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It’s a neck-and-neck race between champions: NordVPN and TorGuard, two of our top-rated VPN providers, are set to battle it out with only one winner in the end. Both VPNs employ solid encryption and advanced security features, including stealth modes, multi-protocol support, kill switches, and DNS leak protection. They are both torrent-friendly and compatible with all major operating systems and devices. In addition, both VPNs can overcome challenging geoblocks and firewalls, even in notorious China. Digging deeper, however, we find minor differences between the two providers that have major impact on the user experience. TorGuard has 3,000+ servers in 50+ countries, whereas NordVPN boasts a much larger network of 5,000+ servers in more than 60 countries. TorGuard also has some inconsistency in its connection speeds due to a centralized focus on security. NordVPN, on the other hand, perfectly balances tip-top security and fast speeds, thanks to optimized servers for torrenting and HD streaming. Although TorGuard keeps no use logs, its location in the surveillance-heavy USA raises significant privacy concerns. Based in privacy-friendly Panama, NordVPN offers a verified no-logs policy and complete anonymity protection. And while TorGuard offers cheaper plans, you’ll be charged additional fees for extra services like access to US Netflix and support for five simultaneous connections. NordVPN yields better value for your money by offering full-featured packages with six simultaneous connections per account.
Features
10.0
Pricing
9.6
Ease of Use
10.0
Reliability & Support
10.0
Features
8.8
Pricing
7.4
Ease of Use
8.8
Reliability & Support
9.1
Rating
Features
10.0
8.8
0.0
Pricing
9.6
7.4
0.0
Ease of Use
10.0
8.8
0.0
Reliability & Support
10.0
9.1
0.0
Reviews
Review by our expert
Kristina Perunicic
Cybersecurity Researcher
9.8
It’s not often that a VPN has cheap prices coupled with an excellent set of features. Yet, when my team and I looked at what NordVPN has to offer, this is exactly what we found. It offers a huge global network of servers, unblocks hundreds of streaming platforms, and has iron-clad security and privacy features — and you can get it all for just $3.30/month. I had to wonder what the catch was.
...
For NordVPN-Android – NordVPN cannotThere is no Caveat Emptor here, nothing like that at all. Nothing to worry about because NordVPN has a top-notch of KillSwitch. It has never faltered in my case. Some instances that NordVPN connection is lost for like 10 seconds while I'm "incognito" in a streaming site, I immediately check with the site with regards to my interrupted connection and my real location did not register ;-) This happened a handful of times in fact. NordVPN will not leave you out in the cold so to speak ;-)
Just that since this is a review, it must be noted since features are being enumerated that Split Tunneling and KillSwitch cannot be enabled at the same time. It's either you use one or the other.
KillSwitch is not possible if you need to exclude an app from using VPN which means to Split Tunneling. Crypto wallet apps and apps that refuse to use VPN tunnel are such examples.
"Block Connections Without VPN" being 1 of 2 conditions that must be met to be able to utilize KillSwitch, and KillSwitch will not work if Split Tunneling is enabled. Ergo,
- It's either All apps are Blocked without VPN or No Apps are Blocked at all.
I thought pausing the VPN from its Notification will take care of this but in all my Android devices that have NordVPN the pausing from the notification does not work which makes me wonder if pausing/disconnecting from notification is a feature that works in Android.
Latest negative user review
Anonymously
2.0
Skip it.Skip Nord! They make you disable the kill switch to log in. Which was not always the case. So you have to be careful every time you log in. You do not want to have a leak just because you forgot the kill switch was off.
TorGuard is best known for its large server network and strong torrenting support.
Is TorGuard really privacy-friendly? How does TorGuard perform in other areas, such as streaming?
We tested TorGuard’s VPN service across a number of categories to find out its strengths and weaknesses.
TorGuard’s best features include robust security, a built-in adblocker, P2P support, a strict no-log...
Excellent ServiceLove this VPN, I only use the iOS app and it's the fastest I have ever used - the options available in the desktop app are very nice compared to other simplistic plastic-looking apps, looks are not everything on a VPN.
Latest negative user review
James
2.0
It is absolutely abominable!!!First of all, recently the speeds of all servers are noticeably slow, giving me 8 Mbps download speed, which is horrendous.
Secondly, sometimes I have to try to log on 3 or 4 times before I'm logged on.
