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PureVPN: $2.49 a month for 12 months

Billed $29.95 upfront

A VPN, or virtual private network, creates an encrypted connection between your device and the internet, keeping your browsing habits private and your personal data away from prying eyes as you surf the web. We’ve already tested and rounded up some of the most trustworthy VPN services of 2024, and below, we’ve put together the best ways to get signed up for less. 

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:

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Surfshark

Devices: Unlimited

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

Surfshark is a relative newcomer to the VPN space, but it’s quickly become known for its speed, which is why it’s one of our VPN experts’ top picks. Surfshark also supports unlimited devices, which is great for large households. Currently, all of the plans are discounted by up to 81%.

If you pick up 26 months of Surfshark Starter VPN right now, you’ll pay only $2.29 a month, with two months free. That means you will be billed at $59.54 upfront. If you want a few more perks, you can try Surfshark One, which sets you back $2.89 a month. You will receive two months free on a 26-month subscription, paying $75.14 upfront. This gives you some added features like a private search engine and 24/7 virus protection. In a similar deal, you can get Surfshark One Plus for $4.29 a month, with two months free for a 26-month subscription, billed at $111.54 upfront. You’ll get everything the other two packages offer plus data removal from companies’ databases and people-search websites. 

Note that Surfshark merged with rival NordVPN last year, although the companies have continued to operate independently. Read our Surfshark review.

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ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN still tops our list of the best VPNs, and you can save on a subscription by going for its 12-month plan, where you’ll snag an additional three months of service for free, dropping the equivalent monthly cost to just $6.67 (billed as $99.95 upfront) with promo code SPECIALDEAL. Those three months of “free” access just drop the overall cost per month, but spread the savings out over the longer term of 15 months. We evaluate VPNs based on their overall performance in three main categories: speed, security and price. Express isn’t the cheapest, but it’s among the fastest and, so far, the most secure — even after its acquisition by Kape Technologies. Read our ExpressVPN review.

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NordVPN

Devices: Up to 6

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

An industry heavyweight and still one of CNET’s top picks, NordVPN is discounting the two-year subscription for its Standard plan by 51%, the Plus plan by 52% and the Ultimate plan by 64%. 

For the Standard plan, you’ll pay the equivalent of $3.99 per month (billed as $95.76 upfront) for 24 months of service. The VPN Plus plan is equal to $4.99 a month for an upfront cost of $119.76. With the VPN Ultimate being discounted by 67%, you essentially pay $6.99 a month, billed upfront at $167.76, for a total of 24 months. You also get a $30 Uber Eats voucher for the Ultimate plan, $20 for the Plus plan and $10 for the standard plan.

The one-year plans are also discounted, although not as steeply. Standard is $4.99 per month for 12 months, billed at $59.88, a 39% savings. The Plus plan will save you 43% off the regular cost, or $5.99 a month billed upfront at $71.88. The one-year subscription to the Ultimate plan will save you 59% off the regular cost, billed at $95.88; the equivalent of $7.99 per month. 

(Note that NordVPN and Surfshark merged last year but have continued to operate autonomously so far.)

Read our NordVPN review.

Devices: Unlimited

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

With one of the best user interfaces in the field, according to our reviewer, IPVanish is good for those who want to be able to customize settings and those who are new to a VPN. If this is your first time at the rodeo and you want to know more about the technology, IPVanish is a reliable service with a gentle learning curve. Normally, IPVanish goes for $90 a year, but this deal gets you two years of IPVanish for $77.95 ($3.25 per month). If you want to save without a multiyear commitment, there is a discount on the yearly plan which scores you 12 months for $51.95 ($4.33 per month). Note that IPVanish is owned by US-based Ziff Davis, which may be a concern if you’re a security-focused user. Read our IPVanish review.

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ProtonVPN

Devices: Up to 10

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

Go off the grid with ProtonVPN for around $5 a month, good for two years. Keep in mind that this deal is billed as $119.76 upfront. ProtonVPN Plus (the paid plan) has no data caps or server-switching limits. Its ease of use, Tor support and ad-blocking feature make ProtonVPN a favorite with many users. You may also opt for the 12-month plan at $5.99 per month (billed at $71.88). To access the biggest savings, choose the 24-month plan option. Read our ProtonVPN review.

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PureVPN

Devices: Up to 10

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 31 days

PureVPN presents another affordable option if you’re in the market for a simple VPN without a big price tag. With a solid server fleet numbering over 6,500 in 78 countries, PureVPN promises reliable service, although we haven’t had the chance to verify that. Another disclaimer: PureVPN was reported by our sister site ZDNet as having provided timestamp-only logs to the FBI in a cyberstalking case in 2018. PureVPN has since stopped the timestamp logging practice and undergone a third-party audit to ensure that it keeps to its no-log policy. Its one-year standard plan is currently discounted by 80%, which drops the price to $2.49 a month for the first 12 months ($29.95 upfront). 

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Atlas VPN

Devices: Unlimited

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days

Atlas VPN is a budget VPN aimed at casual users whose main requirements are video streaming and P2P file sharing. It has all the features you would expect from a VPN, such as strong encryption, a no-log policy and a network kill switch. Atlas VPN’s server fleet is currently around 700 across 28 countries, which is smaller than those of the major VPN providers. The service was acquired by rival NordVPN in 2021, which may involve terms-of-service changes going forward. Since we already like Nord, we’re hoping this is a step forward, not a step back. (Atlas offers a free version, although we always suggest you steer clear of those.) Use code PRIVACY2024 at checkout to get 30 months of Atlas VPN for $1.64 a month ($49.21 upfront), and an 86% discount. Keep in mind that this deal is billed as two years of service, but the six free months drop the monthly cost lower, spreading out the savings over the longer term of 30 months. The one-year plan is currently 73% lower than the regular price, so it’s billed at $39.42, the equivalent of $3.29 per month.

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