VPNs compared: intro pricing, renewal rates and device limits
The price on the sign-up button is the one number here you should not trust. It buys two or three years up front, and most of these VPNs renew well above it. The apps barely differ. What is left to decide is whose renewal you can stomach and whose privacy record you trust. Only ProtonVPN keeps a free tier you would actually use.
How much does a VPN cost per month, and what does it renew at?
At the median these five cost roughly $14.99 a month, but that is the standing rate, and almost nobody pays it. The advertised few-dollars price is a two- or three-year plan billed in one lump up front. Let it lapse and the renewal resets far higher. ProtonVPN is the only free tier here.
The headline price is an intro rate on a two- or three-year term, billed once up front. Every paid VPN here renews above it, several at a multiple of the promo.
Pay by the month instead and the rate rises toward $15.45, the ceiling of the range; the median standing price sits near $14.99, checked August 9, 2026.
ProtonVPN runs the only free tier in the group, open-source and audited under Swiss law, with no data cap. The rest bill from the first connection.
On capability the apps nearly tie. Streaming, torrenting, kill switches and audited no-log policies are standard, so the grid splits them only on extras like multi-hop routing and a dedicated IP.
Device limits are the one visible split. Surfshark caps nothing on a single plan, ProtonVPN's free tier holds one connection, and the paid apps sit in between.
Scoring is sixty percent pricing transparency, forty percent user rating, and it ignores features. A promo rate that hides the real renewal reads as less transparent, which is why these scores sit close and low. See how we score.
01 / 06
VPNs ranked: renewal disclosure, multi-hop, dedicated IP and tunneling
The grid measures what each app can do, and on that these five nearly tie. The capabilities every app here shares earn no column. What is left to split them is multi-hop routing, split tunneling and a dedicated IP address. Where a cell is blank, we simply have not logged that feature for the app, which is not the same as the app lacking it. The decision here lives in price and trust far more than in this grid.
Sorted by transparency scorePriced tiers 13 / 13Full disclosure 5 / 5How to read this table
Reading the console
Price is the axis here, plotting the standing monthly rate wherever a vendor prints one, never the discounted multi-year promo. A marker sitting to the right is genuinely dearer per month, with no commitment attached. A tick means the plan is sold per account, for a single person. The one thing the axis cannot draw is renewal: the lowest rate any of these advertises is a two- or three-year plan billed up front, and it resets higher once the term runs out. Drag the lens along the axis to filter the field by a monthly ceiling you set.
Price axis
One shared logarithmic axis, $2.19 to $22.99. A tick further right is genuinely dearer. The tall tick is the cheapest paid tier.
Granted
Listed on the vendor’s own pages on the verify date.
Conditional
Present, but some tiers carry no published price.
Not on the record
Absent from the recorded feature set. It means unlisted, not incapable.
Scroll the console sideways to reach the remaining conditions.
02 / 06
Every VPN's plans, renewals and the date we checked each price
Ranking runs on user rating and pricing transparency, not speed or server count. Every vendor here leads with a promo rate, so none earns full marks on transparency, and the scores sit close and low despite how polished the apps are. ProtonVPN's free tier and open-source audits lift it on trust. Open a card to read a vendor's plans in full, each stamped with the day we checked it.
Overkill on a budget and hard to justify on price alone. Streamers still reach for it first: ExpressVPN unblocks the big platforms more reliably than most and ships the slickest clients. Router firmware support extends that to a whole home.
Plan table and expert take
ExpressVPN: expert take
Cost is the whole objection: ExpressVPN charges the highest monthly rate here. The premium still buys RAM-only TrustedServer infrastructure and no-log audits by PwC and Cure53. Kape Technologies owns it.
Where ExpressVPN holds up
Proprietary Lightway protocol offers superior speed and reliability
TrustedServer tech runs servers on RAM only, wiping data on reboot
Consistently unblocks major streaming platforms like Netflix and BBC iPlayer
Extensive router support with custom firmware for easy setup
Independently audited no-logs policy by PwC and Cure53
Not the most private name here and not the flashiest app, yet the fast, familiar default. NordVPN pairs the NordLynx protocol with one of the largest server networks, plus multi-hop routing and Meshnet for linking your own machines.
