Last Updated on November 11, 2022
The name of both ProtonVPN and NordVPN is found among the list of best VPNs. Although both services are reputable and offer advanced security and privacy features, their services differ, and only one can top the other. It is obvious that their offerings and other aspects are different, and for that sole reason, we will give you a detailed ProtonVPN vs NordVPN comparison. With this ProtonVPN vs NordVPN comparison, you will be sure which VPN is the right one for you.
Here’s a Quick ProtonVPN Vs NordVPN Comparison
| Name | ProtonVPN | NordVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 9.1/10 | 9.8/10 |
| Servers | 3 in free version & 1800+ In premium version | 5000+ |
| Types of Access | Free & Paid | Paid |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days (on all subscription plans) | 30 days (on all subscription plans) |
| Pricing | Starts from $9.99/mo | Starts from $11.99/mo |
| Smart DNS | Yes | Yes |
| Protocols | OpenVPN, IKEv2, & WireGuard | OpenVPN, IPSec/IKEv2, & WireGuard (NordLynx) |
| Connection Speed | 80+ Mbps in the free version & 150+ Mbps in premium version | 300+ Mbps |
| Simultaneous Connection | Zero in the free version & ten in the premium version | Six |
| Bandwidth Limitation | Unlimited | Unlimited |
To start this NordVPN vs ProtonVPN comparison, let’s first take a look at their pros and cons.
ProtonVPN Pros and Cons
| PROS | CONS |
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NordVPN Pros and Cons
| PROS | CONS |
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Proton vs NordVPN: Plans and Pricing
Both ProtonVPN and NordVPN offer budget subscriptions, and the prices get much lower with their longer subscription.
ProtonVPN includes four plans, and one of them is available for free, while the other three are:
- One month: $9.99/mo
- One year: $4.79/mo
- Two years: 3.99/mo
On the other hand, NordVPN also offers three pricing plans but does not offer the VPN for free.
- One month: 11.99/mo
- One year: 4.49/mo
- Two years: 2.99/mo
The pricing of both VPNs is reasonable, and users will get all the advanced features and protocols with any of their plans. However, take note that various limitation applies to the free version of ProtonVPN. To use the VPN to its fullest potential, users will need to make a subscription.
Additionally, NordVPN is much more versatile in payment options than ProtonVPN, as it allows users to purchase the VPN with cryptocurrency.
ProtonVPN vs NordVPN: Which One is More Secure
Both ProtonVPN and NordVPN offer a variety of security features, encrypted servers, and strong protocols, making users’ online information and their devices more secure.
Although both VPNs offer various features and functions for multipurpose uses, their customization and capabilities are far apart, which can significantly impact one’s performance.
Some of the top ProtonVPN and NordVPN features are:
Split Tunneling: This feature allows users to choose which apps should go through the VPN and which should not. Although both VPNs offer this feature, ProtonVPN only provides split tunneling to Windows and Android users. On the other hand, NordVPN offers split tunneling to every compatible device. Furthermore, the customization of split tunneling is also much easier in NordVPN than in ProtonVPN.
Stealth: Both ProtonVPN and NordVPN offer stealth mode to all compatible devices. Both VPNs do an impressive job of fooling censorship and making the user’s URL look like any regular HTTPS URL. However, ProtonVPN proves itself to be the better choice, as it offers this feature with its free version.
Kill Switch: It is one of the most advanced features for security, as it automatically disconnects the device from the internet connection if there is a huge fluctuation. Both VPNs include this feature, and although ProtonVPN offers this feature for free, the capabilities and customization of the kill switch are much better in NordVPN.
High-Grade Encryption: ProtonVPN protects all of the user’s traffic using AES-256 encryption and prevents online leaks and malware invasion. On the other hand, NordVPN uses AES-256 GCM encryption with a 4096-bit DH key, which is much stronger and more reliable than ProtonVPN’s.
No Activity Logs: Neither ProtonVPN nor NordVPN saves any of the user’s online information and does not allow any third-party services to take a peek at the user’s personal information. Both VPNs include strong protocols that prevent online leaks.
Server and Performance
ProtonVPN includes over 1800 high-performance servers and offers three of them to its free version users. All the servers follow AES-256 encryption and offer high and stable connection speeds. Moreover, the speed of ProtonVPN faraway, as well as free servers, are impressive. The servers of ProtonVPN are also good enough for anonymous browsing and unblocking restricted content.
NordVPN has a global server presence and includes over 5000 servers. The connection speed of NordVPN’s servers is some of the fastest in the market. All the servers offer a fast connection speed and secure user’s data on public connections as well as on unsecure sites. The servers are also capable enough to unblock most of the restricted content on the internet without alerting anyone.
All in all, in terms of quantity and quality of servers and performance, NordVPN is better than ProtonVPN.
ProtonVPN vs NordVPN: Which One is Faster?
Connection speed and stability are the most important aspects to keep in mind before purchasing a VPN. Although the speed and stability of both VPNs are impressive, a vast difference between them can also be seen.
The connection speed of ProtonVPN’s close-range server can go above 150Mbps, and a speed loss of around 60% can be seen in its faraway servers. As for ProtonVPN free version, the connection speed touches the maximum of 80Mbps, allowing users to do online activities smoothly.
On the other hand, the connection speed of NordVPN can go above 300Mbps, and a speed loss of only 40% can be seen in its distant servers. Moreover, NordVPN includes WireGuard (NordLynx) protocol which makes the connection speed much faster and more stable. The connection speed of NordVPN is much faster than that of Proton’s and can be used to do any type of online activity.
