At VPNSurfers, we know a thing or two about VPNs. If you’re new to the world of VPNs and want to find the best service to suit your needs or want to upgrade from the VPN you’re currently using; our comparison reviews can help.
NordVPN and VyprVPN are two popular providers that frequently top our ‘best VPN’ lists. The two VPNs have certain strengths and weaknesses, and we have taken an in-depth look at both to see which is the best for you.
We took a look at NordVPN and VyprVPN’s security and privacy offerings, examining how they compare to our evaluation standards.
NordVPN is one of the best VPNs when it comes to offering great encryption. NordVPN employs advanced AES-256 bit encryption with Perfect Forward Secrecy to change encryption keys at every VPN session. Combining these ensures that hackers will find it virtually impossible to decrypt your encryption and view your online activity; moreover, your internet provider won’t be able to view your internet usage.
As well as the above, NordVPN only offers a secure choice of three tunneling protocols: IKEv2, OpenVPN, and NordLynx. IKEv2 is great if you’re looking for speed, OpenVPN is good for security, and NordLynx combines both to make a strong connection.
Your internet traffic will be super secure with VyprVPN too. There is AES-256 bit encryption and Perfect Forward Secrecy. As well as a high encryption standard, VyprVPN offers a choice of great VPNs; these include OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, and the Chameleon protocol. Like NordVPN, VyprVPN also has its own proprietary Chameleon protocol, which provides a safe connection that gives you a more freeing online experience.
When it comes to an encryption winner, both VPNs offer a high level of data protection, making it hard to say one provider is better than the other.
We took a look at each provider’s privacy policy so that you don’t have to. If a provider is logging data related to your VPN session, then this totally negates the purpose of using Virtual Private Network software.
NordVPN has a strict zero-logs policy that PricewaterhouseCoopers has independently audited. The only data that NordVPN logs is the time of your last session, which is stored on the servers for 15 minutes. As well as this, Nord stores account information like your name, email address, and billing details.
We also checked out VyprVPN’s privacy policy. Firstly, VyprVPN is zero-knowledge, so it doesn’t log any data relating to browsing activity like IP addresses or websites that users have visited. VyprVPN only collects account information to improve its services, including email addresses, names, and payment methods.
Golden Frog owns VyprVPN, and its parent company states that it will only ever share server information when it is handed a court order. Like NordVPN, VyprVPN also has its privacy policy audited by Leviathan, and the audit confirmed that VyprVPN doesn’t log anything.
NordVPN and VyprVPN are two of the best VPN providers since they are based in privacy-friendly countries. If you live in a Five Eyes country and want to avoid surveillance or want to keep your web traffic private while unblocking restricted content across the world, you should be using a VPN (and preferably one based in a privacy-friendly country).
NordVPN is based in Panama, a country that not only isn’t a member of the 5/9/14 Eyes but which also enjoys excellent privacy laws. This means that the provider isn’t legally obliged to collect logs on its users.
Likewise, VyprVPN is based in Switzerland, a European country known for its privacy-friendly data retention laws. Several other popular VPNs are based in Switzerland, such as ProtonVPN, and it is a big selling point for these providers.
However, Switzerland has been known to collaborate with the Five Eyes, which could cause concern. VyprVPN could be subpoenaed to share data from its servers which could then be shared internationally. Fortunately, VyprVPN doesn’t log sensitive data on its users, so this scenario is unlikely to play out.
Some VPN services skimp regarding extra security features, but not NordVPN or VyprVPN. First of all, NordVPN has private DNS on every single server to handle its own DNS requests. It also has IPv6 and WebRTC leak protection.
On top of this, NordVPN has CyberSec, an ad-blocking feature that prevents subscribers from accessing websites with phishing scams or that contain malware. It also blocks adware. There is also an internet kill switch which, when enabled, will cut off your internet connection should the VPN server ever go down.
NordVPN also has a nifty feature called Double VPN, which gives you more protection. Double VPN routes your connection through not one but two servers. This makes it harder for third parties to find your real IP address.
VyprVPN owns and manages its entire server network, which is excellent from a security point of view since it can more easily identify issues on the network and fix them. Moreover, VyprVPN writes its own software code, which is also great from a security standpoint.
There is VyprDNS, which like Nord, processes users’ DNS requests on its own servers. VyprDNS also stops man-in-the-middle DNS attacks.
VyprVPN also operates a NAT firewall to protect your device from malware and URL filtering to block access to malicious websites, which a great extra feature. VyprVPN also has an automatic kill switch. Kill switches are a necessary extra, so it is great to see that both providers have developed one.
