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Whereas Norton has been well-known for its fashionable antivirus software program, its Safe VPN answer fails to satisfy the identical excessive normal. Its smaller server community throughout solely 29 international locations, lack of notable options and doubtful no-logs claims make it arduous to advocate over different VPNs out there.

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

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Norton Safe VPN pricing

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

For those who plan on defending just one system, Norton’s one-device subscription at $4.99 monthly is an inexpensive possibility as month-to-month plans from opponents vary from $9 to $15; nevertheless, these plans embrace extra units. If you would like a VPN that covers limitless units, for instance, Personal Web Entry VPN (PIA VPN) is an effective selection.

Norton gives a set of safety software program exterior of its VPN. The Norton 360 Customary plan for $94.99 per yr 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 monthly and packs good worth for patrons who need an all-around safety answer along with a VPN.

For those who’re solely after a VPN answer, I discover Norton Safe VPN’s five-device month-to-month subscription to be the very best worth for cash. At $7.99 monthly, it stays an inexpensive selection in comparison with comparable month-to-month plans and covers 5 units 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 strive its service out, particularly since its free trials require cost data to entry. For those who’re on the lookout for a free VPN, ProtonVPN has a free tier with limitless knowledge.

Is Norton Safe VPN secure?

On paper, Norton Safe VPN is secure. It makes use of bank-grade AES 256 encryption and carries OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec safety protocols — two protocols recognized 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 provide the speed-oriented WireGuard protocol. These security measures come normal in fashionable 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.” Nonetheless, Norton’s International Privateness Assertion tells a special 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 similar to your system identify, IP tackle, browser knowledge similar to session inside cookies and URLs, simply to call a number of.

It’s unlucky that Norton information this quantity of knowledge 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 superb indicator of a service’s transparency and confidence in its guarantees.

If you would 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 might be thought-about a secure VPN to make use of in 2023, the VPN nonetheless has room to enhance, particularly in its safety protocols and knowledge logging coverage.

Key options of Norton Safe VPN

In comparison with different VPNs, Norton Safe VPN doesn’t have many standout options. Nonetheless, it gives three important options that one would anticipate 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. It is a handy characteristic for customers who need to management which apps they really feel want extra velocity and which of them they need protected by way of the VPN.

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

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

Kill change

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

Norton Safe VPN’s kill change 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 knowledge 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 advertisements.

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 rather well by way of velocity. 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.

When it comes to velocity checks, 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 velocity was additionally good, coming in at 21.84% drop. For those who’re the kind of one who often downloads large recordsdata or streams high-definition content material, Norton Safe VPN’s velocity received’t be an issue.

For DNS leak safety, I encountered zero leaks with Norton Safe VPN. This was after working the VPN a number of instances via a public DNS leak instrument and utilizing completely different servers to check.

Norton Safe VPN was additionally in a position to set up connections shortly and change servers seamlessly.

Norton Safe VPN servers and places

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. Nonetheless, 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 gives entry to servers in 29 international locations, together with the US, Switzerland, Japan and South Africa. It is a fairly low quantity contemplating how opponents like CyberGhost VPN and ExpressVPN have servers in 100 and 105 international locations, respectively. Even newer VPNs like Atlas VPN include servers in 42 international locations. If unblocking geo-restricted content material is your important precedence, you’ll be higher off going for choices like these as an alternative.

Norton Safe VPN doesn’t will let 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 quite a bit 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 appropriate — and that’s about it.

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

Safe VPN is extraordinarily simple to make use of, however I do really feel like that is each a superb and unhealthy factor. It’s good as a result of it gives a simple expertise that novice customers received’t discover arduous to make use of or perceive.

Nonetheless, 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 signifies 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 provide a browser extension, because it makes their service simpler to entry.

To its credit score, I had zero points utilizing Safe VPN’s desktop utility. I used to be in a position to change servers simply and it acquired the job completed by way of VPN connection.

Norton Safe VPN Professionals

• Reasonably priced month-to-month plans.
• Quick velocity and dependable efficiency.
• Might be bundled with different Norton merchandise.
• Contains break up tunneling.

Norton Safe VPN Cons

• Small server community.
• Logs extra knowledge 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.

Nonetheless, its questionable privateness coverage and knowledge logging, lack of impartial testing and bare-bones options make it arduous to advocate over the competitors. Its server community in 29 international locations can also be one of many smallest choices in in the present day’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 may also be a superb possibility if you’d like solely essentially the most fundamental VPN safety at a low worth.

Options to Norton Safe VPN

For those who 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 finest 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 system connections. It additionally makes use of RAM-only server know-how that wipes all knowledge inside its servers with each reboot.

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

NordVPN

NordVPN has constructed a repute for being among the best 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 net monitor that can alert customers if their electronic mail turns into concerned in any kind of breach or hack.

We rated NordVPN 4.7 stars out of 5. To study extra, learn our full NordVPN evaluate 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 international locations and 125 places. This provides you tons of flexibility in accessing region-blocked websites or providers all around the world.

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

Overview methodology

My evaluate of Norton Safe VPN concerned an in depth evaluation of its security measures, real-world efficiency and price. I had hands-on expertise with Safe VPN via a one-month plan for one system.

For velocity, 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 every part, 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 providers out there in the present day.