Atlas VPN vs. NordVPN

This is tricky. As you can see in the note above, Atlas VPN is no more. It was absorbed by NordVPN, following Atlas VPN’s decision that its services had become unsustainable amid the rising technological cost of keeping VPN services up. But Atlas didn’t just abruptly disappear. Existing Atlas customers were given a complimentary NordVPN subscription equal to their remaining plan term with Atlas.

If you were one of those users, you’re probably wondering if you should continue using NordVPN once that complimentary subscription expires. You’re likely most used to Atlas VPN, so why don’t we compare Atlas VPN and NordVPN to give you more insight?

Some Key Similarities

The most important similarities NordVPN and Atlas share relate to security and privacy. We shared in our NordVPN review that NordVPN is one of the most secure VPNs on the market. But Atlas wasn’t far behind. It had many of the same security features.

• Encryption: As of now, NordVPN uses either 256-bit AES or ChaCha20 encryption for its connections. Atlas VPN didn’t offer 256-bit AES, which experts believe would take billions of years to crack using a brute-force attack. However, it also used to encrypt its connections with ChaCha20, which is almost as secure as 256-bit AES, but faster.
• Privacy policy: Of course, all the encryption in the world doesn’t matter if your VPN stores your personal data and is willing to turn that data over to anyone who might ask for it. NordVPN remains one of the best VPNs with a “no-logs” privacy policy, just like Atlas was before it closed down. “No-logs” means the VPN doesn’t collect information that can be used to track your online activities, such as IP addresses, timestamps, or browsing histories.
• Multi-hop: Multi-hopping or daisy-chaining VPNs is a relatively new technology. When you engage multi-hop, your VPN routes your internet traffic through at least two separate servers, giving you double the encryption. NordVPN offers this feature, just like Atlas VPN did.
• Kill switch: Finally, a kill switch shuts down your internet activity any time you lose your VPN connection. As a result, no one can see what you’re up to online, even accidentally.

As you can read in our Atlas VPN analysis, Atlas shares a number of other features with NordVPN beyond security.

• Split tunneling: Atlas VPN offered split tunneling until its final days, and it continues to be a popular feature for NordVPN. It lets you route some of your traffic through your normal internet connection and the rest via the VPN. Why would you do this? Maybe you need access to your work applications while scrolling through UK Netflix choosing something to watch that night. Split tunneling makes this happen.
• Torrenting: Torrenting is a great way to transfer large files or download open-source software. Despite being completely legal, ISPs aren’t big fans. So, most people turn to VPNs like NordVPN and, previously, Atlas VPN, which are configured for P2P sharing.

>> Read More: The Best VPN for Torrenting in 2024

Some Key Differences

Don’t get us wrong, Atlas VPN was not a carbon copy of NordVPN, and vice versa. There were plenty of differences that separated them. These were the most important:

• Protocols: Atlas VPN offered WireGuard, a protocol that has been around since 2015 and has developed a reputation for being fast and secure. NordVPN still offers a version of WireGuard, which they call NordLynx. But it also gives you a choice of using IKEv2/IPSec, another reliable protocol created in 2005, or the gold standard in protocols, OpenVPN. OpenVPN isn’t as fast as WireGuard, but it’s been around since 2001 and has been subjected to more testing. We usually stick with WireGuard, but we like having options.
• Servers: The more servers a VPN maintains, the more likely you are to find one with low traffic. The more locations those servers are in, the more likely you are to find one near where you are. Both factors influence VPN speed. Atlas VPN had over 1,000 servers in around 50 different countries. That’s pretty good. NordVPN has over 6,500 servers in more than 100 different countries. That’s better.
• Obfuscation: NordVPN offers what it calls obfuscated servers. These servers not only conceal your IP address, but they also conceal the fact that you’re using a VPN at all. Here’s why that matters: we’ve lost count of the number of times a streaming service has stopped a movie at the best part because it knows we’re using a VPN. Obfuscated servers prevent that. NordVPN’s obfuscated servers mean we can enjoy other countries’ catalogs for all the best streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Plus. That explains why it’s at the top of our list of best VPNs for streaming. We used to be able to use streaming services through Atlas. But those connections were spotty because Atlas didn’t have obfuscated servers.
• MultiHop Plus: We mentioned earlier that NordVPN offers multihop. So did Atlas VPN. But Atlas offered something called MultiHop Plus. It optimized your hopping, so you would always get the fastest speeds and the lowest latency. It even randomly rotated your servers, making it even harder for hackers to follow your movements.
• Rotating IP addresses: Atlas previously employed rotating IP addresses. They believed if your IP address changed at regular intervals, no one could associate your address with any particular online activity.
• Unlimited simultaneous connections: Another thing we used to love about Atlas was that it offered an unlimited number of simultaneous connections. That means we could install the software on as many devices as we wanted and use the VPN on all of them at the same time. NordVPN limits users to ten simultaneous connections.
• Security features: NordVPN protects more than your internet connection. With the exception of the Basic plan, every package comes with anti-malware protection, a data breach scanner, and a cross-platform password manager. NordVPN’s Prime plan adds NordProtect, which is its identity theft protection service. It includes $1M in identity theft recovery coverage, $100K of cyber extortion protection, and one bureau credit monitoring.

Pricing

Now that we’ve gone through the key features, let’s find out how much Atlas VPN charged for its service and see how it stacks up to NordVPN’s rates today.

Right away, we should point out that Atlas VPN offered a free version. In fact, Atlas VPN began life as freemium software, and that free version was pretty good. It provided access to three servers with no speed limits, and data was capped at a very generous 5 GB per day. Plus, they never showed any ads, and Atlas never collected information related to online activities. In contrast, NordVPN doesn’t offer a free version to this day, but it does offer generous deals to get free months of access.

>> Read More: Best Free VPNs in 2024

Here’s the thing, though: a data limit is a data limit — even a 5 GB data limit. So, how did Atlas VPN’s paid service compare price-wise with NordVPN’s?

Price-Per-Month Comparison

As it turns out, Atlas stacks up pretty well against NordVPN. Atlas doesn’t offer a two-year subscription, but other than that, Atlas actually bests NordVPN in every price category. And that $1.83 per month price you get when you sign up for three years of Atlas is about as good a price as you’ll find anywhere.

As it turns out, Atlas stacked up pretty well against NordVPN’s current prices. Atlas didn’t offer a two-year subscription, and that $1.83 per month price you got if you signed up for three years was about as good a price as you’ll find anywhere.

That said, if you signed up for a month-to-month or yearly subscription with Atlas, you won’t find a huge difference in NordVPN’s prices for a subscription of the same length. So once the complementary NordVPN subscription you received from Atlas when it closed down ends, you can expect to pay the same prices as before – more or less.

Recap

This is where we would normally tell you which VPN we prefer. But considering Atlas VPN is no more, NordVPN wins by default. However, if Atlas VPN were still available, NordVPN would still be victorious. The option to choose our encryption protocol and the addition of obfuscated servers so we can enjoy streaming services in peace gives it an edge. But having access to an extra 5500+ servers compared to Atlas VPN puts it over the top.

So, if your complimentary NordVPN subscription is about to run out, we recommend reviewing NordVPN’s plans and choosing how long your next subscription will last.