Norton Secure VPN: Affordable Speeds, Serious Privacy Concerns

Norton Secure VPN claims it does not keep logs — our research shows this is not true.

Most importantly, it logs your originating IP address. Your IP address is unique to your network and is one of the worst things for a VPN to store.

After contacting Norton, we were told the VPN logs this to “gather your actual location to change it to a different place.”

This is false and disappointing. A VPN doesn’t need your originating IP address to connect you to a server. If location data is required, it can be processed on-device and not stored elsewhere. Mullvad, for example, doesn’t even link subscriber email addresses to accounts.

One positive is that Norton Secure VPN doesn’t keep connection timestamps or record the websites you visit. This makes it harder to link your activity to your stored IP address.

Based in the US

Norton Secure VPN is based in the United States, which is one of the worst jurisdictions for user privacy. The US has intrusive surveillance laws and is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance.

The US also has troubling data retention laws, including the Stored Communications Act (SCA). In short, Norton must hand over all information it stores about a user if requested by the US government.

A US base can be acceptable if the privacy policy is minimal enough — Private Internet Access is a good example. Otherwise, choose a VPN based in a more privacy-friendly jurisdiction.

Sometimes Streams US Netflix

We were able to unblock American Netflix using Norton’s US server, but it was less reliable than the best Netflix VPNs.

In our tests, Norton Secure VPN worked with US Netflix 60% of the time. Annoyingly, the VPN doesn’t offer city-level locations, so you can’t switch servers if one fails. Instead, you must wait for Norton to restore access.

The VPN doesn’t work with any other Netflix region besides the US. We tested over 25 libraries, including the UK, Japan, and Australia. Norton VPN failed to stream from any of these regions.

Reliably Accesses US Content Platforms

Norton Secure VPN is more reliable with other US-based services. We could unblock Hulu, Prime Video, and HBO Max from overseas.

Unlike with Netflix, we were always able to access these platforms. Norton Secure VPN’s US server speeds are also fast, so you can expect high-quality video streams.

Works Well with UK Streaming Services

We also tested UK streaming. The VPN worked with BBC iPlayer, All 4, and ITV Hub.

However, Norton doesn’t offer city-level servers in the UK either. You won’t be able to get a new IP address if it stops working.

All videos loaded quickly and streamed in the highest resolution. We watched Sherlock in HD without buffering.

We were pleasantly surprised — based on Norton Secure VPN’s poor performance in other areas, we had low expectations. Still, we rated it lower than the best streaming VPNs due to limited Netflix libraries and its inability to unblock Disney+.

No DNS or IP Leaks Anymore

In our latest testing, Norton Secure VPN no longer leaked data.

Using our VPN leak test tool, we confirmed it properly secured our IP addresses (IPv4 and IPv6), DNS, and geolocation.

New Kill Switch Works as Intended

Until recently, Norton Secure VPN didn’t have a kill switch — the most important security feature for any VPN.

It now has a kill switch included in every application on all platforms. We put it to the test, and the results can be seen below:

Our kill switch testing tool confirmed that Norton Secure VPN did not leak our true IP address when changing servers or when disconnecting and reconnecting our PC from the internet.

Properly Encrypts Traffic with a Variety of Protocols

Norton Secure VPN doesn’t let you choose a protocol on any device. By default, desktop uses WireGuard and mobile uses IKEv2.

While this is an improvement and technically acceptable, the apps should provide more transparency and protocol options on all platforms. WireGuard, in particular, should be available on mobile to match desktop. Most top VPNs offer this, plus extras like first-party DNS and obfuscation.

Even without a choice, our tests confirm Norton Secure VPN encrypts traffic correctly on every device. Using Wireshark, we verified that traffic was safely encrypted.

Two-thirds of Norton’s servers are in Europe. We prefer server networks that are more geographically spread out so more users can access nearby connections.

There’s only one country each in South America and Africa, and three in Asia. Some major regions are missing, such as India, South Korea, and Indonesia. If you’re in or near these regions, expect slower speeds and higher latency.

We’re also disappointed there are no city-level locations. You can’t bypass US sports blackouts by connecting to a specific city or state.

Norton wouldn’t tell us whether these servers are physically located in their stated regions, or whether they are owned or rented.

If your country isn’t covered by Norton Secure VPN, consider paying a little more for a VPN with broader coverage to get the best speeds.

Proton VPN has 15,370 servers in 126 countries, and 100% are physically based where they claim.

Norton’s VPN is easy to use, but we found some interface differences across devices, which can be confusing.

Here’s our experience by platform:

Desktop & Laptop (Windows & Mac)

Norton Secure VPN’s Windows app has more features than any other platform. It includes a kill switch, split tunneling, and a tracker blocker.

If you use Norton 360, there’s no learning curve. The VPN can be enabled and configured like the suite’s other features, such as device scanning.

The VPN section of the Windows app differs slightly from the Mac version. You can still connect using the simple Turn On button, but Windows uses a basic pop-up window for server changes and settings.

By contrast, the Mac app behaves more like a traditional VPN client. Overall, the Windows app is the best version, with all features and extra security.

Norton’s macOS app doesn’t include most security features, though it recently added a kill switch (enabled automatically — there’s no visible toggle in the app).

It lacks split tunneling, but it looks slightly nicer than the Windows version.

Mobile (iPhone & Android)

On mobile, you must use the standalone Norton Secure VPN app; Norton 360 doesn’t include the VPN directly.

Norton’s iOS client is very simple. The app looks quickly designed, with little attention to interface details — for instance, the background stays white even if your iPhone uses dark mode.

We also didn’t like having to switch tabs for common tasks like changing servers. Most VPN apps let you connect, switch servers, and change basic settings from the home screen. Norton should do the same.

For beginners, it’s easy: tap Turn On VPN on the home screen to connect to the nearest server.

Norton VPN’s Android app is the most fully featured mobile app. Unlike iOS, it includes split tunneling, and both mobile apps now have a kill switch.

Because P2P is supported on Android, you can connect to its dedicated torrenting server. As on Windows, this just routes you to the Netherlands. P2P speeds matched our Windows results.

Aside from these differences, the Android app looks and works like the iOS version. The color theme can’t be changed, and the design is very basic.

Some VPN review sites claim Norton Secure VPN doesn’t support torrenting. We found it does, but only on the Netherlands server.

If you try torrenting on any other location, the app will block the download and show an error. To connect to the Netherlands, select the Torrent-Optimized Region at the top of the server list.

There’s no good reason to restrict P2P to the Netherlands. Although downloading copyrighted material was once legal there, that ended in 2014.

We’d like Norton to expand P2P servers to at least include a North American option.

P2P Speeds Depend On Your Location

Norton Secure VPN performed very well in our P2P tests. On our 10MiB/s test line, we recorded 9.2MiB/s. Our torrents downloaded nearly as fast as without the VPN.

Here’s how quickly we downloaded a 20GB torrent with and without the VPN:

The closer you are to the Netherlands server, the better your speeds. If you’re far away, expect slower performance.

If you’re outside the US, TorGuard is a good alternative with fast P2P speeds and port forwarding.