NordVPN vs Proton VPN: which one is better in 2025

NordVPN is widely regarded as one of the strongest all-around VPNs on the market, while Proton VPN stands out as a privacy-focused, open-source provider, which is also recognized for its free version. Both VPNs have impressive strengths, which can make choosing between them harder than it seems.

Therefore, in this Proton VPN vs. NordVPN comparison of 2025, I’m breaking down every key metric that matters. This includes speed, content unblocking capabilities, security and privacy features, as well as usability and pricing.

TL;DR

While Proton VPN offers excellent transparency and advanced security tools, my tests consistently showed NordVPN to be the more versatile and powerful option overall. It delivers top-tier protection, fast connection speeds, and reliable content-unblocking capabilities.

Keep reading to find out which VPN is ultimately the better fit for your needs.

Overview: NordVPN vs Proton VPN

Winner

NordVPN

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In this comparison, we’re looking at two industry-leading VPNs that represent different strengths. Proton VPN stands out as one of the few open-source VPNs, allowing anyone to inspect its code for major apps. It’s also based in Switzerland – a well-known privacy haven – and offers robust security features across both its free and paid plans.

While NordVPN isn’t an open-source service, it offers a broader suite of advanced features. The provider employs multiple cutting-edge security measures, including its own proprietary tunneling protocols. On top of that, NordVPN undergoes annual independent audits, operates from a privacy-friendly jurisdiction, and has no history of major data breaches. Technically, you’re getting both quantity and transparency.

Background and jurisdiction

Neither NordVPN nor Proton VPN has ever experienced a major data leak, which is a crucial factor when choosing a VPN. Additionally, both providers follow no-logs policies, which are independently audited annually. NordVPN has gone through 5 independent no-logs audits, including its latest one by Deloitte. Proton VPN, meanwhile, has undergone four separate audits conducted by Securitum.

Although both providers are based in privacy-friendly jurisdictions (Proton VPN is located in Switzerland and NordVPN in Panama), Proton VPN is better at this point. For a long time, Switzerland has been known for the strictest data protection and privacy laws in the world. While both of these VPNs protect you from intrusive organizations, Panama’s privacy laws aren’t as comprehensive.

NordVPN’s transparency report makes one thing clear: even after millions of automated requests and hundreds of government inquiries, user data has never been disclosed. The identical situation can also be seen in Proton VPN’s report. No matter how many requests come in, Swiss law prevents Proton VPN from collecting user data, so there’s nothing it can hand over.

NordVPN employs RAM-only servers, which ensure your data doesn’t stay logged after a reboot. However, Proton VPN is one of the few open-source VPN providers. This means that anyone can inspect its code for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS apps on GitHub.

Overall, both NordVPN and Proton VPN are reliable options when it comes to user privacy. Yet, Proton VPN is a slightly stronger opponent at this point due to its privacy-haven jurisdiction and open-source code for major devices’ applications.

Winner

Proton VPN

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Security features and encryption ciphers

Both NordVPN and Proton VPN go beyond basic VPN protection. Whichever VPN you choose, your browsing traffic is encrypted using AES-256 cipher – the best that’s currently available. While either of them includes such crucial features as a kill switch or split tunneling, they have more to offer.

Here’s a table that breaks down the key security differences between NordVPN and Proton VPN:

As the table shows, one and the other provide a handful of similar features. For example, what NordVPN has as a Double VPN, Proton VPN calls it Secure Core. While both these features route your traffic through two VPN servers instead of one, they do have some differences.

NordVPN’s Double VPN lets you use any available entry server, making it a straightforward and flexible multi-hop option. Proton VPN’s Secure Core, however, always starts with servers in privacy-friendly countries, offering a more locked-down and security-focused setup. In short, Double VPN is the easier, more balanced choice, while Secure Core is better suited for users who want maximum privacy.

Speaking of differences, NordVPN employs RAM-only servers, which use random access memory modules to store data. This way, data that is logged to servers is removed with every system reboot, and nothing remains to inspect in any case.

