When it comes to downloading torrent files two vpns stand out…
NordVPN and TorGuard are some of the best vpns for downloading torrent files from the internet.
But what really is the difference between NordVPN and TorGuard.
In this NordVPN vs TorGuard review in 2021 we are going to look at the pros and cons of TorGuard and NordVPN.
I hope that by the end of this NordVPN and TorGuard comparison you’ll be ready to make a decision of which one is best for you between these two vpns.
So let’s get started…
Here is a quick summary.
NordVPN | TorGuard | |
Website | nordvpn.com | torguard.net |
Servers | 5,800 | 3,000 |
Jurisdiction | Panama | United States |
Streaming | Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, iPlayer | Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, iPlayer |
Speed | 4.1/5 | 4.4/5 |
Torrenting | P2P servers | All servers |
Kill Switch | YES | YES |
Works in China? | YES | NO |
Devices | 6 | 5 |
Pricing | $ 3.49/month | $ 59.99/year |
About
NordVPN is a company that provides VPN services that enable you to access the internet anonymously and privately, based in Panama.
Here is a detailed NordVPN review.
TorGuard on the other hand is a company based in the USA that provides a range of services including anonymous VPNs, proxy address and anonymous email among others.
Here is an indepth TorGuard review.
Server Collection
If a vpn company has more servers, you’ll have various options to choose from in case you experience low speeds in a certain server.
It also makes it easy to find a server that is close to you in every country that you visit.

NordVPN has a total of 5,200 servers based in 59 different countries at the time I was writing this TorGuard vs NordVPN comparison in 2021.
TorGuard on the other has a total of 3,000 servers that are spread over 50 different countries.
It is therefore clear that NordVPN has a larger collection of servers as compared to TorGuard and they are also spread over a larger geographical location.

If you are looking for a vpn service with a larger server collection then I recommend NordVPN.
Streaming
Are you looking for the best vpn for unblocking content on popular streaming platforms like Netflix?
Accessing geo restricted entertainment content is one of the main reasons people purchase vpns in 2021.
However, most vpns struggle to successful unblock content on these platforms because platforms like Netflix are on a crackdown of proxies or vpn IPs that are used to access restricted content.
So will you be able to streaming Netflix with TorGuard or NordVPN?

NordVPN is capable of unblocking content on Netflix and other streaming platforms like Hulu, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime Video.
It means you’ll be able to stream your favorite tv shows from all the most popular streaming platforms.
TorGuard vpn on the other hand is not able to unblock geo restricted content on any of the popular streaming platforms.
For the normal TorGuard subscription, you’ll get shared IP address that have already been identified and blocked by most of these streaming platforms.

A workaround if you want to access streaming sites like Netflix with TorGuard is to purchase a dedicated IP.
TorGuard dedicated IPs can unblock any of the geo restricted content on the most popular streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and iPlayer.
If you are looking for a vpn that is great for torrenting and don’t want to pay extra for it, then I recommend NordVPN.
Speed
Which is a faster vpn service between TorGuard and NordVPN?
It is always very important to choose a vpn that will not slow your internet speeds down whenever you are connected to it.

I wanted to compare the internet speeds when connected to both NordVPN and TorGuard anonymous vpn.
So I used speedtest.net and connected to three different serves based in the USA, UK and Hong Kong.
NordVPN experienced drops in connections speeds but I was able to maintain an average of 83% of my original download speeds on all the servers.
TorGuard on the other hand maintained an average of 87% of my original download speeds on the three servers that I connected to.

From this NordVPN vs TorGuard speed comparison it is clear that TorGuard delivers faster connection speeds than NordVPN.
If you are looking for a vpn with faster connection speeds then I recommend NordVPN.
Torrenting
I began this review by mentioning that both TorGuard and NordVPN are great vpns for P2P files sharing and downloading torrent files.
But which is actually better at torrenting than the other one?
We’ll see in a moment…
NordVPN, to begin with, only allows torrenting on certain servers.

So if you want to start torrenting you first need to connect the torrenting specialized servers that are available by clicking on the P2P servers option in the app menu.
TorGuard allows torrenting on all its servers.

In order to start downloading torrent files while using TorGuard, you don’t to first connect to any specialized servers.
Just start from the current server you are connected to.
In terms of torrenting, it seems like TorGuard is more optimized for P2P file sharing than NordVPN is.
If you are looking for a vpn that is great at torrenting then I recommend TorGuard.
Privacy Policy
Do TorGuard and NordVPN keep user activity logs?
It is getting harder and harder to achieve complete privacy and anonymity online because the vpns that are support to provide you with privacy have gone rogue and instead keep your internet usage logs… something they are not supposed to do.
So which one, between NordVPN and TorGuard offers a true no logs policy?

