NordVPN's Next-Gen Antivirus scores 94% in independent phishing and malware testing

NordVPN's next-gen antivirus has achieved a 94% phishing detection rate in AV-Comparatives' latest anti-phishing test, ranking third among security products in the independent evaluation. The result our choice as the best VPN behind only Avast One Free Antivirus and Norton Antivirus Plus, both of which scored 96%.

The test, which ran from August 12–22, 2026, assessed phishing-page detection rates across 250 live phishing URLs, with an additional 250 legitimate URLs used to check for false positives. NordVPN recorded zero false alarms – a result that puts it ahead of Malwarebytes Premium and Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus, both of which triggered false positives during the evaluation.

The findings come as NordVPN continues to reposition itself as an all-in-one digital security app. The company's recent rebrand saw Threat Protection Pro renamed as "next-generation antivirus," placing it alongside its VPN and Dark Web Monitor as one of three core pillars of the product.

How does NordVPN compare?

Finishing third among nine security products is a strong result, but the detail behind NordVPN's score is arguably just as telling as the number itself. Avast One Free Antivirus and Norton Antivirus Plus both edged it out with 96% detection rates, but the gap is narrow – a two-percentage-point difference across 250 live phishing URLs amounts to five URLs.

The rest of the field tells its own story. At the other end of the table, Dr. Web Security Space managed just 57% and K7 Total Security 70% – results that illustrate how inconsistent phishing protection remains across the security products market, even among established names.

NordVPN's advantage over the field is clearest on false positives. It was one of seven security products to record zero false alarms – and false positives erode confidence in a security tool just as surely as missed threats do.

"Phishing is a numbers game for attackers, and they're very good at it," said Domininkas Virbickas, product director at NordVPN. "Anybody might slip up eventually, and when you do click on something you shouldn't, that's where we step in."

A strong track record in independent testing

This is not the first time NordVPN's threat protection feature has performed well under independent scrutiny. In November 2024, AV-TEST – a German independent IT security research institute – previously rated Threat Protection Pro the best VPN tool for malware protection, achieving an 83.42% total detection rate across 3,209 tested links. That result placed it well ahead of the next-best VPN tested, IPVanish, which scored 46.96%.

NordVPN also has history with AV-Comparatives specifically. In June 2024, it became the first VPN provider to earn the organisation's anti-phishing protection badge – a significant distinction given that AV-Comparatives is best known for evaluating dedicated antivirus software, not VPNs. Earning the badge requires a minimum 85% detection rate with zero false alarms on legitimate sites, a bar not all established antivirus products have cleared. The August 2026 result, at 94%, clears it by some distance.

NordVPN's next-gen antivirus is available on Plus plans and above – the feature was previously known as Threat Protection Pro, and is included across Plus, Complete, and Prime tiers.