Our latest NordVPN test showed strong nearby performance using NordLynx. NordVPN retained 93.7% of our VPN-off download speed in Sweden and 93.5% in Germany. UK performance reached 83.1% retention, while US East and Singapore showed much larger long-distance throughput reductions. Across all five tested regions, our fixed-target stability test recorded 0% packet loss.
We tested NordVPN on Windows using NordLynx across all five Private Proxy Guide core regions. Sweden and Germany both retained more than 93% of our VPN-off download speed, while the UK retained 83.1%. US East and Singapore showed much larger long-distance throughput reductions. All five regions recorded 0% packet loss in our fixed-target stability test.
What our NordVPN test showed
NordVPN delivered strong nearby throughput in Sweden and Germany. Sweden reached 88.94 Mbps against our 94.89 Mbps VPN-off baseline, corresponding to 93.73% download-speed retention. Germany followed closely at 93.52%.
The UK produced a stronger result than in our earlier diagnostic run, reaching 78.81 Mbps and 83.05% retention. Long-distance performance was substantially lower: US East retained 23.12% of baseline throughput and Singapore retained 11.66%.
Tunnel stability remained consistent across the full test. Every region recorded 0% packet loss. No stability spikes were detected in Sweden, UK, Germany or US East; Singapore recorded a 2% spike rate while still maintaining 0% packet loss.
NordVPN speed test results
Our VPN-off baseline was 94.89 Mbps download, 94.65 Mbps upload and 9.16 ms latency. We performed five VPN-off baseline runs and three speed-test runs per NordVPN region. Median values are used for reporting.
Download speed retained
Quick interpretation
- Sweden: excellent nearby throughput.
- Germany: almost identical speed retention to Sweden.
- UK: strong result at just over 83% retention.
- US East: substantial long-distance throughput reduction.
- Singapore: lowest throughput and highest latency in this batch.
| Location | Download | Upload | Speed retained | Regional ping | Added latency | Ookla jitter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 88.94 Mbps | 90.73 Mbps | 93.73% | 16.57 ms | +7.41 ms | 0.193 ms |
| Germany | 88.74 Mbps | 90.58 Mbps | 93.52% | 20.29 ms | +11.14 ms | 0.168 ms |
| United Kingdom | 78.81 Mbps | 77.90 Mbps | 83.05% | 25.96 ms | +16.80 ms | 0.245 ms |
| US East | 21.94 Mbps | 21.86 Mbps | 23.12% | 94.25 ms | +85.09 ms | 0.256 ms |
| Singapore | 11.06 Mbps | 11.02 Mbps | 11.66% | 187.17 ms | +178.01 ms | 0.241 ms |
Gaming latency and connection stability
We separate regional latency from tunnel stability. Regional latency comes from the locked Ookla endpoint used for each location. A separate 50-sample fixed-target ICMP test measures median latency, p95 latency, jitter, packet loss and latency spikes.
| Location | Regional ping | Stability median | p95 | Stability jitter | Packet loss | Spike rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 16.57 ms | 17 ms | 17 ms | 0.245 ms | 0% | 0% |
| Germany | 20.29 ms | 20 ms | 21 ms | 0.490 ms | 0% | 0% |
| United Kingdom | 25.96 ms | 27 ms | 32 ms | 1.306 ms | 0% | 0% |
| US East | 94.25 ms | 95 ms | 95 ms | 0.735 ms | 0% | 0% |
| Singapore | 187.17 ms | 187 ms | 189 ms | 1.837 ms | 0% | 2% |
Sweden and Germany were particularly stable, with p95 latency only 0–1 ms above the stability median. UK showed somewhat more variation with a 27 ms median and 32 ms p95. US East remained tightly grouped at 95/95 ms. Singapore was also relatively consistent given the much longer network path, although one latency spike was detected during the 50-sample probe.
