A few years ago, I did a roundup of free VPNs (Virtual Private Networks), because I needed a free way of connecting to certain countries to view content (example: UK and China are notorious for blocking other countries).

Of all the free ones, I liked Atlas VPN the best, and ended up using them for quite a while. In fact, I ended up being converted to being a paying subscriber, as I thought their pricing was affordable.

Unfortunately, Atlas VPN announced their closure last month:

After extensive deliberation and evaluation of our long-term business strategy, we have made the difficult decision to sunset Atlas VPN on April 24. This decision was not made lightly – it stems from a comprehensive assessment of the evolving cybersecurity landscape and our place in it.

Why is Atlas closing? Atlas VPN was founded with the mission of providing secure, accessible, and user-friendly VPN services. Despite our best efforts and the incredible support of our users, we’ve encountered insurmountable challenges. These include rapidly advancing technological demands, a highly competitive market, and the escalating costs of providing top-tier services. These factors have led us to conclude that continuing to operate Atlas VPN is not sustainable in the long term.

All is not lost, Atlas is transferring my account to NordVPN. I’ve looked at Nord before, when I did my VPN research, and the main thing about this company is that I believe they overcharge for their services. The “Basic” plan costs $13 a month (their “Ultimate” plan costs $16 a month). What they encourage is that you buy their two-year plan (which is $200, but I guess most people just wait for a sale).

Since I now have NordVPN, I downloaded their Windows App and have been testing it out. It’s a great looking app, and everything seems to be working. They have a lot more servers than Atlas, but that won’t mean anything if I only use one or two to connect… It also took a little longer than normal to establish my connection, but I believe this may be because it was the first time.

Anyway, my subscription, originally with Atlas but now transferred to Nord, will run out November 2025, by which time, I probably will not be renewing.

The number one reason: Nord is just too expensive. I believe they are one of, if not, the most expensive plan compared with other VPN services. It would be great if my Atlas pricing was grandfathered to Nord (or at least discounted)… but I doubt that is possible.

I’ll probably end up looking for cheaper alternative, or perhaps buying a “Lifetime Subscription” to a lesser-known VPN service for $70 via Stack Social. Or… perhaps revisit and update my Free VPN services.