The best VPN deals right now: May 2023

May 3, 2023 TH Author

When you’re shopping for the best deal on a VPN service, you’ll be bombarded with “limited-time” offers and deals that look like they’ll expire in minutes. But there’s no need to rush — that countdown timer may just be a marketing tool to create an artificial sense of urgency.

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Truth be told, you’ll need to opt for a long-term plan to get the best price on a VPN subscription. Although you’ll have to pay more upfront, the average monthly cost will be less.

As you review these deals, remember that taxes will also apply. This goes for sign-ups outside the US, too, as you may find an extra dollar or so appearing on your bank statement as a foreign transaction fee. And for the cheapest long-term plans, the cost usually increases when you renew.

You may be able to find offers for a free trial, but you’ll typically only get seven days free with limited bandwidth and a restricted number of servers. Plus, you could still get stuck in an annual plan, which usually isn’t the cheapest option.

Be sure to read the fine print before taking advantage of these offers. In most cases, you’ll be better off opting for the longer plan with a money-back guarantee period (typically 30 days or longer) to test the service.

Let’s take a look at the best VPN deals available right now in May 2023.

Also: The best VPNs for streaming: Unblock Netflix shows and more

Private Internet Access VPN pricing:

Monthly: $11.95
1-year: $39.95 ($3.33 per month)
3-year: $79 (billed annually, $2.03 per month, three months free)
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Simultaneous connections: Unlimited

Private Internet Access isn’t the least expensive service but it offers a balance of cost, longevity, and performance. When ZDNET tested Private Internet Access, it had good overall features and reliability. And it’s only a fraction of the cost of many of the best VPNs.

PIA is open source and includes access to servers in 84 countries, utilizes WireGuard, split-tunneling, and more. It also now offers unlimited simultaneous connections — compared to only 10 in the past — which will suit any household. There is a standard 30-day money-back guarantee. Three months of free access has been thrown in with new subscribers to three-year plans.

Review: Private Internet Access: A cheap, powerful, open-source VPN

NordVPN pricing:

Monthly: $12.99+
1-year plan: Standard: $4.59 per month | Plus: $5.79 per month | Complete: $7.29 per month ($68.85 to $109.35 billed annually, three months free)
2-year plan: Standard: $3.99 per month | Plus: $5.19 per month | Complete: $6.69 per month ($107.73 to $180.63 billed annually, three months free)
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Simultaneous connections: Six devices

NordVPN has discounted subscription plans by up to 59%. Subscribers to a one-year or two-year plan will be given three months of extra subscription time for free. NordVPN ran a birthday promotion over the past few months and the latest price points aren’t as cheap, but they are still worth considering if you want to take advantage of NordVPN’s extensive security and connectivity.

NordVPN is a well-respected and feature-rich VPN solution. It’s on the expensive side, but it’s also one of our favorite VPNs overall. If you’re willing to spend a little more, NordVPN’s current promotions are worth looking at.

The standard plan includes VPN service, tracking, ad blocking, and malware protection. The Plus plan also provides a password manager and data breach scanner. Lastly, the Complete plan adds on 1TB of cloud storage and file encryption.

Review: NordVPN review

PureVPN pricing:

Monthly: $10.95
1-year: $39.95 ($3.32 per month)
2-Year: $49.95 (billed in full, $2.08 per month, three months free, $53.95 every year afterwards)
Money-back guarantee: 31 days
Simultaneous connections: 10

At the time of writing, PureVPN has a promotion on the two-year plan for $2.08 per month ($49.95 total), which includes a free password manager and three months for free.

If a 30-day refund period is just short of what you need, you’re in luck — PureVPN gives you an extra day to try out its service risk-free. It has standard monthly and one-year plans, but the two-year subscription is the lowest average monthly cost.

PureVPN has cross-platform compatibility, over 6,500+ VPN servers in 70+ countries, a kill switch, a modern user interface, and generally positive reviews as a mid-tier VPN service. However, it’s worth noting that the firm’s privacy policy is confusing and needs an overhaul.

CyberGhost VPN pricing:

Monthly: $12.99
6 months: $41.94 ($6.99 per month)
2-year: $56.94 ($2.19 per month with three free months)
Money-back guarantee: 45 days
Simultaneous connections: 7

CyberGhost has solid prices, and the two-year plan (with two free months) has an average cost of only $2.19 per month, which makes it competitive with the cheapest VPNs on the market. You will also receive three months of free access if you sign up for a two-year plan — a similar promotion currently offered by many of the top VPN providers. The deal has a ‘deadline’ timer, but I’ve found that these prices generally don’t change often.

What makes CyberGhost VPN a good deal is its money-back guarantee period, which is 45 days. That’s over two weeks longer than other top VPN services.

The VPN provider offers over 9000 servers in 91 countries with free ID guard monitoring and a kill switch. If you want to add a dedicated IP address, this bolt-on will cost you $4 per month.

The refund period should give you plenty of time to test drive CyberGhost on all of your devices (up to seven at the same time). The free trial period could make sense If you’re not interested in CyberGhost VPN’s two-year subscription. Otherwise, you’ll have a lower monthly cost with one of the longer plans.

Review: CyberGhost VPN review

Atlas VPN pricing:

Monthly: $10.99
1-year: $39.42 ($3.29 per month, use code BIGDEAL, save 70%)
2-year: $49.19 ($1.82 per month with three free months, use code BIGDEAL, save 83%)
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Simultaneous connections: Unlimited

Atlas VPN’s two-year subscription is a solid deal because it only costs an average of $1.82 per month (83% off) and comes with three months of free access.

