“We don’t want to be in the features game” was the clear message from Gen Digital’s Martin Budac, in a recent TechRadar visit to the company’s Czech offices.
Gen Digital is the name behind Norton VPN, a provider undertaking a complete revamp. In 2025 alone, the service has seen bounds of improvements — the latest including new, 25 Gbps servers and developments to its OpenVPN configurations.
“Bells and whistles is the wrong approach”
That’s how Himmat Bains, Norton VPN’s Product Lead, put it. “It’s easy to fall into the trap and just throw things in”
But that’s not to say Norton VPN is featureless. While it’s separate from Norton’s antivirus products, several important features are now included with the VPN. These include parental controls, cloud backup, dark web monitoring, and a password manager.
Such features are offered individually by several top VPNs, though Norton sits among a very select number to offer multiple, let alone all, of these features.
“More or less 90% of the threats we see are scams”
NortonVPN doesn’t benefit from Norton’s full 360 antivirus protection but it does give users access to its AI-based malware, phishing, and scam protection tools.
We haven’t put this tool through its paces just yet but we’re particularly interested in testing its AI scam protection capabilities given how pervasive Norton says these scams are.
Its inclusion is yet another example of Norton targeting features that have practical uses for everyday users. As Budac said, the company’s main task is to “protect the customer in a way that they would benefit from rather than just adding an arbitrary feature.”
So while we might not see advanced features like Surfshark’s Alternative IDs or NordVPN’s Meshnet any time soon, the features Norton is prioritizing have the potential to make a genuine impact on a daily basis.
Retaining consumer trust
Despite its recent developments, the Norton VPN app has retained its classic, simple Norton feel. And there’s a good reason for this: “The Norton brand signifies trust,” Bains said.
But this doesn’t mean Norton is resting on its laurels. “We’re innovating in the background,” Bains added.
The Norton brand signifies trust”
Himmat Bains
Budac echoed the sentiment, noting that the team is focused on “building a product that we want to use ourselves.”
Having reviewed Norton VPN earlier this year, I’m excited to see how the product continues to progress in the following months.
Keeping an eye
2026 could be a huge year for Norton VPN. While the service is still marred by a few small bugs, these are unlikely to persist given the speed at which the product has developed this year.
Norton is aiming to become the iPad of VPNs”
It has already resolved its confusing device usage limits to create a simpler all-round experience. Furthermore, integrating OpenVPN DCO, alongside TCP and UDP protocols, has greatly enhanced its customizability. Meanwhile, new features like parental controls and password management have added real depth to its value-led packages.
The next steps it needs to compete with the best are, by comparison, small.
It feels as though Norton is aiming to become the iPad of VPNs: simple to set up, easy to use, and powerful enough for a super-user, yet accessible enough for your grandma. If it continues on this trajectory, it could reach that goal sooner than you might expect.
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