NordVPN vs Proton VPN

By Laurence DeerPrices checked 15 Oct – 3 Nov 2026

Pick Proton VPN if you want to start free, put privacy first or watch Netflix UK. Pick NordVPN if you watch Australian TV with the VPN on and want a bill in Australian dollars.

SBS On Demand splits them most plainly. It played on NordVPN’s defaults, but on Proton only after we switched off NetShield, its ad blocker. Proton hit back on Netflix UK. Both were tested on our Melbourne NBN line in October 2026.

The rest of the quick answer comes from the providers’ own sites, read for our daily data check:

• Free to start: Proton VPN has a free plan for one device; NordVPN lists a 7-day free trial on longer plans, card required
• Cheaper to start: NordVPN, on each one’s lowest monthly price in Australian dollars
• Devices at once: NordVPN 10, Proton VPN 10
• More countries: NordVPN
• Refund window: NordVPN 30 days, Proton VPN 30 days

Which should you choose?

Choose NordVPN if:

• you want Australian TV to just work: SBS On Demand, 9Now, ABC iview and Prime Video played on default settings
• you want a bill in Australian dollars that does not move with the exchange rate
• you want ITVX or ABEMA: both played on NordVPN, and we have not pressed Play on either through Proton
• you want named servers in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney

Choose Proton VPN if:

• you want to try a VPN free: the free plan covers one device, with no card needed
• you want Netflix UK: it played signed in, where two NordVPN London servers were blocked
• you want a Swiss provider with open-source apps and an audited no-logs policy, by Proton’s own account
• you want a Mac kill switch that blocks the whole machine, not just chosen apps

Test results are from Melbourne, October 2026. Torrenting, banking, BBC iPlayer and leaks will not decide it: both handled them.

Each has a catch. NordVPN’s renewal price is well above its first-term deal. Proton bills in US dollars, and its kill switch starts off.

Proton VPN vs NordVPN on price

VPN	Lowest monthly price	Renewal price	Money-back	Countries	Devices
1NordVPN	A$4.79 27 months, A$129.33 upfront	A$187.08 per year	30 days	150	10	Black Friday deal ends soonVisit NordVPN
2Proton VPN	US$3.49 (about A$4.98) 2 years, US$83.76 upfront	US$83.88 per year	30 days	149	10	Partner offerVisit Proton VPN

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

– means we do not have that detail yet. Prices shown in US$ are published in that currency; the Australian-dollar figure is approximate, converted at the European Central Bank euro reference rates for 2 Nov 2026 (US$1 = A$1.427).

NordVPN charges in Australian dollars. Proton charges in US dollars, so the table converts its price at our latest exchange rate, and your card can add a foreign transaction fee.

That also means the order between them can change without either provider touching its prices. NordVPN saves its best rate for 27 months paid upfront, Proton for 2 years.

Both cost more once the first term ends, so read the renewal column and set a reminder for the end date. The renewal is where NordVPN’s low starting price stops looking low.

Proton is the only one you can use for nothing. Proton says the free plan needs no payment details and has no data cap. It covers one device, the app chooses your server, and streaming and torrenting are not allowed.

NordVPN’s nearest offer is a trial: 7 days free on 1-year and 2-year plans, paid by card or PayPal, which starts automatically unless you cancel. Our best free VPN guide compares Proton’s free plan with the others.

Devices

A paid plan covers 10 devices at once on NordVPN and 10 on Proton VPN, so devices will not decide it. Proton’s free plan covers one.

Ten is plenty for one person or a couple. In a share house or a family with phones, laptops, tablets and a smart TV each, count before you buy.

Australian servers

NordVPN’s Australian servers are in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Proton lists servers in 5 Australian cities, and we have tested only its Melbourne ones.

Across their whole networks, NordVPN lists 7,115 servers in 150 countries and Proton VPN 18,744 in 149.

If you watch 9Now, check which Proton server you are on. In October 2026, 9Now placed the Proton Melbourne server we used in Adelaide and served the Adelaide news. NordVPN’s Melbourne server got the Victorian feed.

Proton VPN vs NordVPN speed from Melbourne

Both run close to our line speed at home, so you would notice the gap in big downloads, not in what you watch. Proton’s Melbourne server kept 99% of our download speed and NordVPN’s 88%, on different days in October 2026.

