The NordVPN vs OpenVPN debate is frequently brought up — seemingly without a proper understanding of each. While both are VPN-related, NordVPN is a clear-cut VPN and is better than OpenVPN. It has its own server infrastructure, protocols, security features, customer support, and everything else.
On the other side, we have OpenVPN, which isn’t really a VPN. It’s a VPN client that allows the user to connect to a remote server. However, you’ll need to fetch the server yourself, which is then implemented into the OpenVPN Connect client. Sounds quite complicated.
Either way, we have the setup — NordVPN and OpenVPN are very different. But, by popular demand, we decided to still do this full comparison. Therefore, we have eight head-to-head rounds ahead of us, where we’ll see which software is better for privacy, security, speed, and more.
OpenVPN vs NordVPN: Quick Comparison
| OpenVPN | NordVPN | |
| Our Current Ranking 📋 | TBD | #1 |
| Prices 🤑 | Free or at least $55/mo for 5 connections (Growth plan) | Starting at $3.09/mo for 2 years |
| Money-Back Guarantee 🪙 | No | 30 Days |
| Free Trial 🆓 | No | 7 Days via Android |
| Logging/Jurisdiction 🕵️ | No/USA | No/Panama |
| Protocols 🌐 | OpenVPN (UDP & TCP) | OpenVPN, NordLynx, IKEv2 |
| Servers 🏠 | No | 7,400+ in 118 countries |
| Specialty Servers ✅ | No | Dedicated IP, Double VPN, Onion Over VPN, P2P, Obfuscated |
| RAM-Only Servers 🛡️ | No | Yes |
| Working With Netflix 📺 | Depends on the server used | Yes (~30 catalogs) |
| P2P Allowance ↔️ | Depends on the server used | Yes |
| Concurrent Connections 📟 | 2 (free), 5+ (paid version) | 10 |
Applications, Compatibility, and Ease of Use
Whether you choose NordVPN or OpenVPN, you’ll be accustomed to apps for all desktop and mobile devices. By that, we mean the gold-standard five, such as Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. The more compatible the VPN is, the better, in general.
However, users who want to set up a VPN on Fire TV or use it directly on Apple TV will have to be careful. While NordVPN has native clients for both, and more, OpenVPN doesn’t. It’s a client that works exclusively on desktop and mobile devices, with no exceptions to the rule.
That’s why NordVPN is often used on a myriad of devices like routers and gaming consoles or as a handy VPN browser extension (it’s the best Chrome VPN extension we’ve tested), which, again, OpenVPN doesn’t endorse.
Simultaneous connections are 10 for NordVPN and only 2 for OpenVPN, which plays in NordVPN’s favor.
Now, let’s discuss ease of use. Here’s a look at both.
You’ll agree NordVPN looks far better. It also has a sprawling world map, which can be used to connect to a server. Plus, you can access the server fleet easily, with all prominent features being presented separately for added convenience. Such a pleasure to use!
OpenVPN looks dated and a bit too “technical”. It’s not the simplest-to-use app because you’ll need to know how to set up the connection and get it working. If you know this, then OpenVPN’s ease of use will be “okay,” but the “sleekness” element is lacking severely.
Though we must say its application looks somewhat cleaner on macOS, but that’s irrelevant.
The first round of this NordVPN vs OpenVPN duel is won by NordVPN. We have to hand it the win due to its ease of use, more simultaneous connections, and better compatibility.
NordVPN vs OpenVPN Price Comparison
NordVPN and OpenVPN have vastly different pricing structures. OpenVPN is a free, open-source client that you can download and use without signing up! Better yet, the free client lets you access all of its features and is free forever, so it’s not like a VPN free trial or anything.
Bear in mind that OpenVPN has the Growth plan, whose price is based on the number of concurrent connections. You can go for a minimum of 5, and each connection is $11/mo, so the price is a whopping $55/mo billed annually — that’s a whopping $660 each year.
Let’s not forget that this isn’t the final price because configuration files and servers also cost. I mean, you must have a server to connect to, and it costs money, except if you use a free server from OpenVPN’s community, riddled with congestion and frequent slowdowns.
Above is NordVPN’s pricing structure, and it’s a familiar one. Its 24-month plans are usually down by 70% or more compared to monthly plans. The price hovers around $3 to $3.5 a month for the Basic plan and goes up to roughly $8/mo for the Prime plan.
The pricing of NordVPN is generally favorable, especially with this NordVPN coupon code. In many cases, it offers 3 extra months for free, and more often than not, its annual plans are discounted, as well! We don’t recommend its monthly plans because they’re pricier.