While Proton VPN doesn’t use RAM-only servers, it makes the source code for its applications publicly available. This means security experts or any interested internet users can inspect exactly how the apps handle encryption, connections, and data.

What I consider an outstanding feature on NordVPN’s side is its proprietary NordLynx tunneling protocol. The latter was built around the industry-leading WireGuard protocol and optimized further by NordVPN. While the WireGuard protocol has raised some privacy concerns, NordLynx solves these issues and offers a well-developed combination of strong security and fast connections.

Ultimately, both NordVPN and Proton VPN are top-tier options. Proton VPN leads in transparency, while NordVPN delivers a more balanced mix of privacy, performance, and convenience. In the end, both providers shine in different areas, so this round ends in a draw.

Winner

draw

Subscription costs and value for money

NordVPN delivers one of the best price-to-value ratios on the market, giving you the freedom to choose not just how long you subscribe, but also the feature bundle that fits your needs. In the meantime, Proton VPN has only three types of paid subscription plans, which differ by duration; however, it also offers a forever-free version of the app.

Below, you can see a comparison table where I put NordVPN’s and Proton VPN’s pricing structure side by side:

While Proton VPN’s free tier sounds like an irreplaceable deal to some, the combination of NordVPN’s money-back guarantee and a 3-day free trial provides you with more possibilities.

As with other freemium VPNs, Proton VPN’s free app comes with a small server network, which can be a serious drawback if you need a VPN for streaming. Moreover, it includes a basic set of security features, lacking extras for a seamless browsing experience.

By taking advantage of NordVPN's trial period, you can test all available premium features, choose from 8,300+ servers in 129 countries, unblock numerous streaming sites, and more. Once the trial period ends, you can choose plans starting from $2.99/month, depending on your specific needs.

All in all, NordVPN takes the lead due to its best value for paid plans. While a free version of a premium VPN is rare, the possibility of subscribing to only what you really need is more valuable when we’re talking about the VPN market.

Winner

NordVPN

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Speed performance and connection reliability

In my week-long testing, NordVPN consistently outperformed Proton VPN in speed. I checked both providers using servers in the US, UK, and Singapore with their fastest tunneling protocols.

NordVPN’s proprietary NordLynx retained about 98% of my baseline speed on average and stayed remarkably stable throughout. Proton VPN’s WireGuard protocol held on to around 83%, but I noticed occasional dips and minor connection inconsistencies.

The speed tests were performed on a 1000 Mbps connection, and the results speak for themselves: NordVPN consistently stayed ahead of Proton VPN across all three regions. Whether I connected to servers in the US, the UK, or Singapore, NordVPN delivered noticeably faster and steadier performance.

NordVPN’s NordLynx tunneling protocol is built around the market standard – WireGuard. However, the upgraded infrastructure makes NordLynx much faster than other protocols and allows you to enjoy speedy connections without compromising your security.

Although Proton VPN doesn’t have its proprietary tunneling protocol, it offers the VPN Accelerator technology, which is built into all Proton VPN’s applications. With this technology, the route between you and the VPN server becomes shorter, making your connection faster and more stable.

Despite different strengths, NordVPN is currently a clear winner, with fast and consistent speeds on all sides of the world. While Proton VPN’s VPN Accelerator technology makes it faster than numerous providers on the market, it still needs improvement to outperform NordVPN.

Winner

NordVPN

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Unblocking capabilities for streaming services

Both Proton VPN and NordVPN can unblock geo-restricted streaming platforms. Thanks to their large server networks (Proton VPN – 16,700+ servers in 127 countries; NordVPN – 8,300+ servers in 129 countries), I was able to access different Hulu from Europe and different catalogs of Netflix and Prime Video.

Here, you can see the full list of streaming services I tried accessing during my Proton VPN vs NordVPN review:

Both VPNs appear strong at content unblocking on paper – and for the most part, they are. Still, Proton VPN fell short with Netflix Japan, a library known for its exclusive content. NordVPN also retained a noticeably larger part of my initial connection speed, delivering a smoother, lag-free streaming experience overall.

