VPN Pricing Index: What Every Major VPN Really Costs (2026)

Most major VPNs advertise about $2–3/month — but that’s an introductory rate on a 2–3-year plan, and it renews at roughly $7/month on average, about 2.5–3× higher. Of the big names, only Mullvad and Windscribe keep the same price at renewal; the rest raise it. This index compares the real cost of each major VPN — intro vs renewal — using public pricing compiled in June 2026, so you can see past the headline number.

Reviewed and kept current by the Coppers.io editorial team — see how we research .

Updated: 21 June 2026. Figures are USD, rounded, and cross-referenced from neutral review sites and providers’ own pricing pages this month; VPN prices change often with promotions and region — confirm the live rate before buying. See Methodology & sources .

The VPN pricing table

Cheapest long-term rate (per month, on the longest plan) vs the rate that plan renews at — ordered by the size of the price jump:

Per-month figures are the longest-plan equivalent; month-to-month billing costs far more (typically $10–16/mo). “Renews at” is the rate the long-term plan rolls over to — usually the annual rate, not the month-to-month price. “Price jump” = renewal ÷ intro.

The intro-vs-renewal trap

The “cheapest VPN” headlines are almost always introductory rates on a 2- or 3-year plan, charged upfront. When that term ends, most providers renew you at a higher standard rate:

• The biggest jumps are NordVPN (~3.4×), Surfshark (~3×), and ExpressVPN (~3×) — a low intro that renews around $8–12/month.
• More modest jumps (~2×) come from CyberGhost, Private Internet Access, IPVanish, and Proton VPN — still an increase, but smaller.
• The trap works because the discount is locked to a long term you pay once, while the renewal quietly reverts toward full price.

So the advertised price is a poor guide to what a VPN actually costs over time. To compare fairly, look at the renewal column, or your true multi-year average. (Counter-intuitively, the provider with the cheapest intro isn’t always the cheapest long-term once renewals are counted.)

Which VPNs don’t hike at renewal

A few providers skip the intro-and-hike game entirely:

• Mullvad — a flat €5/month, always, billed monthly with no long-term lock-in and no introductory gimmick. The simplest pricing in the industry.
• Windscribe — its paid plan stays at the same rate on renewal, and it offers a genuinely usable free tier (with a monthly data cap).
• Proton VPN (Free) — an unlimited-data free tier, unlike the data-harvesting “free VPNs” we warn about in how to choose a VPN .

Note that ExpressVPN is not in this group — despite a reputation for premium, flat-ish pricing, its discounted plans now renew at roughly 3× the intro rate.

How to avoid overpaying for a VPN

• Judge by the renewal price, not the intro price — it’s what you’ll actually pay long-term.
• Buy the longest term you’re confident in — the per-month rate is far lower, and you lock the discount for that whole period.
• Set a cancellation reminder — let the plan lapse and re-subscribe (or switch) before the higher renewal hits; new-customer intro rates are usually the cheapest way back in.
• Use the money-back window — most offer 30 days (CyberGhost 45) to test risk-free.
• Consider flat-rate — if predictable pricing matters more than the lowest headline, Mullvad avoids the whole game.

For what actually matters beyond price, see how to choose a VPN , the protocol comparison , and what a VPN is for . (We’ll rank the best overall value in our upcoming Best VPN 2026 guide, and a VPN True Cost Calculator that reads this index is on the way.)

Methodology & sources

• What we record: the cheapest advertised per-month rate (on the longest plan), the plan term, the per-month rate that plan renews at, the resulting price-jump multiplier, and the money-back window.
• How it’s compiled: figures were cross-referenced in June 2026 from neutral VPN review sites and each provider’s own pricing page; where sources differed, we used the most commonly reported figure and rounded. All prices are USD.
• Important caveats: “renewal” is the rate the long-term plan rolls over to (typically the annual rate), not the month-to-month price; VPN pricing changes frequently with promotions, region, and currency; and tiered plans (e.g. NordVPN Basic/Plus, ExpressVPN Basic/Advanced) renew at different rates. Treat this as a representative reference and confirm the live rate at checkout before buying. We refresh this index periodically and date each update; an automated, daily-updated version is in development.

Sources: Security.org — How Much Does a VPN Cost? · Cybernews — VPN pricing reviews · NordVPN pricing · Tom’s Guide — cheapest VPN , plus each provider’s official pricing page (June 2026).

The bottom line

A VPN’s real cost is its renewal price, not the introductory rate splashed across the ad. Most major VPNs renew at roughly 2–3.4× their headline price — NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN jump the most, while CyberGhost and PIA are more modest, and only Mullvad and Windscribe stay flat. Compare on renewal, buy the longest term you trust, set a cancellation reminder, and use the money-back window — and you’ll pay what a VPN is actually worth rather than what its first-year ad implies.

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