NordVPN vs Proton VPN

NordVPN is a paid VPN service with apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Android TV, and tvOS. It supports streaming, torrenting, WireGuard, and a kill switch, and one account allows 10 simultaneous connections. The service lists servers in 167 countries, while its network description states more than 7,600 servers across more than 225 locations. All NordVPN apps support post-quantum encryption, and a verified no-logs audit is listed. Browser proxy extensions are available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Paid plans start at $3.49 per month on a 2-year plan; the listed one-month Basic plan costs $14.69 a month. There is no free plan, though Meshnet is available at no cost for file sharing, LAN gaming, traffic routing, and remote device access. Plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee, and a 3-day trial is listed. Additional offerings include antivirus protection against scams, phishing, malware, intrusive ads, and trackers, plus Dark Web Monitor Pro for scanning leaked credentials, payment details, and personal IDs. Complete and Complete Max include 1 TB of encrypted cloud storage. NordVPN was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Panama; its parent company, Nord Security, is headquartered in Lithuania.

Proton VPN is a virtual private network service from Proton, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It encrypts traffic with AES-256 or ChaCha20 over WireGuard or OpenVPN, and lists a kill switch, streaming support and torrent support. Proton describes the service as no-logs, open-source and independently audited. Its free plan has unlimited data, no artificial speed limits and no ads; it supports one device at a time and connects to randomly selected servers in 10 countries. Paid plan listings show VPN Plus and Proton Unlimited at $0.00 per month, with the first month and renewal also listed at $0.00; both support 10 devices. Apps are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, as well as browsers, Chromebook, Android TV, Apple TV and Fire TV. NetShield uses DNS filtering to block ads, trackers, phishing scams, malicious sites and malware. The service advertises 20,000+ servers in 140+ countries. Payments can be refunded within 30 days, and subscriptions can be canceled at any time.