Which is cheaper, FastestVPN or NordVPN?

FastestVPN, at $0.83/mo against $3.39/mo. Both rates require committing to the provider’s longest term; the monthly rates are considerably higher.

Which one has been audited more recently?

NordVPN, most recently in 2025 against FastestVPN’s 2023.

Does jurisdiction differ between them?

Yes. FastestVPN operates from Cayman Islands and NordVPN from Panama. Both sit in the same position relative to the Fourteen Eyes agreement.

Head to head · Updated August 13, 2026

FastestVPN vs NordVPN

Is FastestVPN or NordVPN better?

NordVPN scores higher, 84.0 against 55.0 out of 100, a gap of 29 points. It wins 5 of the seven criteria to FastestVPN's 1. The most complete all-round package here, provided you accept closed-source clients and a renewal price above the introductory rate.

Both are scored on the same seven criteria from the same sourced dataset, so this page and the main ranking can never disagree. The margin is worth reading past: FastestVPN still wins 1 of the seven outright.

FastestVPN

55.0

Priced below everything else here and documented below everything else here. Those two facts are related.

From: $0.83/mo
Based in: Cayman Islands
Devices: 10
Audits: 1

Visit FastestVPN

We earn a commission if you subscribe through this link. It does not change FastestVPN’s score.

NordVPN

84.0

The most complete all-round package here, provided you accept closed-source clients and a renewal price above the introductory rate.

From: $3.39/mo
Based in: Panama
Devices: 10
Audits: 6

Visit NordVPN

We earn a commission if you subscribe through this link. It does not change NordVPN’s score.

Criterion by criterion

FastestVPN wins 1, NordVPN wins 5, 1 tied. Each row shows the raw score out of ten and the weighted contribution to the total.

Weighted criterion scores, FastestVPN against NordVPN
Criterion	Weight	FastestVPN	NordVPN	Winner
Independent audit	20	3/10 (6.0)	9/10 (18.0)	NordVPN
Jurisdiction and ownership	15	7/10 (10.5)	9/10 (13.5)	NordVPN
Protocol and crypto stack	15	8/10 (12.0)	8/10 (12.0)	Tied
Leak protection	15	5/10 (7.5)	9/10 (13.5)	NordVPN
Transparency	15	2/10 (3.0)	6/10 (9.0)	NordVPN
Price and refund terms	10	9/10 (9.0)	8/10 (8.0)	FastestVPN
Platform coverage	10	7/10 (7.0)	10/10 (10.0)	NordVPN
Total	100	55.0	84.0	NordVPN

Where each one actually wins

FastestVPN is ahead on

Price and refund terms. $0.83/month on a two-year term is the lowest rate here, with a 31-day refund window matching the longest.

NordVPN is ahead on

Independent audit. Six no-logs assurance engagements since 2018, the most recent by Deloitte in December 2025 under ISAE 3000 (Revised), plus a Cure53 audit of the applications.
Jurisdiction and ownership. Incorporated in Panama, outside the Fourteen Eyes agreement, with disclosed parent ownership under Nord Security.
Leak protection. Kill switch on all desktop and mobile apps, with DNS resolved inside the tunnel and a RAM-only server fleet.
Transparency. The Linux client and core libraries are open source but the Windows, macOS, iOS and Android apps are not, and signup requires an email; offset by a published transparency report and warrant canary.
Platform coverage. Native apps across desktop, mobile, Apple TV, Android TV and routers, with 10 simultaneous connections.

Choose FastestVPN if

Readers whose main constraint is price and who accept thinner evidence in exchange.

Choose NordVPN if

Households covering a mix of phones, laptops and TV devices on one subscription.

Reasons to pick neither

Skip FastestVPN if: You want evidence that stays current. A single audit from January 2023 said something true about January 2023; Proton VPN has been re-audited every year since, NordVPN twice more and PureVPN once, and that difference is most of the gap in their scores.

Skip NordVPN if: You need open-source clients, port forwarding, or want to pay month to month. At $12.99 monthly it is the most expensive short-term option here.

Questions

Is FastestVPN or NordVPN better?: NordVPN scores higher, 84.0 against 55.0 out of 100, a gap of 29 points. It wins 5 of the seven criteria to FastestVPN's 1. The most complete all-round package here, provided you accept closed-source clients and a renewal price above the introductory rate.
Which is cheaper, FastestVPN or NordVPN?: FastestVPN, at $0.83/mo against $3.39/mo. Both rates require committing to the provider’s longest term; the monthly rates are considerably higher.
Which one has been audited more recently?: NordVPN, most recently in 2025 against FastestVPN’s 2023.
Does jurisdiction differ between them?: Yes. FastestVPN operates from Cayman Islands and NordVPN from Panama. Both sit in the same position relative to the Fourteen Eyes agreement.

Related comparisons

Comparison generated from the same dataset as the ranking. Emphasis criterion definitions are on the rubric page. Criterion labels: Independent audit, Jurisdiction and ownership, Protocol and crypto stack, Leak protection, Transparency, Price and refund terms, Platform coverage.