NordVPN Review - is this The #1 VPN for India in 2023?


  • Military-grade security
  • More 5000 servers
  • No-log policy
  • More 5000 servers

Starts at $3.71

per month

NordVPN is a "Virtual Private Network" service provider. It protects your privacy and provides a secure internet connection.

Using NordVPN , You could browse anonymously, encrypt your network, avoid network throttling and easily unblocks the Geoblocked content.

NordVPN has many servers across the globe. It uses military-grade security and has a no-logs privacy policy.

If you have read our top 5 VPN recommendations list, you know it for the fact that NordVPN is our no. 1 choice. Also, you probably have some idea of why it is so.

If you haven’t, no worries! In this comprehensive review, we will discuss all the facts & figures as well as share our subjective opinion on why we think NordVPN is the best VPN for India.

Overview

Features

10/10

Ease of use

10/10

Speed

10/10

Locations

5016 servers, 59 countries

Saved Logs

No-log policy

Encryption

256-bit AES/OpenVPN or IPSec & IKEv2

Support

Live chat, Phone, Knowledgebase. 9/10.

Geo-restricted content

Unblocks Netflix, Hulu, ESPN, etc.

Torrenting/P2P

Allowed

Company Information

As stated on the official website, NordVPN was started by four childhood friends. All of them spent a considerable amount of their adulthood in different parts of the world. This includes places where there was content control, government intruding privacy, content control, and overall administration on what one does and can do.


Removing that “administration” and liberating the internet was the primary goal with NordVPN. And they have achieved it (for their users)! 


Today, with its zero-logs policy, NordVPN offers total privacy; with its server infrastructure spread across the globe, content control is out of the question; and because it’s headquartered in Panama ⁠— a country with one of the best privacy laws ⁠—  there’s no government intrusion.


Apart from these things, there’s a lot more to NordVPN that makes it perhaps the best VPN choice in the commercial market. Let’s check those out!

NordVPN Review

Things that make NordVPN the best


1. Features


Among the quality VPNs we have tested, NordVPN is the features-king. 


With all the fundamental features such as top-notch encryption, a no-logs policy, a kill switch, DNS & IP leak protection, unlimited bandwidth, unblocking geographically-confined content, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, it has it’s base strong. 


On top of that, NordVPN also offers may valuable features, including Double VPN, CyberSec, Onion over VPN, and dedicated IP.


Let’s check out how all these features makes your experience better.


- Kill Switch


The functionality of a kill switch is to disconnect the device from the internet as soon as (and if) the VPN gets disconnected automatically. 


NordVPN has two variants of kill switch:

  1. 1
    System-wide kill switch: This is the standard skill switch that comes with most VPNs. It disconnects your device from the internet in case your VPN stops working.
  2. 2
    Apps-only kill switch: As the name suggests, in here, you pre-define a selected number of apps to be disconnected. E.g., If your torrenting app is on the list and YouTube isn’t, torrenting will stop, and YouTube will work flawlessly.

- CyberSec


This is a NordVPN-specific feature to add another security layer for the best online experience. CyberSec is developed to block sites known for hosting malware and/or phishing scam. 


- Double VPN


You can call it a VPN for a VPN. Essentially, it routes your traffic through two servers of their network. Meaning, double the encryption, double the privacy. 


- DNS & IP leak protection


A DNS’s function is to convert a domain name into IP address, and vice versa. E.g., When you enter “forrst.me”, the query is sent to a DNS server, which resolves it to an IP address. 


Ideally, when connected to a VPN, your DNS queries should go through an encrypted VPN tunnel. 


However, with some VPNs, there’s a security flaw, and the DNS query goes to the default DNS server owned by ISP. You can check such flaws using tools like DNSleaktest.com. In our tests, NordVPN was DNS leak-proof.


Similar is the case with IP leakage. When you are connected to NordVPN, your IP is hidden, your location is unknown, and your usage is fully encrypted and private.


- Up to 6 concurrent devices


The heading says it all. You can use the same NordVPN account on up to six devices simultaneously.


- Onion over VPN


Onion routing is a technique of anonymous communication over the computer network. Essentially, your messages go through numerous encryptions and nodes before reaching the receiver. 


With NordVPN’s Onion over VPN, firstly, Nord will hide your IP and encrypt your traffic and then leave the message to the random entrance in the Onion network.  


