Forbes ranks NordVPN first — what South Africans should check before buying
Forbes Advisor ranks NordVPN first among its top VPNs, but South African buyers should separate advertising from editorial recommendations and examine local servers, privacy audits, subscription terms and technical evidence before paying.
Forbes Advisor rates NordVPN as its best VPN for most individuals and small and midsize businesses after researching 15 providers, comparing 48 factors and conducting hands-on tests of its top 10 services. That gives the ranking more substance than a list based only on specifications or customer reviews.
However, South African consumers should not treat a number-one position as an automatic instruction to subscribe.
The Forbes page also contains paid placements and affiliate links. Its disclosure says compensation affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear, while maintaining that this does not influence the editorial team’s recommendations.
There is an important distinction on the page. NordVPN appears first in the separately labelled Featured Partners advertising block and first in the editorial list of 10 providers. ExpressVPN appears second in the advertising block but is absent from that page’s editorial top 10.
That does not make either service unreliable. It means readers should distinguish editorial rankings, paid placements and affiliate links before making a decision.
What a VPN can and cannot do
A virtual private network creates a tunnel over an existing network and commonly uses encryption to protect information travelling between a device and the VPN endpoint.
When a consumer VPN is active, the local Wi-Fi operator or internet service provider can generally see that the device is communicating with a VPN service, but not the contents of traffic protected inside the tunnel. Websites normally see the VPN endpoint’s public IP address rather than the user’s usual public IP address.
The trade-off is that some trust moves from the local network and internet provider to the VPN company. The provider’s logging practices, technical design, ownership, jurisdiction and independent audit history therefore matter as much as its advertising claims.
A VPN does not prevent every online threat. It cannot make a fraudulent website legitimate or stop someone from voluntarily entering a password into a phishing page. It also does not replace software updates, security software, multifactor authentication or a password manager. The US Federal Trade Commission separately recommends updates and multifactor authentication as important protections against malware, account compromise and phishing.
South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act regulates the processing of personal information by public and private bodies and sets minimum conditions for lawful processing. A consumer VPN may improve privacy in some circumstances, but installing one does not by itself make a person or business compliant with POPIA.
VPN comparison for South African users
The order below reflects the strength of the publicly available evidence reviewed by TechnologyBlog.co.za. It is not based on local speed, leak or reliability testing.
| VPN | South African location | More Articles from us on this product | Trustpilot on 25 July 2026 | Affiliate Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | South Africa listed as one city | Read it here | 4.2/5 from 49,309 reviews | View more info here |
| ExpressVPN | Johannesburg | N/A | 4.3/5 from 28,297 reviews | View more info here |
| AdGuard VPN | Johannesburg | N/A | Rating unavailable; 293 reviews remain | View more info here |
| IceVPN | Johannesburg listed as a Pro location | N/A | 3.3/5 from seven reviews | View more info here |
| Mysterium VPN | Not independently confirmed | N/A | 2.8/5 from 141 reviews | View more info here |
Testing disclosure: TechnologyBlog.co.za has not conducted hands-on performance or security tests of the VPNs in this comparison. The assessment is based on official documentation, independent assurance information and public customer-review platforms checked on 25 July 2026.
NordVPN’s server directory lists South Africa as one city, and its assurance announcement describes the scope and timing of the Deloitte engagement. Its current Trustpilot profile shows a 4.2 score from 49,309 reviews.
ExpressVPN lists a Johannesburg location. Its 2025 KPMG material says the work examined whether its VPN servers complied with its privacy policy. Trustpilot displays a numerical score of 4.3 from 28,297 reviews.
AdGuard lists Johannesburg and says it does not collect logs on its VPN servers. Its Android application received Google Play’s independent security-review badge after a Mobile App Security Assessment, but this is not the same as a service-wide no-logs assurance engagement. Trustpilot says its rating is unavailable because of a guidelines breach and that it removed a number of fake reviews.
IceVPN lists Johannesburg as a paid Pro location. Its privacy policy says a user ID or IP address and connection timestamps may remain on a server for up to 15 minutes after a session ends. Trustpilot displays a 3.3 score based on seven reviews.
Mysterium markets access to more than 7,500 residential IP addresses across more than 100 countries and supports up to 15 devices. Its privacy policy says basic connection data is deleted within minutes, while operational server logs may process an IP address, browser type, timestamp and request URI for security, debugging and fraud prevention. TechnologyBlog.co.za did not independently confirm a currently available South African endpoint.
