The choice between AirVPN and NordVPN seems unobvious at first. Comparing just their features on paper gives us an incomplete picture. Both AirVPN and NordVPN are safe, secure, and filled with diverse VPN features to help you safeguard your online footprint.
However, after testing both providers for this NordVPN vs AirVPN comparison, we came to some radical conclusions. Namely, NordVPN was way better overall and won the majority of our tests. Before you rush and get this VPN, we advise reading our entire assessment.
We put these providers through eight extensive testing rounds and declared the winner of each at the end. Doing simple math i.e. calculating the final score, we determined the winner, which, as said, is NordVPN. Let’s explain why this is and see if it’s really a no-brainer in 2026.
AirVPN vs NordVPN: Quick Comparison
| AirVPN | NordVPN | |
| Our Current Ranking 📋 | TBD | #1 |
| Prices 🤑 | Starting at $2.2/mo for 3 years | Starting at $3.09/mo for 2 years |
| Money-Back Guarantee 🪙 | 30 Days | 30 Days |
| Free Version/Free Trial 🆓 | No | No/7 Days via Android |
| Logging/Jurisdiction 🕵️ | No/Italy | No/Panama |
| Protocols 🌐 | OpenVPN, WireGuard | OpenVPN, NordLynx, IKEv2 |
| Servers 🏠 | 250+ in 20+ countries | 7,400+ in 118 countries |
| Specialty Servers ✅ | No | Dedicated IP, Double VPN, Onion Over VPN, P2P, Obfuscated |
| RAM-Only Servers 🛡️ | Yes | Yes |
| Working With Netflix 📺 | No | Yes (~30 catalogs) |
| P2P Allowance ↔️ | Yes | Yes |
| Concurrent Connections 📟 | 5 | 10 |
Applications, Compatibility, and Ease of Use
AirVPN and NordVPN are vastly different from the get-go. One offers sleek, functional, and beginner-friendly apps and the other one is AirVPN. Unfortunately, AirVPN is more “barbaric” in its execution and its apps aren’t the prettiest nor the most intuitive.
NordVPN’s apps are much better, snappier, and easier to get around. Not to mention it’s easier to locate crucial settings like a Double VPN, a kill switch, protocol selection, etc. We also tested AirVPN on our Android phone, only to find out it’s outdated and rather ugly.
Compatibility is on NordVPN’s side as well and speaking of that, we think it’s also a more reliable VPN for Android. Apart from Android, both VPNs work on Windows, iOS, Linux, and macOS. You’ll also get full router support on both sides but AirVPN lacks a few more apps.
For example, NordVPN works on an Android Smart TV — plus, you can install and use it on your Firestick TV. It’s also great for streaming on non-compatible devices thanks to Smart DNS. Lastly, NordVPN also has browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, Brave, and Firefox.
They function like separate, in-browser VPNs, which also encrypt your traffic, spoof your location, and allow you to access restricted sites. We said “finally” but haven’t touched on another thing in our AirVPN vs NordVPN duel — simultaneous connection per account.
- NordVPN allows 10 at a time
- AirVPN allows 5 at a time
NordVPN takes the crown in the first round without a speck of doubt. It’s easier to use and looks better. It’s also compatible with more devices and allows 10, instead of 5 simultaneous connections found in AirVPN.
NordVPN vs AirVPN Price Comparison
Neither of them is particularly expensive and that’s phenomenal. Refer to this article for more info on VPN pricing but generally, it’s around a few quids a month. In our NordVPN vs AirVPN analysis, we found that they have very different pricing structures.
We’ll start with NordVPN but before we do, know that its prices change periodically, however, within a small frame. This means it’s rarely, if ever above $3.5/mo, and on some occasions, you get 3 free months. At the time of writing, NordVPN is around $3/mo.
This is for the cheapest, 2-year Basic plan. Other plans, as you see, go up in pricing but they include awesome extras like malware protection, NordPass, NordLocker, NordProtect, etc. These bundles cost more but they’re extremely useful multi-device security-oriented apps.
NordVPN also lets you choose from annual and monthly plans but the best VPN deals are the biennial ones, which consequently allow for more savings. AirVPN has this weird 3-day plan at roughly $2.2 but if you’re in for a long haul, you’ll want the last three below.
