Norton built its reputation on antivirus software, not on privacy tunnels. Yet the company's VPN product has quietly been retooled, gaining features and platform support in an apparent bid to compete with dedicated privacy providers rather than merely riding on the Norton name.
A Brand Built on Security, Now Betting on Privacy
For decades, Norton meant one thing to consumers: protection against viruses and malware on a home computer. That legacy still shapes how the brand is perceived, even as the broader security market has shifted toward subscription bundles that combine antivirus with password managers, dark web monitoring, cloud backup and a VPN. Norton now sells its VPN both as a standalone product and as part of these larger packages, a strategy common across the cybersecurity industry as companies try to become a single destination for digital protection rather than a single-purpose tool.
This matters because a VPN serves a fundamentally different function than antivirus software. Antivirus scans for malicious code already on a device. A VPN encrypts internet traffic and routes it through a remote server, masking the user's IP address and shielding activity from internet service providers, network operators and, to varying degrees, the websites being visited. Bundling the two can be convenient, but it also means a VPN's quality can get overlooked by a company whose core expertise lies elsewhere.
Testing Reveals Real Progress, With Caveats
A thorough evaluation of Norton VPN examined its performance streaming video across multiple platforms, its handling of individual features, the clarity of its privacy policy, and whether it leaked identifying data such as DNS requests or IP addresses during use. Hundreds of speed tests were run to assess how much the VPN slowed down ordinary browsing and downloading, since encryption and rerouting traffic through a remote server inevitably introduce some performance cost.
The findings point to genuine improvement. Norton has expanded platform support, refined its interface and added features that bring it closer to what established VPN providers already offer. Direct communication with the company's team throughout testing suggested a willingness to engage with feedback rather than treat the product as an afterthought.
Even so, two concerns stand out:
- Privacy practices are not as rigorous as those of the leading independent VPN services, meaning users seeking the strongest possible guarantees around data handling may want to look elsewhere.
- Pricing remains high relative to the value delivered, particularly when compared with competitors offering similar or superior feature sets at lower cost.
Why Jurisdiction and Logging Policies Still Matter
Any VPN's trustworthiness ultimately rests on what it logs and where it operates. A no-logs policy, properly implemented and ideally verified by independent audit, is what separates a privacy tool from a service that simply shifts trust from an internet provider to the VPN company itself. The legal jurisdiction in which a provider is based also shapes what government authorities can compel it to disclose. These are the factors privacy-conscious users should scrutinize before choosing any service, Norton included.
Norton's recent changes show a company aware that antivirus credibility alone no longer guarantees relevance in the VPN market. The direction is sound. But for now, several competing VPNs offer stronger privacy assurances and better value, making them the more sensible choice for most users until Norton closes the remaining gaps.