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Wizcase was established in 2018 as an independent site reviewing VPN services and covering privacy-related stories. Today, our team of hundreds of cybersecurity researchers, writers, and editors continues to help readers fight for their online freedom in partnership with Kape Technologies PLC, which also owns the following products: ExpressVPN, CyberGhost and Private Internet Access which may be ranked and reviewed on this website. The reviews published on Wizcase are believed to be accurate as of the date of each article, and written according to our strict reviewing standards that prioritize the independent, professional and honest examination of the reviewer, taking into account the technical capabilities and qualities of the product together with its commercial value for users. The rankings and reviews we publish may also take into consideration the common ownership mentioned above, and affiliate commissions we earn for purchases through links on our website. We do not review all VPN providers and information is believed to be accurate as of the date of each article.

NordVPN vs Opera VPN 2024

We put these VPNs to the test to find out which is the best!

NordVPN and Opera VPN are not often mentioned together, but the two products have some interesting offers. NordVPN has been providing excellent privacy and security for years to many users around the world. Opera VPN isn't a typical VPN service — but it’s free and can even access Hulu and Netflix Sweden (only).

So how does Opera browser VPN compare to a VPN giant like NordVPN?

From our series of tests and analysis, NordVPN ultimately came out on top. More Info

How do these VPNs Compare?

Speed

NordVPN is far much faster than Opera VPN.

As you would expect, a free VPN can’t be relied on for good speeds. This was reflected when doing our tests for this NordVPN vs Opera VPN review. As you can see from the chart below, our speeds to a hit of 38% when connected to Opera VPN. The speed loss with NordVPN only averaged about 19%.

This can be attributed to the fact that the free nature of Opera VPN attracts a lot of users in a smaller server network.

VPN vendor NordVPN Opera VPN
Download speed reduction 10% (UK) 98% (UK)
Upload speed reduction 14% (FRA) 99% (FRA)
Ping time to google.com 2ms 54.88ms
Average time to connect (sec.) 9ms 12ms
Unblock successful for Netflix-logo Hulu-logo Kodi-logo Espn-logo Youtube-logo Bbc-logo Youtube-logo Netflix-logo Hulu-logo
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Why Most Speed Tests are Pointless & How We Correctly Test VPN Speeds

Speed determines how fast content uploads, so if you're torrenting or streaming, you want the speed to be somewhat identical to your regular internet speed. Since a VPN encrypts your data, it usually takes a bit longer to send your data back and forth, which can slow down your connection. However, if your ISP deliberately slows down your connection (also known as throttling) a VPN might increase your internet speed. Testing a VPN is somewhat pointless because new servers pop up and affect speed. Your speed can also differ according to your location, so your speed test might not match ours. Having said that, we tested the speed in numerous locations to provide you with the average.

Servers

NordVPN offers a global network of reliable and fast servers.

Opera VPN hasn’t invested in its server network as it’s a free service. It only has 3 server locations, which are vaguely labeled as The Americas, Europe, and Asia. You can’t specifically choose a country that you want to connect to — and the servers themselves can't guarantee access local content.

For example, the Opera VPN browser works with Hulu but not Netflix US. If you try connecting to Netflix from any continent, you'll be automatically redirected to Netflix Sweden — every single time.

On the other hand, NordVPN has 5,200+ servers in 59 countries, and this number is always growing. You can even select specific cities to connect to. Best of all, its servers can reliably access Netflix in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, and more.

In addition, there are special servers for tasks such as P2P, Anti-DDoS gaming, obfuscation, Onion over Tor, double VPN, and dedicated IP.

VPN vendor NordVPN Opera VPN
Server Locations 60 3000
Server Countries 60 30
IP Addresses 5,201+ 5
Dynamic Server Switching
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The Big Mistake When Comparing Number of Servers and What to Really Look For

The ratio of servers to countries is an important factor to look at when choosing a VPN. Only paying attention to location or number of servers can get you in trouble. More servers generally means faster speeds, but if VPN X has a few more servers than VPN Y but twice as many users, VPN X will typically have slower speeds. Ideally, you want a VPN that has a lot of servers in every location. This way you won’t have to worry that server/country that you want will be overburdened and running slow

Support

NordVPN’s support is heads and shoulders above Opera VPN.

Opera is a browser addon and since the company’s acquisition by Surf Easy, the standalone VPNs were discontinued. With them went the support too. After all, what is there to talk about now? All you can get are FAQs about Opera browser and they will only tell you how to start the VPN.

NordVPN is a sharp contrast to this. The VPN offers very comprehensive guides and support material, then tops it up with 24/7 live chat support. With this feature, you can always get assistance any time of the day.

VPN vendor NordVPN Opera VPN
Email Response Time 3 Still waiting
24/7 Support
Live Chat
Knowledge Base
Video Tutorials
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How We Test Customer Support and Why Should You Care

We personally test the customer support team of every VPN we review. This means asking technical question through the live chat feature (where applicable) and measuring the response time for email questions. Whether you need to connect to a specific server, change your security protocol, or configure a VPN on your router, finding a VPN with quality customer support should be important to you.

Ease of Use

NordVPN

It will only take you a few minutes to sign up, download and install NordVPN on your computer or smartphone. Once you access your account, you will be presented with a user-friendly map that enables you to effortlessly connect to a specific country by simply clicking on a server labeled with the corresponding country’s name.

There are also many options under settings that you can use to customize your VPN connection. You can determine how your VPN behaves and even activate any features that you want to use. Connection only takes a few seconds, and you won’t have any trouble while using NordVPN.

Opera VPN

Opera VPN is inbuilt in the Opera browser, and so all you need to do is install the browser. After that, you can navigate to settings. Under ‘Advanced,’ click on ‘Privacy and security.’ You can now scroll down and you’ll find the ‘Activate VPN option.’

Once turned on, Opera VPN connects to your optimal location and displays a VPN icon on the browser bar. You can click on this icon to choose a connection region. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much all you can do with the VPN.

However, it’s very important to note that Opera VPN is not so much a VPN, but rather a proxy service. All it will do is give you a new IP address.

Pricing

THE WINNER IS

Visit NordVPN Website!

Which VPN Will You Choose?

Choosing between NordVPN is a no brainer unless you just want to change your IP address for free. Nevertheless, Opera won’t still be a good option since the VPN is operated from Canada and keeps logs. For an all-around service, we advocate that you go for NordVPN.

Their 3-year deal lets you use the VPN at just $2.99 a month! More Info
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We rank vendors based on rigorous testing and research, but also take into account your feedback and our commercial agreements with providers. This page contains affiliate links.