NordVPN has reversed its decision to shut down Meshnet, keeping the peer-to-peer encrypted networking feature live after significant user backlash.
TLDR:
- NordVPN planned to shut down Meshnet by December 1, 2025, citing low usage and high maintenance costs.
- Only 1 percent of users were using Meshnet, but they voiced strong opposition across social media, forums, and support channels.
- In response, NordVPN will keep Meshnet active and plans to open-source the platform to encourage community contributions.
- The decision signals a shift toward more user-inclusive product development at NordVPN.
What Happened?
NordVPN had originally announced plans to discontinue its Meshnet feature, a secure file-sharing and networking tool, by the end of 2025. The company pointed to low usage numbers and the high cost of maintaining the service as key reasons for the shutdown. However, user feedback flooded in across Reddit, social media, support tickets, and blog comments, expressing disappointment and urging NordVPN to reconsider.
Faced with this overwhelming response, the company decided to cancel the shutdown and instead open-source Meshnet, giving users a chance to shape its future.
NordVPN has been listening to complaints and made a U-turn on its decision to disconnect Meshnet starting from December 1, 2025. Here’s all we know. https://t.co/zscuHtNqcj
— TechRadar (@techradar) September 29, 2025
Meshnet Survives: A Victory for the Community
Meshnet was launched in 2022 and made free to all users by March 2023. It allows users to create encrypted private tunnels between up to 60 devices, enabling secure file sharing, remote access, multiplayer gaming, and private networking without traditional server setups.
While only 1 percent of NordVPN subscribers reportedly use Meshnet, it became clear that for that group, Meshnet was more than a side feature. Many claimed it was the primary reason they chose NordVPN. Some even said they would cancel their subscriptions or switch to alternatives like Tailscale if it were shut down.
Quotes from NordVPN executives reflect the shift in mindset:
“Although only a small portion of our community actively used Meshnet, their stories made it clear how valuable it was to them,” said Marijus Briedis, CTO at NordVPN.
“We’ve realized that it deserves to keep evolving with you,” the company added in its blog post.
Why NordVPN Wanted to Shut It Down?
According to Product Director Domininkas Virbickas, Meshnet was becoming a bottleneck for the development team. Its technical complexity interfered with work on core VPN features like Threat Protection Pro. Despite being useful, it required substantial engineering resources while serving a small user base.
But the company admits that its initial decision failed to take into account the deep value the tool held for its dedicated users.
Meshnet’s New Path: Open Source and Expansion
With the shutdown reversed, NordVPN says Meshnet will remain fully supported. Beyond that, the company is now taking a major step: open-sourcing Meshnet. This means developers around the world will be able to inspect, contribute to, and build upon the codebase.
This move is not entirely new for NordVPN. The company has previously open-sourced its Libtelio and Libdrop libraries, which power core VPN networking and Meshnet’s file-sharing capabilities.
Now, with Meshnet going open source, NordVPN aims to:
- Reduce development friction
- Make the feature more accessible and user-friendly
- Empower the community to contribute and innovate
What TechKV Thinks?
Honestly, I love to see stories like this. When companies actually listen to their users, it shows the power of community feedback. NordVPN could have ignored the outrage and moved on, but instead, it admitted the value users brought to the table. Open-sourcing Meshnet is a smart way to offload some development while inviting passionate users to help it grow. If handled right, this could transform Meshnet into a standout feature in NordVPN’s suite. Let’s just hope they follow through and actively support community contributions.
