Norton Safe VPN Overview (2023): Pricing, Professionals & Cons

Whereas Norton has been well-known for its widespread antivirus software program, its Safe VPN answer fails to satisfy the identical excessive commonplace. Its smaller server community throughout solely 29 nations, lack of notable options and doubtful no-logs claims make it exhausting to advocate over different VPNs accessible.

Norton Safe VPN gives quick efficiency and inexpensive month-to-month plans, however you would possibly discover extra strong choices in additional established VPN suppliers akin to NordVPN or ExpressVPN.

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Norton Safe VPN pricing

Norton Safe VPN’s pricing is exclusive because it gives plans per machine as an alternative of getting a set variety of protected gadgets per plan like different VPN suppliers.

In the event you plan on defending just one machine, Norton’s one-device subscription at $4.99 per 30 days is an inexpensive choice as month-to-month plans from opponents vary from $9 to $15; nevertheless, these plans embody extra gadgets. If you’d like a VPN that covers limitless gadgets, for instance, Personal Web Entry VPN (PIA VPN) is an effective selection.

Norton offers a collection of safety software program exterior of its VPN. The Norton 360 Normal plan for $94.99 per 12 months contains Norton’s Safe VPN, antivirus software program and a password supervisor for 3 computer systems, tablets or telephones. This comes out to round $7.92 per 30 days and packs good worth for patrons who need an all-around safety answer along with a VPN.

In the event you’re solely after a VPN answer, I discover Norton Safe VPN’s five-device month-to-month subscription to be the perfect worth for cash. At $7.99 per 30 days, it stays an inexpensive selection in comparison with related month-to-month plans and covers 5 gadgets as an alternative of only one.

Norton gives a 7-day free trial for its Safe VPN via Norton 360 bundles. I want Norton had a free model to attempt its service out, particularly since its free trials require fee data to entry. In the event you’re on the lookout for a free VPN, ProtonVPN has a free tier with limitless information.

Is Norton Safe VPN protected?

On paper, Norton Safe VPN is protected. It makes use of bank-grade AES 256 encryption and carries OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec safety protocols — two protocols identified for his or her safety and stability.

Sadly, Norton Safe VPN doesn’t permit customers to manually choose which protocol to make use of and doesn’t supply the speed-oriented WireGuard protocol. These safety features come commonplace in widespread VPNs like Surfshark or NordVPN.

Norton Safe VPN advertises itself as a no-logs VPN answer, stating that it “doesn’t log details about the place you browse on the Web.” Nevertheless, Norton’s International Privateness Assertion tells a unique story.

Its privateness coverage covers all Norton software program and says that in the event you set up any of its merchandise, it collects data akin to your machine identify, IP deal with, browser information akin to session inside cookies and URLs, simply to call just a few.

It’s unlucky that Norton data this quantity of data whereas claiming to have a no-logs VPN. Additionally, Norton Safe VPN doesn’t report third-party safety audits, which most VPN suppliers use to substantiate their privateness claims. Whereas impartial audits aren’t the end-all and be-all of a VPN’s safety structure, they’re a very good indicator of a service’s transparency and confidence in its guarantees.

If you’d like a VPN that’s gone via a ton of third-party safety testing, ExpressVPN has had round 16 impartial audits since 2018.

Whereas Norton Safe VPN could be thought-about a protected VPN to make use of in 2023, the VPN nonetheless has room to enhance, particularly in its safety protocols and information logging coverage.

Key options of Norton Safe VPN

In comparison with different VPNs, Norton Safe VPN doesn’t have many standout options. Nevertheless, it gives three fundamental options that one would count on from a VPN.

Cut up tunnel

Norton Safe VPN contains break up tunneling performance that lets customers exclude explicit apps from the VPN’s visitors. This can be a handy function for customers who wish to management which apps they really feel want extra pace and which of them they need protected through the VPN.

Throughout my testing, I discovered Norton Safe VPN’s break up tunneling function to work nicely; I used to be capable of route my chosen apps to my common web connection with out challenge.

Nevertheless, having to search out the precise file location (Determine A) of the app I needed to pick made the method a bit extra complicated. Different VPNs routinely present the listing of selectable apps.

Kill swap

Norton Safe VPN comes with a built-in kill swap that routinely blocks your machine from connecting to an unprotected community in case your VPN connection is unexpectedly disrupted.

Norton Safe VPN’s kill swap labored as marketed, however it is extremely fundamental. PIA VPN, for instance, offers customers the choice to dam web visitors no matter whether or not the VPN is turned on or off.

However in the event you’re not too explicit about having that exact management, Safe VPN’s Kill Change will assist shield you towards undesirable information leaks.

Advert tracker blocking

Safe VPN has an advert tracker blocker that stops advertisers and advertising and marketing corporations from monitoring your on-line exercise; that is particularly helpful for blocking focused adverts.

I like that Safe VPN offers you a tough estimate of the variety of blocks carried out in a given interval. This provides customers an concept of the variety of trackers we’re often uncovered to when shopping the web.

Is Norton Safe VPN quick?

Whereas Norton Safe VPN doesn’t have a ton of standout options, it carried out very well by way of pace. Per my utilization, Safe VPN offered me with a fast and dependable connection. This included having a number of browser tabs open for analysis, working in Google Docs, attending on-line video conferences and streaming 1080p movies on YouTube.

