Norton VPN Review 2025: Is It as Good as the Antivirus?

Why don’t you hear more about Norton VPN? With a user base of nearly 80 million, Norton is one of the biggest names in cybersecurity¹(Gen Digital, 2025). Many Norton 360 packages even include its VPN, so I decided to find out why it gets overshadowed by Norton AntiVirus.

After testing all its features, I recommend trying Norton VPN if it comes with your 360 package. It will keep you safe online, and it has decent speeds. However, its server coverage is quite limited, so it’s not the best choice for streaming or torrenting. To get a more well-rounded service, I recommend you try one of the best VPNs available today.

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Norton VPN can access most popular streaming platforms securely from anywhere. It’s fast, so we could usually stream in HD, but it doesn’t cover as many countries as some of its competitors. Plus, we experienced a bit of added buffering on many platforms.

Popular Streaming Platforms We Tested

While Norton VPN is a decent streaming choice, its performance was hit-or-miss. From time to time, Netflix wouldn’t let us log in, and we’d have to do some light troubleshooting (like reconnecting the VPN). There were many instances where we experienced prolonged loading times too, which was surprising since Norton’s so fast.

We maintained HD quality during the entire movie

Overall, Norton VPN is okay for streaming, but doesn't deliver the best quality. To find a better option, check out our list of the best VPNs for streaming. They can safely access all the top platforms, and they have way less issues with buffering and long load times.

Is Norton VPN fast? Yes, it usually is as its speeds have improved greatly over the years. Overall, we had good results with most locations. However, Norton VPN’s speeds are quite unpredictable compared to other VPNs. While most VPNs follow a pattern where closer servers are faster, it breaks this trend.

For fair comparisons, we utilize a dedicated speed expert to conduct most of our tests. This way they come from the same connection and location. Each server was tested multiple times to calculate accurate averages, factoring in any fluctuations in internet speed throughout the day.

We lost 46% on nearby servers and 25% on distant ones

Since it uses virtual locations, server quality and routing play a bigger role than physical distance, leading to inconsistent results. For example, the Mexico server (1,500 km away) had the worst drop, while Brazil (7,700 km away) performed best.

On most servers, we still had over 100Mbps of speed. But, there were still issues while streaming, and we had more issues while torrenting. So, if you’re looking for options that perform better overall, check out our list of the fastest VPNs available.

Norton VPN is good for casual gaming but may be unsuitable for competitive play due to fluctuations in ping. Ping lets you know how long your data takes to travel, and you want it below 85ms for gameplay without excessive lag. While we could normally get ping ratings between 30-55ms on our local servers, there were a few times it reached over 100ms.

My ping rates fluctuated, but I could still stay competitive

We could play PUBG with only a few brief stutters that didn’t greatly affect our match. While our tests went well, Norton VPN’s small server network could be a problem for you. We could find nearby servers, but if you can’t, the ping will be way too high for smooth online gaming sessions.

Norton VPN only has 3,000 servers in 60 countries. There are some solid VPNs with fewer servers, but they usually offer far more countries (2 or even 3 times as many). The majority of the locations are in Europe, where it offers 19 countries including Germany and Italy. Every other continent only gets 3 locations or less.

It also doesn’t offer city-level locations. So, when you connect to a country, you don’t know where exactly your connection will be. In a big country like the US, that means you could be connected to a server that’s thousands of kms farther away than you expected.

This option connected me to the Netherlands

While most VPNs rent their server infrastructure, Norton VPN owns all its servers, which is great for privacy and reducing third-party risks. Additionally, I found out that all servers are virtual, meaning they’re not physically located in the countries they connect you to. This might impact your speeds if a server is closer or farther away than you expect.

The VPN connected without issues every time. It uses dynamic IPs like most VPNs, but I’d also like to see it add dedicated IPs and private DNS. Overall, its server network is decent but pretty basic, and it has a long way to go to catch up with its top competitors. You can read this list of VPNs that all have much larger networks with better features.

Does Norton VPN Work in China? No

Norton customer support said that the VPN doesn’t work within China. While some users report being able to use Norton VPN in the country, I wouldn’t rely on it.

They stated the stealth protocol won't help you

Norton VPN’s relatively new Mimic protocol is designed to disguise VPN traffic and make it look like regular HTTPS traffic. This is also referred to as a “stealth feature”, but for now, it doesn’t help.

