Proton VPN vs NordVPN: Features, Usability, Pricing, VPN Servers & Security Compared in 2024

Based on our rigorous testing, NordVPN is better than Proton VPN. Both providers offer solid security and privacy, but NordVPN is better for streaming HD and 4K videos thanks to its faster download speeds and excellent unblocking ability. NordVPN also offers more server locations and cheaper long-term plans. That said, Proton VPN is ideal for freebie lovers and torrenting. 

You can install Proton VPN and NordVPN on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS (iPhone and iPad). Both VPN services also offer browser extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. However, NordVPN has a slight advantage because it also has an extension for Microsoft Edge. 

If you intend to use a VPN on a smart TV, these providers have you covered. Proton VPN has a native app for Android TV, while NordVPN works seamlessly on Android TV, Fire Stick and tvOS. If you want to protect old smart TVs, gaming consoles and other devices at home, we recommend installing either VPN on a router. 

Both providers have a large world map on the home user interface (UI) that lets you click and connect to your go-to server location. NordVPN’s UI is clean and clutter-free thanks to its well-organized design. 

On the other hand, Proton VPN’s UI looks complicated at first glance because it crams in a lot of need-to-know details and several useful features. However, the design allows users to tinker with key features directly on the home UI, such as the kill switch and NetShield. 

Despite the contrasting interface designs, both providers offer the features we have come to expect of the best beginner-friendly VPNs. For example, server search functionality and descriptions of how various features work help users easily navigate mobile and desktop apps. 

Both Proton VPN and NordVPN offer dedicated IP servers, but they are aimed at slightly different users. Proton VPN’s dedicated IP addresses are geared toward businesses and are available in three countries: the United States, the Netherlands and Germany.

On the other hand, NordVPN’s dedicated IPs are available to regular users and are located in 18 countries:

• 🇺🇸 United States
• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands
• 🇨🇦 Canada
• 🇫🇷 France
• 🇩🇪 Germany
• 🇯🇵 Japan
• 🇮🇹 Italy
• 🇸🇪 Sweden
• 🇦🇺 Australia
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland
• 🇭🇰 Hong Kong
• 🇪🇸 Spain
• 🇧🇪 Belgium
• 🇵🇱 Poland
• 🇵🇹 Portugal
• 🇿🇦 South Africa
• 🇩🇰 Denmark

A dedicated IP address is exclusively yours, meaning you don’t share it with other VPN users. This makes it ideal for accessing IP-sensitive online services like banking and for sidestepping the bad-neighbor effect, where online services block shared IPs due to other users’ misdeeds. It’s also helpful for avoiding frequent CAPTCHA verification requests. 

Unfortunately, NordVPN and Proton VPN link your dedicated IP address to your email. This makes it easier for surveillance or government agencies to trace online activity back to you. If anonymity is your top priority, get a dedicated IP from a provider that uses a token-based system, like Private Internet Access, or stick to shared IP addresses. 

NordVPN and Proton VPN offer clusters of specialty servers that are optimized to perform specific functions. These are some of the specialty servers you get with each provider:

• Multi-hop VPN servers: Multi-hop servers route your traffic through multiple servers for an extra layer of protection. Proton VPN’s multi-hop servers, called Secure Core servers, are located in three privacy-friendly countries: Switzerland, Sweden and Iceland. On the other hand, NordVPN offers double VPN servers in nine countries. 
• Peer-to-peer (P2P) servers: P2P servers are optimized to deliver secure and fast performance for torrenting or large file sharing. Proton VPN has P2P servers in 85 countries, whereas NordVPN has P2P servers in 107 countries.
• Tor Over VPN servers: Tor Over VPN or Onion Over VPN servers route traffic through a VPN tunnel before accessing the Tor network for extra security and anonymity — ideal for whistleblowers, journalists and activists. Proton VPN has Tor Over VPN servers in seven countries. NordVPN has Onion Over VPN servers in Switzerland and the Netherlands.
• Obfuscated servers: NordVPN has obfuscated servers in 16 countries, but Proton VPN doesn’t support obfuscation. Obfuscated servers scramble the VPN metadata from your VPN traffic, making it look like regular web traffic. This helps you use a VPN in countries where VPN services are banned and access online services that block VPN users. 

Proton VPN and NordVPN only offer the industry-standard 30-day money-back guarantee for your initial purchase. Keep in mind that you can only request a refund once, and some purchases aren’t covered under the 30-day money-back guarantee.

For example, Proton VPN doesn’t offer refunds for bank transfers or cash payments. On the other hand, NordVPN doesn’t issue refunds for purchases made in the Amazon app store or Apple app store. 

Regarding privacy, our experts looked at each provider through three lenses: logging practices, headquarters and third-party audits. Based on our experts’ analysis, Proton VPN and NordVPN are trustworthy providers. 

