VPN or antivirus? Why choose when NordVPN offers both in the same subscription

To test this feature we have of course deactivated our advertising blocker before going to different sites that open popup windows when we click on links, always with Firefox. After launching NordVPN, we found that some popup windows are still appearing but without content inside. Nothing is clickable or selectable, you simply have to close the box. In other cases the windows normally appear as if no protection was activated. Regarding advertisements we have not seen any real difference with or without NordVPN but the software pointed out to us that it has blocked some.

NordVPN antivirus review (test 2023): Simple supplement or real protection solution ?

In a world where antiviruses tend to acquire modules bringing them closer to a VPN, some have decided to take the opposite way. North Security, VPN specialist, has integrated anti-menace protection tools into his client for desktop computer. In a antivirus market which tends to stabilize and innovate, NordVPN and its anti-Menacet protection tool can kick the anthill ?

• Offered free of charge with the subscription to NordVPN
• Independent of VPN
• Simple interface

• No in -depth analysis
• Doublons protections with those of the browser and the native antivirus of the system
• Lack of active protections

“Take advantage of a cleaner, safer and more private internet” : this is the motto of NordVPN as to this new feature. Anti-menaces protection will simply act as antivirus of your Internet use by blocking unwanted advertisements, untimely trackers or dangerous files, all independently and in parallel with your VPN. But in the era of secure and privacy web browsers, this new protective layer is really necessary ? Should you leave Nordvpn alone master your confidentiality on the Internet ? We answer you immediately.

• What is the northern anti-menace protection tool ?
• Is the NordVPN anti-menaces protection tool free ?
• Prices and prices of the NordVPN anti-menaces protection tool
• Download the NordVPN anti-menaces protection tool
• What protection provides the NordVPN anti-menaces tool ?
• Interface and ergonomics of the NordVPN anti-menaces protection tool
• The main features The northern anti-menace protection tool
• Conclusion and opinion

What is the northern anti-menace protection tool ?

Nordvpn, what is ? A brief reminder

As a reminder, NordVPN is originally a VPN service provider, a private virtual network, on the market since 2012. To popularize the thing, the supplier provides you with a quantified tunnel enters your home and your destination to make your data transit safely. In addition to this, your IP address and your location are masked to guarantee a certain anonymity.

NordVPN has existed since 2018 on all platforms: Windows, MacOS Linux but also via Chrome and Firefox extensions. Need to protect your Internet connection to your smartphone ? An application is available on Android and iOS.

In 2022, NordVPN accumulated more than 5,000 servers in 60 countries, a fastest VPN in the world, in particular thanks to its Nordlynx protocol, as well as new generation encryption. A range of products is offered on the supplier’s website, always in order to secure access to your data:

• Nordpass: a free manager that will secure all your passwords secure
• Nordlocker: a cloud that figures the data you store, available in the form of a subscription
• Nordlayer: the VPN offer for professionals

Since the creation of its parent company, Nord Security, NordVPN diversifies its offer, sometimes with a VPN proposal cut for businesses, but also by marketing a hyper-secure cloud storage service or even a password manager. If we could have expected that North Security will come out its own antivirus, the company has rather opted for another solution: to integrate its solution to protect against threats to its VPN client.

Is the NordVPN anti-menaces protection tool free ?

The NordVPN antivirus is offered free of charge when subscribing to an offer but it can also be downloaded and installed independently of the VPN client. NordVPN does not offer a free trial period for its services, but its subscriptions have a satisfied or reimbursed warranty of 30 days.

Learn more about NordVPN’s commercial policy:

Prices and prices of the NordVPN anti-menaces protection tool

As we explained in our opinion on service, NordVPN was for a long time one of the cheapest VPNs on the market before revising its prices upwards. The company has indeed increased the prices of its various offers during this last year:

• The non -binding monthly subscription now amounts to € 11.99/month.
• The annual subscription amounts to € 56.28 (or € 4.69/month)
• The subscription for 2 years is encrypted at € 80.73 (€ 2.99/month)

It should be noted that these prices will only be valid for your first VPN subscription.