The 3-year plan boasts the largest discount at the time — 70%. It’s around $2.25/mo or $81 for 3 years. The biennial plan is discounted by 64%, so it’s about $65 for this period, and so on. AirVPN’s flexibility shines, especially when we chime in a 30-day money-back guarantee.
NordVPN has it too but as you can see, it costs a tad more. Its Basic plan is about $84 for 27 months at the time of writing, whilst AirVPN’s biennial plan is $65 for 24 months. For 3 extra months, NordVPN charges you $19 on top, which is indeed a lot more for those on a budget.
If you’re looking strictly to save money and get a cheaper VPN, AirVPN is way more affordable. NordVPN is far from expensive but its biennial deals ended up costing more than AirVPN’s equivalent. Plus, there’s a nifty little 3-day “plan” at ~$2/mo, which you can use to evaluate the VPN efficiently.
Features Analysis
Considering AirVPN’s “scientific” look, you’d expect tons of security features. During our NordVPN vs AirVPN duel, we were surprised just how pronounced NordVPN’s superiority is. AirVPN is all about customization rather than offering a ton of features — let us explain.
Shared Features
So, these VPNs share a few features like most other VPNs we tested.
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Kill switch
- Split tunneling
- OpenVPN & WireGuard protocols
- In-house DNS server
- Perfect Forward Secrecy
These are rather basic features but are executed differently. For example, NordVPN has an advanced kill switch, which can block traffic if the VPN malfunctions OR block traffic when you’re not using a VPN. In the latter case, you must use a VPN to be able to go online.
NordVPN’s kill switch can also be applied only to specific apps, which adds a layer of customization. AirVPN calls this feature Network Lock — if it sounds familiar, it’s because ExpressVPN also calls its kill switch like that. However, AirVPN’s kill switch is different.
You can, for example, individually block or allow incoming and outgoing traffic. Then, you can specify which IPs are allowed for incoming and outgoing traffic, as well. Like NordVPN’s equivalent, Network Lock can also block internet traffic until you connect to the server.
Protocol selection is realized differently. NordVPN lets you choose from OpenVPN, NordLynx (WireGuard), and NordWhisper for bypassing network filtering. In AirVPN, you’ll select from OpenVPN and WireGuard BUT you can select individual ports (53, 80, 1194, 2018, etc).
Each port’s function is described in the app — some are for overcoming ISP caps/blocks, while others are great for performance and reliability. So, in reality, AirVPN and NordVPN features are identical but different, as much as it sounds silly.
Unique Features
As said, AirVPN has no unique features, so there are no MultiHop, advanced ad-blocking, and other fancy features. You’ll find menus where you can customize your UI, networking, DNS settings, and router connections. This is, again, great for seasoned VPN users.
For beginners — not so much!
NordVPN simplifies its complex features and brings them down to a level that even total newbies can comprehend. Do you want two encryption layers? Open the server list, find Double VPN servers, and boom — once connected, you become untraceable on the web.
To block ads, trackers, and malware, open Threat Protection Pro (by the way, it’s on all devices!), enable it, and you’re done. NordVPN also uses Meshnet, with which you can share files and remotely access different devices for free. We haven’t mentioned a Dark Web Monitor.
This feature provides email alerts about leaked credentials, which allows you to change them and mitigate damage preemptively. If you get NordProtect in the highest-spec package, you’ll receive additional identity protection, which you won’t find in AirVPN in 2026.
We tested NordVPN many times and discovered that everything the company advertises is 100% true and working. The same goes for AirVPN — we can’t lie. It’s a shame it lacks so many modern features.
Both NordVPN and AirVPN are safe and secure VPNs. However, NordVPN comes out on top with more security features and modern solutions for online safety and data protection. AirVPN is a long way from its competitors, except for customization, where AirVPN excels.
Do NordVPN and AirVPN Retain Logs?
NordVPN and AirVPN share the mission of keeping their users safe and sound from hackers, snoopers, ISPs, and other surveillance-loving entities. NordVPN is based in Panama, while AirVPN resides in the land of olive oil, pizza, pasta, and good wine — Italy, for those who haven’t guessed.
Panama is more privacy-friendly but the jurisdiction doesn’t play a huge role, as we confirmed in our Private Internet Access review, which doesn’t keep logs despite being in the USA. In short, neither of these reliable providers store logs and that’s fantastic news.
