Astrill VPN is the most expensive provider your money can buy. However, its price is semi-justified, as the service offers plenty of excellent features and rock-solid security. No doubt, it’s an opulent product that isn’t affordable for the majority of users. It’s also one of the best China VPNs that work reliably in this country. NordVPN, on the other hand, is a household name in this industry. It’s been around for quite some time, and while not the cheapest service, NordVPN is pretty affordable compared to Astrill.
This provider packs tons of unique features, some of which you can’t find in Astrill VPN. Conversely, in this Astrill VPN vs NordVPN duel, you’ll see that the first provider also boasts some unique functionalities. Therefore, this comparison will be pretty interesting.
Today, in our NordVPN vs Astrill VPN comparison for 2024, we’ll tell you which service is better and why. We have 9 tests on the way where the providers will go head-to-head. After we complete our tests, we’ll count the results to see who is the winner.
Be ready, as this is going to be a long read. But by the end, you’ll know exactly where your money should go and which service is going to be better for your needs.
Astrill VPN vs NordVPN: Apps & Ease of Use
This in-depth NordVPN vs Astrill comparison will start with applications and ease of use. There are some fundamental differences in this regard, as these VPNs are completely different regardless of the platform you’re on. For the start, let’s mention app compatibility.
Astrill VPN and NordVPN can be installed on any platform. We’re talking about Windows, iOS, macOS, Linux, Android, and many others. The difference is that Astrill VPN has no native app for Amazon Fire TV Stick, whereas, NordVPN offers a great app for this system.
Overall, NordVPN seems to have a tad better device support than its rival, as it even supports more router models. Astrill VPN strikes back in another department – simultaneous connections. Yes, it does pack unlimited connections per account, while NordVPN limits you to six.
Astrill VPN
Now, in terms of ease of use, Astrill VPN is atrocious compared to NordVPN. You can see its app in the screenshot below and it looks so tiny and cramped that even had issues getting used to it. At least it supports one-click connections, so it can connect quickly.
There’s a big connection button in the middle, while at the top, you can find more options. For example, the drop-down menu on the right lets you change the protocol, while the three horizontal dots let you access various functionalities.
The Settings menu isn’t very intuitive and you’ll get different settings based on the protocol. When using OpenVPN, you’ll be able to change the level of encryption, for instance, and even enable additional port forwarding. When using OpenWeb, you get different settings, and so on.
What about this VPN on iOS or Android? Well, it’s not great either, as its apps look outdated and have some bugs here and there. It’s no wonder Astrill VPN has poor reviews on Apple Store and Google Play. Many users are dissatisfied with the overall user experience.
NordVPN
In this NordVPN vs Astrill VPN duel, the first is much better in this regard. Its modern-looking, sleek app looks identical on all platforms, making it extremely easy to use. Not to mention very short connection times accompanied by a beautiful world map.
The app window can also be resized, allowing for more control over it. In addition, you can change the theme of the app and use the light theme instead. When you open the server list, a single click on the server location connects you to a server located there – simple.
Then, you can open Settings using the Gear icon, where you can find various features, all accessible with a single click. The kill switch is enabled effortlessly, and you can even change the protocol in place without too much hassle. We like how fast and smooth NordVPN is.
For example, its Threat Protection which has antivirus works unbelievably well. Scanning for viruses is quick and changing from specialty servers is a piece of cake. NordVPN makes identical apps for iOS and Android, with pretty much the same features.
Not to mention that these apps are properly optimized for their respective systems, unlike Astrill VPN which fails to deliver in this department. Simply put, the user experience with NordVPN is miles ahead – no discussion about that.
Who Wins?
In the first Astrill VPN vs NordVPN comparison, NordVPN WINS. It’s easier to use, offers a better-looking app, and is more refined. Its rival does offer unlimited connections compared to 6 in this VPN, but you get that with Surfshark as well, which is another better provider.
Security & Privacy: Which One Is Safer to Use?
Many people wonder about the legality of a VPN but we say that’s wrong. A better question to go over would be – are VPNs really safe and secure? Or perhaps, are Astrill VPN and NordVPN safe, secure, and risk-free to use? The answer is yes, but if you want a longer version, keep reading.
Security Features
In this part of the comparison, we’ll go over the security features that both services offer. VPNs work the same way, after all, so many features are shared between different providers. Starting with encryption, both services have 256-bit encryption as standard.