Plan table and expert take
NordVPN: expert take
Renewal is the standing surprise, jumping well above the intro promo once it lapses. No port forwarding, and ten connections against Surfshark's unlimited.
Where NordVPN holds up
Threat Protection blocks malware, ads, and trackers
Proprietary NordLynx protocol for top-tier speeds
MultiHop (Double VPN) routes traffic via two servers
Specialty servers: P2P, Onion Over VPN, Obfuscated
Anyone who puts privacy first, or who wants to try a real VPN before paying for one. ProtonVPN is the only app here with a genuinely usable free tier, open-source and audited under Swiss law with no data cap. Speed and streaming are where it gives ground, and busy servers can drag at peak hours.
Critical gapThe free tier limits network connectivity to servers in only three countries.
Plan table and expert take
ProtonVPN: expert take
The weak spots are reach and support: live chat comes only with the paid tiers, and the site itself cannot settle its server count, 20,000-plus in the hero banner against 2,000-plus in the plan table below it. Its two-year VPN Plus promo renews well above the intro rate. Holding it up is trust: open-source apps, independent audits, Swiss jurisdiction.
A household with more devices than most plans allow, since Surfshark is the only app here that caps nothing on simultaneous connections. The trade is small but real: a dedicated IP always costs extra.
Critical gapThe complex interface creates significant configuration friction for non-technical staff during initial deployment.
Plan table and expert take
Surfshark: expert take
No app here opens a wider promo gap: the two-year Surfshark Starter rate sits in the low single digits, the same plan by the month in the mid-teens. It sits in the Netherlands, a Nine Eyes country.
Where Surfshark holds up
Unlimited simultaneous device connections on a single plan
Dynamic MultiHop routes traffic via two servers for added privacy
CleanWeb feature blocks ads, trackers, and malware domains
Nexus technology rotates your IP address without disconnecting
One of the most affordable long-term subscription plans available
First-time buyers who want a long runway to test a VPN before committing. CyberGhost runs a 45-day money-back window, the longest in the group, and tunes servers per streaming service so you connect and go.
Critical gapThe interface complexity creates operational overhead for non-technical staff during the initial configuration process.
Plan table and expert take
CyberGhost: expert take
Speeds trail the top names and Romania sits in 14 Eyes, but the display is the trick to catch: the site's 6 Months and 2 Years are commitment lengths of one plan, not separate plans, and the headline discount is figured off the monthly list price.
Where CyberGhost holds up
Generous 45-day money-back guarantee (vs. industry standard 30)
Optimized servers for specific streaming services (Netflix, BBC iPlayer)
NoSpy servers owned and managed directly by CyberGhost for privacy
Smart Rules feature for connection automation (e.g., on Wi-Fi join)
One of the largest server networks with 9,000+ servers in 91 countries
VPN questions: monthly cost, what happens when the promo ends, devices
How much does a VPN cost per month?
The median monthly rate across these five is about $14.99, as of August 9, 2026. That is the standing price, and most buyers never pay it. The advertised few-dollars figure is a two- or three-year plan billed up front, so the number on the button and the real monthly rate are not the same. Read the renewal terms before you commit.
What happens to the price when the VPN promo ends?
It goes up, usually by a lot. The intro rate covers only the first term, often two or three years. After that the plan auto-renews at the standing price, which for some providers here is several times the promo. NordVPN and ProtonVPN both document the jump. The renewal figure is printed on the page, just lower down and in smaller type.
Is there really a VPN for a couple of dollars a month?
Yes, but that is an intro rate, not what you keep paying. The lowest advertised prices are two- or three-year plans billed in one payment up front, then renewed at the standing rate. Divide the lump sum by the months and it works out to a few dollars, for the first term only. The honest cheap option is ProtonVPN's free tier.
