Your own private VPN server: NordVPN's new add-on hands you isolated hardware and a static IP

NordVPN offers a private server with dedicated IP, hardware, port forwarding

The feature is aimed at gamers, self-hosters, and smart home owners

It's an add-on for $11.99 per month on top of an active subscription

NordVPN has launched a private, dedicated VPN server, a new add-on that gives you your own private corner of the internet with a static IP address, isolated hardware, and port forwarding. In plain terms, the feature lets you reach your home network, devices, and personal services from anywhere in the world without exposing your real location.

Most people pick one of the best VPN services to stay more private while browsing, and a standard connection with a shared IP does that job perfectly well. But with this add-on, you are the only person using the server, and you get all the bandwidth to yourself, as well as full control over the IP's reputation.

"Some users need their VPN to have a broader scope. They want to secure their gaming server’s IP address, access their home network from across the world, and keep their real IP off the public internet," says Domininkas Virbickas, product director at NordVPN. "A dedicated server gives them the resources to do that."

The feature is now available for $11.99 per month and requires an active NordVPN subscription.

What NordVPN's dedicated server actually is

The dedicated server is a virtual private server assigned exclusively to one person and deployed automatically once you buy it. Where a standard or dedicated-IP connection still runs on shared hardware, this gives you an entire virtual machine to yourself, with your own CPU, memory, and bandwidth.

The specs are modest but sensible for the job: 1 vCPU, 4GB of RAM, up to 1 Gbps of dedicated bandwidth, and a 4TB monthly data allowance, with up to 10 devices able to connect at once.

The headline feature, though, is port forwarding. Port forwarding lets specific types of internet traffic find their way to a particular device sitting behind the server, so people on the outside can reach it. Layered on top of a VPN, it does this without revealing the real IP address of whoever is hosting.

Why would anyone want one

For general browsing and streaming, you do not need this, and NordVPN is upfront that shared servers perform just as well for normal VPN use. The dedicated server is for the people whose needs spill beyond simple privacy.

For example, anyone hosting a game world normally has to hand their real IP address to every player who joins, and that exposes them to DDoS attacks and leaks location data. Routing traffic through a dedicated server keeps your real IP hidden, while port forwarding still lets friends connect.

Finally, if you want to log in to your home PC from a remote location or self-host your own tools, a dedicated server gives you a stable, private route in. This is a long-standing reason people pair port forwarding with a VPN: it lets you reach a server inside your home network remotely and safely. Similarly, you can also reach your smart home devices.

How to get started

The dedicated server is an extra that anyone can add to their NordVPN subscription, and the private server is provisioned automatically after purchase.

From there, you can pick the US, the UK, Germany, or France as your server location. Once it's live, you connect through any of the major NordVPN apps using the NordLynx protocol.

A few limits are worth noting before you buy. The feature is not available on browser extensions or Apple's tvOS, and it does not support OpenVPN or any protocol other than NordLynx.

It’s not pitched as an upgrade for everyday browsing or streaming, where a standard shared connection works just as well. But if you need a dedicated IP, isolated resources, and port forwarding, this gives you your own private corner of the internet to do it from.

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Monica is a tech journalist with over a decade of experience. She writes about the latest developments in computing, which means anything from computer chips made out of paper to cutting-edge desktop processors.

GPUs are her main area of interest, and nothing thrills her quite like that time every couple of years when new graphics cards hit the market.

She built her first PC nearly 20 years ago, and dozens of builds later, she’s always planning out her next build (or helping her friends with theirs). During her career, Monica has written for many tech-centric outlets, including Digital Trends, SlashGear, WePC, and Tom’s Hardware.