Norton Secure VPN Review 2024 — Safe, but Is It Good?

Norton is one of the biggest names in cybersecurity, and many Norton 360 packages include a VPN. Since its antivirus software is so popular, you might think you don’t need to look elsewhere for further protection. But can Norton really compete with the top VPNs?

After testing all its features, I recommend trying Norton VPN if it comes with your 360 package. It can definitely keep you safe, but it doesn’t have the largest server network. In addition, it’s not great for torrenting, and its customer service could use some work. To get a more well-rounded service, I recommend you try one of the best VPNs available today.

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Norton VPN makes it possible to securely watch many popular platforms from anywhere. It doesn't work with all streaming services, but the quality was great when it did. Compared to its top competitors, it doesn’t offer a large server network or any streaming-optimized servers. This restricts the number of services it can safely access.

Works With: Netflix

Norton VPN can access a variety of Netflix libraries in high quality from anywhere. During our tests from the US, we were able to watch the local library without any issues using the United States server.

The video played in HD right away and there was no buffering

We could also view UK and Canadian libraries in similar quality. However, Australian libraries did take about 11 seconds to load, and it took about half a minute for them to resolve into HD. This isn’t necessarily a surprise though, as Australia is known for having slower internet speeds.

Unfortunately, we found that the Japan Netflix library only gave us Netflix Originals, a limited version of the service. This removes all region-specific content, so only shows Netflix owns outright are available to watch. Many times, when connecting to a VPN, Netflix defaults to Originals, but the best providers can safely access various libraries from anywhere.

Works With: Amazon Prime Video

I was impressed that Norton VPN could access Amazon Prime Video and stream in HD. Many VPNs have a tough time safely accessing this platform.

There was only a brief loading period before the video started

UK and Canadian libraries also loaded promptly. As I stated above, this isn’t very common as Amazon has strong anti-VPN technologies. Unfortunately, these can prevent you from watching even if you’re just trying to stay safe with servers in your own country.

Works With: Max

Norton Secure VPN has servers that can access Max and play back videos in 4K from anywhere.

There were no issues with buffering or dips in picture quality

Norton VPN worked great with the WireGuard protocol and Firefox as my browser. I also had successful tests with the Mimic (obfuscation) protocol and Chrome.

Works With: BBC iPlayer

BBC iPlayer loaded in the highest quality while connected to Norton VPN.

We recommend using WireGuard to get the fastest load times

This was a win for Norton Secure VPN because it didn’t work with BBC iPlayer in our previous round of tests. Unfortunately, there are still a few platforms it just can’t access safely.

Doesn’t Work With: Disney+ & Hulu

We got an error message whenever we tried to stream Disney+ with a secure connection to Norton VPN, including tests from Italy and the UK.

Norton VPN only has 1 US server, so there aren't many options

The VPN didn’t work with these platforms in our previous tests either, so there’s still room for improvement. To find a provider that makes it possible to safely access all the major platforms from anywhere, check out our list of the best VPNs for streaming.

Norton VPN has gotten faster over the years, but it still has issues on far off locations. While I was impressed by how quick most of its closeby servers were, some of the distant locations had drops that were much higher than average.

To create fair comparisons, we have our tests performed by our dedicated speed expert for the majority of our reviews. This way, each VPN is tested with the same connection and from the same location. Several tests are done with each server. This helps us create accurate averages that account for any dips or surges in internet speed that might occur throughout the day.

Speeds fell 15% on nearby servers and 51% on distant ones

These tests were done with the WireGuard protocol since it was the fastest option. Its other offerings, Mimic and OpenVPN, were at least 5 times slower most of the time, and sometimes more. So, you’ll wanna stick with WireGuard for any high-bandwidth activities.

Local Speed

Norton Secure VPN’s nearby speeds are right up there with the fastest VPNs. If your VPN only drops your speeds between 10-20%, then it’s one of the best.

Her ping rate and upload speeds barely dropped at all

I performed my own tests as well, and I only lost 5% from my base speed using the US server and the WireGuard protocol.

Long-distance Speed

Some of Norton VPN’s distant servers performed decently, but a few gave us extreme speed drops. The fastest VPNs rarely lower your speeds by more than 40%. I’d consider a drop of 60% with servers on the other side of the world to be average.

