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Atlas VPN vs NordVPN is now a question about a migration, not a choice. Atlas VPN closed on 24 April 2024, and its paying subscribers moved to NordVPN, its sister brand under Nord Security, for the rest of their term, with auto-renewal switched off and only their email and subscription length transferred, NordVPN’s blog explains. Free Atlas users lost the service. For former Atlas customers, the questions now are what they gained, what they lost, and what happens when the transferred term runs out.
This page compares Atlas and NordVPN and sets out the choices facing Atlas’s former users.
Atlas VPN vs NordVPN: Side by Side
| Atlas VPN (at closure) | NordVPN (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Closed 24 April 2024 | Active |
| Owner | Nord Security (from 2021) | Nord Security |
| Base | United States | Panama |
| No-logs audits | Not a selling point | Six, the latest by Deloitte in 2025 |
| Devices | Unlimited | Up to 10 |
| Price | About $1.70 a month | From $94.23 for 27 months on Basic |
Security was a gap on the Atlas side of Atlas VPN vs NordVPN. Atlas ran 1,000+ servers in 49 locations by 2023, Wikipedia notes, but in September 2023 a flaw in its Linux app let any website disconnect the VPN and see the user’s real IP address, Help Net Security reported; Atlas fixed it on 18 September. NordVPN’s audit record is set out in our NordVPN value guide.
What Atlas Users Gained and Lost
| Change | Gained or lost | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Audited no-logs policy | Gained | Six NordVPN audits |
| Faster network | Gained | 817 Mbps average in lab tests |
| US jurisdiction | Left behind | NordVPN is based in Panama |
| Unlimited devices | Lost | NordVPN allows 10 |
| Budget price | Lost at renewal | NordVPN costs more after the first term |
The device limit is the big practical change. Atlas allowed unlimited connections; NordVPN caps you at 10. Surfshark, Nord Security’s other brand, still offers unlimited devices, as our NordVPN vs Surfshark comparison explains.
Watch the renewal. NordVPN’s Basic plan renews at $139.08 a year after the first 27 months, about three times its introductory yearly rate, as our renewal price guide shows.
Your Options After the Transfer Ends
Stay with NordVPN if speed and audits matter most; our NordVPN review covers it in full. Switch to Surfshark if you need many devices on one plan. Go free with Proton VPN’s plan if cost was Atlas’s main appeal, as our Proton VPN value guide explains.
Check for a refund window before renewing. NordVPN refunds first purchases within 30 days but not renewals, as our NordVPN refund guide explains. Our VPN shutdowns guide puts Atlas’s closure alongside Google’s and Microsoft’s.
How We Research
Atlas’s closure and transfer terms come from NordVPN’s blog, Tech.co and Android Police; its server count from Wikipedia; its Linux flaw from Help Net Security; NordVPN’s audits, speed and prices from our NordVPN value research, drawing on Tom’s Guide, Cybernews and StationX. NordVPN’s account of the migration is at nordvpn.com. We read all sources on 27 and 28 September 2026. NordVPN and Surfshark are providers we link to. Our full approach lives on the About Us page.
Atlas VPN vs NordVPN FAQ
It closed on 24 April 2024. Paying subscribers moved to NordVPN for the rest of their term; free users lost the service.
No. Both belonged to Nord Security, but they were separate services until Atlas closed.
No. NordVPN allows up to 10 devices. Surfshark, from the same parent, offers unlimited devices.
No. Auto-renewal was switched off for transferred Atlas accounts.
NordVPN’s 30-day refund covers first purchases, not renewals.
The Verdict
Atlas VPN vs NordVPN ended with Atlas users moving up a tier in audits and speed, but losing unlimited devices and a budget price.
When the transferred term ends, choose on purpose: NordVPN for speed, Surfshark for devices, or Proton’s free plan for cost.