Surfshark: From $2.29 a month for 26 months
Billed $59.54 upfront
NordVPN: From $3.39 a month
Billed at $95.76 to $167.76 for 24 months of service and coupon for 3 months free
PIA VPN: $2.19 a month for 26 months
Billed $56.94 upfront
IPVanish: $2.75 a month for 24 months
Billed $65.99 upfront
A VPN, or virtual private network, creates an encrypted connection between your device and the internet, keeping your 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.
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:
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.
Devices: Up to 6
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days
An industry heavyweight and still one of CNET’s top picks, NordVPN is celebrating two years of business by discounting any of the two-year subscription plans. This makes the 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 64%, you essentially pay $6.99 a month, billed upfront at $167.76, for a total of 24 months. You also get a coupon for 3 months of NordVPN that you can use or gift to a friend.
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.)
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 two free months, which drops the price to just $2.19 a month for your first 26 months. After that, it will renew at the $56.94 price every year.
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.
Additional VPN deals
We either haven’t fully tested the following VPNs or have only tested them anecdotally. Because of that, we can only recommend them for casual use, such as bypassing geographic restrictions while streaming media.
Related Posts