To keep it short, NordVPN will keep your traffic/message secure, and Onion will give you anonymity.


- Dedicated IP


NordVPN also offers dedicated IP. Meaning, everything you do on the internet will be from that particular IP (which isn’t your device’s). 


Two of the common benefits of using a dedicated IP includes:

  • Your bank won’t block your requests because you are constantly switching your IP/country.
  • With shared IP, you might suffer from “bad neighbor effect”. E.g., If the shared IP is continuously used to surf on Google by other users, Google will ask to solve captchas whenever you try to use it.

However, with dedicated IP, you can only surf from two devices simultaneously. Plus, it’s relatively easy to track a dedicated IP. So, choose according to need.


- SmartPlay


This feature keeps you private and secure while you are stream videos, play games, or access geo-blocked content.


All in all, NordVPN has numerous features that will make your internet-life better. It’s the features-king, in our opinion!


2. Easy to use


NordVPN is the most used commercial VPN in the business. So, it’s obvious they know a thing or two about customer experience.


NordVPN’s UI/UX is top-notch. By that, we mean anyone ⁠— ranging from a tech-savvy person to a complete newbie who can just read ⁠— can easily use it.


Sign up process


It’s straightforward.

  1. 1
    Visit nordvpn.com
  2. 2
    Click Get NordVPN
  3. 3
    Select a plan of your choice ⁠— the longer, the better.
  4. 4
    Add your email
  5. 5
    Choose a payment method, and pay ⁠— you can use CCs, GPay, Paypal, and even cryptocurrencies.

That’s it.


Apps for devices


NordVPN has apps for almost all major devices. It has extensions for browsers like Chrome & Firefox. Other than that, it has dedicated apps for devices running on Windows, iOS, macOS, Android, and even Amazon Firestick.


That covers pretty much every device in the world.


Just install the app and log in.


Using the VPN


As soon as you open the VPN, you have an option to Quick Connect. It will connect you to the fastest and least congested server.


However, if you want to manually connect to a server, say for surpassing geo-blocks, it’s also right there. On desktop apps, on the left side, there is a list of all the servers NordVPN has. On the right side, there’s a world map with all the servers marked ⁠— you can click on any pinned-location and connect to that server. For mobile apps, it’s the same ⁠— just the experience is more vertical.


Moreover, to change settings or access the features we discussed above, you can go to “Settings” and navigate. There, you can choose to auto-connect, switch on/off CyberSec, set kill switch, choose to use TCP only, etc.


Overall, the A-Z experience on NordVPN is smooth. It’s one of the easiest to use VPNs in the market!

3. Servers & Speed


Servers


One of the primary reasons why NordVPN tops our list of being the best VPN for India is its number of server choices.


As a user, you can choose from more than 5000 servers across 59 countries. There are quite a few benefits of having so many options:

  • You can unblock content available in all the 59 countries.
  • The more the servers, the lesser the congestion per server. So, you will have enough bandwidth to do whatever you want without bottlenecking your experience.
  • It becomes even harder to track if you choose a server at random.

Speed

NordVPN Speed


We also tested NordVPN’s servers for its effects on speed after connecting.

Average Upload speed reduction

~ 15%

Average Download speed reduction

~ 20%

Average Ping

~ 100 ms

We picked a few random servers and averaged the speed and ping difference. And honestly, we weren’t disappointed.


On our 100 Mbps plan, the average download speed we received after connecting to NordVPN was approx. 80 Mbps and the upload speed averaged at about 85 Mbps. The average ping was 100 ms.


Meaning, you won’t have any difficulties while streaming/downloading. Also, unless you play professionally, online gaming with NordVPN is entirely possible.  


In a nutshell, NordVPN’s server choices and quality of maintained speed make it a top choice.


4. Security & Privacy

NordVPN Security & Privacy


Security


There is no securer VPN option out there than NordVPN.


NordVPN uses the AES 256-bit encryption algorithm to protect your data. This is the best in the market, military-grade encryption technique. It’s practically impossible to view that data. In addition to that, it uses a 2048-bit DH key, SHA2-384 authentication, and perfect forward secrecy.


All combined, it encrypts/decrypts, creates a key, and authenticates the data sent and received. The key here changes every time you connect to NordVPN ⁠— meaning, your previous activity is gone; you are a completely new user on the internet when you reconnect to the VPN.


That was all about encryption. The security protocols NordVPN follows are also the best. It uses OpenVPN and IKEv2/IP Sec ⁠— two of the securest out there!  