This was a huge drop for a server less than 6,000km away

The top VPNs wouldn’t even lower your speeds this much on a server 15,000+km away. That’s why it’s odd that the Australian location was so much faster. This could possibly be due to overcrowding on the Australian server. Unfortunately, Norton Secure VPN doesn’t display this information like some other providers do.

A few customers have complained of input delays on their system with Norton VPN, but I never experienced this. To be clear, I don’t mean lag while gaming or buffering during a stream. I’m talking about latency throughout your entire device when trying to input any commands. That would be the last thing you’d want a VPN to do, but I never encountered it.

I believe it’s likely that our instances of slow speeds were simply due to unexpected distances since all of its servers are virtual. But overall, Norton Secure VPN has become much better in the speed category. However, it’s still not quite as good as our highest-ranked VPNs. If you need the best speeds possible with an encrypted connection, take a look at our list of the fastest VPNs.

Norton Secure VPN works well for gaming as long as there’s a server close to you. I asked a colleague of mine who’s an avid gamer to see if he noticed any differences in the performance when he connected to a Norton VPN server. The closest server to him was in South Africa, and it offered a promising ping of only 82ms.

He was able to win several matches without any additional lag

In general, it’s best to have ping rates below 85ms while gaming. The ping determines how long it takes your data to travel. When it’s higher, there’s a delay between your inputs and the game’s responses.

Our tester did encounter a few issues on some other servers. For example, the game froze once on the location in Israel, but he was able to load it up after a reboot. Plus, servers in the US and Spain proved to be too far away for competitive play. That’s actually not surprising since we’ve never been able to find a VPN that offers low ping on distant servers.

Norton Secure VPN has greatly improved in this area thanks to its faster speeds. It’s still not one of the top VPNs for gaming. But, if you’re a casual gamer that received the VPN in your 360 suite, it should work just fine.

Norton VPN only has 3,000 servers in 60 countries. There are some solid VPNs with less servers, but they usually offer far more countries (2 or even 3 times as many). The majority of the locations are in Europe, where it offers 19 countries including Germany and Italy. Every other continent only gets 3 locations or less.

It also doesn’t offer city-level locations. So, when you connect to a country, you don’t know where exactly your connection will be. In a big country like the US, that means you could be connected to a server that’s thousands of kms farther away than you expected.

I'm pleased that Norton VPN has added a search function

While it was difficult to get answers from support, an agent did tell me that Norton VPN owns its servers. That’s great because many VPNs rent their infrastructure, which creates another middleman that could potentially access your data. On the other hand, it doesn’t offer dedicated IP addresses or private DNS servers. Like most VPNs, it utilizes dynamic IPs.

Support staff informed me that all of its servers are virtual, so they might be physically-located somewhere else. I was happy to receive this information as the company has kept these details secret in the past. This doesn’t make these servers less safe, but it can affect your speeds when you expect them to be closer than they actually are.

I'm pleased to say that we faced no connection issues during this round of testing. The servers always connected within 5-8 seconds. It was possible to connect to all of the locations without fail.

This is one area where Norton VPN really falls behind the competition. The top VPNs offer so much more with their servers. You can read this list of VPNs that all have much larger networks with better features.

Fastest Location

Norton Secure VPN offers this typical feature that connects you to the “fastest” location, but it won’t tell you how it works. Many VPNs are more upfront about how their auto-connect features choose a server. It’s usually determined based on a combination of ping, server load, and distance.

Unfortunately, with Norton Secure VPN, it’s a mystery. On the plus side, the server list is so small, you probably already know which server is the closest to you and most likely the quickest.

P2P-Optimized Server

You can see this option at the top of the server list. At first, I thought it would send me to a long list of different specialty servers for torrenting. Unfortunately, this simply connects you to the only P2P-optimized server it has. I’ll elaborate on this further in the torrenting section, but it doesn’t give you many options for optimizing your downloads.

Norton can successfully hide your location, but there are a few special features I wish it offered. I performed 10+ leak tests, and my real IP address was never revealed. These were done across multiple servers as well. It does this by using the AES-256 bit encryption level. This is an industry standard used by banks and militaries, so it’s just about impossible to crack.

The VPN also provides protection from WebRTC and DNS leaks

I’m glad to report that you now get to choose between several protocols. The new and improved Norton Secure VPN Windows app lets you choose between OpenVPN, WireGuard, and Mimic (its new obfuscating protocol). Unfortunately, Apple and Android devices are still unable to switch protocols.

