{"id":602486,"date":"2026-08-23T21:12:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T21:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/602486\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T21:12:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T21:12:20","slug":"get-priceless-online-protection-with-a-vpn-subscription-for-just-over-2-per-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/602486\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Priceless Online Protection With a VPN Subscription for Just Over $2 Per Month"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cybercrime isn\u2019t slowing down<\/a>, and protecting yourself from scams can be a daunting extra chore for busy people. That\u2019s why subscribing to a virtual private network is a smart choice. A VPN encrypts your internet connection so you can do your banking, check emails and pay bills more safely. Delegating this task to a trustworthy service isn\u2019t expensive either.<\/p>\n

Tons of top-rated VPN services<\/a> like Express<\/a> and Surfshark<\/a> are offering massive discounts for first-time subscribers, with prices starting at just over $2 per month. To help you get signed up for less, CNET\u2019s deal experts have rounded up the best of these offers below. We\u2019ll continue to update this page as deals come and go, so be sure to check back often.<\/p>\n

What is the best VPN deal right now?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re on a budget, Surfshark<\/a> offers the best VPN deal. Starting at just $2 per month<\/a>, it\u2019s the most affordable of our top three VPN services. It also comes with a few other services, such as an ad blocker and a masked email generator.<\/p>\n

Best VPN deals<\/p>\n

CNET\u2019s team of experts tested and reviewed the VPNs in this group. We can broadly recommend them with the caveats noted below. The fast-changing ownership landscape in the VPN market may keep shaking things up, but we\u2019ll keep updating this list as we uncover more.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"ExpressVPN:<\/p>\n

Devices: Up to 8<\/p>\n

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days<\/p>\n

ExpressVPN<\/a>\u00a0still tops our list of the\u00a0best VPNs<\/a>, and you can save on a subscription by going for its 24-month plan, which also gets you four months free. That drops the average price to just $3 a month, paid upfront as $84. You can step up to the Advanced plan with a few more perks for $4.49 a month, paid as $125, or go all-out for the Pro plan at $7.49 a month, paid as $210.<\/p>\n

We evaluate VPNs based on their overall performance in three main categories: speed, security and price. Express isn\u2019t the cheapest, but it\u2019s among the fastest and the most secure so far, even after its acquisition by Kape Technologies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Surshark<\/p>\n

Devices: Unlimited<\/p>\n

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days<\/p>\n

Surfshark<\/a>, a relative newcomer to the VPN market, has quickly become known for its speed, which is why it\u2019s one of our VPN experts\u2019 top picks<\/a>. Surfshark also supports unlimited devices, which is great for large households. Currently, all the plans are discounted by up to 85%. If you commit to 27 months of Surfshark Starter VPN right now, you\u2019ll be billed $67 upfront, averaging just $2.49 a month.<\/p>\n

If you want a few more perks, you can try Surfshark One, which costs just over $2.79 a month or an upfront payment of $75 for 27 months. This gives you additional features, such as a private search engine and 24\/7 virus protection. In a similar deal, you can get Surfshark One Plus for just over $4.49 a month for a 27-month subscription. This will be billed at $121 upfront. You\u2019ll get everything the other two packages offer, plus data removal from companies\u2019 databases and people-search websites.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Surfshark\u00a0merged with rival NordVPN<\/a>\u00a0in 2022, although the companies continue to operate independently.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

Devices: Up to 10<\/p>\n

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days<\/p>\n

An industry heavyweight and still one of CNET\u2019s\u00a0top picks<\/a>, NordVPN<\/a> has some substantial savings right now, with up to 75% off its plans, which can support up to 10 devices. The basic two-year plan is $94 upfront for 27 months. If you want the upgraded Complete plan, with its added malware, ad-blocking and password management tools, you can get a 27-month subscription for just $121, which works out to $4 a month. There\u2019s also the $7.49-per-month Prime plan, which will cost you $202 upfront.<\/p>\n

As we noted, NordVPN and Surfshark have merged<\/a>\u00a0but have continued to operate autonomously so far.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Proton<\/p>\n

Devices: Up to 10<\/p>\n

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days<\/p>\n

Proton VPN<\/a> is the only free VPN<\/a> we recommend, but if you need more functionality, you can upgrade to Proton VPN Plus for $3 a month for 24 months. Keep in mind that you\u2019ll be billed $72 upfront for this two-year plan, and that it renews at $84. You can also get a one-year subscription for just $42 upfront, or pay just $5 month-by-month. Proton VPN Plus has no data caps or server-switching limits. Its ease of use, Tor support and ad-blocking capability also make Proton VPN popular.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"private<\/p>\n

Devices:\u00a0Unlimited<\/p>\n

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days<\/p>\n

Private Internet Access<\/a> earned a spot on our list of the\u00a0best VPN services<\/a>\u00a0as one of our favorite budget options. Right now, you can get this VPN for even less. You can get the two plan with three extra months for just over $2 a month, billed as $57 upfront \u2014 thanks to an 82% discount.<\/p>\n

Despite its affordable price, PIA\u2019s VPN tested fairly well. It offers AES 256-bit encryption, as well as a kill switch function. It delivers a respectable speed loss of just 24%. You also get 500GB of cloud storage with this deal. It\u2019s worth noting that PIA does fall under\u00a0US jurisdiction<\/a>, which might be a concern for security-focused users, although the company appears to be doing everything in its power to alleviate those concerns, including making its source code openly available.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Norton<\/p>\n

