Top Affordable VPN Deals Starting at $1.88/Month – Save Up to 76% with Leading Providers

This week's cheap VPN deals start at a tiny $1.88 a month, and you'll even get three extra months added at no extra charge with Surfshark.

NordVPN is my top-rated VPN on the planet right now, and the current promotion knocks up to 76% off the price with an extra three months added free on select two-year plans, making it a great time to consider one of the more feature-packed tiers.

All the VPN deals highlighted on this page are from providers I regularly use and have tested rigorously for both digital privacy and international streaming. If you want to dive in on my very top picks, Nord, Proton, and Surfshark currently fill out the podium in my guide to the best VPN services.

If reading this from outside the US, discounted prices from these VPN providers should appear in your local currency on the app's website. In most cases, we see the discount percentages closely match those mentioned below at an international level.

I've listed the lowest per-month US rates above. Below, you'll see the best-value total plan prices for the bundles, with extra details about what you're getting. Prices are usually displayed as effective 'per month' rates, but just be aware that you're charged upfront rather than once a month.

Top 5 best VPN deals of the month

NordVPN is one of the top VPN services in the business. It offers excellent value with a strong selection of features and a low monthly price. A wide selection of international servers, high-end security, fast connections, and audited privacy protection have made the brand a household name in the world of VPNs. This VPN deal drops the per-month price as low as $3.09 on a two-year plan and throws in an extra three months.

• NordVPN Basic - from $3.09 p/m +3 free months
• NordVPN Plus & Amazon gift card - from $3.59 p/m + 3 free months
• See also: NordVPN review

The latest NordVPN deals on two-year plans cut prices by up to 73%. The Basic tier is the cheapest, coming in at just $3.09 a month.

One-year NordVPN deals are strong, too, with discounts up to 63%. Rolling one-month plans don't offer any discounts, which is the case across the board whenever I check for fresh VPN deals.

The 'Plus' and 'Complete' tiers of NordVPN include a password manager, ad blockers, malware protection, data breach scanners, and more.

The new 'Prime' tier adds a range of NordProtect features, such as identity, SSN and credit monitoring, and identity theft insurance, but even with a discount, the monthly fee jumps to $6.99 a month on a two-year deal.

The cheapest basic tier is plenty for most users who just want to keep their browsing private and do some international streaming. It's the one I'd recommend to most people, as you can get many items on the more expensive tiers as free apps or as features on your phone's operating system or laptop browser.

Surfshark's VPN deal is one of the most affordable around and comes with three months extra for free, with prices starting from $1.88 a month. Unlike much of the competition, you can use it on an unlimited number of devices at once. The starter tier is more than enough for most users as it features robust encryption and will unlock international streaming with ease. The middle tier is only a touch more expensive and has extra features like a private search engine, antivirus, breach alerts, and more.

• Surfshark - from $1.88 p/m + 3 free months
• See also: Surfshark review

Of all our favorite tested VPNs, you won't find a better cheap VPN deal this month than Surfshark's. The two-year plan prices start from just $1.88 a month and include an extra three months on top of the initial 24. This cheapest 'Starter' tier is the one I'd recommend for most people, as it has everything I'd expect from a top-tier VPN.

Dipping your toe in with a rolling one-month plan is much more expensive. Prices start at $15.45 a month, which is on the higher end of rolling contracts for VPNs. So I'd advise picking up a two-year deal for the best savings. Remember, there's a 30-day money-back guarantee to get a full refund if you change your mind.

The middle tier (Surfshark One) packs a few extra features for just a fraction more than the Starter tier at $2.28 a month. But if you look at the feature list above, you'll see that many of the extras are probably already built into your phone or laptop. Also, the masked email generator feature has been very hit-and-miss for me lately - setting up a burner email account is much better, to be honest.

• You might also like: What is an email alias and how does it protect your privacy?

Surfshark One+ is worth considering for data removal services, especially if you're concerned about all the never-ending spam/junk mail making its way into your regular inbox. It's not perfect, but it can certainly help. We've reviewed this service independently, so head to our Incogni review for more details.

Looking for an alternative VPN still packed with useful features and servers in over 120 countries? Then Proton VPN is well worth a look, and it has a sizable discount on its two-year plan. If you'd prefer a shorter-term deal, the one-year plan is great value too and only costs $3.99 a month with the current 60% discount. Both plans can be used across 10 devices at once and feature a great ad-blocker, split tunneling, and more security-conscious features.

• ProtonVPN Plus - from $2.99 p/m
• Proton VPN Unlimited - from $8.99 p/m
• See also: Proton VPN review | Is Proton VPN safe?

PIA's excellent two-year plan provides comprehensive VPN coverage on unlimited devices at a price that essentially only costs you $2.03 a month (or your local equivalent) and comes with an additional four months for free. Alternatively, if you want a shorter term, there's a six-month sub priced at $7.50 a month.

• PIA VPN - from $2.04 p/m + 4 months free
• See also: PIA VPN review

This two-year plan from CyberGhost is super affordable as it works out at $2.03 per month. On top of that, it also throws in an additional four months free of charge. You might not recognize the name as much as the other brands, but in our recent testing, we found it to be seriously secure, and the app design is basic but clean. We particularly like how it suggests ideal servers for specific streaming services, increasing the likelihood of a smooth connection. The 45-day money-back guarantee is longer than other providers, too.

• CyberGhost - from $2.03 p/m + 4 months free
• See also: CyberGhost VPN review

What about a free VPN?

