Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN and its suite of online security solutions has announced that it has acquired Atlas VPN.
Atlas VPN is both a free and premium VPN service in a similar vein to ProtonVPN. It was founded in 2019, yet despite its youth, it has already acquired more than 6 million users worldwide.
Full details of the deal have not been made public as both Nord Security and Atlas VPN are privately-owned companies and under no obligation to publish details of their business transactions.
It has been confirmed that Atlas VPN will become part of the Nord Security corporate structure.
If some Atlas VPN users are a little unnerved by this, they needn’t be. Nord Security has a reputation for being a hugely responsible VPN owner and it has already made it clear that Atlas VPN will be required to adhere to the core principles of transparency and trustworthiness of all their services.
This includes submitting to regular third-party audits to test Atlas VPN’s privacy provision, which is something that they haven’t done to date and will be a great boon to their privacy credentials.
What Nord Security offers
As well as being the owners of NordVPN, one of the best regarded premium VPNs on the market and a firm fixture on our Editor’s Picks Top 3 list for a number of years now, Nord Security also boasts a great many other top brands.
This includes NordPass, their next-generation password manager, NordLocker, an encrypted cloud storage service, and NordLayer, an advanced network access security solution.
But it is undoubtedly the case that NordVPN is their best known service, which does beg the question of why Nord Security has chosen to buy another VPN provider in Atlas VPN.
This is the first time that Nord Security has purchased an outside VPN provider but the owners of many of their competitors have been acquiring other providers for some time.
Only last month, we reported that Kape Technologies, whose stable already includes Private Internet Access, CyberGhost VPN, and Zenmate, were acquiring ExpressVPN in a deal worth a huge US$936 million.
Clearly, the people at the top table in Nord Security have concluded that if they want to compete with the likes of Kape and Ziff Davis, Inc. (Previously J2 Global, Inc.) which owns IPVanish, StrongVPN & Encrypt.me they have to follow a similar business model.
What Atlas VPN offers
So, what have Nord Security purchased in Atlas VPN?
Free subscribers to Atlas VPN benefit from no speed limits, unlimited simultaneous connections, and a choice of three VPN server locations. They also have access to Atlas VPNs “military-grade” encryption.
Premium subscribers can unlock additional features including a full server network consisting of 750+ servers in 32 different countries and a range of additional security features too.
With prices starting from just $1.39 a month for those willing to sign up for a three-year deal, they are very competitively priced too.
A free VPN is not a business route that Nord Security has gone down before and it will be interested to see if they choose to retain the free VPN service that Atlas VPN offers or whether they will pivot the focus of their business back to being a premium service
There is no further information on this available at the time of writing. The press statement announcing the agreement does state that Atlas VPN will continue to act independently and pursue their goals in the “freemium” segment.
How long this will be the case remains to be seen but Atlas VPN users can rest assured that if there are to be any changes to the service they are using, they are likely to be many months away at the earliest.
If you are interested in learning more about Atlas VPN, here at VPNCompare we are currently in the process of reviewing their service so check back here to read a full review of what Nord Security’s new acquisition has to offer in the next few days.