Devices: Up to 5<\/p>\n

Return policy: Fully refundable for 60 days<\/p>\n

Norton might be a company better known for its antivirus software, but Norton VPN<\/a> is a solid option for those who want a way to keep their data private while browsing the internet. Right now, you can save up to 68% on its annual plans. Prices start at $2.92 a month for the Standard plan, which is paid as a $35 upfront. You can also upgrade to the Deluxe plan for $40, which offers some extra protections, or get the Select Plus plan for $100, which extends coverage to up to 10 devices.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"IPVanish:<\/p>\n

Devices: Unlimited<\/p>\n

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 30 days<\/p>\n

With one of the best user interfaces in the field, according to our reviewer, IPVanish<\/a> is good for those who want to customize settings and for those who are new to a VPN. If this is your first time at the rodeo and you want to know more about the technology, IPVanish is a reliable service with a gentle learning curve. Normally, IPVanish goes for about $156 a year, but this deal gets you two years of service for just $60 (a little more than $2 a month). Note that IPVanish is also based in the US<\/a>, which may be a concern<\/a> if you\u2019re focused on security. (Disclosure: IPVanish is owned by Ziff Davis, the same parent company as CNET.)<\/p>\n

Additional VPN deals<\/p>\n

We haven\u2019t fully tested the following VPN. Because of that, we can only recommend it for casual use, such as bypassing geographic restrictions while streaming media.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"PureVPN<\/p>\n

Devices: Up to 10<\/p>\n

Refund policy: Fully refundable for 31 days<\/p>\n

PureVPN presents another affordable option if you\u2019re in the market for a simple VPN without a big price tag. With a solid server fleet numbering more than 6,500 in 78 countries, PureVPN promises reliable service, although we haven\u2019t had the chance to verify that. Another disclaimer: PureVPN was reported by our sister site ZDNET<\/a>\u00a0as having provided timestamp-only logs to the FBI in a cyberstalking case in 2018. PureVPN has since stopped the timestamp logging practice and undergone a third-party audit to ensure that it keeps to its no-log policy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s currently offering up to 83% off its two-year plans, which include three free months of service and range from just $2 to $4 a month. That\u2019s a super cheap plan for the long term if you\u2019re certain PureVPN is the service for you. Different service tiers offer additional features, like password management and up to 10 logins.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Top<\/p>\n

How we evaluated these VPN deals<\/p>\n

This list focuses almost exclusively on VPN services tested and reviewed by our team of experts, because you don\u2019t want to risk having your personal information leaked just to save a few bucks. Fortunately, almost all of our top-rated VPNs<\/a> are offering some excellent deals right now. We\u2019ve analyzed the discounts, subscription length, refund policy, internet speed loss, the maximum number of devices allowed and what each service is best suited for to bring you the best offers available.<\/p>\n

There are also a few factors you should be aware of when choosing one of these deals:<\/p>\n

Some of these offers have countdown clocks saying the VPN deals end today. These are usually marketing gimmicks that have no relationship to the deal\u2019s actual end date.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll update sale prices when we notice a change, so check back often.<\/p>\n

The VPN industry has undergone significant changes in the past few years, with\u00a0all three of our top VPN choices<\/a> announcing major shifts\u00a0in corporate ownership. In 2021,\u00a0ExpressVPN announced that it had joined Kape Technologies<\/a>, a company that already owns several other VPNs and has\u00a0raised privacy concerns in the past<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2022,\u00a0NordVPN and Surfshark announced they were merging,<\/a> although they continue to operate autonomously. We regularly give\u00a0ExpressVPN<\/a>,\u00a0NordVPN<\/a> and Surfshark<\/a> fresh reviews in light of these changes and continue to evaluate other VPN services as well. Our rankings are subject to change, as they reflect our latest findings.<\/p>\n

Most of the offers above are for two-year or longer subscriptions, 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.<\/p>\n

VPN deals FAQs<\/p>\n

Do I need a VPN?<\/p>\n

With online crime rates on the rise<\/a>, just about anyone can benefit from using a VPN. By creating an encrypted connection between your device and the internet, a VPN prevents your browsing data from being collected by your internet service provider and helps shield your passwords, bank information and other private information.<\/p>\n

Are VPNs legal?<\/p>\n

Outside of a handful of countries \u2014 such as China, Iran, Oman, Russia, Turkmenistan, UAE and Belarus \u2014 VPNs are perfectly safe and legal to use, so you don\u2019t have to worry about ending up in hot water. It\u2019s important to note that VPNs are not a \u201cget out of jail free\u201d card, and engaging in illegal activity online is still illegal regardless of whether you\u2019re using a VPN.<\/p>\n

What about free VPNs?<\/p>\n

With the exception of Proton VPN\u2019s free tier<\/a>, we strongly advise against using a free VPN service. For the most part, they\u2019re playing that same game of scooping up and selling your data, which could put you at even greater risk than just browsing unprotected. Considering that you can get access to a top-rated VPN for as little as $2 per month, it\u2019s certainly not worth the risk.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Adrian\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdrian is a deals writer on the Commerce team at CNET. With a love of books, entertainment, travel, tabletop games and, yes, even fandom, they can often be found at concerts, RenFest, Dragon Con or at home binge-watching everything from new hits to classics. After graduating from Kennesaw State with a BA in English and Professional Writing, Adrian had a short gig in casting, followed by a long stint teaching English lit, theater and film, before transitioning into commerce writing in 2021. Adrian enjoys sharing insights and favorite finds with their readers.
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSee full bio\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Aashna\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAashna Gheewalla\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAssociate Writer\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAashna Gheewalla is an Associate Writer at CNET. She previously worked as a Deals Writer at Wirecutter and a Health Advocacy Writer at GoodRx. She spends her free time teaching and practicing Pilates and trying out different restaurants.
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