Which VPN is better: NordVPN or TorGuard? Choosing the best VPN provider to suit your particular needs can be difficult, especially considering the overwhelming array of options on the market. Therefore, we have compared two of the best VPN services on the market to make your decision easier.
NordVPN offers one of the most impressive VPN products on the market, with an extensive server network, torrenting support, excellent streaming performance, and super-fast connection speeds thanks to its proprietary NordLynx protocol.
If you are looking for a VPN service, you have likely heard of NordVPN, considering that it is arguably the most popular and well-known provider in the VPN industry. NordVPN is not bad value either, with monthly subscription prices starting at $3.49 a month as long as you are happy to commit to its longer-term 2-year subscription plan. However, if you want the freedom that a rolling monthly contract offers, you will have to pay an eye-watering $11.95 a month.
There is a decent range of payment options to suit all users, from PayPal and credit cards to anonymous payments with Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. The option to pay anonymously is beneficial for customers that want to keep their online activities completely private and untraceable.
NordVPN users will be covered by military standard AES-256 bit encryption by default. There is a range of additional security features, such as access to Onion over VPN, which will reroute your internet traffic through the encrypted, anonymous Tor network. This provides an additional layer of protection for your online activities and enables access to Onion sites. There is Double VPN encryption technology, which serves to encrypt your data twice rather than just once.
Both Onion over VPN and Double VPN encryption will significantly reduce your server connection speeds as your traffic is being passed through multiple VPN servers rather than just one. However, this is likely not necessary for the average user’s simple browsing activity, although it is useful if you are a fan of torrenting or P2P sharing. There is a range of Nord obfuscated servers too, which will mask the fact that you are using a VPN connection. This is great for overcoming VPN blocks and firewalls.
To further reassure security-conscious users, NordVPN has even completed several independent security audits to confirm its status as a no-logging VPN service. This means that the provider does not monitor, store, or share any information that could potentially be used to link a particular user to their online activities.
NordVPN is a great choice for fans of streaming and gaming, thanks to excellent connection speeds on its proprietary NordLynx protocol. On United Kingdom server connections, speeds reach 350Mbps, which is extremely impressive and more than enough for streaming in high definition or even 4k.
Fortunately, the VPN service boasts excellent streaming performance too. It is successful at unblocking a range of geo-restricted content on sites including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube, and iPlayer (on its browser extensions).
The Nord desktop apps are powerful and simple to use, even for beginner VPN users. However, mobile clients can be somewhat difficult to use on smaller screens. There is a range of setup and support guides available on the provider’s website, as well as a 24/7 live chat option in case you run into difficulties while setting up or using the VPN. Also, every NordVPN subscription plan is covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee for additional peace of mind.
TorGuard is a well-known internet security company that boasts a wide range of services, including encrypted email, cloud storage, and VPNs. The provider offers access to a decent network of over 3000 servers across 55 countries worldwide, up to 8 simultaneous connections, and 24/7 customer support. However, the TorGuard clients are not as streamlined as those offered by the best VPNs, and it is not reliable as a streaming VPN either, which is disappointing.
Signing up for a month with TorGuard will set you back $9.99, which is relatively affordable and cheaper than the average VPN industry price for a rolling monthly contract. However, as with any VPN provider, committing for a longer-term will significantly reduce prices.
The TorGuard 3-month plan comes in at $6.66 per month, while the 6-month option cuts the price to just $5 per month. For some reason, the 1-year subscription plan does not come with a discount, so we would recommend opting for the 6-month contract if you want the best value for money.
TorGuard offers a decent, transparent no-logging policy that suggests a real commitment to protecting user privacy and anonymity. However, we would like to see the VPN provider offer an independent security audit to back up these claims. The TorGuard clients are powerful and feature a range of advanced security features, including WebRTC and IPv6 leak protection, as well as a reliable kill-switch.
However, the clients are not as easy to use as those offered by other VPN services. This means that it may not be the best option for beginners as some of the more advanced features require manual configuration. There are a lot of configurable features that a VPN expert will likely appreciate.
We were disappointed with TorGuard’s performance when it came to unblocking geo-restricted content on streaming services. The VPN provider was unable to access Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+. This means that we would not recommend TorGuard as a suitable VPN for streaming fans.
