There's definitely a lot of muddled up terminology here. What they're calling "mesh networking" here is really just VPN in the conventional sense, and what they're calling "VPN" is only a single feature of VPN, namely securely forwarding traffic through an intermediary server. Mesh networking is something else entirely; the "mesh networking" provider they link to as an alternative option doesn't even have the word "mesh" on their site.
slipheen · 5h ago
I did not realize they had ever offered this. I suppose that may be related to why it's shutting down.
One potential alternative might be to investigate https://tailscale.com/mullvad
You can use tailscale for normal device->device routing, and add mullvad VPN as an optional outgoing ip gateway.
Lammy · 1h ago
Tailscale spy on all of your traffic/behavior by default, so this isn't a great recommendation to people who used NordVPN for privacy reasons without the disclaimer that they will need to opt out of Tailscale's spying by setting a special environment variable on every single machine in their Tailnet: https://tailscale.com/kb/1011/log-mesh-traffic
“Each Tailscale agent in your distributed network streams its logs to a central log server (at `log.tailscale.io`). This includes real-time events for open and close events for every inter-machine connection (TCP or UDP) on your network.”
LeoPanthera · 1h ago
I wish Tailscale let you pay for one Mullvad exit node but then switch which device is using it. Right now it's tied to a single device.
PufPufPuf · 1h ago
They say it's $5 for 5 devices on their page, and that it works as a Tailscale exit node... is that not true?
LeoPanthera · 1h ago
Looks like you're right, you can add up to five devices for the same price.
You still have to choose those devices in advance though.
mantra2 · 4h ago
I always thought the feature sounded interesting - but - Nord just isn’t a company that screams trustworthy to me, so I never bothered to try it. I’d definitely never store my passwords with them. I’m surprised that’s not their least used feature.
bigiain · 29m ago
> Nord just isn’t a company that screams trustworthy to me
Same. Blanket advertising on half the YouTube channels I watch tips their reputation very mush towards "meh". I have no clue if they're ny better or worse than the average vpn company, but "the average vpn company" these days seems to be a super low bar - from things I read it seems they're mostly monetising by selling your privacy to data brokers or your internet bandwidth as "residential proxies" to ai copyright thieves.
joecool1029 · 6h ago
Not a subscriber but I read the comments and apparently they offered this service to non-subscribers as well? My guess was it was a nice loss-leader to attract new customers and they've decided they no longer need it (since signups presumably skyrocketing with all the recent law changes).
Don't know why they didn't just restrict it to paying subs or charge extra for it instead of getting rid of it, seems a stupid business decision that's going to cause lots of cancellations from subscribers that did use it and saw it as a differentiating feature from the competition.
At least when mullvad nuked port forwarding they conveyed their reasoning quite clearly (they kept getting legal claims for people hosting illegal content or torrenting).
righthand · 5h ago
Usually this means the product owner is disinterested or leaving the company.
jrm4 · 5h ago
Once again, I'll both big-up and ask what's up with Tinc.
As in, I've been using it for years and still do, it's sort of an integral part of my whole deal, but it also seems kind of unmaintained, I haven't checked on that.
And it's not the easiest to set up, but it feels miles ahead of whatever the Wireguard equivalent is or isn't these days.
arjvik · 4h ago
Can I ask, is Tinc supposed to be open-source-barebones-Tailscale? What are the benefits/drawbacks to a more hosted solution like Tailscale or even running one's own Headscale server?
jrm4 · 3h ago
Not sure; Tinc existed first.
The point of Tinc is basically OpenVPN but automatically meshes and there is no such thing as a "main server?" Just get them all to find any of the others, and everyone's connected.
gsliepen · 2h ago
Tinc unfortunately has a complete lack of maintainers with enough time to dedicate to it.
Tinc 1.1 should make setting up easier; it has a CLI to set up and add nodes without having to manually edit config files. And you can generate invitation URLs which can make it even easier.
alyandon · 4h ago
I'd really like to see some combination of Tinc that manages the layer 2 mesh routing with wireguard underneath for the point to point tunnels.
ToucanLoucan · 6h ago
I have to hard agree with a commenter from that article: I had no fucking idea NordVPN even had this feature, and as a fully self-admitted addict of video essays, I have seen a LOT of fucking NordVPN ads.
It wouldn't make me buy it, I'm just not in the market, but that's an insane feature to just not advertise. And its not surprising it never got much attention.
gear54rus · 5h ago
To block NordVpn ads on youtube, use SponsorBlock extension - a crowdsourced database of malicious video segments.
ToucanLoucan · 4h ago
I'm aware of it, but two things:
- My primary avenue for YouTube vids is Apple TV, which is the ONLY reason I pay for premium
- Honestly most of the creators I follow there make their ad reads entertaining enough that I'm not really bothered. I'm just emphasizing here I have heard a shit ton and a half of Nord ads, by a bunch of different creators, and I have NEVER heard of this feature. It's wild to me.
jesprenj · 5h ago
2025: A major VPN company stops offering Virtual Private Networks.
Arnavion · 2h ago
They used to correctly call themselves proxies back in the day. They only started calling themselves "VPNs" because "Private Network" makes for good marketing with the "hide your traffic from snoopers" angle, even though it's not the kind of private network a VPN is.
One potential alternative might be to investigate https://tailscale.com/mullvad You can use tailscale for normal device->device routing, and add mullvad VPN as an optional outgoing ip gateway.
“Each Tailscale agent in your distributed network streams its logs to a central log server (at `log.tailscale.io`). This includes real-time events for open and close events for every inter-machine connection (TCP or UDP) on your network.”
You still have to choose those devices in advance though.
Same. Blanket advertising on half the YouTube channels I watch tips their reputation very mush towards "meh". I have no clue if they're ny better or worse than the average vpn company, but "the average vpn company" these days seems to be a super low bar - from things I read it seems they're mostly monetising by selling your privacy to data brokers or your internet bandwidth as "residential proxies" to ai copyright thieves.
Don't know why they didn't just restrict it to paying subs or charge extra for it instead of getting rid of it, seems a stupid business decision that's going to cause lots of cancellations from subscribers that did use it and saw it as a differentiating feature from the competition.
At least when mullvad nuked port forwarding they conveyed their reasoning quite clearly (they kept getting legal claims for people hosting illegal content or torrenting).
As in, I've been using it for years and still do, it's sort of an integral part of my whole deal, but it also seems kind of unmaintained, I haven't checked on that.
And it's not the easiest to set up, but it feels miles ahead of whatever the Wireguard equivalent is or isn't these days.
The point of Tinc is basically OpenVPN but automatically meshes and there is no such thing as a "main server?" Just get them all to find any of the others, and everyone's connected.
Tinc 1.1 should make setting up easier; it has a CLI to set up and add nodes without having to manually edit config files. And you can generate invitation URLs which can make it even easier.
It wouldn't make me buy it, I'm just not in the market, but that's an insane feature to just not advertise. And its not surprising it never got much attention.
- My primary avenue for YouTube vids is Apple TV, which is the ONLY reason I pay for premium
- Honestly most of the creators I follow there make their ad reads entertaining enough that I'm not really bothered. I'm just emphasizing here I have heard a shit ton and a half of Nord ads, by a bunch of different creators, and I have NEVER heard of this feature. It's wild to me.