The NordVPN desktop client still wins benchmarks on raw throughput, and the audited no-log claim is one of the better paper trails in the industry. The friction shows up after the second year. The introductory price renews at roughly three times the launch rate, the home screen of the Windows and macOS apps keeps pushing NordPass, NordLocker, and Threat Protection Pro, and the Quick Connect picker does not let users hand-select a specific city without an extra two clicks. We tested seven NordVPN alternatives on Windows 11, macOS Sequoia, and Ubuntu 24.04 to see which ones fix the upsell pressure without losing the speed.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Starting price | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proton VPN | Audited free tier with unlimited bandwidth | Yes | $4.99/mo (Plus, 2-year) | Free plan with no data cap |
| Mullvad VPN | Anonymous flat-fee paid plan | No | €5/mo flat | Account is a 16-digit number, pay in cash |
| Surfshark | Unlimited devices on one subscription | No | $2.19/mo (24-month) | One subscription covers every household device |
| ExpressVPN | Streaming and obfuscation on locked-down networks | No | $6.67/mo (15-month) | Lightway protocol with fast resume after sleep |
| Windscribe | Free plan plus per-feature paid upgrades | Yes | $5.75/mo or build-a-plan | R.O.B.E.R.T. DNS-level blocking on free |
| IVPN | Privacy-first with provable account separation | No | $6/mo Standard | Pro plan adds AntiTracker and multi-hop |
| Cloudflare WARP | Lightweight encrypted tunnel for everyday browsing | Yes | Free or WARP+ for speed | No account required to install on desktop |
Why people leave NordVPN
The most common reason is the second-year renewal price. Users who locked in at the launch rate find the next invoice well above what comparable VPNs charge, and the cancel-and-resubscribe loop is the only way back to the discount. The Threat Protection Pro upsell shows up on the home tab even on plans where it is already included, which adds noise to a tool people install to be invisible. The Linux client has historically lagged behind the Windows and macOS apps in features like Meshnet polish, kill switch UX, and split tunneling, even though the daemon itself is reliable. Some users also point out that the Specialty Server selectors (P2P, Onion Over VPN, Double VPN) are buried under a tab that hides them on smaller windows, which makes the workflow more clicks than it needs to be.
The alternatives
Proton VPN — Best for an audited free tier with no data cap
Proton VPN’s free plan ships unlimited bandwidth, three exit countries, and the same audited no-log policy as the paid tier. The Windows, macOS, and Linux clients all support WireGuard, OpenVPN, and Proton’s Stealth protocol for obfuscated transit. The Swiss legal footing and the open-source apps give technically inclined users a paper trail Nord cannot match.
Where it falls short: Free servers get crowded during peak hours, and Netflix or BBC iPlayer access on the free tier is unreliable. Streaming consistently means paying for Plus.
Pricing: Free with no data cap. Plus from $4.99/month on the 2-year plan, $9.99/month month-to-month.
Vs NordVPN: Plus is roughly comparable to NordVPN’s standard tier on price, and the free tier is the genuine free option NordVPN does not offer.
Download: protonvpn.com/download
Bottom line: Pick Proton VPN if a credible free tier matters and Swiss legal jurisdiction is a plus.
Mullvad VPN — Best for anonymous flat-fee privacy
Mullvad has a flat €5 per month rate, no annual contracts, no upsells, and accounts are 16-digit numbers with no email tied to them. Cash, bank transfer, and Bitcoin all work. The Windows, macOS, and Linux apps are open-source and run WireGuard by default with optional Shadowsocks bridging. Independent code audits are public on the company’s site.
Where it falls short: Mullvad blocks port forwarding entirely, which broke some private-tracker workflows. There is no streaming-optimised server set, so unblocking BBC iPlayer or DAZN is hit or miss.
Pricing: €5 per month flat. No discounts for multi-year terms.
Vs NordVPN: Cheaper than NordVPN’s renewal price, with the privacy story most users assume they are paying NordVPN for.
Download: mullvad.net/download
Bottom line: Pick Mullvad if anonymous billing and a flat price beat speed bragging rights.
Surfshark — Best for households with many devices
Surfshark allows unlimited simultaneous connections on a single subscription, which is the friction point for households where NordVPN runs out of device slots. The Windows and macOS clients ship the CleanWeb ad and tracker blocker, the MultiHop chain selector, and a working split-tunneling panel. Speeds on the WireGuard backbone match NordVPN within the margin of testing noise.
Where it falls short: Surfshark and Nord share corporate ownership under Nord Security since 2022, so the “independent alternative” argument is weaker than it used to be. Pricing climbs significantly after the first term.
Pricing: From $2.19/month on the 24-month Starter plan. Renews around $59.76/year.
Vs NordVPN: Cheaper sticker price for a longer initial term and unlimited devices, but the same parent company.
Download: surfshark.com/download
Bottom line: Pick Surfshark for the unlimited device count if the shared ownership is not a dealbreaker.