TorGuard offers decent server connection speeds and reached up to 250Mbps on some servers during speed tests. It is a great option for torrenters, thanks to complete support for P2P sharing across all of the TorGuard VPN servers.
Customer support is decent, although not overly impressive. The setup and support guides offered on the TorGuard are somewhat basic. However, for a VPN expert, TorGuard is an interesting and powerful VPN service.
One of the most important factors for most users to consider when choosing a VPN provider is the subscription prices on offer. Therefore, we have compared NordVPN and TorGuard in terms of their pricing structures, discounts, and money-back guarantees.
If you want the freedom of a monthly rolling contract, NordVPN is not the cheapest option on the market, at $11.95 a month. However, this price is average in the VPN industry for a short-term monthly contract. If you are happy to commit for longer, you will receive significant discounts on the monthly price. Sign up for 6 months with NordVPN, and you will pay just $9 a month; however, you will have to pay $54 upfront.
If you commit to one year, the monthly price will drop to $6.58. However, as with most VPN services, the most cost-effective option comes with the 2-year subscription plan, which comes in at just $3.71, a discount of almost 70% compared to the monthly rolling plan.
We would be inclined to suggest signing up for the longest subscription plan, especially considering the 30-day money-back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the product or service, cancel before the month is up and receive a full refund, no questions asked. However, if you are wary of signing up for a long-term plan, it may be advisable to pay for a one-month subscription to avoid the higher initial cost, and then request a refund before the first 30 days elapse, or upgrade to a longer-term subscription once you know that NordVPN offers all of the features you require.
NordVPN offers a range of payment options to suit all users, including credit card, prepaid card, UnionPay, PayPal, AmazonPay, iTunes, GooglePay, and more. There is also support for anonymous payment methods, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Monero, Ethererum, and more.
If you want to enjoy a free trial period with NordVPN, sign up on Android or iOS, and you will receive access to the VPN for free for 7 days. However, if you want to fully test the service and all of the features on offer, we would advise signing up for the paid subscription plan and then utilizing the money-back guarantee if it is not for you.
Signing up for a monthly subscription plan with TorGuard is slightly more affordable, at $9.99 a month. However, as with NordVPN, you can take advantage of a lower monthly rate if you commit for longer. Commit for 3 months, and you will get the VPN for $6.66; this is 33% cheaper than the monthly price, although you will have to pay $19.99 upfront.
Sign up for a 6-month plan, and you will get access to TorGuard for just $5, $29.99 upfront. However, for some reason, there is no discount with the annual TorGuard plan, which comes in at $59.99 or $5 a month, the same price as the 6-month plan. Therefore, we would recommend opting for the 6-month option as it offers both freedom and affordability.
TorGuard does offer a form of a free trial, but it does not operate in the same way as most other free VPN trials. You can receive 7 days access to TorGuard for free if you provide evidence of a recent VPN bill with another provider, as well as another 30 days free if you can prove that you have canceled your subscription with that provider.
If you are not already signed up for another VPN, you will not be able to utilize a free TorGuard trial, which is somewhat disappointing. There is a 7-day money-back guarantee which is much less than the 30-days guarantee offered by NordVPN and most other VPN services on the market.
If you want access to faster speeds with TorGuard, you can upgrade for $7.99 a month to gain access to its 10GB premium network. This promises optimized United States, United Kingdom, and Canada connections. However, there is no guarantee that you will notice enhanced VPN performance after upgrading.
One of the most important things to consider when choosing a VPN provider is the privacy and security on offer. Therefore, we have compared NordVPN and TorGuard in terms of their encryption and security features.
NordVPN boasts excellent privacy standards and is one of the best services on the market for protecting user identity and anonymity on the internet. The service operates on AES-256 bit encryption combined with 4096-bit Diffie-Hellman keys as standard.
Users have access to NordVPN’s Perfect Forward Secrecy technology too, which means that new encryption keys are created upon login to the VPN and every hour after that. This ensures that even in the unlikely event that a hacker gained access to a VPN session, the maximum time they would get is an hour.
NordVPN boasts a range of advanced security features, including the option to utilize Onion over VPN. This will reroute your private internet traffic through the encrypted anonymous Tor network, offering an additional layer of online privacy, as well as access to Onion sites. There is Double encryption technology, which will reroute your data through two VPN servers rather than just one.
