While NordVPN is one of the most popular virtual private network providers, that’s not to say that there aren’t competing VPN companies lining up to take their crown. When you’re looking to pay for a VPN subscription, many VPNs compete, including NordVPN and TorGuard.
We know that trying to find the perfect VPN for you can be overwhelming. That’s why today, we’re comparing NordVPN vs TorGuard. These two companies are often highly recommended for their customer service, robust security, and strict no-logs policy. But which service comes out on top? Let’s take a look.
NordVPN vs TorGuard: Quick Comparison
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Panama | USA |
| 3rd party audit | Yes, by PwC | No |
| RAM-only servers | No | No |
| Native apps | Windows MacOS Android iOS Android TV Linux | Windows MacOS Android iOS Linux Amazon Fire TV |
| Connections | 6 | 8 |
| Browser extensions | Chrome Firefox | Chrome Firefox |
| Advanced features | Kill Switch NordLynx protocol Dedicated IP Double VPN Onion over VPN Obfuscated servers Ads Blocker | Kill Switch Stealth VPN Dedicated IP Ads Blocker |
| Servers network | 5400 servers in 59 countries | 3000 servers in 50 countries |
| Streaming and P2P | Yes, Dedicated servers | P2P, Servers for streaming as paid addon |
| Free trial | Yes, in the mobile app | Yes, 7 days free trial |
| Price | $4.92 /mo 1-year plan $59 billed 30-days money-back guarantee | $4.99 /mo 1-year plan $59.99 billed 30-days money-back guarantee |
| cybersynchs.com rating | 4.8 / 5.0 | 3.6 / 5.0 |
| Full review | NordVPN Review | TorGuard Review |
| Get NordVPN | Get TorGuard |
NordVPN has been providing high-quality VPN services since 2012. It’s quickly become a worldwide favorite for VPN services thanks to its pack of features and strict privacy regulations.
TorGuard is a newer VPN service, but its popularity has grown due to its highly efficient service, kill-switch feature, and flexible pricing bundles. It’s one of the more popular VPN service providers for users who need a VPN for torrenting and port forwarding.
Jurisdiction
NordVPN is based in the privacy-friendly jurisdiction of Panama. In 2019, Panama made it illegal for any third-party actor to violate your right to privacy, making it popular as a home base for VPN providers. Because there is no legal obligation for NordVPN to hold any of your data, logs, passwords, or any other information about you, it’s one of the most secure VPNs on the market when you’re looking to obscure your online identity.
In comparison, TorGuard operates from Florida, USA. Due to US law, TorGuard has to store a certain level of information about all its users, making it potentially vulnerable. While they say they don’t keep user history while the VPN is active, their storing of identifiable information is often a massive turn-off for VPN users.
Transparency
NordVPN is well known for how transparent it is with its users about privacy. As we mentioned earlier, this provider is based in Panama, which they specifically chose for its strong internet privacy laws. When you sign up for NordVPN, they’re extremely clear that the only data they collect and keep about you is your email address and billing information. They also tell you up-front that they collect anonymized analytics data to help them improve their services.
Because billing information can often tie your name to your VPN account, NordVPN also allows you to pay for your subscriptions with prepaid cards so you can stay anonymous.
If you want to double-check how NordVPN protects your identity online, then their Privacy Policy is noted as being one of the easiest to understand among VPN providers.
Independent audits of NordVPN also found that it fully abides by its no-logs policy and never breached any aspect of its privacy policy. Their honesty about how they handle data adds to their popularity.
TorGuard, on the other hand, is required by US law to store data about its users. Like NordVPN, they collect anonymized analytics data, payment information, and emails, but they also collect any contact data submitted through support tickets or live chat. If you’re worried about having your name attached to your TorGuard account, you can pay for your subscription using alternative payment methods.
TorGuard has a strict no-logs policy, which means that users should have little to worry about their data if it sticks to its privacy claims. However, TorGuard hasn’t released a transparency report or published any audits results, meaning that users need to trust that TorGuard will protect their data.
They’ve also come under fire in recent years for their privacy policy and terms of service being vague and difficult to understand. In particular, their privacy policy doesn’t seem to mention how their VPN services protect a user’s privacy. However, they claim that they don’t store logs of traffic or activity while the VPN is active.