Privacy


NordVPN has a strict zero-logs policy. They don’t track, collect, or share your data ⁠— as simple as that. Apart from your email, password, and payment details, they don’t save anything!


All things considered, secure browsing and privacy are NordVPN’s priorities, like they are yours. 


5. Torrenting/P2P


Many countries have strict laws against torrenting and have blocked torrent sites to fight piracy. 


Torrenting or P2P is a way to transfer data without the need for a central server. It’s just a technology, which isn’t illegal per se. However, people generally use to download movies, TV shows, music, software, etc. without the creator/owner’s approval. Now, that’s illegal. And that’s the reason why some countries like India have banned torrent sites.


Still, there are many countries where torrenting works perfectly fine. With VPN, one can switch to one of those countries’ servers and use torrent.


Apart from that, you are a criminal when you use such sites to download illegal content. Thus, the government/police can track you and fine you/arrest you. A VPN like NordVPN can save you from such happenings because of its security & privacy laws.


NordVPN has hundreds of P2P-specific servers. There’s no throttling in these servers while torrenting, so you can download/upload consistently at high speeds. Plus, strong encryption & no logs policy prevent you from legal liability. Also, the app-only kill switch feature of NordVPN can be extremely useful in a torrenting scenario.


So, collectively, NordVPN is a fantastic choice for torrenting or P2P data transfer.

6. Geo-blocked unblocking


Because of its extensive network of servers and the ability to evolve along with algorithmic changes by top streaming players like Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu, NordVPN has always been successful in unblocking geo-blocked content.


NordVPN has its servers optimized for streaming geo-blocked content. a) In our experience, we were consistently streaming at UHD quality b) Almost all servers of NordVPN unblocks the content of that specific region. 


E.g., Want to watch Avengers: Infinity War, a movie available on Netflix US and not India? No problem - connect to a US-based NordVPN server and enjoy!


Similarly, NordVPN works with Hulu, Disney+, Hotstar, BBC iPlayer, ESPN, and more.


In short, NordVPN can bypass geographic limitations.

7. Customer support

NordVPN’s support team is incredible ⁠— extremely polite & helpful, knowledgeable, and timely.


NordVPN offers 24/7 live chat & email support. Apart from that, it also has a thorough knowledge base and video tutorials ⁠— we found most of our answers here.


In our experience with 24/7 live chat, the support agent connected almost instantly, gave all the right answers, and was professional in his behavior. 


So, if you are technically-illiterate and want some answers, you know where to go!

8. Pricing

This is the best part about NordVPN ⁠— the sheer value for money!

NordVPN's pricing

You can buy a 2-year plan or a 3-year plan at a mere $3.49/month. This plan allows concurrent connections for six devices.


The value you get for the cost with NordVPN is better than the value you would with any other VPN. This is a statement we stand by! Cyberghost (Link to review) comes a close second.


If we had to choose the only reason why NordVPN is the #1 VPN for India, this would be it.

NordVPN Cons


Usually, when we do VPN reviews or Hosting reviews, we have a few things to add in here. However, with NordVPN, there’s nothing substantial we can add. 


The only point we can think of is there’s no split tunneling option for NordVPN’s PC app; though there is split tunneling for Android and iOS. Maybe, if that’s important to you, you shouldn’t purchase NordVPN and go with ExpressVPN instead. 


Otherwise, NordVPN is the ultimate solid option!


Conclusion - Do we recommend NordVPN?

We can recommend it with our eyes closed!

NordVPN, without a doubt, is the best VPN at the price point. Let’s summarize the reasons:

nordvpn logo

Extraordinário

  • It has all the essential features and more. E.g., Kill switch, CyberSec, Double VPN, Onion over VPN, and more.
  • Using it is pretty straightforward.
  • The 5000+ servers across 59 countries it has puts it among the best in that sense.
  • It has perhaps the best security and privacy policies.
  • P2P sharing is allowed. No problem there.
  • You can easily stream geo-blocked content on Netflix, Hulu, ESPN, and more.
  • Customer support is A+
  • And, overall, it’s worth every penny for the initial pricing it offers.

So, want to buy a VPN? Just click this link , and call it a day!

Starts at  $3.71 per month

nordvpn logo

Starts at
$3.71

/ month

• More 5000 servers

• Military-grade security

• More 5000 servers