Using both Onion and Double VPN will result in significantly reduced download speeds as your internet traffic is being passed through multiple VPN server connections instead of just one. However, users will gain complete anonymity and privacy with these features.
NordVPN also offers access to a range of obfuscated VPN servers that mask the fact that you are using a VPN connection. This enables users to overcome VPN blocks and firewalls, which is helpful in a range of situations.
NordVPN also comes with a reliable integrated kill-switch that will automatically cut your internet connection if the VPN fails for any reason. This ensures that your real IP address and any unencrypted internet data never become exposed to hackers, cybercriminals, or your ISP (Internet Service Provider). This feature offers complete anonymity for any activities that require it, such as torrenting.
The VPN is effective at blocking both DNS and WebRTC leaks which is reassuring. However, it is necessary to mention that NordVPN suffered a server hack in 2018. The incident was blamed on a third-party data center, and one single NordVPN server in server became compromised. It is not clear what information or users were affected. Fortunately, the affected data center was subsequently removed.
Following the incident, NordVPN has taken multiple steps to secure its service and regain its users’ trust. It has upgraded every server on its network to RAM, which is much more secure than traditional hard-drive storage and can be completely wiped upon shut-down. NordVPN has completed a range of other software upgrades too.
The provider has also completed multiple independent security audits to provide evidence for its recent security claims. The audit was carried out by renowned security company, PricewaterhouseCooper and found no evidence to suggest that NordVPN puts its users at risk in any way. NordVPN can now be considered one of the most secure VPN services on the market.
Like NordVPN, TorGuard boasts an excellent range of security and privacy features to ensure its users and their identifying information are protected online. TorGuard users can choose to manually configure their data authentication encryption algorithm, port, and method. There is also complete protection against WebRTC and IPv6 leaks.
TorGuard comes with a reliable integrated kill-switch that will automatically cut your connection if the VPN drops for any reason to ensure you are always protected on the internet. However, this level of advanced security features may be intimidating for beginner TorGuard users. If you are looking for simple VPN protection, we would be inclined to recommend NordVPN instead.
Another important thing to consider when choosing a VPN provider is its privacy and data logging policies. Let’s take a look at NordVPN and TorGuard regarding the privacy and anonymity protections that each VPN offers users.
NordVPN claims not to store any information regarding its users’ activity on the internet. It offers a clear and transparent no-logging policy that details its logging procedures. The privacy policy states that Nord does not monitor, record, log, store, or share private user information to third parties for profit.
The VPN product does not record VPN connection timestamps, utilized bandwidth, data traffic logs, accessed or originating IP addresses, or private user browsing data. This means that Nord does not store any information that could potentially link a particular user to any online activities.
Moreover, NordVPN has completed multiple independent audits of its VPN product and policies. The audit was completed by PricewaterhouseCooper and thoroughly investigated the NordVPN server network. The audit stated that there was no evidence to suggest that NordVPN violates its privacy promises in any way.
Like NordVPN, TorGuard offers a thorough no-logging policy that is reassuring for users concerned about their online anonymity and privacy. TorGuard has not yet completed an independent security audit of its online privacy policy, which is somewhat disappointing.
The lack of an audit means that there is no solid evidence to back up the TorGuard claims. Therefore NordVPN is the security winner thanks to its excellent no-logging policy, backed up by multiple independent audits carried out by a renowned online privacy company.
Here is how NordVPN and TorGuard fare in terms of their server networks and server locations.
NordVPN provides high-speed servers in 15 United States cities, 3 Canadian cities, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chile, 5 Australian cities, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, South Africa, 2 Indian cities, United Arab Emirates, Israel, Turkey, and European servers in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Poland, Ireland, Czechia, Italy, Spain, Finland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Romania, Portugal, Luxemburg, Ukraine, Greece, Estonia, Iceland, Albania, Cyprus, Croatia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and North Macedonia.
TorGuard has recently updated its server network and now offers locations in The United States (Atlanta, LA, Miami, Dallas, New Jersey, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle, and Salt Lake City), United Kingdom, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, Iceland, India, Germany, Turkey, Russia, Romania, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Indonesia, South Korea, Thailand, Israel, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Singapore.
