Nord VPN VS CactusVPN Comparison

UPDATED Jul. 2024
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Nord VPN and CactusVPN are two VPN companies that are considered by both users and experts to be among the best in the business. How to decide which provider to subscribe for? You need to compare them carefully, bearing in mind your own particular needs and what you need a VPN for in the first place.

NordVPN
Best For General Users
VS
CactusVPN
Best For Users On A Budget

Highlights

NordVPN
NordVPN has some of the best speeds in the VPN business and plenty of attractive features to offer to its clients, including an excellent security suite and various dedicated servers in more than 60 countries across the globe.
  • Double encryption
  • P2P-friendly
  • Netflix servers
  • 5,100+ servers
CactusVPN
CactusVPN is a world-class VPN service provider that uses 5 excellent protocols for maximum protection. In order to ensure your online anonymity, CactusVPN also provides Smart DNS proxy and doesn't keep any logs whatsoever.
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • AES 256-bit encryption
  • No activity logs policy
  • Free trial version

Compare Prices

Company
1 Month
3 Months
6 Months
1 Year
2 Years
NordVPN
1 Month
$11.95
3 Months
/
6 Months
/
1 Year
$6.99
2 Years
$3.99
CactusVPN
1 Month
$4.99
3 Months
$4.99
6 Months
/
1 Year
$4.99
2 Years
/
* The prices shown represent the cost of one month within different subscriptions. To see all available plans and pricing options, check individual reviews.

Compare Features

NordVPN
Based In
Panama
Number Of Servers
3557
Number Of Countries
61
Protocols
OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP and IPSec
Encryption
256-bit AES (double encryption)
Simultaneous Connections
6
Logs Policy
no logs
Dedicated IP
Killswitch
DNS Leak Protection
Allows Torrenting
Torrenting Servers
SmartDNS
CactusVPN
Based In
Moldova
Number Of Servers
25
Number Of Countries
15
Protocols
OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, IKEv2, STP, SoftEther, PPTP
Encryption
AES-128
Simultaneous Connections
5
Logs Policy
no logs
Dedicated IP
Killswitch
DNS Leak Protection
Allows Torrenting
Torrenting Servers
SmartDNS

Supported Devices

NordVPN
Windows
OS X
Linux
Android
iOS
Router
CactusVPN
Windows
OS X
Linux
Android
iOS
Router

Compare Ratings

NordVPN
FINAL RATING
9.8/10
Anonymity
Reliability
Performance
Features
Support
Value For Money
CactusVPN
FINAL RATING
7.9/10
Anonymity
Reliability
Performance
Features
Support
Value For Money

Compare User Reviews

NordVPN
  • Submitted By Yaretzi Peterson on 12/04/2019
    Usually, I stick to what I know and nordVPN happens to be just one of the examples of a reliable company that always delivers what’s promised. I really didn’t want to waste time or money on trying out some unknown brand and possibly ending up with a bad product. But what made me choose Nord yet again is that I use multiple brand devices and platforms for my job and Nord supports every one of them… it was really a no brainer.
  • Submitted By Al Gonzalez on 11/29/2019
    I moved from ExpressVpn to Nord to save money and got the 1 year deal. Initially Nord has good performance in the first three-four months. Then there servers started disconnecting frequently sometimes the servers would stop working and you had to reconnect to a new one. This can be inconvenient if do stream or download a lot. After the security fallout with Nord where they had one of their servers hacked for almost an year, more Nord servers started having issues such as a missing password or otherwise you couldn't connect to them. The US servers were alright but they can sometimes stop working after a period of time. Express never had this problem. I spent nearly a month in one of their servers. With Nord you'd be hard pressed to stick with the same server for a day or two. Overall Nord is okay. The Kill Switch works. I did checks with Ipeaks both on my computer and phone Ive seen no DNS leaks so far. Comes with anti-adware/malware and it works. Autoconnect on phone is like the kill switch. Has potential overall to recover from the embarrassing security gaffe but Nords biggest challenge will be server stability. This seems to be a problem with a lot of new name and affordable vpns. Nord been in the game for a while but longevity of servers is very important. Hope they get their game together or otherwise might have to go back to Express or an equally good alternative.
  • Submitted By Magnus on 10/26/2019
    Since the beginning of October, NordVPN does not work in Hangzhou AT ALL! I can't vouch for other cities. Their support team is polite but useless. They conceded they needed to *invent* a new protocol to get their VPN to work here. Even though a refund was requested by me within 30 days (for a renewal--they were great for a year!), they refused to answer my request and kept stalling my support ticket. I'm still awaiting my refund. USE THEM AT YOUR PERIL IF YOU LIVE IN CHINA! Caveat emptor!!
  • Submitted By Sammi on 09/17/2019
    Love these guys even after having it for 2 years. Super fast and makes me feel safer online.
CactusVPN
  • Submitted By Laurence Reeves on 07/09/2018
    I have been with cactus for quite a few years now, I love the brand and customer service that they provide. Their website is very easy to use as well as their own VPN software that is provided, you simply enter your username and password then you're connected. They provide Secure Smart DNS and a VPN that is true no log data. Nord for example is over 60 where Cactus is only around 30, both comparisons for their yearly subscriptions. Cactus however provide multiple VPN locations and their Smart DNS for 54 per year, which i'm currently using. Download speeds are pretty good and never seem to drop, i've had the VPN connected on my phone for over 2 weeks since installing it and it's not dropped yet. If the connection does drop then their software (on mac/pc) will close any applications you do not want to use without a secure connection, then reopen once the VPN has reconnected.
  • Submitted By Keisha Ford, on 01/21/2018
    It’s so cute and easy to use! Great thing, I can change whatever I want, whenever I want and open any website.
  • Submitted By Damien Woods, on 11/06/2016
    Excellent! I switch my phones too often, I must say and it’s so good that I don’t have to go through all that trouble of subscribing all over again, erasing my old phone from my subscription, adding the new one… Very simple and useful!
  • Submitted By Iris Barnaby, on 08/28/2016
    It works well, I watch Netflix all the time and can check any site, even when I’m on that restricted network at the library. I just don’t like so many options in my app, you know, I get confused sometimes since I’m not really sure what’s vpn, what’s proxy and what each of them does. Keep it simple, that’s the best.

Winner

NordVPN is widely known as one of the best services on the market thanks to its impressive features, bulletproof security setup, and knowledgeable 24/7 customer support. Read more in this honest review.

* All the prices on this website are subject to change without notice. While we put a great deal of effort into making sure that all the prices are accurate, one or more products may have outdated prices. Please visit the specific product’s official website for exact prices.