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Sibling brands share the same ultimate owner as Norton VPN.
Gen Digital (formerly NortonLifeLock) merged with Avast in 2022 and now sells the same VPN under four brands. Avast was fined by the FTC in 2024 for selling browsing data through its Jumpshot subsidiary.
Public-source facts, not yet checked against primary documents. How we verify.
Lab test pending: score uses public, checkable data only. How we verify.
Verdict
Norton VPN exists because Norton 360 subscribers get it bundled, and it is sold on the Norton name. Behind the name: no independent no-logs audit, P2P blocked across the network, a small server list, no obfuscation, a first-year price that doubles at renewal, and an owner, Gen Digital, whose Avast subsidiary was fined $16.5 million by the FTC in 2024 for selling users' browsing data through its Jumpshot unit. A 60-day refund is the one generous feature. Not recommended.
Best for
Not recommended. Norton 360 subscribers who already have it can use it for basic Wi-Fi protection; anyone choosing a VPN should look elsewhere.
Not for
Torrenting, streaming breadth, censored countries, or anyone whose reason for a VPN is privacy.
2,609 most recent reviews across 6 storefronts, 2018-10-01 to 2026-09-02. Listing rating 4.45★ from 120,837 ratings. Version 26.14.1, released 2026-08-25.
61
Sentiment worsening last 90 daysCritical complaints 15.1%
iOS integration
5.4%
Billing & auto-renew
4.7%
Connection drops
4.5%
Crashes & bugs
3.1%
Praised: reliability
3.1%
Privacy concerns
2.4%
Customer support
2.1%
Slow speeds
2%
★★☆☆☆ “Since the latest update this week, both iPad and iPhone are regularly losing internet access.” App Store reviewer, 2026-08-30
★☆☆☆☆ “I was thinking of switching to norton from nord.” App Store reviewer, 2026-08-24
★★☆☆☆ “Leaves you without the page to connect.” App Store reviewer, 2026-08-20
★★★★★ “I can check and send my company email which hosted by Microsoft 365.” App Store reviewer, 2026-06-16
★★★★☆ “App was working fine until today.” App Store reviewer, 2026-06-03
Themes tagged by keyword rules; percentages are share of sampled reviews mentioning the theme. Full breakdown · Method.
Streaming and censorship status
Streaming
NetflixUnreliable
BBC iPlayerBlocked
Disney+Unreliable
HuluUnreliable
Prime VideoBlocked
Restricted countries
ChinaBlocked
United Arab EmiratesUnreliable
RussiaBlocked
IranBlocked
TürkiyeWorks
Basis: user reports and provider statements; our own checks pending.
The Avast problem
Gen Digital formed in 2022 from the merger of NortonLifeLock and Avast. In February 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission fined Avast $16.5 million and banned it from selling browsing data, finding that Avast’s antivirus and browser extensions had collected users’ browsing information and sold it through its Jumpshot subsidiary while marketing the products as privacy protection. Jumpshot was shut down in 2020 after a joint Motherboard and PCMag investigation.
Norton VPN is a different product from the same owner, and it has not been accused of the same conduct. But it has also never been independently audited on its no-logs claim. A provider whose corporate sibling was fined for selling browsing data, and which has not had an auditor confirm that it does not, is not one this site can recommend, and it sits on the not recommended list for that reason.
Jurisdiction and audits
US-based, inside the Five Eyes. No independent no-logs audit. Apps closed source. Gen Digital publishes a transparency report at the group level.
Protocols, network and features
WireGuard, OpenVPN, IKEv2 and Mimic, an obfuscation option added in 2024 that is inconsistent in reports. Servers in around 30 countries — one of the smallest networks among branded providers. P2P blocked network-wide. Five devices on Standard, ten on Plus. Kill switch and split tunnelling added to the desktop apps recently. Ad and tracker blocking. No port forwarding, no router support, no Linux app.
What it costs
Plan
Intro
Renewal
Notes
Standard, 1 year
$39.99
$79.99
5 devices
Bundled
included
Norton 360 renewal
The first-year price doubles at renewal, and the Norton 360 bundle it usually arrives in has its own steep renewal. A 60-day money-back guarantee applies to annual plans.
Streaming and censorship
User reports have US Netflix working inconsistently; Disney+, Hulu and iPlayer mostly not. No censorship capability. Blocked in Russia and China.
The iPhone app
This month’s App Store analysis of 2,600 recent reviews places the app mid-table, with a low critical-complaint rate — most users are Norton 360 subscribers with modest expectations — and iOS integration as the top theme. Full breakdown.
What would change this review
A published independent no-logs audit, and lifting the P2P block. Until then, a Norton 360 subscriber who already has the VPN can use it for hotel Wi-Fi; nobody should buy it on its own.
Four brands, one VPN
Gen Digital sells Norton VPN, Avast SecureLine VPN, AVG Secure VPN and Avira Phantom VPN. They share infrastructure and much of their app code, and they are marketed to four different customer bases at four different prices, usually bundled into a security suite. A buyer comparing “Norton versus Avast” is comparing two labels on one product.
This matters for the ranking here because it means the Avast enforcement action is not a distant corporate cousin’s problem. The FTC found that Avast’s browser extension and antivirus collected browsing data and sold it through Jumpshot while marketing privacy protection. The VPN products sit in the same group, under the same management, with no independent audit of any of the four. A reader deciding whether to trust the VPN is deciding whether to trust that group.
Assembled from public sources; confirm operating entity, jurisdiction and audit history against primary documents.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Norton VPN?
Gen Digital Inc., the US company formed when NortonLifeLock merged with Avast in 2022. Gen also owns Avast SecureLine VPN, AVG Secure VPN, Avira Phantom VPN and LifeLock, and sells essentially the same VPN under four brands.
Is Norton VPN safe?
There is no independent audit of its no-logs policy, and its owner's Avast subsidiary was fined by the FTC in February 2024 for collecting and selling browsing data through Jumpshot while telling users its products protected privacy. Norton VPN itself has not been accused of that. The absence of an audit, given the sibling's record, is the problem.
How much does Norton VPN cost?
About $40 for the first year on the Standard plan, renewing at about $80. Bundled free in most Norton 360 plans, which themselves renew at much higher prices. A 60-day money-back guarantee applies to annual plans, the longest on the site with CyberGhost.
Does Norton VPN work for torrenting?
No. P2P traffic is blocked across its network.
Does Norton VPN work in China?
No. There is no obfuscated protocol beyond a 'Mimic' option added in 2024 that is inconsistent, and the small network offers few options.
Does Norton VPN keep logs?
It says it does not log browsing activity, and nobody independent has checked. Given that its owner's sibling product was fined for exactly that kind of data collection, an audit is the minimum this site would need to see.
