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How to Get a 7 & 30-Day NordVPN Free Trial

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Simon Migliano
6 Comments

Simon Migliano is a recognized world expert in VPNs. He's tested hundreds of VPN services and his research has featured on the BBC, The New York Times and more.

Fact-checked by Callum TennentAdditional Research by Luke Williams

Our Verdict

Get NordVPN for free for 30 days on all devices by signing up and getting a refund using the service's money-back guarantee. To use the VPN for free on Android, install the VPN via the Play Store and you'll be automatically enrolled on its seven-day free trial.

Get NordVPN for free

Sadly, it’s not possible to get a NordVPN account completely free forever. Also, NordVPN claims it doesn’t offer a free trial, either.

That’s not entirely true, though. NordVPN does in fact offer a seven-day free trial to all new Android subscribers.

Additionally, the VPN service operates a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee policy on Windows, macOS, iOS and all other platforms.

During the first 30 days of service, you’ll enjoy free access to one of the best VPNs available. For instance, NordVPN reliably unblocks Netflix and many other streaming services, without data caps or feature limitations.

Using the 30-day refund guarantee to use NordVPN for free is simple and risk-free, since you’re guaranteed to receive your money back.

Quick Guide: How to Get a NordVPN 7-day Free Trial on Android

  1. Download and install the NordVPN Android application.
  2. Open the NordVPN app and tap ‘Sign Up.’
  3. Select the 1-Month payment option.
  4. Press ‘Accept’ on the ‘VPN Configuration Notice.’
  5. You can now use NordVPN for free for 7 days.
  6. Remember to cancel the trial within 7 days from the ‘Subscriptions’ section of the Google Play Store app.

How to Get a NordVPN Free Trial

The NordVPN free trial is only available if you sign up via an Android device. But once set up, you can use the VPN on any platform.

NordVPN allows six simultaneous connections, so you can use the VPN for free on all/most of your Windows, macOS, iOS, and Fire TV devices.

Android Free Trial Setup Guide

  1. Download the NordVPN Android app onto your smartphone or tablet.Screenshot showing the Google Play Store results after searching NordVPN.
  2. Once installed, open the NordVPN app and tap Sign Up. Enter your email address and a password when prompted.Screenshot showing the NordVPN app on Android.
  3. Select the 1 Month payment option and tap Continue. Confirm your free trial by tapping Subscribe when the payment screen shows.Screenshot showing the Android authentication screen when downloading NordVPN.
  4. Press Accept on the VPN configuration notice. You will now have full access to NordVPN.Screenshot showing the NordVPN app on Android.
  5. Open the Google Play Store app and tap the hamburger menu icon on the top left of the screen. Then tap Subscriptions.Screenshot of the Google Play Store home page.
  6. Press NordVPN and tap Cancel Subscription. Confirm by tapping Cancel Subscription again in the follow-up notice. You will still have full access to NordVPN for seven days and will not be billed.Screenshot showing the 'Cancel Subscription' option in the Google Play Store.

EXPERT ADVICE: To avoid accidental charges, cancel your NordVPN free trial immediately. You will still have access throughout the remaining trial period.

How to Use NordVPN’s Money-Back Guarantee

To hack NordVPN’s money-back guarantee and get 30 days for free, follow the method below. It works on both PCs, Macs, iPhones, iPads, and other devices, too.

Windows (and macOS) Free Trial Setup Guide

  1. Go to the NordVPN website and press the Get NordVPN button. This will take you to the subscription page.NordVPN money-back guarantee
  2. Select a subscription plan, create an account, and enter your payment details. To reduce the upfront cost, sign up to the 1-month plan. Remember to ask for a refund before the end of the 30 days. NordVPN pricing plans
  3. Once you have a NordVPN account, go to the download page of the NordVPN website. This page shows the apps available for various devices. Click Download for the relevant platform and follow the installation prompts.NordVPN download Windows
  4. Open the NordVPN app and log in with your new account details. Connect to a server location of your choice, or click Quick Connect for the fastest speeds.Screenshot showing the NordVPN app on Windows.
  5. For the next 30 days, you can use NordVPN without any restrictions. You’ll be able to hide your IP address, secure your web traffic, and even unblock 12 Netflix regions.

