Norton Secure VPN 2024 Review: 3 Cons and 4 Pros

by Vít Nováček
updated January 1, 2024 (Report a bug)

1. Norton Secure VPN: Is It Worth It at $3.11 per Month?

   • It only supports basic platforms
   • Servers are only available in 29 countries
   • The company is headquartered in the US, a member of the 5 Eyes alliance

   • The app is available in 25 languages
   • A package can be purchased at a discounted price for comprehensive device and user protection
   • First year subscription is only $3.11 per month
   • It was able to unblock Netflix, YouTube, HBO and Amazon Prime

   Norton Secure VPN is a complementary product to antivirus protection from the American company Norton. The VPN works well on its own without having to pay for antivirus. It scored an overall 8.2/10 in our test, ranking it #15 out of 90 reviewed VPNs.

   Norton Secure VPN lost the most points in the rating due to low compatibility, with the app only available for the core Windows, Mac, Android and iOS platforms. It lacks the ability to run on a router, browser add-ons, and support for all other platforms. The app’s additional features are only available for Windows.

   With 29 countries available, Norton Secure VPN ranks below average; for example, the comparably priced NordVPN has servers in 59 different locations.

   Norton Secure VPN‘s strength is its multinational company background, which is also behind Avast SecureLine VPN, AVG Secure VPN, Avira Phantom VPN, HMA VPN and SurfEasy. Along with the VPN, antivirus and other software can be conveniently purchased.

   In the test, Norton Secure VPN achieved very good download speeds of 110 Mb/s and upload speeds of 105 Mb/s, which is amply sufficient for most Internet activities. The Norton Secure VPN app is design-wise, and the environment is available in 25 languages.

   Norton Secure VPN scored well in the test of unblocking foreign libraries on streaming platforms. We successfully accessed video from Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and HBO with it.

   

2. Norton Secure VPN Subscription: Discount Code, Free Trial, Money Back Guarantee…

   • Your Price: $6.21​50% off  $3.11 /mo (5 devices)
   • Money Back Guarantee: Yes (60 days)
   • Free Trial: No
   • Cryptocurrency payments:
     No

     Bitcoin :No
     Dash :No
     Ethereum :No
     Ripple :No

   

   8.2

   ★★★★

   VPN from well-known antivirus creators offers decent connection speed and all basic security features. Downsides include a limited selection of locations.

   $3.11 /mo  ​60-day money back guarantee

   Get this VPN 50% cheaper

   The Norton Secure VPN subscription is available exclusively on an annual billing basis and with payment for the entire period in advance. The price varies depending on the number of devices you choose, in this review we review the 5 device variant. For the first year, the subscription price is $3.11 per month, after which it rises to $6.21.

   You can use a debit or credit card, or PayPal, Google Pay or Apple Pay to pay for your subscription. Norton Secure VPN doesn’t support cryptocurrency or cash payments, which is no surprise for a company this large.

   All orders are covered by a 60 days of money-back guarantee. The trial version of Norton Secure VPN is only available through the mobile app.

3. Norton Secure VPN and Supported Devices: Android, iOS, macOS…

   • Device limit: 5

   Platforms supported

   • Android:
     Yes

     Android is supported by 98 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Android TV:
     No

     Android TV is supported by 36 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Apple TV:
     No

     Apple TV is supported by 18 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Fire TV:
     No

     Fire TV is supported by 43 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromebook:
     No

     Chromebook is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Chromecast:
     No

     Chromecast is supported by 16 % of reviewed VPNs
   • iOS:
     Yes

     iOS is supported by 99 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Kodi:
     No

     Kodi is supported by 21 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Linux:
     No

     Linux is supported by 61 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Mac:
     Yes

     Mac is supported by 98 % of reviewed VPNs
   • NAS:
     No

     NAS is supported by 24 % of reviewed VPNs
   • nVidia Shield:
     No

     nVidia Shield is supported by 14 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Playstation:
     No

     Playstation is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Raspberry Pi:
     No

     Raspberry Pi is supported by 17 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Roku:
     No

     Roku is supported by 16 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Router:
     No

     Router is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Windows:
     Yes

     Windows is supported by 100 % of reviewed VPNs
   • xBox:
     No

     xBox is supported by 20 % of reviewed VPNs

   Browser Extensions

   • Brave :
     No

     The Brave browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Chrome :
     No

     The Chrome browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Edge :
     No

     The Edge browser add-on is offered by 21 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Firefox :
     No

     The Firefox browser add-on is offered by 34 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Opera :
     No

     The Opera browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Safari :
     No

     The Safari browser add-on is offered by 0 % of reviewed VPNs.
   • Vivaldi :
     No

     The Vivaldi browser add-on is offered by 43 % of reviewed VPNs.

