Google One VPN or NordVPN? Which one to get in 2024? This seems like a strenuous question for those split between the two. Google is a tech giant specializing in cloud storage, cybersecurity, and more. NordVPN is a VPN- a revered one – that much we know.
However, Google recently launched its One VPN, aiming to provide another segment of online privacy. That sounds contradictory to Google’s ubiquitous accusations of spying and data collection. On the opposite side, we have NordVPN whose privacy is impeccable.
A provider capable of streaming, torrenting, and providing exceptional security. Today, we’re working for our curious readers. Those interested in an in-depth NordVPN vs Google One VPN comparison to see which provider they should buy.
You’re in for nine comprehensive tests that will encapsulate the essence of both VPNs. We’ll see how fast, secure, and reliable they are. Ultimately, we’ll also check their prices and see which is more valuable. Now, let us move on with this head-to-head comparison.
Google One VPN vs NordVPN: Our Quick Verdict
In short, the winner of today’s duel is NordVPN. The provider won with a score of 9:0, making it better in every possible scenario. Below, we listed some of their most notable advantages to help you discover some of their qualities more easily.
Use NordVPN for:
- Amazing streaming performance
- Double VPN servers
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Impenetrable AES-256 encryption
- Applications for all devices/systems
- Bypassing censorship in China
- Servers in 110+ countries
- Affordable 2-year deals
Use Google One VPN for:
- Six simultaneous connections
- Easy-to-use apps
- Split tunneling & kill switch
Google One VPN vs NordVPN: Apps & Ease of Use
Whether you pick NordVPN or Google One VPN, you’ll be able to enjoy applications across all major platforms. What do we mean by that? To clarify, these providers offer native clients for the following operating systems:
- Windows
- macOS
- Android
- iOS
Google One VPN’s recent desktop app inclusions are more than welcome. Remember our Google One VPN test? There, we stated that the provider works only on iOS and Android. In 2024, things have changed for the better for this service.
However, NordVPN has an edge. A few of them. This provider works on Linux, Firestick TV, Android TV, Apple TV, routers, gaming consoles, and many other platforms. Not to mention the inclusion of Smart DNS, which allows you to stream on any device.
In terms of simultaneous connections, NordVPN allows for 10 whereas Google One only offers 6 concurrent connections. ExpressVPN allows for 8 of them for comparison, while Surfshark comes with unlimited connections. NordVPN is one of the most generous providers.
Google One VPN
Okay, so let’s discuss ease of use. It’s brilliant in both cases but for different reasons. Google One VPN is incredibly intuitive and its apps look astounding. We know this company is excellent at making great apps. However, the app lacks many features.
We like its graphics-heavy interface that looks modern. The connection button is right there, so press it and you’re done. The mobile app looks and feels the same. Again, use the connection button to connect to the location.
Remember that the service doesn’t allow you to choose your online location, which can be infuriating. This means you’ll be connected to the nearest location to ensure you get the best performance and speed. Sadly, Google One VPN is as bare as it can get.
On one hand, the app is foolproof because only the blind wouldn’t be able to use it. But on the other hand, it’s like that because it lacks features. It’s easy to craft a simple app when you don’t have anything in it. With more features and options, things become more difficult.
NordVPN
That’s where NordVPN comes into play. You see, this VPN is feature-rich and offers an excellent interface across all platforms. Better yet, its apps retain the much-loved simplicity no matter the device, so the learning curve is minimal – if at all existent.
On the left is a server list, which you can open, click on the location, and connect to a VPN server there. NordVPN’s inclusion of dedicated servers on the server list is welcome. You’ll find Double VPN servers for doubling your encryption, P2P servers, and so on.
In Settings, you’ll easily detect a kill switch, split tunneling, and protocol-selection options. We love how NordVPN has this awesome world map, which you can pinch and zoom to manually select the location. It makes the app unique and fun to use.
In this NordVPN vs Google One VPN duel, the first provider excels in visuals. The app is gorgeous, especially when using Meshnet or Threat Protection, where each option is displayed vividly. NordVPN’s aesthetics continue with iOS and Android apps.
Interestingly, its mobile apps use the same principle. A single touch on the server location is enough to connect in 2-3 seconds. Mobile users get access to the same features, even including Threat Protection for defense against viruses, trackers, and malware.
Who Wins?
The first NordVPN vs Google One VPN round is clear enough. NordVPN WINS because of more capable apps that you’ll find on all popular and less popular systems. Besides, Google’s offering doesn’t allow you to change the country, which will be a problem for many.