Native Apps
Both NordVPN and TorGuard can be used on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and any device that runs Linux.
Users that take their internet privacy seriously also have the option with both of these providers to install their native apps onto their router. This means that all of the traffic leaving your home will be encrypted, ensuring that any other internet-connected devices you use (such as your Smart TV, gaming console, or other IoT devices) are also protected and have content unblocking capabilities.
Browser Extensions
Both NordVPN and TorGuard offer browser proxy plugins. These will spoof your location to make your browser traffic appear like it’s coming from elsewhere, but they don’t give you the same level of data encryption that’s offered with a VPN. So, you won’t hide your connections and activities from other programs that you may use.
However, both of these services will block ads when you use a proxy browser extension, making them a great alternative to other ad-blocking software.
NordVPN’s extensions are available on Chrome and Firefox, arguably the two most popular browsers available. TorGuard’s browser extensions are also available for these browsers.
When we looked at the reviews for these browser extensions, we found that NordVPN’s Chrome and Firefox extensions had an average review of 3 stars and 3.5 stars, respectively. Most users who had issues reported that the extensions were buggy, frequently logged out, and didn’t allow users to switch servers. While testing it ourselves, we didn’t experience such issues.
There are similar flaws reported with the TorGuard proxy browser extensions. Their Firefox plugin is rated at 3.7 stars, and most users say that their VPN is continuously redirected to UK servers no matter what options they choose. Other users have reported random DNS leaks from the extension, which they don’t get with the desktop version of TorGuard.
Simultaneous connections
NordVPN allows users to connect up to six devices from one account, often more than enough to encrypt a single users’ traffic. This includes laptops, desktops, phones, tablets, and any other device that NordVPN apps are available on.
You can connect up to eight devices with a TorGuard’s Anonymous VPN plan. TorGuard users managed through their Business VPN plan also get the same number of connections for their work devices.
It’s worth remembering when you’re looking at TorGuard vs NordVPN that both providers have router apps available. If you install these apps on your router, you can effectively bypass the connection limit, as all of the outbound traffic that flows through your router will be automatically encrypted.
Advanced VPN Features
Both NordVPN and TorGuard offer a variety of advanced VPN features that help users encrypt their identities online.
Kill Switch
When your VPN connection is interrupted, your private browsing and data may get exposed.
Thankfully, TorGuard and NordVPN offer a kill switch feature. This means that if your connection is interrupted for any reason, the app will disable internet access on your device, and any software will be blocked from accessing the internet.
A kill switch feature is highly sought after by internet users, as it prevents your data from being leaked if it doesn’t detect a secure VPN connection.
Dedicated IP
Both providers offer a dedicated IP service to users. Some websites and software will track if you access your account or shop from a different IP address every time you visit the website. In particular, Netflix is notorious for this and has recently cracked down on people accessing its service from too many IPs.
A dedicated IP means that you’ll always access service with the same IP address so that your account will not have service interruptions. Dedicated IP addresses are paid addons available both from NordVPN and TorGuard.
Stealth VPN
With TorGuard, you get access to their Stealth VPN. This software masks your VPN traffic to make it look like regular traffic to third parties, allowing you to bypass VPN blockers, deep packet inspection, and even strict firewall rules. Stealth VPN means that the only person who knows you’re using a VPN is you, which gives you an additional level of protection online.
Double VPN
NordVPN offers a double VPN, which routes your traffic through two servers. This encrypts your data twice over, giving you an additional level of security when you’re online. Because only the second encryption server knows the first IP, it’s a great option if you need extra privacy.
Onion Over VPN
Some NordVPN servers also offer Onion Over VPN, which routes your traffic through a NordVPN server before it reaches the Onion network. While you’d typically need to use the Tor browser to do this, Onion Over VPN eliminates this need. With the Onion network already designed to protect users’ identities, this gives you even more security when you’re browsing online.
Malware and DDoS Protection
NordVPN’s CyberSec service automatically blocks websites known for hosting phishing scams, malware, or other malicious activity. They maintain a frequently updated blacklist of known malicious websites, which every URL you visit is compared against.
