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Can a Whole Family Use One NordVPN Plan & Account?

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You can share a single NordVPN subscription with your family since the VPN allows multiple simultaneous connections across all devices.

Thus, you can use the VPN simultaneously with five family members or fewer if you connect more devices per person.

However, you can still get up to 60 connections under one NordVPN account.

So, continue reading to understand how to share your NordVPN subscription, when not to share, and everything else.

How to Share NordVPN Subscription With Family?

Every NordVPN subscription supports multi-logins from different locations or the same IP address, depending on where the family members you’re sharing with are.

Thus, the best way to share a NordVPN subscription with your family is to provide them with the login or enter your credentials for them.

Meanwhile, the second option is better if you’re concerned about password leaks or someone sharing with a member outside your family.

get nordvpn for family
NordVPN supports securing the entire household from a single subscription

In a nutshell, here’s how to share your subscription with your family:

  1. Buy a NordVPN subscription.
  2. Choose a preferred email/password combination.
  3. Log in to your device(s).
  4. Share the password for the remaining slots with family members.
  5. Enjoy your NordVPN account with your family.

However, not all NordVPN services can be shared with family. Likewise, there are a few limitations to sharing an account with others.

Thus, read on to learn how to get more than the standard six simultaneous connections and issues to look out for.

How Many Family Members Can Connect to One NordVPN Account?

NordVPN allows six simultaneous connections, but depending on how you share the VPN subscription with your family, you can get more. Also, the other multiple VPN connection options depend on where your family/group members are when connecting.

I distilled the various ways to connect multiple devices to the same account below.

Standard Connection

Allowed Devices: 6 Units
Best For: Family/group members not in the same location

The standard NordVPN multi-login support is for up to six devices connecting at once.

Note that this doesn’t translate to six users. Thus, if your brother connects his computer and your sister connects her iOS and Android devices, the rest of the family is left with only three connection slots.

nordvpn compatible devices
Devices you can use the standard connection slots on

However, if everyone never connects simultaneously, multiple family members can connect various devices. Even so, this multiple connection method is limiting for a larger family/connecting group.

So, check the other options below.

Router-Enabled Connection

Allowed Devices: Unlimited
Best For: Family/group members in the same house

NordVPN provides robust router software compatible with some routers.

Installing NordVPN on your router allows you to broadcast a secure connection to all devices connecting to that router’s Wi-Fi network.

The best notes about router-enabled connection method are:

  • Your router only counts as one unit, taking up 1/6 of the standard connection slots.
  • Unlimited users can connect to the router, depending on its connection capacity.
  • It allows you to protect smart TVs, printers, smart home devices, gaming consoles, and other devices that can’t download a native VPN app.
  • Besides protection, it also allows you to unblock content on your smart TVs, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, streaming devices, etc.

However, all family members must be in the same house to enjoy this connection.

Alternatively, family members with multiple devices can install the NordVPN router software. Thus, they only take up one slot, protect all their devices, and leave the other slots for other users.

Meshnet Connection

Allowed Devices: Unlimited
Best For: Family/group members in the same house

NordVPN’s new Meshnet feature allows you to connect multiple devices to a single unit (such as your home computer) rather than a VPN server. Thus, all the connected devices use the IP address of that single machine.

Meshnet connection is best for:

  • Family or group members traveling to other countries but wanting to retain access to files on their home computer.
  • Accessing services like Plex over NordVPN even when you aren’t with the computer the Plex server on.
  • Unblocking platforms (like betting sites, online casinos, content streaming sites, etc.) you can access over your home computer.

There are many more use cases for Meshnet, but you get the idea.

meshnet connections

However, this might be slightly more technical, even though NordVPN dramatically simplified it. Also, you don’t get VPN-assigned IP addresses for unblocking content from anywhere else. After all, you’re now stuck with the computer’s IP address your Meshnet traffic goes through.

Limitations to Sharing One NordVPN Account With Family

Sharing an account with family members can be fun and cost-saving. However, there are some limitations to keep in mind.

Let’s discuss them and possible ways to escape them.

Six Available Standard Slots

If you’re part of a bigger family with several devices, some users have to disconnect from the VPN service for others to use it.

nordvpn user logout tweet
This happens when more than six users are simultaneously connected to NordVPN

This is less than ideal when different family members are connected to NordVPN to:

  • Secure their financial transitions.
  • Place bets online.
  • Unblock and watch their favorite shows.
  • Play online games over servers not available in their region.
  • Encrypt their internet connection over public Wi-Fi networks.
  • Bypass censorship if they travel to countries like China, Afghanistan, Russia, etc.

In any of these cases, asking someone to disconnect for others to gain access doesn’t make sense. Fortunately, you can try the possible fixes below.

Recommendations:

  • Use NordVPN on a router for family members in the same location.
  • Suggest traveling family members create a Meshnet connection to use the internet like at home.
  • Get a Surfshark account for unlimited simultaneous connections.

Same VPN Server-Protocol Limitations

NordVPN doesn’t allow simultaneously connected users to browse over the same protocol when on the same server.

So, if you and a sibling are connected to the same US server, you can’t both use the NordLynx protocol. One user has to choose another protocol to stay on that server.

This is less than ideal if both family members are in different locations but unblocking the same show over the same server. For example, watching CraveTV, which is only possible on Canadian servers.

nordvpn family user locations tweet
As long as all family members aren't connected at once, using the same server and protocol

Likewise, this might limit the total simultaneous connections to four.

NordVPN only has four protocols: NordLynx, OpenVPN (TCP), OpenVPN (UDP), and IKEv2. So, only four family members can connect to the same server simultaneously.

If this is going to be an issue, explore the possible fixes below.

