Norton Secure VPN review: Simple, no-fuss protection | usagoldmines.com

Norton has joined in on the trend of security giants offering VPNs as part of its catalog of apps. Norton Secure VPN is included with every Norton 360 subscription, but you can also purchase a plan for just the VPN as well. Unlike other VPNs offered by antivirus companies, Norton Secure VPN isn’t just some thrown-together afterthought; it stands out thanks to its strong performance and sleek app design. 

The company’s security software has always been some of the best on the market, but just how good is it? Will it keep your browsing safe and secure, or should you look elsewhere for further protection? I’m taking it for a spin to find out.

Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best VPNs for comparison.

Norton VPN in brief:

• P2P allowed: Yes
• Simultaneous device connections: 5 or 10, depending upon the plan
• Business location: United States
• Number of servers: 2,000+
• Number of country locations: 66
• Cost: $39.99 for one year for Standard and Plus, $49.99 for one year for Ultimate

What are Norton Secure VPN’s features and services?

Before I dig any deeper, it’s worth mentioning that Norton Secure VPN was originally built to be an add-on feature to the Norton 360 security suite and is now being offered as a standalone app. As such, it’s still in the process of being upgraded to include many of the same features as other top VPNs.

That doesn’t take away from it being a perfectly capable VPN in its own right however. Norton Secure VPN offers up to five or 10 simultaneous device connections depending upon your plan tier, and a decent-sized server network— estimated to be around 2,000 plus servers across 66 country locations. Just in the last year, the available country locations have more than doubled and you’re now able to pick and choose specific locations in many countries.

Sam Singleton

When you first open the app, you’ll notice how minimalist the homescreen is. It has a “Connect” button below a drop-down menu with server locations. All of this is overlaid across a simple world map that highlights your current IP location with a pinpoint red dot. Along the left rail you’ll find a connection-status icon along with menu options for Store, Help & Support, and Settings. 

It’s a pleasantly simplistic interface that recently underwent a redesign. And kudos to the design team over at Norton because this now has to be one of the most intuitive VPN interfaces I’ve ever encountered. No complicated menu systems or over-engineered tricks in sight.

When connected, the map will zoom in to the geographic location of the chosen server demarcated with a green dot. Your new IP address will be displayed in the middle of the screen and the VPN status icon on the left will say “Connected.”

Sam Singleton

Under the Settings menu you’ll find options for auto-connect, the split tunneling feature, a kill switch, and the ability to change your protocol as well. Norton doesn’t overwhelm with features and customization options, but it does provide all of the basics users are looking for.

Split tunneling allows you to control which apps or URLs you wish to run through the VPN and which to keep separate, adding a useful layer of customization to any VPN connection. The one gripe I have with Norton’s split tunneling is that it doesn’t offer reverse functionality. You can pick and choose which apps to exclude, but other services will provide a reverse function that excludes everything and you can then select which apps to add to the VPN connection instead. It’s a minor complaint, but seems like a bit of an oversight.

Just recently, Norton has added Double VPN and IP Rotation connections. Both of these features are now available for all tiers. The continued rollout of advanced features like these are representative of how serious Norton is taking the development of its proper standalone VPN service. 

Sam Singleton

Double VPN, or multi-hop, routes your connection through two different VPN servers rather than one for added privacy and security. It’s ideal for online tasks that require more security rather than casual browsing, as it’ll likely slow down speeds. 

IP Rotation regularly changes the IP address of your VPN connection. Again, it’s another way to increase security at the expense of speed, but with the added benefit of potentially getting around website blocks. As of right now, each feature has limited available server options to choose from, with more likely coming in the future.

As you’d expect from a security company such as Norton, you do get some security services. With the Standard tier it takes the form of an ad- and tracker-blocker. Unfortunately, they weren’t perfect. I did find that a few ads seemed to slip through, but it’s still a useful feature to have regardless. Unless you already have a dedicated ad- and tracker-blocker, I’d still recommend having the Norton Secure VPN version turned on just to be safe.

That is about it as far as features included in the Standard plan. If you opt for the Plus plan you’ll get access to anti-malware and anti-scam detection, a password manager, dark web monitoring, and 10GB of cloud storage. The Ultimate plan goes even further by providing some really interesting and highly customizable parental control features and boosts cloud storage up to 50GB.

Norton Secure VPN is available for Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS, Apple TV, and some browsers. It notably isn’t available for Fire TV or Linux though.

How much does Norton Secure VPN cost?