But then, they’re less expensive than OpenVPN’s Growth plan. NordVPN doesn’t have a free plan, and that’s a minus, but if you think about it, neither does OpenVPN because servers and config files are costly.
Despite being seemingly free, OpenVPN can end up being very expensive with servers, config files, and more than two concurrent connections. At $3.09/mo, NordVPN is far less expensive and more valuable.
Features Analysis
In our OpenVPN vs NordVPN comparison, we detected that OpenVPN doesn’t have many features we could praise. Since it’s not really a VPN, you can forget about fancy stuff like MultiHop, a dark web monitor, an ad blocker, etc. This is what you’ll find in NordVPN.
However, despite being so different, NordVPN and OpenVPN share a few features, such as:
- Encryption. Both use 256-bit AES encryption, but NordVPN relies on GCM ChaCha20, while OpenVPN uses OpenSSL. SHA-512 is NordVPN’s hash, while SHA-256 is OpenVPN’s hash.
- Automatic kill switch. Both can shut down your internet connection if the VPN connection breaks. In our review, NordVPN’s kill switch was superior because it could be applied to specific apps and set to preemptively disable internet connection when you’re not connected to the VPN.
- Content filtering. Both options can block malicious sites and DNS attacks. NordVPN uses Threat Protection Pro, which we’ll discuss soon, while OpenVPN uses a DNS-based solution called Cyber Shield.
- IP and DNS leak protection. This one needs no special explanation. It’s implemented to keep DNS and IP leaks away, which works wonderfully in both OpenVPN and NordVPN.
Notable Differences
The key difference between OpenVPN and NordVPN is that the former has no other features. However, NordVPN is just getting started. We won’t get too deep into its features here, as we’ve already done that in our comprehensive review of NordVPN not long ago.
We just want to point out its most amazing features, such as:
- Threat Protection Pro. It’s optional, and you have to get at least the Plus plan to use it. As said, it blocks malicious sites but also ads, trackers, and malware. It transforms NordVPN into a two-in-one package for ultimate privacy protection.
- NordWhisper and NordLynx protocols. Yes, NordVPN offers OpenVPN, but these two are far better. NordWhisper is for overcoming network filtering, while NordLynx is essentially WireGuard but with a Double NAT system for more anonymity.
- Double VPN a.k.a. MultiHop. It encrypts your traffic twice for stronger security and impossibility to be tracked online.
- Meshnet. A free-to-use feature for remote access and control, which can be used for different purposes — entertainment, business, IP routing, etc.
- Dark Web Monitor. An optional service that sends email alerts if some of your private data ends up on the dark web.
Apart from these, NordVPN includes split tunneling, and you can optionally get NordPass, NordLocker, and NordProtect.
We reviewed NordPass and NordLocker in case you’re interested in their level of quality (they’re great overall!). NordProtect is an ID theft insurance service that works flawlessly and lets you preserve your privacy efficiently, but it is available only in the Prime plan.
NordVPN crushes OpenVPN in the security features round. We can’t say OpenVPN offers anything out of the ordinary, but we CAN say that for NordVPN, which blows its rival out of the water in this aspect.
Do NordVPN and OpenVPN Retain Logs?
This OpenVPN vs NordVPN assessment will answer one important question: do these services store logs? Let’s answer it right away and elaborate — no, they don’t!
NordVPN and OpenVPN have no-log policies, and that’s always cool. NordVPN is based in Panama, which is considered privacy-friendly, while OpenVPN’s roots are in the USA. We won’t smother you with the whole 5 Eyes story. It’s rarely applicable these days.
However, we want to stress one eye-piercing difference.
Namely, OpenVPN hasn’t undergone a single third-party security audit. While its no-log policy is well-done and clear-cut, there’s no third-party company’s “stamp” to prove the words written there. NordVPN, however, worked with PwC and Deloitte on its audits.
These companies confirmed NordVPN’s zero-logs policy, which was a big leap forward.
Essentially, neither of the services will store logs of your IP address, DNS requests, browsing history, or other personal information. It’s easy to trust NordVPN because it’s been audited. As for OpenVPN, you’ll have to take its words for granted — or perhaps not. You can and should simply use NordVPN.
Which VPN Is Faster: OpenVPN or NordVPN?
We don’t think an OpenVPN vs NordVPN speed comparison will make much sense. Let’s explain.
So, NordVPN is a VPN service, so it has its distributed server fleet. You open NordVPN and connect to a server from the list — standard stuff. OpenVPN is different.