NordVPN’s native Linux app as well as full router support are not to be discredited either. All in all, you’ll be far happier with this service if the user experience is high on your priority list.
Security & Privacy: Which One Is Safer to Use?
Safety and security are important factors of a VPN service. If it’s unsafe, it can’t be called a VPN because the point is to allow you to stay anonymous online. How does Google One VPN stack against NordVPN in this regard? Read on to find out.
Security Features
We’ll first analyze their similarities. First, Google One VPN and NordVPN use AES-256 encryption to safeguard your privacy. This is the highest encryption level, impenetrable, and unhackable even by the most skilled hackers.
Moving on, both services offer split tunneling and a kill switch. The first one lets you exclude certain domains from taking advantage of a VPN. The latter, however, prevents IP leaks from the connection loss, preserving your online privacy amidst VPN-related problems.
What Are the Differences?
That’s all when it comes to similarities. We should address their numerous differences, one of which is the protocol. NordVPN relies heavily on its NordLynx protocol. Based on WireGuard, the protocol is blazing-fast, with impeccable security for the best experience.
Google One VPN uses a proprietary protocol. We don’t know its name, and although we’ve heard rumors about its AES-256 encryption, we’re not sure if it’s there too. The company is secretive about the protocol and we don’t know how it works – strange.
Transparency isn’t Google’s forte, which goes to show just how non-user-friendly the VPN feels. Unfortunately, that’s everything we have on Google’s side. NordVPN’s list of features continues with Threat Protection and Meshnet – a unique feature for remote access.
Threat Protection keeps viruses, malware, and trackers at bay, allowing for 360-degree protection against threats. In NordVPN, you’ll also find Double VPN servers, which route your traffic through two server locations, applying two layers of encryption in the process.
Furthermore, the provider includes Private DNS servers, helping with DNS leak prevention. Unlike Google, the provider bases its servers on RAM, which means every bit of information is wiped with each server restart. As a result, the privacy level is increased.
NordVPN includes OpenVPN as the secondary protocol, with the option to use obfuscated servers and Onion Over VPN servers to go on the darknet safely. More importantly, the service uses PFS or Perfect Forward Secrecy, which is another state-of-the-art measure.
It assigns unique encryption keys to each connection, preventing the encryption keys from being compromised. Finally, NordVPN comes with the Dark Web Monitor, which will protect you from unwanted email breaches that happen to millions around the world.
Is There a No-Logs Policy?
Logging is the most unattractive quality (or is it a quality?!) of a VPN. We want minimal logging – if at all – and that’s what we’ll accept in this NordVPN vs Google One VPN duel. Let’s see which provider is more privacy-friendly for you.
Google One VPN
We’ll start with this one. It’s an American company, which means it belongs to the 5 Eyes Alliance and that’s bad news. 5 Eyes countries are notorious for privacy-infringing laws, most of which mean collecting and keeping user information.
When reading Google’s privacy policy, it seems benign. The provider keeps no logs of your DNS address, online history, IP address, used bandwidth, and timestamps. So far, it looks pretty promising and in line with some of the top VPNs for privacy.
Google One VPN stores some typical information like the number of attempts to connect to a server, aggregate data, and so on. These bits of data usually can’t be connected to the user, so, Google One VPN looks like it’s secure enough.
One thing to note is that the VPN comes in the Google One package that includes cloud storage and other Google apps. To use this package, you need a Gmail account and Gmail is among the worst emailing services privacy-wise.
We know Google likes to keep a close watch on users’ inboxes and read their emails. Every file sent through email is virus-scanned, implying the company can access your files. While the VPN is safe and secure, the things required to use it tell us another story.
As a standalone product, it would barely pass our privacy test. In this case, it doesn’t, despite the third-party audit from NCC Group, which still reported a few privacy issues, one of which is the possibility of Google violating its promising claims.
NordVPN
NordVPN tells us another tale – from tragic to happy-ending fable. The provider keeps no logs of your online whereabouts, which is proven by its RAM servers and a verified no-logs policy. Unlike Google One VPN, the company has much more credible auditors.
Do names like Deloitte and PwC sound familiar? They audited NordVPN’s privacy policy several times. They also concluded that no logs are stored on its servers, which goes to show how safe the VPN is. What about its jurisdiction, is it the USA?
No, it’s Panama – a country known for stern privacy laws. NordVPN stores minor information, such as technical data needed for solving problems. Best of all, its privacy policy is simple to grasp, allowing you to fully comprehend its logging practices – or lack thereof.