For its part, the anti-menace protection taken individually is offered at the following prices:

• The monthly subscription without commitment at € 4.99/month.
• The annual subscription costs € 29.99 (€ 2.50/month) but increases to € 59.88 after the first year.

Download the NordVPN anti-menaces protection tool

Currently, the NordVPN antivirus protection tool is only available for Windows and Mac customers of VPN. To download it, it’s simple: just follow the instructions after subscription to a subscription. Additionally, ll is possible to download NordVPN directly from Clubic.

What protection provides the NordVPN anti-menaces tool ?

The anti-Menacet protection tool is not a “conventional” antivirus since it is integrated into a VPN client, it has not benefited from in-depth laboratory tests as well as other more known names. Unable to refer to the observations of Av-test and comparative av, so we used a different protocol to test the download of infected files download.

In order to test this feature we used Eicar (European Institute for Computer Antivirus Research) test files, a method often applied in computer science and recommended by the largest in cybersecurity to test efficiency and Antivirus response time. For the most curious of you the files simply contain a character string and then are compressed or archived, which allows to see if the antivirus detects the anomaly under several levels. After deactivating the security of Firefox as well as our local antivirus, we are launching the download of sources from the Eicar official website and are stopped net. Here is what is displayed in the software:

Deletion of files considered dangerous

The anti-menace protection did its job well: the files were not even downloaded to the computer and were deleted immediately because it is considered malicious. You can see that two other downloads have been made without problem, the two from Clubic. Note that it is not possible to allow a specific file if it has been detected as malicious, you will simply have to close NordVPN and restart the download (obviously if you know that the file comes from a sure source )).

For our part, the Eicar test was conclusive, no complaints on this antivirus point. Note that there is a complementality complementary to this option: in -depth analysis of the files. Further than the initial method, it will send your file downloaded in the cloud for advanced analysis if it is impossible to determine the danger. This parameter can be activated in software options or directly when activating anti-menaces protection.

Interface and ergonomics of the NordVPN anti-menaces protection tool

Even if the anti-menace protection tool is functionally independent of VPN, it comes to lodge in the same interface. It is reached by clicking on the small shield located at the top of the sidebar. The interface is relatively simple with a window dedicated in the application preferences. We are directly greeted by a rocking button to launch the protective tool and its various features as well as a quick summary of active protections.

Besides, it’s quite simple with only 3 tabs to go. The first two dedicates respectively to blocked advertising follow -ups and analyzes of downloaded files. The last tab includes the parameters of the anti-menace protection tools and allows you to activate or deactivate its different modules on the fly. Clearly, we have seen more complex as an interface of antivirus but simplicity lies here in the modest ambitions of the anti-menace protection tool which is still far from having as many features as tenors of the market such as Bitdefender or Norton.

The main features The northern anti-menace protection tool

Blocking dangerous websites

Today phishing sites are common in our lives. Even if we now know more or less signs (use of the HTTP protocol, dubious URL, Layout or suspicious images), it is not impossible to come across a dangerous site that will have no qualms about trying to infect your computer or steal your private information.

It is here that NordVPN will be able to act: the new protection will notify you if you try to access a website considered dangerous and will not load its content immediately. You are free to turn back or access it anyway.

However, despite our efforts to try to test this particular option, we failed to have the NordVPN warning message pointing to us that we are about to access a dangerous site. Either the blocking is not entirely effective, or the Internet is a more secure place than we thought ! So for the moment impossible to communicate to you the criteria of a “dangerous” site for NordVPN.

Deletion of online trackers

Ah online trackers … Real internet scourge. You know when you “accept cookies” on any site ? Well cookies are a type of tracker. These will allow the owner of the website to collect a whole bunch of information ranging from the device you use to your navigation habits. However, all trackers are not harmful, some are sometimes even necessary to allow the site to display and function properly.