    Streaming American Netflix with NordVPN

EXPERT ADVICE: If you want a VPN trial with no payment details required whatsoever, follow the steps in our guide on how to get CyberGhost VPN completely free for 24 hours.

iOS Free Trial Setup Guide

  1. Download the NordVPN iOS app onto your iPhone or iPad.Screenshot showing the App Store results on iOS after searching 'NordVPN'.
  2. Once installed, open NordVPN and tap Start Subscription. Confirm the subscription using Face ID, Touch ID, or by entering your Apple ID password.Screenshot showing the iOS authentication screen when downloading NordVPN.
  3. After following the prompts, enter your iOS device’s password to add the VPN configurations. You will then be able to connect to a server and use NordVPN.Screenshot showing the NordVPN app on iOS.

EXPERT ADVICE: Take full advantage of NordVPN’s money-back guarantee by canceling as close as possible to the 30 days deadline.

How to Cancel NordVPN & Get a Full Refund

To cancel your NordVPN 30-day free trial and receive a full refund, follow the steps below.

  1. Contact NordVPN’s live chat customer support, by clicking the chat bubble from the bottom-right corner of NordVPN’s support page.Screenshot showing NordVPN's customer support options.
  2. Tell the NordVPN chatbot that you would like a refund and state the payment method you used when signing up. You will then be transferred to a NordVPN Customer Support Manager.Screenshot showing how to request a refund for NordVPN.
  3. The chat agent will ask a series of questions regarding your cancellation. Once answered, you will be given confirmation that your NordVPN free trial has been canceled. You will receive your refund within 5-10 business days.Screenshot showing a conversation with NordVPN's support, after requesting a refund.

NordVPN Free Trial vs Money-Back Guarantee

Taking advantage of either the genuine free trial, or the money-back guarantee, allows you to use NordVPN for free, but there are important differences between the two.

Here is the difference between a VPN free trial and a money-back guarantee:

Money-Back Guarantee
You have to pay for a NordVPN subscription upfront, but you’re then guaranteed a refund if you cancel within 30 days.

You will receive your refund up to 10 business days after requesting it.

Free Trial
The pure free trial is only available when signing up on iOS and Android, and lasts for just seven days.

Although it requires a valid payment method (such as a credit card), NordVPN’s free trial doesn’t take any payment until the trial period is over.

Remember to end the trial ahead of time, and you won’t be charged any money.

Generally speaking, we recommend you use NordVPN’s money-back guarantee, and not its free trial.

Although you will have to pay the $11.95 subscription fee upfront, you can use NordVPN for up to 30 days, compared with just seven days for the free trial.

Unlike many other VPNs, NordVPN’s money-back guarantee doesn’t come with any limits, either. You can stream, torrent, and encrypt as much data as you want for free.

Simply remember to request your refund before the 30 days are up, otherwise you will no longer be eligible for a refund.

Why Choose NordVPN?

After reviewing 65 VPNs, we found that NordVPN is the second-best VPN available.

The VPN service delivers extremely fast connection speeds, operates a safe privacy policy, and it even unblocks 12 Netflix regions.

All these features are available to use with the VPN’s seven-day free trial, and with its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Here is a quick summary of the pros and cons to using NordVPN’s free trial:

PROS CONS
  • Unlimited access for up to 30 days
  • No data cap or bandwidth throttling
  • Works with Netflix, Hulu & Prime Video
  • Torrenting permitted on 85% of servers
  • Lightning-fast speeds
  • Credit card required on sign up
  • Mobile device required for ‘true’ free trial
  • PayPal payment not accepted
  • Less reliable for Netflix on Fire TV devices
  • Unreliable at bypassing web blocks in China

NordVPN’s applications are also very user-friendly, so you’ll have no problem setting up and using the VPN software.

The VPN is strengthened with industry-leading security features including AES-256 encryption, an effective VPN kill switch, and DNS leak protection.

Moreover, NordVPN also has the fastest version of the WireGuard protocol we’ve tested. Called NordLynx, the VPN has optimized the protocol for the best connection speeds.

In our latest series of speed tests, our internet connection dropped only 5% connecting to a nearby server.

Even more impressively, international connection speeds only dropped 14% on average.

In addition, NordVPN unblocks US Netflix in 4K UHD, along with BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max.

Moreover, we experienced good torrenting speeds testing NordVPN’s P2P-optimized servers, which are tuned to facilitate fast and private torrent downloads.

Downloading a torrent file with NordVPN

NordVPN is a fast option for torrenting.

SUMMARY: NordVPN is a well-rounded VPN that includes more features than most other services. Although the VPN service doesn’t provide a true free trial on all platforms, its generous money-back guarantee lets you use the VPN risk-free for up to 30 days.

How Does NordVPN Compare to Other Free Trial VPNs?

NordVPN is one of the very best VPN services. It offers a seven-day free trial on Android smartphones, and a 30-day money-back guarantee on all other platforms.

