Combine the privacy of the Tor browser with extra VPN security
Shield your online activities — even that you’re using the Onion Network
No extra setup to use the Onion network — one click is all you need
Onion Over VPN is a special feature of NordVPN. It gives you all the advantages of The Onion Router (Tor) combined with the extra security of a VPN tunnel.
In the Onion network, you send your web traffic through a network of volunteer-operated servers. Instead of taking a direct route, your internet data enters the Onion network via a random relay anywhere around the globe. Your internet traffic goes through layers of encryption at every point of connection, making it difficult to identify where the traffic comes from.
Entry
You connect to the Onion network at a random entry point.
Maze of servers
While traveling through multiple servers, your data is enveloped in layers of encryption.
Decryption
Further down the road, the layers of encryption are peeled off one by one.
Exit
Your data is decrypted, and you exit through a random node, landing on the web.
Onion servers are volunteer-operated — anyone can set up and run one. That means bad actors could deploy thousands of compromised servers to track you online. But using Onion Over VPN hides your real IP address from the entry node, meaning your identity is protected even from someone monitoring vast portions of the Onion network.
Without NordVPN, your internet service provider can see that you use the Onion network. This can be especially risky for activists, journalists, and bloggers in censorship-heavy countries. NordVPN shields your online activities from all third parties and does not track your online activity, letting you enjoy privacy online.
Start using our Onion Over VPN feature in 3 easy steps.
Log in
Open your NordVPN app and enter your account credentials.
Find specialty servers
The “Specialty servers” tab is on the left-hand side of the screen on desktop devices. On mobile devices, simply swipe up.
Connect to Onion Over VPN
Press “Onion Over VPN” to automatically connect to the best available server.
For additional information, please have a look at the Onion Over VPN section in our Help Center.If you feel you need an extra layer of protection against surveillance and censorship.
If you want to keep the fact that you’re using the Onion network to yourself.
If a single leak can cause tremendous harm or place people in real danger.
A VPN tunnel is more than enough to guarantee your safety. You already have increased security when you’re connected to a NordVPN server.
Since you take a longer path, routing your traffic through multiple Onion servers, you’ll have to deal with lower connection speeds.
If you don’t want to deal with the Onion network, use the Double VPN feature, which routes your data through two VPN servers, providing double the security.
Our Onion Over VPN feature operates under the principle known as Tor over VPN — that is, you connect to a VPN server first, then access the Onion network. But it’s not the only privacy solution to combine Tor anonymity with VPN security. VPN over Tor reverses the steps, first plugging you into the Onion network, and then adding VPN protection to the mix.
VPN over Tor lets you reach websites that normally block Tor traffic, but suffers from serious drawbacks compared to Tor over VPN. Notably, it’s more difficult to set up, doesn’t shield your IP address from the entry node, and doesn’t hide the fact that you’re using Tor from your ISP. You’re trading the biggest plus of Tor over VPN — increased privacy — for a few extra websites.
Tor over VPN
.onion sitesVPN over Tor
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