NordVPN vs ProtonVPN: Which One is Better for Torrenting
Although the connection speed of NordVPN is much faster than that of ProtonVPN, it does not include port forwarding, which can significantly impact torrenting performance.
ProtonVPN offers port forwarding and supports P2P traffic, allowing users to download and upload torrent files without any packet loss. Moreover, port forwarding ensures that users’ online information won’t leak and also gives a buff to their connection speed.
On the other hand, NordVPN also offers users P2P traffic, allowing for anonymous torrenting activities without any online leaks and malware invasion. Although NordVPN does not support port forwarding, to be honest, the VPN doesn’t even need port forwarding as its speed is already over the cloud.
All in all, the torrenting capabilities of NordVPN are much better than ProtonVPN. However, if you want a free VPN for torrenting, then ProtonVPN is the best choice as it includes advanced security features and has no bandwidth limitation with its free version.
Simultaneous Connection and Bandwidth Limitation
Both ProtonVPN vs NordVPN offers excellent features and allows multiple devices to use them simultaneously in a single plan. Although ProtonVPN supports simultaneous connections, it does not offer that freedom to its free version users. The free version of ProtonVPN is one of the best get-to-go VPNs and can be installed on almost any device.
As for ProtonVPN’s premium plan, up to ten devices can be connected simultaneously. Moreover, there is no connection drop or VPN instability even when the simultaneous connection reaches its limit. Thanks to ProtonVPN P2P traffic, all the connected devices can share and receive files with each other without any packet loss.
ProtonVPN also does not have any bandwidth limitations, including its free version. All the devices connected with ProtonVPN can do online activities for as long as they want without worrying about bandwidth or connection drops.
As for NordVPN, up to six devices can be simultaneously connected with any of its plans. Although the number of simultaneous connections in NordVPN is much lower than of ProtonVPN, all the connected devices can simultaneously enjoy NordVPN’s features and can also transfer files at a blazing-fast speed.
The features and connection speed of NordVPN would have been waster if there was a bandwidth limitation. Thankfully, NordVPN does not impose any bandwidth limitations on its users.
ProtonVPN vs NordVPN: Device Compatibility
Both ProtonVPN and NordVPN have a user-friendly interface and are also compatible with major platforms such as Android, Mac, Windows, iOS, routers, and more. However, the customization of ProtonVPN is a bit more complicated than it should be, while NordVPN can be easily and quickly customized.
Android
Both VPNs can be directly installed through Play Store. Although users will need to purchase a NordVPN plan to use it, ProtonVPN can be used right after its installation, though its subscription is required to use the complete version of the VPN.
Although both providers offer their VPN to android users, they do not include all of the features. For example, NordVPN does not offer multi-hop mode to android users. As for their comparison, The NordVPN version for android is better than ProtonVPN’s as it includes a larger variety of features and a wider room for customization.
Mac
Both NordVPN and Proton only offer IKEv2 protocol to mac users. Other than the encryption, all the features and room for customization are offered to mac. However, ProtonVPN does not offer port forwarding to mac.
Both VPNs offer excellent speed, but ProtonVPN, not including port forwarding for mac, makes NordVPN the better choice of VPN for mac.
Windows
Both providers offer their complete version of VPN to windows. NordVPN outclasses ProtonVPN as it includes a much larger variety of features and a wider room for customization.
Windows users get the best treatment from VPNs, and one of the best treatments is given to them by NordVPN.
iOS
Similar to Mac, both NordVPN and ProtonVPN only offer their IKEv2 protocol and a few of their features. However, all the services offered are more than enough to keep the device secure and allow access to restricted content. And as expected, the iOS version of NordVPN is better than ProtonVPN.
NordVPN or ProtonVPN
In comparison, NordVPN is better than ProtonVPN. Whether it be for streaming or gaming, NordVPN can be used for all online activities. While on the other hand, ProtonVPN can also be used for various online activities; its connection speed is much slower than NordVPN’s, which may affect users’ performance.
NordVPN offers a much wider variety of features and bigger and easier room for customization. However, this does not mean that ProtonVPN is of no use; securing information and various online activities can be done with ProtonVPN.
Buy ProtonVPN if
- Wants a dedicated VPN for torrenting.
- Wants to install on routers.
- Wants an easy-to-use, feature-rich VPN.
- Wants a VPN for occasional streaming.
- Wants additional security on public connection and on unsecure sites.
Buy NordVPN if
- Wants a much more advanced VPN.
- Wants to secure information on all connections and on all sites.
- Wants a VPN for streaming.
- Wants a fast and cheap VPN.
- Wants a VPN for complete anonymity.
To Conclude
Both ProtonVPN and NordVPN are reliable options when it comes to keeping up your internet speed and online safety. However, in the end, NordVPN proves itself to be a better choice of VPN than ProtonVPN. NordVPN offers a cheaper long-term subscription plan, and its features and protocols make it a much safer and more reliable ProtonVPN. Moreover, NordVPN allows individual audits.
Whether it is for streaming, torrenting, or gaming, NordVPN includes the best tool for them and has more fleshed-out features than ProtonVPN.
Although NordVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, if you want a VPN for completely free, then ProtonVPN is the choice to go with. ProtonVPN is one of the best free VPNs and is the only VPN that offers unlimited bandwidth for free.
All in all, in the comparison of ProtonVPN vs NordVPN, NordVPN is the winner as it is much easier to use, offers a large variety of features, and is also more stable than ProtonVPN.
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