So, NordVPN worked fantastic when I first subscribed to it over a year ago and was simple until the last few months. Here are my issues:
delayed startup. I have a fast PC. Regardless of of whether I use my desktop or laptop, The app takes longer than any other one I have to boot up.
disconnect between the app and the tray status: I have repeatedly been getting an issue where I will disconnect from the VPN in the window, but the system tray icon says I’m still connected and then refuses to take any clicking inputs when I try to disconnect using the system tray.
Around this time, the app will just break my internet. Even if I try to end each task related to Nord individually will not let me connect to the internet again until I reboot. I’ve had to reboot over and over…
the app breaks when computer goes into sleep or hibernate. If I leave it minimized during sleep, when I wake it up, the app will stop registering inputs or connecting around half the time.
High CPU usage even when not connected.
feature creep. Seems like this happens to every security or privacy app, but it’s harder to stomach when the app you already paid for keeps bugging you to buy add-ons.
All and all if nothing changes by the end of my subscription period, I’m switching over to another more lightweight VPN. Using the app should actually make using the internet significantly more difficult. I get there are things that VPN makers don’t have control over, especially at the OS level, but this just way too cumbersome to be worth it.
Honestly if you aren’t using some particular feature of their client, I would just use the stock OpenVPN client. I’ve never really had any problems when I used that. But I don’t use the app level split VPN, which is the main thing I can think of you’d want. You can do it in the OS, but it’s much more of a pain to setup.
On Linux, I use their CLI client and it seems fine, but I only use that so I can use NordLynx, otherwise I’d still be on OpenVPN there as well.
The high cpu usage is from the threat protection feature which they fixed in a recent update but I still don’t use it. The lite version is good enough along with uBlock origin on your browser
It just stopped opening for me and I was never able to get it to work. My last option was going to be reinstall windows, but I am not doing that. I’ll just find another VPN.
I contacted support and they told me to use openvpn until an update fixes it… k
Had the same problems, but only since the last update. Wrote to support and the solution they gave me it worked for me. Will copy/paste it here maybe it helps others.
‘…Within the Windows NordVPN application: navigate to Settings and click on the ‘Connection’ tab > locate the ‘VPN protocol’ option > select OpenVPN (UDP).
Please follow these steps in order to reset our application’s settings and configurations on your Windows device:
Right-click our application’s shortcut on Desktop and click on “Open file location”.
Afterwards, double-click on the folder of your current NordVPN version (e.g. 7.6.7.0).
Hate to say it but I’ve had so many issues with Nordvpn speed I finally gave up & went to another provider which has been running great. Still on the subscription until it runs out but rarely use it.
What’s the point when every site you use has cookies and can use it without your request. VPNs are useless and I asked nord about this and they pretty much told me “yeah pretty much” in the most long cringe rant I have heard in awhile.
What’s a CLI client? I have the terminal version on Linux and I’d prefer something more like the Win10 version, one of the reasons I haven’t gone full Linux yet.