NordVPN’s speed moved with the time of day: near line speed in the morning and afternoon, noticeably slower one evening. If you trial either, test at the hour you use it most.

Ping on the latest Melbourne runs was 14 ms on Proton and 13 ms on NordVPN, both too small to feel.

A connection to Amazon’s Sydney data centre, a stand-in for a game server, took 14 ms on NordVPN and 15 ms on Proton. Both beat the VPN-off times on those days, 26 ms and 29 ms.

We tested both in October 2026 on the same Mac mini and NBN line, on default settings, with the VPN off just before each set. We compare the share of speed kept, because our line’s speed changes from day to day.

Torrenting will not split them. The same Debian torrent ran at about the speed of no VPN through each one’s Melbourne server, so the people sharing the file set the pace. Proton’s free plan does not allow torrenting.

VPN	Our torrent speed	P2P policy	Kill switch	Port forwarding	Audited by
NordVPN	4.44 MiB/s tested October 2026	Allowed in our test tested October 2026	✓ Listed	✓ Listed	Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers AG Switzerland
Proton VPN	5.48 MiB/s tested October 2026	Allowed in our test tested October 2026	✓ Listed	✓ Listed	Securitum

Torrent speed is the average download rate we measured on an Australian server, with its date. Features and auditors are as each provider lists them; "Not checked" means we have not recorded it yet.

Tested on an account NordVPN gave us free of charge (14–25 Oct 2026). Tested on an account Proton VPN gave us free of charge (17–21 Oct 2026).

Overseas, they traded places in October 2026. NordVPN kept more in the United States, 78% to Proton’s 60%, though Proton’s first Los Angeles download crawled.

Proton kept more in the United Kingdom, 68% to 62%. Japan was close: NordVPN kept 83% and Proton 81%.

VPN	Speed kept	Download	Ping	Tested
NordVPN	78%	41.2 Mbps	159 ms	October 2026
Proton VPN	60%	30.2 Mbps	163 ms	October 2026

Our download speed to a server in the United States, from Melbourne, as a share of the same line's speed with the VPN off that day. Line speeds differ between test years, so compare the share kept.

VPN	Speed kept	Download	Ping	Tested
Proton VPN	68%	34.2 Mbps	302 ms	October 2026
NordVPN	62%	32.9 Mbps	280 ms	October 2026

Our download speed to a server in the United Kingdom, from Melbourne, as a share of the same line's speed with the VPN off that day. Line speeds differ between test years, so compare the share kept.

Distance costs both. London ping was 280 to 322 ms on NordVPN and 302 to 330 ms on Proton: fine for iPlayer, laggy for a fast online game.

Some countries on both are not where the flag says. NordVPN’s India server came out in Singapore without saying so. Proton’s India, Brazil and South Africa servers came out in Singapore, Miami and near Marseille, marked with its smart-routing icon.

Proton’s Brazil server connected but carried almost no traffic. If you need a real Indian or Brazilian address for a bank or a local service, neither is a sure thing.

Outside testers see Proton losing a little more nearby. Top10VPN recorded a 12% speed loss on nearby servers for Proton and 4% for NordVPN, in reviews updated October 2026.

Streaming from Australia

Australian TV is NordVPN’s win. On its Melbourne server in October 2026, SBS On Demand, 9Now, ABC iview and Prime Video all played on default settings.

Proton got there with a setting changed. ABC iview and Prime Video played on its Melbourne server, but SBS On Demand showed a “Video Playback Error” blaming ad blockers and VPNs. With NetShield set to “Don’t block”, SBS and 9Now played.

We could not test Stan, Kayo or Binge on either beyond their home pages, because we have no accounts.

Netflix UK leans Proton’s way, though not in a like-for-like test. Signed in, Proton played Netflix US and Netflix UK in October 2026. NordVPN played Netflix US, but two London servers and Tokyo showed “You seem to be using a VPN or proxy”.

Netflix Japan blocked Proton too. ITVX and ABEMA went NordVPN’s way: both played on London and Tokyo. On Proton, both home pages loaded, but we have not got as far as playback.

BBC iPlayer played on both, signed in to a UK-registered account. NordVPN needed a second go: iPlayer refused all five UK servers we tried in October 2026, then played on London three days later.

Prime Video abroad is less useful than it looks on Proton. On US and UK servers, our Australian account showed a “Traveling?” notice and played from the travel catalogue, not the local library.