Unlike other VPN services, Norton Secure VPN only offers a yearly subscription plan for the service. There is no monthly plan available nor are there longer-term plans such as two or three years. This is a bit of an odd choice as it breaks the standard mold of what nearly every other VPN service offers. 

Norton Secure VPN offers three plan tiers: Standard, Plus, and Ultimate. Standard will set you back $39.99 for the first year or $3.33 per month, with an auto-renewal rate of $79.99 per year. The Plus tier is also currently going for $39.99 for the first year, but auto-renews at the higher rate of $109.99 for subsequent years. The Ultimate tier is $49.99 for the first year or $4.17 per month and auto-renews at $129.99 after that.

Even though the plans are only offered in 1-year increments, you can’t really argue with the value. The Plus plan in particular is an outstanding deal for the first year considering all of the extra features included.

Norton Secure VPN can be paid for either by credit card, PayPal, or Google Pay.

How is Norton Secure VPN’s performance?

In my testing I measured connection speeds multiple times across Norton Secure VPN’s servers in six different countries all around the world and then compared them to my baseline internet speed. Norton’s speeds were quite impressive. Across all locations tested, the average download speed was 65 percent of the base and the average upload speed was 69 percent of the base.

Those averages are enough to put it within striking distance of the fastest VPNs I’ve ever tested. I did notice a marked drop-off for server locations that were a further physical distance away from me. This is to be expected, but the differences were more than I usually notice with other VPNs. Since Norton Secure VPN provides no information about server load, it’s difficult to diagnose the issue.

When it comes to Norton’s ability to unblock geo-restricted content on streaming services, it handled itself admirably. I was able to access all U.S.- and UK-based streaming content including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Max, and BBC iPlayer. Similar to my last review though, I once again encountered some issues with servers in Asia being blocked. 

As Norton doesn’t have the largest server network to choose from, I wasn’t always able to try and connect to other locations within blocked countries to see if they would work instead. Fortunately, Norton does seem to be adding server locations quite frequently and I suspect it’s only a matter of time before this is a non-issue.

Overall though, Norton is plenty fast enough and its ability to unblock streaming services in the U.S. and UK make it a perfectly good choice if that is your main priority with a VPN.

How is Norton Secure VPN’s security and privacy?

Sam Singleton

Norton Secure VPN’s Windows app and Android app offer a choice between WireGuard, OpenVPN, and its own proprietary Mimic protocol. Mac and iOS devices can choose from IPSec or Mimic protocols only.

Norton’s Mimic protocol is designed to be ultra-effective at getting around geo-blocked content such as streaming services. And while in my testing it did just that, it did slow down my connection quite a bit. Sticking with WireGuard instead should give you the best mixture of speed and security.

Norton Secure VPN has a no-logs policy which was confirmed via independent audit by security firm Versprite in August of 2024. This is the first such audit the VPN has undergone and it’s a promising step in the right direction. I hope to see Norton continue undergoing regular yearly independent audits going forward.

Under the company’s Product Privacy Notice, I found that the VPN collects data about connection timestamps for up to 35 days, which is a bit concerning as this could be linked back to individual “licenses and devices.” Additionally, it collects total data usage and app usage metadata, although these are done in aggregate and likely cannot be used to identify individuals.

Norton’s family services features such as parental controls also collect and temporarily store (usually for 60 days) certain data that you provide and manage such as contact information, child geolocation, and URLs visited by child and search terms. Since this is all data that the user provides willingly, it’s up to you to be aware of what you’re comfortable sharing with Norton.

The VPN service and parent company Norton are all based in the U.S. which is an active member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance and notorious for having intrusive data privacy laws.

If privacy is your main concern, it’s worth taking a hard look at Norton’s privacy policy for yourself. Despite having a no-logs policy, the service does collect a few concerning bits of personal data. Plus, ultra-cautious users may want to opt for a VPN company located in a more privacy-friendly jurisdiction instead.

Is Norton Secure VPN worth it?

Norton Secure VPN has made huge strides in the last year or so. Going from just a basic add-on VPN to a full-fledged standalone service with a solid feature set and great user experience. It still doesn’t feel quite as robust as the very best VPNs, but if it keeps upgrading at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before it breaks into that group.

The bottom line is that Norton Secure VPN is a good overall service with decent speeds and strong security features—especially if you opt for one of the higher tiers. It has a few privacy concerns that are going to drive away some users though. This data logging is really the only thing holding it back. With a bit more development time and a privacy adjustment it’ll really shine.

Editor’s note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, this review is subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the service. Any changes to text or our final review verdict will be noted at the top of this article.