Years ago, the idea of being spied on by the government or large corporations sounding far fetched and those who were concerned about being under surveillance were seen as paranoid. However, we know now that government organizations and major companies do indeed monitor our communications and online activities. That is not all, cyber criminals are constantly lurking the web, trying to find easy targets to steal their private information. In order, technology offers a solution that can improve the security of our internet traffic and give us privacy when we are online. One of the most effective ways to protect your data is using a VPN. These services offer a variety of features designed to protect you from the threats to your privacy and security. Here we will compare two of the most popular VPN services that you can find in the market. They stand out due to their high level of commitment to keep your information safe.
What to keep in mind before choosing a VPN
The location where a VPN provider is based, is one of the most important aspects to consider before getting a subscription, particularly if you want to ensure that your data remains private. You also need to research the provider to find out if there have been instances in which they have handed over information about their customers, or if there are any security concerns about their services. Choosing a VPN requires some level of trust so it is important that you go for a service that has a good record when it comes to defend the privacy of its users. In any case, even if you select a VPN that is considered as one of the most reliable options, keep in mind that there is not total guarantee that your information will be protected at all times. Now, when it comes to this comparison between NordVPN and TorGuard, it is important to say that while the first is based in Panama, where no mandatory data retention laws are applied, the second is located in the United States, which is a country where privacy is constantly under threat.
Price
While quality and security should be high in your list of priorities, it can’t be denied that price is one of the most important aspects when it comes to choosing a VPN. You need to look for a VPN that offers reasonably priced plans and that gives you good value for money. If you get the yearly NordVPN plan, you will pay $6.99 per month. On the other hand, one year of TorGuard’s anonymous VPN package costs $59.99, which means that the price per month is about $5. One thing to keep in mind is that NordVPN only has one plan, while TorGuard offers different packages available so you can select the one that better suits your needs.
Servers
Of course, servers coverage is another essential part of the VPN experience. You need a VPN that offers a decent amount of servers so that you can overcome restrictions from anywhere. If you are looking to unblock a website or application that is only available in a specific country, you need to make sure that the VPN provider you choose, has servers in that location. NordVPN has over 4800 servers distributed across 62 countries. On the other hand, TorGuard has more than 3000 servers in 55 countries. Both providers offer enough servers to ensure that you can overcome blocks, but NordVPN gets ahead as it offers a larger selection of countries and servers.
Compatibility
NordVPN works on all the major platforms available such as MacOS, Android, iOS, Windows and Linux. It also supports DDWRT, Raspberry Pi and Tomato. TorGuard also gets points in this category since it can be used on iOS, Android, MacOS, Firefox, Tomato, Windows, DDWRT and Chrome.
Security
Security is crucial when it comes to VPNs and you need to check what tunneling protocols and what level of encryption are used to protect your data. NordVPN supports OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, IKEv2 and PPTP. The latter is considered as weak, although it can offer faster performance. IKEv2 and OpenVPN are highly secure and reliable. In terms of encryption, AES-256 bit is the strongest option. TorGuard supports the same protocols as NordVPN, as well as an additional one: SSTP.
Features
NordVPN offers advanced security features such as Tor over VPN, double hop encryption, DNS leak protection and DDoS protection. Moreover, they offer dedicated IP and the option to get dedicated IP. You can use up to 6 connections at the same time. TorGuard also offers a great range of additional features, including ad blocker, kill switch, DDoS protection, dedicated IP, IP leak protection, malware blocker and SOCKS5/SSH/HHTP/SSL. You can use up to 5 simultaneous connections. Both providers offers features that can help you to enjoy a more secure and versatile online experience.
Customer Support
Even if a service offers seamless performance and high quality, there will be times when you need to reach out the customer support team. It is very important that you can get detailed answers and that you feel that the company really wants to help you to get the most out of the service. NordVPN offers amazing support that is professional and polite, plus, they have great guides and information about different aspects of their service. There is a 24/7 live chat so you can easily reach out to them whenever needed. TorGuard also offers good quality customer service. You will find a blog and useful articles about the service, plus, you can also contact them via live chat. Both offer good support for their customers, but NordVPN provides a more detailed support section and they are easier to reach out via social media.
Payment methods, refund Policy, money back guarantee
Apart from supporting popular payment methods like credit cards and PayPal, NordVPN and TorGuard also support anonymous alternative payment methods like Bitcoin and Ethereum. Both NordVPN and TorGuard offer refunds to customers in case they are not entirely happy with the service. NordVPN comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, while TorGuard offers a 7-day money back guarantee. NordVPN also supports GiroPay, AliPay, iDeal and SOFORT. TorGuard also allows you to pay using gift cards.
Privacy
NordVPN is a logless providers, which means that it doesn’t monitor or keep records of your online activities or other aspects of your use of the service. The privacy policies of both NordVPN and TorGuard are transparent and outline the data that is collected and kept. NordVPN doesn’t store time stamps, IP address, traffic logs, session information or used bandwidth. It doesn’t keep track of user activity. They store email address, payment data, customer service information, server load information, as well as cookies. TorGuard doesn’t record your online activities and it keeps customer support history. In addition, it processes email addresses and payment data.
Speed
In general, VPNs slow down your connection, but a good VPN should still allow you to browse, stream, download content and play online games. NordVPN gets ahead in this category because there is no noticeable loss of speed. TorGuard doesn’t do bad, but NordVPN offers better speeds for streams and other activities.
Which service allows you to overcome Netflix’s restrictions?
Netflix subscribers outside the United States don’t have access to as many movies and TV shows and Netflix has implemented a technology that prevents the use of VPNs to overcome the geo-blocks. Still, there are some VPNs that are capable of defeating the restrictions, giving you access to a greater selection of content. NordVPN is one of the few providers who can help you to bypass the geo-restrictions imposed on Netflix. There are dedicated servers that allow you to stream more content. TorGuard also allows you to overcome the restrictions, but you need to pay an additional fee.
Conclusion
Both NordVPN and TorGuard offer excellent solutions to protect your online traffic and overcome restrictions and censorship. TorGuard supports a great selection of features and it offers a variety of packages that suit different needs. However, NordVPN provides a very high level of protection and faster speed, which makes it ideal for streaming. This is what makes it a better choice in the end.