPN have reliable kill switches. To test the kill switch, I forced the VPN connection to drop. In both NordVPN and Proton VPN cases, the kill switch feature worked flawlessly, effectively cutting off the internet connection.

Interestingly, NordVPN has two kill switches: an internet kill switch and an app kill switch. As expected, the latter one enables making a list of apps you want to block when your VPN connection is compromised. On the other hand, the internet kill switch disables all internet access if you’re not connected to the VPN.

During in-house tests, NordVPN's kill switch worked really well. There were no cases of accidental IP leaks, so you can be certain of your security with NordVPN.

Similarly, Proton VPN also has a good kill switch. During our tests, the feature successfully cut off the internet connection. However, it was a bit difficult to get the internet back up and running on the Windows application.

DNS leak protection

Together with the research team, I conducted DNS leak tests using DNS leak test. We ensured that Proton VPN and NordVPN DNS leak protection were enabled. For the test, we preferred the Extended test on the website, which sends more queries (36) compared to the Standard test (6). This test works by sending multiple domain names for the VPN to resolve.

As you can see, I didn't find any address or DNS leaks while using the NordVPN Windows client.

Unsurprisingly, I didn't encounter any issues while using Proton VPN either. This confirms that both providers are excellent options for securing your online connections.

NordVPN vs Proton VPN: privacy and security

While both VPNs offer essential security features, including a no-logs policy, AES-256 encryption, a kill switch, and DNS leak protection, NordVPN is considered more privacy-focused than Proton VPN.

Both NordVPN and Proton VPN have been independently audited multiple times to verify their trustworthiness. However, while Proton VPN stands out for it's open-source service, NordVPN offers RAM-only servers, the Meshnet feature, the proprietary WireGuard protocol with the double VPN functionality, dark web monitoring, Threat Protection Pro, and other privacy-focused features.

	NordVPN	Proton VPN
Encryption	AES-256 or ChaCha20Poly1305	AES-256 or ChaCha20
Hash	SHA-512	SHA-384
RAM-only servers	✅ Yes	❌ No
Open-source	❌ No	✅ Yes
Jurisdiction	Panama (outside the Fourteen Eyes alliance)	Switzerland (outside the Fourteen Eyes alliance)
No-logs policy	Audited 5 times, recent audit in December 2024	Audited 4 times, recent audit in 2025
Kill switch	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
DNS leak protection	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Dark web monitoring	✅ Yes	❌ No
Advanced threat protection	✅ Yes (Threat Protection Pro)	❌ No (Netshield is not as advanced)

Infrastructure and encryption

Like most VPNs available today, NordVPN and Proton VPN use AES-256 encryption to mask your data. This type of encryption is virtually impossible to break, meaning that using either of these services is completely safe.

When comparing Proton VPN vs NordVPN, NordVPN offers a more advanced selection of tunneling protocols. You can choose NordLynx or NordWhisper, new-generation tunneling protocols developed by NordVPN. Additionally, NordVPN offers OpenVPN UDP, OpenVPN TCP, and IKEv2/IPsec, but only for manual setup.

Meanwhile, Proton VPN offers WireGuard, OpenVPN TCP, OpenVPN UDP, IKEv2/IPsec, and Stealth.

Jurisdiction

NordVPN is based in Panama, while Proton VPN is located in Switzerland. These countries are privacy-friendly and don’t have any mandatory data retention laws that would undermine user privacy.

Panama and Switzerland are outside the Five, Nine, and Fourteen Eyes alliances, so you can be certain that the government isn’t requesting that the VPNs collect data about their users' online browsing activity.

No-logs policies

Regarding logging, NordVPN is a perfect example of a no-logs policy that is done right. The VPN doesn’t log anything personal, including connection timestamps, bandwidth usage, session information, IP addresses, etc. It stores only crash error reports and app diagnostics data. However, you can simply opt out of this. NordVPN also uses RAM-only servers, which cannot store any information after being unplugged or rebooted.

Proton VPN is also really trustworthy. For one, it is open-source. The code for its Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and Linux applications can be found on GitHub. When it comes to the no-logs policy, everything seems solid. It doesn’t log anything personal, including your IP address, browsing history, session lengths, or location-based information.

Independent audits

Both NordVPN and Proton VPN have undergone multiple independent audits, which confirmed their no-logs policies. NordVPN was audited twice by PwC and four times by Deloitte, with the latest audit conducted in 2026. Meanwhile, Proton VPN was audited four times by Securitum, annually between 2022 and 2025, with the latest 2025 audit conducted by Securitum. It’s clear that Proton VPN and NordVPN are committed to conducting frequent third-party audits to maintain their reliability.

User experience

NordVPN apps stand out when compared to Proton VPN. Both have done their homework regarding device compatibility: you’ll be able to download a quality app for most devices. Both providers also support many other devices, like Android TV or Fire TV Stick devices. However, NordVPN also supports the Kodi media player software.

