Best VPN Deals: Save Up to 82% Off Subscriptions – CNET

There are a plethora of reasons to use a VPN. For example, did you know your internet service provider amasses as much data as possible on your digital activity? A 2021 Federal Trade Commission report noted that the leading ISPs have gathered user data on topics as personal as race, sexual orientation and real-time location. The ISPs have combined it, cross-referenced it and shared it with third-party partners. 

A VPN can help protect you from such pervasive data-gathering practices. In addition to hiding your internet activity by providing a secure and private “tunnel” to your online destination, a VPN can let you virtually move your location to a different city or country — a nice bonus if you’re looking to get around local censorship laws or try out different streaming media offerings in different locales. 

An important thing to keep in mind is that free VPN services aren’t worth the risk. For the most part, they’re playing that same game of scooping up and selling your data. The good news is there are some great VPN deals available right now, with prices starting at what amounts to less than $2 a month if you prepay for a year or two of service. We’ve tested a bunch of the market leaders and pulled together our recommendations for the best VPN deals. Just keep a few things in mind:

• Some of these offers have countdown clocks saying that the VPN deals are ending “today.” These are usually marketing gimmicks that have no relationship to the deal’s actual end date.
• We’ll update sale prices when we notice a change, so check back often.
• The VPN industry has undergone significant change in the past few years, with all three of our top VPN choices announcing major shifts in corporate ownership. In 2021, ExpressVPN announced that it had joined Kape Technologies, a company that already owned several other VPNs and has raised privacy concerns in the past. In February 2022, NordVPN and Surfshark announced they were merging, although they continue to operate autonomously. We’ve given ExpressVPN, NordVPN and Surfshark fresh reviews in light of these changes, and we continue to evaluate other VPN services as well. Our rankings are subject to change as they reflect our latest findings. 
• Most of the offers below are for subscriptions of two years or more, which is a long time to tie yourself to a service that could change ownership (see above) or terms of service, or even have a security incident. Although most services have a 30-day free cancellation policy, check the terms of service before signing up for a long-term commitment. 

VPN deals: Tested and recommended

The VPNs in this first group are also among our current top six best VPN picks. We can broadly recommend them — albeit with the noted caveats. That said, the fast-changing ownership landscape in the VPN space may continue to shake things up, but we’ll continue to update this list as we uncover more.

Devices: Unlimited

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

PIA, or Private Internet Access, earned a spot on our list of the best VPN services of 2024 as one of our favorite budget options. Right now, you can get signed up for even less. The two-year plan is currently 82% off and includes three free months, which drops the price to just $2.19 a month for your first 28 months. After that, it will renew at the standard price of $56.94 annually. 

Despite its affordable price, PIA’s VPN tested fairly well in our tests. It offers AES 256-bit encryption, as well as a kill switch function and boasts a respectable speed loss of just 24%. It’s worth noting that PIA does fall under US jurisdiction, which may be a concern if you’re a security-focused user, although the company appears to be doing everything in its power to alleviate those concerns, including making its source code openly available. Read our PIA VPN review.