NordVPN vs. Norton Secure VPN

When it comes to cybersecurity, two types of software usually come to mind: antivirus and VPNs. The line has blurred between the two software industries. These days, we see antivirus brands offer VPNs, such as Norton. On the other side of the fence, we see VPNs offer malware-blocking features, like NordVPN. Today, though, we’ll focus on comparing the VPNs of both companies: Norton Secure VPN and NordVPN. Which comes out on top?

Why You Should Choose NordVPN

The truth is that NordVPN will probably work better for most people. Don’t get us wrong; Norton Secure VPN is a solid VPN that is in our top 10 list of the best VPNs overall, but on that same list, NordVPN is the name you’ll find at the top. Keep in mind we have a methodology in place to grade each VPN. NordVPN scored a 9.7 out of 10. There were things we didn’t like about NordVPN, of course, like its simultaneous connections that are limited to six devices and its pricier monthly plans. Overall though, here are the things we noted about NordVPN that led to its high ratings.

• Based in a non-member country: NordVPN is based in Panama, a non-member country to the surveillance alliances Five Eyes, Nine Eyes, and 14 Eyes. That means that our information won’t be shared with any government. Norton Secure VPN, on the other hand, is based in the U.S, a founding Five Eyes member. That means that they could be forced to hand the government our personal information, which we’d prefer they not.
• No logging of IP addresses: NordVPN has a super-strict logging policy. They didn’t keep track of our IP addresses or anything we did online, for that matter. On the other hand, Norton Secure VPN logged a ton of our information, such as IP addresses and location (both anonymized). For that reason, we prefer NordVPN’s logging policy.

• More servers in more places: Norton Secure VPN has a healthy number of servers, over 1,500 in 31 different regions. NordVPN, though, has a whopping 6,000 servers in twice as many countries.
• Kill switch on all devices: While Norton Secure VPN only had a kill switch on its Android app, all of NordVPN’s apps came with a kill switch. This meant that if the VPN disconnected, our web browsers and apps would have shut down with it to protect our data. Learn more in our NordVPN review or our Norton Secure VPN review.
• Torrenting access: When we needed a VPN for torrenting, we had only NordVPN as an option, as Norton isn’t compatible.
• More Netflix access: Sure, Netflix worked on some of Norton’s servers, but it wasn’t consistent. So when it was time to watch that final episode of The Office that we’ve been dreading, we chose NordVPN instead, as Netflix works more consistently on its over 6,000 servers. In fact, NordVPN is one of the best VPNs for Netflix in general.
• Faster on Macs: NordVPN only increased the latency on our Macbook Pro by 10 percent, which is relatively minimal considering that the industry average is over 30 percent. In contrast, Norton increased our latency by over 200 percent, so NordVPN is not only a better VPN for Mac but also a better VPN for gamers on Macs.

• Compatible with Linux, Proxy, routers, and NAS: Norton Secure is pretty limited in terms of device compatibility, only working on Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. NordVPN adds compatibility for proxy servers, another way to change your IP address, routers, NAS, and Linux.

• Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox: Some people may prefer to use a browser extension rather than an app, and if that’s the case, NordVPN is a better VPN for Chrome and Firefox, with a browser extension for each browser.
• More affordable for two years: Although Norton comes out cheaper in its one month or one-year packages, NordVPN’s pricing really becomes affordable at the two-year commitment level. It costs only $81.36, which breaks down to $3.39 a month. And that’s for six devices, mind you!
• Better iOS app: Let us be clear that the Norton Secure VPN & Proxy VPN iOS app isn’t bad at all, according to both our testing and its 4.1 rating. But at 4.6 out of five stars, the NordVPN iOS app takes the cake.

Why You Should Choose Norton Secure VPN

Now, here’s where comparing VPNs can be tricky. Even though one option is objectively better than the other, in this case, NordVPN is better than Norton Secure, the less good option might be a better choice for you because of what it offers. So make sure to read these Norton Secure VPN upsides to see what it can best offer you. And if you like it, go for it! Again, it’s still a top-tier VPN, so it’s not a bad choice – not by a long shot.

• Faster on Windows: Need a VPN for Windows? When we ran both NordVPN and Norton Secure VPN on our Acer Aspire 5, Norton won by a long shot, although neither VPN performed well. While NordVPN had 3,100 percent more latency, Norton only had 1,075 percent more; hey, it’s not ideal, but beggars can’t be choosers.

• Coverage for up to 10 devices: Although the prices for the Norton VPN differed based on the number of devices we could connect (while that number remained at six for all of NordVPN’s plans), we liked that we had the option to connect up to 10 devices. That makes Norton a better VPN for business, especially if you combine it with Norton’s antivirus software.
• More affordable for one month or one year: Having name recognition comes with a price. Unlike Norton, NordVPN is one of the major companies increasing the VPN market overall, according to the numbers from Big Market Research.1 Unfortunately, that name recognition comes with higher prices than most (and the same is true for NordVPN’s biggest competitor, ExpressVPN). While we could get away with paying only $9.99 a month with Norton for up to 10 devices, with Nord, that costs $12.99 to cover four devices fewer. Unless you want to make a two-year commitment, Norton is cheaper than NordVPN.

• Support through Facebook, Twitter and phone: Unlike NordVPN, which only offers an online help center, live chat and 24/7 email, Norton let us contact their support team over the phone or even through Facebook or X (formerly Twitter). We’re always on social media anyway, so getting help from Norton was super convenient for us, personally.
• Longer money-back guarantee: We had 30 days to return NordVPN for a full refund, which is pretty typical of VPN companies. But Norton took that several steps further, doubling our money-back guarantee to a full 60 days. This was for the annual plans, though. The monthly plans offer only 14 days, which is still pretty lengthy. No rush testing the limits of your VPN.

Commonalities

Of course, there were some things that were similar between NordVPN and Norton Secure VPN, but to be honest, this list is the shortest of them all.

• No DNS or WebRTC leaks: If you’ve ever read our VPN guide, then you probably already know the importance of checking for DNS and WebRTC leaks. While DNS leaks would mean that our Internet Service Provider (ISP) could see our web activities, WebRTC leaks would mean that they could see our private IP address. Using tools from ExpressVPN and DNSLeakTest.com, we put NordVPN and Norton VPN head to head. However, there were no leaks to speak of with either VPN, so it ended up being a toss-up.
• Encryption: Both NordVPN and Norton Secure VPN use AES-256, military-grade encryption.
• Apps for Windows, Android, macOS and iOS: These are the basic operating systems that we expect every VPN to be compatible with, so it wasn’t a big shock that Nord and Norton checked this box.
• Good Android apps: Both the NordVPN and the Norton Secure VPN— Security & Privacy WiFi Proxy Android apps had ratings of 4.2 in the Google Play store. Personally, we agreed with this consensus, as the apps worked without a hitch.

Recap

It’s no big surprise that we recommend NordVPN over Norton Secure VPN overall. It’s just simply better in terms of its privacy jurisdiction, logging policy, speeds on Mac, and other factors. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all VPN equivalent, so we’ve broken it down even further below.

To compare other VPNs, read our VPN compare page. We test out each and every one of the VPNs on that list, so you’re sure to find one you like.