VPN Deal Scan

What VPNs actually cost - the prepayment behind the headline rate, the renewal price afterwards, and the true two-year total. No sponsored rankings.

Prices verified 2026-08-17 · automatically re-checked against provider pricing pages every day · all prices USD

The advertised price is not the price. A $2.49/mo VPN means prepaying 24–39 months, and the renewal is charged at a different rate — CyberGhost's $64.74 buys 26 months, then costs $64.74 every year. Three providers below carry no price at all: their pages block automated reads or publish figures we could not confirm, and a wrong number is worse than none.

VPN	True 2-yr cost	Advertised	Renews at	Devices	Streaming	Torrenting	Refund
CyberGhost Romania · audited no-logs	$56.94 over 2 years	$2.19/mo $56.94 upfront · 26 mo	$4.75/mo 2.17×	7	8/10	7/10	45d	Get deal
Surfshark Netherlands · audited no-logs	$67.23 over 2 years	$2.49/mo $67.23 upfront · 27 mo	not published	Unlimited	9/10	7/10	30d	Get deal
Private Internet Access United States · audited no-logs · open source	$79 over 2 years	$2.03/mo $79 upfront · 39 mo	$2.19/mo 1.08×	Unlimited	6/10	9/10 port fwd	30d	Get deal
ExpressVPN British Virgin Islands · audited no-logs	$83.72 over 2 years	$2.99/mo $83.72 upfront · 28 mo	$8.33/mo 2.79×	8	9/10	7/10	30d	Get deal
Proton VPN Switzerland · audited no-logs · open source	$83.76 over 2 years	$3.49/mo $83.76 upfront · 24 mo	not published	10	8/10	9/10 port fwd	30d	Get deal
NordVPN Panama · audited no-logs	$94.23 over 2 years	$3.49/mo $94.23 upfront · 27 mo	$11.59/mo 3.32×	10	9/10	8/10	30d	Get deal
Mullvad Sweden · audited no-logs · open source	$139.2 over 2 years	$5.80/mo $5.8 upfront · 1 mo	$5.80/mo	5	4/10	7/10	14d	Get deal

Provider notes

NordVPN — $3.49/mo advertised — $94.23 charged upfront for 27 months

Good for:

NordLynx (WireGuard) speeds
Threat Protection ad/malware blocking
Meshnet device linking
Dedicated IP available

Watch out for:

Big renewal price jump
No port forwarding
Apps push upsells

Streaming: Reliably unblocks Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Disney+, Prime Video across many regions · Torrenting: P2P-optimized servers; no port forwarding · Renews at $11.59/mo

Get NordVPN deal →

Surfshark — $2.49/mo advertised — $67.23 charged upfront for 27 months

Good for:

Unlimited simultaneous devices
CleanWeb ad blocking
Cheapest big-name 2-year rate
Rotating IP feature

Watch out for:

Netherlands is a 9-Eyes jurisdiction
Renewal jump
Monthly plan is expensive

Streaming: Strong Netflix/regional unblocking; unlimited devices makes it good for households · Torrenting: P2P allowed on most servers; no port forwarding · Renewal price not published by this provider

Get Surfshark deal →

ExpressVPN — $2.99/mo advertised — $83.72 charged upfront for 28 months

Good for:

Lightway protocol
TrustedServer RAM-only servers
Router app is best-in-class
BVI jurisdiction

Watch out for:

Pricier than rivals at renewal
Fewer power-user features
Device cap on basic tier

Streaming: Excellent unblocking incl. stubborn platforms; MediaStreamer for smart TVs/consoles · Torrenting: P2P allowed everywhere; no port forwarding · Renews at $8.33/mo

Get ExpressVPN deal →

Proton VPN — $3.49/mo advertised — $83.76 charged upfront for 24 months

Good for:

Open-source audited apps
Swiss jurisdiction
Genuine free tier (no data cap)
Secure Core multi-hop

Watch out for:

Apps a bit heavier
Streaming needs paid Plus tier
Does not publish a renewal rate, so the post-term cost is unknown

Streaming: Good Netflix/regional support on Plus; free tier does not stream · Torrenting: Port forwarding supported - best big-name pick for seeding · Renewal price not published by this provider

Get Proton VPN deal →

CyberGhost — $2.19/mo advertised — $56.94 charged upfront for 26 months

Good for:

45-day money-back guarantee (longest)
Purpose-labeled servers, beginner friendly
Romania is outside 14-Eyes

Watch out for:

Speeds behind the leaders
Owned by Kape (also owns ExpressVPN/PIA)
7-device cap

Streaming: Dedicated streaming servers labeled by platform (Netflix US, iPlayer, etc.) · Torrenting: Dedicated P2P servers; no port forwarding · Renews at $4.75/mo

Get CyberGhost deal →

Private Internet Access — $2.03/mo advertised — $79 charged upfront for 39 months

Good for:

No-logs claim proven in US court cases
Open-source apps
Unlimited devices
Very cheap 3-year rate

Watch out for:

US jurisdiction (5-Eyes)
Streaming weakest of the big names
Owned by Kape

Streaming: Works with major US platforms; less reliable for other regions · Torrenting: Port forwarding supported; long-standing P2P focus · Renews at $2.19/mo

Get Private Internet Access deal →

Mullvad — $5.80/mo advertised — $5.8 charged upfront for 1 months

Good for:

No email required - anonymous numbered accounts
Accepts cash/crypto
Flat honest pricing
Fully open source, heavily audited

Watch out for:

Weak for streaming
Small country list
5-device cap
No deals ever

Streaming: Not a streaming VPN - unblocking is hit-or-miss and not a priority for them · Torrenting: P2P friendly but port forwarding was removed in 2023 · Renews at $5.80/mo

Get Mullvad deal →

Methodology & disclosure

How we rank: scores come from published specs, independent audits, and hands-on reputation across reviews - never from commission rates. Mullvad is listed even though it pays us nothing, because it is the honest pick for some users.

Affiliate disclosure: some "Get deal" links are affiliate links; if you buy through one we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This funds the price monitoring. Links marked for Mullvad are plain links.

Prices: intro rates for new customers as checked on the date above. VPN vendors change promos frequently and most long-term plans renew at a higher rate after the first term - every row carries its renewal note with the actual plan length.