As for the Norway server, I haven't been able to log on for the last 3 days. There is no notice regarding the issue from them as usual.
Thirdly, their customer service is abominable. Without notice, they deleted one server, the only server available for that particular country, and when I asked when they would reinstate it, they said, the server has closed down but they think it will replace with a new one in no time. It took them almost a month to come up with a replacement! And they're not courteous in any respect, either!
Once my yearly subscription is over, I'm getting the hell out!!!
It’s not often that a VPN has cheap prices coupled with an excellent set of features. Yet, when my team and I looked at what NordVPN has to offer, this is exactly what we found. It offers a huge global network of servers, unblocks hundreds of streaming platforms, and has iron-clad security and privacy features — and you can get it all for just $3.30/month. I had to wonder what the catch was.
...
TorGuard is best known for its large server network and strong torrenting support.
Is TorGuard really privacy-friendly? How does TorGuard perform in other areas, such as streaming?
We tested TorGuard’s VPN service across a number of categories to find out its strengths and weaknesses.
TorGuard’s best features include robust security, a built-in adblocker, P2P support, a strict no-log...
For NordVPN-Android – NordVPN cannotThere is no Caveat Emptor here, nothing like that at all. Nothing to worry about because NordVPN has a top-notch of KillSwitch. It has never faltered in my case. Some instances that NordVPN connection is lost for like 10 seconds while I'm "incognito" in a streaming site, I immediately check with the site with regards to my interrupted connection and my real location did not register ;-) This happened a handful of times in fact. NordVPN will not leave you out in the cold so to speak ;-)
Just that since this is a review, it must be noted since features are being enumerated that Split Tunneling and KillSwitch cannot be enabled at the same time. It's either you use one or the other.
KillSwitch is not possible if you need to exclude an app from using VPN which means to Split Tunneling. Crypto wallet apps and apps that refuse to use VPN tunnel are such examples.
"Block Connections Without VPN" being 1 of 2 conditions that must be met to be able to utilize KillSwitch, and KillSwitch will not work if Split Tunneling is enabled. Ergo,
- It's either All apps are Blocked without VPN or No Apps are Blocked at all.
I thought pausing the VPN from its Notification will take care of this but in all my Android devices that have NordVPN the pausing from the notification does not work which makes me wonder if pausing/disconnecting from notification is a feature that works in Android.
James
10.0
Excellent ServiceLove this VPN, I only use the iOS app and it's the fastest I have ever used - the options available in the desktop app are very nice compared to other simplistic plastic-looking apps, looks are not everything on a VPN.
Latest negative user review
Anonymously
2.0
Skip it.Skip Nord! They make you disable the kill switch to log in. Which was not always the case. So you have to be careful every time you log in. You do not want to have a leak just because you forgot the kill switch was off.
James
2.0
It is absolutely abominable!!!First of all, recently the speeds of all servers are noticeably slow, giving me 8 Mbps download speed, which is horrendous.
Secondly, sometimes I have to try to log on 3 or 4 times before I'm logged on.
As for the Norway server, I haven't been able to log on for the last 3 days. There is no notice regarding the issue from them as usual.
Thirdly, their customer service is abominable. Without notice, they deleted one server, the only server available for that particular country, and when I asked when they would reinstate it, they said, the server has closed down but they think it will replace with a new one in no time. It took them almost a month to come up with a replacement! And they're not courteous in any respect, either!
Once my yearly subscription is over, I'm getting the hell out!!!
Even though NordVPN and TorGuard both offer impressive services, NordVPN goes further to protect your online privacy, with the industry’s most advanced security features included standard with all subscriptions. NordVPN also delivers more stable and faster connection speeds, suitable for all kinds of online activities.
Even though NordVPN and TorGuard both offer impressive services, NordVPN goes further to protect your online privacy, with the industry’s most advanced security features included standard with all subscriptions. NordVPN also delivers more stable and faster connection speeds, suitable for all kinds of online activities.
True to its name, TorGuard welcomes torrenting on all its servers and is compatible with most torrent apps. However, its download speeds fall in the average range for premium VPNs, and below average in some locations. Even though NordVPN supports torrenting on specific servers only, its bigger network of over 5,000 servers includes many P2P-optimized units that deliver higher connection speeds.