Moreover, NordVPN provides a couple of streaming-dedicated features. There’s the Smart DNS feature, which helps users access geo-fenced streaming platforms on devices that don’t support VPN apps natively, such as older smart TVs. Meanwhile, SmartPlay works automatically in the background, adding an extra layer of privacy and security while you stream.

And while you might expect Proton VPN’s free plan to unblock some content, that wasn’t the case during my tests. The free servers couldn’t access any major streaming platforms, likely because they’re overcrowded and easily detected. Therefore, you’d still need to get Proton VPN Premium for consistent content unblocking.

Winner

NordVPN

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Support for torrenting and file sharing

Using a VPN when torrenting is often necessary – it masks your online activities from the ISP, preventing it from throttling your connection, and helps you bypass government regulations. For testing purposes, I challenged NordVPN and Proton VPN with two torrent downloads. The goal was to see how consistently each provider could handle torrents ranging from 8 GB to 60 GB.

For the test, I used each VPN’s fastest tunneling protocol along with its P2P servers. Even with Proton VPN’s port forwarding enabled, which is designed to improve torrenting speeds, NordVPN still delivered faster and more consistent download performance overall.

Even though NordVPN doesn’t have port forwarding, all of its servers support P2P traffic, and there are also P2P-optimized servers, which provide even better speeds. If you’re specifically after port forwarding for gaming, NordVPN offers a great alternative with its free Meshnet feature. It lets you link multiple devices directly and play together over a secure virtual LAN.

Putting it all together, NordVPN has stood out as a better VPN for torrenting. Its large P2P-supported server network, proprietary tunneling protocol, and the Meshnet feature make it a well-rounded tool for downloading and sharing files.

Winner

NordVPN

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User experience and interface design

Whether you pick NordVPN or Proton VPN, you’ll get clean, intuitive apps that are easy to use on any device. Both providers support up to 10 simultaneous connections and offer apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. You also get lightweight browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Opera.

Until recent updates, NordVPN’s desktop applications had an interactive map, which you can use to choose servers and connect to a VPN. However, now this feature is only available on mobile devices. Yet, NordVPN remained incredibly easy to use on both Windows and macOS. The interface is clean, well-structured, and all core features are easy to find. The only drawback is that the macOS version still lacks split tunneling.

What stood out the most was the Threat Protection suite. It feels like a full security toolkit built right into the app, letting you toggle features instantly and even offering helpful explanations along the way. With it, you can prevent infected ads, malware domains, trackers, malicious files, and more.

Proton VPN comes very close to NordVPN in overall usability. Its desktop and mobile apps are clean, intuitive, and visually polished. I could even find a map there, which was also interactive and made server selection easier.

Additionally, the map displayed technical information about your connection, like the server load or total traffic. However, here, the macOS app also lacks some features, including split tunneling, custom DNS servers, and IPv6 leak protection.

Proton VPN also includes its own built-in security suite called NetShield. In the desktop app, it works like an extension that blocks ads, trackers, and malicious websites, while mobile apps offer a separate section for managing it. I appreciated the Privacy Panel, which shows how many threats were blocked in real time. However, the toggle options are limited to choosing between blocking only malware or blocking everything at once.

Winner

draw

Final thoughts: which service deserves your data?

Choosing the right VPN to trust your data responsibly is more important than most of us think. After comparing NordVPN and Proton VPN across speed, security, privacy, streaming, torrenting, and overall usability, the results are clear: NordVPN is the better all-around choice for most users.

With NordVPN, not only do you get faster speeds, stronger unblocking capabilities, and a richer feature set, but also excellent value for the price. Proton VPN, however, holds its own with unmatched transparency, open-source applications, and a privacy-first philosophy. Not to mention the free plan, which can be a huge selling point to many internet users.