By logs, we usually refer to sensitive data, such as:
- IP address
- Your original location
- DNS requests
- Browsing history
- Visited websites
- Other forms of personal data
Both providers still store “some” logs but that’s really minimalism and won’t phase the end user. After all, some data is needed for the VPN to function properly, and a good example is the number of concurrently connected devices to enforce the simultaneous connection limit.
Security Audits — How Do They Compare?
Is AirVPN better than NordVPN in this aspect? Not so much.
AirVPN is a very small VPN company started by a hacktivist group in Italy. It’s owned by Paolo Brini and stationed in Perugia. Given AirVPN’s limited budget, it’s easy to see why it hasn’t invited a third-party company to an audit. Audits cost and last quite a long time.
Besides, AirVPN’s goal isn’t to compete with the likes of NordVPN and ExpressVPN.
Speaking of them, NordVPN is the polar opposite, and being the largest VPN on Earth, it naturally comes with some audits. Have you heard about Deloitte and PriceWaterhouseCoopers? Both companies have worked on in-depth audits of this VPN.
They concluded it’s working as promised, with the highest levels of privacy and security.
NordVPN and AirVPN are devoid of logging and that’s great news. While we’re sure AirVPN sticks to its policy firmly, we must give NordVPN an advantage because of its multiple third-party security audits. They do seem to make the VPN more trustworthy and appreciated among cybersecurity experts.
Which VPN Is Faster: AirVPN or NordVPN?
It’s time to assess the performance and see which VPN is better — NordVPN or AirVPN.
To do this, we have to establish a starting point, which is our native internet speed and location. At the time of testing, we were in Belgrade, and without a VPN, we measured our internet speed at 50 Mbps for downloads and 20 Mbps for uploads, as displayed below.
With the reference point established, we first tested AirVPN and then NordVPN by performing 3 tests a day, for 3 days in a row, using 3 server locations; the UK, the USA, and Japan.
We then measured the results and took average speed losses across all servers, which are displayed in the table below. You can see that AirVPN is fast but still slower than NordVPN.
| AirVPN | NordVPN | |
| Download Speed Loss | 32% | 18% |
| Upload Speed Loss | 7% | 7% |
In another table below, you can see the NordVPN vs AirVPN comparison of average download and upload speeds for each location. These are the same results but from a different perspective.
| AirVPN | NordVPN | |
| UK (Download/Upload) | 28.49/9.41 Mbps | 47.30/9.43 Mbps |
| US (Download/Upload) | 39.91/9.23 Mbps | 42.81/9.24 Mbps |
| Japan (Download/Upload) | 32.15/8.97 Mbps | 32.86/9.03 Mbps |
The table shows us that NordVPN retains the performance more efficiently on more distant servers. For some reason, AirVPN’s UK speed test results are far worse than expected, despite using the server with the lowest current load of just 13%.
We can conclude that NordVPN is faster than AirVPN and in our additional tests, it displayed slightly lower latency. However, AirVPN held its ground perfectly fine and was more than reliable during our few-day testing, so it’s a solid performer overall.
Streaming & Torrenting Comparison
We know you’re here for honest, hands-on AirVPN vs NordVPN streaming and P2P comparison, so we made some of them for you. The results we got in the end were discouraging for AirVPN; take a look.
Streaming — NordVPN Takes the Lead
We’ll be direct and say that AirVPN is very unreliable for streaming. After testing it many times, we were shocked at how poorly it works. Remember this is a premium VPN, so you expect some streaming prowess but it even struggles to unblock American Netflix.
In fact, it won’t work with Netflix at all! The same goes for BBC iPlayer, Hulu, and even harder-to-unblock TV channels (we were unable to watch any UK TV channels while in the US). With no Smart DNS and advanced streaming-focused features, AirVPN is straight up a bad option but we expected that because streaming is never advertised on its website.
NordVPN is great for Netflix and works with around 30 libraries. Coupled with Smart DNS and browser extensions with location spoofing, it’s an ideal pick for binge-watchers. We won’t name all streaming services you can unblock because the list would be lengthy.
We’ll just say you’ll enjoy both unblocking prowess and speed with this VPN. Even Ultra HD footage on Netflix Premium is silky smooth. Rest assured you’ll also be able to access Paramount Plus abroad or live-stream sports across multiple worldwide free TV channels.