We won’t delve too much into this section of the NordVPN vs Google One VPN duel because there’s no need.
Who Wins?
The situation is indeed clear. NordVPN WINS this round by beating its opponent in security and privacy tests. It’s not only more feature-packed but also based in a more suitable jurisdiction, with more than a handful of third-party audits to prove its quality.
NordVPN vs Google One VPN Streaming Test
Streaming is one of many reasons people decide on a VPN. If you’re opting for Google One VPN, you’ll be surprised at how BAD it is. As it doesn’t let you select a location, unblocking streaming services will be impossible. Let’s say you want to access Hotstar.
How will you do it when you can’t choose an Indian server? Google One VPN connects you to a RANDOM server nearby. This server turned out to be the US for a few of our testers, and when they tried to access Netflix US, HBO, and Paramount+, they were unsuccessful.
We also tested a few TV channels from the given countries and they worked. Alas, the speeds were so slow that our streaming experience was atrocious. NordVPN irons out this issue by offering servers in 110+ countries, all optimized for streaming.
Our team tested Netflix and unblocked 20 or so libraries promptly. Platforms like BBC iPlayer, Peacock TV, and others will work without issues. Just set the protocol to Automatic and you’re set. NordVPN’s SmartDNS is an essential addition.
In our tests, it unblocked US streaming services like Prime Video and Paramount Plus. Also, we love its fast speed, which allows for 4K streaming without excess buffering. This applies to very distant servers, which preserved stellar performance for this cause.
Who Wins?
Again, NordVPN WINS this test by being a better provider for streaming. Google One VPN had no chance here given its inability to assign a custom location. With its random location assignment, it’s impossible to be reliable for streaming on a variety of services.
Google One VPN vs NordVPN Speed Comparison
We briefly touched on their speeds but let us elaborate in this section. Testing Google One VPN was brief due to the aforementioned problem. We connected to it, took a screenshot of a speed test, and finished everything up. However, we still adhered to our procedure.
Above is the screenshot of our native internet speed without a VPN (we were in Southeastern Europe). With this result in place, we went ahead and tested both VPNs for 3 days in a row. Google One VPN assigned us as random IPs, so we took its best result – the one you see below.
NordVPN was tested harshly for 3 days in a row but 3 times a day, across 4 locations. These locations included the UK, the US, Australia, and Japan. With this in mind, here are the speed test results that tell us which provider is faster.
Google One VPN
Random Server (best result):
NordVPN
UK:
US:
Australia:
Japan:
Who Wins?
Our speed tests tell us one thing – NordVPN WINS yet again. As you can see, Google One VPN’s best result isn’t enough to beat its rival. Its download speed is catastrophically low at only about 20 Mbps. That’s a fraction of our native speed.
NordVPN’s consistency is here, and no matter the server, our speeds remained fairly fast. The Japanese server while testing NordVPN showed an inferior upload speed to Google One VPN. However, the latter likely used a server close to us rather than the Japanese one.
Torrenting: NordVPN vs Google One VPN
Google One VPN is a P2P-friendly service, and on Android, macOS, and Windows, it’ll work fine. iOS users won’t be able to download torrents either way, so this characteristic is irrelevant. The problem is that we don’t recommend Google One VPN for P2P.
While it doesn’t store any logs, Google’s privacy isn’t the most revered. Additionally, this VPN’s performance is subpar, so you’ll frequently experience speed drops. This especially applies to upload speeds that sometimes tend to be 0 Mbps for some reason.
NordVPN’s P2P ability is impeccable. It’s not a P2P VPN like Hola, which works thanks to P2P file sharing. This is a secure VPN with torrenting servers that you can use anywhere. Best of all, they’re optimized for torrenting, with an accent on performance and stability.
Connecting to one of the P2P servers allows you to visit any torrent site and start downloading. NordVPN’s no-logging policy is encouraging and with your privacy fully protected, you can expect your P2P downloads to remain anonymous.
One thing we’ll mention is that NordVPN’s “normal” servers also work. But if you want additional torrenting optimization and marginally better performance, using P2P servers is always smart.
Who Wins?
Both providers are P2P-capable but NordVPN WINS this round. It’s faster, offers torrenting servers, and has better privacy practices that make it not only more reliable but safer for torrenting overall.
Are NordVPN and Google One VPN Working in China?
