- NordVPN has expanded its network with 211 new servers
- It now competes directly with ExpressVPN and PIA in the US.
- Still behind ProtonVPN in terms of country coverage
NordVPN has expanded its server network by adding 211 server locations around the world and significantly strengthening its presence in the US.
With the update, TechRadar’s best VPN on the market takes first place in terms of geographic coverage, with NordVPN overtaking the previous leader, ExpressVPN, which remains in second place with 189 locations covered.
The network expansion also sees NordVPN catch up with ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access (PIA) by offering servers in every US state, competing directly for the crown as the best VPN app in the US.
While celebrating its victory, the VPN continues to strive to win another race: to consolidate its position in the greatest number of countries, a challenge that many consider even more important and in which NordVPN is currently still in second place.
Taking control of the world
VPN providers often tout the number of VPN server locations as a key selling point. A larger network significantly improves VPN speeds as data passes through a larger number of servers for lower latency, while bypassing geopolitical restrictions for increased anti-censorship capabilities.
For NordVPN, 211 locations They represent a fairly marked improvement over other VPNs; For example, ExpressVPN currently covers 189 locations, Proton VPN 188, Surfshark 142, and PIA 152.
When comparing NordVPN’s server footprint between October 2025 and April 2026, the newly supported locations represent a huge jump. There was a total of 46 new additions Since then. Locations in previously discovered new countries include Barbados, Ivory Coast, Fiji, Mauritius, Togo, Chad and Suva.
In it USThe VPN has gone the extra mile and now covers every state in the country. Until now, only ExpressVPN and Private Internet Access could make this claim.
Users in the US will be pleased, as coverage now spans less populated Lewiston, Fargo, New Haven and Providence, to more populated Las Vegas, Detroit, New Orleans and Portland.
The race is on and new VPNs could change this lineup again.
Proton VPN, for example, has also recently expanded its server networks, increasing the number of server locations from 164 to 188 in the last six months. Other VPNs have moved more slowly: Surfshark, for example, has added just one location, while ExpressVPN has added two.
Another race to win
However, many would say that the number of countries a VPN covers is more important than the number of locations it serves, and that’s a fair observation.
Covering a wide range of countries is particularly important to ensure greater intellectual property security and broader coverage. Users turn to a VPN for a variety of reasons: for example, they may need to spoof their location in a specific geographic area in order to access certain resources, such as Amazon, Netflix, or HBO streaming services, which require the user to be in that country.
The less obvious aspect has to do with security. In this case, what matters for security and privacy when using a VPN often depends on the entry and exit points of the network. For example, if all servers were located in one country, the country itself could monitor entry and exit points and correlate that data.
It’s worth noting that while physical servers must follow local rules on surveillance and data retention, virtual server locations do not. Companies like NordVPN, Proton VPN, and other secure services typically choose this option to offer local IPs to people living in authoritarian countries, while avoiding compliance with their intrusive regulations.
And if countries win in location, then the undisputed winner remains ProtonVPN, with a presence in 145 countries, well ahead of NordVPN with 135 countries. In comparison, Surfshark has 100 countries and ExpressVPN has 108 countries, but the race could be far from over.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
