NordLayer review (2026): is it worth $8 a month per user, billed yearly?
Business VPN and network access control from Nord Security
Black Friday: is there a NordLayer sale?
NordLayer report card
Weak · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for small teams that need a business VPN with access rules
NordLayer is a business VPN sold per user, with shared gateways at $8 a seat and access control on higher plans. Every plan has a 5-user minimum, the dearer plans need a $40 a month dedicated-IP server, and there is no free plan or trial on record.
Who NordLayer is for
- Fits if you run a team of five or more and want admin control over a VPN
- Works for companies that use Okta, Entra ID or Google Workspace sign-in
Who NordLayer is not for
- Not for you if you are one person, as every plan has a 5-user minimum
- Pricey if you need Core or Premium, as each needs a $40 a month dedicated-IP server
- Skip it if you want to try before paying, as no free plan or trial is listed
- Watch out: each account allows only 6 simultaneous connections, and provisioning and device posture monitoring are add-ons
Why NordLayer gets a 1.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for moneyLite is $8 a seat but five seats is $40 a month, and Core and Premium also need a $40 a month dedicated-IP server, so a five-person team pays about $19 a seat for the useful parts.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan and no trial on record, only a demo.
- CFeaturesGateways in 40+ countries, access rules and threat prevention, but split tunneling and custom DNS are not in Lite, and provisioning and posture checks are add-ons.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record, and an admin console with gateways, SSO and rules takes setting up.
- APlatforms and integrationsWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and a browser extension, with Okta, Entra ID, Google Workspace and other integrations.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Nord Security's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make NordLayer? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/nordlayer#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/nordlayer.svg" alt="NordLayer: 1.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where NordLayer stands among VPNs
NordLayer's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 3 of the 50 other VPNs we grade, and level with 5.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 46 of 50) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $8 a month for each person, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 32 of the 40 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 10 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 VPNs we grade, cut by the letter each got. NordLayer’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 50, level with 2
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 50, level with 17
- CFeaturesAbove 2 of 50, level with 30
- CEase of useAbove 6 of 50, level with 16
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 46 of 50, level with 4
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 46 VPNs. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep NordLayer, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace NordLayer you would be making servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 42 of the 50 other VPNs grade higher. It costs $96 a year.
What you could not
- Servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private.
- An engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, Okta, Entra ID and OneLogin among them.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on.
What this rests on. NordLayer’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is NordLayer?
NordLayer is a business VPN and network security service sold per user to teams. It covers encrypted internet access through shared gateways, plus dedicated-IP gateways, access rules and device checks on the higher plans. Admins manage users and gateways from a central control panel.
Worth knowing
- Every self-serve plan has a 5-user minimum; the Enterprise offer starts at 200 users.
- Core and Premium require a dedicated-IP server, listed at $40 a month on yearly billing ($50 monthly).
- Split tunneling, custom DNS and the browser extension are not part of Lite.
- Each account allows up to 6 simultaneous connections; user provisioning and device posture monitoring are add-ons.
Key features
- Shared and private gateways
- Lite connects through shared gateways in 40+ countries; Core and above add private gateways with a dedicated IP address that only your team uses.
- Network access control
- Higher plans add IP allowlisting, a cloud firewall and device posture checks to limit who and what can reach company resources.
- Threat prevention
- Web protection blocks malicious domains and download protection scans new files for malware; DNS filtering by category starts on Core.
- Protocols and always-on mode
- NordLynx, which is WireGuard-based, plus OpenVPN over UDP or TCP. Always On VPN and auto-connect are included on every plan.
- Single sign-on and provisioning
- Sign in with Okta, Entra ID, OneLogin, Google or JumpCloud. Automatic user provisioning with Entra ID and Okta is an add-on.
- Site-to-site connections
- Premium can link office networks and devices to a private gateway through encrypted tunnels.
NordLayer pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, NordLayer is a paid product, starting at $8 per user / month, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $8 per user / month, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $8per user / month, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly) | Shared gateways in 40+ countries, web protection and download protection. 5 users minimum. |
| Core | $11per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly) | Adds private gateways and network access control. Needs a dedicated-IP server at $40 a month on yearly billing. 5 users minimum. |
| Premium | $14per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly) | Adds more granular network segmentation and site-to-site connections. Dedicated-IP server at $40 a month on yearly billing. 5 users minimum. |
| Enterprise offer | $6per user / month and up, billed yearly | For teams of 200 or more seats, starting from Lite capabilities; price varies with plan and features. Sold through sales. |
Read from nordlayer.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with NordLayer before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountSave up to 22% with yearly billing
The pricing page shows yearly billing at a lower per-user rate than monthly, labelled as saving up to 22%.
Stated on nordlayer.com
Works with
- Okta
- Entra ID
- OneLogin
- JumpCloud
- Google Workspace
- SentinelOne
- Jamf Cloud
- AWS
NordLayer alternatives
- NordLayer vs NordVPN
Free trial · from $139.08/yr
- NordLayer vs OpenVPN
Free plan · from $7/mo
- NordLayer vs Firezone
Free plan · from $50/yr
Common questions
Is NordLayer open source?
NordLayer is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.