Astrill VPN does offer 128-bit and 196-bit encryption protocols, for example, while NordVPN sticks to the highest level all the time. Another feature is a kill switch, which both services have, plus split tunneling that can be used on apps and sites in both cases.
We like that NordVPN and Astrill VPN have an ad blocker that can sometimes block even YouTube ads. On top of that, there are features like RAM-only servers and Private DNS that these services offer. The latter is great, as it handles your DNS requests with no logs of your online activities.
It’s great to mention that both providers have full OpenVPN support, and both TCP and UDP protocols are supported. However, the services are different in other protocols that we’ll talk about in a few seconds.
What Are the Differences?
Speaking of different protocols, let’s go over them. NordVPN uses NordLynx, an in-house protocol for much faster speeds and rock-solid security. Astrill VPN has OpenWeb, StealthVPN, and WireGuard, where the first two are proprietary solutions for getting over censorship.
While both VPNs have ad blockers, NordVPN offers its CyberSec (ad blocker) in the form of Threat Protection. This is a package that includes that feature plus anti-malware and antivirus, neither of which can be found in Astrill VPN.
Astrill VPN has many proxy and DNS options, along with port forwarding. NordVPN also allows for proxies and DNS options, while port forwarding isn’t supported. On the other hand, there’s SmartDNS, which can be used for streaming on a variety of platforms.
One feature that NordVPN doesn’t have is VPN Sharing. It allows Astrill VPN to be used on multiple devices simultaneously without additional hardware. However, NordVPN has Dark Web Monitor, Double VPN, and Meshnet – more about these features in our full NordVPN review.
Double VPN is especially interesting, as it doubles your encryption and boosts your privacy. Meshnet, however, lets you join or host LAN parties with added security, which is excellent for gaming or private business conversations.
Astrill VPN allows you to change ports, which is welcome, and its OpenWeb protocol is very handy for getting over firewall restrictions. NordVPN has obfuscated servers that use OpenVPN TCP for the same purposes, but later, we’ll see if they’re as good as NordVPN claims.
Is There a No-Logs Policy?
Aside from a rich palette of security features, these services are known for their focus on privacy. For one, their jurisdictions are perfect in this NordVPN vs Astrill VPN duel. The first provider is in Panama, while the other is in Seychelles.
We’re talking about off-shore locations with little to no data-retention laws. This allows them to maintain a no-logging policy and not be forced by the authorities to hand out user-relevant information. Let’s start with the no-logs policy of Astrill VPN.
It’s pretty simple and we can immediately see that no logs of your online history or IP address are stored. Yes, the provider stores used bandwidth, device type, connection time, and even your IP but only while the VPN session lasts.
We don’t like that, to be honest, but at least when you disconnect, all info is deleted. This isn’t a big issue as much as the lack of third-party audits. Believe it or not, Astrill VPN has no security audits in 2024 and it’s a huge problem because NordVPN has 3 of them.
NordVPN is audited by PwC two times and one time by Deloitte – most recently. Its no-logging policy promises no logs of your IP or connection logs even while connected to a VPN! Also, NordVPN stores no logs of the originating IP, assigned IP, DNS requests, and other sensitive data.
The only data stored on its servers is data required for troubleshooting and maintaining your subscription. This information includes your email, payment data, and some anonymized information to help the support team tackle potential issues.
In terms of logging, we give NordVPN a noticeable advantage because of numerous audits that can’t be overlooked – and shouldn’t be!
Who Wins?
In this Astrill VPN vs NordVPN duel, NordVPN WINS again. Both services are extremely safe and secure but the latter goes a step further by having several third-party audits. Not to mention that its privacy policy is slightly less intrusive, adding to the overall privacy.
Astrill VPN vs NordVPN Streaming Test
Being two premium services, people will have high expectations from Astrill and NordVPN in terms of streaming.
Well, the good news is that, in our NordVPN vs Astrill VPN duel, both providers were more than decent in this department. Let’s start with the Astrill VPN test.
This provider has four excellent protocols, all capable of unblocking popular streaming services. We tested it on Netflix and it worked really well, particularly with the US catalog, which is the most important. Unfortunately, the Japanese catalog couldn’t be unblocked for some reason.