VPN	Netflix US	Netflix UK	Netflix Japan	BBC iPlayer	ITVX	ABEMA	SBS On Demand	9Now	ABC iview	Prime Video
NordVPN	Played tested 25 Oct 2026	Blocked tested 25 Oct 2026	Blocked tested 25 Oct 2026	Played tested 17 Oct 2026	Played tested 25 Oct 2026	Played tested 25 Oct 2026	Played tested 24 Oct 2026	Played tested 24 Oct 2026	Played tested 24 Oct 2026	Played tested 24 Oct 2026
Proton VPN	Played tested 21 Oct 2026	Played tested 21 Oct 2026	Blocked tested 21 Oct 2026	Played tested 21 Oct 2026	Site loaded; playback not tested tested 21 Oct 2026	Not tested tested 21 Oct 2026	Played tested 21 Oct 2026	Played tested 21 Oct 2026	Played tested 21 Oct 2026	Played tested 21 Oct 2026

Our own results from Melbourne, with the date we tried. "Site loaded" means the service's local site opened through the VPN but we did not play anything (usually no account). Results from different years come from different test rounds.

Banking will not split them. CommBank, NAB and myGov log-on pages opened normally through both Melbourne servers in October 2026. We did not sign in.

Privacy and audits

Proton has the stronger story to show. It is based in Switzerland, says Securitum has audited its no-logs policy, and says the code for all its apps is open source, so outsiders can check what they do.

Top10VPN adds that Proton publishes its audits and was the first VPN to open-source its apps.

NordVPN says its no-logs policy has been independently audited. Security.org’s review (updated October 2026) says third-party auditors have verified it and that its servers run on RAM.

NordVPN’s record has one blot: in 2019 it disclosed that a server it rented in Finland had been accessed without permission in 2018.

Both have a privacy mode that costs speed. Security.org found Proton’s Secure Core connections usually 35% slower, and NordVPN’s Double VPN cutting speeds by about 80% on average.

Leaks and kill switch

Neither showed our real address when we changed country, with our public IP checked every second or two in October 2026. NordVPN went offline for 2 to 4 seconds per switch.

Proton passed all three of its switches, but its newer Mac app went offline for 16 to 18 seconds. That is long enough to drop a video call, so switch servers before the call, not during it.

Proton’s kill switch panel warns that “Your IP may be briefly visible when switching servers”; we did not see that happen.

VPN	DNS	IPv6	WebRTC	Kill switch	Switching servers
NordVPN	No leak tested 25 Oct 2026	Could not test tested 25 Oct 2026	No leak tested 25 Oct 2026	Chosen apps only, off by default; drop test not run tested 25 Oct 2026	Kill switch off: No leak (4 s offline) tested 25 Oct 2026
Proton VPN	No leak tested 21 Oct 2026	Could not test tested 21 Oct 2026	No leak tested 21 Oct 2026	Whole device, off by default; drop test not run tested 21 Oct 2026	Kill switch off: No leak (18 s offline) Kill switch on: No leak (16 s offline) tested 21 Oct 2026

"Could not test" means our line had no IPv6 to leak. "Not recorded" means we tested the VPN but did not record that check; "Not tested" means we have not tested the VPN yet. Neither means it failed.

Both passed on DNS: no leak on any server we checked (NordVPN 14–25 Oct 2026, Proton 17–21 Oct 2026). Both also passed a WebRTC check. Our home line has no IPv6, so we could not test either for IPv6 leaks.

Neither kill switch is on out of the box. NordVPN’s Mac app has only an Apps Kill Switch, which quits the apps you choose. Proton’s covers the whole Mac.

Proton’s has side effects. Turning it on switches off split tunnelling and makes devices on your home network, such as a printer, unreachable. Changing the setting also reconnects the app, which once landed us in South Africa.

We have not forced a drop with either kill switch on. If you pick Proton for Australian TV, set NetShield to “Don’t block” before you press Play on SBS.

Common questions

Read more

Our full NordVPN review has every result from our latest retest, and the Proton VPN review covers NetShield, Secure Core and the free plan in detail. If Surfshark is also on your list, see NordVPN vs Surfshark. For the cheapest first term among every VPN we track, see our cheapest VPN guide.

Full reviews: NordVPN review · Proton VPN review