Right off the bat, we’ll inform you that Google One VPN isn’t working in China. The reason is that it’s not available in the country and here, we come to one of its biggest flaws. At the time of writing this Google One VPN vs NordVPN duel, it works in 22 countries.
China isn’t on the list, and considering there are around 200 countries in the world, you can see the issue. The provider won’t be available for the majority of people. For example, it’s not working in Russia, India, Bulgaria, Croatia, and other countries.
So, even if it had obfuscation – although it doesn’t – Google One VPN certainly wouldn’t work in any censored countries. On the flip side, there are NordVPN and the aforementioned obfuscated servers. They’re perfect for China but also for Turkey and Iran.
Once you connect to one of the obfuscated servers, NordVPN will switch to OpenVPN TCP and apply obfuscation to your connection. This will mask your VPN connection and make it look like a normal connection instead. As such, it lets you get over the Great Firewall.
Our testers did this many times and NordVPN rarely disappointed them. Even in China, its performance is excellent, and streaming, torrenting, and gaming are smooth. Note that NordVPN works in China with obfuscation only.
When we tried switching to normal servers, the provider refused to connect. Thankfully, you have plenty of obfuscated servers in different countries. Select the one close to China for better performance or any other if you want to unblock specific sites.
Who Wins?
Either way, this round was as easy as it gets. NordVPN WINS by offering much-needed obfuscation to get over the Great Firewall of China effortlessly. Rest assured it works in Turkey, Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, and other heavily censored regions.
NordVPN vs Google One VPN Server Fleets
We’ll also compare NordVPN and Google One VPN according to their server fleets. It’s crucial to see which one has more servers and countries, with a better server variety to complement everything.
NordVPN (6,000+ servers in 110+ countries)
With NordVPN, you can’t go wrong. It packs a whopping 6,300+ servers in 110+ countries, all optimized for every online activity. This provider has 10 Gbps servers, they’re based on RAM, and offer amazing speeds no matter your location.
As said in this comparison, the provider’s server variety is impeccable. Types of servers like P2P, Obfuscated, Double VPN, and Onion Over VPN are here. Furthermore, the VPN even lets you obtain dedicated IPs from different countries for additional money.
This will let you get over CAPTCHA puzzles and prevent IP blacklisting. Another perk is server distribution. While it lacks servers in India, it has many in the UAE, Europe, the USA, Canada, and other countries and continents.
It’s easy to find the desired location as well. On its site, you can find a perfect server for your activity, for instance. Choose the activity you want from the Servers page, select your country, and NordVPN will advise you on which server to use to enjoy it fully.
City-level servers are there too, making NordVPN even more superior. Users can choose from cities like Chicago, New York, Sidney, Toronto, Berlin, and at least hundreds more. Overall, the server fleet of this VPN is one of the best in 2024.
Google One VPN (unknown number of servers in 22+ countries)
Let us get back to disappointment again. Google’s lack of transparency is irritating. So much so that we don’t even know its server count! We know it has servers in 22+ countries and we suspect these servers are in the countries where Google One VPN works.
For example, if you’re in Belgium, the provider will almost certainly connect you to a Belgian server. Despite that, the provider showed poor performance in our tests, which implies that perhaps, it doesn’t use 10 Gbps but 1 Gbps servers instead.
With 22 countries on offer, the VPN can have 100 but also 1,000 servers – we don’t know. Either way, if we compare only countries, the VPN will still lose. Also, we have no information about whether the servers are hosted on HDDs or RAM.
This would influence our opinion somewhat. However, we can again anticipate and go with HDDs. Because Google One VPN doesn’t care about your privacy that much and HDD servers are cheaper to host, we wouldn’t be surprised if Google went down this route.
Who Wins?
Do we need to discuss anything else in this section? It’s clear even to the bats that NordVPN WINS yet another round of this Google One VPN vs NordVPN duel. With more servers in more countries, NordVPN paved its way to yet another majestic victory.
Customer Support: NordVPN or Google One VPN?
NordVPN’s amazing customer support is one of its key ingredients – one of many we praised in our NordVPN review. It has 24/7 live chat support complemented by email support that will respond to you fairly quickly. Other support methods are there.
On NordVPN’s site, you’ll find plenty of FAQs, guides, and other helpful articles. The provider is active on social media, so YouTube videos and other posts aren’t alien. NordVPN is helpful and always there for you, so if issues appear, they’ll promptly vanish after you get in touch.
With Google One VPN, things are a bit different. This VPN’s support isn’t as responsive considering Google’s scope as a company. It has millions of users and offers different products, making live chat support very hard to maintain, so it’s not there.
