NordLayer is a solid choice for small and mid-sized businesses that want a managed VPN with basic zero trust controls and fast deployment. Whether it is the right choice depends on the size of your workforce and the kind of traffic it carries.
Where NordLayer performs well
Setup is simple. Most teams can sign up, invite users and connect through the desktop or mobile apps in well under an hour. The NordLynx protocol, built on WireGuard, keeps tunnel overhead low, and server performance is rated at up to 1 Gbps. Integration with Entra ID, Okta, JumpCloud and Google Workspace makes onboarding and offboarding straightforward, while Virtual Private Gateways with dedicated IPs let you lock down SaaS apps through IP allowlisting. NordLayer also holds ISO 27001 certification and meets SOC 2 Type I requirements, which helps with compliance reviews.
Where it falls short
NordLayer still routes traffic through fixed gateways, so users far from a gateway location see added latency, and the tunnel does nothing to correct packet loss on poor home or hotel Wi-Fi. Advanced features such as the cloud firewall and site-to-site connectors only appear on higher tiers, and the required dedicated server adds a fixed monthly cost.
For organizations where real-time applications drive productivity, a high-performance ZTNA service such as Cloudbrink may be a better fit. It uses machine learning to steer traffic around congestion and recover lost packets, which matters more for VDI and video calls than raw encryption speed.