Although your internet security and privacy are the priority when choosing a VPN product, server connection speeds are important too. If your chosen VPN product does not come with strong servers and fast connection speeds, you will be met with slow browsing connections and buffering while streaming. Therefore, we have compared NordVPN and TorGuard in terms of their servers and connection speeds.
We tested NordVPN on both the United Kingdom and United States server connections. With NordVPN, server connections take about 6 seconds on average, not the absolute fastest but more than sufficient for the average VPN user. When using the OpenVPN protocol on a UK server, NordVPN reached average speeds of 160Mbps, which is enough to stream or game in high definition.
On the US connection, NordVPN’s OpenVPN connection averaged speeds of between 75 and 100Mbps. However, when we tested Nord’s servers on the provider’s proprietary NordLynx protocol, average speeds increased to an impressive average of 350Mbps. This makes NordVPN one of the fastest VPN providers on the market and a great option for fans of streaming and gaming.
When it came to TorGuard, average download speeds ranged between 120 and 150Mbps on UK servers. On a US server connection, the provider reached average speeds of up to 250Mbps. Although this may not be as fast as NordVPN, both NordVPN and TorGuard offer impressive server speeds and excellent streaming, gaming, and torrenting choices.
The streaming capability of VPN services is becoming increasingly important. If you want to stream your favorite geo-restricted television shows and movies on sites such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, and more, you will need to ensure that your chosen VPN provider offers excellent streaming unblocking potential.
NordVPN places significant effort into ensuring its users can access geo-restricted overseas television shows and movies. The VPN solution does not offer guarantees of accessing particular streaming sites, but your favorite services will likely be unblocked.
NordVPN is an excellent Netflix VPN, and during testing, it was able to access the site reliably on a wide range of servers. This is impressive considering the strong VPN-blocking technology that Netflix employs in an attempt to block VPN usage. YouTube is typically an easy site to access with VPNs, and NordVPN had no issue there.
Disney+ is often harder to unblock, but NordVPN gained access to the service from a range of servers worldwide. NordVPN was also successful at accessing Amazon Prime Video from a range of servers.
However, NordVPN did run into some difficulties when it came to unblock BBC iPlayer, which is notoriously difficult to access. The VPN’s desktop client was unable to access iPlayer. However, as suggested by the iPlayer troubleshooting guide on the NordVPN website, we tried using the browser extension, enabling access.
Although NordVPN may run into some difficulties with the BBC iPlayer, it remains an excellent, easy-to-use streaming VPN.
Like NordVPN, TorGuard functions well as a streaming VPN; however, it does not enable access to as many streaming services as its rival. TorGuard enabled access to United States YouTube and Netflix, but it was less successful when it came to BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
Therefore, NordVPN is the winner when it comes to accessing geo-restricted streaming services from a wide range of locations.
For those users that utilize VPNs for torrenting, it is necessary to ensure that there are high standards of security in place. NordVPN suggests that it is the best provider for P2P sharing and torrenting, and it is reassuring to see this level of confidence.
With NordVPN, users will gain access to a wide range of torrenting-friendly servers across the globe. Not all of the NordVPN servers are optimized for torrenting, which does mean that the server network is not as large as a provider that offers full torrenting support. However, NordVPN will automatically redirect your connection if it identifies P2P traffic, which means that you will always be protected.
Moreover, NordVPN offers an excellent no-logs policy, a wide network of high-speed servers, first-rate protocols including NordLynx, WireGuard, and L2TP/IPsec, a user-friendly client, a helpful customer support team, and a range of other advanced security features, making it an excellent choice for torrenters.
TorGuard is a decent choice for fans of P2P sharing and torrenting too. There is the option to torrent through the standard TorGuard client or with a SOCKS5 proxy. There is support for a wide range of torrenting clients, including BitTorrent, Vuze, and uTorrent. Moreover, TorGuard offers full P2P support across all of its servers.
Installing NordVPN desktop clients is easy no matter what operating system you use. There is a wide range of setup and support guides available on the NordVPN website too. NordVPN even offers detailed instructions for setting it up as a SOCKS5 proxy.