Currently, it’s ranked fourth in our best VPN free trials rankings, sitting below ExpressVPN.

Currently, CyberGhost VPN offers the best free trial, followed by Surfshark’s free trial.

The table below lists alternative VPNs that offer free VPN trial periods as well as risk-free money-back guarantees:

ExpressVPN — The #1 (30-Day) Risk-Free Trial VPN

The ExpressVPN logo

True free trials are great to test a VPN service before purchase, however the trial periods are rather short.

Risk-free refund guarantees give you more time to fully trial a VPN. ExpressVPN is not only the very best VPN we’ve reviewed, but also the best VPN with a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee.

While ExpressVPN offers a seven-day 100% free trial via Android and iOS devices, its 30-day money-back guarantee available on all other platforms.

ExpressVPN allows torrenting on all its servers, it unblocks 10 different Netflix libraries, and it consistently works in China.

ExpressVPN is also easier to use than NordVPN, and provides wider device compatibility, mainly thanks to its VPN router application.

In short, ExpressVPN beats NordVPN in many areas.

Is a NordVPN Free Trial Safe?

Yes. By taking advantage of the NordVPN free trial and money-back guarantee, you’ll be using the exact same product as paying subscribers.

You’ll therefore benefit from NordVPN’s world-class security offering. The VPN service doesn’t log any identifying user data, it encrypts traffic using AES-256 with perfect forward secrecy, and it doesn’t leak IP or DNS credentials.

NordVPN has further improved its security by introducing bug bounty programs and diskless RAM servers.

Should I Just Use a Free VPN Instead?

Sadly, the vast majority of free VPNs are not safe to use.

There are a handful of safe free VPNs, however. The problem is they do come with activity limitations.

We currently rank Windscribe as the best free VPN.

It’s the only free VPN that unblocks streaming platforms like Hulu, BBC iPlayer, and Netflix in 6 different locations.

However, its free plan comes with a 10GB monthly data allowance — allowing you to stream just four hours of HD video per month.

On the other hand, despite giving free users unlimited bandwidth, Proton VPN comes with just three server locations. It also doesn’t unblock streaming services and it actively blocks torrenting traffic.

As a result, we recommend you stick to NordVPN’s free trial if you can’t afford a monthly VPN subscription. NordVPN doesn’t impose any restrictions on free trial users, so you can connect to servers in 5,754 countries and don’t have to worry about a monthly data allowance.

Can I Get NordVPN Free Trial without a Credit Card?

No, NordVPN no longer allows you to sign up for a free trial without a credit card.

NordVPN previously offered a three-day free trial that didn’t require a credit card or other payment method, but it’s now been discontinued.

A NordVPN representative told us that it terminated the free trial plan due to “widespread abuse.” Users were apparently signing up for the free trial multiple times using fake email accounts. This was overloading the VPN’s server network and worsening the experience for paying subscribers.

Although we hope it reintroduces this in the future, you currently need a valid payment method to make use of NordVPN’s free trial.

How Much Does NordVPN Cost?

NordVPN is an excellent VPN worth paying for, if you want to use the service for longer than 30 days.

NordVPN comes with three subscription plans, allowing you to pay monthly, yearly, or every two years.

The monthly plan costs $11.99 and the yearly plan works out at $4.99 a month. The two-year plan comes with a 60% discount and costs just $3.29 per month.

The large discounts available on the longer-term plans make them a much better deal than paying monthly. The drawback is that you have to pay the total VPN subscription cost upfront, which is common practice.

What Payment Methods Does NordVPN Accept?

NordVPN accepts the following payment methods:

  • Credit and debit cards
  • Direct debit
  • Amazon Pay
  • Bitcoin
  • Ethereum
  • Ripple
  • Alipay
  • UnionPay

When signing up on mobile, you can use your usual payment method on the App Store or the Google Play Store.

Disappointingly, NordVPN doesn’t let you pay using PayPal. The VPN provider claims this is to reduce security risks, but we don’t find that claim very convincing. We’d like to see NordVPN reintroduce PayPal payments.

Can I Get a Discount on a Paid NordVPN Subscription?

Many VPNs, like ExpressVPN, let you enjoy 30 free extra days for every friend you refer to the service. This is known as a referral scheme.

Sadly, NordVPN does not allow you to get additional days (and save money) through a referral scheme.

NordVPN does offer six months free to people “in extreme cases of censorship or online privacy violations.” However, this only applies to journalists, activists and politicians.

If you’re located in a country with aggressive online censorship, notify NordVPN by filling in the form on its emergency VPN assistance page.