VPN prices and deals, checked November 13, 2026

How we checked these prices

Every price in the table comes from the provider's own pricing or checkout page, read on 2026-11-13, in US dollars unless marked otherwise. We don't take prices from review sites or coupon sites. Where a page showed no readable US price, we left it blank rather than guess. Prices change often, sometimes weekly, and can differ by country, currency and tax, so always confirm on the official page before you pay.

Introductory price vs renewal price

Most VPNs advertise a per-month figure that applies only to the first term of a long plan. You pay the whole term upfront, and when it ends the plan renews, often at a higher price. Examples from the pages we read:

A few providers keep the price flat. Mullvad charges €5 a month on every term, VAT included, so there's no deal and no jump. IVPN lists fixed weekly, monthly and yearly prices, from $2 for a week. Windscribe showed no separate introductory price on its $69 yearly plan.

To compare fairly, work out the total cost over the period you actually expect to use the VPN, including at least one renewal. Set a reminder before the renewal date if you plan to switch.

Are multi-year plans worth it?

They're the cheapest per month, but you're paying for years of service from a company whose ownership, policies and prices can change. In our files, ExpressVPN, CyberGhost, PIA, NordVPN, Surfshark, IPVanish and Hotspot Shield have all changed hands or merged in the past decade; see who owns your VPN. If you're unsure, a one-year plan costs a bit more and commits you for less. Try the service first using the refund window or a free plan, such as Proton VPN Free.

Refund rules differ more than prices

We couldn't confirm current refund terms for NordVPN and IPVanish from their own pages. If you buy through Apple's App Store or Google Play, the store's refund rules usually apply instead of the provider's, as CyberGhost, ExpressVPN, PIA and Hotspot Shield state.

Taxes and currency

Some prices include tax and some don't. Mullvad and PrivateVPN show prices with VAT included. Surfshark's page says prices vary by currency and VAT. ExpressVPN's order page says sales tax may be added at checkout. Mullvad bills in euros and shows dollar figures only as approximate conversions. Expect the checkout total to differ from the headline price depending on where you live.

Where to find genuine VPN deals

• The provider's own pricing page. Promotions, such as PIA's limited Early Access offer, are shown there with their terms. If a deal isn't on the official site, be cautious.
• Longer refund windows. A 30- or 45-day refund on a direct purchase is worth more than a small discount, because it lets you try the service on your own devices.
• Bundles you'd actually use. Proton Unlimited adds Mail, Drive and Pass; Surfshark's One plans add other products. They're good value only if you'd pay for those anyway.
• Avoid resold keys and lifetime offers from third-party marketplaces. Mullvad's terms forbid reselling its service, CyberGhost's let it limit accounts it suspects of reselling, and a cancelled key leaves you with nothing.

Why we don't publish coupon codes

Coupon pages are usually affiliate marketing. Codes can expire, apply only to certain regions or plans, or give the same price the provider's own page already shows. We can't verify a code without buying with it, and we don't make purchases to test deals. So we publish only what we can check: the price on the official page and the date we read it.

A deal also says nothing about privacy. Pick the provider on its record first, using our VPN ranking and the audit tracker, then buy the plan length that suits you.

Prices we couldn't read

Some providers' pages didn't give us a price we could print. We'd rather leave a gap than copy a figure from somewhere else.

• NordVPN: its pricing page returned an HTTP 403 error to our reader.
• ExpressVPN: its order page showed prices only in Israeli shekels, set by our reader's location, so we have no US-dollar figure.
• IPVanish: its pricing page couldn't be fetched.
• Hotspot Shield: its plan page showed several conflicting versions with different prices and no currency.
• Partly read: Surfshark didn't print its renewal price or its monthly and 12-month prices in the version we saw, and TunnelBear showed "from $3.33 a month" without the billing term.

For these, see the official pricing page linked from each review. We'll update this page when we can read them.