Once you have installed the VPN client on your desktop, it will launch to reveal a clean and simple interface. There is a large map that enables you to select a server by clicking on a particular location. However, the map can be somewhat difficult to use as many servers are located close to one another in many areas.
NordVPN does also offer a simple server location list, which is easier to use, and a search feature too that allows you to find a particular server. Unfortunately, NordVPN has recently replaced its Favorites feature with a Recents system, which is somewhat less useful. We would like to see the provider reintroduce this option to enable easy access to the most used servers.
Server connections are fast, and switching between different servers is easy too. Even a user-friendly menu bar enables you to connect to your most recent server locations without even needing to open the full client. You can choose to activate the kill-switch in the Settings section and configure a range of other advanced features.
The TorGuard desktop apps feature an extensive range of advanced VPN features, which are likely to impress an experienced user. However, for novice VPN users, the TorGuard interface may be somewhat overwhelming. When you are connected to a server, the interface will display local and remote IPs, your chosen protocol and cipher, and a range of other statistics. Although this information may be helpful for some TorGuard users, it also complicates things for beginners.
TorGuard offers an impressive range of configurable settings, including the option to choose between multiple DNS providers and configures scripts to determine when TorGuard connects or disconnects, refreshes, saves, or recovers your DNS activity.
Like the desktop version, NordVPN’s mobile services feature a map-based interface. Unfortunately, this is even more difficult to use than on desktop clients, and on a smaller mobile screen, scrolling the map is awkward.
Downloading and installing the NordVPN mobile clients is quick and easy and follows the same process as any other mobile app. Once you have signed up for an account on the NordVPN website, you will be automatically redirected to the relevant app store. Select Download, then accept some terms and conditions.
Connecting and disconnecting to a NordVPN server is quick and easy and should take less than 5 seconds. All of the necessary settings are easy to access too. On both Android and iOS, NordVPN offers the option to enable auto-connection when you access unknown or unsecured Wi-Fi networks, such as public Wi-Fi hotspots.
There is also the option to add particular trusted networks to a whitelist so that the VPN stays disconnected when you access them. There is CyberSec protection too for ad-blocking, phishing, and malware protection.
The NordVPN Android app lacks an actual kill-switch; however, you can manually set up a similar feature by enabling “Always-On VPN” and “Block connections without VPN.” The iOS version does come with a kill-switch, which is always on by default. Split tunneling is available on the Android app, and so is the option to configure a custom DNS server.
The iOS feature does not come with split tunneling or a custom DNS server, but it offers Siri support, a dark mode, and a decent selection of VPN protocols. Overall, NordVPN’s mobile apps are easy to use and come with a range of sufficient security features for the typical user.
TorGuard’s mobile clients offer a similar experience to the desktop version. Thankfully, the TorGuard mobile apps feature a helpful Favorites list for easy access to your most-used servers. On TorGuard Android, there is an Alway-On option, which ensures you are always protected. You can also set up the TorGuard app to pause when you are connected to a trusted network.
However, like the desktop clients, the TorGuard mobile apps feature a wide range of advanced features, making them somewhat difficult to use, especially if you are a novice VPN user.
All of the best VPNs come with excellent customer support with a range of setup and support guides, as well as a helpful live-chat option. If you run into difficulties while using the VPN service, it is reassuring to know that help is available. Both NordVPN and TorGuard come with excellent customer support for ease of use.
NordVPN offers an extensive range of troubleshooting guides on its website. It may take some time to locate the relevant article, thanks to the site’s somewhat confusing layout. However, the articles themselves are comprehensive, well-written, and easy to understand.
Many users will prefer to utilize the live-chat support option, which is available 24/7. The live-chat option combines a chatbox with real support operators, which are extremely friendly and helpful. NordVPN also offers email support, but you will likely be waiting longer for an answer to your query here.
Like NordVPN, TorGuard comes with a comprehensive range of support guides. There is an open support ticket option as well as 24-hour assistance via phone or live chat. However, the TorGuard articles are not as well written as those offered by NordVPN, which is disappointing.
Hi, I'm Cliff. I'm based in Cleveland, Ohio, with my wife and two kids.
I have a keen interest in cybersecurity and have been writing about it for around a decade now. Due to my background in computer science, I am familiar ...
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