In terms of other streaming services, Astrill is relatively dependable. US-based streaming platforms mainly worked, with a few exceptions here and there. As for geo-restricted TV channels, you won’t have any worries, as the service can unblock them effortlessly.
Coupled with decent speeds that we’ll show you soon, Astrill VPN is surprisingly good for streaming. On a grand scheme, however, NordVPN ends up being slightly better. For instance, it can unblock at least 10+ Netflix catalogs, some of which were surprising, even for us.
For example, catalogs from the Czech Republic and Greece worked well, not to mention popular libraries from the US and Japan. During our extensive test, NordVPN unblocked everything we threw at it without fail, using the NordLynx protocol or the Auto option.
Once again, the streaming quality was top-notch. This provider is even faster, so you can expect 4K footage to be smooth and buffer-free. No doubt, the most demanding users will be more than satisfied with what this provider offers.
Who Wins?
This NordVPN vs Astrill VPN streaming test was close. However, we think NordVPN WINS because it’s slightly better and showed more versatile unblocking capabilities. Astrill VPN will be enough for you but if you want that extra edge, its rival is even more suitable.
Astrill VPN vs NordVPN Speed Comparison
In the previous part of our Astrill VPN vs NordVPN comparison, we mentioned that both services are fast.
But how fast? Well, that’s the answer you’re going to get in a minute. For now, we need to go through our testing parameters and explain our entire testing process.
Let’s first show our native internet speed:
These are the speeds/latency we get when not using a VPN. At the time of writing this Astrill VPN vs NordVPN duel, we were in Eastern Europe, which is important to note because of the testing locations below. Our team used 4 of them – the UK, the US, Australia, and Japan.
In addition, both providers were tested 3 times a day, for 3 days in a row, to ensure we get the most accurate results. Another thing to mention is that we used the Auto option for protocol selection in NordVPN. For Astrill VPN, there’s no such option.
Thus, we used its fastest protocol, which, from our experience, is OpenWeb. Now, let’s check out our speed test results and see which provider is faster.
Astrill VPN
UK:
US:
Australia:
Japan:
NordVPN
UK:
US:
Australia:
Japan:
Who Wins?
While Astrill VPN isn’t slow by any stretch, judging by our test results and detailed evaluation, NordVPN is faster. It’s actually a lot faster on Australian and Japanese servers, where the difference is at least 20% and goes up to ~70% on the Japanese server.
It’s clear as day that NordVPN WINS this round against Astrill, as it offers faster upload/download speeds and much lower latency when using long-distance servers.
Torrenting: Are NordVPN and Astrill VPN P2P-Friendly?
So far, NordVPN won every round of the comparison by being slightly – or more than slightly ahead of Astrill VPN. However, when discussing torrenting with a VPN, we need to point out that both providers are exceptional and P2P-friendly.
Astrill VPN has no specialty servers in this regard and you can connect to any server to start downloading torrents. NordVPN’s server list has P2P servers optimized for torrenting. We noticed that, regardless of whether or not you’re using them, the provider is always ready for this activity.
Albeit, P2P servers ensure more stable connections and better speeds for torrenting, which is always welcome. Another relevant aspect of torrenting is security/privacy. In this regard, it’s more than clear that both services do an amazing job.
They offer full IP/DNS leak protection, coupled with no-logs policies and an automatic kill switch. This will help you avoid detection from your ISP or torrent sites that also track your download history. It’s great to mention that Astrill VPN has port forwarding.
As indicated by various experiences of users online, port forwarding will help you get faster speeds for downloading and seeding. Alas, this comes at the cost of your privacy, which many people worry about, and thus, not many of them use port forwarding.
Who Wins?
This round of our NordVPN vs Astrill VPN duel is a DRAW. Both providers will allow for safe and secure P2P with excellent speeds, especially on nearby servers. While Astrill VPN gives you port forwarding, NordVPN has special P2P servers, both of which are optimized for fast torrenting speeds.
Are NordVPN and Astrill VPN Working in China?
In 2024, the Great Firewall saw a massive update to the detriment of many VPNs that worked well up until that point. To be extremely honest, Astrill VPN seems to be the only truly reliable VPN for getting over censorship in China.
During our review, our testers used this provider in China without any issues, as it’s fully equipped with advanced protocols and security features. Its OpenWeb protocol is made specifically for getting over Chinese censorship, with obfuscation built-in.