Students in the US, UK, Mexico, or Spain are also eligible for additional discounts on the two-year plan. You can register for the student discount here.

Also: Best VPNs for streaming

For less than $2 a month, you’ll have protected connections on every device you own, thanks to unlimited simultaneous connections, whether you want a VPN for your mobile device, PC, or other connected devices.

Atlas VPN markets itself as a VPN solution suitable for torrenting and offers SafeSwap servers, multi-hop functionality, a kill switch, and over 750 servers in 49 countries.

I consider Private Internet Access the best overall VPN deal because it has the best combination of price, longevity, and performance. Although it’s not as cheap as other services on this list, if you want a VPN for the long term, the deal is a steal compared to what you could pay for other top VPN services over time.

VPN	Number of connections	Monthly Price	Cheapest plan
Private Internet Access	Unlimited	$11.95	$2.03 per month
Atlas VPN	Unlimited	$10.99	$1.82 per month
NordVPN	6	$12.99+	$3.99 per month
PureVPN	10	$10.95	$2.08 per month
CyberGhost	7	$12.99	$2.19 per month

What makes one VPN a great deal for you depends on your situation. For example, if you have many devices that need protecting during travel, you’ll want to focus on the number of connections you can link to one account. However, if budget is your first priority, you may decide to compromise on flexibility and features for the best price.

Choose this VPN…	If you want…
Private Internet Access	A long-term cheap VPN. I used to consider PIA a mid-tier VPN because simultaneous connections were limited, but recently the VPN provider announced support for unlimited devices.
NordVPN	A premium plan for less. NordVPN is far from the cheapest VPN, but if you want a trustworthy, long-term solution with an array of useful features and an extensive network, it might be worth picking up during a promotion.
CyberGhost	An extended money-back period. CyberGhost isn’t as impressive as some others on our list, but the VPN is very user-friendly, and with such a long money-back guarantee, CyberGhost is worth considering.
PureVPN	A free password manager. PureVPN has a range of settings you can tweak to suit your needs, and as an added bonus, the password manager has been thrown in.
Atlas VPN	The lowest monthly cost. Atlas VPN consistently runs coupon code promotions, but even outside of these marketing pushes, Atlas VPN is consistently a cheap option.

To find the best VPN deals, there was no need to conduct a full review process and test every aspect of each VPN service — although I have extensively tested VPNs for our feature-related VPN guides. The deciding factors were what it costs and what you get, with a focus on how many devices you can have connected to the VPN at the same time.

When you’re looking for a VPN deal, it’s important to read the advertised price with a pinch of salt. The overwhelming majority of VPNs advertise their standard prices as a huge discount, but if the price is always advertised as 83% off, then that’s just the regular price. Also, limited-time deals often have the same upfront cost with extra months added to the subscription length. Those types of deals will reduce the average monthly cost but not what you pay out-of-pocket when you purchase the service.

All of the VPN deals I’ve highlighted basically give you a month to test the service and get a full refund if you’re not satisfied. But you will have to pay upfront and navigate the provider’s refund process if you want to discontinue service during the money-back period.

Very few VPN services advertise a free trial period these days, but you can sometimes find an offer for a free trial period (typically seven days) when you sign-up through mobile.

Keep in mind, if you take the free 7-day trial, you may end up paying more in the long run. I’ve noticed that the long-term (cheaper) plans are sometimes unavailable when taking advantage of the free trial period. So be sure to pay attention to the plan you’ll be subscribed to and factor that into your decision.

To lock in the lowest average monthly cost, you’ll need to subscribe to the longest plan, which can be anywhere from a two to five-year commitment. And you’ll have to pay the full cost for the entire term upfront in one lump sum, and there is tax to consider.

Despite the lump-sum cost, the longer subscriptions can be worth it — you just need to pay attention to the renewal price. When you subscribe to a VPN service, you’ll want to look at the fine print. Once your initial subscription plan expires, your cost is likely to increase. Although it can vary by service, you’ll usually have to renew at the annual rate after the introductory offer ends. A one-year subscription is typically 30% to 50% more than longer-term plans, so it’s something to be aware of when your plan approaches renewal time.

“Free” makes everything taste better — but this isn’t applicable when it comes to VPN services.

A free VPN may sound like a great deal but comes with a non-monetary cost. First is performance: free VPNs have fewer features, slower speeds, and aren’t likely to have great customer service. But that’s not the real reason you should think twice about a gratis VPN.

If you’re not paying for a VPN, the company is making money some other way. This could be from ads or worse, like selling your information. And malware is a potential risk with free VPNs.

One possible exception to this rule is a reputable VPN service that offers a limited free version to get customers to try out the service. In this case, be sure to do your research and know that your options will be limited — and your speed will be throttled.

An example of a free and reputable VPN is ProtonVPN. However, the caveat is that the free service will only give you access to servers in three countries.

If the offers we’ve highlighted aren’t a good fit for you, there are other VPN deals to consider. Each of the alternate offers listed below has a money-back guarantee period of at least 30 days, so you can try out the service for a month and back out if you don’t like it.

BEST PRICE

Surfshark VPN – $2.30 per month, two free months

Surfshark VPN is a cheap, reliable VPN with a few months free on a two-year plan.

View at Surfshark

BEST PRICE

Hotspot Shield VPN – A free limited version, paid options up to 38% off

Hotspot Shield VPN offers a 45-day money-back guarantee.

View at Hotspot Shield

BEST PRICE

ExpressVPN – 49% off, three months free

ExpressVPN is a solid, fast, and secure option that frequently offers discounts on 12-month plans.

View at ExpressVPN