The WireGuard is the fastest, but OpenVPN is generally considered the safest. This is because it’s open-source, so it’s consistently checked for vulnerabilities by cybersecurity enthusiasts from around the world. Mimic is designed to be used on restrictive networks like schools or businesses since it hides your VPN use.

In addition, there’s no double VPN feature or custom DNS servers. However, I appreciate that it has the most essential security features. Overall, this is one of Norton’s strongest areas, but it’s still not perfect.

Split Tunneling

This feature lets you exempt certain apps from the VPN’s tunnel. It works, and it can be convenient. For example, it’s much easier to access my banking app without a VPN, so I can add it to the split tunneling list, but keep everything else encrypted. I just wish you could exempt websites too.

Kill Switch

This is a necessary feature every VPN needs, so I’m glad Norton VPN has added it. It blocks your internet connection if the VPN ever disconnects. I tested it by keeping a browser open while I switched servers. This showed me that it always blocked my network, so it works as advertised. You just need to remember to switch it on since it’s not automatic.

Ad Tracker Blocking

The VPN’s ad blocker is a nice feature, although it’s not perfect. It’s pretty simple; you can only turn it on and off. I appreciate how easy it is to use, but others have some more customization options. With it enabled, I still saw a few banner ads and pop-ups. However, it’s more than most VPNs offer, since this is strangely a somewhat rare feature.

NortonVPN won’t store any of your sensitive information. The only data it stores is the anonymized information it needs to keep the VPN running. None of this can be linked to your browsing history, so I have no issues with its privacy policy. However, I wish it was located in a more privacy-friendly country. I also hope its policy is audited in the future to prove it sticks to its claims.

Norton’s password manager was breached in 2022, but the company claims none of its systems were compromised. The hackers might have been able to access sensitive information like full names, mailing addresses, and phone numbers. They also saw many customer’s usernames and passwords.

The company stated that all passwords were reset as soon as they found out. While this is quite concerning, it was unlikely to affect users who were mainly concerned with using the VPN and the other antivirus products Norton offers. Still, I understand if this makes you hesitant to choose them over their competitors with less controversial histories.

Does Norton VPN Keep Logs? No

Norton VPN doesn’t log your IP address or browsing history. It will store your device type, OS, bandwidth usage, the language you choose for the app, and some other minor things. This type of information is nothing to be concerned about because it’s anonymized. That means it’s never connected to any of your personal information.

I’m also glad that it has made its policy more clear. In the past, there was only one document for all of its products, but now it’s more specific about the data it collects through its VPN.

Was Norton VPN Audited? No

There hasn’t been an independent audit of Norton VPN’s infrastructure or policies. That means it’s possible it could be storing even more information. For now, all you can do is take its word for it. The top VPNs all hire reputable third parties to give you peace of mind that they stick to their word.

Based in the US

Norton’s headquarters are in the US, a country that’s been known to spy on its citizens. It’s also part of the 5 Eyes Alliance. This is an agreement between governments to share intelligence gathered about their subjects. What’s worrying about this is it means Norton could be asked to alter its policies in the future.

Does Norton VPN Work in China? No

According to customer support, you won’t be able to use Norton Secure VPN in China. Luckily, this was one of the few instances where it was easy to get a straight answer from support.

The new Mimic protocol won't be enough to help you

Despite what support said, there have been some reports from people within the country that the VPN does work there. However, if their own staff aren’t confident it will work there, I’ll take their word for it.

Many VPNs have been banned by the Chinese government, but there are no public reports of the government going after individuals for using them. However, we recommend you read up on the laws before you try using one there. If you choose to use a VPN, check out this list of VPNs that works in China.

I could torrent with Norton Secure VPN, but only with its single P2P-optimized server. This server gives you a location in The Netherlands. However, since all of Norton’s locations are virtual, I’m not sure where it’s actually located.

My downloads finished relatively quickly, but I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same result. This is because I suspect speeds will drop severely if you’re far away from its specialty server. Normally, I can download a 700MB file in about 14 minutes. Connected to the VPN, it only took 17 minutes to finish.

Norton VPN also doesn’t include port forwarding or the Shadowsocks protocol, which can improve torrenting speeds. Torrenting is legal in most countries, but it’s never legal to download copyrighted materials. You should only access torrents in the public domain, so you don’t break any laws. To torrent safely, you can try one of the best VPNs for P2P in this list.