Both providers collect some information when you sign up, mainly your payment information and email address. However, they both have strict no-logs policies, which claim they don’t collect or store user IP addresses, browsing activity, connection logs or connection timestamps.

Third-party audits confirmed that both providers adhere to their no-logs policies. Proton VPN was audited in 2023 by Securitum, and Deloitte Audit Lithuania audited NordVPN the same year. The audit results confirmed that the providers’ systems and infrastructure don’t withhold user data accidentally or intentionally. 

Bear in mind that NordVPN keeps IP logs temporarily to detect and prevent service abuse and fraud. The provider may permanently retain a user IP address if that user engages in activity that breaches ProtonVPN’s terms and conditions. 

NordVPN is based in Panama, and Proton VPN is based in Switzerland. These countries don’t have mandatory data retention laws, so it’s easier for Proton and Nord to adhere to no-logs policies. 

NordVPN and Proton VPN support 10 simultaneous connections, which is good enough for most households. However, users of Proton VPN’s free version only get one device connection. If you need to protect more than 10 devices, install the VPN service on your router. The router only counts as one simultaneous connection but protects all connected devices. 

Split tunneling comes in handy when you want to use specific apps, websites or IP addresses via the VPN tunnel while using others without VPN protection. For example, you can route a torrent client through the VPN tunnel and let online banking services access the internet directly.

Proton VPN supports app- and IP-based split tunneling on Windows and Android. NordVPN offers app-based split tunneling on Windows, Android and Android TV. In addition, NordVPN supports URL-based split tunneling on Chrome and Firefox browser extensions. 

NordVPN offers more than 6,000 servers in 111 countries, compared to Proton VPN’s more than 4,500 servers in 91 countries. Proton VPN’s saving grace is that its free version offers access to servers in five countries: the Netherlands, Romania, Japan, Poland and the U.S. 

However, free users can’t choose which country they connect to; Proton VPN connects them randomly to one of the five servers — usually the geographically closest free server. 

Besides having a better server network, NordVPN beats Proton VPN in this category because it uses RAM-only servers. This means that NordVPN servers wipe all data with every reboot. In addition, NordVPN runs all servers through a secure central infrastructure, and nothing is stored locally. 

If government authorities or hackers were to seize a NordVPN server, they would find no data or configuration files. This boosts user privacy, especially in restrictive regimes. Proton VPN combats the risk of server seizure with its Secure Core servers, which Proton owns and runs. 

Speed is of the essence if you intend to stream, play games online, download torrents or make video calls. VPNs slow down your connection due to encryption, but the impact is barely noticeable with the fastest VPNs, like NordVPN. 

NordVPN reached over 90% of our unprotected download speeds, making it ideal for HD streaming and downloading large files. Proton VPN delivered admirably fast download speeds on the closest servers, but the speeds dipped on long-distance connections. 

If you want to upload and share content online, use NordVPN, which reached over 90% of our unprotected upload speeds. Proton VPN reached 83% of our unprotected upload speeds, which is fast, but there were rampant inconsistencies. 

Proton VPN was tested on a different environment from NordVPN, which we run automated speed tests for.

Regarding latency, which measures the delay between data packet transfers, NordVPN has the upper hand. The provider averaged a latency of less than 150 ms, whereas Proton VPN’s latency hovered around 300 ms or more. Videos and gameplay will load faster with NordVPN than with Proton VPN. 

Though both providers are affordable, NordVPN offers greater value for your money because it delivers better performance on the key fronts. 

Another key difference is that Proton VPN has a free version; NordVPN doesn’t. You get unlimited data with the free version, but you can only access servers in five countries. In addition, connection speeds dip during peak hours due to the free servers being overloaded. On the other hand, NordVPN only offers a seven-day free trial on Android. 

NordVPN’s bundled pricing model has three main tiers. The bottom tier (Basic) offers the standard VPN features. The other two tiers — Plus and Ultimate — bundle standard VPN features with cloud storage and advanced cybersecurity tools, like a password manager, a data breach scanner and malware protection. Here’s NordVPN’s pricing at a glance:

On the other hand, Proton VPN offers two pricing tiers. Proton Plus gives you access to all VPN features and free versions of other Proton products: Proton Mail, Proton Drive and Proton Pass (an open-source password manager). Proton Unlimited gives you access to all the premium features of the products in the Proton ecosystem. Here’s Proton VPN’s pricing breakdown: 

Proton VPN and NordVPN deliver top-notch security; you can’t go wrong with either. However, the providers differ in terms of the security features they support. Let’s dive into the details:

Protocols and Encryptions 

Proton VPN and NordVPN support secure protocols and encryption ciphers. Proton VPN supports OpenVPN, WireGuard, Stealth and IKEv2 protocols, whereas NordVPN supports NordLynx and OpenVPN. NordVPN’s NordLynx protocol is a version of WireGuard. 

NordVPN used to support IKEv2 on its apps, but the option is no longer available. However, you can install NordVPN’s IKEv2 manually. 

