NordVPN achieves excellent results in latest security and performance evaluation
The test was conducted by West Coast Labs in March 2025 and praised NordVPN's strong results, cementing its reputation as the best VPN on the market.
West Coast Labs carried out the evaluation under AMTSO (Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization) guidelines and examined NordVPN's performance across key technical categories.
Speed, security, and reliability were the main focuses and NordVPN was put up against three randomly selected, undisclosed, competitors.
West Coast Labs conducted the test on NordVPN's Windows 10 and 11 VPN applications, using a high-speed 1 Gbps connection.
Main areas of focus included:
Split tunneling and the kill switch were confirmed to be working and secure. For the most secure VPNs, a functioning and reliable kill switch is a non-negotiable feature. It cuts your internet connection should your VPN fail, ensuring your data is never unprotected.
Auto-launch on boot and auto-connect were also examined and performed consistently and correctly.
The Ookla speed test tool was used to measure VPN speeds, latency, and connection time. The regions tested were the UK, France, Netherlands, Germany, East Asia, Australia (east coast), and the U.S. (west coast).
NordVPN is one of the fastest VPNs and the highest download speed recorded in this test was 920 Mbps – recorded on a U.S. server. This is just short of the 950+ Mbps we found in our own testing.
Compared to the undisclosed competitors, NordVPN delivered 15.2% faster downloads, 12.4% faster uploads, and 7.9% lower latency.
The average time for NordVPN to establish a secure, encrypted tunnel was 1.67 seconds.
West Coast Labs noted this was 36.1% faster than the industry average. This was measured from the moment a user initiated a connection to the point when traffic was securely routed through the VPN.
Eight separate leak scenarios were tested, including IP address, DNS, WebRTC, and IPv6 leak checks, as well as protection during server switching, Wi-Fi hotspot changes, and mobile data transitions.
Two advanced cases were also tested. This was a split-tunneling flaw and the TunnelVision attack – a known vulnerability that can be particularly challenging to defend against.
All scenarios were passed with good marks, demonstrating NordVPN's class-leading privacy and security.
Some websites may identify the fact you're using a VPN and a small number might even block you from accessing the site.
West Coast Labs tried to access 100 of the most visited websites, both before and after connecting to NordVPN. There was a 100% success rate, with all sites remaining accessible. However, some CAPTCHA challenges were experienced.
Finally, NordVPN had a minimal impact on system performance. Compared to no VPN connection, memory usage increased by 1.1% and processor usage increased by 3.8%.
If you want to see more detail, you can read the West Coast Labs report in full.
"Independent testing is one of the most honest measures of our work," said Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN.
"This evaluation confirms that NordVPN delivers strong security while maintaining high levels of speed and usability – a result we're proud to stand behind."
"We design it to work quietly in the background – quick to connect, light on system resources, and ready to protect across a range of scenarios, including those that test for serious vulnerabilities like TunnelVision. It's good to see those goals confirmed."
NordVPN regularly undergoes independent audits, verifying its commitment to privacy and security.
At the end of 2024, it had its no-logs policy audited for a fifth time, as well as its security credentials – both audits yielded positive results.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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