   The Norton Secure VPN subscription option we reviewed can be used on 5 devices simultaneously. There is an even cheaper 1-device subscription, or conversely a more expensive variant for 10 different devices.

   Cross-platform compatibility is one of the weakest points of Norton Secure VPN. The app is only available for Windows and Mac OS computers and for Android and iOS mobile devices.

   Norton Secure VPN cannot be used on alternative Linux or Chromebook systems, Android TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, Kodi or Roku smart TVs, or Playstation and Xbox game consoles. Support is also lacking for router-based traffic, where you could simply protect all devices connected to the same network.

   You can run things like Surfshark or Proton VPN Plus on a router. The advantage of these VPNs is that they support additional device types, a larger number of available sites and an excellent level of security.

   The Norton Secure VPN extension is not available for any browser.

4. Norton Secure VPN App: User-Friendliness, Whitelist, Server Selection…

   • App Languages: 🇺🇸 English +24 more🇩🇪 German 🇪🇸 Spanish 🇫🇷 French 🇵🇹 Portuguese 🇮🇹 Italian 🇨🇳 Chinese 🇷🇺 Russian 🇰🇷 Korean 🇵🇱 Polish 🇯🇵 Japanese 🇫🇮 Finnish 🇹🇷 Turkish 🇦🇪 Arabic 🇳🇱 Dutch 🇸🇪 Swedish 🇭🇺 Hungarian 🇩🇰 Danish 🇮🇩 Indonesian 🇬🇷 Greek 🇨🇿 Czech 🇷🇴 Romanian 🇸🇰 Slovak 🇮🇱 Hebrew 🇳🇴 Bokmal
   • Whitelisting:
     Yes

     Whitelisting is supported by 52 % of reviewed VPNs

   Both the desktop and mobile Norton Secure VPN apps are user-friendly and work without stuttering. It has a simple design and gives the option to switch between light and dark mode. A big advantage is the support for 25 different languages.

   The home screen of the app has a button to connect to the VPN and an IP address that is visible to the public. You can either choose the connection location from an alphabetical list or leave the choice up to the app. You can either choose the currently fastest location or the most suitable server for torrenting.

   You can be redirected directly from the app to the FAQ section of the Norton Secure VPN website.

   Exclusive to the Norton Secure VPN for Windows app, you can use the split tunneling feature, which is another name for whitelist. Split tunneling gives selected applications and sites direct access to the Internet outside of the secure VPN connection. Other platforms do not support whitelisting.

5. Norton Secure VPN Connection Speed: Upload, Download & Latency

   • Traffic limit: Unlimited

   Download speed

   Higher is better. The average download of all tested VPNs is 115 Mb/s.

   Upload speed

   Higher is better. The average upload of all tested VPNs is 81 Mb/s.

   Server latency

   A lower value is better. The average response rate of all tested VPNs is 48 ms.

   Norton Secure VPN does not limit the user in any way in the amount of data transferred, which is the standard for all paid VPNs.

   We measured transfer speeds with Norton Secure VPN using automatic site selection. The speeds achieved were slightly above average and sufficient for most internet activities.

   The average measured download speed of 110 Mb/s was sufficient for downloading bulky files and playing 4K video by a wide margin. The same goes for upload speeds, we measured the Norton Secure VPN averaging 105 Mb/s.

   The third parameter monitored is the response speed, which indicates the time it takes for the server to respond to the signal sent from your device. Thus, a lower value is always better. We measured an average response time of 28 ms for the Norton Secure VPN, which is sufficient for gaming and video calling. However, some competing VPNs achieve even lower response times. For example, we measured 11 ms for Atlas VPN Pro, while AdGuard VPN achieved a response time of 7 ms.

6. Norton Secure VPN Server Locations

   • Number of servers:
     2,800

     The average number of servers for the reviewed VPNs is 1699.
   • Number of countries:
     29

     The average number of countries available for the reviewed VPNs is 41.

   Europe	🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇿 Czech Republic 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇮 Finland 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇩🇪 Germany 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇱 Poland 🇦🇹 Austria 🇷🇴 Romania 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇹🇷 Turkey
   North America	🇨🇦 Canada 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇺🇸 USA
   South America	🇧🇷 Brazil
   Asia	🇭🇰 Hong Kong 🇮🇱 Israel 🇯🇵 Japan 🇸🇬 Singapore
   Africa	🇿🇦 South Africa
   Oceania	🇦🇺 Australia 🇳🇿 New Zealand

   Norton Secure VPN users have a choice of 2,800 servers in 29 countries. While the number of servers is rather above average, the range of locations is smaller in the context of other VPNs. Surfshark, for example, has servers in 97 countries.