	NordVPN	Proton VPN
Supported OS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Other software and devices	Kodi, Android TV, Fire TV Stick	Android TV, Fire TV Stick
Browser extensions	Chrome, Firefox, Edge	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari, Samsung browser
Simultaneous connections	10	10
Usability level	Easy to set up	Easy to set up

It’s worth noting that Proton VPN supports more browsers, but NordVPN still cover the most popular ones. Also, both providers support 10 simultaneous device connections per account.

Desktop apps

NordVPN's desktop apps are pretty similar in terms of features. The apps are easy to use, but I noticed that the provider’s world map interface is no longer available after a recent update, which I find a bit disappointing. Of course, while I can’t choose a server location on a map, I can still easily use the search box to find the country I need.

Additionally, there are two NordVPN app versions for macOS users. The one available on the App Store supports all tunneling protocols, including NordLynx. The one you can download from the website only supports OpenVPN but has more features. However, the Mac version still lacks the split tunneling feature.

The desktop apps of Proton VPN are pretty good, especially the Windows version. It includes most of the additional features, aside from looking sleek and modern. The main window displays a map and tons of information about your connection. Plus, Proton VPN still has the map interface for server selection, which, in my opinion, is a substantial usability perk over NordVPN.

For example, you can see the connection time, the bandwidth you used in the past 60 seconds, and the connection duration. You can also see the server load. However, it only shows the load of the server you’re currently connected to.

Meanwhile, the macOS application lacks some features like split tunneling, IPv6 Leak Protection, and Custom DNS Servers.

Mobile apps

The NordVPN Android app is more developed than the iOS one. That’s due to iOS applications lacking certain features, such as split tunneling or a configurable kill switch.

However, other features, including the map interface in both versions, are the same whether you use iOS or Android. Additionally, you’ll get dark web monitoring, pausing, and auto-connect features with both apps.

Proton VPN’s Android and iOS apps are almost identical, except that the iOS version lacks split tunneling or alternate routing features. Both apps have the same map interface, and iOS users can add a Proton VPN widget to their screen.

Additionally, both versions are easily usable and intuitive to learn to navigate. Also, Proton VPN mobile apps can easily rival even the desktop app versions.

NordVPN and Proton VPN customer support

No matter how good a VPN is, you may still encounter a problem. In these cases, helpful customer support (and a convenient way to reach it) is a must. NordVPN surpasses Proton VPN in this round due to its superior human assistance options.

	NordVPN	Proton VPN
24/7 live chat	✅ Yes	❌ No
Email	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Phone support	❌ No	❌ No
Guides or articles	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
FAQ	✅ Yes	✅ Yes

Proton VPN users have two main options. You can either create a support ticket (and get a reply directly to your email) or simply look for the answer in the knowledge center. If you’re a Redditor, you can also visit Proton VPN’s subreddit at r/ProtonVPN where official representatives are pretty active. Unfortunately, there is no live chat option for instant replies. I contacted Proton VPN support by submitting a ticket regarding RAM servers, and they responded promptly with detailed information.

It’s even easier to get help when using NordVPN. While the service offers ticket support and a knowledge base like Proton VPN, it went the extra mile by implementing a 24/7 live chat that allows you to receive a reply in minutes. I contacted NordVPN support to ask about bypassing network restrictions in China, and they responded promptly, providing helpful tutorials and displaying good knowledge.

What users say (Reddit and Trustpilot)

Reddit is a great place to find honest reviews of VPN providers. For NordVPN and Proton VPN, there is no shortage of opinions.

I noticed that a lot of people agree that Proton VPN does not show very good speeds compared to NordVPN. However, many also mention that it depends a lot on the user’s own location and baseline speeds.

One of the differences between these two VPNs that gets mentioned a lot is port forwarding. While this feature may benefit some advanced P2P users, it’s not necessary for stable connectivity.

Further, users tend to appreciate that Proton VPN is open source, while others consider NordVPN’s UI design to be a lot more user-friendly.

In any case, Reddit users generally agree that choosing one or the other VPN depends a lot on your specific needs and values.

Video comparison

If you prefer watching/listening over reading, our team prepared a handy video to compare the two providers:

Conclusion – the final verdict

While NordVPN and Proton VPN both prioritize privacy, one has a clear edge in key areas. Here's the bottom line.

Our analysis revealed that, ultimately, NordVPN is superior to Proton VPN. It outranks its competitor in the most vital aspects: speed, streaming, torrenting, and customer support. In other areas, the two are on par, which is still a net positive for Proton VPN since NordVPN is the leading VPN on the market.

However, Proton VPN's significant advantages over NordVPN are its expansive server fleet and lower pricing with a free tier. The latter point makes the provider an excellent entry point for anyone wanting to try VPN software without spending money. In most cases, free users will later upgrade to the paid tier to get more features in the already familiar package rather than switch to another paid VPN.

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