Free VPNs usually have some sort of cost, some of which are much more concerning than others. On the lighter side, I often find free VPNs extremely limited in their feature set and connection types, or come with low data caps, making them useless if you want to do any overseas streaming, as video can use up data in no time.

Free VPNs can seriously hinder download speeds, often making basic web browsing a slog. Combine this with the already atrocious speeds of some public or café WiFi (where you should absolutely use a VPN in this day and age), and you'll struggle to complete even the most basic of online work tasks.

I've also seen plenty riddled with ads, some cluttering the screen and others with lengthy, unskippable videos when you try to switch the VPN on. If you've dabbled in mobile gaming, you'll know how frustrating this can be.

On the security and privacy side of things, I often find free VPNs aren't particularly upfront about their no-logs policy and don't offer up independent audit reports, which means you're at risk of all your data being collected by the free VPN provider to do with as they please, usually selling it to marketers. So, if you're tired of Google and Facebook doing this, a free VPN isn't going to be much better. And if you're really unlucky, they could be much worse.

That's because some particularly malicious VPN apps are basically Trojan horses for all sorts of nasty malware, adware, or even ransomware. These digital nasties can invade your devices to harvest all your personal details and passwords and hack and hijack your personal accounts for everything from social media to banking. 

Want to learn more? See our dedicated guide feature that seeks to answer the question: Are free VPNS safe? It might help you decide between free and paid apps.

When do the best VPN deals appear?

November and December are the best times of year to grab the best VPN deals. Some begin in early November, but everyone generally seems to have their best price live by the Monday before Black Friday.

The discounts usually involve a bit extra off the average monthly price on longer deals like six, 12, or 24-month subscriptions - plus, you'll often see VPN providers throw in additional months for free.

Last year, I saw many discounted monthly rates from Black Friday continue through December - some then extended into January 2026, too.

Prices didn't rise too much once these sales ended, though. You're looking at an extra 30-60 cents more a month at most, or fewer free months offered - nothing substantial enough to make you feel obligated to wait until the end-of-year sales come around again. These VPN services still offer significant discounts on longer plans year-round. I never see the single one-month rolling contract prices go down, though, and they're often more than double the monthly rate of the longer commitments. That's where the money-back guarantees come into play, though, if you're hesitant about signing up for longer subs.

Do VPN prices go up when you renew?

Yes, they do, more often than not. VPN providers offer special introductory discounts for new users, so double-check prices when you're signing up for what they will be once your contract expires.

You should also access the account settings and stop your subscription from auto-renewing, as you'll be charged for a similar term upfront.

If your current provider won't let you sign up again for the discounted rate available to everyone else, the best way to save money is to hop to a new provider at the end of your contract, much like you might do with home/auto insurance.

VPN: More than just digital security & privacy

VPNs go well with TV, movies, and live sports. You can access international versions of Netflix, tune into free sports overseas, and much more. Check out our roundup of the best streaming services if you want something to watch. NFL fans armed with a new VPN should take a look at our free NFL live stream guide, too.

If unlocking international streaming is one of your main reasons for picking up a VPN deal, then all the VPNs I've selected above have solid records with apps like Netflix, Max, Stan, and more. If you're into live sports streaming, I'd give the edge to NordVPN over the others, as it does a better job with particularly long-distance streaming (like UK to Australia) of live sports events shown for free on Australian channels like 9Now and 7+ for cricket and NFL.

The other VPN apps seem to need to buffer more often on those channels for some reason, although Australian on-demand apps like Stan seem to be fine on all of these VPNs - Stan and a VPN is a great way to catch every match of the Champions League live streams by the way.

Looking for the latest offers on movie and TV apps? Take a look at Lillian's roundup of the best streaming deals.

Brendan Griffiths

Senior Commerce Director

Brendan is the Senior Commerce Director of Business Insider’s Reviews team. He oversees a wide range of our service journalism, covering deals, popular sales events, streaming guides, and VPN guides. ExperienceBrendan joined Business Insider remotely in early 2023 and relocated from the UK to New York City in March 2024. During his time at Business Insider, he’s played a key role in developing stories on how to watch your favorite shows and other streaming events, which VPNs you should use and why, and major shopping events like Prime Day and Black Friday.Prior to joining Business Insider, Brendan began his journalism career as a freelance gaming writer and service journalism editor. He later joined Future Publishing as their first-ever Deals Writer at TechRadar. He went on to become their Deals Editor, then Managing Editor of Hardware & eCommerce at GamesRadar before moving over to Future's mobile tech division to become the eCommerce Content Director for Android Central, iMore, and Windows Central.Why you can trust BrendanWith more than 17 years of experience in the industry, Brendan has a keen understanding of how to create well-tested buying guides, reviews, and deals guides. Over the years, Brendan has written about many different topics, including the best Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday deals, the hottest folding smartphones, gaming controllers, Kindles, international how-to-watch guides, and even international guides on buying a mattress. Expertise

• Streaming services
• VPN apps
• How to watch your favorite TV shows, movies, and sporting events including international content
• Video games
• Android phones
• Ticket sales

EducationBrendan graduated from UK University, the University of Central Lancashire in Preston, with a degree in Journalism and Film & Media.Outside of workOutside of work, you'll find Brendan exploring dive bars in New York or staying in with his cat and making a dent in watchlists across various streaming services, or gaming on Xbox Series X or PS5.

• Brendan's LinkedIn profile

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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.

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