This protocol is joined by StealthVPN, yet another solution for Chinese residents. Even better is that this VPN has plenty of servers in Hong Kong and Asia, allowing you to connect to them and enjoy great performance and connection stability.
Moreover, this provider offers a VIP add-on with even faster servers in Asia + MultIHop and this feature starts at $10 a month. Long story short, Astrill VPN is 100% optimized for China and it’s, at the moment, pretty much the only VPN that you can rely on in this country.
Now, we have NordVPN with obfuscated servers. These servers will make your VPN traffic look like ordinary traffic, which should easily bypass the Great Firewall. However, compared to Astrill VPN, we noticed this provider is a lot less reliable for some reason.
The provider used to work in China without any particular issues. But as things stand, NordVPN and many of its rivals now don’t have the same level of reliability. Keep this in mind when traveling to China, especially if you’re staying there for extended periods.
In this case, you should choose Astrill VPN despite the result so far.
Who Wins?
For the first time in this comparison, Astrill VPN WINS the round by being a significantly better solution for China at the moment. Thanks to its OpenWeb and StealthVPN protocols, it’ll have no problem working in China, Turkey, Russia, Iran, and other censored countries.
Astrill VPN vs NordVPN Server Fleets: Which One Is Bigger?
One of the main things about paid VPNs is their server fleet. In pretty much every case, we’re talking about thousands of servers in dozens of countries, but let’s see how these VPNs stack up against each other in terms of size.
Astrill VPN (3,000 servers in 57 countries)
Astrill VPN’s server fleet isn’t small. It packs 3,000 servers in 57 countries, offering a solid server distribution worldwide. The provider has servers in the USA and Asia mostly, but you’ll find a boatload of them in Europe and some of them in Africa.
Important to mention is that these are RAM-based servers, which means every bit of info is wiped after each restart. Also, Astrill VPN seems to have a low percentage of virtual servers, and almost all of them are physically located in the countries they represent.
Interestingly, the service has way more than 30 locations in the US, along with fast servers in Taiwan, Japan, Canada, the UAE, and many other countries. Here, you’ll also find the option to purchase a private IP or dedicated IP on a specific server.
This isn’t very expensive for a change and costs $5 per IP. As for the countries that are offered, you can expect the US, Taiwan, China, Serbia, Hungary, Argentina, and dozens of others. The aforementioned VIP add-on is sold according to the allowed bandwidth.
100 GB of VIP server traffic a month is $10, with the 1,000 GB option being $100 a month.
NordVPN (5,500 servers in 60 countries)
NordVPN has no fancy add-ons to steal your money. Instead, it has 5,500 servers in 60 countries, all offering staggering performance and speeds. The service has excellent server distribution and offers nearly 2,000 servers in the US for streaming or anything else.
In addition, NordVPN’s servers are also based on RAM and we’re talking about mostly physical servers. Besides, this isn’t our recommended VPN for India because it has no servers in the country. It pulled out its servers from India due to the country’s data-retention laws that started taking effect a few years ago.
This explains the provider is focused on having physical, rather than virtual servers in every country. NordVPN has servers in Asian countries and you’ll find plenty of them in Japan and Indonesia, for example. Even better is that it also offers dedicated IPs.
The dedicated IP here will cost you $4.19/mo at the time of writing, so it’s nearly a dollar cheaper than its rival. You also get fewer countries in comparison, albeit, it still offers Japan, France, the UK, the US, Hong Kong, Spain, and many other locations, all costing $4.19 each month.
Who Wins?
NordVPN WINS this round of our Astrill VPN vs NordVPN comparison for 2024. As you can see, this provider has 2,500 more servers with cheaper dedicated IPs and faster speeds. While Astrill VPN has this VIP add-on, it ends up being too expensive and not worth the money.
Customer Support: NordVPN or Astrill VPN?
Customer support is yet another factor we consider when reviewing VPNs. NordVPN is known for premium-grade support through live chat, with the option to contact the provider through email and by submitting a ticket.
In any case, NordVPN is quick to respond and you’ll get the much-needed help immediately. NordVPN has Help Center on the site, which we found very handy. It contains questions and answers to many questions, plus in-depth guides for a variety of scenarios.
Most of the time, you won’t need to contact the provider for help because you’ll find everything you need on the site. Not to mention the YouTube channel with thousands of subscribers where NordVPN is active and publishes videos relatively often.
