You can set your home Wi-Fi as a ‘Trusted network’ to avoid it being permanently connected. This is useful for situations where you can’t be sure of a Wi-Fi network’s security, such as hotels, airports and cafes. An Auto-connect option allows you to automatically connect to a server of your choice when using an untrusted network. You’ll find most of the other features NordVPN offers within the Preferences menu. For times where you want protection without needing to appear in a particular country, it’s nice to have the work taken out of deciding which server to use. You’ll really appreciate the three default presets available within the Mac app – Downloads, Speed and Browsing – each optimised for the advertised purpose. There are no restrictions on the number of devices the app can be installed on, though.

The service limits you to six active connections at any one time. Read more about the difference on our sister site, That means they don’t provide the usual encryption you’re getting from the full VPN app, making connections much less secure. There are browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, too, but these are only proxies. In addition to the two Mac apps used for testing, it’s available on Windows, iOS, Android and Amazon Fire TV. NordVPN also offers very good device support. The map you’re presented with once you open the app shows there’s still plenty of choice for users in Europe and the US.

Popular choices like the US and Australia are joined by more unusual options like North Macedonia and Vietnam. Nonetheless, it’s highly likely that the country or region you want will be available. That’s far more than you’ll ever need, but significantly fewer than the 94 countries ExpressVPN offers. FeaturesĪs of February 2021, NordVPN has a total of 5468 servers in 59 countries around the world. But is the Mac version any good? I tested both the regular and ‘IKE’ version of the apps to find out.

NordVPN is perhaps the most well-known of these, offering an impressive range of features and solid speeds at a relatively affordable price. They’re fine for occasional use, but for anything more regular we’d highly recommend a paid service.

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