NordVPN, to begin with, is based in Panama which is a privacy friendly jurisdiction.
In addition to that, they mention very clearly in their privacy policy that they don’t keep logs if your IP address, the IP address of the server you connect to, your DNS queries, connection timestamps or bandwidth usage.
It means that there are no logs on the NordVPN that could be used to tie back certain activities back to you.
There are also no logs that could be used to identify who you are.
TorGuard, on the other hand, is based in the United States which is not a privacy haven at all.

Even though the US does not have laws that obligate vpn companies to keep user logs, you are required to comply any time the government demands for user logs through a court order.
That notwithstanding, TorGuard anonymous vpn has been able to keep and no logs policy of your vpn activity.
It means they don’t log any sensitive personal information that could be used to identify.
However, I find TorGuard privacy policy rather vague as it just say “we don’t log keep any traffic logs”.
We know that alls vpns need some kind of logs to run smoothly… for example when it comes to ensuring you don’t exceed to number of allowed connected devices.
TorGuard could make life easier for everyone if they came out clear on what data they keep and what they don’t.
At the moment though, it seems like both vpns are great for privacy even though I trust NordVPN more because they spell out every detail of what they keep clearly.
Encryption and Data Protection
Proper encryption technologies ensure that you personal information is secure and cannot be stolen.
If a hacker was to hijack your internet traffic, they should not be able to decrypt and see your actual information if you are using a strong encryption algorithm.
So, which encryption technologies does NordVPN and TorGuard use?
NordVPN employs the use of NSA recommended AES 256-bit encryption technology that is impossible to crack.
It is the same encryption that is used by governments and militaries to encrypt sensitive classified information.

TorGuard anonymous vpn, on the other hand, allows the use of various encryption technologies and even lets you choose which one you want to connect with everytime you connect to your vpn.
It supports AES 256-bit encryption, 128-bit encryption and Blowfish 128-bit.
When it comes to vpn connection protocols, again NordVPN only supports two protocols: OpenVPN and IKEv2/IPSec.
OpenVPN is default for desktop and Android apps while IKEv2 is used in iOS.
TorGuard, on the other hand, supports more protocols including OpenVPN, OpenConnect, L2TP and IKEv2.

Clearly, TorGuard supports more encryption algorithms and connection protocols than NordVPN when comparing TorGuard vs NordVPN.
That being said, I find two protocols provided by NordVPN sufficient in all the cases because they are the most secure.
Ad Blocker
An ad blocker enables you to block ads from displaying on the websites that you visit for an ad free browsing experience.
It is a feature that is very common among premium vpn apps today.

So let’s compare TorGuard vs NordVPN in terms of their ad blocking capabilities.
NordVPN has an inbuilt security feature called CyberSec that when turned on enables you to block ads from running on most of the sites that you’ll visit.
In addition to blocking ads, CyberSec is also able to block malware from infecting your devices anytime you visit a website that is infected.
TorGuard, luckily, also has an inbuilt ad blocker that will enable you to block ads.

It will also enable you block malware by blocking the websites that contain malware before they can cause you any harm.
So if you are looking for a vpn that has great ad blocking and malware blocking capabilities then both NordVPN and TorGuard are great options.
Dedicated IPs
Every time you connect to the internet using your vpn, you are assigned a different IP address that is shared among other people.
This is great for privacy and ensuring that no particular activity can be tied back a single person.
However, there are times when you need to connect to the internet using the same IP address.

For example when you need to access you work network remotely and when you need to access you home security camera feed remotely.
You’ll therefore need an IP address that you can whitelist in your applications.
NordVPN comes with dedicated IP feature in all its apps that you can use anytime you want to connect to the internet using the same IP address.
In order to access these dedicated IP addresses, click on the dedicated IPs option in the app menu… you’ll then be presented with a list of dedicated IP servers that are based in different countries and locations to connect to.
TorGuard also has a dedicated IPs feature.

However, this feature is not available for a normal TorGuard subscription so you’ll have to purchase it separately.
Once purchased, you’ll get a dedicated IP address that is unique to you and is not shared by anyone else.
If you are looking for a vpn that provides a vpn dedicated IP address but does not want to pay extra then I recommend NordVPN.
Nevertheless, if you are really in need of a single use dedicated IP then the one by TorGuard would serve you better.
Kill Switch
A kill switch ensures that your access to the internet is only possible when you are connected to the vpn.
It ensures that even if your connection drops and your vpn app disconnects from the server, your real IP address is not exposed.

