VPNInfobaseOn the prices we read on 28 and 29 September 2026, the lowest advertised monthly figures were about 2 to 2.7 in the vendor’s currency, on two-year-plus plans from CyberGhost, Surfshark, PIA, PrivateVPN, IPVanish and hide.me. The advertised figure is only the first term. What separates the deals is what the plan renews at and how long you can get your money back, so those sit in the table.
The cheapest published plans
Currency is as the vendor’s page showed it. USD and EUR figures are not converted and are not comparable to each other.
| Provider | Cheapest plan read | Advertised per month | First charge | Renewal, per vendor | Refund window |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PrivateVPN | 36 months (USD, incl. VAT) | 2.00 | 72.00 | A euro-priced copy read 29 Sep shows 75.00 every 12 months after the first 36 months; the USD wording read 28 Sep is ambiguous | 30 days, new customers |
| CyberGhost | 26 months (USD) | 2.19 | 56.94 | 56.94 a year | 45 days on 6-month and 2-year plans |
| PIA | 3 years plus 3 months (USD) | 2.03 | 79 | 79 every 3 years, per PIA’s pricing page | 30 days, new subscribers |
| Surfshark | Starter, 27 months (USD) | 2.49 | 67.23 | Not stated on the page | 30 days, some exclusions |
| IPVanish | Essential, 2 years (USD) | 2.39 | 57.36 | 99.99 a year | 30 days on yearly and 2-year plans |
| hide.me | 26 months (USD) | 2.69 | 69.99 | Same as first term, per vendor | 30 days, by email |
| PIA | 1 year (USD) | 3.99 | 47.88 | 47.88 a year | 30 days, new subscribers |
Sources: each vendor’s pricing page (Surfshark, CyberGhost, PIA and IPVanish on 29 Sep; hide.me and PrivateVPN on 28 Sep); refund windows from the register. CyberGhost and Surfshark show the same numerals in euros on their euro price lists (CyberGhost’s one-month price is EUR 11.99 against USD 12.99). The 36-month averages for these plans, where a renewal is published, are in what you really pay for a VPN.
Reading the table
- Renewal decides the real price. IPVanish’s 2.39 becomes 99.99 a year after two years, about 8.33 a month (our division), while hide.me (register reading, 28 Sep) and PIA’s one-year plan state the same price at renewal. Surfshark’s page states no renewal price at all.
- Refund window is not the same as a trial. NordVPN, ExpressVPN and PIA say renewals are not refundable, so the window covers the first purchase only. The refund policies compared page lists the conditions.
- A low price is not evidence of quality. Audit kind matters more than price: see the audit tracker for who has published what.
A free option
Proton VPN’s free page says its free plan has “no data or speed limits”, “no ads”, one device and a strict no-logs policy (read 29 Sep 2026). It does not list server locations or streaming for the free tier. Proton’s paid no-logs audits are covered in the Proton VPN review. Free plans from other vendors have different business models: see are free VPNs safe.
How to use this
If you will stay past the first term, compare the Renewal column. If you might leave, compare the refund window and check whether the vendor counts a renewal as a new purchase. For ownership context before you pay, see who owns your VPN; for how we record providers, how we pick VPNs.
Researched from vendor pricing pages, not measured or bought by us. Prices move often; this page is reviewed every 90 days.