Even this is the place you can get help given NordVPN’s activity in the comment section. Astrill VPN has 24/7 live chat support as well and we found it decent enough. It also responds almost immediately and the support team is more than eager to help you out.
Email support of Astrill VPN is a tad slower but chances are you won’t bother with it anyway. Much like its rival, it’ll offer setup guides and FAQs on the site, plus a Blog section with new articles published every day. Astrill VPN, however, doesn’t have a YouTube channel.
We don’t think it’s a big deal – it’s more of a fun fact actually, and therefore, it’s not a deal-breaker by any means.
Who Wins?
Either way, Astrill and NordVPN offer great customer support, making this round a DRAW. Thanks to their 24/7 live chat support, getting help will be a piece of cake, which is all that matters when your VPN isn’t working properly for whatever reason.
Astrill VPN vs NordVPN Pricing Comparison
The final round of our Astrill VPN vs NordVPN comparison is pricing. We have a lot to go through in this round, as Astrill VPN has a reputation for being the most expensive provider on the market. Actually, let’s check how much it costs in 2024:
The price of this VPN is ludicrous. The 1-month plan is $30, while the 2-year plan will cost you $300 every 2 years. Finally, the provider highlights the 1-year plan as if it’s the cheapest one, yet, it costs $15 a month and $180 every year.
These prices are absolutely insane if you include the VIP add-on and one private IP, let’s say. Getting a 2-year plan at $300 plus a 1,000 GB VIP add-on at $100 a month will skyrocket the price to $2,700 for 2 years. It does sound crazy, right?!
Let’s not forget that Astrill VPN offers no refunds and all purchases are final. Thus, if you end up buying a 2-year plan, let’s say, and you don’t like the VPN, you can’t get your money back. Yet, the provider doesn’t even offer a free trial of any sort.
This doesn’t allow you to test the VPN before using it, and since you can’t get a refund, this business model isn’t fair and doesn’t respect the customer. Moving on, NordVPN’s pricing structure is a lot more attractive – just look at how affordable it is.
This structure is for the 2-year variant, but NordVPN offers 1-year and monthly plans as well. The 2-year plans are the cheapest, especially if we talk about the Standard plan which costs THREE times less than Astrill VPN’s 2-year plan.
As you saw in this duel, NordVPN is way better than Astrill in many cases, despite its way lower price. Even the Complete plan is an excellent deal, as you’ll get NordPass and NordLocker, which would otherwise be way more expensive if bought separately.
In addition, NordVPN has a 30-day refund policy for all plans, even the monthly one, making it far more wallet-friendly. If you don’t like it, a refund is always an option as long as it’s requested in the first 30 days. Astrill VPN took a big L in this regard and we hope to see a refund policy in the future.
Who Wins?
Without a shadow of a doubt, NordVPN WINS this round of comparison. It’s simply a lot more affordable, with its cheapest plan costing 3 times less than the cheapest plan of Astrill VPN. With a non-conditional refund policy that Astrill VPN doesn’t have, it’s easy to see why we prefer NordVPN.
Conclusion: NordVPN Wins!
With all 9 tests out of the way, we think it’s time to do the math and see which provider won. The final score is 8:3 for NordVPN, which wins the duel by a big margin. Astrill VPN is a great VPN but most people won’t go for it because of its pricing.
It’s understandable actually. This provider isn’t marginally more expensive than NordVPN or any other service. It’s a lot more expensive and costs at least 2 times more than some of its rivals. Yes, it’s safe and secure, and you’ll like using it for streaming, torrenting, and getting over censorship in China.
Aside from the last factor in which Astrill VPN is clearly better, everything else is on NordVPN’s side. This provider offers a better user experience, it’s faster, better for streaming, and offers an audited no-logging policy. Furthermore, NordVPN has more servers and better device support.
All of this comes at a price that many people find affordable. Just compare the two providers in terms of pricing and you’ll see which one seems more sensible. Astrill VPN’s price isn’t justified enough, and for that price, we expect a provider that could trump every VPN.
Yet, in this duel, NordVPN won with a 5-point difference, while costing 3 times less. Don’t forget that our site can give you an exclusive discount on NordVPN to help you save even more money. Get it through our site and enjoy one of the best VPNs with more money in your pocket!
