NordVPN backtracks on Meshnet decision
29th September 2025
After a torrent of complaints directed at NordVPN, the company has decided on a U-turn. After announcing it would pull the plug on Meshnet, the company faced a mini-revolt from its users and has now backtracked. Meshnet, NordVPN’s unique private networking tool, is officially here to stay. Meshnet was originally slated to shut down on December 1, 2025, because only about 1% of NordVPN users actually used it. Product director Domininkas Virbickas admitted the feature slowed down development of other tools like Threat Protection Pro and required significant engineering effort to maintain. From a business perspective, it made sense to sunset it. But NordVPN’s most passionate users weren’t having it. Many subscribers argued that Meshnet, which allows you to securely connect up to 60 devices over encrypted tunnels, was the reason they chose NordVPN in the first place. For some, it’s not just a neat extra but a daily essential for secure file sharing, rerouting connections, or gaming with friends without exposing their networks. The backlash was loud enough that NordVPN decided to rethink its position. In a refreshingly candid blog post, NordVPN admitted that user feedback changed their mind: “Your passion made us take a hard look at our decision,” the team wrote. Meshnet will now not only stay online but will also be open-sourced, letting the community help improve and build on it. That’s a win-win, NordVPN gets help refining the tool, and power users get to shape its future. Sure, keeping Meshnet around still presents challenges for NordVPN’s developers, but this move shows a rare willingness to listen to customers rather than quietly shelving niche features. And in a VPN market where most providers focus on raw speed tests and discount pricing, NordVPN’s decision to keep a feature that champions privacy, tinkering, and user control feels like a big step in the right direction. For privacy-minded users, this is more than just a feature update, it’s a reminder that when enough people speak up, companies will listen. And in an era when governments are talking about cracking down on VPNs altogether, it’s good to see at least one provider doubling down on giving users more control, not less.
