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vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: Holiday.com, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.
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vpnMentor was established in 2014 to review VPN services and cover privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: Holiday.com, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on vpnMentor are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

NordVPN vs Smart DNS Proxy: Which VPN Should You Pick in 2025?

Table of Contents
    Editor's Note: Transparency and impartiality are important to us when bringing you our best selection of VPNs. Some of the industry-leading products on our list, including Intego, Private Internet Access, CyberGhost, and ExpressVPN are owned by Kape Technologies, our parent company. The VPNs we choose are derived from a thorough testing process.

    Our Score

    Features 9.4/10
    Pricing 7.5/10
    Ease of Use 9.5/10
    Reliability & Support 9.5/10
    Features 6.7/10
    Pricing 9.5/10
    Ease of Use 8.0/10
    Reliability & Support 7.8/10

    Reviews

    Review by our expert
    Author Image Akash Deep
    Akash Deep Cybersecurity Researcher
    Our Score: 9.4/10

    NordVPN is everywhere these days — from YouTube ads to sports sponsorships. Its massive marketing claims it's the most trusted VPN service worldwide. But does this popularity actually translate into superior performance, or is it just clever advertising? The team and I spent several weeks thoroughly testing every aspect of NordVPN. We ran extensive speed tests, tried streaming on multiple pla...

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    Latest positive user review
    2
    210493Lu
    10.0/10
    The Best of The Best

    I simply tested all VPNs looking for cutting-edge online security, I tested the most expensive and the...  most talked about virtual anonymity, none made me as happy as NordVPN, it stands out for several reasons that the much more expensive ones it doesn't have, its double encryption, dedicated IPs, onion VPN, makes NordVPN unique, with almost 6,000 servers around the world and 12 million customers like me, you can see that NordVPN is not playing games with its customers and their online security , it always innovates to keep you more secure day after day, for a fair price in the long term and without sacrificing the speed of your connection, recently Nord is developing a new VPN protocol, Nordlynx a version still under construction derived from the Wireguard protocol, if you want to have a VPN of last security that think how it will make you more secure in the next month NordVPN is the right choice, I am completely thankful for being a customer and for finding what to me is the perfect VPN.More

    Latest negative user review
    A
    Andrew
    2.0/10
    NordVPN has become garbage!

    I've had NordVPN for over a decade, and past couple of years, but more so past 6 months it has become ... complete garbage! Contact them, oh try different servers, try different protocols. I have done all and long before they said to! Issue, Connections often just time out though still says connected, can't access any page. Chose different server, works 5 minutes or all day, but eventually it will time out. Best luck I've had was with open UDP but past month even it's been junk! Obfuscated has worked somewhat better, again until recently and crap! Seems they are more about featuritis and getting more users than having a solid product and keeping past/existing customers. Spend your money elsewhere and avoid hack sites giving their glowing review they are just paid shills!More

    Review by our expert
    Author Image Ivana Sarandeska
    Ivana Sarandeska Former Cybersecurity Researcher
    Our Score: 6.7/10

    Smart DNS Proxy claims to offer a 3-in-1 service that includes a proxy, a VPN, and a SmartVPN. In reality, I found out it really only offers 2 services — the proxy and the VPN. The proxy claims to offer fast access to 400+ sites and services (by rerouting only your traffic to those specific sites), but doesn’t provide any online privacy or the option to change your IP address. The VPN encrypt...

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    Latest positive user review
    G
    Guy B
    10.0/10
    I'm happy with Smart DNS Proxy since 2016

    I have used Smart DNS Proxy since 2016 on my Firestick (UK Prime) from Malaysia. It allows me to acces... s all UK content, including BBC iPlayer, NowTV, ITVx, Britbox, 4, 5, and PrimeVideo and Disney+ (US). I had to give up Disney+ access when I got NowTV(UK) due to the Region setting. I had no trouble accessing Netflix USA until I stopped watching Netflix on my tv and just used the tab when I travel. I found their Customer Service to be ok. They certainly helped me set up my router settings when I first signed on with them. After 2 bi-annual subscriptions, I went all in and got the Lifetime subscription in 2020. I didn't know SmartDNS was acquired by another company till recent when I found out that they are now based in Turkey. They were based in Mauritius or was it Seychelles up to then.More

    Latest negative user review
    P
    Phil
    4.0/10
    Doesn't do half of what you say it does!