Anti-menaces will help end these improper trackers. During the NordVPN navigation session will automatically block all the trackers encountered and list them in its software:

Trackers blocked during internet browsing
Individual unlocking of the trackers

You will of course have the possibility of authorizing trackers according to the website because as mentioned above some are sometimes useful. This option works with any browser and the VPN does not need to be activated to benefit from it.

For our tests (and our personal use elsewhere), we use Firefox as a web browser because it is one of the best in terms of protection against tracking and trackers of all kinds. By activating and deactivating the corresponding functionality on Firefox then on NordVPN we could see differences in the blocking on both sides. Visit sites like Airbnb or Instant Gaming and Firefox, for example, will block social media trackers and tracking cookies. For its part, NordVPN will let everything go. On the TVTIME site, on the other hand, the supplier blocks 17 trackers (screenshot above) while Firefox does not detect anything.

In conclusion, after having tested a dozen websites with trackers, we note that Firefox blocks more than NordVPN. Difficult for the moment to judge the interest of this functionality knowing that a browser worthy of the name can do the same or better. Note, however, that at the VPN supplier, the ability to unlock the trackers in one click via the software is rather interesting. This is not necessarily achievable on web browsers or in any case not so easily. We would still appreciate that these are more readable on NordVPN and why not classified by types of trackers (cookies, social networks, etc.).

Protection against malware

The anti-menace protection promises us an improved browsing experience and a cleaner web thanks to the blocking of malicious advertisements. On paper, the promise is tempting, the advertising and untimely popups are present in all the corners of the Internet and not frankly pleasant to meet. But if today the advertising blockers implemented to web browsers do the job very well, is anti-menaces better ?

To test this feature we have of course deactivated our advertising blocker before going to different sites that open popup windows when we click on links, always with Firefox. After launching NordVPN, we found that some popup windows are still appearing but without content inside. Nothing is clickable or selectable, you simply have to close the box. In other cases the windows normally appear as if no protection was activated. Regarding advertisements we have not seen any real difference with or without NordVPN but the software pointed out to us that it has blocked some.

Blocking of advertisements and trackers

By clicking on a site blocked in the software you can see that the elements are cut into two sections: advertisements or trackers. In both cases it is possible to choose to allow everything or select only certain lines. In this specific case NordVPN has blocked advertising on this site. On the same web page when we reactor Ublock Origin: this one blocks 6.

To conclude on this particular feature: difficult to be convinced. Having a blocker integrated into our browser we do not necessarily see the interest of going through third-party software, even less when it is less efficient. Where a blocker completely prevents Popup windows from displayed, NordVPN lets them open but empty.

Conclusion and opinion

After testing each component of the new anti-menacea functionality we can say that we are not really convinced and the situation does not seem to have evolved since the provision of the beta version last March. By wanting to do and develop its cybersecurity side in parallel with its secure tunnel service, NordVPN gets brushes and offers us a wobbly option already covered by most web browsers on the market. A positive point all the same for the refined interface of anti-menaces protection which goes straight to the essentials and remains very easy to use. Between this new tool, the VPN and the “Dark Web Monitor”, the NordVPN customer is gradually taking up the airs of security … It remains to be seen if NordVPN will take the plunge and will continue to expand its offer to go in this direction.

In conclusion if you have already subscribed to NordVPN then it will not cost you anything to activate this new addition, especially to block the trackers that would pass between the meshes of your browser. However, we are greatly advised you to deactivate your antivirus, your advertising blocker or the native protection of your browser for obvious reasons.

NordVPN Antivirus

With anti-menace protection, you benefit from an additional layer of protection against sites and malicious files. Only files downloaded from the Internet are analyzed. Although the tool is offered with NordVPN and operates independently of the virtual private network, it is clearly not enough for itself. However, its addition is welcome, especially since the impact on computer performance is almost naked.

• Offered free of charge with the subscription to NordVPN
• Independent of VPN
• Simple interface

VPN or antivirus ? Why choose when NordVPN offers both in the same subscription ?

