Atlas VPN shuts down, migrates to NordVPN: Here’s what you need to know

Why is Atlas VPN closing?

Atlas VPN is closing because of mounting challenges, including rapidly advancing technological demands, a highly competitive VPN market, and the escalating costs of providing top-tier services. Simply put, keeping a modern VPN service running at the level users expect takes constant investment in infrastructure, features, and security research. Rather than scale back quality, the decision was made to sunset the service and move users to a provider that can continue to meet those expectations.

What’s next for Atlas VPN users

Atlas VPN partnered with its sister company under the Nord Security family, NordVPN, to ensure users can continue to enjoy secure VPN services without interruption. All paid Atlas VPN subscribers were transferred to NordVPN on April 24, 2024, allowing them to use the full set of premium NordVPN features at no additional cost until their original subscription period ends. After that, users can opt to subscribe to NordVPN or discontinue using the service.

If you’re an Atlas VPN user, you don’t need to take any extra steps to keep using a VPN. Your existing subscription carries over to NordVPN, including equivalent add-ons where applicable, making the transition as smooth as possible. This move preserves the level of protection you originally signed up for, while moving your account under a different brand.

If you’d like to keep using a VPN after your current subscription period ends, NordVPN will provide instructions on setting up a new subscription. Since auto-renewal will be automatically disabled after the migration to NordVPN, users can continue to use NordVPN service and renew their subscriptions (if they wish to do so) manually once the current subscription period ends.

If your Atlas VPN subscription ended before the migration date, you weren’t transitioned to NordVPN. However, as a former Atlas VPN user, you may be eligible for a discount offer from NordVPN, so keep an eye on the email address you used to register your Atlas VPN account for an email that will explain how you can claim the discount.

Note: Any future NordVPN subscription includes pre-renewal email notifications. Auto-renewal charges occur 14 days before the renewal date for most payment methods.

Are all Atlas VPN features available on NordVPN?

Most Atlas VPN features are available on NordVPN, though some specific features may vary. NordVPN offers a full set of security and privacy features that are likely to meet or exceed what you used in Atlas VPN. Those include a large global server network, strong encryption, Meshnet, and advanced security tools such as next-gen antivirus*, capable of stopping scams, malware, and phishing attempts.

If a particular feature you relied on works differently, the NordVPN equivalent is usually easy to find inside the app or through NordVPN’s help center.

*NordVPN’s next-gen antivirus is a complete digital threat protection tool that’s available on Windows and macOS. Learn what it is and how it works in the next-gen antivirus whitepaper.

What data has been transferred to NordVPN?

Regarding users’ personal data, only the minimal amount of information needed to set up your subscription has been transferred to NordVPN. Atlas VPN operated under a no-logs policy, so the transfer was limited to the minimum data needed to honor your subscription. That included:

• The length of your remaining subscription.
• The email address you used to register your Atlas VPN account.

How does NordVPN compare to Atlas VPN?

While Atlas VPN offers simple and robust VPN service to its customers, NordVPN adds more VPN servers and even more security features. Here’s how both services compare to each other:

In short, the move to NordVPN keeps you within the same Nord Security family, but with a broader server network, more advanced security tools, and a service designed for long-term support.

What to do now?

If you were an Atlas VPN subscriber, you don’t need to take any urgent action — your access continues on NordVPN until the end of your original subscription. From there, you can decide whether to set up a NordVPN subscription using the instructions provided to you.

Although the closing of Atlas VPN might be sad news for some, the mission to make the internet safer doesn’t end here, continuing with NordVPN.