True to its name, TorGuard welcomes torrenting on all its servers and is compatible with most torrent apps. However, its download speeds fall in the average range for premium VPNs, and below average in some locations. Even though NordVPN supports torrenting on specific servers only, its bigger network of over 5,000 servers includes many P2P-optimized units that deliver higher connection speeds.
Both NordVPN and TorGuard have dedicated apps for Windows, with attractive features such as a kill switch, leak protection, and support for multiple security protocols. Both apps have a clean interface, but NordVPN offers a sleeker and a more user-friendly client, with a bigger list of servers to choose from.
Both NordVPN and TorGuard have dedicated apps for Windows, with attractive features such as a kill switch, leak protection, and support for multiple security protocols. Both apps have a clean interface, but NordVPN offers a sleeker and a more user-friendly client, with a bigger list of servers to choose from.
NordVPN and TorGuard provide native clients for Android with similar features, including support for multiple protocols and public wi-fi protection. Unfortunately, both apps lack a kill switch. However, NordVPN for Android includes the provider’s unique CyberSec suite. By protecting you from malware and annoying ads, the feature make your mobile browsing smoother and safer.
NordVPN and TorGuard provide native clients for Android with similar features, including support for multiple protocols and public wi-fi protection. Unfortunately, both apps lack a kill switch. However, NordVPN for Android includes the provider’s unique CyberSec suite. By protecting you from malware and annoying ads, the feature make your mobile browsing smoother and safer.
Both providers offer dedicated MacOS apps with a kill switch and leak protection. TorGuard’s Mac software client supports multiple protocols and gives you full control over which level of security you use. There’s a downside, however: the stronger the encryption, the slower your connection will be. NordVPN’s app for Mac better balances security and speed. The app comes in two separate versions, with each featuring one of the two most secure protocols (OpenVPN and IKEv2).
Both providers offer dedicated MacOS apps with a kill switch and leak protection. TorGuard’s Mac software client supports multiple protocols and gives you full control over which level of security you use. There’s a downside, however: the stronger the encryption, the slower your connection will be. NordVPN’s app for Mac better balances security and speed. The app comes in two separate versions, with each featuring one of the two most secure protocols (OpenVPN and IKEv2).
While both NordVPN and TorGuard offer elegant apps for iOS devices, NordVPN leads in this category for several reasons. Unlike TorGuard, which uses only the IPSec protocol, NordVPN for iOS supports both IPSec and the much more secure IKEv2. In addition, NordVPN’s app has a built-in kill switch, which can’t be found in TorGuard’s iOS client.
While both NordVPN and TorGuard offer elegant apps for iOS devices, NordVPN leads in this category for several reasons. Unlike TorGuard, which uses only the IPSec protocol, NordVPN for iOS supports both IPSec and the much more secure IKEv2. In addition, NordVPN’s app has a built-in kill switch, which can’t be found in TorGuard’s iOS client.
TorGuard has a relatively large network of US servers. However, in order to access restricted US streaming sites like Netflix with TorGuard, you will need to acquire a dedicated US IP at an extra cost. Even then, sufficient speed for smooth streaming is not guaranteed. Meanwhile, NordVPN boasts one of the largest US server networks in the industry – over 1,900 units and counting. The built-in SmartPlay feature makes connecting to servers optimized for streaming US content one-click simple, and there are no hidden extra fees.
TorGuard has a relatively large network of US servers. However, in order to access restricted US streaming sites like Netflix with TorGuard, you will need to acquire a dedicated US IP at an extra cost. Even then, sufficient speed for smooth streaming is not guaranteed. Meanwhile, NordVPN boasts one of the largest US server networks in the industry – over 1,900 units and counting. The built-in SmartPlay feature makes connecting to servers optimized for streaming US content one-click simple, and there are no hidden extra fees.
TorGuard is a solid service with many impressive features, but with its reliability and range of capabilities, NordVPN powers ahead to win this race convincingly. If you want to stream your favorite content from anywhere at high speeds without restrictions, interruptions, or the hassles of extra fees, NordVPN is the clear choice. What impresses us most about NordVPN is that you get such great streaming while experiencing a more secure and privacy-friendly service than almost any other VPN can provide. Nevertheless, if you don’t mind a US-based provider with some speed lags and streaming limitations, you will be pleased with TorGuard’s overall performance for its price.