Exit-location validation
This NordVPN run used the updated multi-source geolocation validation model. The runner compares multiple independent IP geolocation sources and uses consensus rather than treating one database as authoritative.
| Location | Consensus | Sources agreeing | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | SE | 2 of 3 | PASS CONSENSUS |
| United Kingdom | GB | 2 of 2 usable sources | PASS CONSENSUS |
| Germany | DE | 2 of 3 | PASS CONSENSUS |
| US East | US | 2 of 2 usable sources | PASS CONSENSUS |
| Singapore | SG | 2 of 3 | PASS CONSENSUS |
DNS observations
IPLeak.net evidence was collected for the VPN-off baseline and each NordVPN region. The updated parser successfully observed resolver information during the run. However, a runner implementation issue prevented those observations from being preserved in the final baseline comparison result.
| Location | Published DNS status | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | INCONCLUSIVE BASELINE | Baseline resolver observation was not preserved for comparison. |
| United Kingdom | INCONCLUSIVE BASELINE | Baseline resolver observation was not preserved for comparison. |
| Germany | INCONCLUSIVE BASELINE | Baseline resolver observation was not preserved for comparison. |
| US East | INCONCLUSIVE BASELINE | Baseline resolver observation was not preserved for comparison. |
| Singapore | INCONCLUSIVE BASELINE | Baseline resolver observation was not preserved for comparison. |
IPv4, IPv6 and security observations
- IPv4: PASS CONSENSUS in all five test regions. The public IPv4 changed and the majority geolocation consensus matched the requested region.
- IPv6: INCONCLUSIVE BASELINE. The IPv6 lookup endpoints could not be resolved, so this batch does not support a reliable IPv6 Pass or Fail conclusion.
- DNS: INCONCLUSIVE BASELINE because the observed baseline resolver information was not preserved correctly by the runner’s final comparison step.
- BrowserLeaks: not included in the final automated result set for this batch.
- Kill switch: not tested.
Connection timing
The NordVPN automated provider adapter returned after issuing each connection command in approximately half a second. These values are not verified end-to-end tunnel-establishment measurements, so they are retained only as diagnostic data.
| Location | Command return | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Sweden | 0.43 s | Diagnostic only |
| United Kingdom | 0.46 s | Diagnostic only |
| Germany | 0.48 s | Diagnostic only |
We do not use provider command-return timing to claim that NordVPN establishes a complete tunnel in under one second.
Test evidence
The test generated raw Ookla measurements, desktop screenshots, fixed-target stability evidence, public-IP validation records and IPLeak observations across the baseline and all five NordVPN regions.
How we tested NordVPN
- Plan: NordVPN paid plan.
- Application: NordVPN 8.9.1.0 for Windows.
- Protocol: NordLynx.
- Baseline: 5 VPN-off Ookla runs.
- Core PPG regions: Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, US East and Singapore.
- Core-region coverage: 5/5.
- Speed testing: 3 runs per VPN region, reported using median values.
- Regional Speedtest locking: enabled.
- Post-connect stabilization: enabled.
- Gaming stability: 50 ICMP samples against the fixed PPG stability target.
- Location validation: multi-source geolocation consensus.
- IPLeak.net evidence: enabled.
- Automatic screenshots: enabled.
- Kill switch: not tested.
Raw NordVPN speed-test runs
The summary values above use medians. The individual speed-test measurements are shown below so the underlying results can be inspected rather than relying only on the final summary.