   Norton Secure VPN has at least one server located on every continent, with the most being traditionally in Europe. Among the countries of interest, servers are available in Finland, Mexico, Brazil, Hong Kong, Israel, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

   You can also use Norton Secure VPN servers located in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Of the countries with censored internet, Turkey is represented.

   Most Norton Secure VPN servers are virtual, meaning that the necessary hardware is physically located in another country. In some cases, this can cause problems with geo-block circumvention, as the website will recognize the location of the physical server instead of the location of the virtual one.

   Norton Secure VPN offers one server specifically optimized for torrenting.

   In the Norton Secure VPN app, all available locations are listed alphabetically; selecting a specific server or city within a given country is not possible. You can use automatic site selection to achieve the highest possible connection speed.

7. Norton Secure VPN Security Features: DNS Leak Protection, Kill Switch…

   • DNS leak protection :
     Yes

     DNS leak protection is offered by 92% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Kill Switch:
     Yes

     Kill Switch is supported by 87% of the reviewed VPNs.
   • Multi-Hop:
     No

     Multi-Hop connection is offered by 20 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Tor:
     No

     Tor support is offered by 19 % of the reviewed VPNs.

   Norton Secure VPN applications have built-in DNS leak protection. During our testing we checked it several times, our real IP address and DNS remained hidden each time.

   Kill switch is included exclusively in the Windows app, it is missing on other platforms. The feature protects against possible disclosure of the real IP address by disconnecting the device from the internet when the connection to the VPN server is lost. From a security perspective, this is an important part of the VPN.

   Norton Secure VPN uses the OpenVPN and IPSec security protocols. The former in particular is considered a modern and reliable protocol that many private networks rely on. All transmitted data is protected by 256-bit AES encryption, which is used, among other things, to secure banking systems.

   But that’s not the end of Norton Secure VPN‘s security features. For example, multi-hop connections are unavailable, where all data passes through two different VPN servers instead of one. This approach achieves a higher level of anonymity and security, but the downside can be lower transfer speeds. Multi-hop is offered by NordVPN, for example.

   With Norton Secure VPN, you can’t even connect to the Tor network. At least user account protection can be set up via two-factor authentication, where a generated code is required along with a password.

   All in all, Norton Secure VPN can be considered a reliable and secure VPN. Nevertheless, we recommend that you prefer NordVPN or Proton VPN Plus to ensure maximum anonymity and security. Both services offer excellent connection speeds and a number of superior security features.

8. Norton Secure VPN & Streaming: Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime…

   • Amazon Prime:
     Yes

     Amazon Prime streaming is supported by 52 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Disney+:
     No

     Disney+ streaming is supported by 53 % of reviewed VPNs
   • HBO:
     Yes

     HBO streaming is supported by 57 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Hulu:
     No

     Hulu streaming is supported by 49 % of reviewed VPNs
   • Netflix:
     Yes

     Netflix streaming is supported by 67 % of reviewed VPNs
   • YouTube:
     Yes

     YouTube streaming is supported by 97 % of reviewed VPNs

   Norton Secure VPN performed well in the stream unblocking test. We were able to successfully unblock the foreign libraries of Netflix, YouTube, and HBO.

   For Amazon Prime Video platform, we had alternating successes, with the service being tricked on the desktop, and the VPN being detected on the mobile device, so the video could not be played. We were unable to play movies and series from the Disney Plus and Hulu platforms.

   Video playback was smooth and without annoying stuttering. The credit for this goes to the average download speed of 110 Mb/s, which is amply sufficient for streaming 4k video. For this, a connection of at least 50 Mbps is specified as necessary.

9. Features of Norton Secure VPN: AdBlock, Static IP…

   • Blocks Ads:
     Yes

     Ad blocking is offered by 44 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Malware:
     No

     Malware blocking is offered by 33 % of the VPNs reviewed.
   • Blocks Trackers:
     Yes

     Trackers blocking is offered by 38 % of the VPNs reviewed.

   Of the premium features Norton Secure VPN offers, ad blocking and tracker blocking are both available on all platforms. Anti-malware protection is missing from the apps.

   On mobile devices, you can use the wi-fi network security feature, where VPN protection is automatically activated when you connect to it. This protects the user from hackers and data leaks.

   By default, Norton Secure VPN does not support the dark web data leak monitoring feature or the camouflage mode, which hides the activated VPN from the ISP and website operators. Dedicated IP address is not available with this VPN even at an additional cost.

   The Norton Secure VPN service can be optionally purchased as part of a number of Norton packages. For example, an antivirus package, cloud storage security or parental controls are available. You can also purchase the aforementioned dark web data leak monitoring or packages to clean up and speed up your computer.