By way of pace assessments, Norton Safe VPN was spectacular; with a 1.33% drop, it had one of many lowest drops in obtain speeds I’ve examined. The add pace was additionally good, coming in at 21.84% drop. In the event you’re the kind of one that often downloads large recordsdata or streams high-definition content material, Norton Safe VPN’s pace gained’t be an issue.

For DNS leak safety, I encountered zero leaks with Norton Safe VPN. This was after operating the VPN a number of occasions via a public DNS leak software and utilizing totally different servers to check.

Norton Safe VPN was additionally capable of set up connections shortly and swap servers seamlessly.

Norton Safe VPN servers and areas

Norton doesn’t disclose the precise variety of servers in Safe VPN’s server suite; some websites have reported it to be across the 1,000-2,000 server mark. Nevertheless, it seems that Safe VPN comes with a smaller community in comparison with the common 3,000-4,000 servers we see from different suppliers.

Norton Safe VPN offers entry to servers in 29 nations, together with the USA, Switzerland, Japan and South Africa. This can be a fairly low quantity contemplating how opponents like CyberGhost VPN and ExpressVPN have servers in 100 and 105 nations, respectively. Even newer VPNs like Atlas VPN include servers in 42 nations. If unblocking geo-restricted content material is your fundamental precedence, you’ll be higher off going for choices like these as an alternative.

Norton Safe VPN doesn’t help you select city-level servers. And, whereas there’s the choice to decide on a torrent-optimized server, Safe VPN doesn’t have specialised servers for streaming, safety or gaming.

General, Norton Safe VPN’s server suite leaves lots to be desired with its small community and nation unfold.

Norton Safe VPN app expertise

Norton Safe VPN comes with a really fundamental desktop person interface. It has a single, one-click button to activate the VPN and a rustic selector on the proper — and that’s about it.

To entry extra options, all it’s worthwhile to do is click on the cog icon on the higher left, and also you’ll get entry to Safe VPN’s restricted function set.

Safe VPN is extraordinarily simple to make use of, however I do really feel like that is each a very good and dangerous factor. It’s good as a result of it offers an easy expertise that novice customers gained’t discover exhausting to make use of or perceive.

Nevertheless, the interface additionally displays Safe VPN’s lack of standout options and performance. By my rely, there are solely three menus inside Norton Safe VPN’s settings web page — which implies that customers who desire a bit extra management or additional options might not discover Safe VPN very interesting.

I additionally discover it odd that Norton Safe VPN doesn’t have an equal browser extension. Many VPN suppliers supply a browser extension, because it makes their service simpler to entry.

To its credit score, I had zero points utilizing Safe VPN’s desktop software. I used to be capable of swap servers simply and it received the job executed by way of VPN connection.

Norton Safe VPN Professionals

• Inexpensive month-to-month plans.
• Quick pace and dependable efficiency.
• Will be bundled with different Norton merchandise.
• Contains break up tunneling.

Norton Safe VPN Cons

• Small server community.
• Logs extra information than we’d like.
• Lack of impartial testing.
• No standout options like specialised servers.

How good is Norton Safe VPN?

Norton Safe VPN is an honest VPN answer that gives good speeds, a fundamental and easy-to-understand interface and inexpensive pricing.

Nevertheless, its questionable privateness coverage and information logging, lack of impartial testing and bare-bones options make it exhausting to advocate over the competitors. Its server community in 29 nations can also be one of many smallest choices in at this time’s VPN panorama.

I can solely advocate Norton Safe VPN in the event you’re buying it as an included service via Norton 360 Plus, bundled with Norton’s different safety software program. It can be a very good choice if you would like solely essentially the most fundamental VPN safety at a low value.

Alternate options to Norton Safe VPN

In the event you really feel that Norton Safe VPN doesn’t match what you or your group wants, I’ve listed three various VPNs that could be higher choices.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is among the greatest VPN choices for customers who desire a no-nonsense VPN service that gives a well-designed interface and dependable efficiency. This can be very simple to make use of and helps as much as 8 machine connections. It additionally makes use of RAM-only server expertise that wipes all information inside its servers with each reboot.

We rated ExpressVPN 4.4 stars out of 5. To study extra, learn our full ExpressVPN assessment right here.

NordVPN

NordVPN has constructed a status for being top-of-the-line VPN suppliers by way of safety and privateness. It contains security-focused options like an encrypted file-sharing system and built-in anti-malware safety. NordVPN additionally comes with a darkish internet monitor that may alert customers if their e-mail turns into concerned in any type of breach or hack.

We rated NordVPN 4.7 stars out of 5. To study extra, learn our full NordVPN assessment right here.

CyberGhost VPN

Customers on the lookout for a VPN to unblock geo-restricted content material ought to select CyberGhost VPN. It gives a powerful server community of greater than 10,000 servers, unfold throughout 100 nations and 125 areas. This provides you tons of flexibility in accessing region-blocked websites or companies everywhere in the world.

We rated CyberGhost VPN 4.3 out of 5 stars. To study extra, learn our full CyberGhost VPN assessment right here.

Overview methodology

My assessment of Norton Safe VPN concerned an in depth evaluation of its safety features, real-world efficiency and price. I had hands-on expertise with Safe VPN via a one-month plan for one machine.

For pace, I examined Norton Safe VPN utilizing Ookla’s public Speedtest. I additionally used DNSleaktest to check Safe VPN’s DNS leak safety.

I rated Norton Safe VPN on all the pieces, from its protocols to its pricing, based mostly on an inside algorithm to get a closing score of three.0 out of 5 stars. The scoring was based mostly each on Norton Safe VPN by itself and in relation to different VPN companies accessible at this time.