For one, it uses OpenVPN (UDP or TCP) as the only protocol. NordVPN has OpenVPN but also NordLynx and NordWhisper. NordLynx is an improved version of WireGuard, and WireGuard is always faster than OpenVPN. Besides, OpenVPN’s speed (we’re addressing the app) will depend on the server you’re using.
A paid server will be faster. A free server from a community will be slower or even have limited bandwidth and traffic. On the flip side, we have NordVPN with NO bandwidth caps, NO traffic caps, and NO server congestion, which allows for the best possible performance.
That said, NordVPN will always be way faster and more reliable overall. You can, however, achieve great results with OpenVPN and a proper server, but it’s hard to match NordLynx’s speed, stability, and reliability when it comes to downloads, uploads, and latency.
Streaming & Torrenting Comparison
If you value entertainment more than security and privacy, you’ll want to know how well these two perform for streaming and torrenting. We have to be “vague” for OpenVPN again and write this annoying but adequate sentence for this scenario — it depends. We know you hate it, but that’s how it is.
OpenVPN’s streaming and torrenting performance depends on the server you connect to. You can, for example, use NordVPN’s config file, connect to its server via OpenVPN, and watch movies and shows on Pluto TV or unblock your favorite Netflix library.
The same goes for torrenting — find a P2P-optimized server’s config file, “inject” it into OpenVPN, and voila! NordVPN’s specialized server fleet doesn’t require manual labor. Plus, it has a myriad of special P2P servers, which you can use to download torrents safely and quickly.
Streaming servers aren’t there because all of them are suitable for this purpose.
If you connect to a random Japanese server, you’ll be able to unblock Japanese Netflix abroad. On top of that, NordVPN has a browser extension with location spoofing to further mask your whereabouts and let you unblock more stuff. Not to mention SmartDNS, a handy add-on.
This DNS-based service works for streaming on non-VPN-compatible devices. Again, OpenVPN doesn’t have it, as it doesn’t offer any in-house VPN servers.
The conclusion is that NordVPN will be better for streaming and torrenting. OpenVPN on its own can’t do either unless you connect to the appropriate server. This leaves NordVPN as a more reliable and enjoyable option for both activities.
Server Locations
As stated multiple times in this NordVPN vs OpenVPN clash, the former has servers. The latter has none. NordVPN is large both on its own and when compared to Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and other popular options. It owns over 7,400 servers in 118 countries.
Its servers are physical and virtual, to ensure the VPN covers those “non-eligible” locations like India and Turkey. These are known for data-retention laws, which is why VPNs avoid having physical servers there and rather use virtual ones in privacy-friendly locations.
NordVPN also excels in server variety and includes these server types:
- Obfuscated
- Double VPN
- Onion Over VPN
- P2P
- Dedicated IP
By far the most interesting are obfuscated servers whose VPN masking alleviates censorship in different countries, including China. In case you’re interested, Onion over VPN servers are for Tor users who want to go on the dark web and not care about compromising their privacy.
OpenVPN lacks a horse for this race because it doesn’t offer any servers. NordVPN, with over 7,400 of them in 118 countries, beats OpenVPN to a pulp. Dedicated servers are a huge selling point as well, making NordVPN a clear winner of this round.
Customer Support
The customer support aspect is often seen as less important, but when things don’t work as they should, who do you contact? Exactly. NordVPN comes with round-the-clock 24/7 live chat support, which you can also contact via email if you’re not in a hurry to solve the issue.
Alternatively, you can rely on its FAQs and helpful guides on the website and find help yourself. We always opt for 24/7 support because it’s convenient, quick, and the most helpful of all other methods.
OpenVPN doesn’t have 24/7 support, so it’s slightly less convenient. It relies primarily on the ticketing system, but you can also seek help among its FAQs, guides, and the community surrounding this tool.
In the end, NordVPN has better, more direct customer support thanks to the 24/7 live chat functionality. Getting help from OpenVPN takes a bit of time, which isn’t great when you need it urgently.
Conclusion: Pick NordVPN Over OpenVPN
After all, this was a clear-cut win for NordVPN. A flawless victory, if you will.
Regardless of what your needs and expectations are, NordVPN will be the right choice. It’s better in every sense, and above everything, even cheaper if you need more concurrent connections on OpenVPN. We won’t say OpenVPN doesn’t have its uses, but it’s not for an average user.
As it costs less and is more reliable, secure, and superior overall, there’s no reason not to choose NordVPN instead of OpenVPN. At the price of roughly $3.5/mo, NordVPN represents an ideal solution for privacy, security, streaming, and torrenting on all devices and systems.