ExpressVPN — Best for streaming and restrictive networks
ExpressVPN’s Lightway protocol resumes from sleep faster than any other client tested, and the obfuscated servers reliably get through on networks that block standard VPN traffic. The Windows, macOS, and Linux apps share a consistent UI, and the Lightway TCP fallback handles flaky cafe Wi-Fi cleanly.
Where it falls short: The Kape Technologies acquisition raised questions for privacy-purists about ownership consolidation. There is no free trial, only a 30-day refund window.
Pricing: From $6.67/month on the 15-month plan. Renews around $99.95/year.
Vs NordVPN: Pricier per month, but streaming unblocking and obfuscation are more reliable in our tests.
Download: expressvpn.com/vpn-download
Bottom line: Pick ExpressVPN if streaming reliability and restrictive-network use beat raw cost.
Windscribe — Best for a generous free plan with per-feature paid upgrades
Windscribe’s free tier gives 10 GB per month with email verification, eleven country picks, and the R.O.B.E.R.T. DNS-level ad and tracker blocker. The Build-A-Plan option lets users pick exact locations and pay only for the data they need, which works out cheaper than Nord for occasional travellers.
Where it falls short: The desktop client is less polished than NordVPN, and customer support is community-driven rather than 24/7 chat.
Pricing: Free (10 GB/month). Pro $5.75/month annual, Build-A-Plan starts at $3 with one location.
Vs NordVPN: A real free tier and à la carte pricing beat NordVPN’s all-or-nothing subscription model.
Download: windscribe.com/download
Bottom line: Pick Windscribe if a free fallback and pay-for-what-you-use pricing matters.
IVPN — Best for accountable, privacy-first paid VPN
IVPN takes the Mullvad approach and adds AntiTracker DNS filtering, multi-hop on the Pro plan, and a transparent ownership page that names the founder. Apps are open-source on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The team publishes a warrant canary and detailed system administration docs.
Where it falls short: Smaller server count than NordVPN means fewer regional choices. No streaming-specific servers.
Pricing: Standard from $6/month, Pro from $10/month. Pay in cash or Monero.
Vs NordVPN: Pricier per month, but the privacy-first product design is more honest about what a VPN can and cannot do.
Download: ivpn.net/apps
Bottom line: Pick IVPN if accountable, opinionated privacy beats feature bloat.
Cloudflare WARP — Best for a free everyday encrypted tunnel
WARP runs over Cloudflare’s edge network and ships native Windows and macOS clients (Linux as a CLI). The free tier is genuinely free, with no account required, and the optional WARP+ subscription speeds up routing for users with congested home links. It is closer to a privacy-aware DNS tunnel than a full VPN, but it covers the encrypted-transit job without the subscription overhead.
Where it falls short: WARP does not let users choose an exit country, so geo-unblocking is not in scope. No kill switch on the consumer client.
Pricing: Free. WARP+ from $4.99/month (Cloudflare One Zero Trust split into a separate agent in 2026).
Vs NordVPN: Not a like-for-like swap. WARP handles the encrypted-tunnel job without the price, NordVPN handles geo-unblocking and city-level server picks.
Download: 1.1.1.1
Bottom line: Pick WARP for the always-on encrypted tunnel without paying anyone monthly.
How to choose
Pick Proton VPN if a free tier with no data cap matters and Swiss legal jurisdiction is a bonus. Pick Mullvad if you want to pay anonymously and skip the subscription dance entirely. Pick Surfshark if your household has more than six devices and the shared corporate ownership with Nord is not a dealbreaker. Pick ExpressVPN if streaming reliability beats per-month cost. Pick Windscribe if a real free fallback or per-feature pricing is the right shape for your usage. Pick IVPN if you want a VPN built by people who treat privacy as an end, not a feature. Pick Cloudflare WARP if you only need encrypted transit and never cared about geo-unblocking. Stay on NordVPN if the speed crown and the Meshnet feature for remote-machine access still earn the renewal price.
FAQ
Is Proton VPN better than NordVPN? Proton VPN’s free tier is unmatched and the audit history is cleaner, but NordVPN still wins on raw speed and server count. For users who actively use a VPN for geo-unblocking and don’t mind the renewal price, NordVPN remains competitive. For everyone else, Proton VPN is the safer long-term bet.
Can I import my NordVPN settings to another VPN? No VPN imports another’s settings, but most clients (Proton, Mullvad, Surfshark, IVPN) re-create the kill-switch, split-tunneling, and protocol preferences in minutes. WireGuard config files are portable between Mullvad, IVPN, and Proton VPN if you prefer manual setup.
What is the cheapest NordVPN alternative for desktop? Cloudflare WARP is free for everyday encrypted tunneling. For a full geo-unblocking VPN, Surfshark’s 24-month plan and Windscribe’s Build-A-Plan tier are the cheapest options that still hold up in testing.
Is there a free NordVPN alternative with no data cap? Proton VPN’s free tier has no monthly data cap, only a smaller country list. Cloudflare WARP is also free but does not let you pick exit countries.
What VPN do people switch from NordVPN to? The most common destinations in our research are Proton VPN (for the free tier), Mullvad (for the anonymous account), and Surfshark (for the unlimited device count). ExpressVPN comes up when streaming reliability is the priority.