While VPNs are officially banned in China, there have been no publicly reported cases of the government prosecuting individuals solely for using one. My team and I are against all illegal activities and urge you to read up on the laws before using a VPN in any country.

Is Norton VPN safe? In recent tests, it’s been claimed that its antivirus can block 99.8% of threats² (AV Comparatives, 2024), but there aren’t similar stats on its VPN. So, we did in-depth testing on all of its security features to find out.

After our tests, I can confirm that Norton VPN offers good security options that get the job done. However, the service lacks advanced features, such as perfect forward secrecy or specialized Tor compatibility, which are increasingly common among its competitors.

Encryption and VPN Protocols

Norton VPN secures your data with AES-256 encryption, an industry standard used by banks and militaries. Not only is it the standard now, but it’s likely to stay that way. While some believe quantum computers could crack 128-bit encryption in the near future³ (Delinea, 2024), most experts believe quantum technology won’t be able to break 256-bit encryption⁴ (Freemindtronic, 2024). So, you’re quite safe in this regard.

I’m glad to report that you now get to choose between several protocols. The new and improved Norton VPN Windows app lets you choose between OpenVPN, WireGuard, and Mimic. Mimic is its new obfuscating protocol designed to be used on restrictive networks like schools or businesses since it hides your VPN use.

Unfortunately, Apple and Android devices are still unable to switch protocols. Mac, iOS, and Android users can only connect through IKEv2.

Kill Switch

This is a necessary feature every VPN needs, so I’m glad Norton VPN has added it. It blocks your internet connection if the VPN ever disconnects. I tested it by keeping a browser open while I switched servers. This showed me that it always blocked my network, so it works as advertised. You just need to remember to switch it on since it’s not automatic.

Ad Tracker Blocking

Norton VPN’s ad tracker blocking feature prevents websites and advertisers from tracking your online activity. It works by blocking tracking cookies and scripts, helping maintain your privacy while also reducing the number of personalized ads you encounter.

It doesn’t block ads directly, so you may still see non-tracking ads

Split Tunneling

With split tunneling, you can choose which apps or websites use the VPN connection and which bypass it. I find this useful for accessing services that require my real IP, like my banking app, without disabling the VPN entirely. I just wish you could exempt websites too.

NortonVPN doesn’t store any of your sensitive information. The only data it stores is the anonymized information it needs to keep the VPN running. None of this can be linked to your browsing history, so I have no issues with its privacy policy. However, I wish it was located in a more privacy-friendly country.

I’m slightly concerned by the fact that Norton’s password manager was breached in 2022. Approximately 6,450 accounts were compromised, potentially exposing users' first and last names, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and more (HIPAA Journal, 2023)⁵.The company stated that all passwords were reset as soon as they found out. Still, I recommend checking out competitors with less controversial histories.

Does Norton VPN Keep Logs? No

Norton VPN doesn’t log your IP address or browsing history. It will store your device type, OS, bandwidth usage, the language you choose for the app, and some other minor things. This type of information is nothing to be concerned about because it’s anonymized. That means it’s never connected to any of your personal information.

I’m also glad that it has made its policy more clear. In the past, there was only one document for all of its products, but now it’s more specific about the data it collects through its VPN.

Was Norton VPN Audited? Yes

Norton VPN was audited by Versprite in 2024, and the company gave them a low-risk rating. They indicated there were a few minor vulnerabilities, but confirmed that Norton patched them up in its subsequent set of tests. This was a great move on Norton’s part, and is a solid first step in restoring its reputation after its password manager scandal.

Based in the US

Norton’s headquarters are in the US, a country that’s been known to spy on its citizens. The US is a member of the 5 Eyes Alliance, a group of countries that share intelligence data. US laws allow government agencies to request user data, potentially undermining a VPN’s no-logs policy.

I could torrent with Norton VPN, but only with its single P2P-optimized server. This server gives you a location in the Netherlands. However, since all of Norton’s locations are virtual, I’m not sure where it’s actually located.

My downloads finished relatively quickly, but I can’t guarantee you’ll have the same result. This is because I suspect speeds will drop severely if you’re far away from its specialty server. Normally, I can download a 700MB file in about 14 minutes. Connected to the VPN, it only took 17 minutes to finish.

Norton VPN also doesn’t include port forwarding or the Shadowsocks protocol, which can improve torrenting speeds. Torrenting is legal in most countries, but it’s never legal to download copyrighted materials. You should only access torrents in the public domain, so you don’t break any laws. To torrent safely, you can try one of the best VPNs for P2P in this list.