Torrenting — AirVPN Strikes Back
AirVPN punches NordVPN back in torrenting but doesn’t manage to overthrow it.
Both VPNs are fully P2P-optimized and will work without a speck of problem. NordVPN and AirVPN let you use SOCKS5, which can be configured directly in the torrent client. It’s not so good for privacy as it is for speeding up torrenting and getting faster download speeds.
NordVPN lacks but AirVPN has port forwarding, which can, again, be beneficial for speed and stability. When using nearby servers and for us, these were European ones, we achieved excellent performance and had virtually no reduction. This is important to mention.
NordVPN again showed better speed retention but when torrenting, you won’t use distant servers either way. Safety-wise, both providers provide enough, including 256-bit encryption, Perfect Forward Secrecy, and a no-log policy, all of which will hide your P2P activities.
NordVPN overpowers AirVPN in the streaming/torrenting round. It’s infinitely better for unblocking streaming services and slightly faster for torrenting. This is enough for the Panamanian provider to snatch a win in yet another in-depth comparison.
Server Locations
AirVPN’s lack of budget and size means it also governs a smaller server fleet. With around 250 servers in 20-ish countries, expecting miracles would be crazy. You’ll find no dedicated servers, dedicated IPs, etc.
We detected that AirVPN has multiple Double-Hop servers for overcoming censorship but these are deemed “internal” and unavailable for direct connections. AirVPN has most of its servers in Europe (160), followed by America (78), Asia (16), and Oceania (3).
We love that you can find information about each server on AirVPN’s site, plus, its app displays the load percentage so that you can manually connect to a less congested server. Congestion is the last thing to worry about in NordVPN with 7,400+ servers in 118 countries.
With a server fleet so large, you even have some space left for dedicated servers, such as:
- Torrenting
- Double VPN
- Obfuscated
- Onion Over VPN
- Dedicated IP
This server list delivers the stability and variety we all want, and while there’s no in-depth info about each server, NordVPN is “smart” enough to connect you to the fastest one. Just choose the country and let NordVPN do everything for you — that’s how a VPN should work.
Their server networks aren’t even comparable. It’s an unfair comparison because NordVPN has so many more servers and countries, with superior server variety and distribution.
Which VPN Is More Efficient at Bypassing Censorship?
AirVPN works surprisingly well in censored regions. China, in particular. Having tested it directly on the ground, we can confirm it’ll work fine, although with some slowdowns as a result of connection obfuscation and the Great Firewall’s interference.
The provider offers plenty of protocol combinations you can test. We, for example, used OpenVPN but with the SSH>TCP protocol, which seemed to work just fine. The VPN is also reliable for the UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Russia, and other such reasons. No surprise there!
AirVPN is, after all, advertised as a VPN for bypassing censorship.
NordVPN has VPN obfuscation and its obfuscated servers are fairly dependable. They work in China, for example, with a few disconnections and problems here and there. Overall, NordVPN’s performance is better when it works but it’s also a lot slower in China.
In our final AirVPN vs NordVPN comparison, AirVPN was slightly more reliable in China, and while also slower, reliability was at the highest level, as long as we stuck to the right protocol choice. NordVPN is solid too but recent tests suggest it occasionally struggles to overcome the Great Firewall of China.
Conclusion: Choose NordVPN Over AirVPN in 2026
Let’s be honest and say that NordVPN is, in many ways, superior to AirVPN.
If we judge the comparison round by round, you’ll see that NordVPN won the most important ones. Compatibility, ease of use, security, speed, streaming, and servers — everything is on NordVPN’s side. AirVPN is a bit better for overcoming censorship in China.
While it costs less, the value for money isn’t the same. NordVPN costs slightly more but it provides much more. AirVPN’s user base is different than that of NordVPN. It’s usually for more tech-savvy persons who value security and privacy above everything else.
NordVPN is a jack of all trades. It’s even better for security and just as good (if not better) for privacy. Pair that with beautiful apps for all devices, 10 simultaneous connections, streaming prowess, and neck-breaking speeds — you’ll get a nearly ideal VPN with virtually no flaws.
Such offerings are hard to argue with and today’s AirVPN’s defeat speaks volumes about that.