The winner: Both NordVPN and VyprVPN have excellent privacy protections in place to ensure that their users are secure online. The services have had their privacy policies audited, have developed their own protocols, and have private DNS on their networks. Considering that, it is hard to call a privacy winner since both VPNs perform well in this area.
If you want great value for money, make sure you purchase a VPN that offers many incredible extra features.
NordVPN offers 6 simultaneous connections across all of its subscription plans, while VyprVPN offers 5 simultaneous connections. These numbers are pretty average, although some providers offer less or more.
With 5 or 6 connections, you’ll easily be able to protect the majority of your devices.
The test of a VPN’s ability to unblock streaming content is often judged by whether it can access US Netflix or not. Fortunately, both VyprVPN and NordVPN got past this platform’s strong VPN firewall.
VyprVPN is a great streaming VPN. Its Chameleon protocol scrambles metadata and prevents Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), enabling users to bypass firewalls put in place by streaming services. VyprVPN can unblock Netflix in several countries, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu, and Disney+. However, it doesn’t work well with BBC iPlayer.
NordVPN is also a good option for streaming fans; it unblocks many streaming services like Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney+, RaiPlay, and more.
Both VPNs are also great for Kodi users and can unblock various Kodi add-ons.
If you use NordVPN, torrenting will be a lot safer. NordVPN provides its customers access to over 4000 P2P-optimized servers, which you can connect to before using platforms like BitTorrent. Military-grade encryption also ensures that your download activity is hidden from third parties.
VyprVPN is also an excellent VPN for torrenting. The provider doesn’t advertise this fact, but you can use torrenting platforms when connected to any VyprVPN server.
Both providers have split tunneling, although VyprVPN only has split tunneling on its Android app, under a feature called Connection Per App.
NordVPN offers a dedicated IP add-on for a small extra fee, while VyprVPN has VyprVPN Cloud, which offers extra protection when customers use cloud services.
Both providers offer automatic wi-fi protection whenever users connect to new public wi-fi networks, which is a great feature for cell phone users. VyprVPN also enables easy server switching so that you don’t need to disconnect before connecting to a new server.
The winner: It’s a close call, but NordVPN slightly edges out VyprVPN. This is because it offers an extra device connection, can unblock more streaming services and has split tunneling on more devices than Vypr.
A wide range of server locations is important since it provides users with many IP address options and access to restricted content from across the world.
NordVPN has more than 5450 servers in over 59 countries worldwide in a range of locations. Popular European and Asian locations include the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
There is limited server coverage in Africa and the Middle East, which is the only fault we can find with NordVPN’s server network. For such a large provider, we’d really like to see NordVPN expand its server locations outside of the Americas, Asia, and Europe; more and more services offer servers in these areas.
Nord also offers specialty servers, including obfuscated servers, as well as torrenting and streaming optimized servers.
VyprVPN has a smaller network than NordVPN, with just over 700 VPN servers based in more than 70 locations. The general rule of thumb is that a server network larger than 1000 is good, and VyprVPN is close to that figure. VPN services are always adding servers to their networks, so we’re sure that Vypr’s will continue to grow in size.
Like NordVPN, VyprVPN offers many servers in Asia and Europe but only offers a few in the Middle East and Northern Africa, with zero servers in Southern African countries. Fortunately, there are over 300,000 IP addresses to choose from, which means that users won’t be limited in this area.
VyprVPN’s servers are organized in server clusters, which makes for easy server switching. It also means that VyprVPN will automatically connect you to the best server in that cluster when you connect to a server location.
The winner: NordVPN is the clear server coverage winner since it offers a much larger network which more servers in different parts of the world.
Each provider has three subscription options and frequently has sales on offer throughout the year.
NordVPN:
NordVPN is one of the best in terms of the wide range of payment methods it accepts. You can pay using a range of credit cards or with PayPal. NordVPN also accepts cryptocurrency payments, including Bitcoin.
VyprVPN:
To purchase a VyprVPN plan, there are a few payment options available which include popular credit cards such as American Express and Visa, UnionPay, and PayPal.
The winner: In terms of pricing, VyprVPN offers cheaper long-term plans. However, it is $1 more expensive than NordVPN on its monthly plan; this is something to keep in mind since we recommend first purchasing a VPN for a month before upgrading to a longer plan.
We put NordVPN and VyprVPN to the test to see which of the services performs the best in terms of speed. A slow VPN can cause buffering and have a disastrous effect on gamers who use the VPN on their gaming consoles.
We ran a few speed tests with NordVPN first to see what it had to offer. NordVPN claims to be one of the fastest VPN services on the market, and so we were keen to see how it performed in various locations.