This would particularly not be a good idea if you were in the processing of downloading some torrent files.
So how does TorGuard vs NordVPN kill switches compare?

Fortunately, both NordVPN and TorGuard vpns have in built kill switches that will enable you turn of internet access for your entire device any time your connection drops and your vpn disconnects from the server.
If you are looking for a vpn with an automatic internet kill switch capability then both options are great.
Split Tunneling
While always accessing the internet with a vpn is great, it may present a problem for certain applications.
These are the applications that might be affected by your drops in speeds when connected to a vpn or to those that are sensitive to IP address changes… like your backing app or website.
A split tunnel enables you to specify certain applications from having their traffic channelled through the vpn tunnel.
Again, both NordVPN and TorGuard vpns have a split tunnel feature that will let you specify curtains that are to be exempted from having their traffic encrypted through the vpn.
It is important to note that the apps that are specified in the split tunnel will not enjoy the additional security and anonymity that a vpn provides.
Your ISP will be able to see the traffic that goes through these apps… i.e. the urls you access, the DNS queries e.t.c.
Works in China?
China is one of the countries where internet access is heavily controlled and access to certain websites is censored.
In addition to that, you are also not allowed to use a vpn to circumvent these censor blocks and access this blocked content.
So China’s firewall is able to detect vpn traffic and either throttle or block it completely.

It is for this reason that most vpns have a hard time bypassing the great firewall of China.
NordVPN, luckily, has a server obfuscation technology that enables it to bypass the deep packet inspection technology of China’s firewall.
In order to access censored content while in China, you first need to change your vpn mode to obfuscated servers by clicking on the obfuscated servers option in the app menu.
You’ll then be presented with a smaller list of servers to connect to if you want to bypass China’s firewall.
NordVPN works in China.
TorGuard, on the other hand, also has a technology called STunnel that makes its vpn traffic look like normal traffic.

Combining the STunnel feature with the OpenConnect protocol will enable you access censored content in China.
TorGuard works in China, but only using the OpenConnect protocol and STunnel.
If you are looking for a vpn that are able to bypass the great firewall of China then both NordVPN and TorGuard are capable.
But remember to install these apps before you go to China because these vpn websites are not accessible while in China.
Pricing
How much does TorGuard or NordVPN cost?
Now that these two vpns, NordVPN and TorGuard, have varying capabilities you expect them to vary greatly in terms of pricing…

And that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Let’s finish up this NordVPN vs TorGuard comparison in 2021 by looking at what their cheapest pricing plans cost.
NordVPN, to begin with, has its cheapest plan being the 3 year subscription that goes for $ 3.49/month.

TorGuard has its longest plan being the 1 year plan that goes for $ 59.99/year… which amounts to approximately $ 5.0/month.
It is therefore clear that even though it’s loaded with a lot more features, NordVPN is much cheaper compared to TorGuard.
Add this to the fact that you’ll have to pay extra if you want a dedicated IP for streaming with TorGuard.
Payment Options
What payment options does TorGuard and NordVPN provide?
At the time I was writing this TorGuard vs NordVPN review in 2021, I was looking for vpns that allows anonymous payment methods like gift card and cryptocurrencies.
Making payment for your subscription using these anonymous payment methods ensure that you give as little information about you as possible when signing up.

NordVPN supports all the major credit cards and payment platforms except PayPal.
In addition to that, they also let you pay for your plan using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins.
TorGuard, on the other hand, also supports all the major credit cards and payment platforms including PayPal.
It also supports Bitcoin payments.

So both methods support both standard payment methods as well as anonymous Bitcoin payments… but NordVPN does not allow PayPal payments.
If you are looking for a vpn that allows crypto payments then both TorGuard and NordVPN are great options.
In Conclusion
While there are a lot of similarities between NordVPN and TorGuard anonymous vpn, there are also a ton of differences between these two vpns.
The one that stands out the most is the fact that you cannot unblock streaming content on Netflix using a normal TorGuard subscription.
But also most surprising was the fact that TorGuard delivers faster connection speeds than NordVPN.
So which the best vpn for you: NordVPN or TorGuard?
If you are looking or a vpn that has excellent support for torrenting then I recommend TorGuard.
But if you want to stream content on Netflix then I recommend NordVPN.
I hope this TorGuard vs NordVPN comparison in 2021 has helped you decide the better vpn for you between the two.
Have you used NordVPN or TorGuard before?
Please share your experience in the comments below.