Google One VPN relies on the ticketing system, which is a euphemism for email support. It also offers a community, where you can get help from other Google One VPN users. Email support is on the slower side, taking up to 48 hours to respond.
Helpfulness of the support team is questionable as well. Exchanging messages is slow and takes time, so if the problem appears on Monday, expect to have it fixed by Wednesday or even Friday at times. Generally, the experience is inferior to NordVPN.
Who Wins?
That’s why, for the eighth time, NordVPN WINS the duel. Its 24/7 live chat service is the best on the market (along with ExpressVPN) and superior to Google One VPN’s ticketing system which doesn’t always pan out great for the end-user.
NordVPN vs Google One VPN Pricing Comparison
Although the winner of today’s battle is certain, we have one more comparison to blitz through. It’ll be interesting to see which VPN is cheaper having in mind everything we said in our NordVPN vs Google One VPN comparison.
NordVPN
NordVPN is going to be the first this time. This VPN is known for its affordable prices when discussing its long-term plans. The 2-year deal is the best option, with the Standard plan at well under $3.5 a month with 3 free months at the time of writing.
This plan includes all of the aforementioned features, allowing for full enjoyment. The Plus plan includes NordPass – it’s a password manager from Nord Security. And if you select the Ultimate, sometimes called a Complete plan, you’ll get 1 TB of NordLocker as well.
The Ultimate plan is a lot more expensive, however, and we think its annual deal will work better. As you can see, its annual price is marginally higher and you have to commit to 12 instead of 24 months. Other plans are still affordable in our book.
The Standard plan is under $4.5 a month compared to ExpressVPN’s equivalent at $6.7 or so. The Plus plan is priced moderately but none of them have free months in this case. Our least favorite deals are monthly plans. They’re the most expensive out of all.
Their prices are constant and have no discounts. As you can see, the price is between $13 and $15, so we recommend these only if you need a VPN for a month or two. For longer periods, we advise 2-year plans whose discounts can be obtained below.
There’s a 30-day refund policy for all plans, so if you’re dissatisfied, you can obtain a refund at any time during this period.
Google One VPN
Google One VPN isn’t a standalone VPN. It’s a part of the Google One subscription, which revolves around cloud storage. This means you have to subscribe to Google Drive and not only that – you have to go for the Premium 2 TB plan to get the VPN!
Its price is on the expensive side and you might not need cloud storage. Perhaps, you’re using pCloud and just want a VPN to safeguard your privacy. Well… sorry – you have to get Google Drive for $99.99 a year, which is well above NordVPN’s price.
The plan includes 2 TB of storage, Google Workspace Premium, and so on. Nothing of value for a user that wants only the VPN. But that’s not all! Google has NO refund policy, meaning that all payments are final. Think twice or thrice before buying it.
You can lose $100 right there, and for this money, you could’ve enjoyed NordVPN’s 2-year Standard plan. As a standalone VPN, it shouldn’t cost a dime but Google found a way to shoehorn it into the Premium 2 TB plan and charge you for it this way – what a joke.
Who Wins?
In the last category of our NordVPN vs Google One VPN duel, NordVPN WINS by being a cheaper and more valuable VPN. With a 30-day refund policy, it’s more welcoming than Google whose refund policy is non-existent.
Conclusion: NordVPN Wins Against Google One VPN!
The end of this comparison marks a stellar win for NordVPN. A flawless victory with a score of 9:0. Google One VPN’s attempt to enter the VPN marketplace wasn’t very successful. It’s a long way from being able to compete with the likes of NordVPN or even ExpressVPN.
Even some of the worst providers like Hola VPN and Urban VPN are at least a step ahead of Google One VPN. They at least allow you to select your online location and unblock some of the streaming sites. This VPN, however, is an empty husk with nothing inside.
NordVPN is a superior choice overall, especially given its affordable price. There’s virtually no reason or logic behind getting Google One VPN. If you love Google Drive and need a 2 TB plan, this service will be included. But then, it’s just a byproduct.
Don’t get Google Drive just for the VPN – it’s unworthy. Our recommended choice is to get NordVPN’s Complete plan instead and at least enjoy 1 TB of NordLocker, encrypted cloud storage with far better security than Google Drive.
If you’re interested, you can read our NordLocker review here. Now that we’ve explained everything, you know what to do. Snag a special deal on NordVPN, grab the discount, and bathe in privacy, security, streaming, and everything else that the VPN proudly offers.