After first connecting to a United States-based server, we were impressed to get a download speed of 39Mbps with our connection running over the NordLynx protocol. We also got fast download speeds in Europe, with an average rate of 37Mbps.
Connecting to popular locations which are further away, such as Australia and Japan, also delivered fast connection speeds. All of our connections had low ping rates too, which is great news for gamers.
So, what about VyprVPN? Connecting to a US-based server produced a download speed of 36Mbps, which was slower than Nord but still a good speed for high-data consumption activities. We then ran speed tests in Europe and Asia. In the UK, we got fast download speeds of 34Mbps, and in South Korea, we got a fast download speed of 34Mbps, which is impressive.
The winner: In terms of speeds, NordVPN wins, but only just. Our speed test results demonstrate that both are high-speed. Moreover, almost all VPNs are constantly updating their software to offer breakneck speeds, so it would be strange to come across an excruciatingly slow VPN. Either VPN would be great for streaming and torrenting activities with speeds like those above.
In terms of providing all of your devices with VPN protection, both VPNs are great options. NordVPN offers dedicated apps for Android, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Linux. The VPN also works on many other internet-based devices, including Android TV and Amazon Fire Stick TV.
NordVPN also offers Chrome and Firefox browser extensions, which are great ways to ensure that only the web traffic in your browsers is encrypted, and none of your other apps are. This can lead to faster overall speeds and quick page load rates.
If the NordVPN device limit of 6 simultaneous connections is too low for you, then you can configure the VPN to your router. NordVPN sells pre-configured FlashRouters, but users can also connect the VPN to their device manually, but this can be time-consuming and difficult if you have no previous experience with this. Fortunately, NordVPN offers a setup guide on its website to help users connect the VPN to routers with compatible firmware.
VyprVPN also provides support for a wide range of devices. You can use the device with Windows, Android, iOS, and macOS devices and Android and Apple TVs. VyprVPN also enables its users to secure their entire home network by configuring the VPN to their router.
Unlike many VPN providers, VyprVPN is one of the few VPN providers that provide a dedicated router app; ExpresVPN is one of the other notable examples. The router app makes it super easy for customers to control their VPN settings instead of delving into the router settings every time they want to change location.
The winner: Based on the number of operating systems that the VPN provides support for, NordVPN is our platform support winner. However, VyprVPN offers a router app, enabling customers to give all of their home network devices VPN protection and easily manage it.
We appreciate user-friendly apps at VPNSurfers since the value of a good app cannot be underestimated. Great apps create a better user experience overall.
NordVPN’s dedicated apps are excellent and are extremely easy to navigate. We tested out the client on a Windows 10 system and were impressed. The client opens up, showing a blue map with servers dotted on it. Users can quickly connect to a random server or browse the server list to choose a specific location.
Advanced features like the kill switch are available in the settings, and users can activate these easily. We have no qualms with the NordVPN app since it is well-designed and reflects the VPN service quality.
VyprVPN also offers a great app for its subscribers that provides seamless ease of use. Its app opens up with the option to quickly connect to an optimized server nearby, but users can also manually select the server location they want to connect to. There is also easy customization available in the app, and Android users can configure the Connection Per App feature we like.
The winner: Both VPN companies offer up excellent apps. However, we prefer NordVPN’s app simply due to its sleeker design.
Who do you get in contact with if you’re experiencing problems with your VPN service? In the case of VyprVPN and NordVPN, both offer excellent customer support options.
With NordVPN, there are a couple of ways to get in touch with a customer service team member. You can either send an email via the ticketed system and get a response this way. However, if your query is more urgent, you can take advantage of the live chat support on the NordVPN site. NordVPN also offers a help center brimming with information about the VPN if you want to look for the answer to your issue yourself.
VyprVPN also offers similar support to Nord. Firstly, there is email support, which is great if you have an issue that requires a longer and more detailed response. There is also live chat support on the site and a help center full of information on various topics.
The winner: Neither VPN provider is our customer support winner since both companies offer great customer service options.
So, which VPN provider would we recommend? While each provider performs well in our VPN categories, NordVPN is the winner.
NordVPN is an all-around excellent VPN provider. Not only does it have excellent security and privacy features, but it offers a large server network with many IP address options. When we tested NordVPN’s performance, we got fast speed test results, and the provider can unblock restricted content in many regions.
I’m Madeleine, and I'm a writer that specializes in cybersecurity, tech products, and all things related to the internet.
I have a keen interest in VPNs and believe that everyone deserves internet freedom and security. I wr...
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