CyberSec also protects your device from being used as part of a botnet, even if it’s already been infected by malware. Suppose a Command and Control server attempts to communicate with your device and involve it in a DDoS attack. In that case, CyberSec will cut that communication and ensure your device stays firmly in your control.
Streaming and Torrenting
NordVPN is often the most popular choice for streamers. With over 5000 servers available worldwide, users can easily unblock region-locked content on streaming services like Netflix and unlock content on the BBC iPlayer, HBO Go, Amazon Prime Video, and more. With a dedicated IP addon, this also means that you can access streaming platforms without any interruptions.
NordVPN also advertises faster streaming speeds than other VPNs because they offer unlimited bandwidth. They also claim that they can prevent buffering by bypassing ISP throttling.
With NordVPN, P2P networking users can also take advantage of this ISP throttling protection. Using NordVPN, any files sent through P2P networking are transferred through an encrypted tunnel, ensuring that your data is protected.
On the other hand, TorGuard isn’t so reliable to unblock Netflix and other streaming services unless you pay extra for a dedicated IP address. So, if you want to access streaming services, you can expect to pay slightly more than the advertised price for TorGuard’s VPN.
However, torrenting is a key part of TorGuard’s offering. They are fully compatible with popular torrenting platforms like BitTorrent, uTorrent, Vuze, and qBittorrent, and they support port forwarding to improve your file transfer rate.
TorGuard also offers its P2P proxy service as a separate package if you can’t afford the monthly cost of its full VPN service, which makes it great for P2P network users. Their proxy service only covers BitTorrent traffic, though, and it doesn’t protect your web browsing and any other online data.
Free Trials and Pricing
NordVPN doesn’t offer a free trial on the site, but its monthly subscription costs are some of the most affordable in the VPN industry. If you’re set on using NordVPN in the long term, then their 2-year plan currently costs $3.71/month. However, if you’re unsure whether this is a service you’ll get on with, you can pay $11.95/month on a rolling basis. All NordVPN plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if the service isn’t working for you, you can contact customer service to cancel your subscription and claim back what you’ve paid.
TorGuard’s base subscription plan is cheaper than NordVPN, costing only $9.99/month on a rolling basis or $59.99/year. However, that’s before additional costs like dedicated IP addresses are factored into the equation.
TorGuard offers a 7-day trial on the Anonymous VPN and Anonymous Proxy plans. If you already use a VPN and you’re looking to switch, TorGuard’s Fresh Start offer means you can claim 30 days free on any VPN plan if you email customer services with the most recent VPN bill from your old supplier. While this doesn’t constitute a free trial per se, it’s a great way to try out a new service if you’re unhappy with your current provider.
Reddit comments
We found this positive review of NordVPN on Reddit. This Redditor recommends NordVPN for its fast speeds and strong customer service.
In this thread on r/nordvpn, Redditors also recommend NordVPN for its speed, and the top commenter mentions that the iOS app is convenient.
However, this Redditor on r/vpnreviews claims that their experience with NordVPN was very inconsistent, with their VPN connection shutting down regularly.
On the other hand, Redditors in this thread recommend TorGuard for torrenting as they’ve never experienced any data leaks during file sharing.
On r/vpnreviews, this Redditor was unhappy with TorGuard’s slow customer service and poor product support.
NordVPN vs TorGuard: In Summary
After weighing up TorGuard vs NordVPN, it’s difficult to conclude that one VPN is better than another one for any purpose. While both are developed with privacy and security in mind, it is clear that TorGuard is designed primarily for P2P networking users. In comparison, NordVPN’s straightforward interface and included dedicated IP address service told us it was designed for internet users who want more privacy online, and in particular, streamers who wish to access overseas content.
NordVPN offers more security features than TorGuard. TorGuard’s stealth VPN is a great option to use when access from a regular VPN is restricted. However, NordVPN provides more protection for professional or business users who need to remain private.
NordVPN also beats TorGuard in terms of transparency because it was third-party audited and released the audit results on its website; however, TorGuard has not been audited or released a transparency report. This raised flags with us.
We recommend NordVPN over TorGuard if you’re looking for a VPN that provides fast speeds while giving you all the protection you need to conduct your business online.
