Best VPN Deals: Snag Top VPN Subscriptions for as Low as $2 a Month [CNET]
With internet crime rates on the rise, it’s never been more important to keep your online presence private. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a trained cybersecurity professional to keep the wrong people from getting your most sensitive information. A VPN, or virtual private network, creates an encrypted connection between your device and the internet, which allows you to keep your browsing habits cloaked, as well as getting around local censorship laws or to try out streaming media offerings from around the world.
And with tons of great bargains out there, you don’t have to break the bank to get a subscription. Amber Guetebier, along with other members of CNET’s dedicated deals team, has analyzed the best deals being offered by our top-rated VPN services to help you get signed up for less. Here are just a few things to keep in mind while you decide which service is right for you:
- Some of these offers have countdown clocks claiming 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 owns 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 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.
What is the best VPN deal right now?
If you’re on a budget, Surfshark is offering the best VPN deal right now. Starting at just $2.19 a month, it’s the most affordable of our top three VPN services (which also includes ExpressVPN and NordVPN), and there’s no limit on the number of devices you can use it with. It also includes a few other services, such as an ad blocker and a masked-email generator.
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Best VPN deals
The VPNs in this first group have been tested and reviewed by CNET’s team of experts. We can broadly recommend them, with the caveats noted above. The fast-changing ownership landscape in the VPN market 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
A relative newcomer to the VPN market, Surfshark has 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 86%.
If you pick up 24 months of Surfshark Starter VPN right now, you’ll pay only $2.19 a month, and you’ll get three free months thrown in. That means you’ll be billed $59.13 upfront for 27 months. If you want a few more perks, you can try Surfshark One, which sets you back $2.69 a month or an upfront payment of $72.63. 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 three months free for a 27-month subscription, billed at $115.83 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.
Latest Tests DNS leaks detected, 25% speed loss in 2024 testsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countriesJurisdiction British Virgin Islands
Devices: Up to eight
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days
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 $100 upfront) with promo code SPECIALDEAL. Those three months of “free” access drop the overall cost per month by spreading 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 the most secure so far, even after its acquisition by Kape Technologies.
Devices: Up to 10
Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days
An industry heavyweight and still one of CNET’s top picks, NordVPN has some substantial savings going on right now, with up to 69% off its plans that support up to 10 devices and an extra three months on top.
You can grab the basic plan for $96.93 for two years (and get three free months), which works out to $3.59 a month. If you want the upgraded Plus plan, with its added malware, ad-blocking and password management tools, you can get a two-year subscription for $121.23 plus three free months, which works out to $4.49 a month. Similar promos apply to the Complete plan, which nets out to $5.49 per month for 27 months. Complete includes 1TB of cloud storage, cyber protection benefits for users in the US plus all of the aforementioned benefits.
(Note that NordVPN and Surfshark have merged but have continued to operate autonomously so far.)