OpenVPN and IKEv2 use AES 256-bit encryption to create a virtually unbreachable encrypted tunnel. AES-256 is a robust cipher that’s theoretically more difficult to decipher than other AES versions. NordLynx and WireGuard are lightweight protocols that use ChaCha20 encryption to deliver solid security and faster speeds. The Stealth protocol also uses ChaCha20. 

Kill Switch

Both providers offer an internet kill switch, which disables your internet connection if the VPN connection drops. The kill switch provides always-on protection, ensuring no data leaks occur if the power flickers or the VPN malfunctions.

In addition to the internet kill switch, NordVPN has an app kill switch, which lets you designate apps to quit when the VPN disconnects. Similarly, Proton VPN has an additional kill switch called a permanent kill switch. When activated, the permanent kill switch blocks internet access on your device when the VPN is not connected.

Obfuscation

Obfuscation removes the VPN metadata from your VPN traffic, making it look like regular HTTPS traffic. This enables users in restrictive regimes to use a VPN without being noticed. It also helps bypass geoblocks on websites that usually block VPN users. 

Proton VPN doesn’t support obfuscation. On the other hand, NordVPN offers specialty obfuscated servers in 16 countries. You have to connect to one of these servers to obfuscate your connection.

Extra Security Features

When it comes to extra security features, NordVPN has the better suite. NordVPN’s threat protection thwarts ads and trackers that ad-tech companies use to build your online profile and target you. Threat protection also includes a file protection tool that scans newly downloaded files and removes infected ones to protect your device from malware and virus infections.

The vulnerability detection feature alerts you when it detects a vulnerable app. NordVPN also offers a dark web monitor, which scours dark web marketplaces for data associated with your email address and alerts you if it finds a hit. 

Proton VPN’s suite of extra security features is limited to NetShield, which offers two levels of protection. The first level blocks domains that host spyware, malware and malicious software from loading on your browser. The second level blocks ads and online trackers.

NordVPN and Proton VPN have excellent unblocking abilities. During our testing, the providers accessed all the major streaming platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Max, Disney Plus and BBC iPlayer.

NordVPN loaded videos on streaming services like they were local sessions thanks to its favorable latency. The VPN service also allowed us to watch full HD and 4K videos without lag or buffering thanks to its fast download speeds. 

Proton VPN sometimes took a little while to load videos, which is unsurprising given its high latency. Despite being slower than NordVPN, Proton VPN enabled us to watch full HD videos without interruption. However, users on slow networks may experience video lag and buffering while streaming. 

NordVPN has a remote device access feature called Meshnet. This feature enables you to build a virtual local area network (LAN) of devices in different parts of the world. The devices on the virtual network connect and communicate through an end-to-end encrypted tunnel.

Meshnet allows you to access files and software on your home devices while away. You can also play multiplayer games with friends on the other side of the world. Meshnet enables you to use different devices on the virtual LAN for IP sharing, an ingenious functionality that can help bypass Netflix’s password-sharing restrictions. 

Proton VPN offers port forwarding; NordVPN doesn’t. When you activate port forwarding, the incoming traffic bypasses the network address translation (NAT) firewall. Doing so speeds up your internet connection, allowing you to play online games without interruption. 

The downside is that bypassing the NAT firewall makes you vulnerable to online threats. The open port gives hackers and other malicious actors unrestrained access to your devices. With port scanning, hackers can easily find open ports and sneak into your network without any issues. 

If all you care about is speed, our test results suggest that Proton VPN is the best VPN for torrenting of the two options. We used both providers to download a 264MB torrent file on a 30 Mbps internet connection. To allow each provider to deliver top performance, we activated port forwarding on Proton VPN and used the fastest P2P server on NordVPN. 

Proton VPN downloaded the test torrent file in a record 67 seconds, whereas NordVPN took 132 seconds. Though NordVPN had faster download speeds, port forwarding gave Proton VPN the edge in the torrenting race. That said, port forwarding can be risky when you’re torrenting, especially if you don’t know the source of the upload.

Both providers have extensive knowledgebases that offer helpful troubleshooting guides and setup tutorials. The articles are neatly organized into categories. Proton VPN has more categories than NordVPN, so its knowledgebase is more all-encompassing. The categorization and the search function enable you to find relevant articles quickly. 

You can easily access NordVPN’s live chat on any page by clicking the question-mark bubble button at the bottom right. During our testing, we first interacted with the chatbot before being routed to a human agent.

You must be logged in to a Proton VPN account to access the live chat — sorry, non-subscribers. Accessibility issue aside, Proton VPN agents are highly responsive on the live chat. There’s no bot, so you’ll be connected to a human agent right away. During our interaction, the agents answered our questions in less than a minute. 

In addition to the live chat and knowledgebase, Proton VPN offers support via email, social media and forums (Reddit and GitHub). The only other support channel NordVPN offers is email.