    I have multiple devices (Fire TV, Apple TV, SmartTV, Computer, PS4 and an ISP-provided set-top box. T... he SmartDNS Proxy App only works on one of them - the SmartTV. I am actually not sure that the app is even supported any more, which is a shame because when I connect to one the their servers using the app, I can stream almost anything. However, it is a completely different story when using the config settings provided by SmartDNS service staff. As has been started, it is overly complicated to setup. Your router must be configured to not use IPV6. If you don't know how to do that, stop right now. You can then decide whether you want to set up the SmartDNS Proxy IP addresses in your router, or configure them on each individual device. The service staff have, over the years recommended BOTH! You are told to use server IPs which are located closest to you. Yet when you have issues (which you will. A lot) the service staff tell you to use apparently random server locations. It is impossible to set up SmartDNS Proxy on an Amazon Fire TV. This device WILL let you change to static APs but it has 8.8.8.8 (Google) and an IPV6 address HARDCODED into it - which the service staff would not acknowledge despite me sending screenshots of each setup page. So no matter which SmartDNS server IP address you use, Fire TV will know that you are using a VPN = no streaming. BBC iPlayer is supported, for sure. But it works about 50% of the time, with the usual error message that basically tells you that BBC knows that you are not in the UK. Amazon Prime is very similar. SO do not plan to watch a TV series - I will guarantee that you will get halfway through before the streaming service drops you! I am really at a loss to understand how some of these reviews contradict my findings. I have, over the last 5 years, spent HOURS with the service staff (which incidentally seems to have halved in number (and there is now NO live chat) and we have not got something to work. For example - I want to stream my favourite sporting fixture the Rugby 6 Nations. I can GUARANTEE that even though I will have been watching a program on iPlayer the day before, the second this sporting fixture starts, BBC iPlayer AND ITVX both stop working with Smart DNS Proxy. The ONLY reason I am still with them is that I bought an extended membership. When that is up for renewal, I will drop this service like a hot potato.More

    Pricing

    Starting price $3.39/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 30 Days
    Number of devices per license 10 devices
    Starting price $2.84/month
    Money Back Guarantee (Days) 30 Days
    Number of devices per license 5 devices

    Best VPN by Category

    Best VPN Overall
    Best VPN for Torrents
    Best VPN for Windows
    Best VPN for Android
    Best VPN for Mac
    Best VPN for iOS
    Best VPN for USA

    The Bottom Line

    Author Image Akash Deep
    Akash Deep Cybersecurity Researcher

    Final Verdict — An Excellent All-Around VPN NordVPN proves why it's one of the most popular VPNs out there. It nails the basics with fast speeds and reliable security while adding genuinely useful extras like Threat Protection and Meshnet. Whether you're streaming, gaming, or just browsing, everything works exactly as it should. Sure, it's not perfect. Connecting to faraway servers can take a bit longer than I’d like, and its higher renewal price can be a bummer. But these are small complaints for a VPN that gets so much right. At $3.39/month for the long-term plan, you're getting great value for a top-tier service. Fast speeds across all its servers Advanced features like Meshnet, obfuscated servers, and Threat Protection 10 simutaneous device connections 30-day money-back guarantee Works with Netflix, Disney+, Max, BBC iPlayer, and more FAQs on Using NordVPN Is NordVPN good? Yes, NordVPN is an excellent VPN service. During

    More Info

    Time to decide which one is best for you

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