VPN and antivirus are two extremely practical tools to ensure the security of your data on the net. But which one to choose ? NordVPN may have the solution with its subscription which allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds.

Personal data protection is a complex subject as the ways of harmful to them are numerous. In addition to the attacks by a fringe of malicious individuals with a lot of phishing and other potatoes, the simple fact of navigating the Internet is sometimes enough to jeopardize your private life. To protect yourself from such attacks is therefore essential, but not necessarily simple for everyone.

Choosing the right tools to ensure the protection of your personal data and your private life is therefore not a sinecure, but fortunately there are solutions to simplify your life. No need to ask if you should rather opt for a VPN or an antivirus. At NordVPN, only one subscription allows you to enjoy the best of the two worlds for 3.99 euros per month. NordVPN’s offer is at a good price.

VPN: an effective tool for the protection of privacy

If you are used to our columns, you have probably already heard of VPN at least once. This tool, created at the base to connect two distant computers in a secure manner, is today used in many ways to ensure the safety of Internet users and their private life.

It is essentially used to preserve your privacy when you stroll on the internet by preventing third parties from following what you do, whether to make a transaction, or simply exchange with loved ones. In broad outline, connecting to the Internet via a VPN allows: in particular:

• Protect your identity and your data by masking your IP address and therefore your precise location;
• secure the entire activity and online exchanges thanks to a encrypted connection (Cost A-256);
• Preserve your privacy online;
• Fighting internet surveillance by preventing ISPs or trading sites from accessing your information.

Beyond the security provided by its use, a VPN also offers some additional advantages. It allows for example, when you are abroad, to continue to access all your content (social networks, streaming services) without having to worry about geographic limitations. NordVPN is even very useful for competitive video game players.

Antivirus: the perfect solution to counter external threats

There are many ways to tackle your data. And if good digital hygiene coupled with knowledge of the main threats makes it possible to be relatively serene, this is no longer enough. Cybermenaces are constantly evolving, and cybercriminals are increasingly ingenious to deceive Internet users.

Antivirus is there to help you effectively fight against all these threats. Once installed on your machine, its role is to analyze everything that transit in it (web pages, files, programs, apps) to detect any activity or a suspicious code. To do this, he can count on a solid, regularly updated database, as well as many protocols allowing him to isolate everything that seems dangerous.

Ideal for preventing damage that can be caused on your computer (file corruption, hard drive reformatting, data deletion, blackmail), an antivirus also offers a few very useful side. It allows for example to block spam and advertisements, and can also deactivate the trackers harvested on the net.

NordVPN: the best of both united worlds in a single subscription

Difficult to judge whether a VPN is more useful than an antivirus, or vice versa. They are above all two additional tools dedicated to the protection of your personal data, whether on your computer or any other device that can navigate the web.

This is probably why NordVPN offers a service that includes one of the best VPNs in the market coupled to a solid antivirus. A complete ecosystem, entirely devoted to monitoring, prevention and protection of your privacy.

But this is not the only asset of NordVPN. NordVPN, it is above all an effective network which can count on more than 5,700 servers distributed in 60 countries around the world, and whose speeds are among the best on the market. You can even create your own VPN by connecting several of your devices thanks to the Mesh network.

It is also a service that relies on simplicity thanks to an extremely well thought out interface and application. Last significant advantage, each account allows you to protect up to six different devices, whether it is a computer, a smartphone or a television.

At the moment, the essential NordVPN subscription is available with a good reduction if you opt for a two -year commitment. You just have to pay 3.99 euros per month to benefit from the NordVPN services for 24 months and to spoil anything, 3 months bonus will be offered to you.

NordVPN also offers additional services that make it possible to push even further the protection of your personal data, whether with Nordlocker, its private and secure cloud, or Nordpass, a particularly effective password manager.

This article was carried out in collaboration with NordVPN.

This is content created by independent editors within the Humanoid XP entity, the Fandroid editorial team has not participated in its creation. We impose the same criteria to offer you unique and quality content.