Recommendations:

  • Set up a router app to connect unlimited devices to a server with the same protocol.
  • Connect to other servers to enjoy the same protocol.
  • Get Surfshark instead to connect to the same server without protocol limitation.

Increased Chance of Account Breaches

Unfortunately, NordVPN doesn’t allow each user under one account to create their own logins. So, everyone shares your login details.

Sharing passwords is one of the fastest ways to get account leaks. After all, you can’t control how well each family member protects the password. Thus, leading to a NordVPN account breach.

nordvpn password sharing tweet
Sharing NordVPN is great as long as everyone keeps the login details safe

The only silver lining here is that NordVPN doesn’t keep logs, so a hacker can’t see what you’re all doing on the internet. Still, it’s scary that your online security tool (with your billing details attached) can fall into a hacker’s hands.

Recommendations:

  • Only share your passwords with trusted family members.
  • Inform all family members of the risks of losing the account login.
  • Unlink financial details from the account till you have to renew your plan.
  • Sign up with a burner email account.

Responsibility

NordVPN holds you responsible for whatever happens on your account.

Thus, if any family member does anything questionable, it tracks back to you.

share nordvpn with friends tweet
NordVPN holds the account admin responsible for whatever happens on that account

Now, NordVPN is an audited no-logs provider, and it’s based in Panama, so it won’t hand over your data to authorities. However, NordVPN may cooperate with the police if you breach its ToS, such as using the VPN for illegal activity.

In other words, unless you’re sure of the integrity of your family/group members, you’re putting yourself on the line by sharing a password with them.

Recommendations:

  • Again, only share your account with trusted family members.
  • Ensure no family member shares the password with anyone outside the circle.
  • Change the NordVPN account password frequently and re-share with trusted family members alone.
  • Inform your family members of the risk you’re taking for them.

Can You Share a NordVPN Account With Family Members in Another Country?

You can share a single NordVPN account with family members in another country. However, this prevents you from taking advantage of the unlimited router connections, keeping you to the standard six simultaneous connections.

share nordvpn with friends outside country
A user sharing her NordVPN account with family members in other countries

Sharing an account with family members in another country is possible since NordVPN doesn’t log users’ IP addresses. So, it doesn’t check where you’re connecting from and can’t use that information to decide that multiple users from different locations are signing in.

You can also connect family members in another country to a NordVPN Meshnet network.

Can You Share Other NordVPN Subscriptions With Family?

NordVPN offers extra subscription options for dedicated IP addresses, the NordPass password security software, and NordLocker for secure file sharing. However, you can only share some of these with your family under specific circumstances.

Find out below.

Dedicated IP Address

NordVPN’s Dedicated IP addresses allow you to:

  • Avoid server hopping to always access the web securely from a remote location.
  • Prevent account bans on some betting platforms, online casinos, streaming sites, and other platforms that may be spooked by changing IP addresses.
  • Bypass captchas and robot-checks from web servers that assume you’re sending bot traffic on shared IP addresses.

As good as those sound, I confirmed from NordVPN’s support that its dedicated IPs can only be used on a single device at once. Thus, you can’t share it with family for simultaneous connections.

But there’s a neat workaround for this problem. Enable the dedicated IP address on your router and broadcast it to all connected devices.

However, this only works for family members in the same house/location.

NordPass

NordPass is NordVPN’s secure password management system. This product helps prevent account breaches by generating and saving strong passwords across all the devices you have it on.

Speaking of the devices you have it on, you can log in to your NordPass account on unlimited devices. Thus, you can share your NordPass account with family members to store secure data.

nordvpn customer chat a
You can setup NordLocker and NordLayer on multiple, separate devices

However, I recommend you NEVER do this.

Remember that NordPass is a single vault that could contain:

  • Logins to your online accounts.
  • Online banking passwords and data.
  • Credit card details.
  • Secure notes (such as cryptocurrency recovery phrases) you saved.

So, while I’m not saying your family member may breach your secure accounts, they could be careless with the password. Scarily, anyone with that master password could:

  • Change your email password and lock you out of all accounts.
  • Steal your identity to commit crimes
  • Wipe you out financially
  • Steal your cryptocurrency holdings
  • Change your NordPass password and retain access to all your passwords
  • Hold you to ransom over your data

No version of that is less scary than the other. So, everyone should get their own NordPass account.

nordvpn nordpass plans

Alternatively, you can sign up for a NordPass family account.

nordvpn family plans

This gives each family member different logins under a single, more affordable dashboard.

NordLocker

NordLocker is the cloud storage tool you can use to:

  • Encrypt and securely share customer data you’re handling for your company.
  • Keep your company’s intellectual property items away from prying eyes.
  • Share confidential files with teammates and supervisors.
  • Secure any other kind of file you don’t want falling into the wrong hands.

NordVPN also doesn’t restrict how many users can log into a single NordLocker account.

However, considering the significance of information stored on the NordLocker, would you want to share your passwords?

It takes a family member making a simple mistake like clicking on a phishing link to lose access to your NordLocker files. Worse, these files may fall into the hands of a business competitor, ransom-seeking hacker, blackmailer, etc.

All this could be prevented by not sharing your password in the first place.

Interesting Reads:

Frequently Asked Questions

NordVPN doesn’t have a family plan. Instead, it allows users to connect six devices (across smartphones and PCs) to a single account. Thus, providing simultaneous connections that can be used by family members.

The NordVPN account holder/admin can’t see what devices are connected, other users’ connections, or web activity. Since NordVPN doesn’t keep connection logs, the account admin also can’t determine the IP address of the connected users, what servers they’re connected to, or other intricate details.

Start Sharing NordVPN With Family Today

You now know everything about sharing your NordVPN subscription with family members. Likewise, you learned the limitations, concerns, and how best to deal with them.

When you’re ready to start, enjoy these NordVPN discounts to get even better value for yourself and your family.

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