Why we did not include Google customer ratings
A Google Play Store rating measures reviews of a particular Android application. It should not be presented as a company-wide customer-service score. Google says Play Store reviewers rate apps they have downloaded and installed.
Google company reviews are normally associated with a Business Profile displayed through Search or Maps. However, Google’s eligibility rules generally exclude brands and other online-only businesses that do not meet customers in person.
We could not identify equivalent, verifiable Google Business Profile scores for all five VPN providers. Publishing their Play Store ratings in a “Google customer rating” column would create a misleading comparison, so those figures have been omitted.
1. NordVPN has the strongest public evidence among these five
NordVPN has a credible case for being the first service South African buyers investigate, even without relying on the Forbes ranking.
Its official server directory lists a South African location. Selecting a geographically closer endpoint may reduce latency in some circumstances, but actual performance depends on routing, congestion, protocol selection and the user’s connection.
NordVPN announced its sixth independent no-logs assurance engagement on 3 February 2026. Deloitte Lithuania examined its systems between 10 November and 12 December 2025.
The engagement covered standard, Double VPN, obfuscated and Onion Over VPN servers. NordVPN says Deloitte concluded that the reviewed systems and supporting operations were designed and implemented in line with its no-logs statement.
This was a point-in-time assessment rather than a permanent guarantee. The full report is available through a Nord Account instead of being openly published on the public website. Those limitations matter, but repeated independent assurance engagements provide stronger evidence than an unaudited promise alone.
NordVPN’s Trustpilot score was 4.2 from 49,309 reviews when checked. A large sample provides more information about reported customer experiences than a score based on only a few customers, but reviews cannot verify encryption, leak protection or no-logs architecture.
Who should consider it: Buyers looking for a conventional VPN, a South African server location and a repeated history of independent no-logs checks.
What still needs testing: South African fibre and mobile speeds, reconnection after power or network interruptions, DNS and IPv6 leaks, application reliability, support quality and renewal pricing.
Affiliate link: View more info here
2. ExpressVPN is the closest conventional alternative
ExpressVPN is the strongest direct alternative among the five services considered here.
Its official website lists a Johannesburg VPN location. KPMG’s 2025 work examined whether ExpressVPN’s VPN servers complied with the company’s privacy policy. The underlying report is dated 8 May 2025.
ExpressVPN had the highest usable Trustpilot score in this comparison at 4.3 from 28,297 reviews. The 0.1-point difference from NordVPN should not be interpreted as proof that ExpressVPN is technically better. Trustpilot measures reported customer experiences rather than controlled performance or security.
Readers should also understand its position on the Forbes page. ExpressVPN is displayed as the second Featured Partner in a block marked as advertising, but it does not appear in the page’s accompanying editorial top 10. It therefore should not be described as “Forbes’ number-two VPN” on the basis of that page.
The advertising placement does not disqualify ExpressVPN. Its Johannesburg endpoint and independent assurance history provide separate reasons to consider it.
Who should consider it: Buyers looking for an established conventional VPN with a Johannesburg location and documented third-party privacy checks.
What still needs testing: Performance against NordVPN on South African fibre and mobile networks, application reliability, support response times and full renewal costs.
Affiliate link: View more info here
3. AdGuard VPN has useful evidence but no usable Trustpilot score
AdGuard VPN lists Johannesburg among its locations. Its privacy policy says the company does not collect logs on VPN servers and does not know which websites users visit.
Its Android app received Google Play’s independent security-review badge after a Level 2 Mobile App Security Assessment by the App Defense Alliance process. AdGuard says Leviathan Security Group conducted the assessment.
That evidence concerns the Android application. It should not be described as equivalent to a comprehensive no-logs assurance engagement covering the provider’s full server network, organisational processes and other applications.
Trustpilot currently withholds AdGuard VPN’s rating because of a guidelines breach. The platform says it removed a number of fake reviews, with 293 reviews remaining when checked.
This does not prove that the VPN is insecure or unreliable. It means the Trustpilot profile cannot be used as an independent positive score, and the reason for the missing rating must be disclosed.
Who should consider it: Existing AdGuard customers who value integration with the company’s other privacy and ad-blocking products and want a Johannesburg location.
What still needs confirmation: A public service-wide no-logs assurance report and independent testing of its VPN protocol and server infrastructure.
