Norton, a well-known name in security software, offers Norton Secure VPN, a service designed to protect your online privacy. While included with Norton 360 subscriptions, it’s also available as a standalone product. This review examines Norton Secure VPN’s features, performance, security, and pricing to determine its value as a standalone VPN solution.
Norton Secure VPN covers the essentials of a VPN, offering decent speeds and effectively unblocking US streaming services. However, its limited feature set, minimal customization options, and yearly subscription model raise questions about its competitiveness in the standalone VPN market.
Norton Secure VPN homescreen
Features and Services
Norton Secure VPN provides five simultaneous device connections and a network of over 2,000 servers in 29 countries. However, users cannot select specific cities or regions within these countries, a significant limitation. The app interface is straightforward, displaying connection status, a change location button, and tabs for Connection, Settings, and Ad Tracker Blocking. A map visualizes the connected server location.
Norton Secure VPN settings
Settings include basic connection adjustments, split tunneling, a kill switch, and protocol selection (WireGuard, OpenVPN, and Norton’s proprietary Mimic protocol). Split tunneling, which controls which apps or URLs use the VPN, is a welcome addition. An integrated ad and tracker blocker is included but isn’t entirely foolproof. Notably, features like multi-hop connections and dynamic IP switching are absent, requiring a Norton 360 subscription.
Norton Secure VPN ad tracker
Pricing
Norton Secure VPN only offers a yearly subscription, currently priced at $39.99 for the first year and renewing at $79.99 annually. This lack of monthly or longer-term plans feels restrictive, potentially steering users towards the Norton 360 suite. Payment options include credit card, PayPal, and Google Pay.
Performance
Performance testing across various global server locations revealed impressive average download and upload speeds, maintaining 65% and 70% of the baseline speed, respectively. However, connections to geographically distant servers experienced more significant speed reductions than other VPNs. Norton Secure VPN successfully unblocked US and UK streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Max, and BBC iPlayer. However, access to content in other regions, such as Japan and Australia, proved problematic. The inability to select specific servers within a country hindered troubleshooting these issues.
Security and Privacy
Norton Secure VPN offers WireGuard, OpenVPN, and its own Mimic protocol on Windows, while mobile users are limited to WireGuard. The Mimic protocol, designed for bypassing geo-restrictions, exhibited noticeable latency. Norton claims a no-logs policy, but the details are vague. While website browsing activity is not logged, the company collects data like device information, total bandwidth usage, and originating IP address, raising privacy concerns. Norton’s US location, subject to Five Eyes data retention laws, adds another layer of complexity regarding data privacy.
Norton Secure VPN Protocols
Conclusion
Norton Secure VPN adequately performs the basic functions of a VPN, but its limited features and yearly subscription model make it less appealing as a standalone service. For users primarily interested in unblocking US streaming content, its performance is acceptable. However, users seeking advanced features, customization, and stronger privacy assurances should consider more robust VPN alternatives. The overall value proposition leans towards subscribing to the full Norton 360 suite, which includes the VPN and additional security features, rather than purchasing the VPN separately.