Show all 20 individual speed-test runs
Baseline – VPN disconnected
| Run | Download | Upload | Ping | Jitter | Loss | Ookla server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 94.36 Mbps | 94.66 Mbps | 9.146 ms | 0.099 ms | 0% | Telenor Denmark, Søborg |
| #2 | 94.99 Mbps | 94.66 Mbps | 9.228 ms | 0.299 ms | 0% | Telenor Denmark, Søborg |
| #3 | 94.98 Mbps | 94.65 Mbps | 9.267 ms | 0.052 ms | 0% | Telenor Denmark, Søborg |
| #4 | 94.83 Mbps | 94.09 Mbps | 9.157 ms | 0.118 ms | 0% | Telenor Denmark, Søborg |
| #5 | 94.89 Mbps | 94.58 Mbps | 8.861 ms | 0.183 ms | 0% | Telenor Denmark, Søborg |
Sweden
| Run | Download | Upload | Ping | Jitter | Loss | Ookla server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 88.94 Mbps | 90.73 Mbps | 16.566 ms | 0.087 ms | 0% | KamaTera, Inc., Stockholm |
| #2 | 89.54 Mbps | 90.71 Mbps | 16.440 ms | 0.193 ms | 0% | KamaTera, Inc., Stockholm |
| #3 | 88.71 Mbps | 90.74 Mbps | 16.728 ms | 0.577 ms | 0% | KamaTera, Inc., Stockholm |
United Kingdom
| Run | Download | Upload | Ping | Jitter | Loss | Ookla server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 78.70 Mbps | 77.90 Mbps | 26.056 ms | 7.273 ms | 0% | Clouvider Ltd, London |
| #2 | 78.96 Mbps | 78.05 Mbps | 25.955 ms | 0.104 ms | 0% | Clouvider Ltd, London |
| #3 | 78.81 Mbps | 77.81 Mbps | 25.937 ms | 0.245 ms | 0% | Clouvider Ltd, London |
Germany
| Run | Download | Upload | Ping | Jitter | Loss | Ookla server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 88.50 Mbps | 89.21 Mbps | 20.125 ms | 0.063 ms | N/A | Netzwerge GmbH, Hamburg |
| #2 | 88.74 Mbps | 90.68 Mbps | 20.293 ms | 0.168 ms | N/A | Netzwerge GmbH, Hamburg |
| #3 | 89.23 Mbps | 90.58 Mbps | 20.346 ms | 3.926 ms | N/A | Netzwerge GmbH, Hamburg |
US East
| Run | Download | Upload | Ping | Jitter | Loss | Ookla server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 21.97 Mbps | 21.90 Mbps | 94.378 ms | 0.070 ms | 0% | Clouvider Ltd, New York, NY |
| #2 | 21.94 Mbps | 21.80 Mbps | 94.248 ms | 0.256 ms | 0% | Clouvider Ltd, New York, NY |
| #3 | 21.77 Mbps | 21.86 Mbps | 94.040 ms | 0.260 ms | 0% | Clouvider Ltd, New York, NY |
Singapore
| Run | Download | Upload | Ping | Jitter | Loss | Ookla server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 11.10 Mbps | 11.04 Mbps | 187.172 ms | 0.241 ms | 0% | PT. Indosat Tbk, Singapore |
| #2 | 11.06 Mbps | 10.56 Mbps | 187.091 ms | 0.199 ms | 0% | PT. Indosat Tbk, Singapore |
| #3 | 11.04 Mbps | 11.02 Mbps | 187.375 ms | 3.277 ms | 0% | PT. Indosat Tbk, Singapore |
NordVPN test conclusion
NordVPN delivered strong European performance in this standardized batch. Sweden retained 93.73% of baseline download throughput, Germany retained 93.52%, and the UK retained 83.05%.
Long-distance routing had a much larger effect. US East retained 23.12% of baseline speed, while Singapore retained 11.66%. This reinforces why we test multiple locations rather than describing a VPN with one generic speed figure.
Stability was strong overall. Every region recorded 0% packet loss. Sweden, Germany and US East also showed particularly tight median-to-p95 latency ranges.
The updated geolocation validation also resolved the database conflict seen in our earlier NordVPN run. All five regions passed using multi-source consensus, even though one external geolocation provider continued to classify some NordVPN IP blocks incorrectly.
DNS and IPv6 remain inconclusive because the corresponding baseline comparison processes did not produce reliable final results. We therefore make no DNS-leak or IPv6-leak Pass/Fail claim from this batch. The test covers NordVPN’s paid Windows app using NordLynx and does not establish performance for Double VPN, Onion over VPN, obfuscated servers, streaming services, specific game servers or kill-switch behavior.