Affiliate link: View more info here
4. IceVPN has a local location but limited external evidence
IceVPN’s official server list includes Johannesburg as a paid Pro location. The provider advertises more than 6,350 servers across more than 70 countries, along with features including a kill switch, split tunnelling and leak protection. These remain provider claims until independently tested.
Its privacy policy says the service does not collect browsing history, visited addresses or network traffic. However, it also says its servers may store a user ID or IP address and connection timestamps, with the information automatically deleted within 15 minutes after a session ends.
That is materially different from claiming that no connection information is processed at any time. It may represent limited retention, but readers should be given the precise wording instead of a simplified “zero logs” claim.
IceVPN’s Trustpilot score was 3.3 from seven reviews. Such a small sample cannot support confident conclusions about the experience of its broader customer base.
Who should consider it: Price-conscious users who are willing to examine the privacy policy closely and conduct their own technical checks.
What still needs confirmation: Independent no-logs assurance, ownership transparency, South African performance and whether the Johannesburg endpoint uses physical or virtual infrastructure.
Affiliate link: [Insert verified IceVPN affiliate destination]
5. Mysterium VPN uses a different and more complex model
Mysterium VPN differs from the other services because it uses decentralised infrastructure and promotes residential IP addresses instead of relying only on conventional data-centre endpoints.
The company advertises more than 7,500 residential IP addresses across more than 100 countries and support for up to 15 connected devices. These figures have not been independently verified by TechnologyBlog.co.za.
Residential IP addresses originate from consumer-style internet connections rather than conventional data centres. Mysterium markets this as less likely to be identified as commercial VPN traffic.
Decentralisation does not automatically make a service safer. It changes the trust model and makes it important to understand how nodes are operated, how abusive or compromised nodes are handled and what information the central service can process.
Mysterium’s privacy policy says basic connection data is deleted within minutes of a session ending. It also says operational server logs may process information including an IP address, browser type, timestamp and request URI for purposes such as security monitoring, debugging and fraud detection.
Its Trustpilot score was 2.8 from 141 reviews. The distribution was highly polarised when checked: 38% of reviews were five-star and 46% were one-star. That pattern warrants closer examination of repeated complaints before subscribing.
TechnologyBlog.co.za did not independently confirm current South African residential or data-centre availability. Availability on a decentralised network may also change as nodes join or leave.
Who should consider it: Technically informed users specifically looking for a residential-IP or decentralised VPN model and who understand its different trust assumptions.
What still needs confirmation: Current South African availability, independent no-logs assurance, node-vetting procedures and local performance.
Affiliate link: Check it out here
Should South Africans choose NordVPN because Forbes ranks it first?
NordVPN deserves a place on a South African buyer’s shortlist, but not merely because Forbes puts it first.
Among the five services assessed here, it currently offers the strongest combination of a South African server location, repeated independent no-logs assurance work, a large body of customer reviews and conventional infrastructure that is relatively easy for non-specialists to understand.
ExpressVPN is the most credible conventional alternative in this group because it also offers a Johannesburg location and recent independent privacy-assurance evidence. Its appearance as a paid Featured Partner on Forbes should be disclosed, but that placement does not erase the separate evidence supporting its inclusion.
AdGuard VPN may appeal to existing AdGuard customers, although its unavailable Trustpilot rating and the reason for the restriction must remain prominent. IceVPN has a Johannesburg endpoint but substantially less external evidence and an extremely small customer-review sample. Mysterium provides a distinctive residential and decentralised network, but its model requires more technical scrutiny and its customer-review score is the lowest of the five.
No published ranking can replace testing on the buyer’s own connection. Before committing to a long subscription, South African users should check:
- The full renewal price and payment currency.
- Cancellation and refund conditions.
- Performance on fibre and mobile data.
- Stability when changing between home, mobile and public Wi-Fi.
- Reconnection after load shedding or router restarts.
- Whether essential banking, work and streaming services remain accessible.
Users should also test the kill switch and check for DNS, IPv6 and WebRTC leaks.
Until TechnologyBlog.co.za conducts controlled local tests, this comparison should be treated as a research-based shortlist rather than a definitive ranking of VPN speed, security or reliability.
Affiliate disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. TechnologyBlog.co.za may receive a commission when a reader purchases a service through one of these links. Affiliate participation is not evidence that a product is secure, fast or suitable for every user.
