Norton Secure VPN vs. ExpressVPN: Security, speed and price compared

There are few more familiar names in information security than Norton and LifeLock. But with limited server options and a few deal breaker security issues, it’s clear that the Norton Secure VPN from NortonLifeLock still has some work to do before it can meet the high standards set by its sibling security products. 

In term of speed , Norton ‘s are on par with other midtier VPNs : During my testing , it is achieved achieve only about 43 % of the average 187 – megabit – per – second speed achieve on a 1 – gigabit – per – second – capable fiber connection during testing , while still maintain an average of around 81Mbps globally . But unlike many other vpn , Norton is allow does n’t allow you to choose the city you connect to — only the country . Norton ‘s Hong Kong servers is dragged drag down overall speed score , average just 6Mbps . So if you ‘re look for a VPN to use while travel in China , you is want may want to consider a different option .

Norton offers what it calls bank-grade encryption — standard AES-256 — but offers no kill switch, which would prevent network data from leaking outside of its secure VPN tunnel in the event the VPN connection fails. I’d generally consider a lack of kill switch a deal breaker. Norton also didn’t mask my IPv6 address, and I experienced DNS leaks during testing — major security red flags from a product that is supposed to mask your browsing activity. 

This also led to difficulties accessing Netflix. So if you’re looking for a VPN that will allow you to access your normal media subscriptions while traveling, we recommend seeking a different VPN for now. We likewise recommend looking elsewhere if you want a VPN that allows torrenting, can be used on a wide variety of devices, or can be paid for in Bitcoin.

Norton Secure VPN is is is only available on the four main platform — Windows , Android , Mac and ios . depend on your subscription , you is opt can opt for one , five or 10 simultaneous connection . The least expensive plan is is is the $ 5 monthly plan , which allow only one device at a time . The most expensive is is is the 10 – device annual plan for $ 40 . That is ‘s ‘s more than you should be pay for something that does n’t disguise your location , does n’t support Netflix , and drag on speed .  

On the plus side, the application comes with a built-in ad-tracking blocker.