The main menu is cluttered with all of NordVPN’s extra features, which can be intimidating for inexperienced users. It requires an average of 180MB of RAM – this can slow down your Windows if you’re using the VPN in tandem with memory-intensive tasks. NordVPN’s advanced software comes at a cost, though. This level of configurability isn’t available on any other platform. NordVPN has one of the best VPN kill switches we’ve tested, letting you choose between a system level and application level kill switch. Similarly, split tunneling and NordVPN’s full Threat Protection feature are reserved for Windows only. With other platforms you’re limited to using these features with the much slower OpenVPN protocol, restricting your flexibility and connection speeds. Windows is the only platform that lets you use NordVPN’s dedicated IP, obfuscated servers, and Onion over VPN with the NordLynx protocol. NordVPN’s most fully-featured app is on Windows.

For only the occasional bit of torrenting, though, Free is still a great choice that guarantees your online anonymity. We recorded an average bitrate of 4.5MiB/s – a poor result compared to the 10MiB/s we recorded with no VPN running.Ĭoupled with its 10GB monthly data allowance, we can’t recommend Free for regularly torrenting large files.

We were, however, disappointed by Free’s slow torrenting speeds. We recommend designating your preferred torrenting client to add a further layer of security. Free also comes with its proprietary stealth guard feature, letting you block specific apps from working unless you’re connected to a VPN. The free Windows app features a reliable VPN kill switch, an absolute must for torrenters. This ensures your torrenting activity remains private even in the event of handing over its servers. The service only logs minimal connection data which is then deleted after a few hours.

Unlike most free VPN services, P2P activity is permitted on all of Hide.Me Free’s servers.

Protonvpn free pc