How does a two-year VPN plan actually bill?
In a single charge, not monthly. You pay the whole term up front, and some vendors add a few bonus months on top of it. The per-month figure they advertise is that lump divided across the term. When it ends, the subscription renews on its own at the annual standing rate, which is higher than the intro you started on.
Does a cheap VPN have hidden costs?
The renewal is the main one, and it does not show on the sign-up screen. Beyond that, a dedicated IP usually costs extra, tax may be added on top of the listed price, and the cheapest tier often omits the antivirus or data-removal extras bundled higher up. The headline plan price rarely tells the whole story.
What is the cheapest way to run a VPN?
ProtonVPN's free tier, if basic privacy on one device is enough; it has no data cap. Past that, the lowest running cost is a long-term plan paid up front, as long as you remember it renews higher later. Paying monthly avoids the lock-in but costs several times more. Pick the term you will actually keep.
Can I get a good VPN without locking into two years?
Yes. Every provider here sells a one-month plan, and some sell a single year, both at higher per-month rates than the multi-year deal. ProtonVPN's free tier asks for no commitment at all. If you want to test a paid app first, use the money-back window: most run 30 days, and CyberGhost gives 45.
Is the ProtonVPN free tier actually usable?
For everyday privacy on one device, yes. It has no data cap, which is rare, but it limits you to only a few countries and slower servers, and it will not unblock streaming. Treat it as real protection for browsing, not a full replacement for a paid plan. To add speed, locations or streaming, you move up to VPN Plus.
How many devices does one VPN subscription cover?
It depends on the app. Surfshark puts no limit on simultaneous connections, so one plan covers an entire household. ProtonVPN's free tier holds a single device, and the paid apps generally land somewhere around eight to ten. A subscription is meant for one person's devices, though, not for sharing across a team, which usually breaks the terms.
Are these VPNs really no-log?
All of them claim it, and most have paid for independent audits to back the claim. ProtonVPN goes furthest, with open-source apps under Swiss privacy law. A no-log promise is only as current as its latest audit, so check the date on the report rather than the marketing line above it.
Field note 01
The two-year VPN price is not the one you keep
The number on the sign-up button is almost always an intro rate on a two- or three-year term, billed once, up front. Some vendors sweeten it with a few bonus months. None of that is the rate you keep paying. When the term ends, the plan auto-renews at the standing rate, which every provider here prints somewhere smaller on the page. Budget for that figure, because it is the one you live with.
The apps make the choice harder by being so alike everywhere else. On features they are near-interchangeable now. That is the honest read, not a hole in our data. What is left is money and trust: which price you can live with at renewal, and whether an open-source, audited, Swiss option like ProtonVPN matters more to you than a few megabits of speed.
The verdict on VPNsSigned review · Updated
Oleh KemFounder & Lead AnalystComparEdge Editorial
Every VPN here is cheapest on the day you buy it and dearest on the day it renews. The two-year promo is real money saved, but write the renewal rate into a calendar entry before you pay, because that is the price you will actually live with.
Past price, count your devices and check the refund window. State the renewal as plainly as the promo and you do well here. Most do not.
MethodEvery price on this page is read from the vendor's own pricing page: 13 plans across five vendors, last verified .
DisclosureCollection is tool-assisted; every verdict is written and signed by a human analyst.
05 / 06
Not sure which? Answer one, take a shortlist.Pick the line that sounds like your team. Each one opens the vendor built for it.
How this review is made. Prices are read from vendor pricing pages and re-checked on the dates shown against each product. Condition columns reflect the feature set recorded on the vendor’s own pages on that date. ComparEdge sells no VPNs and takes no vendor payment for placement. Where a vendor publishes nothing, this page says so rather than estimating. Ranking is by transparency score: pricing transparency 60%, user satisfaction 40%. What a product can do is shown in the condition columns and carries no weight in the number.
Oleh Kem