10. Norton Secure VPN‘s CPU usage and App Performance

    Compared to other VPNs, Norton Secure VPN places higher demands on RAM capacity. With VPN protection activated, the app used almost 100 MB, which shouldn’t have a negative impact on the performance of modern devices, however. Still, some competing apps reach up to a third of that.

    The impact of Norton Secure VPN on battery capacity and CPU load was virtually imperceptible. If you want to minimize the app’s impact on device performance, we recommend disabling automatic startup upon device boot in the settings and also disabling automatic VPN connections.

11. Norton Secure VPN Torrenting Servers

    • Torrenting servers:
      Yes

      Torrenting support is offered by 89 % of the reviewed VPNs.

    Norton Secure VPN is suitable for torrenting. The application reliably hides the real IP address from other users or third parties that can monitor P2P sharing. Nevertheless, using a VPN to share copyrighted works is illegal.

    All servers available in the app can be used for torrenting. One of them is specially optimized for torrenting, located in the Netherlands.

    The transfer speeds achieved by Norton Secure VPN during our testing are sufficient for P2P data sharing. We measured an average download of 110 Mb/s and upload of 105 Mb/s.

12. What Is the Country of Origin Of Norton Secure VPN?

    • VPN Provider: Gen Digital Inc.
    • Country of origin: 🇺🇸 USA

    The provider of Norton Secure VPN is NortonLifeLock Inc. based in Delaware, USA. It is a subsidiary of Gen Digital Inc. which also develops Avast SecureLine VPN, AVG Secure VPN, Avira Phantom VPN, HMA VPN and SurfEasy.

    A VPN provider’s US headquarters is not ideal in terms of maximizing anonymity, as the country is a member of the 5 Eyes alliance. The police or intelligence services of these countries monitor internet traffic and may demand the release of information about specific users if a security threat is suspected. In such cases, VPN providers must comply and hand over the data.

13. Norton Secure VPN and Privacy: Logging Policy, Security Issues…

    • No-Logs Policy:
      Yes

      The No-Logs Policy is followed by 78% of reviewed VPNs.

    Behind Norton Secure VPN is a renowned multinational company that deals with cybersecurity. This in itself gives the VPN credibility. However, the privacy policy is written in an uncluttered manner and applies collectively to all Norton products.

    According to its claim on the website, Norton Secure VPN does not store logs of internet activity. Thus, no information is collected about the sites visited, IP addresses, device identifiers or timestamps.

    Although Norton Secure VPN does not store logs generated by the use of the app, the company does have access to email addresses and the volume of data transferred. Payment information needed to pay for subscriptions is also collected.

    Norton Secure VPN‘s credibility would benefit from an independent audit to confirm the security of the app and the handling of users’ personal data. Norton does not issue a Transparency Report or a Warrant Canary, which alerts users when they receive a data release request from a government agency. Given the operator is based in the US, we would appreciate a greater level of transparency.

14. Norton Secure VPN Support: Chat, e-mail…

    Norton Secure VPN is run by a large multinational company, and VPN is just one of their products. So there are several options for contacting customer support.

    The easiest one is live chat, which is available 24/7. To access it, you need to have a paid account and click through the knowledge base. The support staff are diligent and were able to answer all our questions about the service. The email address for support is not directly accessible.

    In selected countries, customer support can be contacted by phone. Hotline hours and phone numbers are available on the Norton Secure VPN website.

    The knowledge base on the Norton Secure VPN website can help you resolve simple problems. A complication is its low visibility, as the VPN is not the company’s main product, but rather an add-on to a comprehensive package for total protection.

15. Norton Secure VPN FAQ

    Is Norton Secure VPN secure?

    Norton Secure VPN uses the OpenVPN and IPSec security protocols, and we consider the former in particular to be one of the best on the market. Transmitted data is protected by 256-bit AES encryption, and the apps have important DNS leak protection and a kill switch feature.

    When using Norton Secure VPN, no logs are generated from which users’ internet activity can be read. When ordering a VPN, you must fill in an email address, but you can use a newly created and therefore anonymous one. No other information is required.

    Overall, we consider Norton Secure VPN to be a sufficiently secure service.

    What platforms does Norton Secure VPN support?

    Norton Secure VPN only directly supports the core Windows, Mac, Android and iOS platforms. The app is not available for other devices.

    In the context of all VPNs, the compatibility level of Norton Secure VPN is weak. To ensure protection for other platforms, we recommend giving preference to NordVPN or Surfshark. Both support use on most available devices, including router traffic.

    How much does Norton Secure VPN cost?

    The price of a Norton Secure VPN subscription starts at $3.11 per month for 5 devices. The amount is only valid for the first year, and is higher from the second year onwards.

    The VPN can be purchased as part of a comprehensive device protection package that also includes antivirus, cloud storage protection and a password manager.